North Valley Bible Church: Recent Episodes
I. God providentially draws people to reconciliation II. Pride prevents reconciliation III. Testing is needed to awaken our conscience IV. The fear of God begins to turn the wheels of mercy and grace V. Reconciliation begins
I. Ambassadors are placed in the right place at the right time. II. Ambassadors look for open doors. III. Ambassadors rely on God's word. IV. The Holy Spirit equips us as ambassadors.
I. The people who trust. II. The people who acknowledge. III. The people who are impartial. IV. The people who have been tested.
I. The way I treat others. II. Our flesh/humanness. III. Unbelief v's faith. IV. Unconfessed sin. V. Impure motives.
Praying Evangelistically Romans 9:1-3; 10:1-4; Colossians 4:2-6 1 Evangelism begins with... 2 Prayer is Prompted by... 3Evangelism happens when...
I. Gratitude for Faith and Love II. Praying for Experiential Growth III. The Power of Christ for Growth
I. The Bigger Context of Prayer II. Persistence grows in intensity III. God as our perfect Father promotes persistent praying
Lord Teach us to petition 1 our daily bread 2 forgive our debts 3 lead us not into temptation
- Stop Grieving; Get a Fresh Filling for the Future 2. A Fresh Filling Helps Us Have God's Perspective 3. Summary
I. Biblical Reasons for Judgement II. The Case of the Amalekites III. The Subtle Sin of Compromise
- is it possible to know him? 2.5 Minimal Facts 3. spiritual realities because of the Resurrection
1 Gods word is sufficient 2 God Desires to grow us 3 God is omnipotent 4 God's mercy outweighs his justice 5 God has a plan for our lives
- Poor Guidance Can Prompt Asking for the Wrong Things 2. Hardened Hearts get what they Ask for 3. God's Authority is Undermined by Thinking and Acting Like the World 4. Archeological Evidence from Ugarit 12th Century B.C. Based on Admin. Archives
- It takes a childlike nature 2.It Takes receptivity 3. It takes a willingness to speak it
I. Move from Fear to Deeper Faith II. The Authority of God's Word III. The Power of the Holy Spirit
I. Jesus Rebukes a shallow understanding II. The Blessedness of those who hunger III. it leads to an encounter with the Supernatural
1 Beginning with Joseph of Aramathia 2. The stone rolled away 3.Women were the first eyewitnesses 4. What good is a dead Messiah?
I: We Don't Fight with Like Kind II: We Use Spiritual Weaponry III: Spiritual Weapons Defined
I: Ask the Right Questions II: Greater Revelation Needed III: God Will Guide Those Who Follow His Drawing
I. Presumption in Battle is Detrimental II. Provisions Are Needed When the Battle Intensifies III. Prayer Prevents Presumption and Prepares for Battle
1: The Bread--Jesus Gave It 2: Why a New Covenant? 3: The Promises/Stipulations of the New Covenant
1.) The Warning is Primarily Immediate 2.) The Desolation if Jerusalem: Blending the Near and Far 3.) The Second Coming 4.) Learn from the Fig Tree
I: Requires Being Honest with Self and God II: Requires Consistent Bible Interpretation III: Requires Being Alert to Three Killers Within
I. The Face of Sorrow. - What makes Jesus Weep? II. The Face of Anger. - What angers Jesus?
I. Jesus is Very Deliberate II. He Intends on Installing Faith in His Words III. He Reveals His Identity
- lost seekers are Welcomed by Jesus 2.sinners are won by compassion not complaining 3 seekers find lost seekers
1 the reason for the parable the contrast of prayers the chief difference- only one was justified why?
- The Story 2. The Plan 3. The Master's Commendation 4. Practical Exhortations This sermon reminds us that everything we have really belongs to God. Jesus tells a story about a steward who was smart in planning ahead, and He encourages us to be just as wise--not for selfish gain, but for eternal purposes and that we should be wise and discerning with our resources. Faithfulness in managing even small blessings shows we can be trusted with even greater blessings. But we can't serve both God and money--we must choose who we really live for!
I. What is the Kingdom Like? A. Its Extent B. Its Comprehensiveness II. How do we Enter? A. We Strive to Enter? B. We Must Seek While There is Time.
I. The wisdom of Jesus II. Christian liberty: Does it serve? III. Dealing with antagonists Jesus heals a woman on the sabbath.
I. Repent or perish II. God gives every opportunity to repent III. Christ is our example Jesus calls all people to personal repentance in the parable of the fig tree to show God's patience and justice. Repent, in the greek: metanoeō (μετανοέω), means to completely change one's mind.
I. Jesus Exercises His Authority II. Jesus Declares the Sign of His Authority III. The Miracle of His Authority
1: The Vine: Jesus Christ 2: Branches with Fruit: Believers who abide in the word of Christ 3: The Husbandman: The Father 4: Abiding in the Vine: To Meditate on Christ via His Words 5: Branches not bearing fruit: Believers negligent of the Word of Christ 6: Christlikeness ( Thought, Word or deed )
I. Distractions Interfere with FellowshipII. Distractions Can Be Avoided with the Right PrioritiesIII. Biblical Priorities
1.) They Serve As Anchor Points2.) They Give Us A Better Perspective3.) They Help Define Our Role for Everyday Living
- Cultural Considerations2. Understand Your Prior Condition3. Don't Underestimate the Enemies Influence4. The Three Petitions
I. THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF LIFE'S STORMS. II. THE PRECURSOR TO STORMS. III. THE POST STORM LEARNING.
I. The context of contrastsII. A lack of grace leads to blindness III. THE PARABLE UNMASKS THE NEED FOR GRACE IV. WHO WILL LOVE THE MOST?
We Are All Building Our HouseLuke 6:46-49I. Who are the wise builders?II. What do wise builders do?III. Why do wise builders prepare?
- Are defined by selfless love.2. Are defined by going above expectations.3. Are rewarded beyond measure.
- Understanding the authority of Scripture and Christ-2. Understand the compassion of Christ-3. Understand the common practice of Christ
- ''works'' asks you to clean up before you can follow.-2.-works- misses the -Spirit- of the law.-3-works- and Grace do not mix.
Luke 5- 1-11-1. yielding our recourses-2. developing our values-3. moving from fear to faith
luke 4 31-44-Jesus demonstrates his claims-1through his teaching -2 through his pity-3 through his universal appeal
1 his astonishing claims-2his revelation is for the receptive-3 rejecting his word is rejecting him
1 his astonishing claims2his revelation is for the receptive3 rejecting his word is rejecting him
The Holy Spirit's Role-1. He Initiates us for Ministry-2. He Leads us into sanctification-3. He empowers us for usefulness
Conduct. It's an important aspect of the sanctification of a believer, but how do you measure good conduct-- Well, it's to live worth of the gospel- Follow along with us today as Pastor Patrick Cross shares from Philippians about how Paul not only asking the phillipians to live this way, but also how he lived that way. Praying this would be a blessing to you this morning. God Bless-
An introduction to Philippians. Listen today as Pastor Patrick Cross gives a brief background of the book of Philippians, Paul's time in Philippi, the history of the city itself, all leading up to Paul's introduction to the Philippians.
Everyone wants to be liked, but that's not always possible, especially as a believer in Christ. When Christians share their faith or stand for Biblical values. In today's message, Pastor Patrick Cross shares from the book of Amos how we should not only speak truth, even when it's difficult, but also listen to truth. It's easy to tell someone what they should do, but are we living it-- Amaziah told Amos to leave and go somewhere else because God's prophet was supposedly conspiring against Jeroboam, the king of Israel. When Amos was asked to leave, Amos simply restated that God specifically asked Him to prophesy to Israel, then he shared The Word of The Lord immediately after- Can believers be as bold as Amos when people challenge them and what God has to say-- Or will we be like Amaziah and go against God and those He sends to speak truth into our lives--
Have you ever prayed to God and even though you're close to Him, God still said no to your prayer-- In chapter 7, Amos pleaded with God to spare Israel, to forgive- However, God said no. God gave warnings to His people and then promised punishment to His people. When Amos saw this punishment, he advocated on Israel's behalf. However, God stayed true to His word and though Israel was weak and small, God smothered what little pride they had, bringing down their high places and punished them. Though it seems cruel, God punishes with purpose and pure motive, being patient until He could wait no longer. When God punishes, do we see ourselves as Amos, who watches a nation suffer because of their disobedience or are we more like Israel, who needed to be corrected and humbled-- Join us as Pastor Patrick Cross teaches from Amos 7-1-9 on New Years Eve.
How often do we get in trouble as believers because we're comfortable in life-- Often times, we can be blinded by sin and unfaithfulness to what's important in life. In Amos 6, God is pronouncing a woe to the Jews because of their false contentment. God had just chastised the Jews because of their false worship. They were just going through the motions and grew comfortable, no longer thinking critically, but living contrary to God's will and being fine with that. If we claim to be God's, are we currently living life, day by day, being content with not pleasing God-- Join us as we listen to Pastor Patrick Cross teach from Amos 6-1, 6-7 as we try to answer these questions. If you end up being comfortable with living a life that does not please God, does that bother you-- If so, what are you willing to do about it--
When it comes to worship, how do you know when you're doing it right-- Even if you're worshipping God like you're supposed to, is there a wrong way of worshipping Him-- In Amos 5, we find that God despised Israel's worship because they had been living in darkness. Even though Israel kept doing some of the same things they always had, such as gathering together to have feasts, to offer sacrifices, and singing songs, all while appearing serious, God did not accept their worship. Genuine worship is not looking good on the outside and going through the motions of life, but it is worship the way God wants. The way God wants people to worship Him is to serve God alone, it's having a heart of humility when we sin, and it's understanding where people as a whole stand before a holy and righteous God. The worship God truly desires is worship that is focused on Him alone and to offer more than our words and what we do for the sake of worship, but to offer our lives for more than just Sunday morning. Do you worship God the way He wants to-- Follow along as Pastor Patrick Cross preaches on genuine worship.
Often times, we can be in the right places, around the right people, and even look like we're doing the right thing. However, God doesn't just look at the outside, but the inside. Today, follow along as Pastor Patrick Cross leads us through Amos 5, where Amos speaks on God's behalf, expressing His desire for His people to seek Him and live and avoid punishment and consequence. Are we following God-- Are we seeking Him out-- What would you do if God personally asked you to follow Him today--
It's no secret that everyone suffers. However, believers sometimes suffer because of poor choices and sin. Typically, punishment and consequences are viewed as discouraging because it's unenjoyable. In Amos 4, God uses Amos to speak His words of discipline towards the Jews. When you read this passage, you could view God as unloving and cruel, we could even say that in our own lives. Is God loveless in his discipline-- Is God void of care when He punishes those that claim to love Him-- Come dive into God's Word with Pastor Patrick Cross as he discusses the importance of discipline and it's purpose.
Amos was not anything special from the world's perspective, but God used him to speak on His behalf to the nation of Israel. Do we limit ourselves because of our social status-- Do we look at who we are and think, -There's no way God can use someone like me.-. If you have had questions like these, take a listen to today's message from Pastor Patrick Cross from North Valley Bible Church-
Taking a look at how believers and how they ought to live in light of the freedom we have in Christ- Being a slave to sin is an eternity of misery, but maybe being a slave isn't such a bad thing when God is the master-
What does -dead to sin- mean----What does it mean to vicariously participate with Christ----Describe the ways we are united with Christ---How do I know that the sins that rule over me has broken with finality----What do we share in the reality of Christ's resurrection----What are the four practical steps for victorious Christian living--
-The LORD is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works. The LORD is near to all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth.---Psalm 145-17-18
Message by Guest Speaker Frank Curtis,--How Real Faith ought to be and what it ought to do.
-Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain-- but the woman that fears the Lord, she shall be praised.--Proverbs 31-30
Jesus said to her, -I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die- and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this--- John 11-25-26
Looking at the beginning of Elisha's ministry, we are challenged to step up our spiritual maturity.
Trials cause us to listen and trust. -Faith is one step at a time. -Faith stretches us. -Faith is rewarded.
-I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus---1. God uses surrendered servants-2. Surrendered servants see the big picture-3. God reveals His paradox to those who are surrendered