Arrows Church Weekend Messages: Recent Episodes
Arrows Church
Arrows Church Weekend Audio Messages. Arrows Church is located in Papillion, Nebraska and is a place where Everybody's Welcome, Nobody's Perfect, and with Jesus Anything's Possible.
Jesus fed thousands, calmed storms, healed the sick, and still people wanted "just one more sign." Sound familiar? In Mark 8:1-13, we'll discover how easy it is to forget God's faithfulness and why true faith grows not by demanding more proof, but by remembering what Jesus has already done. Come be encouraged to trust the Savior who has never failed His people.
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Brokenness is something we all share. Broken hearts, broken relationships, broken hopes, and broken lives. In Mark 7:31-37, Jesus doesn't simply feel compassion, He restores what sin has broken. Discover the Savior who makes all things new and why He alone deserves our wholehearted trust and praise.
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What do you do when life leaves you desperate? In Mark 7:24-30, a desperate mother comes to Jesus believing He alone can help her daughter. But instead of an immediate answer, Jesus tests her faith. Discover what it means to bring your desperation to the right Person, persevere when God seems silent, and trust that His mercy is greater than you ever imagined. This message will challenge you to move from self-sufficiency to a bold, persistent faith in Jesus.
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Is it possible to look close to God while actually being far from Him? In Mark 7, Jesus exposes the danger of outward religion without inward transformation. Rules can change behavior, but only Jesus can change your heart. Join us as we discover why the gospel isn't about becoming a better person, but becoming a new person.
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The crowds wanted a political king. The disciples panicked in a storm. The people of Gennesaret recognized Jesus and ran to Him. In Mark 6:45-56, we'll discover that our greatest need isn't another miracle, a better life, or calmer circumstances. Our greatest need is to see Jesus for who He truly is. When our view of Christ grows, our fears begin to shrink, our faith deepens, and we learn to trust the King who sees us, comes to us, and calls us to Himself.
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In Mark 6:30-44, the disciples were exhausted, the crowd was hungry, and the resources were insufficient. Yet Jesus teaches three powerful lessons: you can't pour out while running on empty, people matter more than plans, and what is insufficient in your hands becomes more than enough in His. When we come to Jesus to be filled, learn to see people with His compassion, and surrender what we have, He does far more than we ever could on our own.
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Two men. Two paths. Two very different legacies. In Mark 6:14-29, we meet Herod, a man with power but no conviction, and John the Baptist, a man with conviction but no power (seemingly). One compromised when the pressure came. The other stood firm even when it cost him everything. This Father's Day, we were reminded that strong men don't drift with the current. Strong men face the truth, refuse compromise, and stand anyway. Living for truth will cost you, but compromising it will cost you more.
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In Mark 6:6-13, Jesus sends out His disciples before they feel fully ready, fully equipped, or fully confident. He teaches them to trust God more than their own resources, to obey even when they don't have all the answers, and to remain faithful regardless of how people respond. The same mission Jesus gave His disciples still belongs to every follower today. If you belong to Jesus, you've already been sent.
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The people of Nazareth grew up with Jesus. They knew His family, His hometown, and His trade. Yet the people who knew Him best were the ones who missed Him most. In Mark 6:1-6, we discover how familiarity can blind us to who Jesus really is. Are you still amazed by Jesus, or have you reduced Him to someone you've already figured out? The greatest obstacle to seeing Jesus may not be ignorance. It may be thinking you already know everything there is to know about Him.
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Speaker: Rob Steele
In Mark 5:21–43, we see two desperate people come to Jesus believing He alone can help: a synagogue ruler whose daughter is dying, and a woman who has suffered for twelve years with no hope left. Through interruption, delay, uncleanness, and even death, Jesus reveals not only His power, but His deep compassion for hurting people. This sermon explores what it means to trust Christ when His timing is confusing, prayers feel delayed, and circumstances seem hopeless. Faith in Jesus persists because His compassion is greater than our desperation.
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Speaker: Robert Conn
In Mark 5:1-20, Jesus crosses a storm to reach one broken man living among tombs, isolated, chained, and completely overwhelmed by darkness. While everyone else avoided him, Jesus moved toward him. This message is about the authority of Christ over the things that control us, the freedom only Jesus can bring, and the reality that no one is too far gone for the grace of God.
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Speaker: Robert Conn
Everybody loves the idea of following Jesus...until Jesus leads them into a storm. In Mark 4:35-41, the disciples discover that faith is not pretending storms don't exist, it is declaring that Christ is greater than the storm. Fear, anxiety, uncertainty, grief, and suffering are real, but so is the Savior in the boat. The storm may shake you, but it cannot overcome the One who commands the wind and the waves.
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Speaker: Robert Conn
Motherhood can feel like constant effort with little visible result. In Mark 4, Jesus shows that the Kingdom of God doesn't grow instantly or obviously. It grows quietly, over time, in ways we cannot control. What feels small and insignificant is often exactly what God is using. You are not responsible for the outcome. Stay faithful in the small things and trust that God is growing something you cannot yet see.
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We live in a world where truth is something we define, but Jesus shows that truth is something we respond to. In Mark 4:21-25, He teaches that truth is not hidden, it is revealed, yet not everyone receives it the same way. Some hear it and move on. Some filter it. Some let it change them. The difference is not the truth, it is the response. What we do with truth determines what it does in us.
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Speaker: Rob Steele
Mark 4:1–20 argues that the condition of a person’s heart determines how they receive and respond to God’s Word. Jesus uses parables not only to reveal truth to those who are receptive but also to expose and confirm the hardness of those who resist it. The message emphasizes the tension between God’s sovereign revelation and human responsibility, showing that hearing the Word is never neutral; it either softens or hardens the heart. Through the parable of the four soils, the sermon identifies different heart responses: hard, shallow, divided, and fruitful, each producing different spiritual outcomes. Ultimately, it calls listeners to examine their own hearts and consider whether God’s Word is truly taking root and producing lasting fruit in their lives.
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Speaker: Robert Conn
In Mark 3, no one outright rejects Jesus; they just get Him wrong. Some misunderstand Him, some mislabel Him, and some miss Him entirely. The danger today isn’t rejecting Jesus, it’s redefining Him into something comfortable. Are you following the real Jesus or a version of Him you’ve created?
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Speaker: Robert Conn
Arrows Church is not about a building, it’s about a people on mission. We exist to make disciples, welcome everyone, live in grace, and believe that with Jesus anything is possible. This is not something you attend… it’s something you become.
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Speaker: Robert Conn
You can be close to Jesus… and still miss Him. This Easter message exposes the difference between fascination and following. Are you in the crowd… or have you stepped into life?
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Speaker: Rob Steele
Jesus confronts a dangerous drift: faithfully following rules while missing the heart of God behind them. In Mark 2:23–3:6, the Pharisees’ commitment to maintaining religious systems leads them to value regulation over restoration, revealing how easily obedience can become disconnected from mercy. Through His words and actions, Jesus makes clear that God’s law was always meant to bring life, compassion, and relationship—not burden or harm. This passage exposes how a distorted view of God results in a distorted treatment of people and how hardened hearts form over time when systems are protected above all else. The call is clear: choose mercy over maintenance, and reflect the heart of a Savior who came not to preserve a system, but to restore people.
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Speaker: Robert Conn
In Mark 2:13–22, Jesus calls Levi the tax collector, eats with sinners, and confronts the kind of religion that keeps people close to church but far from God. While the religious crowd argued about appearances and spiritual routines, Jesus welcomed the broken and made it clear that grace is for people who know they need it. He did not come to patch up your old life with a little religion. He came to make you new. Whether you feel broken, tired, or spiritually numb, His invitation is still the same: Come follow Me.
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Speaker: Robert Conn
In Mark 2:1–12, four friends bring a paralyzed man to Jesus by tearing open a roof and lowering him into a crowded house. Everyone expects Jesus to heal the man’s body, but instead He addresses the deeper need first: “Your sins are forgiven.” By healing the man afterward, Jesus proves He has authority not only to heal but to forgive sins. The story reminds us that Jesus didn’t just come to fix what’s broken in our lives. He came to forgive what’s broken in us.
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Speaker: Robert Conn
In Mark 1:35-45, we see that the power of Jesus flows from the prayer life of Jesus. Jesus withdraws to pray, showing He is fueled not by applause but by communion with the Father. From that place of prayer, He moves in compassion, restores an outsider, and ultimately takes the outside place Himself. The world chases power, but Jesus pursued prayer. If we want real impact, it begins in quiet dependence on God.
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Speaker: Robert Conn
Jesus’ authority isn’t limited to sacred spaces. It moves from the synagogue into a home and then into an entire city. He restores what is broken, reclaims what belongs to Him, and even controls how He is revealed. When the King steps in, no one stays the same.
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Speaker: Robert Conn
Jesus steps into an ordinary workday and calls ordinary men to follow Him. They were not searching for a spiritual moment. They were casting nets and living predictable lives when Jesus said, “Follow me.” This message explores the kind of people Jesus calls: those faithful in the ordinary, open to interruption, willing to walk in community, and ready to surrender what is working for something greater. The question is not whether Jesus is calling. The question is how we respond.
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Speaker: Rob Steele
When Jesus speaks, His Word reveals truth and His power confronts evil, proving that the authority behind His teaching is the same authority that sets the enslaved free.
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Speaker: Rob Steele
In John 16:12–15, Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth who continues His work by guiding us and glorifying Christ. In the sorrow-filled moments of the Upper Room, Jesus reminds His disciples—and us—that we are not left alone, but given the Spirit to reveal truth, illuminate Scripture, and help us understand what we could not yet bear. The Holy Spirit never draws attention to Himself, but faithfully declares what belongs to Jesus, always exalting Christ and His saving work. This teaching invites us to respond by trusting Jesus in our sorrow, submitting to God’s Word, and allowing the Spirit to shape our lives for the glory of Christ.
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The waiting is over. Jesus didn’t come to tease us with hope, but to fulfill it. The kingdom of God is near, which means delay is no longer faithfulness. Now is the time to turn, trust, and follow the King.
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Speaker: Robert Conn
Temptation is rarely about choosing something evil and is more often about choosing what feels easier than trusting God. Looking at Jesus in the wilderness, we see that temptation often follows obedience or spiritual highs and does not mean failure, but formation. It reveals what obedience awakens, where we are vulnerable, and how God provides help.
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Speaker: Robert Conn
At Jesus’ baptism in Mark 1, heaven opens, the Spirit descends, and the Father speaks love and pleasure over His Son before Jesus does anything publicly. This message explores baptism, the Trinity, and a life-changing gospel truth: in God’s kingdom, identity always comes before activity. We don’t work for God’s love, we live from it.
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Speaker: Rob Steele
In Mark 1:1–8, we see how God prepares the way for Jesus by calling people to repentance, humility, and readiness to receive the true King. Mark opens with a bold declaration of who Jesus is, the Christ, the Son of God, and introduces John the Baptist as the messenger sent to awaken hearts. Through the imagery of the wilderness and the call to repentance, we are confronted with our need for renewal and reminded that God meets us in our brokenness but does not leave us there. This passage ultimately calls us to see Jesus clearly, turn from sin, and receive the transforming work of the Holy Spirit.
Need Prayer?
Speaker: Robert Conn
In the Gospel of Mark, we’re invited to take a fresh look at a Jesus we think we already know. Not just a good teacher, wise man, spiritual guide, or moral example, but the Son of God who came to serve, suffer, and save. Mark doesn’t ask us to admire Jesus from a distance, but to see Him clearly and follow Him fully. The question isn’t just “Do you believe in Jesus?”, it’s “Which version of Jesus have you been living with?”
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Speaker: Robert Conn
What if the greatest gift God gives you doesn’t match your expectations, but changes your life? This Christmas Eve-Eve, we are reminded that when the world expected something powerful and flashy, God sent a baby. Jesus stepped into our tangled mess, became one of us, and brought a Light that still shines today. Christmas isn’t about striving or fixing, it’s about open hands, open hearts, and receiving the Savior we truly need.
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Speaker: Robert Conn
What if one missing piece could make all of Christmas go dark? Many things feel essential to Christmas, like snow, gifts, music, and traditions, but none of them actually hold the story together. There is only one bulb you cannot remove: the Incarnation. God didn’t just come near, He became flesh. Without that, there is no cross, no resurrection, and no salvation. Christmas isn’t powered by sentiment. It’s powered by this truth: the Word became flesh. Take that out, and the whole strand goes dark.
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Speaker: Robert Conn
You can have all the lights, decorations, and plans, but without connection to Jesus, there’s no power.
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Speaker: Robert Conn
Even when life feels twisted and messy, God is working through every strand. His plan isn’t to cut you loose; it’s to weave your story into His.
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Speaker: Robert Conn
Closing out Fresh Picked by looking at “The Harvest, a reminder that the Fruit of the Spirit isn’t something we manufacture, but something that grows in us when we stay connected to Jesus. Each fruit has a “climate” where it grows best, and Satan offers us counterfeit versions. The goal isn’t just to taste fruit from others, but to bear it ourselves. Our task is to guard what God is growing, prune what’s in the way, and share the fruit He produces. From fruit tasting to fruit bearing, that’s the harvest Jesus invites us into.
Need Prayer?
Speaker: Rob Steele
Self-control isn’t about tightening our grip but surrendering to the power of Christ. Grace doesn’t just save, it trains us to say no to sin and yes to godliness. In a world ruled by impulse, the Spirit grows something different in us: discipline rooted in dependence. Self-control guards the garden and protects what the Spirit is growing in us.
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Speaker: Robert Conn
A watermelon is tough on the outside but soft and sweet inside, that’s gentleness: strength under control. It’s staying calm when you could explode and tender when life presses hard. In Christ, softness isn’t weakness; it’s power surrendered to love. The strongest hands ever were Jesus’, scarred, calloused, and yet gentle. Where do you need softer hands?
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Speaker: Robert Conn
In a world that constantly changes, God never does. His mercies are new every morning, and His faithfulness never fails. Faithfulness isn’t flashy; it’s showing up when it’s hard and staying when it’s inconvenient. Like grapes growing in clusters, faithfulness flourishes in community when we stay connected to Jesus and to one another.
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Speaker: Robert Conn
Goodness comes from connection, not comparison. God’s goodness isn’t just what He does… it’s who He is. And when His Spirit lives in us, His goodness is reflected through us. Just like fruit that’s fresh off the tree, real goodness can be tasted, in how we love, serve, and show grace to others. Let’s live in a way that helps people “taste and see that the Lord is good.”
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Speaker: Robert Conn
Kindness, like a cherry, is small but powerful, best when shared, rare in a harsh world, and the “cherry on top” in our lives. God’s kindness leads us to repentance, and now we’re called to show that same kindness to others.
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Speaker: Robert Conn
Patience isn’t passive waiting; it’s faithful endurance. Like a banana needs time to ripen, hope is formed through suffering, endurance, and character (Rom. 5:3–5). Don’t skip the process, the Spirit is growing something sweet in you!
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Speaker: Rob Steele
True peace isn’t the absence of problems; it’s the presence of Christ. The world offers fragile, temporary calm, but Jesus gives a supernatural peace through the Holy Spirit that anchors us even in chaos. As we abide in Him, this peace grows within us, guarding our hearts and minds and overflowing into our relationships. When we surrender our anxiety to God through prayer and trust, we discover that peace isn’t something we create; it’s a Person we walk with.
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Speaker: Robert Conn
Joy isn’t fleeting happiness; it’s the presence of God that sustains us through every season. Like a pineapple, it takes time to grow, is sweet despite hardship, and carries a crown of hope. Fixing our eyes on Jesus produces a joy the world can’t take away, and joy is one of the greatest ways we share Christ with others.
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Speaker: Robert Conn
Galatians 5 shows us the battle between flesh and Spirit isn’t won by willpower but by abiding in Jesus. The first fruit, love, is God’s agape love, the foundation for all others, covering sins and proving we belong to Christ. True love grows not from us, but from the Spirit within us.
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Speaker: Rob Steele
The Bible contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5. While the flesh pulls us toward sin, things like envy, anger, impurity, and selfishness, the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, and so much more. We must recognize the battle within us, why we so often do what we don’t want to do (Romans 7), and how the Spirit empowers us to live differently. The Christian life isn’t about trying harder in our own strength; it’s about walking by the Spirit and bearing fruit that points to Jesus.
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The church is called to live with integrity, to be people of prayer in both suffering and joy, to practice honest confession and mutual accountability, and to pursue those who wander lovingly. James ends his letter with a vision for a church that doesn’t settle for surface-level religion but leans fully into being a community that confesses, prays, heals, and restores.
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Anyone can wait and worry. But James 5:7-11 reminds us that true patience is waiting without worry. Like a farmer trusting the rains, we are called to stand firm, trust God’s timing, and live with peace even when life feels uncertain. We uncover how to let go of pride, embrace perseverance, and discover the freedom of patience rooted in faith.
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Who’s really in control, you or God? James 4:13–5:6 warns against living like we’re the pilot when we’re just passengers. Pride shows up in presumptuous planning and hoarded wealth, but both are empty and dangerous. Real wisdom means trusting God with our plans and stewarding what He’s given us with humility and generosity.
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James 4:11-12 confronts the pride that fuels our criticism and judgment of others. James isn’t telling us to ignore sin, he’s warning us not to play God. This sermon explores why judgment feels good, why it’s so dangerous, and how to call out sin with humility, love, and truth. When we judge from pride, we rob God of His glory and crown ourselves. But when we walk in grace, we can speak truth that restores.
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What causes fights, division, and spiritual drift in the church? In James 4:1–10, we’re confronted with the harsh truth: the problem isn’t just “out there,” it’s in us. Our passions wage war within us, our loyalties are split, and far too often, we live like friends of the world while claiming to follow Jesus.
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What does real wisdom look like? James 3:13-18 gives us the test. Wisdom isn’t about being the smartest or most successful—it’s shown through humble, godly living. James contrasts two kinds of wisdom: earthly wisdom, marked by jealousy and selfish ambition, and heavenly wisdom, which is pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy, impartial, and sincere. True wisdom produces peace and a harvest of righteousness. The question is, are we living by God’s wisdom or our own?
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James warns that while all believers face temptation, those who teach (pastors, leaders, and elders) are especially accountable because of the power of their words. The tongue, though small, carries great influence. It can steer lives like a rudder steers a ship, and it can destroy like a spark ignites a forest fire. James shows that what comes out of our mouths reveals what’s in our hearts. Though no one can tame the tongue by human strength, Jesus can transform it by changing the heart.
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This week, guest speaker Steve Krier reminded us that the Kingdom of God often begins in small, unseen ways—like a mustard seed. But what starts small doesn’t stay small.
God’s Kingdom grows through ordinary people, daily obedience, and hidden faithfulness. We don’t need a platform to make an impact. Every act of faith—no matter how small—is a seed that God can grow into something world-changing.
Jesus started with twelve. John Newton pastored a small church, and from it came leaders like William Wilberforce and William Carey. What might God do through your faithfulness?
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James doesn’t mince words: faith without works is dead. But that doesn’t mean we earn our salvation—it means that true saving faith will always overflow in action. Through examples like Abraham and Rahab, we’re reminded that faith is vindicated before others by our obedience and love.
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James 2:1-13… says favoritism is not just unkind, it’s sin. Whether based on wealth, status, politics, or appearance, showing favoritism violates the law to love our neighbor as ourselves. It makes us judges over people God loves equally. We’re reminded that we will be judged by how we treat others, and God’s mercy will reflect the mercy we’ve shown. Thankfully, mercy triumphs over judgment.
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James 1:19–27 reminds us that hearing God’s Word
isn’t enough, we have to live it. Just like it’s crazy to look in a
mirror, see toothpaste on your shirt, and walk away, it’s just as
crazy to hear the Word and do nothing with it. Real faith listens
before speaking, throws out moral junk, lives out what it hears,
and shows up in speech, service, and purity.
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In James 1:13–18, we learn that temptation doesn’t come from God, it starts with our own desires and can lead us into sin and destruction if we’re not careful. Like a fish avoiding a hook, we must recognize and resist the bait of temptation, set boundaries, and stay close to the Father, who offers only good and perfect gifts.
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In week 2 of James, we look at how real faith stands firm in trials. James reminds us to ask God for wisdom with unwavering trust and to view both poverty and wealth through the lens of Christ. Those who remain steadfast receive the crown of life.
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We all face trials—but how should followers of Jesus respond when life falls apart?
This week we kick off our summer series in the book of James: A Faith That Works. James doesn’t ease us in—he starts with a bold command that feels upside-down: “Count it all joy when you meet trials of various kinds.”
In this message, we explore what James really means by joy in the midst of hardship, how trials can grow spiritual grit (steadfastness), and what it looks like to become whole and complete in Christ—not just survive suffering, but be shaped by it.
We’ll also see how Jesus is both our example and our hope—He endured the ultimate trial for the joy set before Him… and that joy was you.
Whether you’re in a trial right now or walking alongside someone who is, this message is a call to anchor your faith—not in feelings, but in the unshakable love and presence of Christ.
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Purity isn’t about our past…it’s about our pursuit! Sex is God’s idea, meant to be enjoyed within marriage, not feared or shamed. Fear-based and purity culture teachings that focus only on virginity have proven to be ineffective. True intimacy comes from emotional health, trust, and selfless love in marriage. Healing and a fresh start are always possible through Christ.
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You don’t drift into intimacy — you talk your way there. Healthy communication is the foundation of every emotionally strong relationship. In this message, we explore how your words can either build a bridge or leave a scar. Ask yourself: Do you want your spouse to hear what you’re saying, or have to heal from how you said it? Let’s learn to speak with honesty, clarity, and grace.
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Is having a “work spouse,” a “hall pass,” or a close opposite-sex friend just fun — or deeply harmful?
In this episode, we answer your questions and expose the danger of emotional entanglements outside of marriage, from micro-cheating and innocent emojis to secret texts and subtle flirty habits. We’ll also talk about spiritual mismatches in relationships, what to do when your love tank feels empty, and how to rebuild trust after betrayal.
Spoiler: What feels harmless can wreck your relationship. Let’s talk about it.
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Your identity and purpose aren’t defined by your relationship status—they’re rooted in Christ. This message explores the biblical gift of singleness and the deeper purpose God has for your life, whether you’re single, married, or somewhere in between. Discover how to live with purpose and joy, no matter your season.
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God doesn’t require a perfect marriage to tell a beautiful story! If you’ve ever thought your relationship is beyond repair, this message serves as a reminder that emotional health, emotional intelligence, and emotional intimacy—rather than perfection—are the true foundations of a strong, godly marriage. While emotional intimacy turns conflict into connection, pride turns conflict into combat.
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If you think your marriage is boring and maybe even dead, and the only way you feel like you can spark life into your marriage is by introducing another person (or multiple people) into the equation, it might not be your marriage that’s boring...it might be you. It might not be your marriage that needs reviving...it might be you!
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Scripture: Luke 24:5b — “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”
In this Resurrection Sunday message, we reflect on the angel’s powerful question to the women at Jesus’ tomb. They had come looking for a body, expecting death—yet the tomb was empty. “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” is not just a question for that moment, but one that echoes into our own lives.
Too often, we seek purpose, identity, and peace in “dead places”—in success, relationships, addictions, status, even religion without Christ. We chase after affirmation on screens, healing in achievements, or comfort in substances. But these cannot offer life. They are tombs that promise what only Jesus can give.
True life—abundant, eternal, and resurrected life—is found in Christ alone. He is not in the grave. He is risen. And He invites us to stop clinging to lifeless substitutes and instead come alive in Him.
This message calls us to examine where we’ve been seeking life in dead things—and to turn instead to the Risen Savior who conquered death and still meets us with grace and power today.
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In Daniel's visions, we see God's sovereignty over history. The visions of the ram and the goat symbolize the rise and fall of empires, demonstrating that God orchestrates world events. This sovereignty extends to our personal lives, inviting us to trust Him with our own stories. Daniel's prayer in chapter 9 serves as a model for us, emphasizing adoration, confession, acknowledgment of God's justice, and a plea for mercy and restoration. God responded to Daniel with a prophecy that pointed to the coming Messiah, affirming that His plans have always been in place.
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We cannot acknowledge the existence of God and live a life that denies His power.
Belshazzar’s downfall in Daniel 5 shows what happens when pride, defeat, and ignorance take over. He treated what was sacred as casual, ignored God’s sovereignty, and lived as if he was untouchable—until the handwriting on the wall revealed his fate.
Many live the same way today—claiming faith but rejecting God’s power in their daily lives. True faith isn’t just believing in God but submitting to Him.
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In Daniel 4, King Nebuchadnezzar has a terrifying dream of a mighty tree being cut down. Daniel reveals its meaning: God will humble Nebuchadnezzar for his pride unless he repents. The king ignores the warning, and one year later, he loses everything—his kingdom, his sanity, and his dignity—living like an animal for seven years. Eventually, he acknowledges God’s authority, and God restores him.
🔥 Key Takeaways:
✅ Pride leads to downfall—God won’t let us get away with what He condemns in others.
✅ Repentance isn’t just belief—it’s a real change of heart & life.
✅ God is patient, but that patience won’t last forever.
⏳ Don’t wait! Turn to God before it’s too late.
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Faithfulness is our responsibility—God handles the results.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego show us how to stand firm in the face of persecution. When commanded to bow to a false god, they refused, declaring that God could save them—but even if He didn’t, they would still remain faithful. Their story reminds us that true faith isn’t about seeking rescue but trusting in God’s sovereignty, no matter the outcome. In the end, their faith not only saved them but also made God’s name known to an entire kingdom.
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In this message, we dive into Daniel 2, where King Nebuchadnezzar has a troubling dream that no one can interpret—except Daniel, through the wisdom God provides. This chapter teaches us three powerful truths that apply today:
1️⃣ God Rules Over All – No ruler, nation, or system operates outside of His will. We are called to practice fearless trust in His sovereignty.
2️⃣ God Reveals All – He is the source of all wisdom and knowledge. In times of uncertainty, we must practice fearless worship, trusting Him to reveal what we need.
3️⃣ God Remains After All – Earthly kingdoms rise and fall, but God’s Kingdom will last forever. Our hope should be in Him alone, calling us to fearless endurance.
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What does it mean to live fearlessly in a world that pressures us to compromise?
In Daniel 1, we see Daniel and his friends taken captive to Babylon—a culture that tried to strip them of their identity, change their beliefs, and make them conform. But Daniel resolved not to defile himself. He chose faithfulness over comfort.
The world will always try to redefine us, to make us compromise little by little. But fearless faith starts with small decisions—choosing obedience over compromise, trusting God’s provision over worldly gain.
If you want to be fearlessly faithful tomorrow, start living fearless faith today.
Need Prayer?
God works through prayer… and God is always at work! In this message, we dive into Ephesians 3 and explore four key questions: Am I praying? Why am I praying? How am I praying? And for what am I praying? Paul’s prayer challenges us to seek strength, depth, perspective, and fullness in our walk with God. Prayer isn’t just a religious habit—it’s fuel for our faith and a way to stay in tune with the Holy Spirit. Don’t settle for a shallow prayer life—step into a deeper, more powerful connection with God!
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Prayer is more than just quiet reflection—it's spiritual warfare. In this message, we confront common misconceptions that keep people from praying as they should. Is prayer a luxury? Does it bother God? Is it just for emergencies? Discover biblical truths that challenge these misunderstandings and practical steps to overcome obstacles that hinder your prayers. If you've ever struggled with prayer, this message will reshape how you approach God!
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Prayer has the power to break chains, change lives, and accomplish the impossible—even when we doubt. Using Acts 12 as our guide, this sermon explores how anyone can grow in prayer, moving from a simple list to a life of passionate, persistent, and partnered prayer. Discover how God hears and answers prayers in ways beyond what we could ever ask or imagine!
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Jesus teaches us to focus on three key areas in prayer: our relationships, responsibilities, and requests. It's a pattern that shifts our prayers from "me, me, me" to "Heaven, Heaven, Heaven... Here, Here, Here." We explore how prayer connects us with God and others, aligns us with His will, and reminds us of our daily need for His provision, forgiveness, and guidance. Change the script of your prayers this week and discover the transformative power of prayer!
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Prayer is our most powerful weapon in the spiritual battle we face daily. In this message, we explore the essence of prayer—not just as a means of communication with God but as a deep communion with Him and a confrontation of the enemy. Learn why prayer is vital, how it equips us for spiritual warfare, and how we can pray with power, precision, and purpose. If you want 2025 to be your best year spiritually, it starts with prayer!
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Not all gifts are the same. Some gifts are better than others. The only job we have when it comes to the wonderful gift of Jesus is to receive it.
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We wrap up our Christmas series “Joyful Noise” by asking the question: “Is it possible for you to still… Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas?” The truth is that while Christmas is a wonderful time celebrating the birth of Christ, it can also be challenging. Perhaps Christmas brings up memories of lost loved ones or hardship in your family. But there is a way to make Christmas merry, no matter your circumstances.
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In this week’s sermon, we explore Luke 2:22–35 and how Jesus’s birth ushered in a new era that reveals the condition of our hearts and transforms humanity. Just as the Grinch experienced a change of heart, Jesus came to replace our hearts of stone with hearts of flesh, making us new creations. Through Him, we find true joy—not in circumstances but in His transforming presence. Join us as we unpack what it means to have a transformed life and lasting joy through Christ.
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This Christmas season, we dive into the chaos surrounding Mary and Joseph during the birth of Jesus and discover how God’s presence transforms even the most challenging circumstances.
In this message, we explore:
- How Mary and Joseph faced political, relational, and physical turmoil.
- The difference between living near God and living in His power.
- The greatest news of Christmas: God is not just with us—He’s in us!
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In this message, we dive into the profound truth of the Gospel, a message that is both beautifully simple and deeply complex. The Gospel is simple enough for a child to understand—Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). Yet, it's complex in its transformative nature, like light entering a prism, refracting into new, vibrant directions.
We explore how Jesus changes our lives, refracting into four key aspects:
- Justification – We are made right with God.
- New Creation – Our old self is gone; we are born anew.
- Redemption – Chains are broken; we are set free.
- Adoption – We are brought into God’s family forever.
Discover how these truths meet our deepest longings for acceptance, hope, approval, and belonging. This Gospel is the greatest news ever, and our response to it is simple: receive it.
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In the final week of "Airplane Mode," we explored the necessity of a Christ-centered community. We looked at how deep, meaningful fellowship goes beyond socializing and fulfills a God-given longing for connection. Unlike shallow connections, true fellowship is both consistent and life-sustaining, and it’s foundational for growing in faith.
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Life often feels paralyzed during periods of waiting, but the Bible shows us that waiting on the Lord is never passive—it’s an active pursuit of faith. Psalm 37:34, Lamentations 3:25, and Matthew 6:33 illustrate that waiting and pursuing are intertwined acts of trust.
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In this week’s message, we dive into Acts 3:1-11 to explore giving and serving as spiritual privileges that allow us to bring Jesus' presence into others' lives. We examine the first miracle in the church, emphasizing how Jesus works through His followers to meet needs beyond silver and gold. As we practice generosity and serve, we don’t just support the church; we become vessels of transformation, helping others encounter God’s love. Remember, it’s not just an obligation—We GET to give and we GET to serve!
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In this message, we explore how silence and solitude before God are essential for finding direction, strength, renewal, and clarity. Through examples from the life of Jesus and other biblical figures, we see how silence and solitude were essential before significant decisions, in times of grief, and for spiritual rejuvenation.
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This part of the "Airplane Mode" series explores how spiritual disciplines are essential for spiritual growth. These practices aren’t just routines but habits that strengthen our connection with God and help us navigate life’s challenges. By diving into the core disciplines of prayer and worship, we see how they shape both our inward posture toward God and our outward expressions of faith.
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In this message from our series "Airplane Mode," we explore the spiritual discipline of Bible study and learning, using the story of Samuel's call in 1 Samuel 3:1-10 to emphasize the importance of listening to God's voice. Just as Samuel had to recognize the voice of the Lord, we must approach Scripture with a heart ready to hear and obey. We'll examine James 1:22-25, understanding that knowing God’s Word is not enough; we must be doers of it. Lastly, we'll dive into practical methods to study the Bible, making it a living, transformative part of our daily lives.
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Using 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, we’ll dive into the metaphor of athletes who train with strict discipline, applying it to our Christian walk—reminding us that we are in a race worth running to win, and a fight that requires our full dedication.
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The apostle John reminds us of the seriousness of sin, the importance of guarding our hearts from idols, and a pathway to healing from the sin done by us, to us, and around us.
1 John 5:16-21
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1 John 5:6-15
John provides three witnesses—water (Jesus’ baptism), blood (His death), and the Spirit—that testify to Christ’s divinity and role in salvation. Christians should share their personal stories of transformation and trust in God’s confidence rather than our own.
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When we believe in Jesus, what happens is so other-worldly that the only way to describe it is to be ‘born again.’ By believing Jesus is the Christ, we can overcome the world and obey God's commands.
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1 John 4:1-6
Whenever there is False Teaching there will be always be False Living, False Security, and False Power. Only through knowing God’s voice can we navigate the potentially dangerous lies offered by our culture.
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Are you Loving One Another?
1 John 4:7-21
John's message is clear: our love for others is a direct reflection of our relationship with God. If we claim to love God but harbor hatred for others, our claim is empty. The ultimate expression of love is seen in Jesus Christ, who sacrificed His life for us. This sacrificial love should inspire us to love others selflessly.
Loving One Another Proves We Know God.
Loving One Another Proves We See God’s Love.
Loving One Another Proves We Are Becoming More Like Jesus.
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When we delight in the love of God, our desires will be in the will of God.Living with a clean heart involves a continuous process of self-examination, repentance, and alignment with God's will. By adhering to Christ's teachings, loving one another, and maintaining a kingdom-minded perspective, we can find assurance and comfort in our faith. This journey not only strengthens our relationship with God but also empowers us to live a life that reflects His love and truth.
1 John 3:19-24
- Assurance for an unsure heart vv 19-20
- Condemnation is rooted in guilt and shame
- Conviction is rooted in the knowledge of sin and repentance
- Assurance for a sure heart vv 21-22
- Assurance through faith and obedience vv 23-24
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1 John 3:10-18
**If we are delivered from sin, then we should be marked by love. And so I would ask you today, Are you marked by love?
The evidence of our Love for God is marked by our relationships with others.**
- Two outcomes of how we live in relationships with others
- Child of God
- Child of the Devil
John outlines 4 ways we can choose to live in relationship with others.
- Murder: Vv 11, 12
- Hatred vv 13-15
- Indifference vv 16, 17
- Christian Love vv 18
The evidence of our Love for God is marked by our relationships with others.
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In order to say yes to God this week, you’re going to have to
say no to something else.
1 John 3:4-9 (NIV)
Are you Delivered from Sin?
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The Reason for deliverance
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You are a sinner
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You are sinful
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The Recipe for deliverance
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The Righteousness from deliverance
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Righteousness makes us not want to sin
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Righteousness keeps us from sinning
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The Result of deliverance
-
We have been delivered from Satan’s power to charge us with sin
- We have been delivered from Satan’s power to cause death
- We have been delivered from Satan’s power to enslave us with habits of sin and shame
Need Prayer?
1 John 2:24-29
Are You Abiding in Christ?
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The Test (v 24)
- It is an old, unchangeable message
- The evidence: You are continuing in the Son
- The Promise (v. 25)
- Eternal Life
- The Prediction (v. 26)
- Some lead us away from Christ
- See last week’s sermon (Are you believing lies?)
- The Provision (v. 27)
- The Holy Spirit abides in us
- The Holy Spirit teaches us truth
- The Holy Spirit seals and assures us
- The Purpose (v. 28)
- We continue so we can have confidence
- We continue so will not be ashamed at Christ’s return
- The Proof (v. 29)
- We know God if we know he is righteous
- We know God if we know what it means to be born again
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Until you know what you do believe, you won’t know what you shouldn’t believe.
- 1 John 2:18-23 (NIV)
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Are you believing lies?
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False teachers are Clear.
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They deny Jesus was/is God
- They deny Jesus was Sinless
- They deny Jesus’ death and resurrection
- They deny Jesus’ Lordship
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They deny Jesus is coming back
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False teachers are Close.
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See… Matt 7:15; 2 Cor 11:13-15; 1 Tim 4:1-2; 1 Tim 6:3-5;
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2 Tim 4:3-4; 2 Pet 2:1; Jer 6:13; Jer 23:11; Jer 50:6; Ezek 33:6
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False teachers are Confined
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As believers… we have an anointing
- As believers… we have the truth
- God gives us truth through Jesus
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God gives us truth through His Word
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False teachers are Confused.
Need Prayer?
Is loving the world a bad thing? Aren't we supposed to love people and God's creation? John tells us that loving the world is the same as not knowing God, therefore, how do we know God and also approach this world we live in?
1 John 2:15-17 (NIV)
No matter what a person may say or think… the person who loves the world does not know God.
- The Test
- Do you love the world?
- The Truths
- The world is dying…
- The world in powerless…
- The world is sinful…
- The Traps
- Lust of the flesh
- Lust of the eyes
- Pride of life
- Whatever we Love, + what we Follow = becomes our god.
- The Trust
- You can prove you know God by answering: Am I loving the world?
Need Prayer?
How do we prove we KNOW God?
Knowing God is not important… If God doesn’t exist.
What if his existence is the most important thing that matters?
The point is clear… we must know God!
But how can we really know that we know Him?
• 1 John 2:3-6 (NIV)
Test #1: Do I obey God’s commands?
• 1 John 3:23 (NIV)
Person 1 = Someone who falsely claims to know God.
Person 2 = Someone who truly knows and obeys God.
Obedience is tied to knowing and loving God.
When we continuously obey God’s word, we will draw nearer to
Him. We will love Him more… we will know Him more!
How did Jesus walk/obey?
• Believing and trusting God
• Worshipping and praying to God
• Fellowshipping and communing with God/Others
• Giving and sacrificing everything to God
• Seeking and following after God
• Teaching and telling others about God
• Loving and caring for others
• Laying down his life for others
• Obeying all of God's commands
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You know because you GROW.
Some Christians are ____________, some are _____________, some are ______________.
1 John 2:12-14 NIV
John's message to children (new believers): Your sins are ___________ + you know the ___________.
John's message to young men (growing believers): You have ____________ the evil one.
John's message to fathers (mature believers): You know ______ who was from the beginning.
What does growth look like?
Growth = Increased understanding of ________ _____________ and _____ ________________, and a growing belief that the ______ ________ _____ _________.
We minimize the cross by ______________ to earn God's approval.
We minimize the cross by _______________ we're better than we really are.
Commit to growing through _________ and _____________ yourself of the gospel.
Need Prayer?
The proof that you really KNOW God
Test #2 = Are You Loving Your Neighbor?
1 John 2:7-11
- The Supreme Command - Love (2:7-8)
- The professing man: Professes God but hates his brother (2:9)
- The obedient man: Loves his brother (2:10)
- We can prove that we know God by what we love.
- The bitter & hating man: Walks in darkness, blinded by his sin (2:11)
Big Question: Are you loving your neighbor?
- Do you love them enough to serve them
- Do you love them enough to pray for them?
- Do you love them enough to worship with them?
- Do you love them enough to bear their burdens with them?
- Do you love them enough to forgive them?
Need Prayer?
Question: If you were believing a lie… would you want to know it?
1 John 1:5-2:2 (NIV)
LIE #1 - We can walk with God & walk in darkness
- Revelation 21:23 (NIV)
- Revelation 22:5 (NIV)
- What does it mean to walk in darkness?
LIE #2 - We’re not that bad
- 1 John 1:8 (NIV)
LIE #3 - We can defeat sin ourselves
- 1 John 2:1-2 (NIV)
- What is it that gives Jesus the right to act as our advocate?
- What is it that Jesus Christ pleads on our behalf?
- He does not plead our reputation, good works, innocence, or personal righteousness…He pleads His own righteousness.
Are you walking in the light?
Need Prayer?
Are you someone who claims to know God, love Him, and believe in Him? If so, can you prove it? It's easy to make such claims, but proving one's faith requires more than words. Thankfully, we can learn from John, one of Jesus' disciples, on how to prove our faith. By asking ourselves the right questions and following his lead, we can demonstrate to the world that our faith is not just mere words, but rather, it's a tangible truth that can be proven.
1 John 1:1-4
- Jesus has always existed
- Jesus proves who He is in person
- Jesus changes us forever
- Jesus came to us for us
Joy = a deep seated pleasure.
- Joy is divine
- Joy does not depend on circumstances
- Joy comes from faith
Question: How's your joy?
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We talk about the importance of understanding the depth of “I Do” beyond the wedding day. How couples can cultivate a deeper understanding of their vows throughout their marriage?
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
- “I Do” really means “I Will”
- Love never fails… even when we do.
1 John 3:16
Need Prayer?
Some marriage problems like adultery and addiction are very visible, obvious, and clear. Others can be invisible and unclear. Unmet Expectations in our experience is the biggest silent killers of marriages because they are not always obvious and with them comes ongoing feelings of sadness, disappointment, frustration, and anger.
Truth: Expectations that are not met lead to ongoing feelings of sadness, disappointment, frustration and anger.
James 4:1-2 (NIV)
Proverbs 13:12 (NIV)
Where Do Our Expectations Come From?
- Family of origin
- Friends
- Media
- Past relationships
Three Key Problems with Expectations:
- We are usually Unaware of expectations we have for our relationship.
- Our expectations can beUnreasonable.
- Our expectations can beUnclear.
John 8:2-11 (NIV)
A Better Way to Manage Expectations:
- Be Awareof your expectations.
- Be Reasonablein what you expect.
- Be Clear about what you expect.
Need Prayer?
Humility and Submission have become dirty words. Filthy language separated from many marriage relationships. In our current "me first, if it feels good do it" culture, these are words that have become outdated and even banned. Yet, we see that if a marriage is to be healthy, each partner must practice intentional times of both humility and submission.
The H-Word… Humility
- Humility is learning how to Yield (1 Peter 5:6-7; Ephesians 4:2; James 4:6; James 4:10; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Luke 14:11)
- Humility is not ignoring someone’s flaws… it is having the courage to look at your own flaws first.
- Whatever you are thinking secretly, will still be communicated silently
- Smaller issues that you aren’t willing to work on, can be more harmful than larger issues that your spouse is willing to work on.
The S-word: Submission
- Ephesians 5:22-27 (NIV)
- Mutual submission
How do we walk humbly and in submission?
- Admit when you are “wrong”
- Move toward your spouse Emotionally
- Do something in Secret without any expectation of recognition, repayment, or reward.
- Lose something on purpose in order to win.
Need Prayer?
For Better Or Worse (Week 2)
• Genesis 2:21-25 (NIV)
• Proverbs 27:17 (NIV)
• Hebrews 10:24 (NIV)
Five Elements to Reflection
1. Reflection must begin with Love
2. Each must be willing to look into the mirror
3. Reflection requires Clarity
4. Know the difference between Aspiration and Assassination
5. Understand that real Change rarely happens quickly.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:14 (NIV)
How to reflect in real life:
1. Learn to ask for Feedback
2. Ask for Permission to share your feedback
3. Lead by example
4. Celebrate the growth you do see.
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Falling in love is easy… all you need is a pulse. Staying in love is hard. That takes intentionality and work. Into the difficulty and darkness that is and was difficult relationships, Jesus speaks words of hope and lays out the foundation for enduring love.
We all expect the ideal… We end up with an ordeal and because our idea of love is so distorted, We think the answer is a new deal.
Truth: You are actually powerless to love your spouse the way you promised you would, the way they dreamed you would and the way God designed that you should.
The Concept of the One-Eighty: The only way marriage works, longterm, is to both be headed toward each other.
There is a major difference between Falling in love vs Staying in love.
Here is the Tension in marriage... We are equipped to fall in love, but we are not equipped to stay in love.
Where’s the Hope?
• John 13:34 (NIV)
• Matthew 5:46 (NLT)
The foundation of staying in love is making love………a verb.
Need Prayer?
God has created us to rely on each other, as is shown by the "one another" commands in the Scripture. These commands include loving, serving, helping each other bear burdens, encouraging, and confessing to one another. By practicing these one another’s, we become more like Christ and strengthen our devotion to each other.
Need Prayer?
Resurrection Sunday!
The Cross of Christ is wonderful because the cross won! The cross of Christ gives us life, forgives our sin, cancels the charges against us, takes our sin away, nails our sin to the cross, disarms the devil, shames the evil powers, and claims our forever victory!
Need Prayer?
The Holy Spirit is the agent of Creation
The Holy Spirit is the agent of Scripture
The Holy Spirit is the agent of Salvation
The Holy Spirit is God with Us
Need Prayer?
"Confused" is a word many would use to describe their understanding of the Holy Spirit. However, the Holy Spirit doesn't need to be confusing. Using the definition of the Trinity, along with how the Spirit Empowers, Purifies, Reveals, and Unifies, we can know well the third person of the trinity. And in knowing Him well we can be obedient to His calling.
The Trinity = God is one in being and three in person.
- Being = that which makes you WHAT you are.
- Person = that which makes you WHO you are.
• Think less about the ‘What’, and more about the Work of the Holy Spirit
- The Holy Spirit Empowers Life
- Physical Life - Job 34:14-15
- Spiritual Life - Romans 8:11
- Our Life - Acts 1:8
- The Holy Spirit PurifiesHearts
- 1 Corinthians 6:11
- The Holy Spirit Reveals Truth
- Galatians 5:16
- Ephesians 1:17-18
- The Holy Spirit Unifies All
What would the Holy Spirit have you do?
Need Prayer?
Who is the Holy Spirit? Is it a bird? Is it a fire? Is it a person? Drawing on what the Bible says regarding the person and work of the Holy Spirit, this three-week series looks at the third person of the Trinity, and asks why we tend to erase him from our churches and personal lives and how we can reverse this pattern of neglect.
Big Idea: The Holy Spirit’s indwelling of the tabernacle, then the temple, and ultimately us.
- Everything left up to chance - Acts 1:23-26
- The Tabernacle - Exodus 40:34-35
- The Temple - 2 Chronicles 7:1-3
- The Rebuilt Temple - Haggai 2:6-9
- Holy Spirit Arrives - Acts 2:1-4
We are the new temple!
- Realize your own value?
- Realize the power within you!
Need Prayer?
"What are you going to do in light of what you've heard?" This is the application to Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Since the beginning of the sermon we have seen clearly that there are only two options from which we must make one choice.
Matthew 7:13-29 (NIV)
- Two Roads… (Wide / Narrow)
- Two Gates… (Wide / Narrow)
- Two Destinations… (Destruction / Life)
- Two Crowds… (Busy / Empty)
- Our discomfort doesn't make Jesus uncomfortable!
- Claiming to know Jesus… is not same as Jesus claiming to know you
- Don’t put your hope in anything you can build… put it in the firm foundation of Jesus.
Which foundation are you building everything on? Which road do you choose?
Need Prayer?
Jesus tells us in the Sermon On The Mount to Ask and keep on asking... Seek and keep seeking, knock and continue to knock. With continued and increasing persistence, Jesus tells us to call out to God and to pray for 'Big Ask' Prayers.
Matthew 7:7-12 (NIV)
- Prayer is a first priority, not a last resort.
- Jesus not only teaches the importance of praying to our Father… He addresses the frequency of those prayers.
Jesus’ promises are attached to the direct commands of Asking, Seeking, and Knocking.
Objections to Prayer
1) Doesn’t prayer seem Inappropriate?
- The question is not… is He ready to give, but rather are we ready to receive?
- Prayer is God’s chosen method for us expressing our total dependance on Him.
2) Isn’t Prayer Unnecessary?
- There is a difference in God’s creation-gifts and His redemption-gifts.
3) Isn’t Prayer Unproductive?
Apply this:
- What is your ‘Big Ask’ Prayer?
Need Prayer?
There is a major difference between critiquing something or someone and criticizing something or someone. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls believers to stop being judging hypocrites and to begin being brothers and sisters to others.
A Different Kind of Sight
Matthew 7:1-6 (NIV)
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A Christian should not be a Judge (v1,2)
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Jesus does not say don’t assess people critically, but rather not to judge them harshly.
- We need tounderstand…there is a difference b/w Critique and Criticism
- Critiquing helps… Criticizing hurts
-
Jesus’ command to “Judge not, lest ye be Judged…”) is not a command to be blind… it is a command to be generous.
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A Christian should not be a Hypocrite (v3,4)
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A Christian should be a Brother (v5)
Apply this:
- Do you need forgiveness for being a judge or hypocrite?
- Is there someone you can be a ‘brother’ to?
Need Prayer?
Upon what are you building your life? Jesus is addressing a heart issue in Matthew 6:25-34. A life built on our own strength will be a life full of anxiety, but a life built on God's strength is a life of faith. Christ gives us a command, “Do not be anxious,” but He also gives us comfort. As His children, He promises to provide provision and protection when we seek Him and His righteousness.
Matthew 6:25-34
Need Prayer?
In Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, His assumption was that the believer would be praying and would be fasting. Though often uncertain about both, Christians are still called and expected to practice both regularly.
Matthew 6:5-18 (NIV)
Jesus again is calling out improper motives in people.
Verses 14-15 - How does conditional forgiveness fit with the gospel of free and unmerited grace?
God forgives the debt we forgive the debtor
This is why forgiveness is so powerful.
PRAYER
- Prayer is communing with God and confronting the enemy.
- Prayer should be a first priority, not a last resort.
- Prayer can change events here on earth even when we doubt they can.
- Pray through your struggles rather than praying them away.
- God wants us to move from a Prayer List to a Prayer Life.
FASTING
- The goal of fasting is to draw near to God.
- Fasting detaches you from the world and prayer attaches you to God.
- Common types of Fasting:
- Selective Fast
- Partial Fast
- Complete Fast
- Soul Fast
Need Prayer?
Jesus said where our treasure is our heart will be also. That means what happens to our treasure, happens to us. In this sermon we take a look at Jesus teaching on giving and generosity and how to navigate where our treasures may be.
Matthew 6:1-4, 19-21 (NIV)
- As humans, we are driven by motive...
- It is the sin of cowardice that made him say, “Let your light shine before others...” It is the sin of vanity that made him say, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before others...”
- Show out when you are tempted to hide... Hide when you
are tempted to show out.
- Show out when you are tempted to hide... Hide when you
- Be secret in what you give, not that you give.
- Jesus isn’t against people having control over money... He’s against money having control over people.
- Application: Discover where your treasure is: Ask yourself these questions:
- What occupies my thoughts when I have nothing else to do?
- What do I worry about the most?
- What do I most dread losing?
- What are the things I measure others by?
- What can I not be happy without?
Need Prayer?
Are we loving people the wrong way? Is our love for others based on what they have to offer us or on a covenantal pursuit after their heart?
Matthew 5:31-48 (NIV)
Jesus teaches us...
- Divorce has never been easy.
- Covenants are stronger than contracts.
- You are truly unique... just like everybody else.
- There is a right way to love.
- Our empty words become a declaration of our pride, arrogance, and selfishnesses.
- Every heart is created with the capacity to love... only hearts made alive in Christ have the ability to love.
Need Prayer?
Psalm 19:7-14
- Scripture is without fault. Ps 19:7
- Scripture Is Food for our Souls Ps 19:7-8
- Scripture: Reviving to the Soul
- Scripture: Makes wise the Simple
- Scripture: Rejoices the Heart
- Scripture: Enlightens the Eyes
Need Prayer?
Into the darkness comes God's light.
John 1:4-5
"In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can not comprehend it."
Christmas is complicated.
Christmas has always been complicated.
We can't fix complicated... but Jesus overcame the darkness!
Need Prayer?
Heaven came down so we could come home. Where is your eternal home? Jesus gives us the way for us to come home this Christmas and the way is through him.
John 14:1-6
- Let not your hearts be troubled...
- Prayer
- Reading Scripture
- Community
- Promises of Jesus
- Jesus and the Father have an eternal home for us.
- Jesus is preparing that eternal home.
- Jesus is coming again to take us home.
Need Prayer?
Heaven came down so we could come home. Using the Parable of the Lost Son we see how God's heart is always on that which is lost. No matter where we are in life we can come home to the Father and be received with open and welcoming arms.
Luke 15:11-31 (NIV)
- The word 'Prodigal' is primarily an adjective, not a noun.
- Definition 1 - “reckless & wasteful in spending”
- Definition 2 - “extremely generous and lavish”
Ask yourself, “What part do I play in this story?”
- The Younger brother
- The Father
- The older brother
The gospel = the good news of a prodigal God who rushes to meet sinners with his love!
Ask yourself, “Where am I in this story?"
- Are you sick of home?
- Are you sick?
- Are you homesick?
- Are you home?
Need Prayer?
In Genesis we read how God created the first 'home'. A loving community between Himself, man, woman, and child. A community where everyone loves and is loved. And since we've been created in the likeness and image of God, this loving home community exists in each of us. Yet, because of sin, the only way we can truly be 'home' for Christmas is to accept the forgiveness and salvation offered through Jesus. For this Christmas… come home.
Genesis 1:26-28
Genesis 3:6-7, 21
Colossians 1:15, 19-22
Need Prayer?
Jesus takes the narrow audience of adultery and opens it up to the larger audience of lust. Not all of us have experienced the pain of adultery, but all of us has experienced the fallout of lust. Jesus wanted our response to sexual temptation and sin to be radical.
A Different Kind of Purity (Matthew 5:27-30)
• Do not equate looking with lusting
• Lust is not a casual look or momentary desire... it is a persistent look and a
cherished desire.
• Our response to sexual sin and temptation should be radical.
1. “No be there”
2. Create appropriate boundaries
3. Seek purity over everything else
• Focusing on virginity is overrated.
• What if purity became the goal?
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In Matthew 5:21-26, Jesus stresses that refraining from murder is not enough; harboring anger and hatred is also detrimental. He highlights the importance of reconciling with others and maintaining healthy relationships, as unresolved conflicts hinder genuine worship. The passage emphasizes addressing issues promptly, as even minor problems can escalate if neglected.
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God calls us to praise Him in the good and in the bad, in the best and in the worst, in the easy and in the difficult. No matter if you're in a Palm season or a Willow season, we can respond accordingly as God leads. We praise Him for what He has done, and we worship Him for who He is.
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While this passage is short, it is a vitally crucial passage in the Sermon on the Mount as Jesus establishes his authority of scripture and teaches a different king of Righteousness.
Matthew 5: 17-20
Main Theme: Jesus is Lord of the Old and New Testament.
This passage of scripture provides us with three aspects of our faith that of which we need to have a proper understanding.
- A Proper understanding of Christ (Matt 5:17)
- A proper understanding of scripture (Matt 5:18-19)
- A proper understanding of righteousness (Matt 5:20)
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The Beatitudes are one of Jesus' most well-known teachings within the Sermon on the Mount. Rather than representing eight different types of people, they represent qualities each believer is called to exhibit. The Beatitudes represent our relationship to God and to others.
Matthew 5:3-12 (NIV)
• The qualities introduced here do not refer to 8 different types of people.
• These qualities do not represent a spiritually elite person.
Representing our relationship with God:
1. Poor in spirit... (v3)
2. Those who mourn... (v4)
3. The meek... (v5)
4. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness... (v6)
Representing our relationship with Others:
5. The merciful... (v7)
6. Pure in heart... (v8)
7. Peacemakers... (v9)
8. Those who are persecuted because of righteousness... (v10-12)
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The Sermon on The Mount is perhaps Jesus' best known teaching and yet many have questioned the sermon's relevancy and practicality. After all, what does a 2,000 year old sermon have to teach us today?
Understanding the Sermon on the Mount...
- Leviticus 18:1-4 (NLT)
- Psalm 106:34-36 (NLT)
- 2 Kings 17:7-8 (NLT)
- Matthew 4:17 (NLT)
What do people who have come under the complete gracious authority of God look like??? They look Different!
This call to be different is the underlying and unifying theme of the entire sermon.
The Sermon On The Mount is a complete Christian value- system in a package.
- Ethical standards // Money // Ambition // Lifestyle // Relationships...
Matthew 5:1-2 (NIV)
- Is the SOTM Relevant?
- Is the SOTM Practical?
Key to understanding the SOTM: A belief in the necessity and possibility of your new birth.
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If we live life with unordinary vision, unordinary generosity, courage, and togetherness, we can't help but also experience unordinary difference. As believers we are called to be different, specifically in Purpose, Holiness, Attitude, and Love.
Different doesn’t always mean Opposite.
Different doesn’t always mean Separate.
God never calls us to live a completely different life, He calls us to live life completely differently.
- We are to be Different in Purpose - Romans 12:2 (NLT)
- We are to be Different in Holiness - 1 Peter 1:14-16 (NIV)
- We are to be Different in Attitude - Philippians 2:14-15 (NIV)
- We are be Different in Love - John 13:34-35 (NIV)
You cannot love others if you do not love yourself.
You can only love yourself by understanding God’s love for you.
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Ordinary Fear is when we look to ourselves, estimate our own resources, and conclude we do not have what it takes to do what God is calling us to do or to face what God is asking us to face. Unordinary Courage however is when we look to God, estimate His resources, and conclude He will equip us for whatever He calls us to do or face what He calls us to face.
Unordinary Courage (Part 3)
Joshua 3:14-17 (NLT)
- Ordinary Fear... is what happens when I look at myself, estimate my own resources, and conclude that I do not have what it takes to do what God is calling me to do or face what I am facing.
- Unordinary Courage... is what happens when I look to God, estimate His resources, and conclude that He will equip me to do what He has called me to do or face what I am facing.
Trading Clarity for Courage
- Proverbs 25:2 (NLT)
- God keeps some information from us... why? For our benefit.
God’s will is not so basic that we can mess it up, and our life’s choices are not so critical that God can’t use them.
Clarity is a crutch, Courage is a coach.
Living Unordinary Courage looks like your obedience preceding God’s provision.
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Some generosity is common among everyone... you let your neighbor borrow sugar or an egg, you cover for your coworker, etc. But then there is unordinary generosity. That's where people start asking questions and have difficulty understanding the way God uses our finances to further His Kingdom. If we want to break the mold... we must practice unordinary generosity.
Unordinary Generosity (Part 2)
Acts 2:44-45 (NIV)
1. Have you ever seen Unordinary Generosity?
2. Have you ever practiced Unordinary Generosity?
•When you live out Unordinary Generosity... you bless other
people and yourself.
- A tithe literally means a tenth.
- We don’t Give a tithe... we Return the tithe
- It’s easy to be generous when it’s not your money.
2 Corinthians 9:6-7 (NIV)
- You can be private in what you give, not that you give.
Questions...
- When do I give?
- What amount do I give?
- Do I tithe on the gross or the net?
- Why does it matter?
Possible reasons why you wouldn’t financially support Arrows church.
- You’re in a Stage
- You’re in a Season
- You’re in a Sin
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Simply leading an ordinary life, unnoticed, won’t leave a lasting impact on the world. The pages of history are not graced with tales of those who stayed in obscurity. We invite you to break free from the mold of ordinary and master the art of being unordinary.
Unordinary Vision (Part 1)
It’s easy...
- To be just another face in the crowd
- To play it safe.
- To fly under the RADAR.
We are a community where Everyone is Welcome, Nobody is Perfect, and with Jesus Anything is Possible.
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Everyone’s Welcome
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Bottom line: Everyone is welcome because Jesus welcomes us
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Nobody’s Perfect
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Romans 3:23 (NLT)
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Romans 3:24 (NLT)
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With Jesus Anything’s Possible
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Matthew 19:26 (NIV)
- Luke 1:37 (AMP)
- Jeremiah 32:27 (NLT)
- Philippians 4:13 (NLT)
- Matthew 17:20 (NIV)
Here’s your challenge this week. Take one of these... and focus on it.
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Since Jesus is the way... we can follow Him. Further, if you're really serious about following someone for the rest of your a life, it should matter where that person is going because the goal of following someone is to end up where they end up. Jesus' call to his first disciples and to us today remains the same... follow me!
The Way Out
Matthew 4:18-20 (NIV)
If you're really serious about following someone for the rest
of your a life, it should matter where that person is going.
- Luke 15:4-7 (NIV) - The Parable of the Lost Sheep
- Luke 15:8-10 (NIV) - The Parable of the Lost Coin
- Luke 15:11-32 (NIV) - The Parable of the Lost Son (Prodigal Son)
In the first story... God’s focus is on that which is in the wrong
place... the lost SHEEP.
In the second story... the attention of the Woman is that which is
in the wrong place... the lost COIN.
Finally, in the third story... the Father’s focus is on that which is
in the wrong place... the lost SON.
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Since Jesus is the way... we can follow Him. Though it might be easier to focus outwardly, Jesus wants us to follow him inward... inside ourselves. If we're going to focus on God in our lives, we must be comfortable looking inward because that is where God is.
The Way In
James 1:22-25 (NLT)
22But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
As you follow Jesus, you relinquish your right to avoid looking inward.
- When what you see is good... celebrate it.
- When what you see is bad... investigate it.
We tend to invalidate the good and ignore the bad.
- We have to learn to celebrate the victories in our life.
- The best thing we can do for ourselves is get curious about ourselves.
Mirrors are necessary for self-reflection.
People are necessary for self-perception.
When we combine looking carefully at God’s Word and doing God’s word... it increases our ability to remember God’s word.
What is the HS saying you need to do today?
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Jesus calls his followers to follow Him up through partaking in communion, or the Lord’s Supper. Communion unites the church in remembering Christ’s sacrifice for our sins and in looking ahead to his return.
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Since Jesus is the way... we can follow Him. Also, the very first direction that Jesus wants us to follow Him is the way down and the way we follow Jesus down is through baptism. Baptism is the very first thing Jesus wants new disciples to do. It is our first step of obedience and is the first public testimony we will ever give.
The Way Down
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Baptism openly IDENTIFIES us as followers of Jesus. (Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)
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In the Bible, baptism is never equated with faith or salvation… but every time it is associated with it.
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Baptism openly OBEYS the command of Jesus.
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Notice Jesus' AUTHORITY
- Notice Jesus's TIME FRAME
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Disclaimer: For a disciple of Christ to know His will about baptism and then willingly refuse it… is to intentionally disobey Christ and sin against God.
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Baptism openly EXPRESSES your faith in many truths.
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The Trinity
- Your sins have been washed away
- You are truly united with Christ
- You have new life in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Who is baptism for?
- Don’t get baptized unless you are confident you have given (or want to give) your life to Jesus.
- Baptism is for new believers.
- Baptism is for those who need assurance.
- Maybe you were baptized but it didn’t mean anything to you?
- Baptism is for you!
Acts 22:16 (NIV) “And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized…”
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Sometimes it helps to have a little guidance on the journey of life. We learn from the Bible that Jesus is the way and that we can follow him in every direction. Even in the midst of the storm, even in the chaos of the hurricane we can experience total confidence and calmness.
John 14:1-6 (NIV)
•A cultural hurricane...
•A relational hurricane...
•A personal hurricane...
•An imagined hurricane...
Three ways we can experience calm in the chaos:
1. Believe that Jesus is preparing an eternal place for you (John 14:2)
2. Believe that Jesus is coming to take you to be with Him (John 14:3)
- Exodus 6:6-7...
- I will set you apart (sanctification)
- I will deliver you (deliverance)
- I will redeem you (redemption)
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I will take you as mine (restoration)
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Put your faith in Jesus alone (John 14:6)
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Paul calls the Galatians to bear one another’s burdens, take responsibility for their faith, not grow weary of doing good, and boast not in themselves but to boast in Christ.
Galatians 6:1-18 (ESV)
- Faith is done best in Biblical Community (6:1-3)
- Faith is your Responsibility (6:4-5)
- Faith takes Work (6:6-10)
- Faith Boasts in Christ (6:11-18)
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Five chapters of arguing for freedom from the law comes down to this truth... Resisting the flesh isn't about our efficiency... it's all about the Spirit's sufficiency. Even though the Spirit and Flesh are in conflict with one another, they are not competing for one another, the Spirit has already been victorious!
Part 11 - Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-26)
•Resisting the flesh isn’t about our efficiency... it’s about the
Holy Spirit’s sufficiency.
•Acts of the Flesh (4 categories):
- Sins of Immorality - (Sexual Immorality, Impurity, Debauchery
- Sins of Idolatry - (Idolatry, Witchcraft)
- Sins of Hostility - (Hatred, Discord, Jealousy, Fits of Rage, Selfish Ambition, Dissensions, Factions, Envy
- Sins of Indulgence - (Drunkenness, Orgies)
•Fruit of the Spirit:
- Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-control.
•Sinful Acts in your life represent selfish gain, Spiritual Fruit in
your life represents selfless growth.
•Obedience & Discipleship
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Life-probing questions like "What is the meaning of life?" "Why am I here?" and "What is my purpose?" are actually easily answered when we realize that what ultimately counts in this life is what ultimately matters on judgement day. In this section of Galatians, Paul is pleading for all people to live lives of true freedom!
Part 10 - Freedom In Christ (Galatians 5:1-15)
Legalism is treating that which is GOOD as though it were essential.
The first thing to go when we fall out of the grace of Jesus is JOY!
• Joy requires Faith, the Holy Spirit, and Hope.
What ultimately COUNTS in this life is what ultimately matters on the day of judgment.
- The Reminder
- The Encouragement
- The Warning
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Freedom does not come from us being able to do anything we want, living anyway we want to live, or acting anyway we want to act. True freedom comes by placing ourselves under the authority of God and others. Paul uses the story of Abraham's two sons to illustrate the difference of living life as a slave and living in true freedom.
Part 9 - A Tale of Two Sons (Galatians 4:21-31)
- Under the law... your will replaces God’s will
- Ishmael represents a life of slavery
- Isaac represents a life of freedom
Ask yourself: What has been enslaving me?
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Deconstruction is a natural step in the process of maturity but it certainly is not the final step, or even the goal. All too often (due to external and internal factors) people get stuck in deconstruction and fail to live comfortably in the tension that is the human condition. Sadly, the Church isn't great at dealing with deconstruction and people get hurt. Galatians 4:8-20 helps us see a better way to navigate our doubts, fears, and questions.
Part 8 - Deconstruction Zone (Galatians 4:8-20; John 14:1)Good Deconstruction:
- Examples: Old Testament prophets / early Christian martyrs / church reformers / Jesus
- Definition: Where Jesus (and others) use SCRIPTURE to critique the world’s corruption of the CHURCH.
Bad Deconstruction:
- Example: Modern Western "Church-ianity"
- Definition: Where some use the WORLD to critique Scripture’s AUTHORITY over the church.
The first type is the way of Jesus...the second type is not.
Deconstruction is the intersection of 3 External factors and 3 Internal Factors.
External Factors include:
- LOW Discipleship Culture
- Secular Ideologies
- Breakdown of TRUST in Spiritual Leaders
Internal Factors include:
- Lack of FEAR of God
- Digital Inputs & Low Scripture
- Wounded HEART
From Deconstruction to Reconstruction
Externally:
- Focus on Discipleship
- Push back against Secular Ideologies
- Rebuild Trust in Spiritual Leaders
Internally:
- Learn to Fear of God
- Get into that Word
- Heal your Heart
Need Prayer?
Happy Father's Day! Earthly adoption can often be extensive, intensive, and expensive. This passage shows us how we have been adopted into the family of God as sons and daughters of a true, loving Father. Through Jesus, we have been granted all the rights and privileges of a true child of God.
Part 7 - We Are Family (Galatians 4:1-7) Galatians 4:4-5 (NIV) 4 But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5 to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.
This is a perfect picture of what Jesus did for us... and is doing for us still.
When we are adopted as God’s children, the adoption changes our very nature.
When we are adopted as God’s children, it changes our purpose.
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Just like current laws don't create compliance, the Old Testament law could never accomplish the thing you and I needed most... to make us alive! In other words, people don't follow a law simply because it's a law; and we are not made right with God simply because we follow the scriptural law. Paul shows the Galatians how much more important God's promises are over the rules and regulations.
Part 6 - Promises, Promises (Galatians 3:15-29)Laws don’t create “compliance”.
- Galatians 3:15-18 (NIV)
- Genesis 12:1-3 (NIV)
Timeline: God makes this promise to Abraham - Then 430 years later… God gives the Israelites the Law.
- Galatians 3:19 (NIV)
- Galatians 3:21 (NIV)
The Law… was given, but the law never gave life.
The promise gave us life… The law gives us rules.
The main point of Paul’s argument here is that The Law cannot do the most important thing that we need done: it cannot make us alive!
- The promise/Spirit gives us access to God, the law only gives us guidelines.
- The promise/Spirit gives us victory over sin, the law only gives us awareness of sin.
- The promise/Spirit gives us acceptance, the law only gives us confinement & judgment.
- The law is a prison… The Spirit is freedom!
Galatians 3:26-29 (NIV)
If we are Christ’s then everything changes… We have a new identity, new community, new inheritance.
Luke 12:32 (NLT) “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.”
If we are Christ’s then we have nothing to fear. Even in the uncertain times.
Ask yourself: What am I afraid of?
Need Prayer?
Paul uses Abraham to illustrate how the Gentiles have been included in on the blessings of God and how righteousness comes through faith, not the law.
Part 5 - Bewitched & Blessed (Galatians 3:1-14)1) The Blessing of the Spirit (Galatians 3:1-5)
- Gifts have to be given
- If any part of your faith requires you to do something in order to receive grace from God you have stopped believing in the gospel and started living a works-based religion.
- Truth: We don’t do things to obtain our faith… We do things because of our faith!
2) The Blessing of Abraham (Galatians 3:6-10)
- The Blessing of God (Galatians 3:11-14)
The Blessing of God came to us through Jesus… So that the Blessing of Abraham could come to the Gentiles… us! And when we place our faith in Jesus… the Blessing of the Spirit will also be ours.
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Paul calls out Peter for his hypocrisy and makes a case for salvation through faith alone in Jesus.
Part 4 - Hypocrisy & Faith (Galatians 2:11-21)
- Sometimes it’s really easy to do the WRONG thing when all you want to do is the RIGHT thing.
- Hypocrisy is how people-pleasers navigate their way through life when COMPETING social pressures are in play.
- Question: Are you relying upon who you are or what you’ve done for your RIGHT standing with God?
Need Prayer?
Moms and Grandmas are something special aren't they? There's nothing that represents the love Jesus has for us quite like a mother's love. Looking at Proverbs 31, we can see how women are the Image of Grace, the Symbol of Strength, the Epitome of Patience, and the Embodiment of Love. Join our panel of moms as they answer real-life questions and demonstrate the grace of Christ.
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Paul goes to Jerusalem and is supported by the church leaders. When the gospel changes lives we can visibly see and tangibly experience God's amazing grace.
Part 3 - Grace In Action (Galatians 2:1-10)
Paul was not impressed by those who were IMPRESSIVE.
How Do We See Grace?
- Is the GOSPEL changing lives?
- Are people making SACRIFICES ?
Generous GIVING, when it is done to the glory of God, shines a light on grace.Where Do We See Grace?Since God is everywhere, God's grace is everywhere.
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Paul tells his story and how he was completely changed. We should similarly be changed by an encounter with Jesus. When humanity impacts holiness, humanity is totaled.
Part 2 - Totaled(Galatians 1:11-24; Acts 9:1-20)
- When humanity impacts holiness, humanity is TOTALED.
- What are the SCALES that need to come off of your eyes?
- Paul now had a PURPOSE to pursue and a STORY to share
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Paul was passionate about the thing that meant the most to him… the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And he was adamant that the Galatians would not be deceived by a false Gospel. Part 1 - No Other Gospel (Galatians 1:1-10)
- Where does your AUTHORITY come from?
- It is the MESSAGE, not the messenger that matters.
- Who do you regularly seek to PLEASE?
- If someone were to gauge what you care about most based on how much PASSION you have for it, what would they conclude?
Need Prayer?
Jesus teaches the crowd what the Kingdom of Heaven will be like and later explains the parable of the Wheat and Weeds (Tares) to His disciples.
Need Prayer?
The Bible gets accused of saying a lot of things that it never actually says. Little sayings that over time become well-known axioms that get embedded into our culture. Sayings that are said to be biblical even though they are not. This week we are asking the question, does the Bible say, "God helps those who help themselves?"
THE BIBLE DOESN’T SAY THAT…
“Try first thyself, and after call in God, for to the worker God Himself lends aid.” Euripides (428 BC)
The main problem with believing “God Helps Those Who Help Themselves” is...
We become our first source of help and strength, and God becomes secondary.
- Isaiah 25:4 (NASB)
- Proverbs 28:26 (NIV)
- Jeremiah 17:5 (NLT)
Matthew 6:25-33 (NIV)
TRUTH: Following Jesus is about living a selfless life
As it turns out… “God helps those who can't help themselves”
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The Bible gets accused of saying a lot of things that it never actually says. Little sayings that over time become well-known axioms that get embedded into our culture. Sayings that are said to be biblical even though they are not. This week we are asking the question, "Does the Bible say we need to forgive and forget?"
THE BIBLE DOESN’T SAY THAT…
“Forgive & Forget"
Jeremiah 43:25 (NLT) “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord . “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people…“For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
Isaiah 43:25 (NLT) “I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.”
Problem #1 - To “forgive and forget”… is mentally impossible.
Problem #2 - Remembering past offenses… can be emotionally devastating.
Problem #3 - God doesn’t actually forget anything.
What does a healthy process of Forgiveness look like?
1) Forget about Forgetting.
2) God is God, and you are not.
- Forgiveness may not look like reconciliation.
- Forgiveness is not condoning what happened.
- Forgiveness is not a feeling, it is a choice.
- Matthew 18:21-22 (NIV) “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
3) God will never remind you of your sin
Micah 7:19 (NLT) “Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!”
Sins can’t swim…
Need Prayer?
This is a very practical application on how to study the Bible. Covering key ingredients of Bible study, study methods, tools and resources. The Good Book is a series studying the Bible itself.
Part 4 - HOW DO I STUDY THE BIBLE?
2 Timothy 2:15 “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
7 INGREDIENTS OF BIBLE STUDY
- Faith in Jesus is necessary for PROPER interpretation.
- Let the Bible interpret ITSELF.
- Read the Old Testament IN LIGHT of the New Testament.
- Allow what is CLEAR to help with what is unclear.
- Understand words and verses in light of their CONTEXT.
- GOD'S WILL trumps history.
- Understand PERSONAL experience in light of the Bible
T.A.R.G.E.T. METHOD
Time // Ask // Read // Gather // Engage // Thank
(see more at www.arrows.church/resources)
Other Tools
- Study Bibles
- Commentaries
- Concordance
- Formatting
Two Questions:
- What would you need to rearrange in order to make God’s Word a priority?
- What is the Holy Spirit saying to you right now?
Simplified Bible Reading Plan - www.arrows.church/resources
Need Prayer?
Can reading the Bible really change my life? Can a book written so long ago have anything to offer me in today's culture? The Bible tells us four specific ways it can show up in our life. The Good Book is a series studying the Bible itself.
Part 3 - WHY SHOULD I READ THE BIBLE?
Ephesians 6:10-17
Reading the Bible is less about you getting THROUGH the Bible, and more about the Bible getting through YOU.
Proverbs 2:3-6
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The Bible is a SEED.
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One of the reasons you and I face so many struggles is… We want imperishable crops… but we are planting perishable SEEDS.
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The Bible is a SWORD.
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Ephesians 6:17
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Hebrews 4:12
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The Bible is FOOD.
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Matthew 4:4
- 1 Peter 2:2
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Don’t get caught up in what you DON'T understand… live on what you DO understand.
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The Bible is a MIRROR.
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James 1:23-25
- Others’ OPINIONS about us are mirrors.
- Expectations from family are mirrors.
- CULTURE is a mirror.
Check out the Simplified Bible Reading Plan - www.arrows.church/resources
Need Prayer?
Is the Bible just a degraded copy of a copy of a copy? Is what we have today the same as what they had 2,000 years ago? Why are there so many English translations? The Good Book is a series studying the Bible itself.
WHERE DID THE BIBLE COME FROM?
1 Peter 1:24-25 “the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.”
QUESTION: Isn’t the Bible we have today just a degraded copy of a copy of a copy?
QUESTION: So how do we know we have the right books?
Books were included in the New Testament based on three things:
- The Authority of an Apostle.
- The Teaching of the Truth.
- The Confirmation of the Church.
QUESTION: Why are there so many English translations?
TWO IMPORTANT THINGS ABOUT BIBLE TRANSLATION
- Bible translation is not Chronological.
- Bible translation is not simply Improvement.
- Word for Word translations (NASB / ESV / KJV)
- Thought for Thought translations (NIV / NLT)
- Paraphrase (The Message)
The Bible says what it says and doesn't say what it doesn’t say.
2 Peter 1:3 “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”
Whenever there is a Conflict between what the Bible says and the way I feel or what I’ve been taught, or the opinions of others, or what seems reasonable to me - whenever I have a difference of opinion with the Bible for any reason - the Bible is always right.
Need Prayer?
Is the Bible foe real? How do we know we can trust the Bible? What is the historical and biblical evidence in support of the Bible? The Good Book is a series studying the Bible itself.
IS THE BIBLE FOR REAL?
Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”
The Bible is meant to be a daily vitamin, not a yearly flu shot.
WHAT MAKES THE BIBLE DIFFERENT?
- Revelation - God choses to reveal Himself (His nature and will) to us through the Bible.
- Inspiration - The process of God working through human writers to inspire them to write down His words.
- Illumination - The Holy Spirit’s work of bringing light to the words of the Bible as we read them.
How do we know the Bible can be trusted?
Probability trumps Possibility.
Evidence for the Bible:
External Evidence - Evidence that supports the Bible but is from an external source, not the Bible. (i.e. early manuscripts)
Internal Evidence - Evidence that supports the Bible that is found in the Bible.
- 2 Tim 3:16 - “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”
- 2 Peter 3:14-16
- 1 Timothy 5:18
Personal Evidence - Evidence based on our personal experience.
- Don’t approach the Bible like a Magic 8-Ball.
- Don’t approach the Bible like a Yearbook.
- Don’t approach the Bible like a Checklist.
- Don’t approach the Bible like a Rule Book.
Where Do I Start?
- Pick it up (do you have a Bible?)
- Open it (daily vitamin)
- Read it (visit arrows.church/resources to access the Simplified Bible reading plan)
Need Prayer?
Depending on your faith background, Communion (also called The Lord's Supper) holds varying levels of importance and significance. But what are its origins and what do those origins mean for us today? Who should participate in Communion and is there a wrong way to take Communion?
SERMON NOTES
What term are you more familiar with?
- Communion
- The Lord’s Supper
- Eucharist
It's ok... Communion started off weird.
John 6:53-56 “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.”
After this… many disciples deserted Jesus
Where did Communion come from?
Matthew 26:26-28 “26As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then He broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” 27And He took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and His people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.
Three Views of Communion
- Roman Catholic View (transubstantiation)
- Lutheran View (consubstantiation)
- Zwinglian View (memorial)
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
- Who should TAKE Communion?
- Who should someone NOT take Communion?
- 1 Corinthians 11:17-30
- How can I PREPARE my heart for Communion?
Need Prayer?
We all have spiritual gifts and those gifts are important and needed. When we use our gifts we represent the body of Christ. We Are The Church asks the question “What is the purpose of the local church?” This sermon series highlights the early church and five key focus areas that Arrows Church would do well to mimic.
Romans 12:1-13
- You all have spiritual gifts
- All gifts are important and needed
1 Corinthians 12:21-23; 18
Don't let your gifts go to waste
- It represents the body of Christ
- Prevents injury and stress
- We feel ownership and we are in shape
God wants you to THRIVE not just SURVIVE
Mark 8:35
Need Prayer?
Worship in a word is saturation. It is us being saturated by with the presence of God… we empty ourselves back to God (through praise, service, thanksgiving, singing, etc.), and in turn He refills us. The process of pouring out and being poured into is worship. We Are The Church asks the question “What is the purpose of the local church?” This sermon series highlights the early church and five key focus areas that Arrows Church would do well to mimic.
Psalm 63:1-5
Corporate Worship vs Creation Worship
Q: What if I come from a home background where love was earned? How do I begin understanding God’s unconditional love?”
Q: What if I come from a church background where God’s love was experienced based on tradition, liturgy, sacraments, works, or bible knowledge? How do I begin to to understand God’s love for me?
What is Praise?
- If you aren’t being filled up, you have nothing to pour out.
- You can only pour out what you’re full of.
Need Prayer?
Discipleship is not simply hearing a sermon. Discipleship happens best when we teach others, who then teach others, who go on to teach others. We Are The Church asks the question “What is the purpose of the local church?” This sermon series highlights the early church and five key focus areas that Arrows Church would do well to mimic.
Discipleship
Matthew 28:17-20 (NLT)
- Jesus assumes we’re putting ourselves out there…
- Jesus tells us what to do… make disciples
- Jesus tells us how to do it… “teach them to obey all the commands I have given you.”
- Then Jesus promises us that we will never be alone.
Ephesians 4:11-13 (NLT)
- Are you growing in Unity?
- Are you growing in Knowledge?
- Are you growing in Maturity?
Ephesians 4:14-16 (NLT)
- Is Arrows Church healthy?
- Is Arrows Church growing?
- Is Arrows Church full of love?
Need Prayer?
Fellowship is vertical (with God) before it is horizontal (with others). We Are The Church asks the question “What is the purpose of the local church?” This sermon series highlights the early church and five key focus areas that Arrows Church would do well to mimic.
The Framework for Fellowship
Hebrews 10:22-25 (NIV)
- Draw near to God. (Verse 22)
- Hold on to Hope. (Verse 23) - If you’re feeling hopeless… it might not mean you don’t have any hope, it might just mean you’ve placed your hope in the wrong thing.
- Spur one another on. (Verse 24)
- Attend church regularly. (Verse 25)
Need Prayer?
If we are going to meet people where they are... it requires us to change. We Are The Church asks the question “What is the purpose of the local church?” This sermon series highlights the early church and five key focus areas that Arrows Church would do well to mimic.
Philippians 2:5-11
- We must change from a place of COMFORT to a place of CONNECTION (v.5-7).
- We must change from a position of PRESERVATION to a position of SACRIFICE (v.8).
- From a perspective of EARTHLY LIFE to a perspective of ETERNAL LIFE (v.9-11).
Need Prayer?
“What is the purpose of the local church?” This sermon series highlights the early church and five key focus areas that Arrows Church would do well to mimic. This introductory sermon looks back at the beginnings of God calling us to begin Arrows and those who helped along the way.
Need Prayer?
Jesus was fully man and fully God. The celebration of the arrival of Jesus was foretold 700 years before his birth. The prophecy was that a woman would give birth to a son and he shall be called Immanuel. Jesus was biologically and legally the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. God did the miraculous to fulfill the prophecy at just the right time, with just the right people, and at just the right place. God still moves heaven and earth in order to be with you... because Immanuel means GOD... WITH... US!
Need Prayer?
It may be beginning to look a lot like Christmas, but it sure doesn't feel like it. Consumerism, busy schedules, and opposing viewpoints can crowd out the Christmas spirit. Looking at the stories of the Wisemen and the Shepherds help us celebrate Christmas and stay clear of celebrating a Christ-Mess.
NOTES:
Making a Merry Christ-Mess
- CONSUMERISM makes a Christ-Mess
- SCHEDULING makes a Christ-Mess
- OPPOSING viewpoints make a Christ-Mess
- Manufactured EMOTIONS make a Christ-Mess
Your Christmas doesn’t have to be a Christ-Mess
- Matthew 2:1-3 (NIV)
- Matthew 2:16 (NIV)
- Luke 2:15-17 (NIV)
From “We Gotta Go SEE”
To “We Gotta Go TELL”
Moving from Christ-Mess to Christmas
- Set and stick to a BUDGET
- Give the gift of NO
Need Prayer?
Romans 8 is one of the most encouraging and powerful chapters in all of the Bible for believers. It begins with "no condemnation", it ends with "no separation", and is filled with our "adoption as God's children". In this fourth sermon, we learn that God is actively working for us, choosing us, defending, and protecting us.
TEXT: Romans 8:28-39
The Spirit of FOREVER
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God is WORKING for you. (v28)
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Truth #1: God defines good, not us.
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Truth #2: Nothing will touch our lives that is not under the ultimate control and sovereignty of God
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God is CHOOSING you. (v29-30)
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God’s Powerful Hand
- Foreknew
- Predestined
- Called
- Justified
- Glorified
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God is DEFENDING you. (v31-34)
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God is PROTECTING you. (v35-39)
Need Prayer?
Romans 8 is one of the most encouraging and powerful chapters in all of the Bible for believers. It begins with "no condemnation", it ends with "no separation", and is filled with our "adoption as God's children". In this third sermon, we talk about waiting for better, waiting in pain, waiting patiently, and waiting with help from the Spirit.
TEXT: Romans 8:18-27
- We wait for BETTER (v18)
- Paul’s “light and momentary” troubles - 2 Corinthians 4:17
- See also 2 Corinthians 11:23-27
- We wait in PAIN (v19-23)
- We wait PATIENTLY (v24-25)
- See Colossians 1:27
- Truth: If you don’t know what’s coming, and you don’t look forward to it, you can’t hope for it
- Hope is knowing what is coming and looking forward to it.
- We wait with HELP (v26-27)
Need Prayer?
[Guest Speaker: Joey McKernan from Abide Omaha.] Are you a fan of Jesus? Or are you a follower of Jesus? Jesus asked difficult things of his followers and because of their faithfulness the world was forever changed. Jesus still asks of believers today the same difficult things, so the question is... is the world around you changing?
Need Prayer?
Romans 8 is one of the most encouraging and powerful chapters in all of the Bible for believers. It begins with "no condemnation", it ends with "no separation", and is filled with our "adoption as God's children". In this second sermon, we see three things we have been given in Christ to help us not conform to this world: a new mission, a new identity, and a new legacy.
TEXT: Romans 8:12-17
In Christ we’ve been given 3 things:
- We have a new MISSION (v12-13)
- This new mission comes with a RESPONSIBILITY .
- Putting to death the deeds of our sinful nature apart from the power of the Spirit… is called LEGALISM.
- Our responsibility is not to put to death the sinful nature in us… Jesus already did that!
- Our responsibility is to put to death the deeds (the practice of) the sinful nature.
- See also Colossians 3:5-10
- We have a new IDENTITY (v14-15)
- Our Identity is not who WE SAY we are…
- Our identity is who GOD SAYS we are.
- We have a new LEGACY (v17)
- RESISTING the pressure to conform to this world will always cost us.
- However, the price we pay for not conforming… PAYS OFF!
Need Prayer?
Romans 8 is one of the most encouraging and powerful chapters in all of the Bible for believers. It begins with "no condemnation", it ends with "no separation", and is filled with our "adoption as God's children". In this first sermon, we see how the Holy Spirit gives us new life, empowers our life, and assures us of the resurrected life.
Jesus gets our struggles because he experienced them too. If you've ever been rejected by family, Jesus gets you. If you've ever been rejected by close friends, Jesus gets you. If you've ever been rejected by your community, Jesus gets you. If you've ever been rejected by a parent, Jesus gets you. Jesus suffered everyday, everywhere, from almost everyone yet his suffering was substitutional. His suffering is our salvation! He gets us. All of us.
Jesus gets our struggles because he experienced them too. No one on the earth could ever fully understand Jesus. He lived his entire life feeling the loneliness of other people's sin, from birth to death. Not only did Jesus experience the same loneliness that we feel, he destroyed our loneliness forever by his death on the cross. If you are struggling with being seen, known, and loved, Jesus offers a path out of loneliness. He gets us. All of us.
Jesus gets our struggles because he experienced them too. Some of us have betrayed those we love, we have broken fellowship and will have to deal with the consequences. Others have been betrayed by someone close to you. Looking at the experiences of both Peter's and Judas' betrayal of Jesus, we can learn the difference between regret, remorse, and true redemption. Jesus understands what it feels like to be betrayed. He gets us. All of us.
Jesus gets our struggles because he experienced them too. Jesus knows what it feels like to be angry and yet in his anger he did not sin. Jesus is calling us to get angry and flip the tables in our lives that are keeping us from fulfilling the purpose we have been created for. Jesus understand our anger. He gets us. All of us.
Jesus gets our struggles because he experienced them too. Jesus understands what anxiety feels like, the emotional and spiritual weight of deep sorrow and misery. If you've ever felt similarly, you can rest knowing that Jesus is not above your anxiety, nor is he oblivious to your anxiety. Jesus, 100% knows and understands your anxiety. He gets us. All of us.
We see examples in the bible of churches working together, sharing resources, encouraging and equipping one another. At Arrows Church we want to celebrate the ways other local churches have helped us as well as dream about how we can be a resource for others. Other churches are not our enemy and not our competition. As each church uniquely fulfills what God is calling us to do we can be Better Together.
Arrows Church Value #4. At Arrows Church, we fight against hopelessness by being different. God never calls us to live a completely different life, He calls us to live life completely differently. We aren’t called to live separated, segregated, or fake, unapproachable lives. Rather, as we are living out our daily lives God calls us to live in a different way. We experience the same life as everyone else, yet we approach it with hope, joy, peace, and purpose.
Arrows Church Value #3. At Arrows Church, we fight against fear by being courageous. Moving forward in the full power and authority that we have in the finished work of Jesus Christ, we want to take boldly audacious chances as if this life is the only opportunity we have to share the love of Jesus. Real miracles happen when ordinary people do extraordinary things with an extraordinary passion for God.
Arrows Church Value #2. At Arrows Church, we fight against selfishness by being generous. We want our lives to be marked by surprising, head-turning, radical generosity. Radical generosity looks like living with less so others can experience God more. In short, we want to Return, Give, Serve, & Love like people’s lives depended on it.
Arrows Church Value #1. At Arrows Church, we don’t want to simply live in proximity with others, we want to do life together and point each other to Jesus. This shared life is where those faces in the crowd become friends in community.
Baptism has so much confusion tied to it due to a mixing of religious and denominational experiences. Who should be baptized? When should we be baptized? How should we baptize? Is baptism just a symbol or does it have a deeper spiritual meaning? All important questions to wrestle with as we look at what the Bible says and doesn't say about baptism.
As it turns out we were never going to be able to meet the incredibly high expectations set forth by the Ten Commandments. But the good news is Jesus already met the demands of the Ten Commandments. What God expects and what the Tenth Commandment requires of us is to trade our comparison with contentment.
Most have been lied to, many have been lied about, everyone has lied in some form or fashion. In this 9th Commandment, God invites us to stop bearing "false witness" about our neighbors and start bearing "true witness" about them. As it turns out our problem is not a mouth issue at all. Our greatest need is not a new set of words. What we ultimately need and long for is a new heart rested in God's truth.
Most people brush over the 8th Commandment because most people don't make it a habit of stealing. But when we realize that stealing is less about what we take from someone and more about what we don't give someone, we see how we are all guilty of stealing from God, from others, and even from ourselves. The antidote to stealing is generosity in all things.
Not all of us have experienced adultery. Not all of us have experienced divorce. But everyone of us have grabbed ahold of something that God says not to hold on to and have ran with all our might. We all have committed spiritual adultery against God by giving our affections to something other than Him. The good news is no matter what baggage or life choices you have there is an infinitely deep ocean of God's grace that can cover whatever we have to be ashamed of. Jesus choses not to condemn!
Since our collective trauma over the past two years have placed us all in the perfect place to righteously express our uncontrolled anger to anyone at anytime. In those areas of our lives where we struggle to show love and grace, we invite Jesus to speak into our lives to first give grace and then to allow us to extend grace as well. What if anger was actually an invitation to intimacy with Jesus?
The Fifth Commandment sometimes gets overlooked by adults because it sounds like it's meant for children. After all, it talks about honoring our parents. But since the other commandments are meant for everyone, everywhere, for all time, then maybe this commandment applies to everyone also? Mike Howard from Revision Church is Des Monies, Iowa joins Arrows Church to bring us this fifth installment to our sermon series.
Can we agree as a people that we just don't know how to rest well? When God gave the Hebrew people the command to rest (Sabbath) He was both giving them something they never experienced in captivity and also protecting them from their own over-crowded calendars. This old commandment is still helpful for us today. Remember the Sabbath, and keep it holy.
We've reduced not taking the Lord's name in vain to simply avoiding curse words... but surely there's more to it than that? As it turns out it's entirely possible to use God's "name" in vain and never even say a word. This week we take a look at the Third Commandment.
Worship is what we do. Worship is who we are. We were created by God to worship and we worship well. Yet many times our worship is misplaced and aimed at things that are not God like sports, money, stuff, status, etc. This sermon helps us identify our idols and realign our worship to its intended audience... God.
God never wastes words. Everything that God has said can benefit anyone who is willing to listen. Even though the Ten Commandments were spoken and written by God so many years ago, they can very much teach us how to live today. In this first message of the series, we learn what it looks like to put God first in our lives, and learn of God's command for absolute priority.
When we pray amazing things happen. When we become a prayerful person, when we become a praying church… we partner with God, we align with God’s timeline, our spiritual eyes are opened, our hearts are aligned with God’s heart, and we are propelled forward to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives.
By looking at how the Apostle Paul encouraged the Ephesians to pray we can learn valuable questions worth asking as we examine our own prayer lives. It's only when we purposefully calculate against a natural spiritual drift that we can align our prayer lives with God's calling and purpose.
Since prayer is universal and widely accepted, there are many misconceptions to prayer. Further, sometimes it feels like our prayers are not reaching God or He is not hearing them as well as we'd like because there are very real obstacles to our prayers . In this "sermon" we look at both the misconceptions and obstacles to effective prayer.
The Bible tells us that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. This means that when we pray we can be assured that God hears our prayers they are accomplishing much and that those prayers can change events here on earth even when we doubt they can. Our doubt does not disqualify God's deliverance in our lives.
The Lord's Prayer is arguably the most recognizable prayer in the world. However, is it just a really great prayer as is or are there clues within that teach us how we should pray and what we should pray about? After all, Jesus told his disciples to pray "like" this... not "pray this".
We are in a battle and spiritual warfare is very real. We have also been given the greatest weapon to use in this battle... prayer. However, like most weapons, prayer requires weapons training school first. So let's start at the basics... Prayer is communing with God and confronting the enemy.
Often when people agree that Anything's Possible, what they think is "anything is possible for other people". Rarely do we accept and agree with God that Anything's Possible in our own lives. We all think at times we are the exception to the rule, but the truth is we are not the exception. God's Word is clear... with Jesus, Anything's Possible. Yes, even for you!
Saying 'Nobody's Perfect' is a little like saying 'water is wet'. Most people understand that nobody is perfect. So is that true? And if it is true, why is it true? What does that mean for us and how God views us? Remembering that nobody is perfect allows us to first receive God's grace and then to give God's grace away to others.
Everybody's Welcome... we mean it. Jesus never avoided anyone but rather went out of His way to make everyone feel loved, wanted, and valued. Is it messy? You bet. When people have been on a long journey away from God they tend to bring a lot of baggage with them. As we like to say, “Bring the mess, Jesus can handle it.”