Higher Aim with Dr. Curt Dodd: Recent Episodes
Dr. Curt Dodd
We are in the second week of our series called “A Worshipping Church.” The first part of this series included some wonderful Scripture passages on worshiping. Today, we are going to focus on the practicality, application, and details of worshiping. Remember, worshipping is about experiencing the presence of God. We know if we have been in the presence of God because we have felt it and sensed His presence. It has nothing to do with volume or performance. It depends on whether Jesus is honored and glorified.
In this message, I want to talk to you about being a worshiping church. I want you to understand why this is so important for your life and the lives of people who God invites into His presence. Nothing is more important than engaging with the Lord. God brings people into our midst with various needs—
relational, financial, spiritual, physical—and although I can't always preach a sermon that will address every need, I can invite us into the presence of God. We were created to know Him, to sense Him, and to walk with Him. God has called us to do this. The gateway to this spiritual encounter with the Lord Himself is to align ourselves in worship because that is where God lives. That is where He dwells and moves.
We do not come to worship just to go through the motions. We worship because we desperately need to have a fresh encounter with God. The world can go by, but we were made for communion with God. Unless we have that encounter, we will leave unfulfilled, empty, and hopeless. So, what keeps us from experiencing God? I believe it is shame. Shame is a silent killer of your spiritual progress. In this message, we’re going to discuss the issue of breaking free from shame so we can worship freely and encounter God.
As we look at a famous passage in Romans, we will read, "In all things, God works for the good.” Is divorce good? No. Is being laid off a good thing? No. Is disease or illness a problem? Absolutely. Not all things are good, but even with the bad, God has a plan. We need to understand that there will be times when your body will fail you. No one gets out of this life alive. It is important that we have a good theology around this subject of healing. You’re probably carrying burdens right now—maybe for yourself, maybe for someone you love. In the midst of those burdens, you need to understand what God has for you and what He plans to do, even in the middle of illness or disease.
Carrying burdens is part of the Christian life, and today I want to talk to you about being called to carry a burden. Sometimes, God places something heavy on our hearts, not to overwhelm us, but to invite us into partnership with Him through prayer. Let’s look at how we can carry out the burdens we’re called to carry in a way that glorifies God and grows our faith.
It is very important that we understand that the two women mentioned in today’s key passage, Eunice (Timothy’s mother) and Lois (Timothy’s grandmother), made an unbelievable impact on his life. The same could be said for the Christian faith. We are never more than one generation away from losing the impact of Christianity upon our culture. That is why we must learn and celebrate passing our faith along. God wants us to make an impact on the lives of our children. Mothers, whether it is a grandmother or a mother, influence their children for the Kingdom of God.
We recently had the opportunity to do something incredible as a church—together, we gave over $250,000 to help build a brand- new orphanage in Mongolia. It wasn’t about one person putting their name on the building. It was the body of Christ working together. That’s how I believe God wants giving to take place—in secret, without applause or recognition, but in a way that brings Him glory. Jesus talks about this in Matthew 6:1-4. He says when you give, don’t do it to be seen. Don’t blow trumpets. Give in secret—and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Let’s talk about what it means to give like that by looking at four things we can apply from this passage.
I have some important questions for you to consider today: How do people meet the Lord? How do they get connected to Christ? The answer to these questions is the same: through you. God has chosen to use people like you and me to be His ambassadors. He wants us to be heaven connections. In John’s gospel, we discover four types of connections that can lead people to Christ. Let’s look at those together now.
When we look at Scripture, we see that Jesus’ death and resurrection drastically impacted the disciples’ lives. But the life change didn’t stop with the disciples. The gospel of Jesus has been changing lives ever since the day Jesus rose from the dead. And as followers of Jesus, we can experience the same kind of life change that the disciples experienced all those years ago. Today, we’re going to look at six specific ways that the disciples’ lives changed because of the resurrection, and as a result, we can be encouraged and challenged by the fact that our lives can be changed in the exact same ways.
Nothing is more important for our lives than to be in the center of God’s will. The Lord wants His will to be accomplished in your life. But for this to happen, your will must be surrendered to Him. This is what it looks like to be in the zone spiritually. So if you want to make sure you’re living in the zone with God, there are a few truths you need to embrace.
As we look at Scripture, we’ll see that it gives us guidance on complete security. Specifically, in 1 John, we find seven questions that we need to ask ourselves as believers. This book of the Bible was written by John centuries ago, but even then it still speaks to us. Let’s look at these seven questions together.
If you’re going to live a life committed to Jesus, you need to know what you believe. While there is such a thing as blind faith, there is no such thing as blind belief. It is absolutely vital that you know what Scripture says and what Jesus teaches so that you can have a strongly rooted belief in your relationship with the Lord.
Do you know who you are? I pray that you do. The greatest problem for believers is that they do not actually know who they are. From a spiritual sense, I pray that you know who you are beyond just what you are called. Faith is the ability to take God at His Word in every area of life. It is a gift from God, not something we produce ourselves. Without faith, we cannot repent, trust in Christ, or embrace the life God has called us to. Today, we will look at the life of Moses and how faith shaped his journey.
Acts Chapter 8 describes a time of great difficulty for the early church. Being a follower of Jesus does not mean we are exempt from problems. In fact, sometimes our greatest trials can lead to our greatest growth. As Erma Bombeck once said, "When life deals you lemons, make lemonade." Today, we will explore how God uses problems for His greater purpose and our spiritual maturity.
Have you ever found something valuable you didn’t know you had, like hidden cash? Rediscovering it feels like an extra gift. Sometimes, in the Christian life, we don’t realize the treasures we have in Christ. The story of Stephen, one of the first deacons and the first martyr of the Christian Church, is a powerful reminder of these gifts. Stephen’s boldness and sacrifice reveal what makes believers different, showing that when we follow Christ, there is a magnetism about us that words can hardly describe.
Gratitude is a powerful force that can transform our lives. It shapes our perspective, deepens our faith, and strengthens our relationships. While it’s easy to be thankful when things are going well, true gratitude is a daily practice that remains steady even in challenges. The Bible teaches us that a grateful heart leads to joy, peace, and contentment. Today, we will explore the biblical principles of gratitude and how embracing them can positively impact our lives.
Sometimes, things happen that don't compute in our minds. Life doesn’t always make sense. This can even be the case for people who have God's Hand upon their lives. In this message, as we look at the life of John the Baptist, we’re going to discuss some critical principles to remember when life doesn't make sense.
All of us have experienced people who have failed us, hurt us, and disappointed us, especially when we needed them. In Scripture, we don’t find any examples of a disciple admitting failure. The disciples scattered in Jesus’ darkest hour, and the only disciple who made it all the way to the cross was John. Do we find in Scripture where the disciples are asking Jesus to forgive them? No, we don’t. Usually, the first step towards restoration is taken by the person who was hurt the most. Many times, the first step is taken by the person who is the most spiritually mature. Do you want to know how to re-establish broken relationships? Follow the example of Jesus and take the steps we’re going to outline in today’s message.
As we conclude our study of the heroes of the faith found in Hebrews 11, we’re going to take a look at the life of Joseph. Joseph’s life was a roadmap to the route of faith. So if we want to live a life marked by faith, Joseph gives us a great example. Together, let’s dive into what we can learn from the life of Joseph.
In our world, many things are occurring right now, and they continue to happen with greater intensity. These events are leading us toward the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The next thing on God's agenda is the Rapture of the Church. The warning signs remind us that we don’t have that long before the Second Coming occurs. So in today’s message, we’re going to look at where we’re headed as we assess what’s happening in our world today.
Christmas is a season filled with traditions, family gatherings, and joyful celebrations. However, in the midst of the hustle and bustle, it’s so important that we pause and reflect on the true purpose of this season: celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. In today’s message, we’re going to explore how to celebrate Christmas in a way that honors God and aligns with His Word.
If there is anything that I have personally struggled with in my life, it is waiting. Have you been waiting for the wins in your life, waiting for those promises to be fulfilled, waiting for the ‘Yeses’ to happen, and waiting for God to give you the answer that you desire?” As we take another step deeper into our series on Heroes of Faith, we will wrestle with the issue of waiting. It is an aspect of the believer's maturity process. And it’s one we can’t skip over if we want to become all that God wants us to be in this life.
Abraham's story is one that says there is hope for all of us. We can be men and women of real faith if we can follow Abraham’s example. Faith involves risk. If there is no risk, there is no faith. Faith is not a feeling. Faith involves standing on the Word of God, and sometimes that involves taking risks. Abraham's life was just one risk after another, one step of faith after another. So if we’re going to be people of faith, we can’t be afraid to take a risk.
Noah's life is applauded by the Lord, not for building an ark, not for collecting animals, not for preaching, but for living a life of faith resistance. If there was ever a message that God's people need to hear, it is simply this, “God wants us to understand what it means to resist our world system by faith.” With this in mind, there’s a lot we can learn from the life of Noah.
As we follow Jesus, we need to learn how to exercise faith in a clear foundational way. This will allow us to honor God and bring Him Glory. From today’s key passage, we will learn what faith looks like according to Scripture so we can have the kind of faith God desires for us to have.
As we close out this series, we’re going to be discussing two final characteristics of the church God blesses. We will see how being dependent on God and being gracious to other believers will lead to God’s blessings.
In this message, we are continuing our study of Hebrews and learning about the church God blesses. I want us as followers of Jesus to experience these types of blessings as we continue to live for Christ. So let’s dive in and learn some more characteristics of the church God blesses.
In today’s message, we are going to focus on verses 14-16 of Hebrews chapter 13. From these verses, we will zone in on three words: “Secure, “Sacrifice,” and “Service.” I want to unpack these words because they speak a great deal to us as followers of Jesus and how we are to live our lives.
Last week, we talked about how we shouldn’t focus on false teachings or strange doctrines that don’t line up with Scripture. But we can’t stop the conversation there. So this week, we’ll dive into what we should focus on.
We live in a culture that is easily distracted. With the internet and smartphones so easily accessible, there is always something to be doing, reading, or watching. Not to mention there are numerous sources of false teachings circling around us, tempting us to embrace lies instead of the truth of God’s Word. But there’s something to be said for being undistracted. And I believe when we as the Church choose to be undistracted, God blesses us. Let’s dive deeper into this reality in today’s message.
As we have been spending time in Hebrews Chapter 13, we have uncovered many different characteristics of the church God blesses. In this message, we are going to look at another one of the characteristics of the church and the believer who God blesses. Specifically, we’re going to look at how God blesses those who share the gospel and those who count on Jesus.
As we’ve seen throughout this series so far, there is great power and wisdom in Hebrews 13. It speaks of the kind of church that God blesses, and the kinds of believers God blesses. Today, we’re going to continue that discussion and see another truth about the church God blesses.
In today’s message, we will continue our study of Hebrews chapter 13 and discuss another characteristic of the church that God blesses. Specifically, we’ll be looking at how important it is that we value the Lord and our relationship with Him more than we value the things He gives us. Let’s dive in.
In today’s message we are going to continue our study of the book of Hebrews, specifically by looking at Hebrews 13. There’s a lot we can learn from this passage, but today, we’re going to dive deep into what it looks like to choose biblical morality as a church, and we’ll learn how God blesses us when we make that choice.
Every chapter of Hebrews is full of rich wisdom from the Lord for His children. This book applies especially to His children who are trying to make sense of their lives and are seeking His purpose and blessing in a very confusing world. So if that’s you, if you’re looking for clarity from God around who He blesses, let’s look to the book of Hebrews for the answer.
God will often use disasters to get our attention. He might use finances, relationships, and our own physical health to get our attention. But remember, He always has a purpose. We can learn some deep spiritual truths while going through tough times. Because of this truth, I want you to have a tough times theology. I want you to know what you believe about God, and what He is doing for you before tough times arrive. I want you to be ready. If you believe tough times will never come, you need to think differently. It is a false expectation to think you will be immune from tough times. So in order to help you develop a tough times theology, here are some principles for dealing with hard times.
A good question to answer from time to time is “Where are you?” It’s a question of self-awareness and self-evaluation, which are areas we should all be growing in on a regular basis, particularly when it comes to our faith. As we dive into this message, I want us to take a look at this important question in the context of today’s key Scripture passage and see how it applies to our lives as believers.
The last picture of Jesus that we are left with that introduces this Book is that of blessing and comfort. I tell you that for a couple of reasons, because verses 17 and 18, describe that specifically. Then he placed his right hand on me. Picture this as a blessing and also as a picture of comfort. When a person wants to encourage someone, they have a tendency to put their hand on them. God wants you to live a full life now. For whatever time He gives you, He places His hand of blessing and comfort upon you. Blessing comes from whose hand is on you. So in this week’s message we are going to take a look at what you can do if you want to sense the Father’s hand of comfort and blessing in your life.
In this passage of Revelation, John goes on to describe several images of Jesus that are important for us to visualize in our minds. Last week, we talked about the first image of His clothes: the robe going to his feet (picture of authority), and the golden sash around his chest (picture of priestly royalty). And we also talked about His hair being white as snow and how white represents purity and wisdom. Let’s continue this list today of things we need to visualize according to John’s description of Jesus.
The last couple of weeks, we’ve talked about John describing Jesus as being a picture of authority and partnership. This week, I want us to see that the Messiah is also a picture of power. Today’s key verses describe the powerful image of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, I want us to take several steps to understand this picture of power and break it down into more specific parts.
In this message, I want us to take one more step in this perfect picture of the Messiah. This is, “A picture of partnership.” If you read Revelation 1:9-11, you will see that what John is describing is the perfect picture of partnership. More specifically, John wants us to understand that God calls us to be in partnership with three different entities: believers, the Lord, and the church.
In today’s key verse of Revelation 1:8, we see something that is very powerful. I would call it the perfect picture of the Messiah. And as we look over the next few weeks at how the perfect picture of Jesus is described, we will start with one thing, and that is that Jesus the Messiah is a picture of authority. There is so much we can learn about Jesus from this one verse, but all of that learning starts with understanding His authority in our lives and in our world.
As we continue our study of the book of Revelation, we are going to spend some more time looking at the perfect picture of God’s messenger, and that is John. In today’s key passage, John is still taken away with Christ alone even after all of the years of following Jesus. You can't read what he wrote (inspired by the Holy Spirit) without capturing his passion, love and worship of Jesus Christ. As we look at these words, I need to tell you that some of us have lost heart. How does that happen? How does someone lose the fire that was once in their heart to follow Christ? In the coming days, we will read about a church that lost its first love. But for now, I want us to become aware that we may have lost our fire. And when that happens, we need to know what to do to keep the fire alive in our hearts.
As we continue in our study of the book of Revelation, we are going to see the perfect picture of God's messenger that is described for us in verses four through seven. You see, the Book of Revelation was a letter. It was intended to be read as a letter, a letter that John intended for all Christians to read, then and now. More than likely, the book was written around 95 to 96 A.D. John describes that God gave him this book on the Island of Patmos. As the messenger, he was responsible for simply penning what he was seeing. He wants everyone to see what he was seeing. And so as we look at this picture from John, we are going to learn not only about the message he was giving us, but about the messenger himself.
Today, we are beginning a brand-new sermon series through the book of Revelation! In this verse-by-verse study, we are going to dive deep into this book that cause so many of us to be confused, lost, and frustrated as we try to understand it. But the Lord has packed so much information into this book that is pertinent for us to learn. So the goal for this series is to help guide you as you study the book of Revelation and aid you in your search for clarity in this amazing book of Scripture.
God does not want you to see yourself as a failure. Instead, He wants you to learn from the failures you go through. Sometimes, the only lesson you will learn is, “Don't do that again.” In today’s key passage, there are three basic lessons that you will learn from failure. We discussed the first two last week, so we’re going to add the third this week. I pray you will learn from these failures in your own life and that you will find encouragement and comfort even when you fall short.
God does not want you to see yourself as a failure. Instead, He wants you to learn from the failures you go through. Sometimes, the only lesson you will learn is, “Don't do that again.” In this passage, there are three basic lessons that you will learn from failure, which we will discuss over the next two weeks. I pray you will learn from these failures in your own life and that you will find encouragement and comfort even when you fall short.
As believers, we need to be mindful of where we are going. It is like we are headed down a road where there is a huge sign across the road that says, “Bridge out.” If you keep driving, you are headed for disaster. Many people are looking at the signs that are occurring today, and they are heading into disaster. This is very important for you to understand. The Bible says that in the last days, terrible times will come. Great Tribulations will come. The New Testament explains the characteristics about those End Times. The Bible says there will be terrible, despicable, perilous
times. But at the same time, God promises to pour out His Holy Spirit during those last days. That’s not a contradiction. It’s a both-and situation. Our world is falling apart, and yet we’re seeing God do amazing things for His Kingdom. With this in mind, let’s look at some of the signs of the End Times as described in Scripture.
The cross was a watershed moment for the Apostle Paul and for us. It is important that we understand the cross and the power of the cross. It is more powerful than a piece of jewelry or a symbol that others see. In the early church, the symbol was not the cross. The cross was a Roman instrument of death. As we look back 2,000 years, the cross represents the power of God. What kind of power are we talking about? That’s what we’re going to discuss in today’s message.
Many of us have the mentality that says, “God, I want to do this. I want to go there.” We find ourselves upside down when we want God to bless our plans rather than be part of His plan for our lives. Oswald Chambers once said, “It is not right for the servant to tell the master what he will do and what he will not do.” As children of God and followers of Jesus, the most important thing for us to know is the will of God for our lives. But how do you find God's will? What does it look like? In today’s key passage, Jesus gives us a glimpse of God's will. So as we look at this passage, we will discuss some key principles for God’s will.
In this week’s message, we are continuing our conversation around forgiveness, discussing the steps we can take to forgive those who have hurt us and seeing what we can learn from the life and teaching of Jesus about Christlike forgiveness.
The story in today’s key passage of Scripture is a tough one. Forgiveness is always a tough subject in this broken world of ours. But as Jesus addresses this issue, He was being tougher on the person who withheld forgiveness than the person who committed the offense. Why would Jesus do that? That’s what we’re going to look at in today’s message. As we do, we need to ask and answer three specific questions. We’ll answer the first one today and then we’ll dive into the other two next week.
If you look at the entire book of 1 John, you’ll see very clearly the characteristics of someone who is a child of God. When you have given your life to Christ and surrendered your life to Him, I believe there are seven characteristics that will be true of you. In today’s message, we’re going to discuss these seven characteristics in depth.
As we continue our conversation around what we believe as followers of Jesus, we are going to reiterate some very important truths today. We’re going to look at why we believe what we believe surrounding communion and baptism and how these are symbols in our faith walk, but not the things that actually save us. Let's dive in together.
We are in week three of our series entitled, “What We Believe.” In this series, we’re discussing just that: what we believe. We’re diving into Scripture and making sure we have a clear understanding of our beliefs and our faith so that we are prepared to give a reason regarding the hope that is in us, as Peter says in his first epistle. Today, we’re going to continue this conversation by discussing what we believe about salvation and church membership. Let’s dive in together.
Living a life fully committed to Christ requires that you know what you believe. Last week, we began a series talking about what we believe as Christians and why we believe it. Today, we’re going to continue that discussion, so let’s dive in.
If you’re going to live a life committed to Jesus, you need to know what you believe. While there is such a thing as blind faith, there is no such thing as blind belief. It is absolutely vital that you know what Scripture says and what Jesus teaches so that you can have a strongly rooted belief in your relationship with the Lord.
As we continue our discussion on the names of God, we’re going to look at two more names that reveal more of God’s goodness and character to us. Let’s dive in together.
There are many things that matter in life. Some of these are: Friendships. Family. Time. Memories. But more than anything else, the resurrection matters! In this message, I will share several reasons why the resurrection really matters so that together we can gain a better understanding of why Easter is such a powerful day for us to celebrate.
Nothing is more important for believers than understanding the power of the wonderful cross. Think about those two words, “wonderful” and “cross.” Those two words don't really fit together because the cross was an instrument of death. That is what the Romans used to crucify criminals along a major road, as a warning to those who would resist the Roman government. It was an object of death. But for us as believers, what Jesus did on the cross was very powerful. In fact, if the Gospel is really to be preached, the cross of Christ must be lifted up. You cannot have the Gospel without the cross. In today’s message, we’re going to look at why the cross is so wonderful to those of us who follow Jesus, even though that was never the Roman government’s intent.
In today’s message, we are going to continue our study of the names of God. Specifically, we’re going to talk about how God is our shepherd and how He takes care of us no matter what we’re walking through. Let’s dive in.
In this series called, “What's In a Name?” we are looking at the different names of God. We have already looked at 6 of the 12 names. Today, we will take another step and look at some more names that will help us gain a better understanding of God. If there was ever a time when we need to understand who God is, it is now. Our world is so unstable with all kinds of thoughts, ideas, and philosophies around who God is. So as His followers, we need to be rooted in the character of God and what God reveals about
Himself through His names.
In today’s message, we are going to continue our discussion on the names of God and learn more about the character of the God we serve the names He is given in Scripture. Let’s dive in.
In the midst of whatever you are going through today, you need to remember who God is. I know many people are going through difficult seasons in their lives. Although you might want God to immediately remedy that situation, you need to look to Him first. The reason you need to look to Him is that He is in charge. When we are oppressed, disappointed, and brokenhearted, healing begins when we understand who God is. When things come unraveled in our lives, and when fear seems to be the entree we are supposed to eat, we can find great peace in God. So with this in mind, let’s continue in our series as we discuss the names of God and learn more about who He says He is.
As we begin this new series, we’re going to study the different names of God. God wants us to see who He is and has allowed His character to be revealed specifically in 12 different names. Names are very, very important. God reveals Himself through His names. He reveals Himself through what He calls Himself. So we’re going to get to learn a lot about God throughout this study as we break down each of His different names.
In today’s message, we are going to be focusing on the words of the Great Commission. These verses are the walking orders of the church. In the last several decades, the church has embraced the community of business leaders who have bought into the need for a vision statement. We need to have a mission statement. We need to have a purpose and a direction. And while I understand the value of that, we already have a mission and a purpose, and that is the Great Commission. It was the very thing that set the first generation of believers on course, therefore it should also place the last generation on course.
Today’s message is without a doubt one of the most important sermons I’ve ever delivered. This is not a political sermon; rather, this is Biblical instruction. As believers, we need to be linked with the nation of Israel. We need to support them. We need to pray for them because God’s Word instructs us to do so. But why is that the case? That’s the exact question we’re going to be answering today.
My job as a pastor is to make sure that God's people are equipped to do the work of ministry. One of the things that I am charged with doing is teaching people how to pray. With many of us, we wonder why our prayers don't get answered. Today, I hope that our focus on being aligned to pray will challenge you and encourage you. I pray for the light to go on in your hearts and in your lives so that you can align your prayers with God’s will and, as a result, see your prayers answered.
We must understand that God wants His children to be praying. Today’s key Scripture verse is very clear, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” This is not because of how we have lived, but because God has declared us righteous in Christ. Jesus is powerful. Our prayer life is powerful and effective. Is there anything happening in your life that is keeping you from getting through to God in your prayer life? I believe there are three things that can hinder you from getting through to God when it comes to prayer, and we’re going to look at those three
things in today’s message.
Today’s key passage from Acts is a great commentary on what every believer needs to continue to follow Jesus. Last week, we talked about how we need to be strengthened, we need to be encouraged, and we need to be organized. But that is only half of the list. In this message, we’re going to discuss three more things that every believer needs in order to live a life that is worthy of the calling given to each of us by God.
In today’s key passage in the book of Acts, we learn that Paul and Barnabas had been on a missionary journey, and God used them to plant many churches. It was an exciting journey and a very successful journey for these two men. They had two different kinds of ministry. One ministry was to the lost, winning people to faith in Christ. The other ministry was developing those who were brand-new believers. In this particular section of Scripture, we find some important things about what every believer needs, and we’re going to break down each of those needs into more detail.
As we unpack today’s key passage of Scripture, we are going to learn what the main thing is in life that we’re supposed to do as followers of Jesus. This message is going to help us understand the three basic principles that help us do the main thing. The main thing will not occur in your life so that you can be the representative that God wants you to be unless you do these three things.
In today’s message, we are going to look at the definition of faith. And one of the greatest examples of faith in Scripture is the story of the Centurion in Luke chapter 7. The problem in this story was that the Centurion’s servant was sick and was about to die. Undoubtedly, he had sought out physicians, with no remedy or recourse. He heard that Jesus was in the area, and he knew what Jesus could do. Although he had never met Him personally face- to-face, he knew of His fame and power. Therefore, he sent another servant to ask Jesus for help. There is so much we can learn about faith from the Centurion, so let’s dive in.
Regardless of how old you are, God wants you to accomplish the dream that He placed within your heart. Otherwise, you will just sit and be seated, and get sour. That is not God's plan for your life! We need to understand how He has created us and what He wants to do in our lives. God has more for you than you could ever imagine. Don't go to sleep at the wheel. Instead, choose to boldly and confidently pursue the plan He has for your life!
From the moment you give your life to Christ, I wish that everything would come up roses, and everything would be better. Many people say that everything will be great as soon as you accept Christ. That is not what the New Testament teaches. Instead, it teaches a sobering concept of how to live this life regardless of what happens to you, even if it is suffering. As we wrap up this series, we’re going to use this message to talk about the different realities surrounding suffering in the life of the believer so that we can know how to honor God when we face seasons of suffering.
Last week, we talked about the importance of dwelling with a spiritual mindset. Specifically, we began to break down what it looks practically to have a spiritual mindset according to 1 Peter 5. We’re going to continue that discussion today and talk about three more steps you can take to be prepared to stand against the devil and stay strong in your faith.
God wants us to learn how to cast our anxiety on Him. We are a very anxious people. Some 46 million American adults deal with anxiety. Do you know that between the ages of 18 and 25, about 50 % deal with anxiety? For adults older than 25, roughly 32-38 % deal with anxiety. So, sadly this is a very common issue across humanity. It is not only true for our culture now, but it applies to every culture. That is why the words of Jesus in Matthew, as well as Simon Peter's admonition in today’s key passage, are so important. If we are going to answer the call to the right attitudes, as we are discussing in this mini-series, we need to pay close attention to what Jesus says about handling our anxiety.
In the last couple of verses of 1 Peter chapter 5, Simon Peter gives the people some guidance on how to develop proper attitudes. We need to have the right attitude in order to live the Christian life like God wants us to live it. Unless we get our attitudes right, it will be difficult to hit the ball down the middle of the fairway when it comes to our faith.
The last half of 1 Peter chapter 5 is great place to focus as we take this last lap in the book of 1 Peter. I have thoroughly enjoyed going through the verses in this book, pulling out the nuggets of wisdom for my life and yours. In these last several verses, we find several attitudes that are very important for us to have. Regardless of where we are in life and what we have experienced, we desperately need these right attitudes to be ours.
As we continue our study of 1 Peter, we are going to talk more about leadership. Chapter 5 of 1 Peter has so much to say about what it looks like to be a godly leader. Last week we talked about the first three characteristics of Christlike leadership, and today, we are going to talk about four more. Let’s dive in.
The Bible has a lot to say about leadership. More specifically, we can learn about how to lead people well by watching how Jesus led people. So over the next couple of weeks, we’re going to discuss several biblical truths surrounding leadership so that we can learn how to be godly leaders.
Many believers don't know what it means to live fearlessly. If there is anyone who has the encouragement and the right to live fearlessly, it is believers. But what does it look like to live fearlessly? That’s exactly what we’re going to look at in today’s message.
Jesus spoke more about money than anything else while He was here on earth. When you look at the words of Jesus, He continually talks about being a steward. You need to be a man or a woman who honors God with everything that flows through your hands. That’s what it means to be a good steward. The Lord allows some people to be stewards over a great deal. With others, He makes them stewards over a little. Regardless of how He blesses you, it is your job to honor Him through your giving. But in order to do that, we need to know the reason why we give. That is the conversation we are going to continue this week.
Have you ever wondered why we give? Why do you give? What really motivates you to give? Keep in mind I am not just talking about money and resources. I am also talking about your time, energy, and your heart. Why do you give what you have? What motivates you to give to others, if not to God? Have you wondered that about yourself? If so, get ready, because we’re going to be answering all of these questions over the next two weeks.
Today we are wrapping up our conversation on the 10 B’s of Godly Living. We’re going to conclude Peter’s list of ways to live a godly life by talking about the importance of being mindful, being insightful, and being joyful. Let’s dive in.
As we continue our conversation on the 10 B’s of godly living, we’re going to continue breaking down the list of things Peter outlines for us in 1 Peter 4 so that we might live a life that honors and glorifies God. This week, we’re specifically going to talk about serving, so let’s dive in.
The fourth chapter of 1 Peter gives us a wonderful picture of what God desires for us to do in godly living. As we continue our conversation on the 10 B’s of godly living, we’re going to dive deeper into this chapter of Scripture and learn more about how to live a life that honors the Lord and emulates Christ.
In this message, I want us to take one more step in this perfect picture of the Messiah. This is, “A picture of partnership.” If you read Revelation 1:9-11, you will see that what John is describing is the perfect picture of partnership. More specifically, John wants us to understand that God calls us to be in partnership with three different entities: believers, the Lord, and the church.
In today’s key verse of Revelation 1:8, we see something that is very powerful. I would call it the perfect picture of the Messiah. And as we look over the next few weeks at how the perfect picture of Jesus is described, we will start with one thing, and that is that Jesus the Messiah is a picture of authority. There is so much we can learn about Jesus from this one verse, but all of that learning starts with understanding His authority in our lives and in our world.
As we continue our study of the book of Revelation, we are going to spend some more time looking at the perfect picture of God’s messenger, and that is John. In today’s key passage, John is still taken away with Christ alone even after all of the years of following Jesus. You can't read what he wrote (inspired by the Holy Spirit) without capturing his passion, love and worship of Jesus Christ. As we look at these words, I need to tell you that some of us have lost heart. How does that happen? How does someone lose the fire that was once in their heart to follow Christ? In the coming days, we will read about a church that lost its first love. But for now, I want us to become aware that we may have lost our fire. And when that happens, we need to know what to do to keep the fire alive in our hearts.
As we continue in our study of the book of Revelation, we are going to see the perfect picture of God's messenger that is described for us in verses four through seven. You see, the Book of Revelation was a letter. It was intended to be read as a letter, a letter that John intended for all Christians to read, then and now. More than likely, the book was written around 95 to 96 A.D. John describes that God gave him this book on the Island of Patmos. As the messenger, he was responsible for simply penning what he was seeing. He wants everyone to see what he was seeing. And so as we look at this picture from John, we are going to learn not only about the message he was giving us, but about the messenger himself.
Today, we are beginning a brand-new sermon series through the book of Revelation! In this verse-by-verse study, we are going to dive deep into this book that cause so many of us to be confused, lost, and frustrated as we try to understand it. But the Lord has packed so much information into this book that is pertinent for us to learn. So the goal for this series is to help guide you as you study the book of Revelation and aid you in your search for clarity in this amazing book of Scripture.
The word “Ekklesia” is the Koine ́ Greek word for church. It is a compound word, “ek” (the preposition, which means “out of”) and “kaleo” (to call). The word “ekklesia” literally means “called out of ones.” In other words, we, as God's children, have been called out of the world to live for Christ. This is interesting: 90% of the time that the word “ekklesia” is used in the New Testament, it refers to the local church. Only 10% of the time, it refers to the body of Christ worldwide, the spiritual body of Christ. We are going to take a look at this word more closely in today’s message as we understand the importance of fellowship and community in the local church, and we’ll answer the question “Why do we need brotherhood in the church?”
John wrote his three epistles so that you and I could know without a shadow of a doubt that we know Jesus, that we understand the gospel, and that we have a personal relationship with our Savior. If you read through first John, the author gives us seven questions to answer. The questions are there to challenge us but also to give us confidence that we really do belong to Christ as His followers.
There are a lot of people who have already given their life to Christ. They are suited up. Many Christians have been trained up, but there is a problem. Many believers today need to get up. I want you to feel a little uncomfortable if you are not getting up. I want to talk to you who have been benchwarmers. You know Christ and you have been following Him for some time. You know the plays, but you are sitting on the bench; and you are not completely engaged. I don't know what is happening in your life right now, but I know that God doesn't have any benchwarmers! He doesn't want us to be sitting on the bench on the sidelines, talking to each other. He wants us to be ready to go. He wants us to either be on the field, or He wants us to be ready to get onto the field the moment he sends us into the game.
Have you ever trained for something before? Maybe you trained to run a race, or to play a sport, or compete in an event. Whatever the case may be, the training most likely wasn’t easy. It was strenuous and difficult, possibly even painful. You had to push yourself further than you thought you could go for the sake of preparing your body and your mind for the upcoming challenge. As believers, we have training to do as well. We have to be prepared spiritually, mentally, and emotionally for all that we will face as we follow Christ. The Christian life is no cake walk. We will face difficulties and obstacles along the way, which is why we can’t skip out on training, learning, and becoming disciples if we want to walk out our faith well. There are several truths that apply to us as followers of Jesus when it comes to the tough times we will face in our lives, and I want us to look at a few of those today.
Some of my most vivid memories from my childhood come from when I played football. I remember being so excited when I finally got the chance to suit up in junior high to play tackle football. But before the season began, I had to make sure I had all of the right equipment. I had to get cleats, shoulder pads, a helmet, a mouth guard. Each piece of equipment was important for success and protection as I played football. In a lot of ways, suiting up to play football is similar to suiting up as believers. The Bible talks about how as followers of Jesus, we are always in the midst of a spiritual battle. We are fighting against unseen forces every day to further the Kingdom of God and push back against the enemy. If we are going to be successful in this battle, it is important that we suit up. And to suit up correctly and effectively, we have to understand where we fit on God’s team. Let’s take a look at three things that are true of us as members of God’s army.
Last week, we looked at the first of the ten b’s of godly living according to 1 Peter chapter 4. We talked about how being different can be a really good thing when you’re a Christian because other people will notice and you will be able to share Jesus with them when they wonder why you’re different. Today, we’re going to continue down the list of the ten b’s of godly living and see what else Simon Peter has to say to us about how to live a life that honors God and emulates Christ.
In 1 Peter chapter 4, Simon Peter lists what I could call the ten b’s of godly living. So over the next few weeks, we are going to be breaking down these ten b’s and looking at how we can live a godly life according to Peter’s words in his first epistle. Let’s dive in!
Today, we’re going to be answering the question, “When is it right to resist?” Because we are men and women who love the Lord and love His Word, we are to design our lives and our behavior to align with the Word of God. And sometimes that might require that we resist the world and what it says for the sake of our faith and our beliefs. In order for us to understand resistance, we need to understand what the Bible describes. Let me give you several biblical examples of civil disobedience. I am not sharing this with you to get a crowd together to resist the government or to resist some individual. I want to give you some principles that you can use to guide your life.
When it comes to the issue of submission, we have battled with that since the Garden, and we still battle with it today. It is not a topic that is easy to preach about or teach about, but it’s one worth teaching and preaching about because we are commanded to submit in God’s Word. In this message, we are going to look at several principles regarding submission in order to gain a better understanding of what is required of us when we are told to submit, and as we do, we’ll see how living a life of submission to Christ is always in our best interest.
As we are in the study of 1 Peter, we are answering the call, and that call is to Jesus and His church. We all need Jesus. And we need Him more and more every single day. Additionally, we also need the body of Christ. We need people in our lives who invest in us. We need the body of Christ to use their spiritual gifts to encourage us, help us, pray for us, and be there for us. So with this in mind, we’re going to continue our conversation from last week on the way we answer the call to Jesus and His church.
I don't know when you first felt the tug of the Spirit of God in your heart that drew you to Christ. I don't know how old you were when the light went on in your mind and in your soul that you were a sinner, and you desperately needed Jesus. If you have answered the call, and you have turned from your sin and placed your faith in Jesus, you are to continue answering that call. It is not just a one-time experience; salvation is a one-time experience that continues on. The lifestyle of continuing in the process of listening to Jesus, responding to Him, and allowing your life to be totally entwined with Him is an ongoing experience. So as we look at today’s key passage, Peter is going to give us guidelines on how we can continue to answer the call.
We need to come to an understanding as to why we are called to the Bible. As we look at today’s key passage, we are going to see that Simon Peter and God's Spirit are calling us to the Bible. Therefore, we need to know why we stand on the Bible. After all, without the Bible, we are just a social gathering. We are just here to encourage one another, rather than grow closer to the Lord. His Word is very powerful, and therefore we can confidently stand on it and root our faith in what it says.
Even though Peter might be one of the most “famous” people in the Bible, he was the furthest thing from a goody-two-shoes. In fact, he was probably considered to be a pretty unlikely choice to be one of Jesus’ disciples. Nevertheless, Jesus chose him. After Peter began to follow Christ, he learned what it meant to be a disciple. He wasn't perfect. In fact, God chose a very imperfect man to lead the first megachurch that ever existed on this planet. After all, Peter was the very man who denied Jesus three times. He even used profanity to deny him the last time! After he repented, God used him to bring thousands of people to faith in Christ. Slowly but surely, this man moved toward purity and holiness. The man who was once full of himself learned to be humble. He could take a rebuke and still keep on following Christ. Years later, this very same man is calling (through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) for us to live differently from the evil culture in which we exist. So right now, we’re going to take a look at what Peter says on how we are to fulfill our calling to be holy.
We have been spiritually bankrupt for decades in this country. Instead of the work and movement of the Spirit of God, we have installed organizational strategies and packed our calendars to substitute for the hunger and longing for a fresh movement of God. I want to see an awakening happen. I don't want to end my ministry without seeing the Spirit of God move across our generation once more. I was fortunate to experience that in my student years. I saw just a sprinkling of the power and movement of the Spirit of God. It ignited a passion in my heart to want to be part of that. With this in mind, I want to give you some key characteristics about how great awakenings of God happen. This will help you to discern and understand how the Spirit of God moves.
Hope is the belief that circumstances will get better. It's not a wish for things to get better -- it's the actual belief, the knowledge that things will get better, no matter how big or small. Today’s key passage from 1 Peter 1 is a call to experience that kind of hope. God wants all of His children to live in hope. He does not want you to live hopelessly in this world. The poorest person is not he or she without a dollar; it is the person who is living without hope. I pray that as we go through this content together, you would get engaged with the hope that God has for you and live a rich, hope- filled life.
The book of 1 Peter was written to believers who were facing persecution. And it’s important for us to understand this particular book of the Bible because as time goes on, we as Christians will face more and more persecution and opposition for what we believe. The Scripture that we will be studying will shake your heart, and help you understand what God has for you in the days to come. As believers, we could experience more and more persecution, as the Second Coming of Jesus approaches. Therefore it is absolutely vital that we take this Scripture and use it to prepare our hearts for what could be coming down the road.
As we celebrate Easter, I want to take the time to point out the many gifts that are available to us as Jesus-followers because of Easter. There are five gifts of Easter that we’re going to look at specifically, and I pray that you’ll be able to receive each of these this Easter season.
Do you believe God answers prayer? Maybe that’s an easy question. Of course He answers them. However, the difficult part about answering that question is that, sometimes, the answer we get is not the answer we want. Sometimes, the answer is “No.” By the way, “No” is an answer. Just because God doesn't give you what you want in the time that you want, it doesn't mean that He doesn't answer prayer. He does! Sometimes, the answer is “Wait, not yet.” Either the situation is not right, you are not right, or the timing is out of line with His perfect will. Therefore, “Wait” is an answer. And then, of course, “Yes” is an answer! When everything lines up – you, the situation, God's will, and the request – and the answer is “Yes,” then go. We need to remember that God answers prayer. With this in mind, there are several principles in play to help us find the path toward powerful praying. We began looking at that concept last week. Today, we will continue this same study in James chapter five.
Over the next couple of weeks, we are going to look at the path to powerful prayer. Specifically, we’re going to hone in on one specific phrase from our key Scripture passage in James that says, “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” Maybe you’re wondering what that statement means or how that applies to your own walk with Jesus. Well, that’s exactly what we’re going to look at in this mini-series.
As we read about Elijah in today’s key passage, we see a man of God who was used by God in an unbelievable manner. He did miracles, but now he is going through depression. He was a man of God who was used by God, yet he was suffering from depression. If God can use a depressed man, don’t you think He can also use you? Don't discount anyone just because they may struggle with emotional or mental problems. Those are the kinds of people God uses. In this message, we are going to learn from Elijah’s example and see exactly how we can defeat depression in our lives and fulfill the calling God has given us despite our struggles.
As believers, it is important for us to know what the Word of God says. And in addition to our knowledge, we must be very sensitive to the work of the Holy Spirit inside of our hearts and lives. When we do this, we will know how to respond to Him when He speaks. As a believer, if you are just living your Christian life based on what you know, that's a good place to start, but it is not a good place to stop! God wants you to be in the flow of His Spirit. God wants to speak to you. In this message, we are going to look at several different Scripture verses that will give you a good handle on sensing the Holy Spirit. You will realize that the words speak of Him as a person. He is not an “it!” He is not a “thing!” He is the third person of the Trinity!
There are some questions you get asked that are watershed moments in every relationship. You always want to be a truth teller, but sometimes that confrontation puts you in a vicarious position. Today, we will look at a question that Jesus asked His disciples. This question placed Simon Peter right in the crosshairs of confrontation. And as we examine this passage, we will learn several things.
In today’s key passage of Scripture in Galatians 6, Paul talks about carrying our own load, but at the same time, carrying the burdens of other people. God has not called us to just live for ourselves; we are to be engaged in the lives of other people. That is why living in community with other believers is so important. As we live in this way, there are several things we learn about carrying other people’s burdens, and that is exactly what we are going to look at in this message.
What kind of decision-maker are you? Would you say you regularly make wise decisions? Do you make strategic decisions? Do you make delayed decisions? Or do you often find yourself making poor decisions? These are important questions to ask yourself because the decisions you make determine the direction you go in life. And if you’re making disastrous decisions, you’re going to be heading for disaster! But how do we know if you’re heading for disaster? Well, that’s what we’ll learn today as we dive into God’s Word.
In Luke chapter 15, we read three different parables Jesus told His disciples. There are many similar themes and common pieces within this trilogy of parables, and that is what we are going to dive into in today’s message. I firmly believe as we study these Scriptures, we will be given a guide as to how to find what we are looking for, using the words of Jesus as our North Star.
As a believer, you will go through different seasons. Some will be tougher than others. Therefore, you must make sure your head is screwed on straight. You need to correctly interpret the Word of God and know how to apply it to your life because there will always be issues that you will encounter. In light of this, I want us to look at today’s key passage in Acts and embrace and understand some key principles we can draw from this portion of Scripture and apply to our lives as we mature in our faith.
Conflict is part of life. There’s no way around it. But it’s how we deal with conflict that is critical. We should not be afraid of conflict; instead, we should look forward to how God will use conflict in our lives. In this message, I want to look at the positive side of conflict. It is important that we learn how to handle conflict before we get into a conflict, and we do that by diving into Scripture and seeing what God has to say about handling conflict. This way, we can honor Him not just through the good times in life, but through the tougher, more uncomfortable times as well.
Have you ever felt stuck in your faith before? It just feels like the flow of God is not happening in your life. There is nothing happening spiritually, and you are just going through the motions with your wheels spinning. In today’s key passage of Scripture, Jesus was talking to a group of people who were stuck. They were average people who wanted to know God. This Scripture passage is important for us because Jesus wants the flow of His Spirit to happen in our lives. He wants us to move forward and not stay where we are. If you are feeling stuck today, I want to share with you a few things that will help you get unstuck in your walk with Christ.
I want you to ask yourself this question: “Where are you serving?” There are all kinds of places to serve. You can serve in the ministry of discipleship. You can serve in the ministry of worship. However, one of the greatest places you can serve is out in the community. God wants His children to be involved in serving. I pray that your Christian life is not about receiving, but more about giving. This happens when we choose to serve. In this message, I want us to look at the key characteristics of someone who serves so we can begin to emulate these characteristics in our own lives if we aren’t already.
The Christian life depends upon communion with God. It revolves around your prayer life. If it was important to Jesus, it should be important to us. In this message, we are going to look at a simple Scripture passage that will teach us how to pray like Jesus every day and give us steps we can follow to have a Christlike prayer life.
As a believer, you will go through different seasons. Some will be tougher than others. Therefore, you must make sure your head is screwed on straight. You need to correctly interpret the Word of God and know how to apply it to your life because there will always be issues that you will encounter. In light of this, I want us to look at today’s key passage in Acts and embrace and understand some key principles we can draw from this portion of Scripture and apply to our lives as we mature in our faith.
When it comes to “Simple Church,” we have to ask a very important question: Why do we actually believe the Bible? In many churches, their pulpits are filled with men who just tell stories, give pop psychology lessons, or create applications out of some story that they don't believe really happened. But that’s not the way we are. We believe the Bible from Genesis all the way through the book of Revelation. We believe the Bible is important because it is the manual for our lives. What we believe about the Bible is critical to our maturation and discipleship as believers. Therefore, we need to read the Bible (and not wait for the movie to come out). The Bible is really essential for joy, comfort, hope, direction, and clarity. With this in mind, I want to give you four reasons why we believe the Bible in hopes of encouraging you to read the Bible more and believe what it says.
As followers of Christ, we are commanded to live our lives like Jesus and to follow the example He set while He was here on earth. One of the ways Jesus set an example for us was by being baptized. And because Jesus was baptized, I believe it’s important that once you become a believer, you are baptized as well! Baptism matters, and today we’re going to look at what Scripture has to say about why it matters.
By diving into today’s key Scripture passage, I want to describe how to share your faith. I want to equip you and give you a tool on how to engage other people in a conversation about Jesus. As I say this, you might be thinking, “I am not that kind of person. I am not someone who can engage with someone. That's not my personality. It’s just not me. I would rather point them to a pamphlet or encourage them to go to church. I just have a hard time sharing.” If that is you, I would urge you to shift your mindset on sharing your faith because we have a direct command from the Father to do so. You became a believer because someone else shared their faith with you. And that’s how other people will become believers in Jesus, by hearing someone share their faith. Therefore, we need to take this responsibility of sharing our faith seriously.
We need to learn how to deal with giving because God wants it to make sense to us. As you read the Bible, you’ll notice that Jesus focused on giving quite a bit: 16 out of the 38 parables that Jesus spoke dealt with money. One out of every ten verses in the Gospels is about money. There are 500 verses on prayer and less than 500 verses on faith, but there are over 2,000 verses on money! So if the Lord valued how we handle our money this much, it’s clearly a topic we need to pay attention to and make sense of. For many people, they don't give because it doesn't make sense. However, today’s passage reveals why giving makes sense.
There is a war going on inside of us all the time. We need to realize that this is part of the human condition. The Bible says very clearly that God is faithful. He will not allow you to go through any temptation that you can’t avoid, or that you don’t have the strength to endure. With that in mind, I want to share five basic principles concerning how to become triumphant over temptations. Some are geared more toward the flesh, while some are aimed at the desires in our hearts and lives. You and I need to embrace these principles because Jesus did, and He has given us that model.
Every church is different, but despite their differences, every church needs to practice the same things. Some churches might emphasize one doctrine over another doctrine, but the cardinal doctrines of the faith should be embraced by every evangelical church. we do church validates what we believe. We must be rooted in the proper doctrines. In today’s key passage of Scripture, we will read how Paul gives the church in Rome the “Ten Commandments for Doing Church.” As we learn more about these, let’s think about how we can apply them in our own lives, particularly when it comes to our involvement in church.
Over the years, I have heard people use different excuses to justify why they are giving in a certain way, rather than doing what Scripture describes. This is a very personal and private thing. We give privately and yet collectively as the body of Christ. It is a personal decision and experience. We don't send bills to people; and we don't send notices that say you haven't been giving your tithe or offering. We don't send out letters like that. I know some congregations do that. I just want to teach you what the Bible says about your belongings, because this is part of the basics of living as a believer.
The word “Ekklesia” is the Koine ́ Greek word for church. It is a compound word, “ek” (the preposition, which means “out of”) and “kaleo” (to call). The word “ekklesia” literally means “called out of ones.” In other words, we, as God's children, have been called out of the world to live for Christ. This is interesting: 90% of the time that the word “ekklesia” is used in the New Testament, it refers to the local church. Only 10% of the time, it refers to the body of Christ worldwide, the spiritual body of Christ. We are going to take a look at this word more closely in today’s message as we understand the importance of fellowship and community in the local church, and we’ll answer the question “Why do we need brotherhood in the church?”
John wrote his three epistles so that you and I could know without a shadow of a doubt that we know Jesus, that we understand the gospel, and that we have a personal relationship with our Savior. If you read through first John, the author gives us seven questions to answer. The questions are there to challenge us but also to give us confidence that we really do belong to Christ as His followers.
There are a lot of people who have already given their life to Christ. They are suited up. Many Christians have been trained up, but there is a problem. Many believers today need to get up. I want you to feel a little uncomfortable if you are not getting up. I want to talk to you who have been benchwarmers. You know Christ and you have been following Him for some time. You know the plays, but you are sitting on the bench; and you are not completely engaged. I don't know what is happening in your life right now, but I know that God doesn't have any benchwarmers! He doesn't want us to be sitting on the bench on the sidelines, talking to each other. He wants us to be ready to go. He wants us to either be on the field, or He wants us to be ready to get onto the field the moment he sends us into the game.
Have you ever trained for something before? Maybe you trained to run a race, or to play a sport, or compete in an event. Whatever the case may be, the training most likely wasn’t easy. It was strenuous and difficult, possibly even painful. You had to push yourself further than you thought you could go for the sake of preparing your body and your mind for the upcoming challenge. As believers, we have training to do as well. We have to be prepared spiritually, mentally, and emotionally for all that we will face as we follow Christ. The Christian life is no cake walk. We will face difficulties and obstacles along the way, which is why we can’t skip out on training, learning, and becoming disciples if we want to walk out our faith well. There are several truths that apply to us as followers of Jesus when it comes to the tough times we will face in our lives, and I want us to look at a few of those today.
Some of my most vivid memories from my childhood come from when I played football. I remember being so excited when I finally got the chance to suit up in junior high to play tackle football. But before the season began, I had to make sure I had all of the right equipment. I had to get cleats, shoulder pads, a helmet, a mouth guard. Each piece of equipment was important for success and protection as I played football. In a lot of ways, suiting up to play football is similar to suiting up as believers. The Bible talks about how as followers of Jesus, we are always in the midst of a spiritual battle. We are fighting against unseen forces every day to further the Kingdom of God and push back against the enemy. If we are going to be successful in this battle, it is important that we suit up. And to suit up correctly and effectively, we have to understand where we fit on God’s team. Let’s take a look at three things that are true of us as members of God’s army.
Today, we wrap up our series on Revelation. The last chapter of the book of Revelation is about the final answer, God's final answer. It is His final invitation. So as we go through this final chapter today, I want to extend an invitation to you to respond to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Let’s dive in one last time to this incredible book in Scripture.
As we continue to look at the Book of Revelation, we are coming to the end. This is the next to the last sermon on the Book of Revelation series, and today we’re going to keep going in our conversation about heaven and all of the things we have to look forward to in eternity. May this message and this portion of Scripture we’re studying give you hope as you think about what comes after our time on earth is over.
As we start to finish up our study of the book of Revelation, I want us to take a close look at the words in chapter 21. Our key passages in this message tell us about everything that will be made new. We’ve already covered the tribulation, the death, the hardship, and the turmoil that will take place in the last days. But now we get to switch over to talking about heaven, about the new things we will get to experience and enjoy as followers of Jesus as we enter into eternity. Let’s dive in.
Heaven will be an awesome place! As we look at this, it gives us hope. The next thing we should be looking for is what God will do. I really believe it will be the Rapture of the Church. I think we will have another great awakening where God will move across this country and across this globe, maybe one last movement before Jesus comes again. But if He chooses not to do it, (because of the evil that is so prevalent in our culture), God will finally say, “My children, that's enough, come on home.” He will bring us to heaven. We can learn so much about heaven from the last couple of chapters of Revelation. Specifically, there are three glimpses of heaven that John gives us in this book. Let’s look at the first one today.
At this moment in time as we read today’s Scripture passage, all sinful men, the devil, the antichrist, and the beast are all in the lake of fire. The only ones left are the angels of God, the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit), and all true believers in Christ. These are the only ones left, and there is a New Heaven and a New Earth. He chose our planet to show His great love with His Son. Now it is all gone. For us, He creates a New Heaven and a New Earth. We don't fully know what it will look like, but we will get a glimpse of the New Heaven in the days to come. That’s what we’re going to look at throughout today’s message.
Today, we are in Chapter 20 of the Book of Revelation, where we will start with verse 7. This is the end of the judgment of God. We have been spending time with the Great Tribulation, seven years after the rapture of the Church. During this period, the wrath of God is poured out on the planet. So in this message, we are going to look at the different aspects of the last judgment and see what Scripture has to say about this crucial time period.
As we continue in our study of Revelation, we are going to begin to break down the 20th chapter of this final book of the Bible. There are several images that are presented in this group of verses, and each one is important for us to take note of and learn about if we want to gain a better understanding of the end times. There’s a lot to unpack in this short passage of Scripture, so let’s dive in.
For the past few weeks, we have been focusing on Revelation chapter 5 because we need to be reminded that the King is coming back for you and me. With that knowledge, we need to be ready, waiting with hope and anticipation of His coming. That also means we need to have the right posture where we are right now. We can learn about what kind of posture we need by reading Revelation chapter 5. So as we close out this mini-series this week, may we take special note of what we can learn from what John describes seeing in heaven so that we may emulate the posture of those worshiping Jesus there while we are still on earth waiting for His return.
Many of us have tried to align God with where we want to go. Nothing will put you upside down in your life more than when you try to squeeze God into where you want to go. On the other hand, nothing is more powerful in your life than when you allow your life to be aligned with the Throne Room of God. That's why this chapter in Revelation is so critical. We have been spending much time in chapter five so that you can align with what is happening in heaven right now. We can experience God's will in our lives by lining up with what is happening in heaven right now. When we align with heaven, God will give us unbelievable peace in the midst of whatever storms we are going through. So let’s continue our study of Revelation chapter 5 and see what we need to do to align ourselves with the Throne Room of God.
We have been taking our time walking step-by-step through John chapter five, to see where John is focused. Today, we are going to talk specifically about how John is in the presence of the Father in the throne room of heaven and how he focused on a sacred sermon. Through this study of Scripture, we are going learn that we should never discount how God can use each of us personally to impact someone else’s life. You might have a sacred sermon God wants you to share, so why not share it and see how God works? Our job is solely to be the messenger, delivering the good news of Jesus Christ. We can trust God to take care of everything else.
What’s so cool about Revelation 5 is that it’s a picture of what is happening in heaven. If we could join heaven right now, we would probably be living different lives and have a different attitude and focus. But even though that’s true, we also need to focus right now on the fact that the King is coming! He is coming back for His people, and the reason He is coming is because He owns it all. He is coming for you who know Him, and that means He will not leave you in the situation where you are forever. God has a plan, not just for eternity, but for right now as well. So as you strive to live out that plan you need to realize that His timing is perfect. And although we might not understand it, we can trust it.
One of the greatest gifts we can pull from the book of Revelation is the picture we get of heaven. I truly believe we would be so much better off if we wouldn’t get so bogged down with everything that’s happening in the present and instead fix our eyes on eternity. If we would get our focus right, and get aligned with heaven, the living here would be a lot easier. There will be more peace, confidence, and stability in your life when you are aligned with heaven. Regardless of what happens around you, you will not be shaken. And isn’t that what we all want? So this week, we’re going to continue looking at Revelation chapter 5 and see what we can learn about heaven from the Word of God.
The fourth and fifth chapters of Revelation are really one unit. And so over the new few weeks, we’re going to focus on their contents in hopes of gaining a clearer picture of what heaven is going to be like. It’s one thing to listen to what other people say about heaven and what they think it will entail, but it’s another to dive into the Word of God and look at what God reveals to us about where we will spend eternity as His children. Specifically this week, we are going to take a look at the scroll that John talks about in today’s key passages and what we can learn from reading about this scroll.
Today’s key passage speaks of the battle of Armageddon. Taking a step back, John sees it all happening before him. These are the verses he uses to describe where the forces of the Antichrist and the False Prophet bring the entire world together in battle. They meet Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who is coming to take back His throne. We’re going to continue studying what Scripture has to say about this battle in today’s message. We’ll review what we talked about last week, and we’ll cover some new topics as well.
It is important to understand a basic truth. Before the worst of the worst is poured out upon an unbelieving mankind, we should grasp the reason for God’s wrath, and that is this: God is just! Many of us struggle with questions like, “Is it fair? Does it make sense? Why should I have to go through this?” The answer is simply this, especially for those going through the Great Tribulation, God is just! That truth is what we’re going to unpack in this message.
We’ve spent a lot of time talking about the Great Tribulation and all of the horrible and devastating things that will happen in the end times. But today, I want us to look at what we have to look forward to in eternity and all the wonderful things we can praise the Lord for!
As we read today’s key passage and continue our study of the book of Revelation, it is very clear that God is describing the judgment, the ruin, and the smashing of the World System, Babylon. It will all come down in one hour. The judgment of God will finally fall. This will be happening at the end of the Great Tribulation. As believers, we will not be here. Accordingly, while you are here, you can make a difference for the Kingdom of God before the judgment of God falls on this planet. This passage exists to motivate you, to give you insight and a mental picture of what will happen to our world. You can either say, “I don't believe that,” and find yourself at odds with the Word of God, or you can take this and realize that God's Word is true. God has always kept His Word and His Word now tells us what will happen.
You and I are caught between this world and heaven right now, but one day we will finally be home. Remember, according to Scripture, if you are a follower of Jesus, you are a citizen of heaven. God already sees you seated in the heavenlies with Christ Jesus. With many of us, we wrestle with living for heaven and living in the world at the same time. This is exactly where we are going today. So let’s dive into what we need to remember as we wrestle with being in the in-between.
As we continue our study of the book of Revelation, we feel a sense of urgency to be prepared for Jesus’ second coming. The Lord could return at any moment; therefore we need to be living like we’re ready for Him to come very soon. With that in mind, we should be living as though this world is not our home, because it’s not. We are aliens here. We weren’t designed for this. We were made for something greater. We have so much to look forward to as followers of Christ. We have a better home to hope for, and that’s exactly what we’re going to dive into studying today and continually over the next few weeks.
As we continue our study of the book of Revelation, we are going to go further into the 17th chapter of the book and learn more about all that John saw when he was shown the end times. There are a lot of dark and heavy topics we need to discuss in the book of Revelation, but we’ll also see in today’s message that we can remain hopeful because Jesus is victorious in the end!
Not all churches are false or fake. Not all churches are decoy churches to lure people in and take them down spiritually. Not every church deceives them and sends them to hell rather than pointing them to heaven. However, we are living in a day when we are watching the unveiling of many decoys. Therefore, we need to have the wisdom and the discernment to be able to differentiate between false churches and churches that preach the Word of God. That’s exactly what we’re going to learn more about in today’s message.
Last time, as we discussed Revelation chapter 15, we saw the wrath of God being described. In today’s chapter of focus, this final barrage, seven bowls of wrath are released upon the planet. This wrath is released upon all of the inhabitants, all at the same time. Nothing is held back; all of it happens immediately. Can you imagine all of this happening at once by the hand of God? This is sobering indeed! So as we study this chapter, we learn a lot about what is going to happen in the end times in regards to God’s wrath.
It is important to understand a basic truth. Before the worst of the worst is poured out upon an unbelieving mankind, we should grasp the reason for God’s wrath, and that is this: God is just! Many of us struggle with questions like, “Is it fair? Does it make sense? Why should I have to go through this?” The answer is simply this, especially for those going through the Great Tribulation, God is just! That truth is what we’re going to unpack in this message.
Our world has gone through the wringer the last couple of years. It seems as though life as we knew it has ended. But with endings come new beginnings, and that’s what we’re going to talk about today. I firmly believe God wants us to begin again when it comes to the way we do ministry and when it comes to the way we live our lives as followers of Jesus. In this message, we’re going to take a look at some different examples in Scripture that we can follow to begin again personally in our lives as individuals and collectively as the church body.
In our culture today, we don't understand God’s wrath. We would rather focus on God’s love, but Scripture balances the God of love with the God of justice. You need to understand that His love is also balanced with His wrath. If you emphasize one of the characteristics of God without looking at the other characteristics of God, you are not seeing a clear picture of God. In today’s key passage of Scripture, we are speaking of God's wrath and aiming to understand how that balances with His love.
Our world has fallen so far, and oftentimes we don’t even realize how far we’ve fallen. We live on a sin-filled, broken planet. It’s as sad and simple as that. But thankfully, because of Jesus, that’s not where the story ends. We aren’t stuck like this forever. Because of Jesus’ work on the cross, there is victory to be claimed! That’s what we read about in today’s key passage as we continue our study of Revelation. This final book of the Bible is filled with a lot of heavy content about the end times, but it’s also full of hope because it reminds us that in the end, Jesus is victorious, and because we are on His team, we are victorious too!
Revelation chapter 20 gives us a majestic view of what God will do in the days to come. Earlier in the book of Revelation, John saw that the evil one was behind the dragon, antichrist, and false prophet. Now he is seeing the visions and pictures of the Lamb. He assures us that we will get to see the Lamb's Victory. So as we dive into this chapter, we’ll see that these 20 verses will be full of all kinds of pictures and images. Allow them to seep into your heart and mind and understand that through these small visions and images, we can have a broad picture of what is to come.
As you know, we are taking one step after another to unpack the Book of Revelation. Today, above all days, your eyes will be opened. Today, we are looking at Chapter 13. It will literally catch you off guard, but it should open your eyes as never before. You will realize how close we are to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches us that the Second Coming of Jesus is twofold. First, there is the Secret Coming of Christ for His Saints; that is called the Rapture of the Church. We will immediately be with Christ at that moment in time. There will be a vacuum in this world when believers leave this planet. The Great Tribulation will last for a period of seven years. The first three and a half years will not be as bad as the horrible and disastrous last half of the Great Tribulation. That second half is what we’re going to dive into today.
We are now in the 13th Chapter of the Book of Revelation. Today, we will look at the last half of Chapter 13. It will introduce us to the false prophet, the second beast. The Bible speaks about him over and over again, as one who survives a fatal head wound. It is important for us to understand that. He has one agenda and it's the agenda of the dragon, Satan, who empowers him. He literally wants to conquer the world. He will be given authority to do that for 3 1⁄2 years. That is half of the 7-year Great Tribulation period.
At this particular moment of time in the Book of Revelation in Chapters 12 and 13, we have seen several things. We have seen that the woman is Israel. We have seen Michael the Archangel. We have looked at Israel's remnant, those who will be saved. The male child, who is Jesus; we have been introduced to the male child (who is Jesus). The dragon is Satan himself. We need to keep these characters in mind as we see this vision story that John is telling us, while he unfolds the picture. The Bible tells us that the devil is going after the entire world. Because he knows his time is short, he is extremely angry. Clearly, Satan will turn up the heat. So let’s look at what we need to do to understand better what’s ahead for this world in the end times.
We are in a spiritual battle. John saw it correctly; he saw a war in heaven. Does that sound odd to you, that heaven (which should be a place of peace) is at war? Does that sound out of place? Today’s key verses provide a great perspective on history. They also provide a great perspective on the reality of what is happening now. When we get this right and put it in order, we will be able to make sense of what is happening right now in our culture and in this world. Let’s look at what John had to say about the war going on in heaven when he wrote this chapter of Revelation.
Today’s key passage can be a difficult one to interpret, but it’s one that’s so important to understand so that we gain a better idea of what the Lord is trying to tell us through this book of prophecy. So throughout this message, we are going to look at who the woman is and who the dragon is in this particular section of Scripture, and then we’re going to close with why this information matters to us in present day. Let’s dive in.
As God unfolded many things to John throughout the book of Revelation, God unpacked the judgments upon this planet that will take place in the future during the Great Tribulation. The Two Witnesses have appeared, the Second Woe has passed, and the Seventh Trumpet has sounded. In the midst of this calm, before everything breaks loose, God gives John a heavenly perspective. I have a feeling that things are different in your life spiritually; it is confusing and distressing. Maybe, you are wondering, “God, where are you?” He hasn't moved. He wants you to have a heavenly perspective, just like He gave John. We’re going to look at the aspects of that perspective in this message.
Nothing is more powerful than standing for the Lord against the backdrop of a dark culture. God calls us to do that. We must ask ourselves, “Am I willing to stand? Am I willing to take a stand in this culture where God has placed me? Am I willing to be different? Am I willing to be hostile to the culture or to people I care about? Because I would rather stand on the principles of God.” Scripture tells us that God will bring judgment on a religious system that has nothing but distraction concerning it. In the midst of this, God raises up two dynamic witnesses. We don't know their names. They are not identified by their names, but rather by their purpose. I want you to see several things as we examine this passage of Scripture so that you can be encouraged and challenged to be a bold witness for Christ.
As we continue our study of the book of Revelation, we need to understand the concept of the Kingdom of God. First, there is the Millennial Reign of God, which is to come. In this thousand-year period, God will set up His Kingdom on earth. Second, there is the Kingdom of God within you, where God rules over your heart and life. Even though this chapter is more informational rather than inspirational, it is important that we understand how everything fits together. Therefore, we will take a step back and look at the Temple that is mentioned specifically in the first two verses.
Whether you are in pain or in service and doing God's will, we need a fresh glimpse of who God is. That is very critical in your spiritual maturity. John was in service. He was on the Isle of Patmos and God was allowing him to go through pain, while allowing him to serve. In the midst of this, Jesus gives John a fresh glimpse of Himself, and He can do the same for you. As we wrap up this mini-series, let’s review what we’ve already learned about how John saw Jesus and learn a little bit more about the fresh glimpse John got of Jesus so that we too can have a fresh glimpse as well.
In Revelation Chapter 10, we are taking it step-by-step to uncover some of the jewels and gems in this passage. When God comes alongside us in the midst of our trials and tribulations, He does not often give us a detour. Instead, He provides the way for us to go through the middle of the mountain, all the way through. The way He does this is to give us a fresh glimpse of Himself. This is exactly what He did for John as he wrote the book of Revelation. So in this message, we are going to look further at the glimpse John was able to get of God.
The passage we are going to look at today passage is powerful when we are going through difficult times. I am sure John must have felt overwhelmed writing about the judgment of God. As I have been preaching verse by verse through the Book of Revelation, I have been overwhelmed. I am ready to get through the judgment part and focus on heaven, but not yet. We are looking at this passage because it is there for you and for me, so that we are reminded that God will come through for us just when we need Him the most.
When you are going through a difficult season in your life (whether it's financially, your health, or relationally), you need to have the right focus. For many of us, our focus is, “God, take away the pain.” God often does not take away the pain; at other times, He does take away pain. With many of us, we want to take a detour around the pain. God often says, “I want you to go all the way through the middle of it.” In order to make it all the way through, you must have the right focus and you need a glimpse of God. In reality, the greatest thing God wants to give you to help you make it all the way through is a fresh glimpse of Himself. That is exactly what John experiences in the middle of having to write about all the judgment that is coming on this planet. So in today’s message we’re going to look at how John saw Jesus and how this fresh glimpse of the Savior helped John get through not only what he was walking through, but also what we’re walking through today.
We need to be sober in our thinking and realize that things on this earth are not going get better. I know that many people want things to get better and better. If we would just love everyone, we want to believe everything will get better. But that is not what the book of Revelation says. We need to understand that we don't have long. This should be so sobering to us that it causes us to make sure we are ambassadors for Christ. Jesus wants us to be ambassadors in our generation at this time. So let’s continue our study of the book of Revelation and learn what we can about the end times so we can be motivated to share the hope of Christ with those who need it.
When the fifth angel blows his trumpet, another kind of judgment is released upon the inhabitants of the planet during the Great Tribulation. This judgment is one of the “woes.” At the end of Chapter Eight, we meet this vision of an eagle that John saw flying through the air; it is crying out, “Woe, Woe, Woe!” The last three trumpets (five, six, and seven) are getting ready to be blown. The judgment released upon the planet will be horrible! It is difficult for us to fully comprehend this description. However, it is important for us to do our best to understand what he is seeing. So let’s take a look at what that is.
In today’s message, we are going to look at what happens during the Great Tribulation after all the followers of Jesus are caught up in the rapture of Jesus’ return. You might think you’re facing trials and tribulations right now, but they are nothing compared to what is to come. So, let’s take a look at Revelation chapter 9 and see what is in store for the world as the Great Tribulation hits.
Today’s key passage of Scripture provides a beautiful picture of God's magnificent plan. This powerful picture speaks to us even today as we apply the Word of God clearly. You can see that God has a plan in place. When you think that things are out of control, you need to realize that God has a plan and it is all ordered. In this message specifically, we are going to look at the specific plan God lays out in Revelation and break down the components of this plan.
As the seventh and final seal is opened in Revelation chapter 8, we see that there are several principles that can be drawn from this picture of judgment upon this planet. We should glean these principles, embrace these principles, and try to live out these principles. So in today’s message, we are going to look at each of these principles so that we might apply them to our lives as we continue to follow Christ.
As we continue our study of the book of Revelation, we see that God’s will is being unpacked, and each seal is being unbroken one after the other. We have already seen the first, second and third seals. With the fourth seal, the horses of different colors bring the rule of the antichrist. This brings war, famine, and death. Then we see a picture as the fifth seal is opened, when the martyrs lose their lives. I really believe that the Scripture teaches that these are Jewish martyrs who now respond to Christ, yet they lose their lives. They are beheaded and they are under the altar. This is a picture of what God is doing to bring the end of time; and we are headed there very fast. Today, we are going to look at the Sixth Seal being opened, why this is such a terrifying seal, and how it gives us insight into what the future holds.
As a church culture, we don’t know much about paying a price to serve Jesus. This has been the age of easy believers. There is a total lack of commitment with so many people halfway following Christ. In all of the centuries where Christianity has been proclaimed, never have people been so blessed yet gave so little. This is why I want us to look at this particular passage in Revelation 6 that talks about martyrs. We need to be reminded that following Jesus comes with a price. It’s going to cost us something. In fact, it might just cost us everything, and we need to be prepared for that.
We need to understand that the unfolding of God's will is right before us, as the Lamb of God breaks the seals. He will unleash judgment on this planet upon all of the inhabitants of this planet. The judgment is for choosing not to respond to God's grace and mercy. Love turned away turns into wrath! We have heard people say, “Our God is a God of love.” Yes, but when His love is spurned, the response is wrath. That is exactly what we see here in today’s key passage.
It’s absolutely imperative that we understand that anyone who chooses not to align their lives with the Word and will of God will experience judgment. There’s just no way around it. With this in mind we need to be mindful of what Scripture says about this judgment and how we can make sure our lives are aligned with God’s best for us rather than trying to figure things out on our own. We will dive into all of this today as we continue our study of Revelation, as we begin over the next two weeks looking at the Four Horsemen, the opening of the seals, and what it all represents.
For the past few weeks, we have been focusing on Revelation chapter 5 because we need to be reminded that the King is coming back for you and me. With that knowledge, we need to be ready, waiting with hope and anticipation of His coming. That also means we need to have the right posture where we are right now. We can learn about what kind of posture we need by reading Revelation chapter 5. So as we close out this mini-series this week, may we take special note of what we can learn from what John describes seeing in heaven so that we may emulate the posture of those worshiping Jesus there while we are still on earth waiting for His return.
Many of us have tried to align God with where we want to go. Nothing will put you upside down in your life more than when you try to squeeze God into where you want to go. On the other hand, nothing is more powerful in your life than when you allow your life to be aligned with the Throne Room of God. That's why this chapter in Revelation is so critical. We have been spending much time in chapter five so that you can align with what is happening in heaven right now. We can experience God's will in our lives by lining up with what is happening in heaven right now. When we align with heaven, God will give us unbelievable peace in the midst of whatever storms we are going through. So let’s continue our study of Revelation chapter 5 and see what we need to do to align ourselves with the Throne Room of God.
We have been taking our time walking step-by-step through John chapter five, to see where John is focused. Today, we are going to talk specifically about how John is in the presence of the Father in the throne room of heaven and how he focused on a sacred sermon. Through this study of Scripture, we are going learn that we should never discount how God can use each of us personally to impact someone else’s life. You might have a sacred sermon God wants you to share, so why not share it and see how God works? Our job is solely to be the messenger, delivering the good news of Jesus Christ. We can trust God to take care of everything else.
What’s so cool about Revelation 5 is that it’s a picture of what is happening in heaven. If we could join heaven right now, we would probably be living different lives and have a different attitude and focus. But even though that’s true, we also need to focus right now on the fact that the King is coming! He is coming back for His people, and the reason He is coming is because He owns it all. He is coming for you who know Him, and that means He will not leave you in the situation where you are forever. God has a plan, not just for eternity, but for right now as well. So as you strive to live out that plan you need to realize that His timing is perfect. And although we might not understand it, we can trust it.
One of the greatest gifts we can pull from the book of Revelation is the picture we get of heaven. I truly believe we would be so much better off if we wouldn’t get so bogged down with everything that’s happening in the present and instead fix our eyes on eternity. If we would get our focus right, and get aligned with heaven, the living here would be a lot easier. There will be more peace, confidence, and stability in your life when you are aligned with heaven. Regardless of what happens around you, you will not be shaken. And isn’t that what we all want? So this week, we’re going to continue looking at Revelation chapter 5 and see what we can learn about heaven from the Word of God.
The fourth and fifth chapters of Revelation are really one unit. And so over the new few weeks, we’re going to focus on their contents in hopes of gaining a clearer picture of what heaven is going to be like. It’s one thing to listen to what other people say about heaven and what they think it will entail, but it’s another to dive into the Word of God and look at what God reveals to us about where we will spend eternity as His children. Specifically this week, we are going to take a look at the scroll that John talks about in today’s key passages and what we can learn from reading about this scroll.
Today as we continue our study of Revelation, we will look at the entirety of chapter four. There are only 11 verses, but they are packed full of imagery that should blow your mind. Remember, this is a first century man, trying to explain what he experienced and saw in heaven. There is much symbolism, but with the greatness of what is mentioned, the reality is even greater. Open your mind and open your heart to allow God's Word to sink deeply down inside of you. Allow the Spirit of God to apply His words specifically to where you are right now.
For many people, the word “rapture” doesn't make much sense. They are really confused about what it is. In fact, for many, the Book of Revelation is extremely confusing. Some people have tried to read it and have so much difficulty wading through the prophecy and the unfolding that they sometimes quit right in the middle of it. They quit before they reached the good part. So today, we are going to continue our study of Revelation and take a look at what Scripture has to say about the rapture so that we can be informed, rather than confused, by the truth we read regarding the events that are to come.
Do you wrestle with theological issues on what you believe about God? Do you wonder what you believe about the Word of God and what it actually teaches? Do you wrestle with that? Or do you allow that to just go over your head, or in one ear and out the other? It is important for us to understand what we believe. Today is a good time for me to remind you of the basics. Thereby, you will be anchored correctly so that you can be squarely lined up in the right direction. God wants you to understand theologically and doctrinally what is important.
Today’s key passage in Revelation describes the church of Laodicea, the church full of believers, who were “caught like a deer in the headlights.” They were caught in the act. Jesus exposes what has been happening in their midst and in their own personal lives, publicly. And as a result, they froze. Maybe that is where you find yourself today. I pray that you will not just stand in the road, but you will move to do whatever God is telling you to do. Let’s look at how we can learn to do just that from reading about the church at Laodicea.
We are getting ready to take our next step by looking at the sixth church in the Book of Revelation. These seven churches are very important. They represent different kinds of Christians, different kinds of churches, and different kinds of church ages. The one we will look at today is the church at Philadelphia. The church at Philadelphia was a church that had an open door. This is an exciting church to examine. This is an exciting age to look at, the missionary age, and there’s a lot we can learn from this specific church within this age.
As we continue our study of the book of Revelation, we are going to take a look at the Church of Sardis, the church who fell asleep at the wheel when it came to their faith. They desperately needed a spiritual wakeup call. So if you are in a similar position today, if you’re on the right path but you’ve somehow fallen asleep at the wheel and need to wakeup, this message is for you.
The big question we need to ask ourselves today is this: Why do we continue to believe lies even after they have been proven wrong? Have you ever wondered that? Why do people continue to embrace things that are false even after they have been taught and informed on the truth? We’re going to take a closer look at these questions in this message as we study the church at Thyatira and see how they struggled to hold onto the truth as well.
Many old-time Christians say, “That's the problem in our culture today, we have compromised. We have compromised our music and our dress. We even read different translations of the Bible; we compromise there.” Those are not wrong compromises. However, there are compromises that are destructive. We need to realize that God has a plan for us. He does not want us to be men and women who compromise concerning the essential truths of God's Word, that we know are true. In the early church season, there was a church that was known to be a compromising church. It was the church at Pergamum. It is one of the seven churches that Jesus wrote letters to concerning their compromise. In this message, we are going to take a closer look at this church and see what we can learn from them so we don’t compromise on what really matters.
Have you ever been persecuted? Have you ever really suffered for your faith? Have you ever been passed over for a promotion because of your personal religious values? A few of us know what it really means to be persecuted. We may have experienced the dislike of individuals or the shunning of friendships because of decisions that we have made for Christ, but few of us know what it really means to be persecuted. So in this message, we are going to see what it looks like to remain faithful in the midst of persecution.
In today’s message, we will continue our conversation about the church at Ephesus and what we can learn from John’s writing to them. The book of Revelation is a book of encouragement and hope when we’re struggling and facing tough times, so there is much to be gleaned from this book, particularly when it comes to the church at Ephesus, so let’s dig in.
I really believe the message of Revelation is hope in the midst of unbelievable trials. It offered encouragement for believers who were being persecuted, who had no idea what tomorrow held. And it gave guidance and direction on how to reclaim your lost love. In the message, we’ll take a closer look at the letter to the Church at Ephesus and see what we can learn from their journey on how come back to our first love.
If you are a father, or you hope to be a father someday, God wants you to bless your children. More important than providing for them financially and physically, He wants you as a father to learn how to bless your children. So with that in mind, I want you to think about how you can be honoring and blessing your kids. If you want to bless your children, I encourage you to do each of the things we will talk about in this message.
A good question to answer from time to time is “Where are you?” It’s a question of self-awareness and self-evaluation, which are areas we should all be growing in on a regular basis, particularly when it comes to our faith. As we dive into this message, I want us to take a look at this important question in the context of today’s key Scripture passage and see how it applies to our lives as believers.
The last picture of Jesus that we are left with that introduces this Book is that of blessing and comfort. I tell you that for a couple of reasons, because verses 17 and 18, describe that specifically. Then he placed his right hand on me. Picture this as a blessing and also as a picture of comfort. When a person wants to encourage someone, they have a tendency to put their hand on them. God wants you to live a full life now. For whatever time He gives you, He places His hand of blessing and comfort upon you. Blessing comes from whose hand is on you. So in this week’s message we are going to take a look at what you can do if you want to sense the Father’s hand of comfort and blessing in your life.
In this passage of Revelation, John goes on to describe several images of Jesus that are important for us to visualize in our minds. Last week, we talked about the first image of His clothes: the robe going to his feet (picture of authority), and the golden sash around his chest (picture of priestly royalty). And we also talked about His hair being white as snow and how white represents purity and wisdom. Let’s continue this list today of things we need to visualize according to John’s description of Jesus.
The last couple of weeks, we’ve talked about John describing Jesus as being a picture of authority and partnership. This week, I want us to see that the Messiah is also a picture of power. Today’s key verses describe the powerful image of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, I want us to take several steps to understand this picture of power and break it down into more specific parts.
In this message, I want us to take one more step in this perfect picture of the Messiah. This is, “A picture of partnership.” If you read Revelation 1:9-11, you will see that what John is describing is the perfect picture of partnership. More specifically, John wants us to understand that God calls us to be in partnership with three different entities: believers, the Lord, and the church.
Billy Graham once said, “The influence of a mother upon the lives of her children cannot be measured. They know and absorb her example and attitudes when it comes to questions of honesty, temperance, kindness, and industry.” This is such an important reminder for all of us as we celebrate our mothers this time of year. And in light of the fact that we learn so much from our mothers, I figured it would be wise for us to look at the story of Mary, the mother of our Savior, because there is so much we can learn and glean from her story. So in this week’s message, I want us to take a look at some of the specific takeaways from Mary’s life.
In today’s key verse of Revelation 1:8, we see something that is very powerful. I would call it the perfect picture of the Messiah. And as we look over the next few weeks at how the perfect picture of Jesus is described, we will start with one thing, and that is that Jesus the Messiah is a picture of authority. There is so much we can learn about Jesus from this one verse, but all of that learning starts with understanding His authority in our lives and in our world.
As we continue our study of the book of Revelation, we are going to spend some more time looking at the perfect picture of God’s messenger, and that is John. In today’s key passage, John is still taken away with Christ alone even after all of the years of following Jesus. You can't read what he wrote (inspired by the Holy Spirit) without capturing his passion, love and worship of Jesus Christ. As we look at these words, I need to tell you that some of us have lost heart. How does that happen? How does someone lose the fire that was once in their heart to follow Christ? In the coming days, we will read about a church that lost its first love. But for now, I want us to become aware that we may have lost our fire. And when that happens, we need to know what to do to keep the fire alive in our hearts.
As we continue in our study of the book of Revelation, we are going to see the perfect picture of God's messenger that is described for us in verses four through seven. You see, the Book of Revelation was a letter. It was intended to be read as a letter, a letter that John intended for all Christians to read, then and now. More than likely, the book was written around 95 to 96 A.D. John describes that God gave him this book on the Island of Patmos. As the messenger, he was responsible for simply penning what he was seeing. He wants everyone to see what he was seeing. And so as we look at this picture from John, we are going to learn not only about the message he was giving us, but about the messenger himself.
Today, we are beginning a brand-new sermon series through the book of Revelation! In this verse-by-verse study, we are going to dive deep into this book that cause so many of us to be confused, lost, and frustrated as we try to understand it. But the Lord has packed so much information into this book that is pertinent for us to learn. So the goal for this series is to help guide you as you study the book of Revelation and aid you in your search for clarity in this amazing book of Scripture.
As we celebrate Easter Sunday, we need to understand that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was a wake-up call for believers. It was a declaration about the most impactful event in all of history. I pray that you will see what God wants you to see and understand how powerful the resurrection is. It's not just an event; it is the event for all time and eternity! So with that in mind, I want to share several key things that we need to embrace and embody when it comes to the resurrection of Jesus.
In our world today, because of this coronavirus pandemic outbreak, we have lost something very special, culturally, personally, and spiritually. We have lost fellowship and personal intimacy with others. In its place, there is social distancing. Because of that, we have lost being able to connect with other people. Fellowship is a very powerful thing. Sometimes, we don't appreciate it until we have totally lost it. So in this message, I want us to look at how important fellowship is so that we can understand to appreciate and pursue it, even in the midst of our current circumstances.
In this message, I want to address one of the biggest fears we face as human beings: the fear of failure. Surprisingly enough, there are pros and cons to failure. Sometimes, failure is a great teacher. But other times, failure creates unbelievable pain. Life is not pain free, at all. We know that. However, through the power of the Word of God, we can make sense of our pain; and yes, even make sense of our failure. So as we look at God’s Word today, we’re going to examine the lives of many prominent, biblical figures and look at how the dealt with failure. As we do, I would encourage you to take note of what stands out to you about their story and think about what you can learn about failure from each of their lives.
As we continue our discussion on prayer, I want us to focus specifically on what it looks like to pray for our fellow believers, whether that be other believers in our community right now, or the next generation of believers that will come behind us. These people need our prayers, and I want us to make it our goal to pray for them daily so that the Lord would use them mightily for His glory to further His Kingdom.
If there was ever a time you needed to be praying, it is now. Praying to God and spending time communicating with Him should be a regular part of your daily routine. However, many people are intimidated by prayer. They don’t know where to start and what to say. They don’t want to “bother God” with their requests and issues. Thankfully, we have someone to look to when learning how to pray. Jesus gave us a great example of how we should approach prayer when He prayed The Lord’s Prayer, found in the Gospel of Matthew. So with this prayer as our model, let’s look at four things you can include in your daily prayer time.
Drinking the cup that God often provides for us is difficult. Even though God's plan is for you to do His will, maybe what He has offered you to drink right now is too difficult in this season of your life. But you must decide whether you will make the difficult decision to do what God has called you to do or choose to navigate out of it. God has given each of us a cup from which to drink, so in this message, I want to help you and encourage you as you accept the cup you’ve been given and move forward in obedience to God’s will for your life.
Over the years, I have heard people use different excuses to justify why they are giving in a certain way, rather than doing what Scripture describes. This is a very personal and private thing. We give privately and yet collectively as the body of Christ. It is a personal decision and experience. We don't send bills to people; and we don't send notices that say you haven't been giving your tithe or offering. We don't send out letters like that. I know some congregations do that. I just want to teach you what the Bible says about your belongings, because this is part of the basics of living as a believer.
As we continue our conversation on learning to love, we’re going to take a look at a few other ways we can love others the way Jesus did during His time on earth. It’s not enough to just show up for people, like we talked about last week. In addition to that, we have to exercise several other characteristics of Christlike love if we want to love well. We’ll break down each of those characteristics in this message.
There is not one of us on the face of this earth who has it all together in this aspect of loving. Do you know why? Because we have a tendency to be very self-focused, self-centered, and self- absorbed. Most of the time, we are concerned about how other people are receiving us. We are wondering what other people think of us. That is not love. That’s a self-focused, self-centered life. If we want to learn to love, we need to look at the example Jesus set for us. So in this week’s message, we are going to take a look at the first thing we need to do if we want to learn how to love more like Christ.
The word “Ekklesia” is the Koine ́ Greek word for church. It is a compound word, “ek” (the preposition, which means “out of”) and “kaleo” (to call). The word “ekklesia” literally means “called out of ones.” In other words, we, as God's children, have been called out of the world to live for Christ. This is interesting: 90% of the time that the word “ekklesia” is used in the New Testament, it refers to the local church. Only 10% of the time, it refers to the body of Christ worldwide, the spiritual body of Christ. We are going to take a look at this word more closely in today’s message as we understand the importance of fellowship and community in the local church, and we’ll answer the question “Why do we need brotherhood in the church?”
John wrote his three epistles so that you and I could know without a shadow of a doubt that we know Jesus, that we understand the gospel, and that we have a personal relationship with our Savior. If you read through first John, the author gives us seven questions to answer. The questions are there to challenge us but also to give us confidence that we really do belong to Christ as His followers.
There are a lot of people who have already given their life to Christ. They are suited up. Many Christians have been trained up, but there is a problem. Many believers today need to get up. I want you to feel a little uncomfortable if you are not getting up. I want to talk to you who have been benchwarmers. You know Christ and you have been following Him for some time. You know the plays, but you are sitting on the bench; and you are not completely engaged. I don't know what is happening in your life right now, but I know that God doesn't have any benchwarmers! He doesn't want us to be sitting on the bench on the sidelines, talking to each other. He wants us to be ready to go. He wants us to either be on the field, or He wants us to be ready to get onto the field the moment he sends us into the game.
Have you ever trained for something before? Maybe you trained to run a race, or to play a sport, or compete in an event. Whatever the case may be, the training most likely wasn’t easy. It was strenuous and difficult, possibly even painful. You had to push yourself further than you thought you could go for the sake of preparing your body and your mind for the upcoming challenge. As believers, we have training to do as well. We have to be prepared spiritually, mentally, and emotionally for all that we will face as we follow Christ. The Christian life is no cake walk. We will face difficulties and obstacles along the way, which is why we can’t skip out on training, learning, and becoming disciples if we want to walk out our faith well. There are several truths that apply to us as followers of Jesus when it comes to the tough times we will face in our lives, and I want us to look at a few of those today.
Some of my most vivid memories from my childhood come from when I played football. I remember being so excited when I finally got the chance to suit up in junior high to play tackle football. But before the season began, I had to make sure I had all of the right equipment. I had to get cleats, shoulder pads, a helmet, a mouth guard. Each piece of equipment was important for success and protection as I played football. In a lot of ways, suiting up to play football is similar to suiting up as believers. The Bible talks about how as followers of Jesus, we are always in the midst of a spiritual battle. We are fighting against unseen forces every day to further the Kingdom of God and push back against the enemy. If we are going to be successful in this battle, it is important that we suit up. And to suit up correctly and effectively, we have to understand where we fit on God’s team. Let’s take a look at three things that are true of us as members of God’s army.
Merry Christmas and welcome to another episode of Higher Aim. This is such a great season to celebrate and a great season to get into God's Word. Today, Dr. Dodd asks and answers the question, "How can we celebrate Christmas year round, not just one day, but year round"?
What does love actually look like? When you tell someone you love them, what does that mean? Is it just a collection of words? Is it a feeling? If we take a look at Scripture, we will learn that there is so much more to love than we probably think. We will see what true love looks like by the example Jesus Christ set for us. And we will begin to understand how powerful love really is.
We all wrestle with a lot of things and we ask ourselves a lot of questions. But there's one question God doesn't want us to wrestle with. And that is, "Is Jesus the Messiah?" The word "Messiah" means anointed one. It is the description of that individual who the Jews were expecting to come and bring God's kingdom to bear. Now, the Jews originally were looking for a military political ruler to put Israel back in the category of a great kingdom, but God's plan was for a great kingdom to come from the inside out, not the outside in. Today, we are going to look at what Scripture has to say about Jesus, and how we can be confident that He is, in fact, the Messiah.
The Holy Spirit is like Christmas. He brings gifts and He brings fruit. You and I, as children of God, need to understand how powerful that is for us. We need to live with the kind of hope and that kind of expectation, knowing that God will produce His power in and through our lives for His Kingdom. He will use the gifting of the Holy Spirit and the fruit of the Holy Spirit to mature us in our relationship with Him, and ultimately impact others with that relationship. In this week’s message, we are going to take a look at the different ways the Holy Spirit works in us, through us, and with us so that we can fully experience the power and the gifts that are available to us through the Spirit of God.
Many of us don't realize how important the promises of God really are until we go through a difficult time in our lives. In the midst of the difficulty and uncertainty our world is facing right now, Dr. Dodd is going to point us to the promises of God and show us how we can cling to them and the certainty they provide no matter what we are facing.
There is a big difference between faith and positive thinking. Positive thinking is something that comes from you. It is based upon the drive of your heart to believe something so badly that you want it to be. But that’s not faith. Faith is based upon what God says, and faith is the ability to believe what God says. It comes from God Himself. We need to understand that, although hope and confidence are part of our ability, God wants us to exercise our belief and confidence in what He says. The ability to actually take God at His word comes from God Himself. In other words, the ability to trust God comes from God Himself. So with that in mind, we are going to take a look at what that kind of trust looks like in this message.
Have you ever played, “Let's Make a Deal” with God? “God, I will do this, if you will do that?” And guess what? God does that, but you don't do this. I’d venture to say you’ve probably done that before. Every single one of us has tried at one point or another to make a deal with God, and we have fallen flat on our face. We’ve failed. Failure seems to be part of life. But I want to discuss how to handle failure in a positive way. When we are looking at how to handle failure in a positive way, Simon Peter (of all the disciples) can teach us about failure. Just like us, he was pretty good at failure. He actually disowned Jesus in the worst moments of Jesus’ life. So as we look at this account of Simon Peter’s life, we can learn a lot about failure and how to grow from it.
We often say that love is a feeling. But I would have to disagree and tell you that love is an action. Love is something we show, not just something we say. And the greatest commandment we’ve ever been given by Jesus Christ Himself revolves around love. We are to love the Lord our God and we are to love others. That is the goal of our time here on earth. In this message, I want us to take a look at five key values surrounding love so that we might love God and others better as we grow in our walk with the Lord.
The very heartbeat of the Church needs to be grace. Under grace, we extend love regardless of who people are, regardless of where they are on their journey, and regardless of what is happening in their life right now. We just extend God's love and understand that God loves us so much that He is not going to leave us where we are. We are all on a journey. Hopefully, you are farther ahead on your journey with Jesus now than you were last year, or two years ago, or five or 10 years ago. But wherever you find yourself on your journey in following Christ, grace is something we can all continue to grow in. So in this week’s message, I want us to take a look at the reasons why we should offer grace to those around us.
Has there ever been a moment in your life when you actually felt like something was missing? You needed to fill in the blank on your page, and you didn't know what it was, but you knew Christ. You remember when you turned from sin, placed your faith in Christ, and you followed Him with baptism. You got connected to a local church and you made prayer a priority. You made Bible study something that was very important, but there was something missing; and you didn't know what it was. In today’s message, we are going to fill in that blank as we look to Scripture to see the example Jesus set for us in service, because for many of us, serving is the one muscle of our faith that we’re not exercising, and that’s why we feel like something is missing.
Over and over in Scripture, you find that God keeps His Word, and everything that we know about God is revealed to us in His Word. If you want to grow deep, get into the Word of God. Learn the promises of God. Claim the promises of God. Stand on the promises of God. When you do, you will find that God always fulfills His Word. In this week’s message, we’re going to look at several of God’s promises in Scripture, and then we are going to look at what it means if God doesn’t fulfill His Word.
Many of us have not come from religious or church experiences where praise was a key element. By reading today’s key passage, it is important for us to understand that Jesus accepted the praise and encouraged the praise of the people who needed hope in a very hopeless situation. They were living under the oppression of Rome and saw in Christ there was a chance for a new beginning. God is trying to teach us that same thing. When you learn to become a person of praise, it will change your life, and that's what many of us need. We need a change in our lives. If we will become men, women, and young people of praise, God will do something amazing in our lives. Learning how important praise is and beginning to practice that in our lives is essential to maturity in the Christian life. Praise can do several things for you, and those things are what we are going to take a closer look at in today’s message.
Lazarus was a close friend of Jesus, and he was the brother of Mary and Martha. Lazarus had been dead for four days before Jesus stepped into that arena. When Jesus called his name, he came out of the grave. This event shook the whole area, and word quickly spread that this had happened in the area. Because Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, people came running to meet the man, to see both the man who performed the miracle and the one who was the recipient of the miracle. It was a life-changing moment. Following this moment, during a dinner held in Jesus’ honor, Mary gave a sacrificial gift out of appreciation for what Jesus had done for her and her brother. In doing so, she set a wonderful example for all of us to follow when it comes to giving. So in this week’s message, we are going to look at several truths about giving and how it impacts our relationship with God.
I know that many of us have a difficult time understanding where God is going with our life. What we are going through doesn't make sense because we don't have the long-term view to see the end of the road. We don’t understand the final purpose of why God is allowing us to navigate through this event, that experience, that heartbreak, that blessing, or that other event. We just don't know. We have a difficult time because we are so focused on where we are right now. But you never know how the Lord could want to use the difficult time in your life for your good and for His glory.
In this week’s message, Dr. Dodd continues the conversation he began last week on what America needs today. Specifically, he’s going to dive into the first and second chapters of Acts and walk through the first awakening that came at Pentecost. There is so much we can learn from this time in history and apply to what we’re walking through in our world today. So we’ll dive into some of those lessons in this message, including the value of obedience, patience, prayer, and community.
We will go on a journey in this week's message to answer the question, “What Does America Need Today?” These are strange, unprecedented times that we are experiencing in our nation and globally. Many of us are asking, “God, What are you doing? What does our country need to do?” As we study the Word of God, we will answer the question, “What America Does Need Today?”
As a child, do you remember your parents telling you to do something, and you didn’t do it? For whatever reason, probably the disobedient heart of a child, you didn't do what they told you. They would come back and say to you, “I'm going to give you to three. If you don't do it by three, you're going to get it.” Then they counted off “one, two, three.” If you had not done it by three, you would hear these words, “Wait till your father gets home,” or the wrath of your parent came down. You were either grounded for life, or you had some kind of disciplinary action because of your disobedience. All of us remember those moments in time. Well, we are in a similar time when it comes to the state of our nation and our world. Our society has been stuck in patterns of disobedience to God for some time now, and we need a new revolution.
Everyone has had a different experience when it comes to their earthly father. Some people have a great relationship with their dad. Others have a strained or difficult relationship. And some people never had a relationship with their dad at all. In each case, your experience with your earthly father can often times affect how you view your Heavenly Father. But let’s not forget that God is unlike any of our earthly fathers. He is perfect. He loves you unconditionally. He will always keep His word, and He will always be there for you.
The Lord wants to give us so much as His children. He wants us to experience His love, wisdom, freedom, and grace every single day. But in order for that to happen we have to listen to what He is saying to us. We must allow God to open our hearts and open our lives and ask that He would use these principles from His word to give us encouragement and point us to Christ. He wants us to take the next step to live in peace, joy and expectation. And He doesn’t want to just tell us how to do that, but He wants to show us through His Son.
When it comes to knowing how God works, knowing what God desires of our lives, and seeing what He’s doing in the lives in the others, sometimes we are confused as to which direction He’s moving. When we are feeling this confusion, we must take another look at John 1:18. That last phrase, “has made him known,” is what leads us to where we’ve been camping out for the last several weeks. It’s the descriptive phrase in the Koine Greek language that says, “to draw out in a narrative.” This verse is saying that the works of Jesus, the words of Jesus, and the life of Jesus are revealing to us who God is, what God thinks, how He wants us to relate to Him, and how He responds to us. And it is that phrase we are going to continue looking at in this message so we can better understand God’s character.
As we read the Word and allow the narrative of the story to unfold, we realize that one thing is built on another. Now remember, Jesus had just finished feeding 5,000 people with a sack lunch. He dismisses the crowd. The disciples have 12 baskets of food left over, one for each disciple. Jesus makes them get into the boat and He says, “I'll meet you on the other side.” Then He walks on water, rough water, and they see a miracle. He gets into the boat, and they go to the other side. That very same crowd has now realized when they wake up, that He is gone. Knowing that His disciples had left, they leave, and they head to the very same area where the disciples had gone in the boat. This huge crowd followed Christ and they found Him on the other side of the lake. They want another miracle and Jesus knows their hearts. And He basically says to them, “You are following Me because you want another miracle. You are following Me because of the bread I gave you.” But as they continue to follow Him, they’ll realize that He is the true “bread of life” that they need to be satisfied.
No one has ever seen God. His is an invisible God, but the one and only Son who is Himself God and is in the closest relationship with the Father has made Him known. This means, even if we can’t see God with our eyes, we can know a lot about Him by the way He is described in Scripture. There is so much to learn about the Lord’s character, and we’re going to take a look at two specific aspects of that character in this week’s message.
In this week’s message, Dr. Curt Dodd is going to teach us how to develop the passion to share Christ with other people. We all need to realize that the role we play in sharing Christ with others is more important than we could even imagine. It’s been said that sometimes the only Bible people will read is us. So it’s our job to use our life as an open book to point others to Christ and to be the heaven connection God wants us to be.
Do you need a miracle in your life? Are you in a situation where you’re going through some rough waters, some difficult times, and you need God to answer a prayer, intervene in a situation, and change the course of your life? If that’s you, then this message from Dr. Dodd is going to give you an encouraging and powerful word for your life right now. We’re going to take a look at the biblical account of Jesus walking on the water, and we’re going to look at how we can become water walkers and see God work in the midst of the rough waters in our lives today.
God will use all kinds of circumstances and situations in your life to point you Him, because choosing to follow Him is the most importance decision you will ever make in your life; now what you will do for a living, not who you will marry, but rather what will you do about eternity? One day, you’re going to die. That’s true for all of us. But there is hope in life after death, and that hope comes from the Lord. That’s why He sent Jesus, to give us that hope and to point us to Himself so that we might spend eternity in fellowship with our Heavenly Father.
Did you ever participate in show and tell when you were in elementary school? You were asked to bring in something interesting or unique to show the class, and you would get up and front of everyone and tell them about whatever it is you brought. Well, if you think about it, Jesus was the ultimate show and tell presented by God. Jesus came to tell us about God, to make Him known to us, and to show us how we can have a relationship with Him. Today’s message is the first of a breakout series called Show and Tell where we will look at how Jesus showed us God and told us about God in a way that would alter history and impact all of humanity.
Dr. Dodd speaks in front of the "Car-Henge" in Nebraska where he reminds us that even when life feels strange and our problems start piling up, God is there in the midst of it all.
As Christians who read God’s Word, it’s very easy for us to live with a black and white viewpoint of the law. This is where legalism comes in and threatens our understanding and offering of grace. Thankfully, god doesn’t want us to live in black and white under the law. Rather, He wants you to learn to live with grace and truth in Jesus Christ, because yes, truth is important, but so is grace. We can’t have too much of one and not enough of the other or an imbalance happens. In this message, Dr. Dodd will give you five actions you can take to help you understand how to go from black and white to living color in your Christian life.
The fullness of Christ covers every area of life - not just our faith, but our relationships, our jobs, our government, our history, and many other things. The Lord is so big and so great that His power and His love impacts anything and everything we will ever deal with on this earth. In this week's message, Dr. Dodd is going to talk about how to be completely full of the Lord so that so that He touches each area of your life in a way that gives you fulfillment, peace, and purpose as you continue to follow Him.
Most people today don’t go to church to show off their wardrobe. Nor do people come because they sense an obligation or an expectation that needs to be fulfilled. Rather, I people come to church or watch church on television because they’re looking for hope, they’re looking for help, and they’re looking for God to do something in their life. Once we realize that God is the source of this hope and this help, the best thing we can do is to point others to Him so that they can find what they’re looking for as well. The best legacy we could ever leave to those coming up behind is one that points other people to Jesus. And the only way we’re going to be able to do that is to understand that Jesus is greater than anything and everything we face in this life.
In this week's message, Dr. Dodd gives us the encouraging reminder that Jesus is greater than anything we will ever deal with or go through. He is greater than all of your sin. He is greater than your doubts, and He is greater than your insecurities. You are never too far out of His reach. You can never make a mistake He can't forgive. He is bigger than anything you'll encounter on this earth, and He will never leave you to fend for yourself.
When it comes to living a balanced life in the context of our relationship with Jesus, we must learn how to balance grace and truth. On one side of the equation, you have truth, which is the Word of God and His commandments for us to live by. And on the other side you have grace, which is what we experience when we receive something we don't deserve, like the love of Christ. It is important for us to know the value of both grace and truth. So in this message, Dr. Dodd will walk us through these two pillars of our faith and help us learn to balance them so we can live a balanced life.
Have you ever grown tired of waiting on God to provide, so you take matters into your own hands? God's timing isn't always the same as our timing, but that doesn't mean He fails to provide for us. In this week's message, Dr. Dodd shares a story about his own mother, as well as the biblically famous mother Sarai and her journey to motherhood. Using both of these stories, Dr. Dodd teaches us that trusting God is always a better option than worrying or trying to work things out on our own.
John 1:14 says, “We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The phrase we’re going to look at in this week’s message is “one and only.” This statement is extremely important because it is a description of the deity of Jesus. If you believe Jesus is less than divine, and if you don’t believe He is the only and only way to a relationship with the Father, then you can’t go to heaven. You must believe that Jesus is your Savior, but also that He is good. To spend eternity with Him, you have to believe He is the one and only. So as we walk through this passage and this principle this week, we’ll take a look at a deeper explanation of the text, and then we’ll break down the application of how this applies directly to you and your walk with Christ.
John’s prologue, the first 18 verses, is the most powerful, poignant, theological treatise that’s ever been written to explain who God is. Because there is so much in this text, we cannot do it right unless we go slowly enough to digest and consume every nuance of these words. So, in this week’s message, we are going to talk about the Word made flesh. The difference between preaching and teaching is not volume. Teaching provides a lot of explanation to say what something means. Preaching moves toward application, asking the question, “so what now?” Therefore, you need to stay tuned for the entire message because not only are you going to learn about the Word, but you’re going to glean some insight and application that could change your life and give you hope like never before.
Do you feel like God is leading you to do something big, but you can't seem to get up the courage to pursue your calling? Be encouraged today as Dr. Dodd reminds us of when David slew Goliath, doing something that seemed impossible, but that became possible because of God.
As we continue our study on the Prologue of John, we are going to take a look at all of the amazing things this text speaks of. We’re going to see how amazing God is, what amazing community looks like, what amazing gift we are given through Jesus, and what amazing gain we experience by spending our lives following Christ. While it’s true that being a Jesus- follower isn’t always easy, there are some amazing parts of this life is well, and that’s what we’re going to focus on in this week’s message.
This Sunday, we get to celebrate the amazing miracle that our Savior conquered death and the grave and is ALIVE at the right hand of the Father right now. As we celebrate Resurrection Sunday, we are going to talk about what it looks like to be truly alive in Christ, and live each day in the freedom, joy, and peace He offers each of us.
Dr. Dodd reminds us to believe what God says about us, rather than believing the lies we tell ourselves.
Have you ever been driving down the road, and all of a sudden you realize you missed your exit? You knew which exit you needed to take, but something happened. You got disconnected and distracted. And then you wasted time trying to get back to where you were supposed to go in the first place. Life is like that sometimes. We can miss things, things much bigger and more important than an exit ramp, because we’re distracted. In today’s message, we are going to figure out how not to miss the Messiah and the invitation He has extended to us to follow Him. This life is the only chance we get to follow Christ, so let’s make sure we don’t miss out on that chance.
From the Valley of Armageddon, Dr. Curt Dodd speaks to us about the spiritual battles we're faced with on earth, and how we can experience victory in those battles through the Lord Jesus.
Last week we talked about the means and the circumstances God uses to turn the light on within us. This week we’re going to continue that conversation as we talk about how to use that light to love and minister to the people around us. Our entire purpose in life is to become more like Christ, and as we do that, we should be a shining light so that others are drawn to the Lord. So we’re going to learn how to do just that in this week’s message.
No matter what circumstances you're walking through right now, the sun will eventually shine through the clouds in your life.
Many of us don't realize how important the promises of God really are until we go through a difficult time in our lives. In the midst of the difficulty and uncertainty our world is facing right now, Dr. Dodd is going to point us to the promises of God and show us how we can cling to them and the certainty they provide no matter what we are facing.
Dr. Dodd reminds us that nothing will keep us from God's best for us more than our disobedience.
We live in a world that is becoming increasingly more overcome with darkness day after day. People want freedom more than they want a relationship with God, but what they fail to realize is that freedom from God isn’t what they expect. With so many temptations, trials, and tribulations facing us every single day, we can either choose to walk in the Light – the path God has laid out for us – or we can choose to remain in darkness, confused and clueless as to where we’re going, what we’re doing, or what consequences we are inevitably going to face as a result of our rebellion. Let’s be the ones who not only choose to walk in the Light of Jesus, but let’s point others towards the Light as well. And if we’re going to do that, there are many things about the Light that we must understand.
Dr. Dodd reminds us of Jesus words in Matthew 6:21 and encourages us ask ourselves, "Where is my treasure?"
Why do we often settle for less? Many of us will go into a restaurant today and order our food, but what we end up being given is less than what we wanted. We won’t say anything to anyone else at the table or to the waitress. We’ll just eat what was given to us and therefore settle for less. Sadly, many of us take the same approach when it comes to our spiritual lives. We settle for less when God has more for us. Jesus came so that we might have life and have it in abundance. He did not come to earth to save us so that we could settle for less than His best. So this week, we’re going to take a look at how we fall into the trap of settling for less and how we can overcome that by pursuing the abundant relationship with Christ that is available to us.
Every single human being on this earth is living a different life. We all have different experiences, different relationships, and different circumstances. But God uses all of those aspects of our lives to prepare us to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. He shaped you the way He shaped you so you can be faithful to the call He has given you. And that call is to be a witness for Him. You have a call to keep, and that call is exactly what we’re going to break down in today’s message as we take a look at the ministry of John the Baptist. Mitch
God doesn't want you to be a decoy. He wants you to be the real deal. He doesn't want you to just look like a follower of Jesus. He wants you to actually be a follower of Jesus.
God has called you to be a witness. We need to realize that regardless of where God takes us, regardless of where He places us, and regardless of what situation we may find ourselves in, He’s got a plan for our lives. Part of that plan is for you to be a witness for Him and to point other people to Christ. In order to fulfill this calling on our lives to be witnesses, there are several things we must understand. In this week’s message, we’re going to take a look at four of those things specifically.
Dr. Dodd joins us from an ice fishing adventure where he reminds us that God had to work hard for our hearts.
In this week’s message, we are going to focus on the fifth verse of the first chapter of John, which says, “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” Your life has the power to punch holes in the darkness, because the Bible tells us very clearly that the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. In order for our lives to be light that punches through the darkness, several things need to happen. So we are going to look at today’s key passage for guidance, direction, and encouragement for how the Lord wants us to live.
The word "life is a very significant word in Scripture. In John's Gospel, it is used 36 times. Normally in John's usage of the word "life," he uses it in reference to eternal life. But as we continue to study John's prologue, we'll learn his usage of this word is more than just eternal life. This is a very important word to look at, which is why we are going to unpack it, because it is in Jesus that we not only find eternal life, but we find life now.
In this week’s message, we are going to be focusing on John 1:3, which says, “Through him, all things were made; without him, nothing was made that has been made.” As humans with limited minds, we are constantly searching for answers and clarity, specifically when it comes to how this planet and all of creation came about. But when we find ourselves looking too hard for definition, we refuse to acknowledge God for who He is. Scripture makes it very clear that He is the Real Creator. Jesus is the Real Creator.
One of the incredible things about Scripture is that there is so much information to be learned and absorbed even in the smallest of passages and verses. As we go through this series, we will be taking a close look at the first 18 verses of the gospel of John as we attempt to unpack and gain a better understanding of what he calls “The Word.” During this study, you will learn more about theology, understand the character of God, get to know the person of God, and learn how you can relate to Him more intimately. It is God’s desire to ultimately reveal Himself to His children that we can have a closer relationship with Him. He does this by revealing Himself through His Son and through His Word, which we will learn through this series, are one in the same.
Dr. Dodd reminds us of the truth in Isaiah 1:18 from his snow-covered home in Nebraska.
Have you ever been frustrated before? Or let's rephrase the question...who or what is frustrating you right now? Frustration is an emotion we all deal with, probably more often than we would like to. In this episode of Higher Aim, we are going to take a look at how you can handle this emotion in a God-honoring way and how the Lord can ultimately set you free from frustration.
Dr. Dodd delivers a special word of encouragement on the value of having strong Christian friends in your life.
Today we will receive a word from Dr. Curt Dodd in the middle of one of his hunting trips, as he gives a great illustration on temptation.
On today's episode of Higher Aim, we're going to talk about encouragement. Regardless of what season you're in right now, encouragement is always a blessing. And there is so much power in not only receiving encouragement, but in giving encouragement as well. So we are going to take a look at what Scripture has to say about encouragement and how we can give it and receive it well.
Have you ever had a moment in your life where you felt totally depleted? It was like there was nothing left for you to give. You came to a place physically, emotionally, and maybe even spiritually where you were just done. Has that ever happened to you? Most likely, you’ve walked through a season like this before. And if you haven’t yet, there is a good chance that one of these days you will find yourself experiencing this kind of exhaustion. Therefore, exhaustion is an emotion that we all need to learn how to manage, because if we don’t, the repercussions can be devastating.
Is your life going like you planned it would? Is everything lined up like you envisioned it to be years ago? Maybe as you take a look at your life, you're thinking, "You know, my life has turned out just like I planned it." But for most of us, that's not the case. So this week, we're going to talk about what to do when things don't go according plan.
Do you need a miracle in your life? Are you up against a situation where you're waiting for God to come through for you in a big way? If that's you, then you're going to hear a great word of encouragement from Dr. Dodd this week about how to find your way to the miracle you need in your life.
On today's episode of Higher Aim, we're going to be discussing the topic of temptation. During Jesus' human life on earth, He faced His fair share of temptations just like we do. There is so much we can learn from how Jesus handled temptation in a way that honored His Father in heaven. So we are going to take a closer look at this example and learn how we, too, can handle and conquer our own battles with temptation with the Lord's help.
Today on Higher Aim we're going to talk about guilt. How to get rid of it, how to handle it, and how to live set free. We're so glad you've tuned in because this is going to be a message that could literally change the entire direction of your life.
Today on Higher Aim we are going to be talking about navigating disagreements. Have you ever had a disagreement with someone in your church? Or what about a disagreement with someone in your family? How about in your business? Or with your friends? We all disagree with others at some point or another, so today we're going talk about how to handle these disagreements in a God-honoring way.
Last week we started talking about pain, specifically about physical healing. So on today's episode of Higher Aim we are going to finish that conversation and see what God's Word has to say about finding healing in Christ.
On this episode of Higher aim, we are going to discuss one of the most difficult of all emojis to walk through and that is pain. But in addition to pain, we are also going to be talking about healing. Our God is a Healer, and we can learn how to sort through pain as we draw near to Him.
On today's episode of Higher Aim with Dr. Curt Dodd, we're going to talk about earning trust again. It's one thing to forgive someone. It's another thing to earn that trust back once it's been broken. So today we're going to take a look at what Scripture says about regaining trust through the Lord's work of redemption and restoration.
This week we are talking about learning to trust someone again who has hurt you in the past. Reinstating trust into a relationship is a difficult task, but it's not impossible. In fact, re-establishing trust ultimately comes as a result of forgiveness. With that in mind, Dr. Dodd will walk us through four things we can do as we learn to trust again by forgiving others as Christ forgave us.
On today's episode of Higher Aim, we are talking about prayer and the positive impact it can have on your life. This is one subject that all of us need to talk through. We can't wait to see what God has in store with this message.
In today's episode of Higher Aim, we are going to pick up where we left off last week and finish our discussion on anxiety. Worry and anxiousness are some of the most difficult issues that believers face. Oftentimes, we feel like it's our right to worry, but it's actually not. God wants us to live in peace, not in worry. So today we're going to unpack Philippians 4:4-9 to learn how to replace our anxiety with the peace of Jesus Christ.
On this episode of Higher Aim, we are going to discuss anxiety and worry. Anxiety is something we all deal with to some degree, but thankfully the Bible is filled with principles about how to handle it. So today, we're going to go through the ABC's for how to defeat this powerful emoji of anxiety.
In today's episode of Higher Aim with Dr. Curt Dodd, we are going to be talking about loss. Whether you have lost someone or something very special to you in the past, or if you are going through a season of loss right now, this message is for you.
In today's episode of Higher Aim with Dr. Curt Dodd, we are going to be looking at the emotion of sadness. We'll take a look at some great biblical principles that could make a big difference in your ability to experience joy regardless of what you are walking through.
In today's message, we're going to talk about stress. Now, maybe you're watching, and you're going, "Oh, that's where I am. I'm so stressed out right now." Well, today's gonna be right up your alley because God knows that we need help living positively with the stress that we experience.
As we begin a new series entitled "Managing Your Emojis," we are going to talk about how to deal with one of the most difficult of all emotions: anger. God wants us to realize that anger is not a laughing matter. He wants us to learn how to handle it well in a way that honors Him.
On today's episode of "Higher Aim", we are going to ask and then answer a very important question: "Can I have a mountaintop experience?" Have you ever had a spiritual high that God, and only God, could give?
On today's episode of "Higher Aim" we're going to have fun as we deal with the question, "What does a Christian look like?" How do you know who's who? And are you a follower of Jesus?
In today's episode of "Higher Aim", we are going to deal with the question, "Is this real life?" In other words, is the life that you are living right now real life? Is this the life that God intended you to live? And if not, how do you get there?
On today's episode of Higher Aim, we're going to deal with an exciting question, "When will Jesus return? Do you know when? Are you ready?
In this episode of "Higher Aim" we are asking and answering the basic question of "What's in it for me?" What do we receive for following Christ? Are you going to get anything now as well as later?
In this episode, we're going to deal with a very, very important subject that affects our lives as you would never believe--money. But I want us to look at it from a different perspective: How to become the generous person that we really want to be.
What do women really want to know about men? What do they need to know? What are the questions that they really have? There are four of them that I have found over the years that I hear consistently when women are concerned about their husbands. Listen to hear the questions and the answers.
Welcome to Higher Aim! We are so glad that you have discovered this episode because we're going to deal with a great question. Here it is. "What Do Men Really Need From Women?"
Do you know what real worship is all about? I mean, how do you know if you have really worshiped? Well, in this episode, we're going to jump into God's Word to find out what real worship is.
It's one thing to know the will of God, it's another thing altogether to stay in the will of God. And that's exactly where we're going today. Listen to find out how to stay in the will of God?
Welcome to Higher Aim. I am so glad that you have joined us today because we are asking and then answering a big question. Do angels exist? Listen to find out what the Bible says about Angels.
In this episode, we're going to ask and then answer a really important question. You need to be able to be able to answer it correctly, as well as have the backup for why the answer is so important. Here's the question, is Jesus really the Messiah?
In this message we're going to deal with a very important question that every believer needs to be able to be very articulate about, and that is this question, do all roads lead to heaven? We are living in a culture that believes they do. Today you're going to find out something a little different.
Welcome, I am so glad you were here today because today we're going to finish what we started last time together with the question, can I sense the Holy Spirit? Now, here's the deal, as a follower of Christ, yes, you can. And guess what. If you have never given your life to Christ, yes, you can.
Today is gonna be a great day because we are going to be looking at one of the big questions that has a bigger answer: "Can I sense the Holy Spirit? And when I do, how does it happen?"
Well, what is the Spirit of God telling you right now that you need to do? Maybe you've never given your life to Christ. Maybe you have. If you've never given your life to Christ, then that's the first thing, the most important thing, that you could ever do. It'll make you a child of God. It'll change your life.
Maybe you have already given your life to Christ and he is tugging on your heart right now. We would love to encourage you and to pray for you. Contact us now.
That's one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit: encouragement. And so I pray that you would call us right now and allow us to do that for you and with you. Call us right now. God bless you.
I am so glad that are watching "Higher Aim". In this message, we're going to ask a big question: Can you lose your salvation? Once you have given your life to Christ, turned from your sin and placed your faith in Jesus, can you lose that? Could you do something so bad that God would say, "Okay, you're no longer my child?" You want to know that answer and have confidence that you are a child of God?