The Olive Branch Markham • Audio Podcast: Recent Episodes
The Olive Branch Church
We are a church, a gathering of people, who are being transformed by the grace of God, who are bringing the transforming power of the good news to the communities we live in. This is the podcast of sermons at The Olive Branch Community Church in Markham, Ontario.
So, guys, let’s just admit it: women are way, way, way better at helping each other and staying connected than we are. But for life to work — in any sense of that word — we need to stay connected to Jesus and to each other. This is our only hope for making a difference in our world. Jesus said, "Come on! Be the branch! Stay connected!" And the great news is that when we feel like we're dry and dying, He doesn’t gather us up and burn us like leaves, He picks us up and gives us all the strength we need to move forward!
Anguish. When all of darkness seems inescapable.
If you're experiencing this right now, please know, you're not alone. In the Bible, a man named Job is in the middle of an eclipse of life that leaves him questioning everything he believes in. His life was not working. And his friends were no help. Let's look at what happens when God shows up.
Most of us don’t realize that Moses struggled with anxiety, forcing God to kind of push him into the role of leadership. But when you see what he was up against, you can understand why he was afraid! Now, to deal with anxiety, you don't need to already be a hero where you’re strong, courageous and unyielding, and you don’t need to be fearless… let’s look at the story of Moses to see how God uses him despite his struggles.
If you trace anger throughout the Scriptures, it really doesn’t have a great reputation. Paul says, "Don’t let it sit inside and rot you from the inside out!" And yet, when our way isn’t working, frustration and anger can be our default setting. If that sounds like you... don't be mad. There is a BETTER WAY!
We all have expectations about what life will hold for us...especially when it comes to having children. That’s exactly where Hannah’s life hit the wall and dropped to the floor! In an Old Testament world where having kids proved your worth, Hannah’s lot in life left her deeply discouraged. Broken, even.
When our lives are not working it’s like our hope tank gets punctured. But God meets us right there.
Most of us have a formula for how our life should go — and, in general, it seems to work until it doesn’t! And when it doesn’t we have a few options:
1) We can just keep pounding ourselves against the obstacles in our path
2) We can pull a tantrum and blame others, God, our parents, our boss or anyone else who seems to be in our way
3) Turn to what Jesus said His disciples on the night before His death —on the night He handed His mission to them
This is the final message of a special focus series, “Good News Give Back”. As a response to God’s great sacrifice of love at Easter, we are intentionally challenging ourselves to LOVE, to SERVE and to GIVE.
This week, we’re focusing on what it means to GIVE.
We are in the middle of a special focus series, “Good News Give Back”. As a response to God’s great sacrifice of love at Easter, we are intentionally challenging ourselves to LOVE, to SERVE and to GIVE.
This week, we’re focusing on SERVE.
Get involved! We want to understand that:
• Your time WILL make a difference.
• You can help our community partners accomplish more.
• Your time gives our community partners the resources that will ultimately bring new hope to the people they serve.
• Every hour served makes an impact.
Welcome to Week 1 of Good News Give Back, where for the next 3 weeks, we'll be intentionally engaging in ways to get into action — where we increase our capacity and willingness to be a blessing to those around us.
We come out of Easter thrilled that Jesus made it past the grave. He is who He claimed to be! He’s building a Kingdom that will last forever and overtakes all the kingdoms of this world. He’s the master of quality, the master of time and space, the master of quantity, the master over nature — and even the master over life and death! So here's the question: Where is He in your world?
What do you call a group of people who hate someone who’s innocent, plan for almost 3 years how they’re going to kill him — and then finally pull it off? They're called murderers, even if they are never convicted in a court of law. And that's what happened to Jesus on April 7, 30 A.D. The worst day in history.
But within three days, the absolute worst that humans could do was followed by the best day in history. God effortlessly robbed that grave!
Jesus' intentional journey to Samaria risked the devotion of His followers and the violence of the Samaritans — all to meet one thirsty, but scandalous, woman says it all.
This is the conclusion of a special series based on the incredible, hit show, “The Chosen”. This Sunday’s message is based on Episode 8, from Season 1. Give it a watch!
Jesus shocked everyone when He chose Matthew. Surely, Mary was loaded with issues from her past. But Matthew? The tax collector? He was the guy who had it all... and he left all of it to follow Jesus.
We’re in the middle of a special series based on the incredible, hit show, “The Chosen”. This Sunday’s message is based on Episode 7, from Season 1. Give it a watch!
Jesus treated everyone as image-bearers of God. What did this look like? With great compassion. Times when others would run the other way, or reject you as less than equal and without usefulness, Jesus leans in, sees us, and meets us in our need.
It’s a very human setting: a wedding where the family is about to be humiliated until Jesus steps in and changes 5 stone jars of water into the best wine! Just from this one situation, what Jesus chooses to do, we learn about how deep the love and care of Jesus is when it comes to our concerns.
We’re in the middle of a special series based on the incredible, hit show, “The Chosen”. This Sunday’s message is based on Episode 5, from Season 1. Give it a watch! (For direct links to watch the show, visit: https://www.tob.ca/current-message-series)
At this point in The Chosen, we’re all wondering why Jesus called Simon 'The Rock' and made him the leader of the team. He has all the qualities of a leader, but seems to be going in the wrong direction all the time!
We’re in the middle of a special series based on the incredible, hit show, “The Chosen”. This Sunday’s message is based on Episode 4, from Season 1. Give it a watch! (For direct links to watch the show, visit: https://www.tob.ca/current-message-series)
What are the actual qualities that God is looking to grow in each of us? The kind of qualities that He wants to see fill the Kingdom of God.
We’re in the middle of a special series based on the incredible, hit show, “The Chosen”. This Sunday’s message is based on Episode 3, from Season 1. Give it a watch! (For direct links to watch the show, visit: https://www.tob.ca/current-message-series)
The term Shabbat refers to the Jewish Sabbath: keeping the seventh day to rest and worship God. By Jesus' time it had become a huge weekly burden and Pharisees and Scribes were strictly enforcing Shabbat laws. Sadly, they missed the entire spirit of it, becoming experts in minutiae instead. In the middle of all that, Jesus gave a simple, memorable guideline: The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath! With those words, Jesus and His followers were headed for trouble... really BIG trouble.
At The Olive Branch, we are going to be journeying together in a series of talks based on the show, “The Chosen”. It’ll be an experience that will help you get to know Jesus in a new way — one that we are praying will help you fall in love with Jesus all over again.
Visit www.tob.ca/current-message-series for the schedule (and direct links for where to watch) of when we’ll be discussing the episodes! Today, we will be taking a look at Episode 1 together.
Everyone wants to be valued for who they are — and loved unconditionally.
But here’s our core problem: how is our growth as lovable people? Love attracts; un-love (let’s call it that) repels. The work of the Spirit of God in our hearts is to grow us up as loving people, that is, to develop the FRUIT of the Spirit in us. And all of that fruit, interestingly, are qualities are all outward facing. We need the Holy Spirit to grow us in this way if we want to be the kind of people who aren’t hard to love!
Jesus posted all kinds of warnings around money because, like all powerful things – water, fire and sex – when it gets out of the boundaries it does a lot of damage! ...and there is only one antidote for it.
Every health issue makes it clear that death still has a grip on our world - and we have all had it touch our lives. So it is a legitimate thing to ask God for good health for ourselves and the health of those we love. Some would say that if we ask and have faith then God should heal us… every time! If that happened, then the followers of Jesus would have stellar health records; better than anyone else in fact. But we all know that’s not the way it is. So... what does that mean?
It’s a safe guess that at the forefront of just about every heart right now is the longing for peace. Jesus called us to love others, even our enemies, and to pursue peace in every arena we are involved in. Is this even possible?
We love comfort and what we are the most familiar with. When something new enters our lives, it can sometimes feel like a threat. But here's the thing; there are so many new things God wants to to give you. You don't necessarily need a new year to start fresh – but if you want God to work… you need to make room.
Thank you for joining our Christmas Eve service!Angels—God’s shining messengers are, by definition, scary and powerful beings—their joy at Christmas was not a sweet little song accompanied by a harp. No, it roared across the sky and split the night with light no one could look at directly. As the angels danced across the sky because THE PLAN WAS ON TO CLEAN UP THE MESS ON EARTH ONCE AND FOR ALL! They knew that sin was finished, done with! They celebrated the kindness, love, grace and joy of a God who would humble himself and offer himself as a baby, God in disguise, who came here for a world filled with broken, selfish people. It’s the best news ever!
When you read the accounts of who was invited to be a part of the amazing story of Jesus’ birth - it’s astounding to find out who accepted and who turned it down. It’s shocking when Magi follow a star for 900 miles (without a car, mind you!) to worship and bring gifts to Jesus — and people just a few miles away, who should know better, don’t even bother to check it out! Heaven has invited everyone into true joy. This deep, pure crystal clear river of joy is open to everyone — no matter how far away they are from God.
The most surprising thing about joy is where you find it. Happiness comes in chunks; it’s a solid; Joy is liquid; It’s usually under the surface. Uncertainty and difficulty sabotages happiness - but not joy. Joy is God’s equal-opportunity gift to everyone. That’s what Mary had - despite the discomfort and difficulty and danger she found herself in. Joy was the steady flow of God’s power and calm to her life and her extraordinary circumstances that made it possible for her to bring the source of joy to everyone — even until today.
Happy 20th Birthday Olive Branch!
At today’s service, we will be celebrating God’s faithfulness to us and we’ll be responding with grateful hearts — listening closely about what God wants to do next.
We all feel the pressures of a very confused world with its messed up value system: pressured to exchange our faith for 'something' it promises. Also, there are the intellectual challenges of faith in a faithless system and holding hope for the future in a world that’s scrambling: the pressure to be unique, the pressure to live for your phone and social media and on and on it goes. This is exactly what Paul was talking about in Romans 12:1-2... How to think in new ways but not conform to the ways of the world. God's promises to us are clearly seen in the first 11 chapters of Romans. And then in Romans 12, He challenges us to make the NEXT MOVE in our journey with Christ.
WHAT you think about.
HOW you think about what you think about.
This seems like a weird topic… but it’s absolutely HUGE when it comes to direction in life. Because here’s how it works: what you expose yourself to, you think about. Then, what you think about is what your mind develops a secret plan to help you get. And HOW you think and WHAT you think about is what you BECOME. Let’s see what the Bible says about this!
In life, we’re all looking for something and hoping to accomplish something and have something to show for the time, resources and effort we’ve invested. What we really believe about what matters, what satisfies the soul, and who our lives are for will determine where we go and where ultimately we drop anchor. So, what are we really hoping for?
t’s late—and how you invest this incredible resource—your time—your life—matters. According to Jesus—and all the prophets who spoke on God’s behalf, the astounding truth is that how we spend our time here shapes what eternity will look like for us—and most certainly for others.
— TOP THINGS TO KNOW —
Operation Christmas Child!
Bless a child from around the world
Pick up a box at the church, or pack your own shoebox by November 12! NEXT WEEK!
More details here: www.tob.ca/branch-out
Got questions about life? You’re invited for conversations at our ALPHA course.
Join us! 5 pm to 8 pm
More info here: tob.ca/alpha
Ways to be a part of the community:
• Life Groups – find your group: tob.ca/life-groups
• Kids Branch — children’s ministries online and in-person! Check out kidsbranch.ca
• Encounter Youth – Friday nights at 6:30 pm
• Young Adults — Sunday nights at 6:30 pm – Get details on Instagram @olivebranch.ya
Donate and support the ministry: https://www.tob.ca/give/
• Need prayer? Email us at prayer@tob.ca
• Need help? Send us a message at branchout@tob.ca
Connect with us
• instagram.com/olivebranchmarkham
• facebook.com/olivebranchmarkham
— WORSHIP —
I Believe
By Jason Ingram, Steffany Frizzell Gretzinger, Amanda Lindsey Cook, Jonathan David Helser, Melissa Helser
© 2021 My Magnolia Music, Be Essential Songs, All Essential Music (Admin by Essential Music Publishing) We Are TIM Music, Wonder Meadow Music (Admin by Capitol CMG Publishing) Bethel Music Publishing
CCLI Song No. 7176941
CCLI License No. 2843855
Jesus speaks very clearly that there will come a time when He will return - and on that day, things will radically change. Peter speaks to the fact that it will be a day that will silence all skeptics and bring justice and life and healing. Jesus, the Hope of the Ages, our Saviour and Lord of all - will set things right. He told us clearly that there would be signs to look for - but to not try to predict it or use our time charting it all out. His calling was to just be ready!
The word 'Church' means gathered people. That’s why the New Testament is filled with one-anothers. Love one another, encourage one another, help one another, pray for one another, comfort one another. There's no other way to interpret this... we need each another. But, honestly? Sometimes, how we actually 'do' Church has little to do with what Jesus had in mind.
How does one actually follow Jesus? If Jesus really was perfect, treated everyone with love and led a spotless life, and we're supposed to be like Him — how is this actually even remotely possible? Before Jesus returned to the Father, he said that he'd send someone to help us. He would not leave us alone.
We’d like to think we are self-sufficient; that apart from Him creating us and occasionally stepping in to give us a hand, we really don’t need God. Given the trail of blood through history—it’s quite naïve to think that way. The truth is way more devastating than most would imagine. The damage sin has done to all human kind is profound. We all need to be rescued—and that requires a Rescuer!
Every human has wondered:
What’s wrong with me?
Why do I do what I do?
What’s my destiny?
Why am I even here?
It’s pretty clear that human beings are intricately made, and have immense potential. However, it’s also equally clear, demonstrated through out all of history, that we keep sabotaging ourselves and hurting others. We can be loving and generous and kind—but also be incredibly selfish and mean spirited. What’s our problem?!
We believe that God has shown Himself to us through the world He's created and the way it works, as well as through His interactions with people throughout history. These stories and relationships have led to what we call the Scriptures or Holy Writings. They're basically a record of what God has done, what He's said, and the wisdom He's shared about life and the future. They also tell us about His power that we can tap into and what He hopes we'll do: love Him and love others.
About our new series, “Under the Surface: What Christians Believe and Why it Matters"
At the surface level, most people know that Christians believe in Jesus Christ and that the symbol of the cross has something to do with why. What most don’t know is why—or even care. But under the surface is a massive shift in all the structures of every day reality. Now what we believe about many things doesn’t really matter: about algae, about aliens, about art, about whether you should wear white shoes after Labour Day… However what you believe about ultimate reality, however, is profoundly important. Whether we realize it or not, it affects how we live our lives every day — so, shouldn’t we really examine what we believe is true about these things?
It’s a given that we’ll go through tough times. It’s a fact because the world we live in is seriously broken. There are times where the tough time is as a result of our own choices and actions. But sometimes, we get hurt and life gets hard because we did the right thing. Jesus said that this would happen because our world is not spiritually neutral. More than ever, in our time, we have to decide if the tough stuff will cause us to bail on our faith or will we choose to simply float downstream simply because it’s the easier thing to do.
For all of us, there may be something that is taking center stage and preventing us from walking fully in the purpose God has for our lives. This week, Pastor Jeremiah encourages us through the story of Ezekiel to identify and evict every idol that may be on the throne of our heart.
Who truly occupies the throne of your heart? It’s an essential question because without knowing its answer, we don’t know what is shaping our life — shaping our feelings, thoughts, choices and character. Perhaps we need to challenge misplaced priorities, and invite God to occupy His rightful place. God-centered life starts here.
What is sometimes so hard for us to grasp is how Jesus thinks of us. Sometimes that’s hard to comprehend because of the bruises we have from religious people we’ve known. But that's NOT Jesus. At His core He was gentle. He never walked into a room and stomped on people who were struggling. And that carries an amazing thought: that the One who holds the power to create everything never uses His power to bully.
We’d like to think the little song we learn as kids is true; 'Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me!' That sounds very brave, but it’s simply not true. Words do hurt us! Every one of us has voices from the past...and maybe even the present.
Someone was trying to change us from the outside in and when it seemed like we weren’t cooperating, they lobbed a verbal grenade over the wall. We pretend we are okay now but their voice still reverberates in our soul. Their words hurt and damaged how we feel about ourselves. To recover, to see ourselves through God’s eyes, there are questions we need to ask: Was it true? Was it right? And most of all: what does GOD think?
Our lives could be described as a series of intersections, like the intersection of our lives with the lives of the people who made a difference in our lives, and us them. Jesus’ story as told by the Gospels is really a collection of intersections. The people whose lives intersected with Jesus were changed forever...some for better and some for worse! What is inevitable is that we will go through a number of intersections in our lives. We’ll get clobbered at some of them, broken by others. When God’s grace is allowed into these spaces, what seems like a trainwreck can be completely redemptive!
One of the number one questions about God and his existence in our world goes something like this: If God is good—as Christians describe him—why is there pain and suffering? And that’s a profound question that many people struggle with — to the point that, for some, it derails their faith.
But, this is nothing new; some of the best-known people in the Bible had to wrestle this one down, too. Even Jesus, the Son of God, came face to face with it! The answer He lived out but never actually commented on is astonishing.
The recent pandemic is certainly still affecting us all—and we’re feeling the tremors all through our culture. It has certainly affected what people believe about God, about reality and about themselves. It will take some time to recover from the fear, the anxiety and the uncertainty. We know this: Everything has changed! It’s during these times we will ask questions we never even thought of before, like, where is God in all of this?
Summer is a season of growth and abundance in nature, and it can also be a time of growth in our faith. We will focus on ways to rejuvenate our faith and deepen our relationship with God. We need to cultivate spiritual disciplines, engage in intentional prayer, and seek God's guidance for our lives. God in His word encourages us to embrace a renewed and refreshed faith - but not to forget what He has done in our lives and what He's going to do!
During the summer we have more opportunities to spend time outdoors and engage with our community. As Jesus followers we are called to be salt and light in all our relationships. In other words, our actions, attitudes, and interactions with people can reflect who we say we are… or not. What kind of influence do you want to have?
In this fast-paced and busy world, we often neglect the importance of rest and its impact on our spiritual, mental, and physical well-being. We will explore the concept of finding rest in God and how it can restore our souls. The Bible highlights God's invitation with practical ways to incorporate these things into our lives... especially during the summer season!
Gratitude seems to be one of those things that should come naturally. But, it doesn’t really. What does seem to come naturally is jealousy, greed, envy, self-pity, and resentment. But, God offers us forgiveness, companionship, grace, what we need to eat, beauty, strength, and Himself - and yet without the discipline of gratitude, we miss all of this. Unchecked over time, we become overly focused on what others have and what we seem to lack — digging ourselves into a hole of self-pity. And if we don't climb out... we'll miss the very goodness of God.
Everyone would like to be truly great. In our world's system, greatness is determined by what people think about you, what the media says about you, about your accomplishments, power, and wealth — and, to be honest, what YOU think of you. However, true greatness is defined very differently by God. Jesus was the greatest man who ever lived, but there's something about living like Him that 'gets us' every time. Something that holds us back, trips us up — and keeps us from the truly great life God has waiting for you and me.
To give, and everyone can, we have to limit what we keep for ourselves. It’s the same as the other parts of our spiritual work-out... if we ignore it, we won’t grow. So, if your goal is to be more like JESUS — to live like Him and love like Him — no matter where you live or how much you have, generosity absolutely, positively, needs to be part of your life.
Cultivate... it means, "to improve or develop by careful attention, training, or study; to devote time and thought to.” Today, we’re going to be talking about cultivating; how to cultivate love, joy, peace and patience. The Bible tells us to go deeper and discover the life-changing power of what is called “Fruit of the Spirit". Now, it won't happen all at once... it will take time, effort, and lots of prayer. Like, if you planted an apple tree in your backyard, would you expect to be baking a pie that night? Probably not! And, like a tree, when you grow by allowing God to change your heart over time, when you give Him permission to pull the weeds and prune the branches, when you intentionally pursue and practice love, joy, peace and patience, you'll be amazed by the harvest… how He will change the world through you!
We all know that communication is extremely important. It’s how one person gets to know another person. Prayer, at its core, is communicating with God. Like every conversation, it involves both talking and listening. But know this: prayer is not magic. There are no brownie points in Heaven for how long or how well you pray. God hears every prayer, however humble, and the requests of 'prayer warriors' are not given higher priority. It doesn't matter where you are or who you're with. GOD HEARS YOU.
New Series: “THE WORK-OUT: Preparing for What You Cannot Do"
News, government, social media, friends, teachers, ads - everyone wants to shape the way we think - knowing that it will influence how we spend, how we live, what we do, what we watch - and ultimately - who we are. What is almost completely missing in this is God’s perspective - the bigger picture of what He’s up to in our world. Without it, we're just making it up as we go. Is that good enough for you? Is that the way you want to live your one and only life?
Happy Mother’s Day!
What we might be seeing in the aftermath of the past three years is something that has been described as ‘languishing'. That is, people who are overwhelmed, under-resourced and overtired. And likely, mothers most of all. It’s one thing getting yourself through a time when everything has changed—and quite another helping your kids through it! God, as YOUR care-giver, HE CARES about you and knows the future — as well as the pressures you are facing right now. So know this: GOD LOVES your children even more than you do and He offers His immense power and understanding to you, in your irreplacable calling as 'MOM'.
We like to be comfortable. We fill our calendar with all kinds of things that meet our needs. They’re not bad things, that is, unless that’s all you're aiming for. The truth is, all these things can consume us and often lead us away from the heart of God. A heart that loves, a heart that makes sacrifices, a heart that serves without reward. A heart that knows this life is not all there is and that we were created for more.
Our mission here at the Olive Branch is “To build a community of people transformed by the Good News of Jesus and committed to having a transforming impact on our world - being Good News wherever we find ourselves.” It all starts with transformation.
Giving doesn’t just come from our hands - it comes from our heart first. When we give out of a transformed heart, we are giving back to God. Not to earn anything, but out of gratitude for what HE has given us. It's only then we can begin to see the bigger picture. That it's NOT just about us. Surprised? Every soul on this planet matters to God. And here's some more good news. While we're in the process of changing our hearts - we get to join Jesus in HIS mission! Sound a little scary and overwhelming? Sometimes it is… but that's when we can lean into Him - trusting that He already knows the person we will become and what our impact will be. So... are you ready to trust Jesus? Are you ready for a change of heart?
In my heart and yours, there’s a divider. We start out life with only the capacity to receive LOVE - that is, a huge capacity for taking, but almost no ability to give back. Within a few months, we can give back a little - with adorably cute toothless smiles and incoherent babbling. But babies think it's all about them. And it is, for a time. But some people never get over it - no matter how many years they spend on the planet. LOVE doesn’t just pop out of nowhere! The only way the world will get more of it is that if you and I show more LOVE and get better at loving. And that means learning to give back. It's what growing up emotionally and spiritually is all about.
Easter is a special time of excitement and celebration, even for those who don’t believe in Jesus. BUT NOW WHAT? Peter and the disciples were waiting... they didn't know what was next after Jesus' resurrection. Maybe you feel the same way - all the joy and hype around Easter has faded. So, where does God want us to head next?
— TOP THINGS TO KNOW —
Coming up!
Young Adults Worship Night — Sunday, April 23 at 6:30 pm
Ways to be a part of the community:
• Young Adults — Sunday nights at 6:30 pm – Get details on Instagram @olivebranch.ya
• Encounter Youth – Friday nights at 6:30 pm
• Life Groups – find your group: tob.ca/life-groups
• Kids Branch — children’s ministries online and in-person! Check out kidsbranch.ca
Donate and support the ministry: https://www.tob.ca/give/
• Need prayer? Email us at prayer@tob.ca
• Need help? Send us a message at branchout@tob.ca
Connect with us
• instagram.com/olivebranchmarkham
• facebook.com/olivebranchmarkham
— WORSHIP —
10,000 Reasons
By Matt Redman, Jonas Myrin
© 2011 Atlas Mountain Songs, sixsteps Music, Thankyou Music, worshiptogether.com songs (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)
CCLI Song No. 6016351
CCLI License No. 2843855
We all love a final twist in a plot where everything seems broken beyond repair… squashed… over… hopeless... and then everything changes. The first clue? A flicker in the dark... a word... a tear... someone clicks. For Jesus? It was two women at a grave mourning; it was a team of guards keeping the Roman seal intact. And then this angel, this powerful being of light who moves a ton of stone like it’s made of styrofoam. And suddenly, everything begins to go into reverse. It was a confusing day in April. It started out with no believers... and ended way differently than anyone ever thought it would.
Looking at Jesus’ life from a distance it does seem like He did things that He knew would create a problem. When He could’ve backed off and saved His own life, but He didn’t. When you look at the big picture, it’s not real surprising that Jesus’ ended up on a cross. It wasn’t a death wish as such, but it was the only way to life... for all of us. To choose a path that you know leads to crucifixion and what looks like failure in the eyes of everyone takes incredible courage.
Join us on Sunday at 10 am
For our Easter Celebration service
— WORSHIP —
How Great A King
By Matt Hammitt, Hannah McClure, Paul McClure, Seth Mosley
© CentricSongs, These Tunes Go To 11 (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing) Matt Hammitt Music, Songs for FCM LLC (Admin. by Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc.) Bethel Music Publishing
CCLI Song No. 7086026
CCLI License No. 2843855
Jesus had a plan for the Kingdom - a kingdom driven by grace, humility and love - led by servants! Increasingly, throughout His ministry, He ran up against a bunch of other dreams. For some, it was the dream of having money and success; but for others, it was a dream for the temple and the Torah to rule the world. For the Romans, it was a dream of a 1,000 year reich - to put it in terms we all understand. For the Zealots, it was a dream of the Roman Empire full of dead Romans. Meaning? When Jesus entered Jerusalem and began the last week of His life, the city was like a powder keg. You could feel the tension in the air. Even His followers had dreams - and the hangers-on had dreams...but in the end, someone's dream wasn’t going to come true.
In the grand cosmic scheme of things, there are a few assumptions that are prevalent across the world:
- There is an after-life
- God lives in a good place and we want to live where he lives during the after-life
- Religions have a system about how to be good so we can also go to that good place
But, what does it actually look like to be good enough? Is this even how it really works?
Jesus was very clear in telling his Disciples that His new over-arching command for his gathered people, his congregation, was 'Love one another as I have loved you'! Those were his marching orders. In doing this—in exposing and turning away from selfishness, self-interest, self-preoccupation and self-preservation—we take a narrow path, especially as we live in a culture that pushes in the opposite direction.
Jesus intended His gathered people to be a life-giving flow of love, life, grace and hope. His point, first, was that His Kingdom would change everything. The old rules, categories, bottles and containers wouldn’t fit any more. His Kingdom wasn't about a set of laws we keep to make God happy and get something from Him. Do you get it? The whole thing was flipped... and Jesus turned the world upside down!
There’s a saying that if we don’t learn from history, we’re doomed to repeat it. To really understand Jesus’ coming and why He HAD to come to earth, we really need to understand how God’s mission to bless the nations, make all things new started with Abraham, led to creating a nation and a covenant. But as we go along, see Israel’s history, how God led them for hundreds of years and then the hope of the Messiah — then, with the arrival of Jesus… Things really changed with Jesus; which sometimes causes people to ask “Why did God change tactics?” Some even ask “Why does the God of the Old Testament seem so different than Jesus?” And does hold any meaning for us 2,000 years later?
Matthew 16:13-20 Jesus wants His gathered people back—back to their first love, back on mission—to BE the Church...not to DO church! It’s no secret that the Church at large has gotten off track, but why?
So, you ask all these great questions, and then you make some truly great decisions — some stunning moves that get you where you want to go. But the question that underpins the 5 that we’ve been asking is SO WHAT? What is YOUR what? Or worse, do we have the WRONG what? God has given us all this ‘what’ and we need to define it.
Most of the other questions we've talked about, bring immediate results in our lives. But, this question – the one Jesus specifically calls us to – usually has a delayed reaction to it. Eternal results. Legacy results. Loving is a long term thing – and is always about SOMEONE.
Sometimes we hit our 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and we’re still making decisions like a little kid. We’re chasing what catches our eye, we’re retaliating like we’re still inside the chain-link fence around the playground, we’re calling people names, trying to prove we’re better! We need to ask ourselves: Is this WISE? Am I being responsible, am I thinking clearly, am I making a mature, wise decision? And what will I think of this decision 2 years, 5 years, 10 years from now? Asking yourself, 'is it WISE?' can spare you a lot of pain.
Every once in a while – before we decide, make a move, choose a direction – there is an inner STOP sign in our conscience. Sometimes what we’re planning is clearly outside the lines of God’s plan and will, but we do what WE want to do... and then, as an after-thought we ask God to come in and bless what we’ve done. No decision we make is ever totally irredeemable, but most can’t be unmade... not without a lot of pain. God gave us a conscience for a reason.
Someday, those who follow in our legacy will remember the life we led — some of which may affect them. Most of what we are facing right now will one day be just a story we tell. And the questions we need to ask ourselves are: What story do I want to tell? What story will be retold about me? Do I leave out chapters because they're too embarrassing? Too shameful? The truth is we see events and the decisions we've made as private, stand-alone events — when in fact, they are connected to everything else about our story. The story we write one decision at a time.
We are suckers for our own story lines (and outright lies) as they serve for justifications for what we do and why we’re doing it. When we really want something, despite our best wisdom, we tell bald-faced lies to ourselves; things that if told to us by someone else, we’d laugh in their faces and say, "Give me a break! What do you think I am, stupid? Naïve?” Yet, we all do this! We tell the lie — and believe the lie! When we’re about to make a decision, the question we really, really need to ask has to be the Integrity Question: Am I being honest with myself? Am I being honest with myself...REALLY?
Today, we are start our new message series, “Before You Jump: Great Questions = Better Decisions”. One at a time, they create our life and write our story. They’re one of God’s most precious gifts — and a single one of them will decide your eternity. We all want to make great decisions and yet, at times, make really bad decisions even when we know better. As we stand on the edge, the brink, of a brand new year, it would be worthwhile to figure out how to make better decisions… and have fewer regrets!
Scripture: Luke 7:30-50, 1 Corinthians 13, Philippians 2:1-11
At some point, most of us have been the divisive person. And we actually felt quite okay about it — because, after all, we were biblical, we were being truthful, we had convictions, we were simply RIGHT. Of course we were! But, maybe we were a little disruptive, difficult, stubborn, proud and rude.
But it is okay to act like that when you're right...right?
Ephesians 4:1-7; John 17
Jesus prayed that the people who believe in Him or claim to belong to Him - would be ONE. Thousands of denominations make it crystal clear that His prayer wasn’t answered. Couldn’t Jesus just mash us all together into a lump of pieces-parts? Like, often we can't even be friends! But, why not?
Do you remember hearing a Bible story about a prophet and a gigantic fish? Yup, you got it - the story of Jonah and the Whale! It's a story of hide and seek... but this wasn't a game. Jonah was running - trying to hide from God, forever. You may think you know how it all ended, but God is not done with the story of Jonah. There's a message in it for us right now. The choices we make and our willingness to listen to God ultimately determines where we land.
Scripture: Matthew 5:33-34
We sometimes do this funny thing when it comes to making promises: it may feel or look like we're making promises to God and others, but in actuality, we are the hidden beneficiary of those commitments; looking for an angle or how a promise will benefit ourselves in some way.
Without a doubt, we know that God's promises are absolutely pure and they never fail. He gave Himself and His very life for us — unconditionally. Maybe it's time for us to peel back the layers of our own promises and look at them truthfully.
There’s a reason why Jesus took such a tough stand on marriage vows. Keeping them, even when life is hard - pays huge dividends. Breaking them or ignoring them, carries an ongoing price tag you may never pay off. Marriage vows are very serious. Really know who you’re making your promises to. Know yourself and decide if you can pay for it - and then make plans to do that. This is never based on how you feel when you’re 'in love’ - cuz trust me, you’re on love drugs! Keeping all the promises you make will take thoughtfulness, the power of God, and the best you can give… but the returns are amazing! It will be the best gift you give to yourself, your spouse, and the legacy you leave behind.
Here’s the question we all have to ask ourselves: Based on your track record, would YOU trust you? If your promise was a plane, would you fly in it? We trust that the airline industry will do all the things necessary to get us safely where we need to go. But there are times, as Jesus made clear, when we make promises and then spend our lives looking for loopholes when it gets inconvenient.
Now, if you want to live with character and integrity – if you want people to believe what you say; if you want to have good, trustworthy friends; if you want to finish well and leave goodness and love behind you; if you want to look forward in eternity to the reward for faithfulness, truthfulness, and self-control, then the trustworthiness of your word is your credit check.
If there is no God, if we all just climbed off a pond and out-lived the other germs, if there is no center line down the highway and morality is "enlightened self-interest", then promises and vows don’t really matter, right? After all, we're just making it up as we go, aren't we?
But... if there is a PromiseKeeper behind it all and if we are made in His image, then everything changes - and our promises and vows really do matter.
I think we would all acknowledge that the last couple of years have been a unique experience for most of us. COVID has up-ended the world and an unknown future is creating all kinds of fears, suspicions and disagreements. It's hard for anyone not to be swayed by the all the negative rhetoric we've been exposed to. It's more contagious than COVID.
As we face a new year in this uncertain time, it's critical to stand firm and remind ourselves of the truths we know to be unshakable.
Most of us, on the day after Christmas, have a MESS to clean up. (Some of us just ignore it and go shopping—Hey, it’s BOXING DAY! And after Christmas, we all need more stuff, right?!) Truth is, the messes after Christmas vary in size and shape. For some it’s just wrapping paper and leftovers; involves bills we need to pay for the presents we gave. For others—it’s emotional; there’s a build-up to Christmas—and then a let-down.
In our greater story, the mess after Christmas involved Herod and the political powers out to kill off any threats to His power. It involved Mary and Joseph resolving the mess that, in Nazareth, still looked like pregnancy out of wedlock—a scandal. What we see, though, is this pattern – that brings hope! God cares about our messes, he knows the future! No weapon formed against you will prosper…He won’t let it happen.
Merry Christmas!
Hope came quietly on the night before Christmas. Well, quietly compared to the way rescues usually sound. No one close to Jesus’ entry would’ve ever guessed that the ultimate Saviour and Hero—had come for good—would change everything for good--even though He started small. As in, about 6 pounds, wet, wrinkled, vulnerable and helpless.
The Night before Christmas ended when Jesus showed up in the morning light! He delivered what He’d always promised: HOPE.
My wife, Lori, has an idea for a book—and has been gathering material and thinking about it—planning it—for a long time. It’s about all the pieces—sometimes broken pieces—that make up our lives. And they just look like a shattered glass—or the junkpile from a pottery factory—until you connect the dots. Most of us never find all the dots—but we begin to see a pattern. And that pattern says that God has been creating a magnificent story—drawing a breathtaking picture—with all the dots that make up our lives.
The Bible–pretty much all 1300 or so pages of it—covering thousands of years of history—contains most of those dots. From wanderers to crusty prophets to kings and advisors to Moms and kids—the beautiful story of creation, tragedy, hope, disappointment, failure and forgiveness—and redemption is told. We are not told everything; God still has His secrets. But we know it will all end in triumph! Better than it ever should.
It’s surprising, in the Christmas story, that there are no flashy entrances. Only ordinary people living unspectacular lives—who choose greatness by choosing to serve. Some of the leading roles are played by people you’d never expect, and some of the most spectacular, bigger-than-life people play almost invisible roles. Only God could gather a cast like this! And that gives HOPE to unspectacular people like me and you!
In most great stories, hope has been totally extinguished—when something flickers in the corner...a tiny candle of hope appears. In the great story of God—of which we are a part, the problem was, quite literally NIGHT. Darkness. Life and light was being crushed out of existence by the weight of evil, sadness, pain, injustice—and the arrogance and over-confidence of the perpetrators. And then….a pregnancy…the entrance of HOPE into the darkest story ever!
Toward the end of His mission here—and right before His death, Jesus' disciples—they ones who had laid their lives on the line to follow Him—were still hoping for the kind of greatness held by Herod, Caesar Augustus—and all the other kings and conquerors who have ever lived. Jesus’ shocking revelation was, “That’s your plan—not mine”. Now, which path to greatness are we taking? Our path of our own grand plan, or Jesus’?
Jesus was very clear with those who followed Him that as intimidating and impossible as it seemed—He would leave and they would carry on His mission. But they weren’t stranded; He told them that He would be with them to the end; that the Holy Spirit who had been with them—would now be in them—and He would give them awesome power. The disciples understood that Jesus’ call, Jesus’ promise, Jesus’ command, and Jesus’ power wasn’t just for them. They took Him seriously, engaged under very difficult circumstances—and they prevailed! But, the unfortunate part of history for followers of Jesus is that for centuries at a time people simply saw themselves as recipients of truth and grace from God’s servants—instead of servants of God and givers of grace and truth.
Jesus once made the shocking statement, “If you try to save your life—you’ll lose it!” What He said is true; the drive for comfort is always downhill, down-stream. To make comfort the goal of your life is to sabotage it—sometimes in the most profound of ways.
Our problem is that we are led astray by our dreams of wealth, comfort, success and popularity—and we trade our heritage and calling for stuff that doesn’t last, wears out, gets outdated and fades into obscurity.
And God needs to intervene—do a miracle in our hearts—to launch us from being self-serving consumers—to being servants!
Jeremiah Vijey, TOB's Pastor of Youth and Young Adults, will unpack the love of Jesus that was shown in the middle of one family's grief. What Jesus did for them was amazing, but guess what? The same God is still here and He's showing up in our lives every day! Without a doubt, Jesus is more than able to do miraculous things in our lives right now... but there's a few questions we need to honestly ask ourselves first.
The Church is not a building, an institution, a political movement, or an organization. It’s people. The true Church is people who have the Spirit of God living in them and working through them—or at least trying to. We are flesh and blood people—who have just been through the first pandemic that has every affected every person on the planet—and shut down the world. Because we’re humans—it has, in fact, affected us.
The mission Jesus started when He rebooted history in 30 AD is still the most important thing going on in this world, because it won’t be over until everything is made new—not just rebooted—but recreated. And most people still don’t know that Jesus made that possible. It’s the Spirit’s transformation of our lives and priorities that makes sense of what Jesus make possible Are you in? Or are you same old, same old?
Some of you would describe your reboot—not in terms of a world-wide phenomena—but in terms of a very personal, very difficult—even shattering experience that you may still be healing from. And now you have to start-over. And you’re ANXIOUS to start over! There are some start-over three really important start-over lessons that I’d like you to meet.
In March 2020, we were handed the mother of all excuses. Know what the excuse is? COVID! It's become our go-to excuse for everything from not showing up, not keeping promises - to being angry, being late, being resentful, being rude, being difficult to get along with and on and on... and on.
If we’re not careful, we could effectively blame COVID for the messes we've actually created... because we're real pros at the blame game, aren't we?
We all know that some websites we visit leave 'cookies' on our devices. In our real-world lives we allow cookies (little bits of info, attitudes and habits) to seep into our hearts - and they shape the people we become…like entitlement, like prejudice, like the culture of complaint mentality, like greed, like the need for attention. When we allow this stuff to rule in our hearts, it thoroughly contaminates our ability to be THANKFUL. There's no better time than Thanksgiving - to rethink, to reboot... to be set free!
There are some things in our lives that should not be shaping our future. Some events of our past we'd be better off without. Reputations... we'd be better off without and wish we could change. If only we could find a way to start over. Can you relate? The truth is, it's impossible to erase our past and the memories that go with it - but the really Good News is that God made a way so we can LIVE FRESH and NEW... a total rewrite!
If you read, or even skim, through the Bible, it is a quick history of the reboot—before that was even a word or a concept. The phrase we are familiar with is "starting over". The fascinating thing about God is that He seems to always engineer a reboot or a start-over for the persons who lead people through them. In one major season of the redemptive history, He did that with an entire nation. The lesson was a spectacular show of power. The test? Actually, it was a miserable failure! Most failures are based on three myths—and the assumption that God is as committed to our comfort zone and happiness as we are. Let’s take a look at how we can properly learn the lesson –– and pass the test!
New series, “Reboot: Starting Over in a New Reality"
Disorientation is the one thing we have in common with the 7.7 billion people coming out of this pandemic. We have new words to use, new common experiences to refer to like, “masked", "double-vaxxed", "social distancing”... As the guard-rails come down and restrictions are dropped life seems more… normal! Some think, the test is over – lesson learned! But what if COVID was the lesson—and how we act and what we do now is the test? For 18 months the pandemic changed how we travel, how we shop, how we bank, how we work, how we communicate—and especially—how we relate to people! Where to from here? What lessons have we learned? Good question! Let’s figure out where we are—what’s changed—and what hasn’t!
In Ephesians 4, Paul tells us to not let the sun go down while we’re still angry; that if we let the devil—or the person who hurt us—camp there, it will create huge problems. So, the question is legitimate and really important: “How long will you drag your past into your future and let your bitterness taint and contaminate your life?”
All through the Bible we see stories of ordinary people who were called by God to do extraordinary things. Amazing feats. Acts of courage that seem incomprehensible to us today! But how did they do it? The Bible, simply put, tells us that their obedience, perseverance, boldness and fearless conviction was not something they found in themselves - but that it came straight from God Himself! But what about us?
Whatever you're facing in your life, remember what God has already done for you. Remember God's power, His goodness, His faithfulness and His promises... and no giant will ever be able to stop you!
This past year and a half has given us a lot to be afraid of, hasn't it? People often think that having courage means they have to find some kind of inner resolve to overcome fear or persevere through difficulty. But in GOD'S Kingdom - it's totally different! To have courage, to be bold, to have confidence is NOT about relying on ourselves - it's about remembering GOD'S truths, what HE has already done for you... and remembering HIS promises!
There is a saying that you never really get to know or fully and deeply experience love for someone unless they’ve hurtyou! And because God is a person—as expressed in Jesus—there will be a time when He will likely hurt you. Not because He does something selfish or cruel; no, our hurt with God usually has to do with what He doesn’tdo, what He doesn’tgive us and when we don’tknow how close He is—or feelhis love. We think, “He could’ve” …or “He should’ve,”or “If He really loved me, He would’ve!”And we blame God for our lot in life, our circumstances, our lack of…something!And if we hold a grudge or carry resentment—then we need to forgive!To just let it go!
Forgive yourself? Doesn’t it seem a little arrogant? But, if we don’t…? It’s possible to carry a lot of guilt and shame around. It doesn’t just hurt you—it hurts others, too! Forgiving yourself is actually about humbling yourself to receive forgiveness! Sometimes we fail where we want to succeed most—and to move on—we have to get up, get on our feet and leave the past in the rear view mirror. Paul said, if God is for us—WHO can be against us? The question is...who is WHO?
One of the huge questions that always comes up on the issue of forgiveness is…does forgiving someone mean that you should be good friends again? In our relationship with God, he offers us forgiveness, but there is no reconciliation without repentance. And sometimes we are never restored, in this lifetime, to what we once enjoyed. You could see it like this; forgiveness—always. It’s not optional for followers of Jesus. Reconciliation, living in peace—hopefully. But it takes two to make it happen. Restoration—where everything is as it was before? It’s the rarest of the three—and it depends. See, you can’t earn forgiveness—but you mustearn trust! And trust is hard to earn…but unbelievablyeasy to lose!
There are always some sticky questions around forgiveness. Most of us can agree on the generic, everyday kinds of forgiveness necessary. But, what about when an offense is so horrible you can’t just forget? What about justice being done—is forgiveness just rolling over? And shouldn’t people be held accountable? And, what if they never even come close to saying they’re sorry or even acknowledging that they’ve hurt you. Is God expecting that we’re just going to jump right back into the place of trusting them again? What if you try and try and try to forgive…but you just can’t do it! Great questions! We’re going to do our best to answer them!
It’s interesting… God offers us forgiveness by paying for our debt with Jesus’ death. Then, it’s up to us. We can choose forgiveness–or not. But, once we choose forgiveness FROM Him, we also choose to BE forgivers, LIKE Him. And in some way, it seems that when we choose to forgive, we are pleasing God immensely – we choose health for ourselves, and we choose the path of growth.
Forgiveness. Most of us want it when we’ve screwed up, and most of us struggle to give it when someone has really hurt us. We find ourselves in this strange quandary. We crave relationships with people—and yet people sometimes hurt us deeply. What do we do with that? Well, that brings us back to forgiveness. If we want a heart that is healed of its pain, if we want a life cut free from our hurt, if we want fairness, we have to use God’s gift to people who have been hurt who can’t forget: the ability to forgive!
You may feel that you’re sinking in fear. You may feel worried or that the weight of the world has been thrown at you, but after today’s quick crash course, we pray that you will have the little faith to call upon God. God will rescue you and in celebration, you will be able to worship and praise Him.
I want you to think of someone you love—more than you’ve loved anyonein your entire life. They’re not just beautiful and attractive—they’re good, kind, loving—and they’re powerful—so strong that everywhere they gothings get better. Would you want them to be honored? Would you look forward to being with them?
To loveJesus, to worshipJesus, to believe in Jesus—is to hope, believe, look forwardto Him being honoured, respected and loved by everyone!
Jesus' clearest teaching about the end is for us to be alert, to watch, to not get lazy, complacent, and get tied to political movements that promise peace—when only God can bring that. You have to ask, 'Why do people want so badly to figure out WHEN it will all go down?' Is it maybe because we don’t think it will result in what is good and best—and could ruin all of our fun? Of course, that all begs the question of how we see Jesus—and His character. Why would John say at the end of Revelation, 'Even so Lord Jesus come!' Was it just because he wanted an end to the pain of living at a time when Jesus and His ways were very unpopular?
The ENDisn’t what you think it is—or what you’ve been perhaps frightened into. Maybe the most surprisingthing about the End—that is, the end of time, the end of history, the end of things as we know them—is that Jesus said, “Idon’t know when that will happen and neither do the angels; only the Father!” Now, what’s surprising about this is that Jesus walked on water, raised the dead, could read people’s minds and hearts—and is the Onecoming back, but didn’t know when it would happen. Why?
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY
Eve, Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, Jochabed, Naomi and Mary. If we would have seen them in their cultural context, they probably didn't stand out... but God took their otherwise ordinary lives and wove their stories into the most important narrative ever written!
Technically, the Last Days began when Jesus, God the Son, was born. Since that time, Jesus has been on the march, bringing life and hope and light—saving us and saving everything else. According to Jesus and all of His prophets, there will be a final confrontation: a showdown between Satan’s corrupt kingdom of deception and darkness, and Jesus’ Kingdom of truth and light.
Now, there are a lot of images in Jesus’ words as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, and by John in Revelation—and how are we to understand them? From the understanding they are all intended to create hope... not fear or dread! When something creates fear, dread or confusion, it’s from the enemy, and usually the interpretation of a false prophet – not from God. Our hope? Jesus has come to save us and everything else!
One of the toughest commandments Jesus gave to us was about how many times we are to forgive one another. The equation He gave us was CRAZY! He told Peter not just seven times, BUT SEVENTY SEVEN times!
During Easter reflection, we are brought to the place where ultimate forgiveness was granted on a cross when we didn’t deserve it at all. Now Jesus is telling us to extend that forgiveness to those around us over and over and over again. But, how do we actually live this out? Can we actually do this, AND not feel like a doormat that is being walked all over all of the time?
The death of Jesus on the cross, and subsequent resurrection and ascension is one of the most significant events on the Christian calendar, and so polarizing that it even catches the attention of those who don’t believe in Jesus at all. With such a monumental event, it’s surprisingly easy to miss the significance of it in our day-to-day lives. In other words, the event on the calendar can simply become one other date on the calendar, and not an event that leads to the greatest and most transformative teaching you could ever know, so good that it almost seems too good to believe!
Over these next couple of weeks we will be diving into a two-part-mini-series on a few foundational pieces, looking at how these teachings on the cross in the Bible can lead us to living more like Him in our world here and now, even in the middle of COVID-19.
Jesus wanted us against JUDGING OTHERS. According to Him, when we take it upon ourselves to do that, we have to be willing to be judged in the same way…by the same measuring stick. Jesus’ warning is that when we judge, we actually place ourselves above those we are judging. And that’s a dangerous place to be... There comes a point where, to find peace, we have to say, THE DEFENSE RESTS!
After all the demands for answers, “just one more sign,” “prove yourself,” —Jesus walked out of the grave in a blaze of glory and power. His resurrection either answered the questions people had—or inspired intentional unbelief. People usually fall on one side or another.
Bottom line? THE DEFENSE RESTS! And now you—and every other person must decide on Jesus—and what their lives, their future, their destiny, and their eternity will be.
Even before Jesus’ trial and execution—after an avalancheof signs, the demand of the people and the religious leaders was, Come on, Jesus—just one more sign!Judas apparently wanted one more sign.Herod Antipas—wanted one more sign.When Jesus stood before the religious professionals, they demanded answers; he gave them silence. When Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate, he was silent. Even when Jesus had been beaten nearly to death—and was hanging on the cross, the high priests, Roman executioners and criminals all demanded just one more sign…if you’re the Son of God, get yourself off the cross!Jesus only answer to their accusations and mockery was, Father! Forgive them—because they have NO IDEA what they’re doing!
Down through history, that’s been the demand: One more sign, and I’ll believe; then I’ll put my whole trust in You.
Is this me? Is this you?
When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on what we now call, Palm Sunday, there was a crowd traveling with Him shouting, Save Us Son of David!Those are clearly Messianicwords—proclaiming Him to be the One who had been promised ever since God made the promises to Abraham that He was going to bless the nations through him. So, how is it that Jesus was captured, judged, sentenced and hanging on a cross within 6 days?
It most certainly wasn’t for the lack of signs and miracles. Jesus left a trail of goodness and power, fed the hungry, healed the sick, raised the dead, forgave sins, held the answer all questions – and lived a perfect life!
So what happened? Jesus’ life was so huge and SO world changing that everyone in our world is FORCED to judge him. As a member of the jury, you have to decide: is He God? Is He the promised Messiah? The Saviour? Or, not?
Self-promotion has become quite the art. There is a whole new generation that has been raised with a new song for kindergarten sung to the tune of Frère Jacques: ‘I am special, I am special, look at me, look at me…”. Strange isn’t it, that on one side a group that just wants to be normal – and the other, people for whom being average is a curse. And with all this is little ‘g’ god of ME. I am the final decider of what is true, and what is right, and what is moral. But, life has a way of judging the little ‘g’ god of ME!
3500 years ago, the Israelites proved that people will be willing to hammer their silver and gold into some kind of a little ‘g’ god who promises a good time. Fast forward to today, all the people who deliver a good time through sports, music, movies, and humour are paid very well. Pleasure and entertainment are high value in our world, regardless of where we are in history, and are worthy of our pursuit. After all, God did give us our five senses for enjoyment! But it’s important to understand that that’s where it ends. If our willingness to sacrifice and pursue ends with what gives us pleasure—what’s fun—then we’re going to be left empty!
It’s safe to say that everyonelongs to be loved—but a lot of people settle for LUV. ‘LUV'is a powerful craving. To be wanted, desired, cherished, it causes us to do things and make decisions we very much later regret.
Now, LOVE—therealdeal—is what we give. It’s unconditional—beautiful, sacrificial—and the recipient of it is usually changed forever. LUV—drives people crazy—and causes them to do crazy, reckless things. Sadly, LUVis the little ‘g’ god that people sell their souls to and settle for, while looking for real, authentic love!
One of the biggest signs that things had reallychanged in Markham in March of 2020 was the empty parking lot at the GO Station. Someone quoted the lines of an old Gospel song, “The marketplace is empty, no more traffic in the streets…” COVID-19 had a huge effect on one of the most worshipped gods in the GTA—work and success!People climb ladders, step on others, shove their kids upthe ladders, making serioussacrifices to the little ‘g’ god of work, and the god that drives it–success.When it comes to the promises that are made by the god of success, we have to ask, IS IT TELLING THE TRUTH?
So, why not start with the #1 little ‘g’ godat the top of the org chart in North America, and most of the world? After all, isn’t PROSPERITY the obvious sign that God is pleased with you? Well, not so fast—because Jesus, God with skin on, the God who humbled himself to become man and saveus from worshipping and giving our lives to false gods—said, “You gotta decide between Mammon—the god of prosperity—and the God of all the earth!” While this might seem obvious, let’s do some close inspection about all the ways in how we slide into serving Mammon regularly.
We aren’t the first people to find ourselves in a world of upheaval, where in less than a year everything we know, and have become accustomed to, gets flipped on its back. The same thing happened 3,500 years ago when God showed up and surprised a group of slaves and slavedrivers—judged everything that seemed normal—and offered freedom to both the slaves and the slavedrivers, and He did it by making life uncomfortable; the future uncertain for them both. And when He did, the little ‘g’ gods were never the same. The tragedy is that both groups—in different senses—ultimately went back to serving them. God’s message to all people, everywhere—is, “You will serve someone or something! Choose carefully, because your choice will radically shape both your life and your eternity!"
I am not sure about you, but I have felt like this period of lockdown will just never end! It seems like one long road that winds, twists, turns, yet never reaches its conclusion. Sometimes, our walk with Jesus can feel like this, too. We might feel like a promise he has given us has yet to come to pass, or the path he has put us on is just getting boring, we are tired of it, and just plain BURNED OUT. Tough… right? This feeling that accompanies many of us on our journey is actually just the narrow road we are called to as Christians. It isn’t going to be easy, there are bumps on the way, but we must stay on the path… How are we to do that? How am I to stay on a path I feel I can’t take another step down…?
The final message of our "Cold, Hard Cash and Contentment" series.
Our struggle with giving or with tithing is one of unbelief. We don't really believe that when we let go and release our grip that not only does what we have in our hands get transformed, but that God then is able to fill our hands once again. If we could see the immensity of giving—and what it means for eternity—we wouldn’t hesitate one bit! Are you brave enough to trust God?
There’s certainly plenty of teaching, and phenomenal illustrations, of how destructive money can be. But when money gets harnessed and used properly, it’s amazing what God can do!
We all have a major problem: our culture not only promotes discontentment, it PRODUCES an entangling, deceptive solution: CREDIT / DEBT. Lending institutions know the truth of Proverbs, that the borrower becomes the slave of the lender. We need to wise up and use it AGAINST them and FOR us!
This message is part of our message series, "Cold Hard Cash and Contentment".
You may be surprised to know that your problem is NOT about having enough money. We live in a culture where debt is not only rampant, it is the monster that stalks the majority of those who live in this crazy 2020 world. We GO into debt – because our system knows exactly how to lure us into discontent. See, we don’t usually have. Problem with money; we have a problem with discontentment. And discontentment is an itch that ca’t be scratched no matter how much money and stuff you throw at it. Good news… there IS a better way!
2020 has felt like ONE BIG LOSS for many of us. Amidst the normal challenges of life, Covid-19 barged into our lives and threw the entire world into chaos. As we look back on this year, our hearts initially see how disappointing it was. Our challenge today is to remember where God has worked - and how He brought good out of the darkness. Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, did just that; he remembered. His life was under constant stress - like running from the governing authorities who were trying to kill him! Rather than thinking about only that, he remembered those who were there for him at his lowest moments. Like Paul, let’s choose to look back at 2020 - remembering and thanking those who were there for us. As we look to 2021, let's be intentional about who we ask to be in our corner - and who we remember, support and encourage as we aim to transform our world through Jesus!
This message is part of our message series, "The Invasion of Peace".
The drama and difficult stuff didn’t end at the stable—or with the financial struggle of living as poor people in a strange town—or paying taxes. Mary and Joseph and Jesus then faced danger—from a crazy, evil king. Then, they had to escape to the foreign country where their ancestors had been slaves. And even then, though they tried to go and live in the center of their faith—where Jesus could live out his destiny—they were sent back to ‘Gossip Central’—to the very place where they had been most misunderstood.
Every Christmas, we experience the same: the wonder and excitement of Christmas—and then—January in Toronto! Back to school. Months before the weather will be nice. And, of course, we have to pay for Christmas.
But Jesus, He brings peace to life’s normalcy. In the midst of all of life’s chaos, all of its ups and downs, pushes and pulls… He is able to INSERT peace into all of it.
This message is part of our series, "The Invasion of Peace".
As you know, from Jesus’ biography, there were some “wisemen” who appear in the Christmas story. The problem is, we don’t know their names, where they came from, or what happened to them after they met and worshipped Jesus.
Interestingly, these Magi didn’t even worship the God of Israel, and yet they were the ones open to hearing about the Messiah. The back story on what happened is fascinating! You’d think that after a dangerous, expensive journey that took months, they’d be disappointed at finding Jesus in what would seem to be a very unspectacular place. But their enthusiasm—and connection with God—doesn’t seem to at all be affected!
We find God is some very unusual places. We just have to be open—and wise enough—to see and know Him.
This message is part of our series, "The Invasion of Peace".
The Roman Empire. Jesus was born at a time in history dominated by the Romans. The politicians mentioned in the narratives about Jesus' birth were, in many ways, accomplished leaders. They built great buildings, conquered many lands, had great wealth and prestige – but they became arrogant, evil leaders. They ruled cruelly, they made people afraid for their lives, and many of these leaders cared only about the kingdom they could build for their own glory.
Jesus, the Prince of Peace, knew how to bring peace in the midst of unkind rule. He wants to now bring peace to us, and then through us. If you want peace, then you have to MAKE peace.
This message is part of our series, "The Invasion of Peace".
So, here’s the question: is it only possible to have peace at the core of your life when there’s peace on the outside—more specifically in your home… where you live…with the people who surround you. You know, the people you eat supper with, clean up after, share living space with? Having tension where you live and with people you love definitely affects the quality of life. But, if peace actually flows from peace with God—then peace at the core is possible. And that’s important, because sometimes God calls you to do things that people you know and love do not understand—and may not like—for years! I’m guessing that’s what happened to Mary. In that culture, getting pregnant out of wedlock when you’re engaged wasn’t just difficult and inconvenient (not unlike it is in our culture), it was literally life-threatening. I can only imagine the tension at the dinner table, and the tension in the tiny shame-based town she lived in. And yet…all she was doing was immensely pleasing to God—and she became the most honoured woman in history! Any tension or drama you have in your home this Christmas is likely no greater than hers. What we have to do is make sure we’re not the cause of the chaos—or making it worse! Let’s take a look at what Mary had that can help us have this same kind of peace, despite what’s happening in our homes.
God, since the beginning of time, has sought to create peace with His people. More often than not, God’s people refused to accept these peace offerings, and turned to something else more flashy and desirable. These offers of peace made from God to His people ultimately become realized in the story of baby Jesus and the manger. So, the question for us this Christmas season is the same as it was to the people of God long ago: are we going to miss the offering of peace? Are we going to see the story of baby Jesus as sufficiently peaceful for us, or not? Are we going to let another Christmas season pass us by, or will we grab onto this peace offering anew?
This is the final message of our series, "Fear and Peace – God is where He is supposed to be, even when life isn't"
There is a law in the universe that is every bit as predictable and real as the law of gravity. It’s the Law of Exposure. Whether or not you believe in it, you need to know that cancer research believes in it, that social media experts believe in it, and that the entire marketing community believes that it is inevitable. Simply stated, what we regularly expose ourselves to affects our bodies, our mental health, and our soul. Further, we gradually become what we expose ourselves to. If it’s good stuff—that is, noble, true, right, pure–it will produce good fruit. And what If it's not?
This message is part of our series, "Fear & Peace - God is where He is supposed to be even when life isn't".
Anxiety - the taskmaster, the slavedriver… that will CRUSH you and suck the joy and happiness right out of your soul. But, you already know that. Paul, who lived in a pressure-cooker learned how to find peace when life was bleak. And he was just an ordinary person like us! Let’s take a look at what he wrote into scripture because the keys to fighting anxiety are more valuable than ever.
This message is part of our series, "Fear and Peace – God is where He's supposed to be even if life isn't"
The one thing that rocks our world and steals our peace more quickly and thoroughly than anything else—is chaos, ruptures, and breakdowns in our relational world. Know who needs to fix that? We do. No one else—not even the posse of friends we tell about it—can heal our relational world. God, the Originator of shalom, and His Son—who came to make peace and show us what forgiveness looks like—is very interested in things being right between you and others. But we have to be committed to deal with its biggest barrier.
This message is a part of our series, "Fear and Peace: God is where He is supposed to be when life isn't".
If you’ve been a person of faith for any length of time, you have without doubt gone through the cycle of thinking, "There’s God!”, where you sense His Presence, you feel assured that He’s with you, working in your circumstances, your Forgiver, source of strength and hope. And then one day, you’re in a dry spot, you’re facing an expected challenge, you have a series of things that go really wrong. And then on one terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day, you think, "Where’s God" You talk to him, and your prayers bounce off the ceiling, or make nests in the rafters. You lose any sense that God is there. You are not alone, this is what all of humanity experiences. Throughout the Bible we see this happen again and again. Let’s take a look and see what we can learn about how to respond to those times when we’re asking, “Where’s God?"
This message is the final part of our series, "If You Wanna Go Up, You Gotta Go Down".
No one ever drifts into what Christ has called them to be; we have to cut the anchors, decide on our primary citizenship, keep our eyes on the ultimate goal of life, and PRESS ON!
This message is part of our message series, "If You Wanna Go Up, You Gotta Go Down".
Who are you imitating? We start as babies, copying the big kids and the adults around us. That's how we begin learning about our new world. Then, we're teens – and we act and dress like our closest friends. It's a way of expressing our belonging. But adults, whether we know it or not, we continue to imitate others, albeit often in more subtle ways. The key is to be intentional and conscious about who we are patterning ourselves after.
This message is part of our message series, "If You Wanna Go Up, You Gotta Go Down".
We have all received way more than we deserve in life. God’s goodness and love follows us in many many ways. Life is all about God’s goodness and kindness—it's called Grace! Our lives have never been intended to be dams...reservoirs...bigger barns... where we hoard and store grace, mercy, kindness, and even forgiveness. We have been called to enjoy AND overflow with grace, the most beautiful thing in all the universe. Grace is amazing—and we are called to gladly and extravagantly share it!
This message is part of our series, "If You Wanna Go Up, You Gotta Go Down".
Paul reveals that, like us, he was a collector of personal trophies. Things that proved how important, successful and valuable and knowledgeable he was. One day, he had to follow the example of Jesus Christ and empty himself. He realized that trying to impress and coerce people was a dead-end street. He also realized that trying to impress God was a dead-end street. In fact, he had to leave all his self-righteousness behind–get off the self-improvement plan, the performance plan--and write it off. Give it up, trade it in, write it off as skubala. In the process, he realized how truly pathetic it was in comparison to really knowing Jesus Christ--even to the point of suffering. And we have to do that too. Trade in our pedigree, our performance record, our dazzling image-enhancement, our knowledge quotient–for intimacy with the One who emptied Himself for us.
This message is part of our message series, "If You Wanna Go Up, You Gotta Go Down".
A lot of times, Christ-followers just don't get it–that our faith was meant to be lived in community with others–little platoons where we know and are known, love and are loved, serve and are served, celebrate and are celebrated. In fact, every truth taught in this letter was meant to be interpreted and lived out in a small group. We've lost the essence of this. Out of fear, or because we simply will not take the time to obey–we choose a solo existence which is a recipe for spiritual mediocrity. We desperately need others in our lives. In fact, God has called us to build into others–like Paul did Timothy, and then allow others to love, serve and challenge us. Who we 'hang' with will determine who we become. And when it's all said and done, what we will truly value about our lives is the difference we've made in others–and the relationships we've built.
This message is part of our series, "If You Wanna Go Up, You Gotta Go Down".
Most of us underestimate the awesome impact our lives can have on others–simply by God shining His glory through us. The darker the world gets, the greater that chance we have to light it up–bring colour, clarity, dispel fear... The most amazing news is that God Himself is at work in us, helping us want to obey Him, and helping us do what He wants! God wants us to shine like the stars, and shine is what stars do best!
But, we have to CHOOSE light over darkness, and shine the brightest, most attractive qualities that we can as Christ-followers. But it is us who choose whether we will clean the windows or pull the shades.
This is the first message of our series, "If You Wanna Go Up, You've Gotta Go Down".
If we want true greatness in our own lives, if we want to leave light behind us—and step into greatness forever—the way is down. Wait. What?! In our world, UP is a big deal. When we’re little, we can’t wait till we grow up. We want the value of our home to go UP. We want our career to move up and to the right. We want our investments to go up. Bloggers and Instagramers want the numbers of followers to go UP.
Jesus started building this new country, new nation, new thing... almost 2000 years ago. It’s an upside down kingdom. It’s where the Son of God, Himself, in an unparalleled slide from Eternity, the presence of God, unimaginable greatness, power, worship and knowledge–stepped into a human body– and died the most humiliating death possible–to serve US! God’s way of doing things is not the way we do things. Do you want to be great? Forever? There is no other way.
This message is a part of our series, "Higher Ground".
The Gospel–the Good News–it is the most amazing truth on earth. The power to change the world at its core. And it was tremendously costly to Christ, who died to make it freely available to all. Now, as Christians, we are called to not just USE the Gospel... but to LIVE it, and offer it to the people of this world for whom it is inaccessible. Sometimes we want to do that...live WORTHY of the truth we say we believe... but often times we can get scared into backing away by its price tag.
This message is part of our series, "Higher Ground".
Praying for someone else can sure be intimidating. How do I do it well? What is something I should always say? What if I suck at praying out loud? Sadly, all of us have thought this before. Paul, in his little letter to the Philippians, has a fantastic approach to this dilemma. He suggests that when we pray for others, we pray for them to be “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes from JESUS CHRIST.” So, taking from Paul, we are going to be diving into to what this means, and how to do it well!
This message is part of the series, "Higher Ground".
How we understand it:
“To live is ME, to die is LOSS”
But once again, God's Word blows the assumptions of our culture out of the water. The Apostle Paul says, "To live is Christ, to die is gain." Is it possible to live on a plane that is absolutely inaccessible–where your life, your values, and your reward are untouchable? Even cheat death?
This message is part of our series, "Higher Ground".
Our world system makes it pretty clear that joy is something that happens to you if you can just click in all the right things–kind of a roll of the dice. The implication is that it is clearly related to our circumstances. The amazing, counter-intuitive teaching of the Bible is that joy is a choice, largely unrelated to circumstances; that joy is available to everyone, not just the lucky. In fact, joy is listed as one of the tell-tale evidences that the Spirit of God is active in your heart. It is a radical decision everyone has to make: Will I choose joy? Will you?
This message is part of our series, "Higher Ground".
We westerners are obsessed with doing. We think sweat, energy, productivity--and endless doing is the key to everything. When we think of God's will, we often think, "What does He want me to do?"--as if that's the ultimate goal. When we follow God's direction, we look for a completed, packaged product--something. But God's completed product is us. Our hearts. Who we become--who we are. Who we become lasts for all eternity. That's why God doesn't get flustered by hindrances, tragedies, incomplete programs and failures. He has started a work in your heart that He is determined to complete--but He needs and wants your cooperation. The question is--will you FINISH well?
This is the first message of our series, "Higher Ground" (July 2020).
Jesus talked A LOT about the Kingdom of God. He literally meant, the span of God’s reign and leadership. The word ‘KINGDOM’, for us, immediately brings to mind a lot of stuff from the Middle Ages: knights, castles, princesses... stuff that has no real place in what Jesus meant. The word ‘country’ or ‘nation’ is where the basic constitution is about loving God and loving others. There’s a kind of BILL OF RIGHTS. But the WAY of this nation is the way of HIGHER GROUND; the kind Jesus talked about in labeling the roads, the narrow path which leads to life, and the broad road which leads to death. In the book of Philippians, Paul talks about what has been called the principle of the path: direction–not your intentions–determine your destination.
This message is the second message in our two-part series from "The Letter of James".
Doing what God says to do. Why is that so much harder than we'd like? We definitely WANT TO, in theory... but when it comes to truly acting, we often can stall.
This is part one of two from The Letter of James.
Blair shares with us some timely truths about the role of trials in the Christian's life. They have an important role to play.
This message is part of our series, "THE SIGNMAKER".
Jesus made an extraordinary claim for Himself which either reveals Who He really is –– or makes him crazy and off the wall! He claimed, at the end of this astounding message on how to live well, that He would be the Judge at the end of time. Imagine if you or I made this kind of claim? Jesus’ words are shocking! The bottom line is that there is a day when all of the fakes get called out. And according to Jesus, the good things we do in this life—even in Jesus’ Name— don’t matter, unless we actually know Him.
This message is a part of our series, "The Signmaker".
At a time when there are so many choices and so many options, there are people who tend to be more selective with who they trust with their bank accounts–than who they trust with our souls. It’s important to know, especially when it comes to your soul, what a person’s motives are. Some people’s motives are really all about themselves... it’s the ego rush of having people believe you and follow you. For others, it’s about money, or something they can GET from you. Jesus, the same one who said to love your enemies and forgive people who hate you and hurt you ALSO said to be careful. Why? He said that some people are false prophets. Vicious wolves dressed up like sheep. Fortunately, He also told us how to spot them. And it’s not people who SEEM sincere or SEEM to know what they’re talking about–or love to talk about the Bible. If it’s not by those things, then how do we spot them? Let’s talk about that.
This message is part of our series, "The Signmaker".
Choice is one of God’s best gifts to human beings. It’s something He allows us to do––without interfering––because it’s part of being made in His image. We LIVE in a land of choice at a TIME where there are more choices than ever before in history of the world! But we’re in the middle of a season where those are choices have been severely limited and WE DO NOT LIKE IT ONE BIT! With that said, these choices that we make... some lead to LIFE and some lead to DEATH. When it comes to the destination of your life, you want to make the best choice you’ve EVER made, and the way there are marked with signs. What is most important is to check who made the signs that guided to you to where you’re headed.
Becoming like Christ... because that is what we were meant for. Blair Malfara shares a message about what it means to bear the image of God. The final message of our series, "Start Stopping".
The final message in our series, "Start Stopping".
Everyone has expectations about how they should be treated. No one likes to be ignored, judged, hated, devalued, marginalized, or seen as worthless, useless, dumb, defective or contaminated. Jesus had a very simple solution for just about every relational issue you can imagine: "Do for others what you want them to do for you."
So, what kind of positive relational experiences would cause you to love and look forward to each day—and be optimistic about your future? Instead of sitting around and waiting to be treated like that—start actually doing it! Do that—and you’ll be glad you did. That’s something you can build a life on. If you don’t—you’ll wish you had!
This message is the a part of our series, "Start Stopping".
Whenever it comes to us worrying and stressing out over the circumstances we find ourselves in, Jesus always points up—to the goodness and generosity of a Heavenly Father with infinite love, infinite resources, infinite wisdom and infinite time. But, we tend to not even look up! We’re pushing, scrounging, badgering our kids, trying to pry open safes and kicking down doors—and He simply asks us, “Have you even ASKED?” The underlying question is, “What do you really think of your Heavenly Dad? Are you a better, more generous, kinder Dad than He is?” Asking, looking, seeking and knocking seems so passive doesn’t it? Longterm, though... you’ll WISH you had, and you’ll be GLAD you did!
Judging! Today's Christian, we are marked with this very characteristic to the point where people are turned off from getting to know our God. Jesus, who made it clear that God hates pride - and is out to humble the proud, says, "Don't judge - or it will boomerang, and come around to BITE you!"
Pastor Ken shares a special Mother's Day message during this pandemic.
In these days when we're all packed together in one house with disease stalking the planet and emotions running high and kids getting into trouble out of sheer boredom, it's hard to stay calm. The enemy of our soul, Satan, has plenty of raw materials to create fear and chaos with. And it's on days like this that we need to be really clear about who runs everything. Clue: It's NOT evil, and it's NOT chance.
Blair Malfara shares with us a word of encouragement about what Paul the Apostle can teach us about his time in isolation. A timely word.
This message is a part of our series, "How to be Happy with Your Money -- in a New Reality".
There’s a myth that the ‘money and stuff’ god, Mammon, wants you believe: “You can’t afford to give and to be generous now. COVID-19! Someday, however, you will have enough – so just WAIT.” He wants to sabotage your significance, the impact you are making with your life. So how do we INVEST IN OTHERS - be obedient to Jesus - while enduring this downturn in the economy?
This message is part of our series, "How to Be Happy with Your Money in a New Reality".
Money is hell to live with if you don’t put up clear boundaries and tell IT what you will spend money on, and what you won’t spend money on. In this new reality, managing isn’t a cool thing to do... it’s a necessity!
Our Easter Sunday message from the series, "Fingerprints of God: Why We Need to Choose Hope".
Our Good Friday message from the series, "Fingerprints of God: We We Need to Choose Hope".
Our Palm Sunday message from the series, "Fingerprints of God: Why We Need to Choose Hope".
When COVID-19 is over, you will be different... but you get to CHOOSE what that looks like!
A message on how to respond, rather than react, during times of emergency, crisis and mounting pressure. It is super encouraging - give it a listen now!
This is part 2 of message series, "How to be Happy with Your Money".
Everyone interacts with money! You and I do, but even your kids do on the mobile apps they are playing on their phones where they are trying to develop their character and beat the dragon at the end of the game they might be playing! The interesting thing with money though is it’s only valuable when you and I assign it value. Meaning we go to school and we work all day and labour all day for these small slips of paper, and discs of metal that we’ve all decided has value. So what are we gonna be learning this Sunday is what God thinks bout it –– ‘cause He does understand the value of it –– and how we value it… if they are the same, or maybe they are different.
Week 1 of our message series, "How to Be Happy with Your Money"
Imagine you’re at your house one day, the doorbell rings and somebody comes up to your door and says, “I’d like to run your life. I’d like to run your family, I’d like to run your business, I’d like to run your nights, I’d like to stay in your bedroom with you when you sleep, I’d like to do everything for you, I’d like to be involved in all of your life.” What would you say? Most of us would say, hey, get lost! And yet, that’s what money asks for. And Jesus when he starts out talking about money, he talks about money a lot, he said that it would ask to run your life, and you gotta make a decision… whatcha gonna serve? Whether you are going to serve God, or whether you are going to serve your money?
This is Part 8 of our message series, "The Big, Hairy, Ugly Roots of Unhappiness".
You know I was thinking about this, one of the funniest things I ever saw was someone holding one of these selfie sticks and giving money to someone who was homeless. And I thought, you know, Jesus would have a lot of fun with selfies. Because he talked about, the sad pathetic trail of selfie religion. Basically, doing your prayers to get likes. Or giving money to other people to get likes. Or fasting to get likes. Does it please God when we do good things for others? Of course it does! Our call is to love others as we love ourselves—but it doesn’t earn eternal life! And if you do it for the wrong motives—that is, to be admired by others, you’ve lost the plot.
This is week 7 of our message series, "The Big, Hairy, Ugly Roots of Unhappiness".
Jesus tells us that love should never run out of gas, lose energy, or drop out of the race—even when people use you, hurt you, slap you, take what you have, and insist on being your enemy. First, retaliation—no matter how glamorous and satisfying it seems in a movie plot—is always a dead end street. There’s no end to it! It’s like grabbing a poisonous snake---it will always reach around and bite you. And the poison in your system will kill you. The most powerful antivenom out there—is love! But to love, we will have to grow up!
This is part 6 of our series, "The Big, Hairy, Ugly Roots of Unhappiness".
Most of us when we are shopping for something important, know what it’s like to shop for the best deal: getting the best price on a car, getting the best price on a house, getting the best deal on an iPhone… we know what that’s like. But do you ever get the feeling that someone is doing that in their friendship with you? That when it’s really cool to be with you they want to be with you and when it’s not, they kinda disappear? That creates a lot of unhappiness and it has to do with our credibility as people.
This is the fifth message of our series, "The Big, Hairy, Ugly Roots of Unhappiness".
We all know that when something is going wrong in our lives, in relationships, in a job, you gotta do something about it. Sometimes you’ve got to quit a job, sometimes you have to get your children out of a school… and the issue that the Bible deals with sometimes is what do you do when you are in a marriage and it’s just not working and it’s creating pain and unhappiness?
This is the fourth message in our series, "The Big, Hairy, Ugly Rootsof Unhappiness".
Love is one of the things that everyone is looking for in the world, I think. And it’s patient, it’s kind, it makes you feel like you have value, that you have worth, that there’s something worth living for. But there is a cheap imitation out there. If you ever bought something expensive and gotten cheated out it, you can get cheated on love too.
This is part 4 of our series, "The Big, Hairy Roots of Unhappiness".
You see it everywhere. You see it in governments…leadership at the highest levels. You see it in marriages and schools and corporate culture. It’s anger. It’s this inner infection of outrage that curses, insults, rants and raves and makes workplaces, traffic, home, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook miserables place to be. Anger is a very natural emotion that is intended to cause good things to get done. But when it gets into our heart, it comes out of our eyes, mouths, hands and feet. It becomes a killer of everything all around––and inside––of us. Let's see what God's word says about how to handle our anger.
This is the second message in our series, "The Big, Hairy, Ugly Roots of Unhappiness".
If a rule, a guideline, a law doesn’t make sense to us…we can just ignore it, right? We often see ourselves as the final editor, the court-of-appeals, in most of the issues of life. Is this okay? Where is this taking us?
From our series, "The Big, Hairy, Ugly Roots of Unhappiness" - Part 1
Everyone wants to be happy, but at times we find ourselves unhappy. What we sometimes fail to do is to actually look at the roots of unhappiness. It often comes into our lives a cute little seedling, but what we plant in our lives grows… develops a root system and can grow into a problem that steals, kills and destroys what is good in our lives –– that is, if we let it.
We don't just collect STUFF... we collect memories. Useless memories! Trivia. Directions to places we will never go to. We have this collection of memories that if someone pushes the right button, we slide right into. Some are good. Some are not. In fact, we remember stuff we did that we'd really like to forget. We have memory triggers that instantly flood us with regret, shame and sadness. Purging the grudge box... the best thing we can do for ourselves and those around you to have a great 2020!
Part 6 of our series, "Hopes and Fears of All the Years".
No matter what kind of year 2019 has been for you and me, everyone hopes that 2020 will be better! Clearer direction. Adequate income. No losses. Growing and satisfying friendships. And yet, without any prompting whatsoever, we have these low-grade anxieties about what the future holds. There are a lot of reasons; generations before who have taken and taken and taken… hatred that has metastasized in places we know nothing about. And we’re fed this stuff–by news companies built on selling news, not giving it. Is anxiety something we just need to get used to–or do we need to push back?
[Our Christmas Eve message ] Part 5 of our series, "Hopes and Fears of All the Years".
No one there could ever guess what was happening. In fact, a lot of the small towns would’ve been better places to hail from–like Jerusalem, City of David–just 7 miles away. But this night–it would be Bethlehem, just like the prophet, Micah, had said 700 years earlier: out of Bethlehem would come a ruler. No one suspected it was God– who looked just like every other baby. God coming to us to fulfill all of our hopes and settle our fears, in the form of a baby.
Part 4 of our series, "Hopes and Fears of All the Years".
The fear of loss and death has been haunting humankind ever since sin came into the world. Death steals everything and we are at our worst when we are afraid–especially when we are afraid of loss and death.
The alternative is that death is simply the pause between life and MORE life. The peace offered to us from a loving God, in the vulnerable form of a baby boy, is the hope that death does not ultimately win!
Part 3 of our series, "Hopes and Fears of All the Years".
Longing and hoping for love, or at least to be noticed, is one of the deepest driving forces in our world. Do I risk one of my greatest fears, rejection, for something I want more than anything else? What about when we found love and acceptance, and then experience rejection? The intense loneliness and pain that leaves behind.
On that Christmas night, God Himself risked rejection so He who could love us! Let’s see what the Bible has to say about how we should handle this.
Part 2 of our series, "The Hopes and Fears of All the Years".
Most of us want to do more than merely survive. We want to make a difference with our lives. But we look at the price tag for making a difference it usually involves some kind of risk of difficulty, or even failure. So when God calls our name quietly to do something... will we have the courage to do it? Or, how will we find the courage?
Part 1 of our series, "Hopes and Fears of All the Years".
Hope is a constant companion through life. We hope we make it through the teen years. We hope we'll make the cut when it comes to teams, jobs, and friends. We hope we'll stay healthy, that people will like us and want us around. That we'll live a normal life, have children, and get out of debt. But for most of us, at least one of them gets snagged along the way. And then we hope things will change--but we're afraid they won't.
This is not a modern problem. It's surprising how many times how many re-runs this story has in the Bible.
It’s fascinating to look through this this pathway to happiness Jesus lays out—and see the common denominator. Think about it...
1) knowing that God is the One who gives you all you need;
2) not allowing the reality of death to steal the joy of life;
3) being at peace with who you are;
4) being committed to doing the right thing—no regrets;
5) living with a generous heart toward others;
6) living with moral purity and a clear conscience;
7) making it your plan to have a reconciling spirit;
8) living in a way where if you’re persecuted—it’s for doing the right thing.
The common denominator in all of these things—is PEACE. Peace with others, peace with yourself, and peace with God. And that’s what everyone wants. The saying is true; if you want peace…you have to make it! When Jesus was born, the angels declared, Glory to God in the highest heaven—and on earth—peace to those on whom His favour rests. Peace with God, peace with others, and peace within is available—to anyone who wants it. Do you?
Pastor Blair shares with us the idea that a good life isn't built on luck. A blessed, a truly happy life, is built on three things. Without trying to move towards these three, we will simply hope that we will luck into a good life.
Is it possible that God wants all of creation to be happy? Not in the up-and-down-based-on-circumstances kind of way, but the kind of happy that is based on the deep stream that flows beneath the surface of every person. What is even more shocking is God's plan to use us, His people, as part of His plan to draw in, redeem, and bless all of creation. Are you willing to take your part in that plan?
It's easy to want to just move into protective mode so we can live a happy, safe life and enjoy what we've worked so hard to achieve with our lives. But... that's just 'first mile' living...
If an expert on happiness, the good life, how to have an excellent future, were to give a talk, what would he or she say? Most of us would say it would have something to do with prosperity, health, peace of mind, relational intelligence – and staying away from short-cuts that lead to regret. And that all makes sense. However, what we don’t suspect is what Jesus says about who is blessed: the poor in spirit, the people who mourn, the people who long to be good, and the fair people – those who are shy about asserting themselves! And the question we have is how does this fit with what REALLY goes on in our world?
One of the strangest things in the world is people who spend their lives investing in chaos, and expect peace; or people who spend their lives contaminating things, and expect purity; or people who spend their lives sabotaging their health - and expect to be healthy at the age of 50. Happiness – like purity, peace and health – doesn’t just spring up from the ground or pop out of a closet one day and surprise people. You have to invest in it. Jesus tells us how.
Crazy question, I know. It would be safe to say most of the people in our world are engaged in a lifelong quest for happiness! For some, happiness is seen simply as survival - because that’s what life has boiled down to. But for those of us in the west, happiness would be right up there as one of the major things we’re looking for.
It sometimes comes as a surprise to people in the Jesus tradition that God hardwired us for happiness. That He wants us to be happy! That’s what’s so surprising about Jesus opening to this message; it’s about happiness or blessedness – but the how doesn’t seem to fit with the what. The source of happiness is not stuff or position or pleasure. To boil it down, there are two things we need to pursue to find it.
The word that best describes what God wants for this planet, for our relationship with Him, with each other, and with ourselves, is shalom. Shalom is what happens when we love God with all we are and love others as we love ourselves. It goes deeper than just peace and brings us to a place of wholeness, of happiness, of relational intelligence, and into the way things are SUPPOSED to be – the way things were CREATED to be. And when people begin to live that way, the peace, the shalom, the wholeness spreads to the places and people around them. The problem is we have lived so long in a kingdom of darkness, shame, anxiety, selfishness and fear, that it’s all we know; and we live in a world system that tries to fix the problem with more money, more stuff, more pride and more selfishness.
Thousands of curious people crowded onto a primitive hillside 2000 years ago to hear the message of someone who was clearly a prophet - and had the power of God on His life. They saw stuff they’d never seen in their lives. Some suspected that He could be the Anointed King the Jewish Scriptures foretold – but time would tell.
We now know who He was! Those who follow Him in 2019 now know that He was the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed King – and that He was the Son of God – and God the Son. We know that even though humankind did their worst by Him - nailing Him to a cross and humiliating Him publicly, He rose from the dead and gave His best for us. We know that! So…why is it that we shy away from His teachings – and make excuses for not following them?
Right in the middle of his message on The Second Mile Jesus tells His followers to pray a prayer no one would ever think of praying. It’s an outrageous prayer! It seems to make no sense. Yet Jesus prayed it in His most agonizing moment—as His enemies were driving nails through His hands and feet. I’m guessing that He’d been praying it all along - practicing for this moment. Jesus put it like this; Love your enemies… and pray for those who persecute you. This message is part of series entitled, "Talking with God".
To give up praying is to give up hope in the character of God, in the intimacy of our relationship with Him--and to miss what God wants to do, both in us and in the situation that seems so hopeless.
When we fast, we do it for God--not as a form of bribery to get what we want. And something changes deep within us in those hidden moments. This message is a part of a series entitled, "Talking with God".
A message about prayer from the heart of our youth pastor, Blair Malfara. This message is part of a series entitled, "Talking with God".