Foothills Church (Audio): Recent Episodes
Foothills Church
Come hear Rob Douglas from Central Pacific District preach on the topic of the fullness of the Spirit.
In today’s parable Jesus paints a picture of the final judgement, revealing a surprising truth about our everyday actions and attitudes and urges us to consider how we use what He’s given us.
As servants of the Lord, we are called to invest our time, talents and treasures for kingdom work.
Failing to recognize Jesus as Messiah and entering the Kingdom of God only leads to a tragic end.
When the time of the harvest does come, justice will be carried out perfectly. While this parable is all about God’s overarching plan for his kingdom, there are still some important things for us to do while we wait for the harvest.
As we await His coming, Jesus wants us to stay engaged with God as we deal with the challenges and injustices of our world. We are called to wait. We are called to persevere. We are called to be persistent and faithful in our prayers and in our trust, and in our confidence that one day Jesus will return and make all things right again.
To be human is to be engaged in a life-long learning about the ways pride might be trying to display itself and seeking to cultivate humility as the antidote for pride’s poison in your life.
To be human is to be engaged in a life-long learning about the ways pride might be trying to display itself and seeking to cultivate humility as the antidote for pride’s poison in your life.
The freedom we have in Jesus is the driving force behind our devotion to prayer, our support for one another, and our wise and gracious interactions with the world. It liberates us to live out our faith authentically and boldly, making a profound impact on those around us. So, live in this freedom fully, allowing it to shape our prayers, our conduct, and our witness, as we live wisely, love deeply, and share boldly, reflecting the hope and glory of Christ in all we do.
Today we take another step in our series in the book of Colossians that we’re calling “Freedom in Christ.” And I want you to know the freedom we’re referring to is in many ways the freedom to become a better person, the opportunity each of us has to grow, and change and morph into better versions of ourselves.
In today's text, Paul is calling on believers to a life of wholehearted devotion and obedience to Jesus Christ. He is not content with a half-hearted effort. Whether it’s from the mundane to the significant, whatever we do, we do it in the name of the Lord Jesus, living with a Jesus-centered perspective and offering everything we do as an act of worship and thanksgiving.
In today's text, Paul is calling on believers to a life of wholehearted devotion and obedience to Jesus Christ. He is not content with a half-hearted effort. Whether it’s from the mundane to the significant, whatever we do, we do it in the name of the Lord Jesus, living with a Jesus-centered perspective and offering everything we do as an act of worship and thanksgiving.
Friends, we need to keep in front of us Paul’s central thought in this letter, the sufficiency and supremacy of Christ in our lives. Just as the Christians in Colossae were urged to walk in Jesus, deeply rooted and established in Him, so too we are called to live out our faith in a way that reflects the transformation that Christ has done in us.
Our text today teaches us about our lives…and Paul is teaching us about the dramatic difference in our lives when we live with verses without Jesus.
Being in Christ is what gives Christians their true identity, regardless of culture or circumstance.
Happy Easter to all of you! I’m glad you are here for this Easter celebration! Easter is such a big deal in Christian churches because everything in Christianity rises or falls on the resurrection of Jesus. Everything Jesus said and did would either be validated as true and authentic...or proven to be false and deceptive.
Two thousand years ago, the Bible claims that because of our imperfections and sin problem, God became flesh in the person of his Son Jesus. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He lived a life without sin...but, took all our sin upon himself, and died on a cross, taking our punishment for our sin so that we could be forgiven and qualified for heaven. Three days later, the Bible says, “He is risen!” Jesus rose from the grave.
The significance of this event for your life and my life is huge. The resurrection of Jesus makes it possible for each one of us to experience the most important “do-over” of our lives.
In a culture that often celebrates self-sufficiency and independence, it's easy to fall into the trap of relying solely on our own abilities, wisdom, and resources. We live in an era where the mantra of "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" echoes loudly, and the idea of depending on anyone but ourselves can seem counterintuitive or even weak. Yet, as we dig into the Scriptures, we uncover a profound truth: our strength is found not in ourselves, in our individualism, it is not found in self-reliance, but in our humble dependence on God.
Welcome Dr. Jeff Myers, president of from Summit Ministries, for Worldview Sunday. He will be addressing pressing worldview issues in the culture today. During services, he will explore the question: Should Christians Be Involved in Politics?
In the afternoon, come back to the Auditorium at 2pm to hear Jeff talk to us about how Truth Changes Everything and he'll answer your questions.
Jesus upends the expectations about the messiah, and shows his disciples what it means to follow him.
Jesus still heals all our diseases in accordance with God’s sovereign purposes in our lives.
We’re starting a new series today where we will work our way through the Gospel according to Mark. From the very first verse Mark declares that we’re in a new time and there is victory in the person of Jesus, the Christ, the salvation of God, who is the Son of God!
Jesus, our Christmas Hope, will ultimately restore a peaceful rest to all of creation and rule over it with unparalleled godly leadership.
Today, we’re going to be diving into Isaiah chapter 9, and learn about the hope that is proclaimed and available to us today.
We continue our series we are calling Christmas Hope, and our focus today is on God's promises. We are going to look at a story about Abraham and Isaac and a long journey to the top of a mountain where they have an encounter with God. This is both a historical retelling of events and a foreshadowing of what was to come.
Despite the emotions that might get stirred up in you during the Holidays, the Bible tells us that Christmas is a season that is all about hope. And we’re going to show you what that means throughout the series. This first message is titled Hope Promised. And today we’re going all the way back to Genesis to take a look at the fundamental need for Christmas.
Today we come to the conclusion of our series in Ruth we’ve been calling “Profound Provision.” In this series wrap up message, I want to do a couple things. (1) This story has some really helpful lessons for us in our lives. I want to revisit a few of those because I don’t want us to miss them. (2) Secondly, I want to take a look at the last few verses of our story and take note of the reality that God’s profound provision for the characters in this story is a foreshadowing of God’s ultimate provision for you and for me.
We’re looking at chapter 4 of Ruth, and today is going to be fun! This morning’s text delivers the good stuff we’ve been waiting for. The unexpected dream of being redeemed by one of the finest men in all of Bethlehem might just become a reality for Ruth.
We’re continuing in our current series in the book of Ruth called, “Profound Provisions,” where we are unpacking the story of Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz. Today, we’re going to be diving into chapter 3, which is an interesting and intriguing story that tends to leave people with more questions than answers.
Today we’ll learn that God’s providence is often behind things that seem coincidental in our lives.
Today, we pick up in Ruth chapter 2 and see how God takes care of those who trust Him, even if it comes in unexpected ways.
If you’ve ever been deeply grieved or despairing, you know it’s dark down there. It’s tough to see how you’ll make it one more moment, let alone one more day. Naomi needs what we all need in the midst of prolonged trials: hope. God is a God of providence, and He offers hope at just the right moment we need it most in our lives. Today, I want to show you three ways God works to supply hope to us in times when life seems dark and foreboding.
Today we begin a new series I’ve really been looking forward to! We are going to spend the next weeks leading up to the holidays investigating the book of Ruth in a series I’m calling Profound Provision! This series is all about God’s faithful and profound provision for us in our lives…even in the face of foolish choices, feeble faith, and imperfect lives.
Welcome back to the third and final session of our Vision Refresh series. Today, I want to talk about how our local and global efforts are resourced.
If you are a Christian here today, I want to remind you of this overarching call that God has placed on your life.
The helpful news is, before God gives us this calling, he models it in front of us and demonstrates it himself. He lives it out…then turns and says, “Now…you go and do it.”
Today we begin a new series of messages I’m calling “Why Church?” Each year at this time as our church begins a new ministry season together, I always like to refresh us in why we do what we do.
Today we are going to talk about the forgiveness of God. But what does forgiveness have to do with the nature of God or the character of God? As I wrestled with that question this week I came to this simple conclusion. Forgiveness is the natural outcome of all of God’s attributes.
Today we are going to talk about the forgiveness of God. But what does forgiveness have to do with the nature of God or the character of God? As I wrestled with that question this week I came to this simple conclusion. Forgiveness is the natural outcome of all of God’s attributes.
Today, we are going to talk about God's patience. Patience is hard for us. And that’s why I think our time talking about what God’s like today has the potential to reset and reshape us when it comes to patience.
Today, we are going to talk about God's patience. Patience is hard for us. And that’s why I think our time talking about what God’s like today has the potential to reset and reshape us when it comes to patience.
The attribute before us today is the “Goodness of God.” As we consider the Goodness of God I want to do three things: (1) I want to begin by refreshing our awareness of the Bible’s repeated declaration that our God is totally and completely good, (2) Having refreshed ourselves in that, I want to talk briefly about the mistake people often make when they doubt the goodness of God when bad stuff happens in life, and (3) I want to remind you why it is so important for you and I to keep a firm hold on the truth that God is good.
The attribute before us today is the “Goodness of God.” As we consider the Goodness of God I want to do three things: (1) I want to begin by refreshing our awareness of the Bible’s repeated declaration that our God is totally and completely good, (2) Having refreshed ourselves in that, I want to talk briefly about the mistake people often make when they doubt the goodness of God when bad stuff happens in life, and (3) I want to remind you why it is so important for you and I to keep a firm hold on the truth that God is good.
Today we are going to explore the subject of the Love of God which is arguably the most important of God’s attributes. Without God’s love, everything falls apart and we are all hopelessly lost and there is no meaning in life and there is no reason for the universe to exist. The funny thing is that we could say that about each of God’s attributes and it would be true. That is part of why this series is so great, because each week we explore just a tiny sliver of God’s character, a tiny bit of God’s wonder and majesty and beauty and through that we get a little glimpse of his nature. Nevertheless, the Love of God is probably the most important. At least it is this morning.
Today we are going to explore the subject of the Love of God which is arguably the most important of God’s attributes. Without God’s love, everything falls apart and we are all hopelessly lost and there is no meaning in life and there is no reason for the universe to exist. The funny thing is that we could say that about each of God’s attributes and it would be true. That is part of why this series is so great, because each week we explore just a tiny sliver of God’s character, a tiny bit of God’s wonder and majesty and beauty and through that we get a little glimpse of his nature. Nevertheless, the Love of God is probably the most important. At least it is this morning.
One of the central realities we remember in communion, and one of the most stunning truths we celebrate in communion is the mercy of God shown to us. And mercy is our attribute of God we’re focusing on today in our series.
One of the central realities we remember in communion, and one of the most stunning truths we celebrate in communion is the mercy of God shown to us. And mercy is our attribute of God we’re focusing on today in our series
Whether we like the idea or not, God is a God of wrath. But that doesn’t sit well with most Christians because many don't really understand what it means. Today, we are going to talk about what it is and how wrath aligns with the rest of His unblemished attributes.
Today we are going to talk about grace. It changes us and empowers us to live by faith with a Kingdom heart. And it changes others, drawing them closer to God.
Today we are going to talk about grace. It changes us and empowers us to live by faith with a Kingdom heart. And it changes others, drawing them closer to God.
We’re continuing in our current series, “What’s God like?” Where we are going through some of the attributes of God. In this process, we’re not only marveling at and responding in worship to His attributes, but we’re also looking at how the characteristics of God impact you and me and how we live out the life of a follower of Jesus. Today, we’re going dive into the “Holiness and Righteousness of God.”
We’re continuing in our current series, “What’s God like?” Where we are going through some of the attributes of God. In this process, we’re not only marveling at and responding in worship to His attributes, but we’re also looking at how the characteristics of God impact you and me and how we live out the life of a follower of Jesus. Today, we’re going dive into the “Holiness and Righteousness of God.”
Pastor Doug gives an update and report on the student missions trip to France. He finishes his sermon unpacking another characteristic of God—immutability. A simpler way to describe this attribute is that He is “unchangeable.”
Pastor Doug gives an update and report on the student missions trip to France. He finishes his sermon unpacking another characteristic of God—immutability. A simpler way to describe this attribute is that He is “unchangeable.”
We’re continuing our series What’s God Like taking a look at the attributes of God, what He’s like, and how He relates to us. Today, we are talking about the sovereignty of God and how it leads Christians to respond with praise.
We’re continuing our series What’s God Like taking a look at the attributes of God, what He’s like, and how He relates to us. Today, we are talking about the sovereignty of God and how it leads Christians to respond with praise.
Today we step into our first attribute of God in our summer series, “What’s God like?” Here’s how this series can help you: Increased awareness leads to increased closeness. The more we know and the more familiar you are with God, the more willing you are to love him, trust him, and follow his leading in your life. Today I want to talk about the nearness of God.
Today we step into our first attribute of God in our summer series, “What’s God like?” Here’s how this series can help you: Increased awareness leads to increased closeness. The more we know and the more familiar you are with God, the more willing you are to love him, trust him, and follow his leading in your life. Today I want to talk about the nearness of God.
Understanding what God’s like will enable us to relate to him in a more healthy and effective ways. And it will enable us to help others know and related to God in more healthy ways. Becoming well acquainted with God, and how he operates, what he values and what cuts across the grain of his very nature has tons of practical value for us as we live out our lives and learn to follow him.
Understanding what God’s like will enable us to relate to him in a more healthy and effective ways. And it will enable us to help others know and related to God in more healthy ways. Becoming well acquainted with God, and how he operates, what he values and what cuts across the grain of his very nature has tons of practical value for us as we live out our lives and learn to follow him.
Today is our Budget & Ministry Celebration! Be sure to stick around or come back after our 11AM service for our Baptisms, Child Dedications, and a free BBQ lunch on the patio!
Come hear from our guest speaker, Mike Mitchum, as we wrap up the book if Acts and see a story that demonstrates how God is carrying us through the storms of life as he works out His plan.
Come hear from our guest speaker, Mike Mitchum, as we wrap up the book if Acts and see a story that demonstrates how God is carrying us through the storms of life as he works out His plan.
Our series in Acts is about ready to wrap up and this morning we’re looking at chapter 26 where we discover what the key is to the Christian faith and the gospel we proclaim.
Our series in Acts is about ready to wrap up and this morning we’re looking at chapter 26 where we discover what the key is to the Christian faith and the gospel we proclaim.
When we read the book of Acts, we are not reading a history book or a textbook; instead, God gave us His inspired Word to record for us in detail about who God is and what He expects of our lives. And this morning, we get to see the first and only address in the book of Acts from Paul directly to Christians, specifically to the leaders of the Church, about what our lives are to look like.
Today, we are going to look at Acts 19:21-41 and see God uses his disciples to bless and transform communities and cultures through the power of the gospel.
Today, we are going to look at Acts 19:21-41 and see God uses his disciples to bless and transform communities and cultures through the power of the gospel.
A second powerful lesson we’ve been learning is the reason the Church and her gospel is an unstoppable force. It’s because both are being driven forward by the power of the Holy Spirit! In our text today, Paul clears up some confusion about the Holy Spirit.
Friends this is one of the most brilliant examples of sharing the gospel we have in the New Testament. He establishes common ground, zeros in on a problem they have by calling out the altar to the “unknown god.” The wording in Greek can mean simply ‘the god whom no one knows about,’ or ‘the god who has no name.’ Then he declares…I’m going to introduce you to the God you have not met yet!
Friends this is one of the most brilliant examples of sharing the gospel we have in the New Testament. He establishes common ground, zeros in on a problem they have by calling out the altar to the “unknown god.” The wording in Greek can mean simply ‘the god whom no one knows about,’ or ‘the god who has no name.’ Then he declares…I’m going to introduce you to the God you have not met yet!
So far, we have covered the first 15 chapters; a journey focused on spreading the gospel and opening the door of faith to a new group of people… the Gentiles. This highlighted the sovereignty of God not just over Jews but over the entire world, all people groups. Today we dive into Luke’s account of the second journey of the gospel's spread. In these remaining chapters, Luke doesn’t necessarily highlight God’s sovereignty but the Spirit’s in directing Paul and his companions into new geographical locations.
What if Easter didn't happen? Christians would be the most miserable people in the world. BUT What if Easter did happen? Join us for Easter as we explore this key question that changes everything.
Odds are most of you listening to me here, or on-line right now are experiencing some sort of conflict in your lives. If you’re not experiencing conflict now, you’ve just worked through some, or there is some on the horizon.
And I want you to know…you’re not alone. Conflict is inevitable, even when you’re an Apostle of Jesus and doing everything God asks you to do. Conflict Happens.
I’ve been thinking a lot this week about one of the most powerful words in the English language. It’s the word “should.” Today, we are going to see what happened in the early church when one group of Christians start "shoulding" another group of Christians and how it all works out.
I’ve been thinking a lot this week about one of the most powerful words in the English language. It’s the word “should.” Today, we are going to see what happened in the early church when one group of Christians start "shoulding" another group of Christians and how it all works out.
Now, as we fulfill our assignment as ambassadors taking Jesus to our friends, neighbors and nations, what should we expect will happen?
Now, as we fulfill our assignment as ambassadors taking Jesus to our friends, neighbors and nations, what should we expect will happen?
We’re continuing in our Acts series this morning so make sure you have your Bibles open to chapter 13. Jesus said, in chapter 1, that His followers would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth (v 8). That’s what we’re going to see today—faithful Jesus followers taking the good news to people who live far from them.
We’re continuing in our Acts series this morning so make sure you have your Bibles open to chapter 13. Jesus said, in chapter 1, that His followers would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth (v 8). That’s what we’re going to see today—faithful Jesus followers taking the good news to people who live far from them.
Today our story in Acts 12 reminds us of some incredibly important news and some incredibly refreshing news that can counter the threatening sense that evil seems to rule the day.
Dr. John H. Morgan, Founder and President of People Prosper International, speaks about unleashing the global church to solve poverty, save souls, and change the world.
If you recall the narrative from last week, we know what Cornelius’ family did. They heard about who Jesus was, and what he did and accepted the gift that Jesus provides. In the process of doing so, they were filled with the Holy Spirit. This captured Peter’s attention “They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” But as we continue the narrative into Chapter 11, we learn that it not only captured the attention of Peter, but also the Jews scattered all throughout Judea.
If you recall the narrative from last week, we know what Cornelius’ family did. They heard about who Jesus was, and what he did and accepted the gift that Jesus provides. In the process of doing so, they were filled with the Holy Spirit. This captured Peter’s attention “They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” But as we continue the narrative into Chapter 11, we learn that it not only captured the attention of Peter, but also the Jews scattered all throughout Judea.
What we are going to learn from Acts chapter 10 is that the price Jesus paid includes more than Peter thought as he interacts with a guy named Cornelius.
I love stories about God’s relentless pursuit of someone because He wants to draw them close. This morning we’re going to witness the amazing transformation of a guy who wanted nothing to do with Jesus. And we’re going to see how Jesus can grab the least likely person in the world and turn them into a fully devoted follower. This guy’s name is Saul. For many, he’s better known as Paul.
On Friday and Saturday, we had our annual Worldview Seminar here at Foothills Church. This year, the seminar theme was "Unfractured: Staying Together While Society Falls Apart." We had special guest speakers Monique Duson and Jonathan McKee help us address some important, current topics from a Biblical worldview.
Today, we have the privilege of continuing these conversations with Monique Duson.
As we shared a few times through our Christmas series, Christmas and Easter are joined at the hip. Without Christmas, there is no Easter. Without Jesus at Christmas there is no cross at Easter and no cross means no forgiveness, no reconciliation, no eternity with God in heaven.
As we prepare our hearts for communion, I want to take you to Colossians 1, a place where Christmas and Easter integrate together in a beautiful collision.
As we shared a few times through our Christmas series, Christmas and Easter are joined at the hip. Without Christmas, there is no Easter. Without Jesus at Christmas there is no cross at Easter and no cross means no forgiveness, no reconciliation, no eternity with God in heaven.
As we prepare our hearts for communion, I want to take you to Colossians 1, a place where Christmas and Easter integrate together in a beautiful collision.
In our day, we choose names mostly based on family connections or how a name sounds, or has the least offensive potential nicknames, etc. But, in Biblical days, names were intentional, given to communicate something significant. Let's look at the Christmas story and look at the various names Mary and Joseph were told to call Jesus.
So far in our Christmas series, we have reviewed some fundamental truths of Christianity that are found in the story of Christmas. But on Christmas Eve, the teaching team will be speaking from their hearts about their favorite parts of the Christmas story and why it means so much to them.
So far in our Christmas series, we have reviewed some fundamental truths of Christianity that are found in the story of Christmas. But on Christmas Eve, the teaching team will be speaking from their hearts about their favorite parts of the Christmas story and why it means so much to them.
In a culture where truth is decaying before our eyes, the timing of this series could not be more appropriate. Over the past few weeks, we have examined the absolute truths arising from the scriptures' Christmas account. By revisiting the truths of Christmas, we have discovered that the Christmas story centuries ago profoundly impacts today's world. I am excited to continue in this series as we open up to a passage of scripture that many of you are probably familiar with, Luke Chapter 2.
In a culture where truth is decaying before our eyes, the timing of this series could not be more appropriate. Over the past few weeks, we have examined the absolute truths arising from the scriptures' Christmas account. By revisiting the truths of Christmas, we have discovered that the Christmas story centuries ago profoundly impacts today's world. I am excited to continue in this series as we open up to a passage of scripture that many of you are probably familiar with, Luke Chapter 2.
Today, I want to talk about the significance of the birth of Jesus. Because, friends, our trees, lights, presents, parties, feasts, cards, ribbons, eggnog and stockings are meaningless if we don’t understand why His birth is such a big deal. Christmas is precious because God entered the world as a baby. Christmas gives us hope because God came, in person, to save us!
This week we are going to look at Jesus from another angle. Today we are going to look at his human nature and what it means that Jesus was fully man.
This week we are going to look at Jesus from another angle. Today we are going to look at his human nature and what it means that Jesus was fully man.
How ready and willing are you to believe in miracles? Most of us are probably eager for miracles in our lives. But, what if God brought a miracle into your life that was burdensome or meant hardship for you or thrust you out of your comfort zone? What if it meant you’d be misunderstood and judged by many? Today I want us to examine the beginning of the Christmas story. Jesus was supernaturally conceived.
How ready and willing are you to believe in miracles? Most of us are probably eager for miracles in our lives. But, what if God brought a miracle into your life that was burdensome or meant hardship for you or thrust you out of your comfort zone? What if it meant you’d be misunderstood and judged by many? Today I want us to examine the beginning of the Christmas story. Jesus was supernaturally conceived.
Today, we get to hear from the Steinert Family and all that they are doing for the Kingdom of God.
Today, we get to hear from the Steinert Family and all that they are doing for the Kingdom of God.
Today in our story in Acts, God makes a dramatic point about how much the truth matters to him and to the health of all our relationships.
Jesus has saved us. He has chosen us. He calls us His royal priesthood. We are to serve Him, represent Him, and bring Him honor and glory. He has entrusted His good news about forgiveness and salvation, not that we would remain neutral to save face, but that others would come to know Jesus and be saved!
God has called us to be his representatives, his ambassadors, his witnesses. God has given us that command. Our commitment to that command must be as resolved as these early Apostles. In the face of resistance, we must never be silenced. When resistance arises, we must remain resolved to advance the truth of Jesus.
As we step into chapter 3, we see an incredible story and demonstration of the power of the name of Jesus…and how it can heal body and soul.
This morning we’re going to pick up right where Sam left off last week: Acts 2:42-47. So, open your bibles because it will be important for you to follow along. What we’re going to see is the beginning of the church, the assembly of believers who belong to Jesus, and the importance of Christian life being lived in community.
In our text today in Acts, we will read through the events that took place on Pentecost. Before Pentecost, the river of God's Spirit blessed the people of Israel, and it was their very life. But after Pentecost, the Spirit's power spread to light the whole world.
Last week Brian got us started in Chapter 1 of Acts, where we saw Jesus prepare his Disciples for the coming of the Holy Spirit, though which the good news of the gospel would spread from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth. Jesus instructed his followers to return to Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit. And then he floated away. Up into the clouds. One would think that Luke, the author, would be eager to jump into the next part of the story when the Spirit comes and all the amazing things that happen under the ministry of the Holy Spirit, but instead, we get this strange interlude between the Ascension and the day of Pentecost.
This whole story happens while the followers of Jesus were waiting. How many of us like to wait?
The book of Acts is in many ways the sequel to the Gospel of Luke. And it helps us see what some of the first Christians did and how the gospel and the church went from just over one hundred believers in and near Jerusalem to a movement whose central gospel message was being declared to some of the highest officials in Rome…and now today the spreading flame of the gospel ignited in Acts burns strong all around the world.
Todays Psalm is one of only seven of its kind in the Psalms. It’s known as a penitential psalm. That is, it’s a Psalm of confession and humility before God. The Psalmist expresses sorrow over sin, or spiritual failures, and recognizes his need for God’s favor and forgiveness.
How well do you think you know yourself? I want to show you how David rolls this out in our Psalm today. He begins today by declaring that God is actively aware of your every action and anticipates your innermost thoughts. God knows you inside and out.
We’re looking at Psalm 103 as we continue in our Psalms of Summer this morning. This is a psalm of praise rooted in thanksgiving for all that God is and all He’s done. It’s divided into three sections, like nested circles, with each circle drawing out why God deserves to be worshipped: why He’s worthy of praise.
Our Psalm today is Psalm 91. Most of us will never be in legal protective custody, but Psalm 91 celebrates that each of us can live in the protective custody of God.
Today’s psalm was written by a guy named Asaph. Asaph was one of the members of the tribe of Levi whom David put in charge of the worship music. Asaph was responsible for taking some of David’s Psalms and putting them to music. However, as we see today, Asaph was also a songwriter as he wrote Psalm 73. After reading this psalm, I learned Asaph is my kind of guy. None of this fake Christian, happy smiley face; my life is fantastic; look at my three well-behaved children, my precious moments’ figurines on my bookshelf, Christianese non-sense. No, Asaph is a dude who is authentically honest with himself and with God. “Asaph is the type of guy who tells it like it is.”
Psalm 51 is a Psalm of David entirely devoted to confessing sin. The description in the heading of Psalm 51 tells us that David wrote this after Nathan the prophet confronts him on his sin with Bathsheba. David wrote this great confession, and it breaks down really nicely into 4 elements or sections for us to walk through. Next time we blow it perhaps we should remember these four steps and follow them when we confess our sins.
Psalm 46 is known as a Song of Zion. This psalm, along with a handful of others, is different because instead of celebrating God’s character, the Songs of Zion highlight and rejoice in God’s special relationship to Mt. Zion/Jerusalem, where His temple is located, and to His chosen people who worship Him there.
This morning we’re going to press on in our Psalms of Summer series by camping out in Psalm 40 where we learn that the people of God are marked by trust and obedience.
Psalm 34 is broken up into two sections. Verses 1-10 are recorded praises and verses 11-22 are David’s teaching. Let’s go ahead and start with what I believe to be the main subject to what David is writing on: The fear of the Lord.
Psalm 33 tells us that corporate worship is imperative. These first three verses contain six imperatives and use six different Hebrew words for worship. David is not suggesting but telling all who have been made righteous because of God’s forgiveness that the only appropriate response is worship.
This psalm is all over the map structurally. It is a mixture of wisdom literature and songs of thanksgiving. It is classified as a psalm of penitence with 6 other psalms, and yet it is also full of rejoicing and thanksgiving. There is reflection, declarations of praise, words given by God, words of wisdom and calls to worship and praise. It’s kind of a hard psalm to nail down, though the message is very clear. The big idea of the Psalm comes down to this: We are happiest in life when we walk in God’s forgiveness.
Today we are going to be looking at David’s Psalm of celebration recorded in Psalm 30. In order to fully appreciate why David is exalting God in his Psalm, we have to know the backstory that prompted it. It’s a story of David’s mess and God’s mercy.
David wrote Psalm 27, which he would use for his meditation, but it was also a liturgy that Israel used during the coronation of kings and even before a king left for battle. The psalm contains three sections. Part #1 and #2, as we will see, is a statement of confidence in which the worshiper (The King) publicly declares his faith to the congregation and intends to offer his sacrifices and praise to God. In part three, the king's ceremony shifts to a prayer not given to the congregation but directly to God for the congregation to observe. As we unpack this Psalms, we will see not only the truths that are apparent in this ceremonial psalm but also be encouraged to incorporate this psalm into our personal life.
Our text for today gives us solid wisdom on the way to ensure that your life is satisfying. It literally tells us how to ensure that our lives are meaningful and significant and how we can experience that deep sense of satisfaction in our lives. It tells us how we can prosper in life.
Today is a different kind of Sunday morning service. Today is our Annual Ministry Celebration. Once a year at this time we stop and take a few moments to look back and celebrate what God has done, and then we glance at the year ahead and highlight a few of our hopes and dreams. If you’re visiting today, perfect. It’s the perfect day for you to get a taste and an overview of our church.
Today marks the end of our series in Proverbs. All along the way Proverbs has recognized that in reality you and I are making choices about the kind of people we are going to be. When you stop to think about it, every moment of every day we are faced with choices about the paths we are going to walk in life…the words we’re going to speak…the actions we’re going take, and the attitudes we’re going to display.
Recognizing that reality, Proverbs attempts to coach us towards God’s path. Proverbs has tried to offer us wisdom, insight, knowledge, Holy Spirit led common sense and discernment that will enable us to walk according to God’s ways and God’s paths. And when we walk along God’s path through life we enjoy his direction, guidance, and watch-care over our lives…and we enjoy all the fruitfulness of that way of life.
Over the last couple of weeks, we have been making our way through the book of Proverbs. Proverbs is one of those books I remember growing up that my mom would regularly encourage me to read. A proverb a day makes the stupid gene go away. I read a quote that gets at the practical impact wisdom can have on our life. “Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.” Wisdom impacts your life, so you want to pick up the phone when it calls. While we have been uncovering the benefits of wisdom over the last couple of weeks, as we turn to chapter 4, we will understand how we acquire wisdom.
We’re continuing with our Wisdom Calling series this morning and we’ll be looking at the first eight verses of chapter three. If you noticed my uncreative title, let me explain. This chapter is really a continuation of what Brian walked us through last week in chapter two. But it drills down on one key area that Brian showed on his positive reinforcement loop image. The loop illustrates when wisdom is cultivated and practiced, you thrive. And that’s precisely what we’re going to see unfold in our text this morning.
God is the origin and source of wisdom and affectionate reverence opens the valve allowing wisdom to flow into our lives. However, the “fear of the Lord”—affectionate reverence—is only the beginning…because wisdom must be implemented to be activated. Remember wisdom by itself is unwise. You only enjoy wisdoms benefits and blessings when you apply it to your everyday life situations. Wisdom will not be attained or experienced by only knowing the wise to do; one must do it!
This morning we are stepping into a 5-Week series in the book of Proverbs. Our text for today is Proverbs 1:20-33. Wisdom is personified as a woman who calls out in the most obvious places possible to all who will listen to her. And she has an important message for each of us today about how to avoid self-defeating…self-destructive behavior in our lives.
We are wrapping up our Daniel Series together. It has been such a timely journey through this amazing book. And today I want to try and squeeze out some final nectar for us to teach us and inspire us. Today I want to focus on the person of Daniel, rather than the writings of Daniel. Don’t get me wrong, it’s important to study the stories and prophecies Daniel wrote about, but it’s also important to understand the life that Daniel lived.
Easter, as many of you are aware, celebrates the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth from the dead. A lot of people say, “I believe in the resurrection; I’m just not sure what it means for me.” So, here’s what I want to do in my time with you today. I want to talk about two things: What does Easter mean, and why does it matter?
Welcome to our Good Friday service. This afternoon, we will take time to remember what Christ did on our behalf in two ways. First, by reflecting on the scriptures’ account of Jesus’ work on the cross, and secondly, by doing what Jesus told us to do.
Today in our series on Daniel, we will be covering the last three chapters. While that may seem like a lot, it is essential to note that these last three chapters contain one long narrative. This narrative breaks into three movements. The first movement is chapter 10, where we will read a description of how Daniel received his final vision recorded within scripture. From there, we will dive into the second movement, which is a detailed explanation of the actual vision. Finally, in the last movement, Daniel receives final instruction.
Daniel has been receiving visions about God’s plan for humankind in the end of the age. In Daniel 9, he receives some defining events which help us understand some big picture sequencing on what is going to take place and things to look for as God unfolds his plan for the end of the age.
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Daniel’s vision in chapter 8 comes two years after the dream in chapter 7. Much like the dream that precedes this chapter, Daniels's vision is prophetic, and it contains animals that represent kingdoms and horns that represent kings. In fact, this vision is focused on one particular horn that emanates from one of these animals that demonstrates hostility towards God and his kingdom. While this vision predicted what happened centuries ago for us, it also serves as a mold for what is to come. We must understand that Antiochus is the mold for the coming antichrist, and it is not just in the sound of the name.
Today, in Daniel 7, I want to look at a dream Daniel had that has different elements, but they represent the same realities as Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in chapter 2. I want to review these two dreams with you and then overlay a passage from the book of Revelation that adds to it. Each of these visions/dreams when combined begins to give us an overall picture of the events to come at the end of the age, and what we can begin to look for.
Coming back to this story of Daniel in the lion's den as an adult has been a lot of fun because I realized that Daniel’s one night in the lion’s den is the capstone experience to his lifetime of survival in a hostile and dangerous environment. Daniel had spent the entirety of his life as an exile in a foreign land, and through all of it God protected, and guided, and used him in amazing ways. This morning we are going to learn some lessons from Daniel about how we can survive the lions in our lives while we live in an increasingly dangerous and hostile environment.
Between chapters four and five, twenty-three years have passed. King Nebby has repented, and shortly after he dies, a series of sons and sons-in-law have taken the throne. After some assassinations, many scholars now recognize Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson Belshazzar is ruling, and Belshazzar likes to party. It is at this party that we get to witness the collision of pride and humility… and we will see who wins. Let's check it out...
Today’s story reminds us that despite appearances; our God is in control and he…and he alone…will bring low even the most high and haughty, he can humble even the most prideful—those who appear to be getting away with living a godless life. Our story starts with another troubling dream experienced by the great Nebuchadnezzar, king of the superpower Babylon. Let’s jump in!
So far from Daniel chapter 1 we learned, “Despite Appearances, God is in Control.” In chapter two God made known his great wisdom exceeds all others. And today in our story, he will make known his unmatched power. No other god is like our God. No one saves like our God. No one preserves, protects, and delivers like our God!
There are times when it might seem the world is falling apart. You don’t know what tomorrow holds. This is where Daniel was… but God meets him right in his confusion, and God gives Daniel everything he needs to serve His purposes. Take note, believer in Jesus, God gives you everything you need to carry out his calling in your culture. When life’s out of control, hold onto the one that is.
Today we start a new series of messages from the book of Daniel. Daniel takes place at a time when the people of Israel are exiled Babylon. And like many of us in these days, they were asking: Where is all this going? When is all this going to end? How will we survive these circumstances? Is God really in control still? Has he lost his ability to manage all this? As we jump into the first chapter of Daniel, we begin to see something very, very important. Daniel makes it plain and simple…despite appearances, God is in control.
What many people don’t realize is, how we manage our money is one of the most spiritual things about us. It indicates more poignantly than almost any other area of our life, where our trust and dependence lie. Do we trust in our stuff, or do we trust in our Savior? So far we have considered two stewardship reclamations: (1) From idolatry to an exclusive love of God, and (2) From craving what you don’t have to contentment with what God provides. Today, I want to look at a third transformation: From fear of economic times to an exclusive trust in God.
Of all the reclamation projects that Jesus leads Christians through, often transforming how we manage our financial resources is perhaps the most difficult transformation we undergo. This week I want us to consider another aspect of the stewardship transformation that needs to occur in you and me if we’re going to be transformed into faithful, godly stewards: From craving what is not possessed to contentment with what God provides.
Stewardship Transformations are some of the most difficult and most important transformations Christians are called to go through. Today, I want to talk about why that is, as well as cover one aspect of this transformation that the Bible addresses; that is, to become a faithful steward each of us needs to transform from idolatry to an exclusive love for God.
Today, I don’t want to talk about some “resolutions.” I don’t want to talk about some small changes. Instead, I want to look at what God has to say about the complete transformation of a life
The Gospel, most of us know, is the good, great, amazing news that Christ was born, lived perfectly, became the perfect sacrifice to take the penalty of our sins and offers salvation to those who put their faith in them. The cool thing is, that Gospel, engages with our lives uniquely as God meets us in our individual messes and reclaims our lives. He gives us a new direction and focus our lives to share the gospel with all we encounter through word and action.
Today we step into a section of Romans—Chapters 9-11—where the focus is on the Jewish people and how they process this gospel of justification by faith alone. Paul is concerned for his Jewish brothers and sisters because the majority of them have failed to respond positively to the gospel.
The Holy Spirit marks and seals us. The Holy Spirit testifies the truth that we are His children. Since we are His children, that means we are heirs of God. Foothills Family, we are just that — family — when we receive the gospel, we are given the gift of adoption to a new father. We get to call God “Father,” and God calls us his children. We are co-heirs with Christ. This truth carries so much weight.
Today we are going to discover that the gospel gift is a gift that keeps on giving. The gospel gift is like those presents you receive wrapped in a gift bag. When you pull out the first object, you hear the gift giver say, “Keep looking, there’s more.” You search through the tissue and pull out another item. “Keep looking, there’s more. …Keep looking, there’s more.”
Today, Paul turns another major corner in his presentation of the Reclaimed gospel and begins to unpack additional results of the reclaimed gospel. Or another way to say it is, these are the game changing impacts of being able to stand before God “JUST-AS-IF-I’D” never sinned. What does justification before God mean for your life and mine?
In our section in Romans today, Paul does something brilliant. He brings a death blow to any argument that tries to add anything to being saved through faith alone. And the way he does it is to use the most powerful “case in point” for his listeners. He invites us to look closely at how the most idolized hero of the Jewish people was saved. He invites us to look at Abraham.
The really good news of the Gospel is, that we are justified freely by God’s grace.
Justified is a judicial term, a courtroom term. To be justified means to be pronounced guiltless, though we are proven guilty by God’s law. It means to be pronounced righteous, once for all, because the righteousness of Christ is applied to our lives.
A simple way to think of it is to think: Just-as-If-I’d never sinned. When we place our trust in what Jesus did on the cross—enduring our punishment for our sin—God declares us righteous—or right with Him. His righteousness is activated by your faith in him, and you are viewed by God as though you had never sinned.
After establishing that people have a sin problem, Paul starts addressing false beliefs circling in congregations in Rome. During Paul's time, Jewish Christians were doing their best to establish themselves above others within the church. These were religious moralists who thought they were exempt from God's judgment and wrath because they had not indulged in the immoral excesses described last week. We see this type of reasoning inside and outside the church. Well, I'm not as bad as those people. We tend to think God grades on a curve. These Jewish Christians all thought they had the inside scoop (The Jewish Law), and if they lived the majority of their life legalistically, according to the law, they were good. Yet Paul addresses this false belief and enlightens them of their legalistic hypocrisy.
One way pride tarnishes the gospel is by considering it unnecessary. Probably the most often used argument people lean on is that good people go to heaven.
The argument goes something like this: There is a good God who lives in a good place reserved for good people. This God goes by many names. He is behind all the major world religions. Therefore, all major, and possibly minor, religions provide a legitimate path to God. And, therefore, to heaven. The criterion for making it to this good place is to be good. Each religion has its own definition for good. But what they all have in common is that men and women must do certain things, and not do certain things, in order to assure themselves a spot in this good place with a good God.
Make sense? Actually, it doesn’t really make any sense at all.
Many outside the Church don’t view the Gospel as good news. For many, the Gospel is bad news. Jesus is the only way to heaven? I have to release control of my life to who? Consequently, to make the Gospel more appealing, some churches have fallen into the trap of layering the beautiful Gospel with lies, worldly philosophies, and ideas to make it less offensive. Some have done their best, taking something that was once so beautiful and tarnishing it with dung.
We throwing a party to celebrate 30 Years of Ministry in the foothills. Back in July of 1990, a handful of families began meeting in their homes, then at Blue Oak Elementary, and finally on our Merrychase campus. What God planted, God grew and we will celebrate.
As a church, if we have everything in this world, but do not have love, we have nothing. As people created in the image of God, if we have everything in this world, but we don't have love, we have nothing. We have to be known for our love. If we are only known for being a great teacher of the Bible, maybe known for our kindness or our benevolence, perhaps for our authentic community, we fall short. While these are all good things, we have nothing as a church if Foothills is not known for our love. Love is what sets us apart from country clubs and Friday morning bridge groups. Love is vital to the church, and it is important we remind ourselves of that. So, let's continue this morning by looking at three more expressions of love.
Today, I want to shift our focus a little to how you are relating with one another within the church. Are you engaged in true connection with others here within our church community? Are you experiencing authentic connection yourself? Are you experiencing belonging and are you investing in others, being there for others when they need you most? It’s easy to simply attend a church, be a part of the “crowd” but never really become part of the community.
this week I want to look deeper at a scene in Luke 5:27-32. This scene gives us some insight on what God intended when he started the church. In fact, it gives us some clues as to what the perfect church should look like.
But, if you’re a Christian, then you have a greater, more overarching Calling “Big C.” In other words, as a Christian, regardless of your career, job, or role in life, you have a greater “Big C” Calling laid over that and that is to represent Jesus to those you encounter. The Apostle Paul calls this our Ambassador Role.
These highlights of Moses’ life tell us why Moses is not honored in the sands of Egypt. The decisions and choices he made gained him honor with God instead. Let’s review a few of these choices and decisions.
As the ones closest to the Lord, Moses and Aaron bore the highest responsibility to preserve his reputation.” Like Sam said last week, God cares more about obedience than He does results. Even though Moses and God spoke face to face like friends—for decades—Moses didn’t get special treatment. No unique arrangement. No grandfatherly ‘wink’ and pretend it didn’t happen. God is holy. He is righteous. And, like Brian mentioned a few weeks ago, we must not lose the majesty of God because we’re so familiar with Him: The Big Guy, the Man Upstairs, my buddy, Jesus. Friends, obedience is not optional.
When it comes to assessing that question, today’s text teaches us about the most important investment of your life. Give yourself to this one thing and it will guide you and positively enhance everything else you choose to give your life to. Today, we witness God initiating a meeting with Moses and his people. This God-initiated meeting teaches us some important truths about our own meeting with God. Let’s step through this meeting and the arrangements that lead up to it.
This morning we step into one of the most notable stories of Moses’ life and of the Nation of Israel. When we think of Moses and the book of Exodus and Egypt most of us think of two things: The ten plagues and the parting of the Red Sea. Today, we step into the wild and epic account of the ten plagues and the lessons they teach us.
Do you ever find yourself in a catch 22? In a corner? In a predicament? Often, we can find ourselves in all sorts of different predicaments. Today we are going to watch as Israel finds themselves in a predicament right after they leave Egypt. Today, I want us to pay attention to how Israel responds when they find themselves stuck. By witnessing their response, I hope to gain some insight into what we should do when we find ourselves in the middle of a predicament.
Over the last two weeks, we have witnessed God chip away at Pharaoh's disobedient, hardened heart through nine miraculous plagues. While there seemed to be compromises along the way from Pharaoh, we can see in Exodus 10:28 that Pharaoh has decided to buckle down in his disobedience. This disobedience sets the stage for the climax of all the plagues, the 10th plague: death of the firstborn. This morning, we read about the Passover event instead of looking at this text from a 21st century viewpoint. I want us to step into the shoes of Moses, Pharaoh, and the Israelites as we witness how the role of obedience is essential to the Passover.
Last year I had the great opportunity to preach on God’s wrath. This year I get to preach on a passage that demonstrates God’s wrath! I’m not sure if that was intentional by Brian or if it just worked out that way. And I hope you don’t begin to despise the weeks I get to preach because they are so … wrath-filled. I hope that this morning you will actually see that God is really “slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness,” as it says in Psalm 103.
This morning we step into one of the most notable stories of Moses’ life and of the Nation of Israel. When we think of Moses and the book of Exodus and Egypt most of us think of two things: The ten plagues and the parting of the Red Sea. Today, we step into the wild and epic account of the ten plagues and the lessons they teach us.
Ever had a day that started out bad and then got worse? Today we journey with Moses on a day that was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. It went from bad to worse. I want us to pick up the story a few days prior with the last few verses of chapter 4:29-31.
Our service today is going to be a little bit different. For those of you have been around Foothills Church over the years, you know that each year about this time we set aside a Sunday morning to celebrate what God has been doing in our church family this past year, and we cast vision for where we believe God is leading us this next year.
The story of the Exodus – Israel leaving slavery in Egypt and being taken to the Promised Land is the “grand story” of the entire Bible. This story, set about 1300 BC is actually OUR story.
We may not be making mud bricks with straw out in the scorching sun with barely a day off, but slavery is common to the human condition. Slavery comes in many forms – slavery to other people, slavery to the dark forces of this world, slavery to addictions—drugs, alcohol, pornography, even the stock market (people losing sleep over their cryptocurrencies and meme stocks!)—and slavery to fear and anxiety.
What God did with the ancient people of Israel tells us something about how He deals with us today! So, this story is of paramount importance.
I have witnessed fear creep into the minds of followers of Jesus as it pushed faith out. As a result, many are not living to the full potential that Jesus has for them. Some have allowed the voice of fear to drown out the voice of God. Is fear speaking louder than God in your life right now? How do we check to make sure that our faith is what's driving our parenting, driving our marriage, driving our choices and life decisions rather than fear? How do we make sure we are living in step with God's full potential for us?
After his major, life-shattering failure, we left him sitting by a well in the desert area of Midian. Now, think about this, for the next 40 years he negotiates the Desert School of Self-discovery and his heart and soul are conditioned, and deepened, and his attitudes are transformed and seasoned. God didn’t abandon him. On the contrary, after his failure, God had him right where he wanted him — humbled and ready to submit his life to the full to what God wanted next.
One of the challenges of carrying out God’s will and call or plan for your life is doing so according to God’s timing and methods, rather than you own. This challenge has been going on for God’s people from the beginning. This challenge goes as far back as a man who worked to become highly qualified in his field, and despite becoming highly credentialed as a polished, capable, well-educated leader of men, he got out into the weeds and into some messy trouble. As you’ve probably already guessed, I’m talking about Moses. Turn in your bibles to Exodus 2:11-15 as we take another step in our series on the life of Moses.
Moses’ mother was a woman of great faith in God. But it was not a foolish faith. She loved Moses deeply and knew there was something special about him. She devised an ingenious plan and she executed it carefully, leaving the ultimate results to God.
Exodus is the book where we first meet Moses and the title kind of gives away the plot. Any time there’s a mass departure, whether huge swarms of people leaving the mall or thousands of people fleeing the country, we call it an exodus. And that’s exactly what exodus means: ‘going out’ or ‘departure.’ So, the story of Moses begins in the book of Exodus. But before we get to meet him, we need to understand where God’s people, Israel, were. We need to understand what they were up against. We need to grasp just how dire their situation was so that when God calls Moses to lead and deliver them, we get it.
As we bring to close this series on humility and begin looking at the practical ways of living humble lives, I wanted to draw our attention back to the passage Brian walked through on Easter. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul calls the Philippian church to have the same mindset as that of Christ Jesus. A mindset of humility.
This morning we are going to take a look at the book of James and see how James unpacks the topic of humility and we will see how it plays a role in four specific areas of life. Either we can live in the pride that is so easily cultivated in the world, or we can walk in humility.
Today we’re going to look at some examples from Jesus. Turn in your Bibles to Luke 14 for our first example of humility in a social setting.
Jesus is the quintessential example of humility because as Philippians states, though he was God, he did not consider equality with God something to be used for his own advantage. But made himself nothing, humbled himself, and allowed himself to be killed on a cross by humans. He gave up his life so that you and I could be forgiven and free. In other words, he used his power and authority to love, lift and free us from sin and its consequences.
Pastor Sam guides us through the 4 movements of the passion narrative. Prepare your hearts, grab a journal and spend time with the Lord. Be sure to pause if you need a little more time for reflection or prayer in between sections.
The external posture of humility indicates the internal heart's posture, which is a heart posture that fundamentally lacks awareness. Pride is a confused heart, confused on who is the Creator and who is the created. This confusion comes from a complete lack of self-awareness. Since humility is the antidote to pride, that must mean that humble people are self-aware people.
It is simply a terrible idea to allow pride to reside and go undisturbed in your life, in your attitudes, and in your style of relating. We have to locate and seek to illuminate pride, as the first step in learning to recognize it in your life. So, I’ve asked you to be making this a matter of prayer. And we’ve been looking at examples in the Bible to help us see it’s destructive, poisonous affects in our lives.
There is such a thing as appropriate pride. To be sure, pride is predominantly condemned in the Bible. However, there are a few instances where pride is used positively. In Deuteronomy 32:29, God is called Israel’s pride. And Israel is referred to as God’s pride and joy in Isaiah 60:15.
Over and over in the Bible, God calls us to rid our lives of pride and all its expressions because it poisons all life and health in our lives. I asked you to make this a matter of prayer and ask God to open your eyes to any petri dishes of pride or expressions of pride in your life or in those around you.
What would you say if I told you there was one sin, one vice that if with God’s help, you could purge out of your life, you could lessen your struggles with every other sin? What would you say if I told you there was one sin, one vice, that if with God’s help you could purge out of your system, you could improve every relationship in your life? If you purged this one vice, this one sin out of your life, your gifts, abilities, skills, and efforts would all be enhanced. What would you say?
We live in a broken world, don’t we? Pain, hurts, wounds are all part of what it means to live here. There is no such thing as a pain free life. Pain is inevitable and it’s universal. Following Jesus doesn’t mean all your pain is going away. Jesus doesn’t remove all the pain in life, He transforms it. He gives meaning to it. He gives purpose to it. Through Him, you can see the significance of your pain, but there’s no escaping it while you’re on this side of eternity.
Today, I want to talk to you about how to end the race well – the Growth Choice. That’s the seventh choice we’re going to look at in this message today.
“I reserve a daily time with God for Bible reading, self-examination and prayer in order to know God and his will for my life and to gain the power to follow his will.”
The Growth Choice says this: “I reserve a daily time with God for Bible reading, self-examination and prayer in order [here’s the reason why you do this, in order] to know God [that’s the first thing] and his will for my life [that’s the second thing] and to gain the power [that’s the third thing] to follow his will.”
Most all of us have a few, if not more, relationships that are in disrepair. As we go through life, we have painful experiences with people—we’ve sinned against them, or they against us. If we’re not careful, we can build walls to try and keep the pain out, to keep ourselves from being hurt again. When we do that, we end up locking ourselves in a prison and locking other people out. To rebuild relationships, you have to tear down the walls.
Today, we're going to look at the fifth beatitude, which is: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness sake…" While this is the fifth beatitude that we are examining in v. 6. We will be looking at it from Jacob's perspective in Genesis 31 a
The first way we let God do his work in our life is by doing a little housecleaning in our heart and soul. This choice is where the rubber meets the road for many of us. We are all fine and dandy when it comes to mentally understanding that we aren’t God and that God can do his healing work in us and that we are willing to let him do that.
if you are a Jesus follower, meekness is not optional. Let me demonstrate to you what I mean. Meek in greek is praeis, which carries different levels of meaning. On the surface, it can mean mild or humble. But there’s a deeper meaning to this word, and it’s the one I want to focus on today. In Greek, the word praeis was often used to describe animals whose natural wild spirit had to be broken by a trainer. Why? So the animal could become useful.
That gets us to the second choice in our series. The second choice is in Jesus' second Beatitude. Look at Matthew 5:4.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
The second choice is the hope choice. It is the choice to earnestly believe that God exists, that you matter to him, and that he has the power to help you change. It's based on this Beatitude - Matthew 5:4. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."
One of the games that really stressed me out was Whack-a-Mole. Does anybody remember this game? Whack-a-Mole. In Whack-a-Mole these moles pop up out of holes. You take a rubber club, and you try to knock the moles back down. As soon as you slam one down, what happens? Another one comes up. Then you slam that one down and two come up. You slam that one down and three come up. It goes on and on and on. Okay…Big deep cleansing breath. ☺
And here’s the thing…there’s no winning this game. No matter how many you slam down they keep coming back up. And pretty soon it’s game over…or you just give up and walk away.
Friends, Whack-a-Mole is a metaphor for your life. Just about the time you've got one problem whacked down, what happens? Another problem pops up. And you whack that one down and two more come up. You whack that one down and three more come up. That is life. Whack-a-Mole.
Throughout history, the Israelites and Christians have endured the darkness of this world through persecution from governments, wars, plagues, famines, the list goes on and on about the level of darkness in this world.
I mean it’s no different today. We have people in our church family here who have endured six wars in their lifetime, the Great Depression, the 80s! Talk about a dark time! From the clothes, to the hair, to the music! Ah man! Thank God we have Bieber today!
But, Advent…hope, peace, joy, love, those aren’t only for the four weeks leading up to Christmas. They impact our everyday life all year long as we, the people of God, look forward to His second comingx
The culmination of our Christmas Series is here! The true meaning of Christmas is unveiled in the person of Jesus Christ. Join us as our worship team and pastors join together in song and conversation looking at what the hope of Jesus means in our current context.
As we unveil Christmas, today we will be unwrapping the advent of love. I cannot think of a more misconstrued topic. There is a lot of confusion out there today as to what love is. Some say love is a feeling, an emotion that rises out from within us. Others confuse it with compassion or an absence of judgment. There are so many ideas about love.
Joy is a feeling called forth by well-being, success, or good fortune. A person automatically experiences it because of certain favorable circumstances. It cannot be commanded. Joy includes happiness, contentment, satisfaction but is not limited to those things. On the other hand, Joy as an Action can be engaged in regardless of how a person feels.
Today we light the second candle: the Candle of Peace. It’s amazing the power that that little, five-letter word carries. It’s something that everyone longs for because we live in a world that desperately needs it!
Life is full of winter seasons and challenges; nevertheless hope! What an amazing concept. It stands in this text as a signal of grace! It broke into their hopelessness with a promise of mercy! It declared God’s committed love for his people then and it still speaks hope to us today.
This Thanksgiving week we have the perfect opportunity to practice thanksgiving and model it for those in our lives. The scripture is filled with instructions to be thankful and filled with examples of great men and women of God being thankful and expressing that in a regular and ongoing way, to God and to each other.
This week, we come to a passage that is really heavy on application. If you are the kind of person that likes to come to Church on Sunday morning and just wants to be told what to do, this is the Sunday for you. If you want to cut through the doctrine and the theology and all that fluff and just talk about what we are supposed to do, this is it. Paul is getting to the end of his letter to the Philippians and he is moving from the exploration of ideas to the application of how to live.
Some of you may have noticed that when our hearts are at peace with God and at peace with key relationships in our lives, we can navigate the stresses of life much, much better. Staying heart connected with Jesus and with one-another provides the needed elasticity to flex and bend with the crazies of life without letting them break us.
The crazy culture that the Philippians faced is similar to the crazy culture we face today. A culture torn apart by conceit, pride, and selfishness. Paul calls/commands the Christians to change their ways and conduct of living to not reflect the world in all its pride but to reflect Christ in all his humility demonstrated in the gospel of his sacrifice.
Now, as we get started today, consider with me for a moment the opposite of humility. That is, pride! Have you ever noticed that pride is a sin that always divides people? Other sins bring people together for a time, as in the case of thieves. They are together at least until the bounty is divided up. But pride always works to divide. It says, "Who I am, what I have or what I want is better or more important than who you are, what you have or what you want." Pride divides!
In this section of the letter, Paul shifts his focus off his introductory comments about himself and instructs those reading this letter. In making this transition from him to us, Paul uses the word Monon. The Greek word monon refers to the exclusivity of the next sentence. Monon, some of your translations may read, "only," or, "alone," but more accurately, it is interpreted as "just one thing." In other words, Paul makes his transition… In the midst of whatever mountain you are facing… amid whatever trial… amid this crazy world, remember this!
"Whatever happens (just one thing), conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ." - 1:27
At first glance, from the outside looking in, it seems like everything has gone wrong in Paul's life: God’s man is in jail, his ministry is shot, he may be executed. But that’s not what God sees. God sees circumstances that are bursting with opportunity. There are no accidents with God. God can use the most trivial or trying circumstances in our lives to draw people to Himself. The question is: “Will I trust Him?” Will I let God use me however He wants for His glory and for the sake of those who need to know Him? Will I trust Jesus in the middle of my mess to give me what I need so I can be His witness? Will I look to Him in the simple parts of my day with a sense of expectancy knowing He wants to do good things for others through me?
Would you like your life to honor and glorify God? You’re here today, so I would bet that every one of you in this room this morning wants that. We don’t want our lives to bring disgrace to God, we don’t get up every morning and think, “How can I make God look bad today?” We don’t want our lives to be a downer for God. We want our lives to bring glory and praise to God.
The responsibility in finishing the work which Christ began in you is indeed Jesus Christ’s. However, the work of completing Christ’s Great Commission has been given to us! We go, we make disciples, and we teach them all we’ve learned from Christ, and then Jesus saves and completes the good work!
Today, I want to talk further about what it means to be ready and willing to grab a corner of the mat for those God brings into the orbits of your lives at home, at work, at school, on the sports field, or the sidelines; in your neighborhoods, and when you’re out and about in our community. The Apostle Peter gives us some good direction in terms of readiness to be mat carriers.
Today, I want to refresh us in what our calling is to our immediate foothill region. We’ve talked Nations and Global the last few weeks…but, today I want to talk about our local priorities—the heart we are to have and the responsibility we have to our surrounding communities.
I want to let you know or remind you that our church here in these foothills is part of a much bigger alliance. We are part of global movement of churches called The Alliance—the Christian and Missionary Alliance. Today I want to spend our time helping you get acquainted or reacquainted with this Alliance we are a part of. The first thing I want you to know is that the Alliance we’re part of is Christ-centered.
This morning we start with the Church. What is the church? What is the makeup and Nature of the Church? What is the purpose of the Church? Why are we here and why are we doing the things that we do? Are we doing it right? Is there something we are missing? Sometimes its good take a few moments to remind our selves of why we do what we do and make sure we are on the right track.
I would be wrong to not ask you, Church, are you giving your leftovers to God? Have you become discouraged by the trials of life? The death of a loved one, financial burdens, wayward children? Have you become distracted by self-centered goals of 401k’s and vacations, and houses, and cars, and so instead of offering your BEST to God, you’re offering your leftovers? Are you so consumed by your career, by your kids’ sports, hobbies…good things…that they’ve caused you to give less than your best to God?
Your worship…your life…reflects your belief about God.
COVID-19 slammed us; George Floyd episode; massive BLM protests were invaded by rioters. It is my opinion that, apart from the virus event, two worldviews are colliding. A worldview is not about race or ethnicity. It inevitably flows from religion and philosophy. The word “worldview” comes from the German language, meaning “world perception.” A worldview is simply an understanding of how the world functions. For over 200 years, this country functioned with a biblical Judeo-Christian worldview. In the last sixty years a secular worldview has increased in influence until it dominates our culture’s thinking.
It is a clear and direct declaration of God's coming judgment on the Day of the Lord. That is our Key Phrase for Zephaniah: The Day of the Lord. In this book, God speaks, Zephaniah writes, end of story. Yet there are some profound promises in this book that we get to unpack together this morning.
Today we are going to look at the book of Habakkuk. Just so you know, as of this week, Habakkuk is my favorite of all the minor prophets. I didn’t know this two weeks ago but now it’s my favorite for a couple of reasons. The first one is because we get to witness a conversation with God. There is a real back and forth interaction with God here and that is pretty rare in the Old Testament.
My hope is that this phrase will help you to remember that while God is a jealous God and can be filled with wrath, that His grace is everpresent.
Today we continue in our Timeless series by taking a look at the book of Micah. Micah was all too familiar with injustice and people whose hearts were far from God. That’s why he was called into ministry: to warn God’s people that judgment was coming unless they dumped their corrupt religion and started living right.
Today we step back into our Timeless series…where we are taking one week in each of the minor prophets. We are finding these very ancient words to have very powerful lessons for living today. Today we are in the book of Jonah.
Today’s sermon time is going to look a little different than normal. If you’re new with us, this is a great day to be here because you’re going to hear us celebrate what really matters to us around here—lives changed for Jesus.
Each year, we take a Sunday in early June to celebrate God’s faithfulness as our provider, and your faithfulness as his stewards over this past year.
God was on the move in you and through you, into our community and the world. Everything we’re going to celebrate today is born out of this reality. We’re thanking God today, AND we’re thanking you for being faithful and for resourcing God’s work in these foothills, in our Nor Cal region, and literally around the world.
From the beginning, people have passionately longed for justice to be delivered. They have struggled with the reality of wicked people going along in life unchecked, and unpunished. So, how does the Bible encourage us to process these kinds of emotions and reactions to the godless thriving and succeeding with little or no accountability?
Today, we are taking another step in our Timeless series where we are looking at the ancient truths of the minor prophets and their timeless relevance for our lives today. And today we’re going to see what the prophet Amos has to say about how we can live our lives in greater alignment with God.
Probably the best indication of the state of the nation of Israel at the time of Joel’s prophecy is the magnitude of the judgement God brings against them. Large scale sin brings large scale judgment.
Today, I want to refresh us on a dramatic story found in the book of Hosea that declares the mind-blowing depth of God’s love for undeserving people.
I bet if I were to take a poll, "How many want your life to be significant and important?" Just about everybody would say, "YES." No one wants to live a life of insignificance. I truly believe God wants that too. Yet it is sad how many… Corona Virus or not, struggle with significance.
This morning we are taking our third step into our series titled The Cure. The Cure is so comprehensive that it has saved us from death, freed us from those hurts, habits, and hang-ups in our life and it can heal us from sickness. During a season where so much focus is on sickness, I am happy to talk about healing, a healing that is not dependent on testing or medical technology.
Fear can fuel our limitations, and as a result, we can often live lives that are not filled with the potential God has given us. I want to make very clear, I am not advocating fearlessness. Jesus wasn't fearless -- look at his interaction at the garden of Gethsemane with God. I believe fear is an important instrument and can fuel safety.
While I don't want to downplay the impact C-19 has, there is a disease that has been plaguing this entire globe that goes back to the beginning of humankind. Like C-19, it, too, is a disease that originated within one man. Like C-19, it is incredibly contagious. It's a disease that infects us while we are still in the womb. Like C-19, many people walk around asymptomatic, utterly unaware that they are infected. But unlike C-19, this disease has a 100 percent mortality rate if left untreated. That disease is sin.
Pastor Phil and Brian along with our worship team invite have put together a great service to celebrate The Risen King, Jesus. We want to celebrate the impact of Easter with you. Let’s review three clear ways Easter impacts you personally.
Pastor Dillon and Brian along with our excellent classic Worship team invite us to celebrate a classic Easter service. We want to celebrate the impact of Easter with you. Let’s review three clear ways Easter impacts you personally.
Pastor Sam and Doug and sit down to fellowship with members of Foothills Church on ZOOM and reflect on the Passion of Jesus. This is a time to think through what Jesus' suffering and death truly represent as we look forward to the hope of Easter.
This morning, the author of Hebrews presents a tale of two mountains. The two mountains of Sinai and Zion while real places are meant to represent two different ways of living life in relationship to God.
Now…today…I want to talk about blood. Why does it matter so much to our faith? With just a bit of insight into the dynamics of man’s relationship with God, I think you’ll see why blood matters so much.
Obviously, in four weeks we can’t begin to cover the whole of Hebrews. So, let me bring you up to speed to texts I’ve chosen for this series. I’m calling this series The Superiority of Easter. This is because the purpose of book of Hebrews is to show Christ’s superiority as a savior—that he was the only one qualified to accomplish true, legitimate salvation for you and me.
The Bible clearly teaches that there is this sort of cosmic ultimate conflict between good and evil, between God and his followers and Satan and his followers. Our passage today in Ephesians addresses the reality of this “spiritual war in the heavenly places.”
As “Included ones” in our new standing with God “in Christ,” we do our best to live in godly ways. As we seek to do good, evil does its best to attack and destroy us. How can we fight back? This passage helps us understand that our human effort is completely inadequate. However, God’s strength and power is mighty and his resources are invincible. Read verses 10-12
Today, we’re going to pick up right where he left off because this text is an extension of last week’s which is tied to Ephesians 5:21, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” So, open up your Bibles to Ephesians 6 because, in just a minute, we’re going to take another look at the impact of being be included in Christ can have on our relationships.
Submission in marriage is a topic where conflict, tension and confusion abound. I hope to clear some of this up today. I don’t believe that Scripture was given to confuse and frustrate. Rather, it is given to enlighten, illumine and guide us towards the best that our creator has in store for us.
I say this frequently, but want you to be aware of another assumption I’m making today. Since God is the creator of our lives, he knows best out of anyone how we can achieve our best, maximize our potentials and make the most of our lives.
It seems from today’s verses in Ephesians, as those included IN CHRIST—through faith in him, and in his death and resurrection—we need to be “Motel 6” type people. Included ones are called to leave the light of God on in our lives. Read verse 8
Merely, we all at some point were hopeless, in bondage to disease, destructive patterns of living, and death was the end. We were all once excluded, but because of Jesus, we are included, no longer in bondage, but enabled to experience health, freedom, constructive patterns of living, and life is the end. For those of us in a relationship with Jesus, we are considered the sons and daughters of God by Christ’s blood. No longer do we possess the DNA of Sam, Brian, Karri, etc. but the DNA of Christ. Our identity is Jesus; after all, we are called “Christians," little Christs. That is our standing.
Today, we are going to explore the calling and empowerment for growing up into all God designed us to be. We’re going to talk about change and how change can happen in your life.
This week, as we step into the next part of Ephesians 4, Paul carries another important theme over from verses 1-6. It’s the theme of unity. This is a critical value for the included ones.
The topic of abortion is a divisive one. But, it's one the church must engage in to be a light in our culture. Is this a political issue or a spiritual one? How do we bring grace, compassion and truth into this topic? How do we offer a soft landing to women embroiled in this battle? How can men step in and be a positive force of grace and truth? Bryce sits down with Tanelle Forgy of Pregnancy Counseling Services and OBGYN Dr. Ali Tobin-WIlliams and have a discussion about this and much much more.
In Paul’s letter he has been reminding us of the Truth of our salvation and what that means: that we’re now heirs, by grace and that we are the INCLUDED. Now, he moves in his letter to reveal to us what that means in practicality. What it looks like to live our lives from the perspective that we are the INCLUDED. Heirs of the King of kings. Recipients of a grace that is nearly incomprehensible.
Now, Ephesians 1-3 describes the firm foundation of a Christian’s standing in Christ, and then Ephesians 4-6 describes the Christian’s walking IN CHRIST. You have to understand your standing before you can effectively do your walking. Understanding your standing impacts your walking!
In our text today, I want you to ride along with me as we go and tour some homes. As we tour, we are going to watch people choose to reject the home Jesus provides and stay put in the house of status quo. In Matthew 2: 1-8, we will witness one individual who is repulsed by Jesus and doesn’t want to have anything to do with him.
All month long, as a church, we’ve been talking about the advantages of coming home for Christmas: not just physically coming home to be with family and friends, but spiritually coming home to God through faith in Jesus.
Today we come to the finale of our series. Today I want to talk about the One…the only One who makes coming home to God possible. He’s the One who unlocks all these advantages and makes available to us. They are only possible because Jesus was born in the flesh at Christmas.
When we come home to a relationship with God that comes with all sorts of advantages as well. Phil highlighted the benefit of the community with God and his followers. Dillon, last week, talked about the foundation that a relationship with God provides through his Word. Today, we will discover the benefit of empowerment.
Today we are going to shift gears a little bit and talk about how coming S04 Home for Christmas means coming home to a strong foundation in God’s Word. We are going to talk about the Bible as the preservation of God’s word; we are going to talk about the power of God’s word and the person of God’s word. And how these three aspects of God’s word give us a strong foundation.
Today we begin a new series of messages designed to tune our hearts to the profound significance of the Christmas season. It’s our hope to cut through the glitz and commercialism of the season and refresh ourselves in the significance of Christmas…not just during the month of December, but the significance for every area of our lives. What happened at Christmas was literally the initiation of the fulfillment of God’s hopes and dreams for us.
let me invite you to keep a couple things in mind. Paul’s prayer opens our eyes to what God is eager and willing to do in us and through us, but also what he is capable of doing. It’s good to understand both. Paul’s prayer grows out of his awareness of all that God is doing in, and through the included ones. His prayer is a kind of fuel on the fire of God in and through his Church.
As an Apostle Paul was a steward, appointed by God to be a voice piece of the riches of Christ to all humankind, especially the non-Jewish people in the regions he traveled. And he was the steward of what he called a “mystery of Christ.”
A mystery in the NT sense does not mean something fuzzy, or unclear, or uncertain. Instead, “mystery” is a technical term that refers to a truth that has not previously been made known, and in many cases a truth, which because of its character, can never be grasped, or understood by the unaided human intellect or by mere human ability.
God’s grand purpose is that all things in heaven and earth become included in Christ. One commentator put it this way, "Christ came into the world, ultimately, to reunite, to head up again, in Himself all things both in heaven and in earth" (pg 152). In chapter 2, Paul wants to demonstrate to the readers that God is already at work in accomplishing his purpose of "inclusion."
Before we were Included in Christ we were essentially walking dead people, zombies of sorts. Men and women looking like we were alive on the outside, but inside there was only death and decay. We were trapped in bondage to our natural, godless way of doing things. We lived with spiritual blinders on, literally unable to comprehend spiritual things and spiritual life, with a complete inability to change our ways.
Being “in Christ” has tremendous, life-changing implications for those who believe in Jesus. Last week learned being “In Christ” means the believer becomes the recipient of blessings like being holy and blameless in God’s sight, being adopted as God’s very own child, and being sealed by the Holy Spirit, who serves as a deposit guaranteeing the inheritance of every blessing Jesus makes possible. There is tremendous assurance for us (S06) IN CHRIST. There is tremendous security for us IN CHRIST. There is tremendous promise for the future for us IN CHRIST.
In my experience in talking with people over the years, I have observed a very common struggle to do what that verse calls us to do—to throw off everything that hinders and entangles. And most of the time the struggle to “throw off” what needs to be thrown off, is rooted in confusion about their connection with Jesus—who he is, and what he has done and desires to do in them, for them, and through them. Their fuzzy understanding stunts their maturity and growth.
The teaching the Apostle Paul gives us in the book of Ephesians can speak some clarity in this kind of confusion and misunderstanding. I’m calling this series Included.
This Sunday we had some guests share and encourage us with what God is doing in the world through the Gideon International Ministry and WIlliam Jessup University. We as believers have an opportunity to live lives that exemplify the gospel and pass it down to our children.
Today I want to refresh us in a few more fundamentals about how we are to manage the money God has allowed each of us to have. The first thing you have to understand if you are going to be a godly money manager, is God is the owner of everything. Take a look at these verses spread widely throughout Scripture.
In the Bible, there are hundreds of verses that talk directly or indirectly about money, and possessions, and how God’s people are to use them. The sheer enormity of the Bible’s teaching on this subject screams for our attention. It might shock you, but more is said about money in the Bible than about love, prayer, and other topics we might assume are more important to God.
Today, I’m fulfilling a promise to you. Today I am starting a new series that I cued you up for a couple of times last spring. I shared with you the dilemma we’re facing as a church It’s a dilemma of a growing shortage of seats in our chapel venue and often in our 9:30 and 11am LIVE venue. I shared with you our plan and vision for this, and I invited you to begin praying about the part God would have you play in the financial support of this effort.
Today we’ll be reading from Deuteronomy 32 and learning what Moses’ parting words were to Israel as they entered into the promised land without him. In chapter 32, we see that Moses’ final instruction as Israel’s leader is through the form of song.
Today we are going to be diving into chapter 27 of Numbers as we continue on in our series “The Process.” Due to time constraints last week I want to make time to make note of a couple things that I was not able to address. As you recall from last week we watched as Israel had an affair on God as Israel turned its back on God through the worship of gods. Sin crept its way in between Israel and God and instead of pursuing divorce God pursues reconciliation by instructing Moses to find the sin, expose the sin and then to kill the sin.
Today we continue in the process of watching Israel navigate through the process God has them in. The last couple of weeks we saw the camera shift focus from Israel onto Balaam and Balak. Today the camera continues in the narrative as it switches focus back onto the nation of Israel. Lets read and see what Israel is up to.
This morning we pick up where we left off last week. As you recall Balaam a diviner who makes a living by blessing and cursing people and nations was summoned by the King of Moab Balak to put a curse on the nation of Israel. King Balak was in the desperate straights pulling any straws he could that would help him get a leg up on defeating the nation of Israel by turning to spiritual warfare by trying to put a curse on the nation of Israel.
Within the world and even within some Christian circles there can be at times a mentality that if God was loving he would often protect us from all sorts of battles and trials in our lives. Yet as we have been discovering in this summer series of the process is the opposite. As believers in Christ we still more times than not have to face the consequences of our sins and choice.
Today as we keep working through the 40-year Process that God took Israel through in the desert; we are going to learn about the power of focus. So please open up your Bibles to Numbers 21 as we hang out verses 4-9 this morning.
The process can often put us in very difficult situations emotionally, spiritually even physically. The question often become how do you respond? Do you let your circumstances dictate your faith, theology, your actions or do you rest in your faith responding in obedience to Christ. In Exodus 20 we learn from Israel, Moses and Aaron how to respond when in the process.
This morning, we pick up in what has been called the most dramatic chapter in all of Numbers! I mean Ch 14 last week…you know, with the spies returning and lying to Moses and God wanting to destroy them, lol, that was pretty dramatic.
Well, here we are again! The people are AGAIN revolting, rising up, wanting to be done with Moses and Aaron…the men that GOD has made clear over and over that He has chosen and wants in leadership…the people are rising up against.
This morning we get to join Israel in one of their biggest decisions in the Old Testament. When we arrive on the scene the host of Israel is camping in the desert of Paran, just outside the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land.
Complaining is a dangerous game, friends. You might just get what you ask for! Today I want to take a look at one of my favorite stories about the Israelites as they’re heading for the Promised Land. It’s from Numbers 11.
Life has a way of making unexpected turns doesn’t it? Woke up early Monday to go on a jog so that when I got home I could spend the evening wrestling with my kids. Little did I know that instead of wrestling with my kids I would be waiting in the ER for my son’s physical exam after a bike crash. I heard the saying you know how to make God laugh? You make plans… We have this tendency in life to think at times that we got it all under control don’t we? We can plan one thing for the day but than something unexpected happens.
“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” – John 4:23-24
In addition to our theme text in John, there is one other passage in the Bible that gives direct teaching about how we can get the most out of a worship gathering and that is 1 Corinthians 14. This is our text for this closing message of the series. Turn in your Bibles to 1 Cor. 14. We’ll be focusing on verse 26 and following. Let me give you some context for what Paul’s about to share.
Today is a day of celebration here at Foothills Church. Today we step out of our normal rhythm in our worship service and we stop and look back and celebrate what God has done in us and through us as a church. We also take a moment and look forward to where we believe God is leading us over this next year. And, in the process, we take care of some church business along the way.
One of the frustrating things about the English language is how broad it can be. We will see this frustration take shape as we investigate the words of worship in hebrew. What we will see in these passages is that in the English all the words will read as “praise” however in the Hebrew there are really 7 different words which carry different meanings and connotations when referring to Worship. This week we will be looking at 4 of these words and next week we will look at the last 3. The first word we are going to dive into is yada.
One of the frustrating things about the English language is how broad it can be. We will see this frustration take shape as we investigate the words of worship in hebrew. What we will see in these passages is that in the English all the words will read as “praise” however in the Hebrew there are really 7 different words which carry different meanings and connotations when referring to Worship. This week we will be looking at 4 of these words and next week we will look at the last 3.
Today I want us to give some thought to what it looks like to enter into Holy worship with our Whole selves—heart, mind, soul, and strength? Turn in your Bibles to Psalm 95. I want to use Psalm 95 as our guide for what it looks like to enter into holy worship with our whole selves.
Part of what it means to worship in Spirit and truth is to be informed and allow Biblical truth to shape our perspectives on worship rather than the forces in our pasts. So, today I want to do a high level fly over of our heritage as worshipers from the Bible. I want to revisit our spiritual ancestry get a fresh sense for our worship roots. When did worship start? What does worship look like for the people of God?
Worship is something I have done most of my life. But, I can never remember hearing a sermon, let alone a series of sermons on worship. And I have never studied worship, let alone teach on it. I’ve just sort of followed suit of those around me, it’s what we do, and I like to sing, and I like music, so I never questioned or found it difficult to worship.
In this series we’re going to address questions like these. We’re going to take a step back and examine what worship really is? When did it start? Why did it start? What does it accomplish? Why has the gathered church consistently engaged in it for centuries?
Now, in chapter 17, Jesus does something remarkable. He takes the time to pray with his disciples. Why is this remarkable? We all pray, we know Jesus prayed a lot so what’s the big deal? Prayer is a familiar theme throughout the Gospels. Jesus talks about prayer, he gives lessons on prayer, but most of the time, when we see Jesus pray, he goes off alone, to a quiet place, away from everyone else that needs something from him or wants something from him, and he spends his quiet time in prayer with his heavenly father. He connects relationally with his father. So this is one of the few places where Jesus’ prayer is recorded in the presence of others. We get a glimpse into his relationship with his father.
What does it mean to made in the Image of God? Does the Gospel truly transform lives? Many Christians feel like they have a good foundation for these questions but when applied to sexual identity and homosexuality we have questions and doubts. Drew Berryessa is a very unique voice in this conversation and challenges believers to believe in the gospels transforming in all areas of life including sexuality.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" 2 Corinthians 5:17
Today, as Jesus is preparing to be crucified and brutally killed on a cross, he tells us how we can live lives that matter…lives that are meaningful and lives that produce maximum impact according to his design and will for us.
Friends, when you encounter the love of Christ you are changed. It is really easy for me to see who has encountered the love of Christ and who hasn’t. I can see it in the lives of people because that love begins to express itself through the way people live their life.
Unless Jesus returns in our lifetime death is waiting. Some of you may be pacing through life so fast that you lost sight of that fact. Or maybe you are so distracted that you forgot. I have a serious question, are you prepared for it?
Now, as we step into John 13 today, Jesus has withdrawn to the upper room with his closest, inner circle of followers. I need you to imagine how intimate and intense this scene is. His ministry to the masses is now over as he begins to prepare himself and his closest followers for his suffering, death, and resurrection. John opens Chapter 13 with some private insights on where Jesus’ head and heart was in this moment. I hope you can imagine the vibe in the room. Jesus enters into this Passover feast with heightened, tender emotions toward his friends, and laser focus on his mission.
I want to talk about what it takes to make your marriage really shine. I want to highlight some of the little things that can make your marriage stand out. You know what I’m talking about. You’ve seen these couples. They look like enjoy being together even after 50 years. When they’re near each other they’re finding subtle ways to let the other know, “I’m glad you’re here.” It’s a glance. It’s a little touch. It’s a smile and a sparkle in the eye.
Today, I want to talk about God’s call for a wife to submit to her husband and how doing so helps fulfill a husband’s deepest value. So follow along while I read Ephesians 5:22-24 and 33.
I want to continue exploring this theme of mutual submission by looking at a specific illustration that focuses on a husband and wife. I realize that not everyone here is married, but I believe the overarching themes in this text can help every relationship between a man and a woman.
What if we’ve completely missed the point of relationships? What if God gives us our relationships not just to make us happy but to make us holy? What if God doesn’t care about enhancing your self-image as much as conforming you into His image?
The Bible is our owner's manual for life. And the Bible tells you what you can and can't do with your life. If you ignore the owner's manual, you're going to run out of gas. And all over our nation, people are emotionally running out of gas, relationships are dying, careers are dying, dreams are dying because they're not paying attention to the owner's manual.
Today, I want to continue in our series on living with a margin by looking at the keys of a productive life.
That's the goal for living with margin…we want to maintain or even increase effectiveness while lowering stress and pressure. Most people really want their lives to count; we want our lives to matter. We want to feel useful; we want to make a difference. We don't want to waste our lives; instead, we want our lives to be productive.
The fast pace of our culture, especially here in California, is so pervasive that anthropologists are now studying how it is actually damaging the human race. They're actually studying its effect on the brain and other systems in our bodies. Obviously, studies can provide some important data, but the Bible is very clear about how hurried and busy lifestyles affect our lives. Let me share a few of what the Bible indicates are the many damaging effects of a life without margin—how living in a hurry all your life hurts you.
Now in this series we're going to look at many of the benefits of living with a margin, but in this introductory message let me just mention a couple things. During the rest of this series, you're going to learn the biblical basis of living with margin.
Gratefully, at Christmastime, we have the opportunity—if we’ll take it—to remember that, because of Jesus, the One who came at Christmas, we can be free: Yes! Free from our past. Free in our present. Amen! AND free in the future. Your future is secure because of the One who came at Christmas. And that’s what I want to talk about with you today.
Not only did Jesus come in the flesh to forgive, heal, and free us from the consequences of our past. He came to journey with us through all the challenges and opportunities of our todays.
Today, I want to take a peek at Scrooge’s past and use that as a springboard to think about our lives. And then I want to see what God has to say about all that. What does Jesus, the Spirit of Christmas, have to say about your past? What does He think about it? What does He want to do with it?
Today and over the next 4 weeks we’re going to spring board off of the Christmas classic A Christmas Carol and review how the Spirit of Christmas—Jesus come in the flesh—came to free, restore, and transform you life and your eternity. When you embrace and journey with Jesus—the Spirit of Christmas—your life can be more meaningful and rewarding than you ever imagined it could be.
The fact is, whatever we have in our lives, and all aspects of our lives—our energy, our time, our dreams, our relationships, our jobs, our church, our world and the environment—everything we have around us, God has given it to us! He says, “Here, I want you to enjoy this.” And each of us is given the opportunity to manage it, take care of it, nurture it, and develop it. As Christians, each of us is called to faithful, healthy stewardship of all that we interact with around us.
The two saddest words in the English language have often been described as “if only.” Statements like “if only I graduated with a different degree…” or “if only I would have married later in life…” or “if only I would have listened…” have wreaked havoc over many of us. And “if we only” are honest (pun intended), these statements have turned into regrets—painful points of our past that have control over our lives today. Understanding and renouncing regret is the pathway of seeing the heart of God.
Some may wonder; why is God so obsessed about how I manage my money? The reason God cares so much about how you manage your money, is because it is the leading indicator of where you are resting the weight of your trust in life. If you want to know where a person is placing the bulk of their trust in order to experience safety, security and maybe even meaning or purpose in life—just follow the money!
Are you aware that one of the leading indicators of your spiritual condition is the way you care for your money? And are you aware that how you care for your money can both shut God out of your life, and restrict his activity, or it can work to unleash your spiritual growth?
If you are a Christian here today, I want to remind you of a central calling that God has placed on your life. And because this is a series called Life Care—stewarding or caring well for key areas of your life, I want to talk about how you can best steward or care-well for this calling God has given us.
If you are a Christian here today, I want to remind you of a central calling that God has placed on your life as a Christian. And because this is a series called Life Care—stewarding or caring well for key areas of your life, I want to talk about how you and I can best steward or care-well for this calling God has given us.
Today we are going to shift gears a little bit and talk about what it means to be good stewards of God’s creation, the earth. God actually has a lot to say about the earth and our place in it. So this morning we are going to take a look at a few samples of what the scriptures have to say about creation, stewardship, and Gods plan for the earth.
We are called to manage our lives, take care of it, nurture it, and develop it. As Christians, each of us is called to faithful, healthy stewardship of all that is ours. Today we are going to focus on our management and care of the relationships God has given us.
Today, I want to start by raising our awareness of the importance of self-leadership. In other words, the stewardship or care of our lives. This is the logical starting place for a series on LIFE CARE because in many ways the other areas of life care flow out of this starting place—you. So much of how you care for the things around you, starts inside you.
Today we come, literally, to the last few lines of John’s letter. Several times in the 9 verses he uses to close his book John uses the words “know” or “confident.” Basically John is saying… “Christian…allow my last few thoughts of my letter to keep you from ever lacking confidence in your standing with God again. For the first “certainty,” look at verse 13.
In our section for today to reinforce the truth about Jesus…John takes the false teachers into the courtroom and brings forward key witnesses to the truth of Jesus’ real identity. Look with me at 1 John 5:6a.
Today…before we look at the next section of John’s letter, I want to take a step back and bring into view a couple of overall strategies John seems to be using in order to impact our lives and strengthen our confidence. John encourages them with some key reminders about how a person becomes a Christian, the kinds of character and attitudes Christians display in their lives, and what it looks like to live like one of God’s kids.
Statistics show that there is an increase in anxiety, depression and those who struggle with identity. Unfortunately, many miss-place their confidence by rooting it in their vocation or retirement portfolio or even in their relationships with others like their spouse or kids. Since the beginning of this series we have learned that confidence is not found in our strengths, abilities, or possessions but rooted in Christ.
So here we are. And we are blessed to be here. This morning in our Confident Living series, John will give us some specific examples of what it looks like to live confidently in Christ. Before we jump in to the text, I wanted to ask a question. Have you ever had an experience that really shook up your confidence? Maybe a girlfriend broke up with your, or you lost your job, or you made a few decisions that really did not work out as you expected. You know, the kind of experience that left you wondering who you really are and which way is up or down?
Today in our Confident Living text, John encourages us by reminding us that those who believe in Jesus become God’s kids. Let his words affirm and encourage you today.
This week in our text John pulls back the curtain a bit more on who these folks were. We learn more about them and how John feels about them than we have so far in our series. John doesn’t mince any words. Notice how he calls out the confidence crushers.
Today we take a look at another movement in John’s reassurance. Once again John starts out his next encouragement for confident living by reassuring those gathered in the church regarding the blessings and resources they now enjoy as believers.
Christianity is not just knowing about God or knowing certain doctrines or following certain moral precepts. It is essentially to know God. Jesus said in John 17:3, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” Christianity at its heart is, knowing God personally through Jesus Christ, who revealed God to us
Now, the reality is many Christians who know Jesus struggle with living confidently. The early believers John was writing had a confidence problem. They were unsure of their standing with God and their new lives as Christians because some among them refused to embrace the truth they had been taught. They tweaked the truth and convoluted it and then apparently began to cultivate insecurity in the minds and hearts of the others. They made claims about God and what it meant to be saved and what it meant to follow God wholeheartedly. In response, John writes them this letter to reassure them of sound truth and realign them with correct teaching so they would not be thrown off course in their journeys following the Jesus way.
Today we are going to discover that the foundation for confident living is your relationship with Jesus.
As I have been preparing for our annual celebration today…here’s the theme God has placed on my heart: Celebrate God in you, and through you!
Today in our wrap up of the Jesus Life series, I want you to join me in Acts chapter 12. The story I want you to see today gives us some incredibly refreshing news to counter the threatening sense that evil seems to always have the upper hand.
Today we are actually going to explore together a little deeper into your spiritual heritage. If you are non-Jewish and a Jesus follower, today we can trace your spiritual ancestry, your spiritual roots all the way back to our story in Acts 10, and you don’t need to give me a blood sample.
Today in our Jesus Life series, we come to hugely crucial turning point in the Holy Spirit-driven drama of the early Church. In our story today the Holy Spirit blasts through one of the biggest barriers for the good news of the Jesus Life. In fact…our ancient story today has a direct connection with why each of you are here today.
Friends, deceit, denial, and pretending are so poisonous. They are poisonous to our relationships with God, to our relationships with each other, and in our relationship with our selves. Deceitfulness always poisons the blessings God has brought to our lives. Today in our story in Acts, God makes a dramatic point about how much truth and honesty matter to him and to the health of all our relationships.
Today we are going to get a glimpse of what life looks like when one walks through the 5 steps discussed last week and lives a life that is empowered by the Spirit.
In our time together today I want to bring some understanding to this very unusual scene. Then, once we have some understanding about what happened, I want to get very practical with you and review with you some additional teaching regarding how you are I can learn to cooperate with the Spirit’s presence and leading in our lives. The Bible calls us to live The Jesus Life BY the Spirit and STAY IN STEP WITH the Spirit. I want to get very practical with what that looks like in our lives.
Have you ever wondered what these early Post-Easter Christians thought and felt as they began to get their arms around the reality that Jesus was, in fact, alive? Now they had the challenge of being the first ones to live out the Jesus Life, just as he taught them. What should they do? What did they do? The kids in the Easter video we played asked at the end, “Now what?” The book of Acts gives us the answers to these types of questions. It helps us to see what some of the first Christians did and how it went from a handful of believers in Jerusalem to a movement being declared to some of the highest officials in Rome and still being declared today. Turn in your Bibles to Acts 1 and we can pick up the historical account of what happened with Jesus and those who followed him in the days after he rose from the dead.
The text we are resting in today takes us back to the very day the stone was rolled away from the tomb. The very day Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Jesus’ mother went to the tomb and instead of encountering Jesus’ body they encountered angels who informed them that Jesus was not dead but actually he was alive. All that morning the news quickly spread amongst the disciples that Jesus’ body was missing. The text this morning shifts from the events that took place that morning to the afternoon lets read it.
Happy Easter to all of you! It’s great to have you join us today. We love to celebrate Easter. We love to sing out our gratitude and praise to God for the resurrection of Jesus from the grave. The resurrection is a huge game changer.
Welcome to Palm Sunday. Today is traditionally the kick off of the Passion Week when we prepare our hearts and minds for the upcoming celebration of Easter. This morning we will be continuing our series titled the Jesus Life: Learning, Loving, Living. We are taking a fresh look at how Jesus lived and loved others and we are seeking to learn how to practice those patterns in our lives.
Today, we take a look at what Jesus has to say about how we manage our money. I’m calling this message the stewardship of the Jesus life. If we desire to live the Jesus Life…we need to know what Jesus has to say about how we mange our money.
The people Jesus addresses today are making this fatal mistake. And Jesus calls them out because it is a completely fatal error to obsess about outward appearances in one’s life, while ignoring the inner condition of the heart. Look at Luke 11:37-38 with me.
For those of you who have a relationship with Jesus today we will be looking at a practice that helps us nurture that relationship and stay connected with Jesus. It’s a life that Allows the Holy Spirit to instill in you a desire to want what Jesus wants more than what you want.
So far in our series, we’ve seen him exercise absolute authority over evil, over all manner of sickness and disease, and over nature itself. He’s even raised the dead. But, today he talks to his disciples about something he has not said shared with them.
If you’re new with us today or maybe you have missed a couple of weeks we are continuing on in a series all the way through Easter titled the “Jesus Life.” In this series we are walking through the book of Luke and learning from Jesus’ life. We are witnessing how he lived life so that our life might reflect his. We are learning from what He taught, so that our lives can be fruitful and we are receiving His love so that it can fuel ours.
Today, we’re going to look at some words from Jesus that simultaneously make me uncomfortable and give me a real hope about how to embrace the Jesus life. Jesus describes is two kinds of people or lives: the well-built life and what I’m calling the ‘other’ life. Notice that Jesus only describes two kinds… not a spectrum, not several, equally good lives. Just two—one is well-built and the ‘other’ is not.
Having made declarations about his identity and his purpose, he proceeds to demonstrate over and over again that he is fact, who he says he is, and he has the full power of God to bring the full favor of God into our lives. Today he’s going to demonstrate his unparalleled power over the forces of nature.
I want us to visit a few scenes in Luke’s account of the Jesus Life and observe Jesus’ undisputed power over all sickness. Luke includes a number of specific examples of Jesus exercising the power of God to heal all disease—spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically.
Today let’s talk about Jesus’ power over the demonic world since the very first story after Jesus formerly launches his ministry deals with this topic.
If you’re newer to faith in Jesus, I pray this series will orient you well to who Jesus really was, and to what he really taught. If you’re older in faith, I pray this series will refresh and revive your understanding and perspective of the One who has loved you first and best. And for all of us, may we learn some new insights on Jesus, inspiring deeper love for him, and a greater desire to live out the Jesus life!
Meaning is not found in your vocation, your title, your money, your trials. Meaning to life is found in your relationship with God. This relationship protects you from what is meaningless and begins to instill meaning into every facet of your life—your vocation, your family, your school, your pleasure, your finances.
Head scratchers are the injustices of life. Head scratchers are random tragedies of life. Solomon discovered them in his massive “under the sun” research project and he willing admits that life is full of things that make you scratch your head in dismay.
When you have a relationship with Jesus you bring meaning into every facet of who you are. This meaning is something that is eternal not contingent on your emotional, financial or social state but on the Character of God. This meaning is something that should be enjoyed and savored.
Today Solomon touches on the topic of money that we all have in our life. Some of us know it... others of us are ignorant of it... others choose to not believe it, but when push comes to shove in many of our lives Money is what we place our identity in; we place our meaning in, its what we live for. If we lose our money we will lose our identity, our security, our happiness etc. In Ecclesiastes 5:10- 6:12 Solomon helps us find meaning within money. He helps us understand its purpose and it is probably not what you all think.
think we ask the wrong question when we encounter wickedness in our world? We often ask the question “Why doesn’t God punish evil?” “But the right question is why doesn’t God punish evil now?” We wonder privately why doesn’t God take action when we want him too? Why can’t I be God? If I were God we would see instant justice right?
How do we make sense of the craziness of life? How do we make sense of the past and move on from the past? How do we cope with the uncertainties of the future? Is it possible to find any peace or satisfaction in this thing called “Life?”
Today, King Solomon, the writer of Ecclesiastes shares the key to finding true, lasting satisfaction in life.
The desire for meaning is rooted deep within humankind it’s a desire that keeps humankind alive. Therefore, we search for it all over this world but the fundamental thing we learned last week is that we won’t find it. One doesn’t find meaning “Under the sun” but in the creator of the Sun.
In chapter two Solomon uses his personal testimony to demonstrate to the reader how life’s meaning cannot be found in anything that the world can offer and he begins with pleasure.
The thing I love about the Bible is that it provides answers to some of the toughest questions regarding life. The bible speaks to us in the midst of tragedy, in the midst of life altering events. The book that speaks directly to these life-altering questions is the book of Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes helps us find meaning in this world. Ecclesiastes helps orient our lives to true north when we are lost in the chaotic, depraved evil mess of this world.
I want to share with you some more specific future growth plans our Leadership Board and Pastoral Staff have been praying through and talking through over the past many months. Pieces of this seem very clear to us... but we’re going to ask you to join us in prayer on the timing and feasibility of other pieces of it.
Now, there’s another tradition that the fall season brings around here at Church of the foothills: Our Fall Vision Refresh Series! Each Fall I try help us go the press-box, or review our playbook if you will, in order to help us get fresh perspective on how God’s game plan for the church is designed to work and how the position or role you play fits into that. And I hope that when you get that glimpse of the whole picture, it has the same effect on you that those films had on me.
Today we come of our final topic in this series; the topic of future things. What is God’s plan for humankind at the end of the age? Is Jesus coming back? If so, when? Where? What’s involved in all of that? And primarily what I want you to realize today is that our sure hope for the future is to impact our living today!!
Seven Truths
All People have knowledge of God. All People reject God: All people, including you and me, and the man in the African bush… we have an inherently sinful nature that distorts and plagues our minds and the idolatry that plagues our hearts. All people are Guilty before God: All people regardless, of religious, cultural, or ethnic background, stand guilty before God. You can’t earn salvation: God has made a way of salvation for the lost Is there anywhere in this plan that it can break down? Yes… As David Platte says “ There is only one potential breakdown in this progression when the servants of God do not preach the gospel to all peoples.” You believer… are God’s plan. I am God’s plan… We are God’s plan… The Church is God’s plan!!! There is no other plan for bringing the gospel message to all peoples. As Christ stated to the Church before he ascended,
Today I want to talk with you about sanctification. Sanctification is a natural outflow of the salvation message and the appropriate next step because it is tied directly to salvation.
Today we get to splash around in the refreshing truths of salvation—which is our rescue and deliverance from the nasty power and consequences of sin. PLEASE REALIZE, this week is crucial! This week sets Christianity apart from every other world religion and worldview.
Today folks, I have to tell you some things that are not going to be comfortable for you to hear. Some sermons are fun to share with you. This isn’t one of them. Today I need to take you into a very sober place. There are two things that people, though we all face these two things literally everyday, we really don’t like to think about or talk about. And today I have to invite you to think about both of these. Today we have to talk honestly and authentically about sin and death.
The writer of Psalm 8 asks God this question, “What is man that you are mindful of him?” Today I want to address that question: What is man? What are his origins, his make up, and his purpose?
Here’s why it’s worth it to talk about these questions. What you believe about these things significantly influences what you think and how you feel about yourself. It impacts how you live out your life, and how you prepare for your future. How you answer these questions matters because what you think and feel about others, which translates into how you treat others. What is man and why is man are significant questions.
There are many ideas and beliefs about angels in our culture. There are questions about they’re abilities and powers, their presence or non-presence in our lives, our relationship to angels and many others. This morning, I’d like to spend some time clarifying and going over the truths that Scripture gives us in regards to these beings.
This morning we continue our summer series title Anchored: Twelve Truths to steady your soul. Today is actually the 6th Sunday of the series so we are almost half way through. That means Summer is practically over isn’t it? Over the last few weeks we have talked about God as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and today we are going to talk about all three of them as members of the Trinity.
Today I want to talk about how we can learn to increase our ability to cooperate with this transformational power at work in us. It starts with discerning when the Holy Spirit is speaking to us. Last week I invited you to take a few moments each morning and focus your mind on the reality of the presence and work of the Spirit in and around you. Before we can learn to follow the Spirit, we have to learn to listen to the Spirit and recognize his voice and promptings.
I am convinced that the biggest reason why many Christians are not thriving in their Christian walk is because they are underutilizing one of the greatest gifts Jesus ever gave us. That underutilized gift is the Holy Spirit.
Please enjoy the panel discussion from some of our fine first responders as they answer questions about their: 1. Hardest Day, 2. Biggest challenges in their jobs 3. How does their faith impacts their service? 4. How can we pray most effectively for you? You don't want to miss this!
Today on this Father’s Day, it is timely that we talk about our next anchor for our soul…our beliefs about God—primarily God the Father, the first person of the Trinity— Who is he? What is he like? And what is our relationship to him? Over the next few sessions we’ll be focusing on each person of the Godhead—God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit and then we’ll be spending an additional week on the Trinity together.
Welcome to our Annual Ministry/Budget Celebration. If you’re new with us today, you picked an exciting day to come. Today we celebrate what God has been doing in us and through us since last June.
We’re starting a new, 12-part series today called Anchored: Twelve Truths for Your Soul. It is our desire, whether you’ve walked with Jesus for 65 years or only a few days, that this summer-long series will draw you into a deeper relationship with Jesus, help you cultivate a greater understanding of what it means to be a child of God and free you to live fully in Him.
God promised Israel, that after all the consequences are carried out against them, when they turn their hearts back to the Lord, he will restore them. God also promised to perform heart surgery on them so that they can love the Lord with all their heart and all their soul and live. Isn’t that amazing?
Last week, Brian did a great job explaining why God obsesses about obedience and it has nothing to do with control and everything to do with wanting to be connected with you! Today we’re going to look at the other side of the story and the tragic consequences that come from misplaced trust.
Today I want to talk about why God obsesses about obedience. God’s repeated calls for obedience and his emphasis on obedience for us in our lives with him is not simply about obedience. Obedience is actually a means to an end. Turn in your Bibles to Jeremiah 35 and let’s see what message God has for us today
Throughout our series God has been trying to wake Israel up to their lifestyle of ignoring God…drifting from him…turning their backs on him…and ultimately giving themselves to chasing after every other experience in life they believe will satisfy their deepest longings.
Folks, I don’t think we should consider ourselves any less at risk of this kind of distraction from God and dilution of worship. Our culture pushes and advocates for all sorts of “things,” “ambitions,” and “priorities” that constantly clamor to pull our heart attention away from devotion and pursuit of God.
Zedekiah is now the king of Judah and the text tells us that the Babylonians are about to invade Jerusalem again. Though he’s not been tracking with God at all… Zedekiah sends a couple of guys to go and inquire of Jeremiah to appeal to God for a miracle that will cause the Babylonians to leave him and the city of Jerusalem alone.
Have you ever found yourself in Zedekiah’s shoes? I actually know a lot of people like Zedekiah. People who will ignore God in how they live… in the choices they make but when they are in a jam, man… they appeal to God to get them out.
Jesus was the teacher, teaching as he had done for three years. But now he was transformed by the glory and the power of the resurrection.
The curriculum was the Kingdom of God, and that’s no surprise because from the time that John the Baptist introduced us to Jesus saying, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”, the kingdom was the subject of what Jesus did and taught. That’s the language he used…kingdom language. Kingdom language basically describes the “rule and reign” of God.
Easter, as many of you are aware already, celebrates the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth from the dead. A lot of people say, "I believe in the resurrection; I just don't understand it." So, here’s what I want to do in my time with you today. I want to ask two questions: Easter—what does it mean, and why does it matter?
Today, I thought it would be good for us to revisit the events of the day when Palm Sunday originally occurred. And perhaps more importantly revisit the question, “How do the events of Palm Sunday impact you today?” Many of you could turn to your neighbor right now and in once sentence tell them what happened on Palm Sunday. Add another sentence and you could tell them why it has come to be called, “Palm Sunday.” But, perhaps it would be a bit more difficult for you to explain why the events of Palm Sunday matter. So, I’m calling this message, “How Palm Sunday Impacts You.
Jeremiah was doing exactly what God told him to do, and as a result he was soundly beaten and left all night in the stocks. This would have been very painful and humiliating for Jeremiah. It should come as no surprise to us that sometimes, the direct result of obeying God is personal difficulty and discomfort. It was true for the prophets, it was true for the disciples and early church, and it is still true today.
Today, God takes Jeremiah on a field trip and gives him an object lesson for the people. And the lessons we can draw from this field trip remind us what it takes to experience God’s best desires and intentions for us. Let’s load the bus and head out with Jeremiah on this field trip.
Are we just as much at risk in our day of subtly transferring and gradually misplacing our trust onto things, ideas, or people other than God? In what ways are we at risk of pursuing things other than God that we deeply believe will make life work for us.
We acknowledged last week that discouragement descends on each of us at one time or another. And, as you all know…once discouragement descends on us, it can take some time to recover from it. And that was true for Jeremiah.
Our message today is a kind of sequel to last week. As we hear more from Jeremiah’s discouraged heart, and hear God’s response we get the opportunity to learn some additional strategies that can help dissolve discouragement when it descends on us.
It has been said that discouragement is a disease unique to human beings, and it's universal -- eventually everyone gets it, including those in church ministry. I have no doubt you've experienced discouragement at times, maybe many times. You might even be discouraged at this very moment.
Today we see Jeremiah in the space of deep discouragement for this very reason. And so we get a chance to learn from his interaction with God how we can take heart, when the godless thrive.
Today we take another step in our series in the book of Jeremiah. We will discover as we read chapter seven that this is a message to those coming to worship God about worship and the heart one should have when worshipping.
This week we see God lamenting over his people because despite his openhearted invitations to restore the relationship and giving them multiple opportunities to return in sincere confession and honest repentance, they refuse! This stubborn refusal requires God to make the unnecessary pain of discipline, necessary for them.
God begins to present his case by having a heart to heart with the people. Their rejection of him has wounded his heart. But he tries to help them see that jilting him in the relationship doesn’t just wound him…in the end they will be the most wounded. They will be alone, helpless, and hopeless. God starts with reminiscing of good times when he and Israel were intimately connected together.
Today we begin a new series examining the writings of the great prophet Jeremiah. We are going to journey with Jeremiah as he calls God’s people to responsibility and realignment with God’s will and plan for their lives.
Because of his great love for them, God uses the prophet Jeremiah to firmly and passionately call them to responsibility in their relationships with him. God gives Jeremiah some tough, tough warnings to deliver to the people, sternly notifying them of the pain they invite into their lives when they stiff arm God’s faithful love.
The reason God cares about your money is because he is our sufficient, almighty, fully capable God and he longs for your full devotion. I want to direct your attention to the Apostle Paul’s perspective on the topic of money. Paul is coaching the young pastor Timothy about how to teach on stewardship in his church. Some say you shouldn’t talk about money in church, but Paul coaches Timothy to do exactly that. In fact, he tells pastor Tim to command the people on this.
Today I want to talk about how godly stewardship can free you to live more fully than perhaps you ever have before. Some of you know exactly what I’m saying and, hopefully, this will encourage you as you continue to manage and wisely use all that God has given to you.
Our New Year series: Money: The Reasons God cares about yours. In this series we’re going to explore the fundamental reasons God cares about your money. Today I want to examine with you a few cash conversations Jesus has with different people. These money talks Jesus has reveal, beyond a shadow of a doubt, why God cares about how we manage our money.
At our office Christmas party last week we played a game where we had to write a word associated with Christmas next to every letter of the alphabet. So, for example, let’s try a few. For the letter A: angel. Letter B: bells. Letter C: carols. D: Dasher. See how it works? Let’s skip the letter N. What would you put there?
Now, today when we get to the letter N; I want to teach you a new Christmas word! It’s a very important Christmas word. I want you to add this word to your Christmas terminology. When you hear it I want you to think of Christmas. It doesn’t sound like a Christmas word…but it is…are you ready? Here it is: “Nevertheless!”
Peace... 5 Letter word that seems to be the goal of everyone…. You watch the miss America Pageant… it seems the most common answer on those shows is “World Peace.” You talk to your neighbor and ask “Would you like to have peace in your life? Or in in the world?’ I guarantee you their answer is going to be yes. Yet where is the peace? Everyone wants peace but where is it?
Have you ever thought that God delights in you? Let me ask it this way: Do you think God likes you? Notice I did not say: Do you think God loves you? That’s too easy. Most of you will give the “spiritually correct” answer. But I said, “Do you think God likes you?” In verse 17 the text says, “He will take great delight in you.”
Malachi affirms the truth that there will come a day when God will say enough is enough. There will be better days where evil is non-existent. Where injustice will not take place. Where sex trafficking will come to an end. Where Terrorism will be destroyed. Where those who institute evil and abuse their power and neighbor will be held accountable. In a nutshell the Christmas promise is one that reminds us of Jesus our King who came and will come again to open a can.
In practical terms, this is a season for preparing our hearts, our souls, our minds, and even our schedules. It’s a season where I remind you to be intentional about your time, your plans, and your gift giving. Now is the time to be sitting down with your spouse or family and intentionally planning what you will take off the calendar in order to open up mental, emotional, and physical band-width to truly enjoy, celebrate and reflect appropriately on the stunning reality that at Christmas heaven collided with our lives in an unprecedented way. God was now with us in flesh and blood.
This is Thanksgiving week, and all of this that we are celebrating and planning today gives us lots to be thankful for as a church. And I hope that it sets the tone and spirit of your Thanksgiving week in your families, because despite the disappointments and challenges in life, there are always things we can reflect on to be thankful for. And being thankful is what God desires for us. Being thankful is God’s will.
The truth I want us to focus on today is a steady, reliable bearing that keeps us heading in the right direction regardless of the uncertainty in the circumstances ahead of us.
Today I want to offer you an overview of the central scriptures that speak to this issue. And since the election is just two days away, I want to leave time at the end of this message for us to pray together for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
As you are probably aware, healthy, balanced, effective immigration policy is a complex, multifaceted issue for our nation. This is why it has been so elusive for our leaders in Washington. While the Bible does not provide specific directives regarding a biblical immigration policy, we can discover what you could call “definitive broad borders” for reasonable immigration policy. That’s why I’m calling this message: Biblical Borders on Immigration.
What is the mission of the Church in the USA? What is the foundation of the Christian and Missionary Alliance and how can we as Christians live out our calling?
Today I want to consider the important issue of Supreme Court Justice appointments. A President will be gone in eight years or less, but his judges may remain on the bench for decades afterwards, and their influence is far greater than his. Therefore, many believe a President should be selected first and foremost on the type of judges he will nominate.
My goal this morning is to help bring clarity to the discussion of morality. In an effort to accomplish that goal I want to answer two questions: First what is the morality of God? And second how does God reveal it to us? I believe that if we can answer these two questions we are then better equipped as Christ’s representatives to reflect Christ’s morality at the polls.
In previous election years I have always encouraged each of you to vote you Biblical values, but we have never talked directly about what that actually looks like. And for years, I have quietly wondered what would a Biblically based political candidate or party platform really look like? This series was born out of those two ideas.
I want to talk about what this calling means for each of us as we are out and about in the orbits of our lives as home, at work, at school, on the sports field and on the sidelines of field, in our neighborhoods, and when we’re out and about in our community.
Now, we know from the example Jesus set in his life and ministry and from other writings in the New Testament that making other “Jesus followers” or “making disciples” involves three key components: Letting people know they can be on good terms with God by connecting to Jesus, Helping people grow to know and love God, Equipping people to serve God.
If you lose sight of what God has called us to and why we’re doing what we’re doing then it won’t be long until your fires of motivation to use your time, talent, and treasure in that effort will begin to smolder. When that happens you start to lose some heat in your motivation on why you should be a part of church at all. Today I’m asking the question: Why church? What’s the point? Why was it started? What is the primary purpose of church? How would you answer that question? Take a moment and think about that. Where does your mind go first? How would Jesus answer that question?
This morning we will explore why Christians should excel in work by looking at a variety of texts that address the subject. By excel I mean productive, not being better than everyone else, but doing good work according to one’s skill set. Why be productive? A Christian seeks to be productive as a means of bringing honor and glory to God, not just to bring home a paycheck.
This Sunday is outreach Sunday which means we look to see what COTF and the Christian & Missionary Alliance are doing throughout the world in Jesus name. This week we have Aaron Steinert from the Arab American Learning Center in Sacramento as well as Jenny Williamson Founder/CEO of Courage Worldwide. Come to be encouraged challenged and excited to hear what God is doing in Sacramento and what you can do to join!
this morning we are going to be talking about Prayer and what James has to say about prayer in our daily lives. As Christ followers, prayer is one of the primary tools that we have in our tool belt. So, here is my working definition of prayer. This is not comprehensive by any means: Prayer is the exercise of communicating directly with the one true God. Through prayer, we worship God, we acknowledge his attributes, we confess our sins, we align our attitudes with God’s will, and we present our requests to him. All of this with the confidence that God hears our prayers, and that he invites us to pray to him.
Reflecting Jesus is not easy. Therefore, it is important to keep in mind friends that we can try as hard as we want in all these areas to control our tongue to clothe ourselves with humility but the reality is we can’t do it through our own effort and our own ability. In fact reflecting Jesus has nothing to do with us but has everything to do with the Holy Spirit (which we possess as believers in Christ) working through us. Remember, reflecting Christ in all of life’s challenges is only done through our ability to step aside and to let the Spirit do his thing. This very concept rings true through todays challenge by James as well…. the challenge of patience.
This morning we are going to jump back into James at the beginning of Chapter 5, our last chapter in the Crosscurrent Living series. In this passage James is going to specifically address people who abused their power in order to gain wealth at the expense of others.
This morning as we look at the next two struggles in chapter 4, I want us to keep humility at the front of our minds because it is the solution to these struggles as well. That’s why I have creatively titled this message Living the Humble Life: Part 2.
Throughout the Bible, Old Testament and New Testament, it was firmly held that the Heart or the affections are the starting point and motivation of all of our decisions and actions. We as modern, refined, intelligent adults may pride ourselves on our ability to think critically and use logic and rationalism to make informed decisions throughout our daily lives. But the Bible says that it is really the heart, our passions, desires and affections that determine all we think say and do.
Today we're going to be talking about living the good life. We’re going to see two opposing ways of living and explore the foundations for each of them. When we finish today, I think you’ll agree that we reflect Christ when we live pure and peaceful lives rooted in the wisdom that comes from intimacy with God.
Today we learn that our faith should not only influence our actions but also our speech.
In this series of crosscurrent living… we will be tackling the topic of the tongue. I would argue the current of our speech is a current that we all get caught up in. Speech is critical to us as a society. It’s our main form of communication. It is through speech that we transfer thoughts, ideas, preach, instruct, crack jokes, love, hate and as we will learn even give life or kill. Our tongue is the single most powerful tool and weapon that we posses as human beings. “It’s the only sword where the more you use it the sharper it gets.” As Human beings that are created in the image of God its important we do not get caught up in this current of abusing the most powerful tool we have… our tongue.
Today we are going to diagnose our faith as either dead or alive by looking at 3 characteristics of a dead faith which James gives us here in James 2:14-26.
Reflecting Jesus in adversity is hard, Reflecting Jesus in how we relate with one another is difficult and today we see James calling us to take another step into the North Platte (if you will) of reflecting Christ through the current of favoritism.
Last week, in verse 18, James said that God gave us birth through the word of truth. Today I want to look at verses 19-27 and talk about how the effect of the word should be evident in our everyday lives and relationships.
Today we start a brand new summer series in the book of James that we’re calling Crosscurrent Living. As people who love Jesus we are called to live differently than the world around us. That’s why this series is going to be so good: it’s going to focus on living in a way that reflects Christ in all life’s challenges. James is practical, applicable, foundational stuff for the first century church and the 21st century church. Early Christians had the same mission we do: to love God, love others and make disciples. In our context we exist to connect people to Jesus and help them grow to love and serve Him. It’s all rooted in the great commandment (Matthew 22:37-40) and the great commission (Matthew 28:19-20).
Welcome to our Annual Celebration service. Each year on the first Sunday in June we take a Sunday morning and we celebrate a few mission victories over the past year, and we review the big picture on our proposed budget to resource the year of ministry ahead of us.
As we think back over David’s life he models a number of important attitudes and attributes each of us would do well to learn and practice. For our purposes today, I want to highlight four key practices for a life that is “after God’s own heart.” I would argue, if you learn to live these attitudes and actions out in your life, God will build his heart into you life. Live these out; build God’s heart in!
Today we get to review what the “Man after God’s own heart” had to say in his twilight years—after facing countless battles, transitions to power, big failures in his leadership, and writing a number of gut wrenching, soul lifting songs and poetry. How does a man who lived like David lived sum things up? After all he’d been through, what nuggets would he offer you?
Once again today the final story I want to review with you reminds us that as great a man as David was, he was still a HU-man. So, turn in your Bibles to 2 Samuel 24 where we see that even as a seasoned God follower and leader, David falls prey to a spirit of pride. Read 24:1-4
Personally, domestically, and politically David was hurting. At this point, his opportunistic son Absalom could smell blood in the water. As we step into chapter 15 he’s conspiring and working the crowd in Jerusalem’s town center to garner support for his run for the throne.
The topic of sin seems to be disappearing out of our conversation, even in many churches. The idea of a person taking personal responsibility for his or her sin seems to have become non-PC.
But here is the truth. While our culture tries to suppress it or redefine it, sin has not gone away and its powerful affects have not been diminished. God is God. His truth is truth and does not change. Sin is SIN! In whatever form it comes, it is a putrid smell in the nostrils of our holy God.
At this time David was probably about 50 years old or maybe a few years older. He had been on the throne about 20 years. He had distinguished himself as man of God, as a composer of psalms, as a faithful shepherd, as a valiant warrior on the battlefield, and as a leader of his people. He not only led the people in righteousness, he gave them the glorious music of the psalms. He was a man of passion as well as compassion.
The sobering truth is that despite having a solid heart for God, David had allowed some compromise in his life that opened up sin’s opportunity. Let me show you what I mean. Look at 2 Sam. 11:1
This week we are going to explore a real live story just like this out of the life of David—A story of a crazy, undeserved, game-changing offer made to one with no hope and no options.
God will not affirm you in something he hasn’t called you to. And today we are going to see quite plainly the truth of that statement. Today we will witness God tell David No. Lets look at it right now.
“Be very careful... how you live... not as unwise but as wise... making the most of your time, because the days are evil... therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”- Ephesians 5:16-17
Look at the charge here. Christians believers... make the most of your time don’t be foolish but understand the Lord’s will. Why? Why understand the Lords will? I would argue that if you are in a job, vocation, lifestyle that God didn’t call you to, then you are likely not experiencing God’s best for you. While you may be surviving you’re not thriving and living out the full potential for which God created you.
The Apostle Peter explains a great deal about the difference Easter can make in our lives and in our eternities in a talk he gave about 50 days after the very first Easter. Peter was speaking to a crowd, perhaps like all of us today—a crowd made up of people with mixed understandings and mixed feelings about the whole topic of Jesus—who he was, and what he did, and what impact his life has…if any…on our lives today.
Our story today brings us to the mid point of David’s life and a fundamental turning point in his journey. Once again David is facing some very real challenges in his life and chooses to put his trust in the Lord.
One of the great blessings of being a Christian, getting to know the Bible, and journeying through life with the Holy Spirit’s influence is that Christians have a ton more resource to draw from when it comes to understanding how to respond when conflicts arise. We have direct teaching about negotiating conflict in the bible. We have the example of Jesus who was the image of God in bodily form. And we have some real life, flesh and blood, fully human examples from other God loving, God following people. David, is one of those great examples to us.
Revenge is the plotline of many of our favorite movies. Do you remember the movie Gladiator, with Russell Crowe?
I remember when I saw the movie and I was talking to the screen, “Get him!” I was fist pumping and rooting for Maximus to get his vengeance. We want to justify revenge when we, or those close to us, have been deeply hurt. But as God’s people, that’s not what He’s has called us to. And today we’re going to watch David honor God as he navigates his way through a very tempting opportunity to get even with Saul. Let’s take a look at the first couple verses of 1 Samuel 24.
I think everyone of us can identify with David’s escape to the cave. Where do you turn when the bottom drops out of your life? Where do you go when it feels like everyone and everything in life is against you? Who do you turn to when you face an issue that is embarrassing, humiliating, or even scandalous?
Today we’re going to look at a little chunk of 1 Samuel. Go ahead and open your bibles to chapters 18-21. Some of you have already done the math and realized that we’re going to be digging into four chapters! But don’t worry. I’m not going to read it all—you can do that on your own. Instead, I’m going to read chapter 18, then highlight some key sections in the other chapters. My goal is to help us better understand that God alone can give David what he needs to fulfill his calling—and the same is true for us.
Today we take another step in our series on the life of David. Our text today contains the most widely known battle scene in the Bible. However, the battle is not between two armies but between two men—one man is named Goliath and the other named David. Turn in your Bibles to 1 Samuel 17. There is perhaps no other story in the Bible that teaches us how we can overcome the overwhelming challenges and obstacles in our lives.
Many of us likely came to church today with a giant obstacle that feels overwhelming spinning in our minds, or weighing heavy on our hearts. The path for overcoming it is unclear. The story of David and Goliath is for you today.
“With me…without me” is the exact line the writer of 1 Samuel could use to describe chapter 16 as he compares and contrasts the rise of David and the demise of Saul. The presence and power of the Spirit makes all the difference. In this Chapter as David and Saul are set side by side in a study in contrasts, we should hear the Spirit of God saying, “With me…without me!” as God tries to help us realize the chances of our survival if we runs away from him.
Today we launch into a very important study of the life of King David of Israel. The life of David is perhaps one of the most relevant character studies we could walk through together because David is so easy to relate with. Like each one of us David goes through peaks and valleys in his life. He celebrates grand victories in his life and mourns to his core his failures. All the while staying in unbroken fellowship with God.
As we begin our look at David’s life, I think it is worthwhile for us to have some sense for the events that lead up to his entrance onto the Bible’s stage. We get this background from the opening chapters of 1 Samuel. If you have your Bibles open turn to 1 Samuel chapter 1 and let’s do a brief fly over of the scenes leading up to the scene when David enters the story.
I want us to consider the other side of trust which the Bible teaches us is a reality. Not only does God clearly invite us to trust him and grow in that practice of trust and enjoy the rest, peace, and freedom of that trust; he also wants us to know that he has put his trust in us as his people.
I want us to consider the other side of trust which the Bible teaches us is a reality. Not only does God clearly invite us to trust him and grow in that practice of trust and enjoy the rest, peace, and freedom of that trust; he also wants us to know that he has put his trust in us as his people.
The practice of trust is absolutely central in our lives. When you stop to think about it in order to live our lives, we are exercising trust in tons of areas each and every day. It’s crazy the amount of trust we are called on to implement or exercise in a given day.
Developing greater trust in God will equip you to navigate the inevitable peaks and valleys this year will bring. In fact, the Bible tells us that God uses the peaks and valleys to strengthen our trust. So, whether it’s the aspirations you have, or the challenges that will come…I would argue few disciplines will help this year be your best year more than developing greater trust in God.
Sadly, not everyone is going to accept the gift of Jesus… many are going to reject Him and his followers. So this is my question this morning. As followers of Jesus… as people who embrace the gift… what do we do in the midst of rejection? When are mothers and fathers abandon relationship with us because they just don’t like the fact that you worship Jesus, how should you react? When your son or daughter walk away from their faith how should you respond? When we see on the news those who look to seek, kill and destroy Jesus and his followers… how should we live?
Jesus is going to be a kind of watershed figure. You are either going to be hot toward him or cold toward him. By definition, Jesus—who he is, how he lived, and what he calls us to— requires a choice. When you are awakened to him….how will you choose?
It is our purpose this morning to discuss why the virgin birth of Jesus is important and why it can’t be scuttled like unwanted refuse or a failed mission. We are not better served in communicating the truth of God’s saving grace by dumping the virgin birth. In fact, we don’t have a message to give if Jesus was not born of a virgin. He would not be the Savior and we would all be lost without hope. We will explore two arguments that emphasize the importance of the virgin birth.
Today I want to talk about another aspect of Christmas that each of us might need to prepare for and be awakened to how God can work in it and through it. Today I’d like to talk about family!
I believe it’s important to be reminded each year that the Christmas season can backfire on us if we’re not careful. Many people miss the whole point of Christmas. They get caught up in the flash and sparkle of the season, and miss the brilliant light of the Savior. My hope is this series will connect people with Jesus by inviting them to open their eyes and AWAKEN to the truth of his birth, the significance of his coming, and the ways he can impact their lives.
Today we come to the conclusion of our series in 1 Peter: Faithful Living in Faithless Times. I think it is safe to say that Peter has left the most fundamental piece of this for the end. Everything involved in living faithfully in faithless times is fundamentally rooted in the virtue Peter calls us to today. That virtue is humility! Faithful Living is rooted in humility.
Today is Peter taking time to describe what it looks like to abstain from sinful desires. What it looks like to live “good lives.” In these verses Peter paints a picture of what faithful living looks like in two relationships: first as Christian communities relating to their governing authority and secondly as slaves relating to their master. In each relationship Peter takes time to not only answer what faithful living looks like in but also the why its important. So lets look at the first relationship.
what does faithful living look like under government authority?
It is not secret that we live in a culture that is becoming less and less tolerant of Jesus followers who seek to live by Biblical, godly values. How are we to respond? How are Christians to live faithfully in an increasingly faithless culture? Retaliate? Fight back? Turn the other cheek? Be compliant citizens? Be gentle as lambs and retreat to the prayer closet?
This week at Church Of The Foothills we are blessed to have a special guest speaker teaching from the Gospel of Mark. Despite the state of our world The Gospel is being proclaimed and changing lives.
Today’s text addresses Christians in marriage. I can’t think of a more appropriate topic to talk about because most Christian couples never realize the power that their healthy marriage can have—not only in their home but in their workplace, their friendships, in their church and in their community. Healthy, Christ-centered marriages are a living, breathing demonstration of the power of the Gospel to a faithless, hopeless world. We are tempted to think that our marriage is all about us—but it’s not!
That is what we are going to be doing today friends. This morning we are going to be traveling back to the “Front Desk” if you will and asking the question who are we? Do you know who you are? I think as Christians we can often get Alzheimer’s in our faith. We can forget who we are.
There are times that we can often think we are the creator and not the created.
There are times when we might forget God’s love for us.
There are times when we think we have to earn our salvation and forget that it has been given to us.
In the portion of his letter we’ll be looking at today, Peter drills down more specifically on this opportunity we now have as Christians to live different kinds of lives. Peter specifically helps us understand that Christians—those who have believed in Jesus as Savior and are learning to trust him as leader in their lives—have a new and improved capacity to love.
Not only do Christians have their hope set on the mercy of God, but this week Peter adds to mercy, grace. Peter actually commands us to set our hope fully on the grace of God.
This morning in the opening 12 verses of the letter (which in the original language is one super long sentence) Peter lays out the foundation which can inspire you and I to faithful living in faithless times. In these opening 12 verses his inspiration starts with a spirit of celebration and ends in with a spirit of awe and gratitude, in effect saying…it’s a great time to be alive and what a privilege it is to know what we know about the the hope and promise of heaven.
Today I want to focus on the strong foundation upon which our purpose is built. It doesn’t matter if you have a great vision statement, a profound mission, if you don’t have the unchanging, core beliefs, to fuel and sustain it! Our purpose must have a strong foundation or it’s not really a vision, mission or purpose: it’s just a fantasy.
Today I want to refresh us in our local purpose and priorities which align with and flow out of that bigger picture of the Alliance we looked at last week.
Before we get to some specifics, I want you to know that our ministry pattern overall is modeled after the pattern we see Jesus using in his ministry while here on earth. We don’t do what we do simply because:
Other churches are doing it We read about it in a book somewhere It’s what someone did in their previous church. We do what we do because it’s the way Jesus went about doing what he did when he started and established his kingdom work during his life.
This week I want to let you know or remind you that our church here in these foothills is part of a much bigger alliance. We are part of global movement of churches called the The Alliance—the Christian and Missionary Alliance. Today I want to spend our time helping you acquainted or reacquainted with this Alliance we are a part of. The first thing I want you to know is that the Alliance we’re part of is Christ-centered. Turn in your Bibles to Colossians 1:15-18
This morning, just as God commanded them to set up these stones in remembrance, I have some stones I’d like to revisit with you. Both through the history of this church as well as what I have experienced of Church of the Foothills, we will get to look back and remember that our God is powerful and in control.
So what makes a good marriage? That is what we are going to answer today. In chapter 8 we get a glimpse of what makes a bad marriage great. We have witnessed this couple go through everything... attraction, dating, their wedding, conflict and even sexual intimacy. What we have witnessed is not only how to do those things well, but most importantly how to love well. I would argue, chapter 8 is a capstone of the whole song. It brings it all together and in doing so this couple shows us the key ingredient to The Best Marriage... that my friends is Love.
Sex is everywhere in this culture. Its found in marketing and promotions for business and corporations... sex sells right? Yet it's not in our Churches. For years the Church has shied away from this topic, leaving the only influence and teachings on the topic coming from the government, education, media and social media. Friends we are seeing the consequences of that right now.
Last week we witnessed the conflict that this couple got into. It was rooted within the selfish wants of each party. The man wanted to be intimate with his wife and the wife wanted to go to sleep. What we learned right from the get go is that this man did not react in kind to his wife's response. Instead of arguing back or forcing himself into the bedroom he acted out of respect by non-verbally communicating his loving pursuit for her by sticking his hand through the keyhole. He then acted unselfishly and respected her desire to sleep. This man's immediate response to this conflict led to the response of the woman, which was fueled by a heart of repentance. Instead of selfishly going back to sleep she turned (repents) and pursued this man to seek resolution. In her pursuit she persevered through hard times, humbled herself by asking for help and began admiring him to others. This brings us into chapter 6 where we see the reunion of this couple.
Lets now see how this man responds. (Read v.1-2)
Conflict happens in marriage doesn't it? Anyone in the house today whose marriage has yet to engage in conflict? We laugh but our culture has a tendency to paint a healthy marriage as one that involves no conflict when exactly the opposite is true. A healthy marriage is one that involves conflict. Why can I say that? Simple... The best marriage in the best song has conflict. What I want everyone to understand this morning is that what makes a healthy marriage isn't the absence of conflict but it is how a marriage responds to that conflict.
A healthy marriage isn't defined by the absence of conflict but by the response.
As we continue to our summer series on the Song of Solomon, today we get to look at the wedding day, and more importantly the wedding night where we will see that God designed the best intimacy for a husband and wife to enjoy together.
Today we take another step in the Song that tops all songs. It is a song about love. It's a song about intimacy. And it's definitely a song about romance. But, fundamentally it's a song about healthy relationship. Love, romance, and physical intimacy will never blossom, if two people cannot fundamentally be in healthy relationship with one another.
If you're a single woman, the verses of The Song we are going to look at today, will help you understand the qualities to look for in a potential husband. If you are a husband, this will be a good refresher in the qualities we must seek to practice.
Last week I opened our new series on the song of Solomon by stating that I know what media, government, courts, news, pastors, counselors, friends, co-workers all have to say about the subject of dating, marriage & sex. But now, I am ready to see what God has to say about these subjects. This morning we are going to be camping out in Chapter 1:2-8. In these verses we are going to be listening to the woman start off this song as she begins to express her attraction to this man. Now we don't know the name of this woman nor do we know the name of this man. Many scholars state that the man is Solomon others just say it's a king. I say it doesn't matter...
It's time for the Church to step up and take back its responsibility to help God's creation Love God well by Loving our spouses and future spouses well.
We are going to look at Paul's closing arguments where he explains that the reason for his upcoming visit to Corinth is to build up the church.
This week in Chapter 11 and the first part of Chapter 12 Paul shares a rather lengthy argument to reveal to us that we are designed to magnify Christ.
Last week Brian led us through chapter 9 where we learned that rich generosity leads to rich reward. Today, Paul shifts gears (without using the clutch) and jams the conversation into an entirely different direction.
This week as we step into Chapter 9 Paul continues to encourage them in this grace of giving and offers them more coaching on being as generous as possible. Today, in order to encourage them to excel in the grace of giving we're going to hear Paul teach them that while rich grace stimulates rich generosity...in turn, rich generosity leads rich reward.
Today we step into chapter 8 of 2nd Corinthians. Having wrapped up his prolonged explanation and defense of the method and message of his ministry, Paul steps into a brand new topic, the topic of generosity.
The topic comes up because Paul has been letting the churches he's been engaged with in Greece and Macedonia know about a severe famine that is occurring back in the area of Jerusalem. In the process of informing these churches about the distressed situation for the believers involved in this famine, it seems they have been spontaneously responding with a desire to start a relief fund of sorts and send money there to relieve the suffering.
Regardless of which side of the equation you are on, most of us have an internal adverse reaction to the topic of correction because somewhere in our lives we've experienced it when it has either not been delivered well, or it has not been responded to well.
Today, our Designer Living series takes us right into the middle of this topic and thankfully, we gain from Paul and from the Corinthian believers some important tips for delivering and responding to correction in a responsible and godly way. In fact, today we're going to learn that responsible correction inspires a responsible response. In other words, the most effective way to inspire a responsible, godly response is by delivering correction in a responsible, godly way.
Today's passage comes from Paul to the Corinthians, in 2 Corinthians 6, as a result of them continuing to participate in some of the heinous things the corrupt culture around them were engaging in.
Paul is once again explaining and defending his life and ministry among the Corinthians. And he begins by pointing out that his authenticity and validity as a genuine servant of God is evident by how he has conducted himself in the good times and in the bad times. In other words, he's saying, "You can tell I'm the real deal by how I have conducted myself in the great times and in the rotten times.
He has pressed on for Christ no matter what! This is our designer living principle today: Christians are designed to press on for Christ. Christians are designed for endurance, and persistence-to press on for Christ no matter what. And the key characteristic enabling him to face all that he has faced is endurance.
This is actually why Easter is so special. Easter celebrates the opportunity to hit the ultimate RESTART button in life! And since no one is perfect, the reality is every one of us could benefit from a second chance. Even if you feel your life is going pretty well right now, the reality is each of us needs to hit the restart button in our relationships with our creator at some point in our lives.
In order to take heart in hardship, it's helpful to remember God is doing this renewing inside each and every Christ follower, each and every day, as we open ourselves up to him and invite him to have his way in us. Paul then goes on to say in verse 17 that to take heart in hardship we have to remember that no matter how intense or long lasting our present hardships are, the intensity and duration of the glories of heaven completely and totally outdo them.
In verse 17 Paul repeats the word we get our word "hyperbole" from twice. By repeating that word twice Paul says in the strongest way possible that the duration and intensity of the hardships we encounter in this life are far, far outweighed by the length and intensity of the eternal glories of heaven.
So, with these two realities in view-God's daily renewing and heaven's outweighing glories-Paul encourages us to take heart in hardship by holding onto heaven. Don't fixate on the temporary hardship of life, fixate on the eternal glories of heaven! Holding onto the unseen promises of the eternal, helps us to deal with the real hardships we face today.
Today, the Apostle Paul continues in his train of though that we have been examining over the past few weeks and we learn that AS GOD IS LIVING IN US AND TRANSFORMING/HEALING US WE ARE DESIGNED TO NEVER LOSE HEART FOR giving ourselves away IN JESUS NAME.
Understanding that we are designed to serve others was a critical idea for Corinthians, as it is for us, because the Greeks were "prone to see themselves as individuals, economically and religiously self-sufficient, and only minimally interdependent with other believers."
Our natural tendency, our default programming as humans is to serve ourselves. Look out for number #1. Most of the time our natural guiding principle is to serve our own needs. But Paul's testimony, his life example, and his call to us that we are designed to designed to serve.
As transformation has started to take place, let us allow that transformation to affect all aspects of our lives so we can be the salt and the light Jesus Christ has called us to be. That we would take seriously the ministry God has given us.
The truths I want to encourage you with today are declared and affirmed by Paul as he writes in 2 Corinthians 3. Now, as I mentioned last week, at the end of Chapter 2 Paul launches into a kind of defense of his ministry as an Apostle. Because of the criticisms he has been receiving from some in the church, he feels it is necessary to defend him self and help them understand his message and his methods more accurately. Our Designer Living message for today emerges out of his line of reasoning and justification for the message and methods of his ministry.
I think Paul's message is most easily understood. Christians are designed to be transformed!
Today we are taking another step in our series called DESIGNER LIVING. And according to our section in 2 Corinthians today, Paul explains that Christians are designed to function like diffusers-radiating and emanating the fragrance of Christ as we walk through life. Let's look at the opening thoughts of 2 Cor. 2:14a
Today we are coming out of Paul response to that group of critics from within the Corinthian church to Paul addressing one individual from within the church that has greatly offended Paul. In addressing this individual he is shepherding the church on how to appropriately deal with him the way in which Christ calls us to. What I hope we will discover this morning is that While God has designed us to be a comfort, to be dependable. Christ has also designed us to be forgivers because repentance lays the foundation for forgiveness.
I bet we have all disappointed someone at some point. I bet we all haven't lived up to the expectations others have placed on us, and as a result we left them stranded in disappointment. Maybe that person was our spouse, our brother, our sister, our kids, co-worker or worse yet our boss. I think we can relate to the Seattle Seahawks... at some point all of us had let someone down whether we meant to or not. I know that even personally, as a pastor people expect things about you and from you... and at times I am just not able to meet those expectations.
Over the next several weeks we're going to be spending our sermon time in the second of Paul's letters to the Corinthians. And from the passages that contain Paul's defense of his life and methods, as well as the passages that attempt to correct the unhealthy and unhelpful hurts and hang-ups of the Corinthians I believe we can find a number of applications for our lives that will serve to help us become the people God designed us to be.
That's why I'm calling this series Designer Living: Becoming the person God designed you to be.
Today in our final session of this series I want us to look at an illustration the Apostle Paul uses to help us grab on to, and lock in on everything we have been talking about in this series. Turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Leading up to this illustration he uses in these verses, Paul has basically been explaining to the Corinthian believers how he unleashes his potential as a Christian and as an Apostle so that they understand how to do the same in their lives. So, this is a perfect illustration for us to use as we conclude this series today.
Welcome to week 3 of our series, "Unleashing the Future." This series is about the choices we make now; that will enable us to experience our full redemptive potential in the future.
The principles we're talking about apply to your individual choices as well as our choices as a church. And what I want you to see today is that these principles are not new or born out of the latest research. They are tried and true and practiced by God's people in the past in order to unleash their future. Turn in your Bibles to the Old Testament book of Nehemiah.
This week I want to talk about a different dimension of this. Again the principles we're going to talk about today apply to our personal lives as well as our life together as a church. In order for your future as an individual or our future as a church to be unleashed and for you & for our church to realize our full potential we have to pay attention to how we're managing our freedom.
The freedom I'm talking about is related to the freedom we enjoy in our great country we live in, but more specifically, the freedom I'm talking about this morning is the freedom we have spiritually in Christ.
There's something fresh about a New Year. Our hope for better days is at it's brightest. We tend to reflect a bit about the past year, and imagine or dream about the New Year coming. It's a chance to hit the "restart" button. It's a chance to take another run at something. It's a chance to make a fresh resolve to stay a course or improve course a bit.
Today I am beginning a new series of messages that I'm calling Unleashing The Future! For our church to be unleashed to experience her full potential in the years ahead, we must keep our eyes on Jesus.
We live in some dark, cold and bitter days. We turn on the news and see the atrocities happening in our world. But often the atrocities in our own lives weigh us down even more. What at encouragement we can receive from the author of Hebrews as he reminds us in Chapter 12. "we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us."
The significance of Christmas that we've been focusing on all month long here at Church of the Foothills is HOPE. Hope is a super familiar idea, but it's not one we normally think about all that deeply. In fact, we use the word hope in all sorts of everyday conversation. "I hope I get something really cool for Christmas." "I hope I make my numbers at work today." "I hope what I want is on sale." I hope I see my boss today." "I hope I don't see my boss today." "I hope I see my employee today."
Hope used in these ways is really more like wishful thinking or personal desire. But, that is not the kind of hope we've been talking about. I've been calling the talks I've been sharing this month "Christmas: Winter's Hope."
I've been using the season of winter as an analogy to describe the cold challenges that come at us in life, the shorter days of opportunity to meet those challenges, and sometimes the dark nights of the soul when we realize that life is not working out the way we always envisioned it would.
In the midst of all her pain and struggle, the ultimate Hope of The World is born at Christmas. This is what we have been talking about over the last couple of weeks in our series, Christmas: Winter's Hope. We've been talking about the "winters" of our personal lives where we face cold challenges, shorter days of opportunity and resources to meet those challenges, and dark nights of the soul when we realize our life hasn't worked out quite like we imagined it would.
Like the season of winter, some winters are harder than others, and some last longer than others. The challenging, "winter seasons" of our lives can generate discouragement and despair, fear and anxiety or just plain emptiness. Some stretch us to the breaking point emotionally and spiritually.
Directly into the "winters" of our lives, hope is born. Directly into the "winters" of our hearts, God delivers life-changing hope. Yes, life is full of challenges nevertheless, hope cries out loud, and clear, reminding us it is alive and well.
The rush and stress of the Christmas season can feel like a strong arm in the back shoving us along through extra events, shopping, office parties, and family gatherings. All the well-intentioned "whobilation" can put us at risk of missing the soul refreshing, faith-deepening connection, worship and appreciation of the One born at Christmas.
So, my heart is always that these Christmas messages, will keep us securely tethered to the real meaning of Christmas. If you are newer to God or church, my hope is that this series of messages will bring clarity to you and that perhaps you will experience Christmas in a more personal and life-changing way that ever before.
I can't believe we're at the end of the series I'm calling Jesus, my Everything. The truth is, friends, without Him I've got nothing. I can't save myself. I can make myself holy. I don't have the power to restore my brokenness, whether spiritual, physical or mental. But with Him I am saved, I am sanctified & I am healed. Only Jesus is our Savior, Sanctifier and Healer.
Today I want to talk with you about what I consider to be the most exciting of these four messages: Jesus, my Coming King.
How many of you like to go to Costco and enjoy the little samples that they hand out? My youngest son, Noah, loves the samples. That kid will ask to participate in a three-hour errand run if he knows that Costco is one of the stops.
Stores that do the little tastes are geniuses, aren't they? They give you a little bite and then tell you where the whole product or meal can be purchased. I know some people (who shall remain nameless) who will go to Costco and troll around from sample to sample, tiny taste to tiny taste, with the hope of satisfying their appetite. "No, I don't want a whole meal, I'll just have a sample." Well, here's where I'm going with this...
I have been part of the Christian and Missionary Alliance from that first Sunday at church with my buddy right up to now. It's been a no-brainer for me because the Alliance is anchored in Jesus and an unswerving belief that everything we need is found in the provision of Christ.
A.B. Simpson, the founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, used the phrase "Fourfold Gospel" to describe who Christ must be in the life of every believer if we are to experience the fullness of life Jesus wants us to have. As you would expect, the Fourfold Gospel has four parts, all focused on Jesus, and they are: Christ our Savior, Christ our Sanctifier, Christ our Healer, and Christ our Coming King. Over the next several weeks I want to dig into each of these with you and explore more fully what it means to have Christ not simply in your life, but as your life; to talk about Jesus not only as your Savior, but as your everything.
Welcome to the conclusion of our series Angels and Demons. In our last session together we affirmed that God and his holy angels have an enemy. He is the devil and he has some number of angels with him who also rebelled against God's authority. The devil and his angels are created beings so they are always and forever under the authority of the Creator. In their supreme pride and arrogance, the devil and his angels resent God and hate all who believe in him or might believe in him. They have one passion and one passion only: to distract, distress, and destroy lives like yours and mine.
Welcome to week 4 of our series Angels and Demons. Today we begin our exploration of the dark side of the angel world-the devil and his angels. Since we know from the Bible that God created absolutely everything we can see and can't see, and we know that it was all very good, we deduce that Satan, who fell sometime between the end of creation (when all was pronounced good) and the temptation of Adam and Eve, is a created angel.
In the opening 2 sessions of our series we examined the types of angels we read about in the Bible and we surveyed the kinds of things they do in the heavenly realms. This week I want us to take a look at what angels can do in our lives. When we survey the Bible we learn that God uses angels in our earthly experience of life in a number of ways. For example...
As I mentioned last week one of the more unique, and interesting angel-type appearances which occurs several times in Genesis and other times throughout the Old Testament, is the appearance of "The angel of the LORD." Literally the angel of "Yahweh." But this angel is also referred to as "The Lord," "God," simply "angel," and even "a man." So, who is he really? What is he really?
Let's look together at a few of these appearances of The Angel of the LORD and see what we can learn. The very first appearance is found in Genesis 16. Turn there in your Bibles.
There are many misconceptions put forth regarding the evil spirit world. Some people give the Devil and his minions too much credit. In the midst of these realities in the culture around us, we cannot skeptically ignore everything related to angels and demons nor can we gullibly believe everything we see or read about in the popular media. To accurately understand angels and demons we can't gain accurate information from today's popular TV, movies, or novels, we have to learn to think biblically. "If angels are poised to help us in some way, we may be missing out if we don't allow for their reality in our worldview. And if the demonic world poses a real threat to us, we ignore them at our peril.
Our big take away from this synagogue synopsis of Jesus' anointing was that Jesus' anointing is our calling. We, as the church- those touched and being transformed by Jesus-are called to carry on his ministry with those around us. It's a positive refreshing message of grace, and hope...shared (splashed) on others one life at a time...in the power of the Spirit. It has been said that there are no perfect churches. I think that is true. But, why? Today Jesus tells us why there are no perfect churches and why healthy churches aren't even perfect.
On May 10, 1869, crews from the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads converged at Promontory Summit in northwest Utah. Their purpose was to connect their two railroads into the first transcontinental railroad. You might think the key to their success was skilled engineering, cartography, and a detailed blueprint. But you'd be wrong. They certainly had incredibly skilled engineering. They had the best maps available. But the real key to their success was something else. It was their ability to constantly make mid-course corrections. There was no way they could follow a detailed route. The maps of that day were too primitive. Confronted with a constant barrage of unforeseen obstacles, tunneling challenges, unstable soil, and harsh weather, they had to constantly change their plans in light of their realities and their mission.
Today we are bringing a close to our series Malachi: Debating with God. Over the course of these last 5 weeks we have gotten a front row seat to 5 debates between the nation of Israel and God. Right from the get go we learned that the nation of Israel was struggling. They have just been released from their exile in Babylon, they have rebuilt the temple and they were expecting the Messiah. They were expecting the one who will set them free and save them from their pain, suffering, persecution, but he never came. Not only was the nation of Israel expecting the Messiah but also they were expecting to be blessed and recognized by all other nations. However, instead of receiving blessings they struggled with poverty, apathy. Their expectations were not being met and this drove them into a series of debates with God.
Friends there may be some of you who are sitting in this worship center or in the venues that are in the same predicament of Israel. You have been beaten, crushed, by the waves of life. Addiction and past habits tossed and turned you and this whole time you've been pulled by the current of this culture and have been spit out onto the shore, and you have just come to the realization that you are yards away from God. There are probably others of you who have been walking closely with God for years, but you too have been caught in the undertow of addiction, depression, anxiety, discouragement and have just been drifting farther and farther away from God and have been thrown up onto the shore just fatigued and tired and your ready to return to God. The million-dollar question is how? That's exactly what the nation of Israel asks in verse 7.
The people of God in Malachis day had watched God do a miracle in allowing them to come back to rebuild the Temple and work miracles to help them rebuild the walls around Jerusalem. They people renewed their covenant with their God, as the sacrificial system was restored. When those things happened their expectations and hopes for the miraculous appearing of the messiah were stirred to a fever pitch. But, the messiah did not appear at that time. The people remained under Persian rule. The "promised land" did not become a paradise. In fact, crops failed due to the natural injustices locusts and drought. Religious activities were becoming burdensome and God didn't seem to be hearing their prayers or coming to their aid. In time, as we have learned in our series so far, the priests and the people began to lose heart and they began to compromise in their obedience in all sorts of areas of their lives. As they watched the wicked prevail over and over again, they began to ask, "Is all this God stuff for real?"
What God is pointing out in our debate today is that the way we treat people matters to him. There is a connection between our relationship with him and our relationships with others. We cannot compartmentalize. This means that our faithfulness or lack thereof, in our relationships with others directly impacts our faithfulness to God. So, when we love the people around us well, it reveals that we are loving God well. But failure to love others well, reveals a failure to love God well. Not mincing words, Malachi declares today that: When we mistreat others, we mistreat God!
God after establishing his love for Israel transitions the debate from that about Love to that of Theology. Throughout the rest of Chapter 1 and the first 9 verses of chapter 2 we see God and Israel debate theology.
Before we engage in this debate over theology it is important for us to have an understanding of what I mean when I state theology. Formally, the study of theology is defined as a set of doctrines or statements regarding God. However, in a nutshell I like to refer to theology as "what you know about God." Theology is all about how you view him. And what we are going to see in this debate is that your theology "what you know about God?" Is extremely important because your theology will have an impact on how you live... on how you conduct yourself. Lets take a look at this next debate as we watch Israel debate with God over theology.
Have you ever found yourself debating with God? Questioning him? I know many of you have lost loved ones, even recently. Often times the grieving process is made up of us questioning God looking for answers. Some of you are currently going through rough times as I speak, you have just been diagnosed with cancer, or are jobless after years and years of applying for different positions. Have you ever found yourself debating God?
Why? Seriously... why debate with God? Is that even Godly? or Christian of us? What's the point of debating? Being on the sac state debate team for a year I think I can answer this question. We debate with the purpose of growing... the purpose of learning, the purpose of understanding. That is why I argued with God in response to my friend's death. I wanted to know how his death fit within the character of God. I wanted God to reveal himself to me in this tragedy. I wanted God to meet me where I was at and He did. I believe God wants us to debate with him, because I believe He uses that environment to reveal Himself to us. How do I know this? Malachi!
Today we look at our third conversation with God, when Jesus talks with Simon Peter on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Unlike the previous conversations where Jesus spoke with strangers, this scene has some important back-story that we need to look at first. As we look back at the life of Peter, I hope communicate to you that we don't have to be superhuman to be disciples of Christ. Peter was one of the inner circle of disciples around Jesus, but he was just a man. He had a few really remarkable insights and some incredible screw-ups. He was normal, and yet Jesus went to great lengths to restore Peter after he blew it. What I hope we can walk away with today is when we have our own incredible screw-ups, God will go to great lengths to restore us also.
Today we want to look at John 4 and eavesdrop on a conversation between Jesus and a woman as they sit by a well in the middle of Samaria. So, open your bibles to John 4. If you don't have a bible, feel free to grab one from the below the chair near you, put your name in it and make it your own. Bring it with you each week because it's your handbook for knowing and walking with God.
Today we begin a three-week series we're calling: Conversations with Christ. We are going to be looking at three extended conversations Jesus has with three different individuals that I believe each of us we will see ourselves in. Today we're going to listen in on Jesus conversation with Nicodemus.
Spiritual darkness keeps people from seeing how to get to heaven. John 3:1-2
Nick comes at night. Many reasonably believe John tells us this to show that Nick didn't want his colleagues to know he was a having face to face, one-off conversation with Jesus.
Over the past 6 months or so, as our staff has been praying through the prayer requests that have come in from Sundays, we have been moved by the myriad of requests for all sorts of healing-mental, emotional, spiritual and physical. In addition, I have had a number of conversations with folks around our church who have carrying God sized burdens where they desperately need God to work a miracle, because there are no other options. During this same time frame, we have had the opportunity to pray with some of you and we've seen God do some very gracious and kind miracles of healing for folks.
All of this has worked together to give me the sense that we need to give some special focus to the amazing blessing of the healing available in Christ. And a communion Sunday like this one is the perfect time to bring this focus because our God is a healing God and his healing is available to us in a unique way through the death and resurrection of Jesus, which is rehearsed and remembered in Communion.
The subject or concept of supernatural healing has fascinated people for many centuries. It is a captivating subject because people crave miracles in order to get a glimpse of the supernatural at work before their eyes.
King David, Israel's greatest king wrote, "Unless the Lord builds the house its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain" (Ps. 127:1). As it goes for the home, so it goes for the country. Some of you will naturally want to make this a political sermon, and you will listen to it with the bias of your own personal political views. Instead of that, I'd invite you to weigh this message against God's Word, the way that you weigh every message that I preach.
Turn in your Bibles to Matthew 7:24-27. These verses are Jesus' concluding thoughts after three chapters of teaching called "The Sermon on the Mount." Let's read verses 24-27 and let it serve as home base for our sermon time this morning.
Now today, I want us to close off our time in this letter by going back to it's opening and a prayer that Paul prays for these Colossian believers. I thought exploring this prayer would be a meaningful way to wrap this series up together because it has become a prayer that I pray for myself, for our staff and ministry leaders and at times, I have found it fitting for opportunities for private prayer with some of you.
We've been saying that just as caterpillars have the DNA of butterflies long before they can fly, so to Christians have godly DNA and the Spirit empowers a growth in them so that they can mature into who they are in Christ.
Practically this means that people who know you but haven't seen you in awhile when they run into you, they will notice that you are different than when they were around you before. One of you sent me this picture this week to illustrate this.
Today, Paul turns his heart toward those outside of faith. He challenges us with the way Freedom's Lifestyle should look regarding those who still need to be freed in Christ. In other words, today we learn how free people can help others be free. First, he calls free people to pray. Look at Col. 4:2-4
Welcome to our 2014 Annual meeting and celebration. Before we take care of the more formal and legal matters as a church together, I want to briefly share with you what God laid on my heart for us this morning, as we stop and take stock in what God has brought us through this past year and what he seems to be leading us to this next year. If you have your Bibles with you turn to Mark 8.
Leading up to the opening of Chapter 8, Jesus is traveling about the towns and villages of Galilee. He's coaching and teaching his disciples and loving on the people he encounters or who come to him. A couple different times large crowds four and five thousand strong gather to hear him teach. This is the second of those occasions.
Today we take another step in our series that I'm calling "Christ-Centered Freedom." So far we have been breaking down Christ-centered freedom into some smaller components.
We are to use our freedom in Christ to keep at the change process because God's energy is zealously and actively re-creating us-at work in us to change our will and affect our actions in order to fulfill His good purposes.
As Paul attempts to fulfill His calling as an Apostle, he alludes to this same interactive, dynamic cooperation between his efforts and God's efforts in his comments in Colossians 1: 28-2:1a
Last week Brian reminded us that just as the caterpillar has all of the DNA inside it to be a fully developed butterfly, so it is with us. "God has given us the DNA of complete and full godliness." In Christ we have been given the gift of his righteousness, nothing we do can make us more righteous or cause God to love us any more. This morning we get to look at the process of putting on the new self and finding out what that means.
And now in our text for this week, Paul begins to describe for us how caterpillars can fly, so to speak. He is asking us take this freedom mindset and see the new opportunities it presents to us and begin to live them out. That's why I'm calling this message freedom's new opportunity. Today Paul begins to get real specific about how those who now have this Christ-centered freedom he's been talking about actually live it out. Turn in your Bibles to Colossians 3. In these opening verses of chapter 3 Paul gives us a kind of motivational sandwich. The top and bottom bun of this sandwich are seasoned with important truths and reminders that give us additional inspiration and encouragement to bite into the tougher center of the sandwich which will be more difficult to swallow.
Today our Colossians text Paul is speaking to our mindset...our outlook....our perspective!!! Paul is fundamentally arguing for a change of mindset for these new believers. He's basically saying, "Christian...you have to start thinking about yourselves differently." He's trying to open their minds to their new reality "of being complete in Christ." Their old ways of thinking about how to find favor with God, and how to awaken the spiritual dimension in their lives, all has to change.
Before Christ all they knew was the prison walls of their sinful nature. When Christ frees them, they have to gain a new mindset. It's a new freedom mindset.
Today, we are continuing on in a series that we started on Easter titled "Christ Centered Freedom." In this series we are breaking down Paul's letter to the new Christian Church in the City of Colossae. As we discussed last week the city of Colossae was a lot like that of the United States. It consisted of a melting pot of worldviews and religions. The church was surrounded by a bunch of Greek cults that worshiped little gods; gods of the cosmos and the elements. There was also a huge Jewish population within this city.
Paul got word that the church in Colossae was being impacted by these religions that were surrounding the church. So Paul writes them a letter to encourage the church to stay the course in their growth of becoming more like Christ and to not get distracted by those rituals, practices and religions around them.
Whether it is your wedding day, the birth of a child, or those times when you just look up at the stars; when was the last time you where amazed by someone or something? Do you remember that feeling? OK... so now when was the last time you were just completely amazed by Christ? Not amazed by what he has done for you but amazed by just simply WHO he is? I'm not talking about oh yeah Jesus is cool.... No!!! When was the last time you just sat back and you have just been taken by the majesty and wonder of Jesus?
I sometimes think that some of the apathy and "careless" attitude within Christians and the church today is due to the fact that we can often lose our amazement of Christ.
Friends my prayer for you today is that those same emotions that you felt when you witnessed your bride walking down the isle.... saw your first child being born... or witnessed a shooting star... will reemerge. My prayer is that you will leave this place amazed by WHO Jesus is. Today, we are going to be looking at Colossians 1:15-23 and in this passage we will find 7 characteristics of Jesus. However, before we dig into this passage lets put it into some context.
Athletes often use the need for redemption from some past failures, mistakes or poor performances to motivate themselves to train and prepare. For example, teams who blow large leads and lose to a team they are favored over try to come back the next week and redeem themselves. They try to perform better to make up for their failures earlier.
In instances like these, it seems that athletes, teams, or celebrities who have failed, fallen, or acted foolishly can in some way redeem themselves in the eyes of fans or teammates.
I wonder if you recognize that each of us is need of redemption even greater than the kinds these athletes need. Way more than simply trying to redeem our image in the eyes of people, each of us needs to be redeemed in the eyes of God.
Today I want to wrap up our "From Garden to Glory" series by talking about the Big Idea of the entire Bible! Though we have seen that the Bible is written over the course of two centuries, by thirty-seven authors, in sixty-six books, and though it doesn't always read chronologically and isn't always easily understood, there is an overall unifying theme that reveals it's ultimate author's purpose and message! This big idea or unifying theme has been called the Scarlet Thread of Redemption.
Welcome to Session #9 of our 10-part series I'm calling From Garden to Glory: Getting and Overview and Grasping the Big Idea of the Bible. We've been stepping through the Nine main eras of the Older Testament and these last few weeks we have stepped through the first two eras of the New Testament called the Gospel era and Church era. Today we're spending some time in the final era-the missions era where the news of forgiveness of sin through faith in Jesus begins to spread around the world.
Last week in our Bible overview we stepped into the New Testament and began to look at the Gospel era. In the chart on your note section today, we covered that first column called the Gospel era. Today, we take another step into the history of the NT in order to get an understanding of the beginnings of the church in the next column called the "Church era."
From the time of Malachi more than 400 years pass before the storyline of God is picked up again in the times of the New Testament. These 400 years have come to be referred to as the Silent Years or the time between the Testaments. It seems best to understand "silent" to mean that while God still moved among his faithful, inspiring and leading them, he didn't inspire anyone to write additional writings to be included in the Bible. In fact, quite a bit happened during these centuries as God prepared his people for the coming of his Messiah. Needs and frustrations intensified. Expectations were raised. In the fullness of time, the Messiah would come and be recognized by those who had ears to hear and eyes to see.
Welcome back to week 6 of our series: From Garden to Glory where we are trying to get a broad overview and high level perspective of the Bible. Though we are not unpacking specific verses we have been able to identify major themes and broad sweeping life lessons from this high level pass over the Bible.
On your sermon note page today I placed the chart that I presented to you week one. Take a look at that with me. It's a good time for us to see where we've been and how the pieces we'll cover today fit in.
Today we will be traveling the final leg of our journey over the peaks of Israel's history recorded in the Older Testament. From our flight plan chart I handed out a few weeks ago, here is the specific plan for this leg of the journey. Just like last week I don't want us to get distracted by the events...rather I want us to reflect on how the themes of this sweeping history apply to our lives.
From the very moment Adam and Eve rebelled against God's boundaries in the Garden of Eden, God's primary focus is on a plan of redemption. God desires a people through whom he can work to produce a reflection of himself, and through whom he can spread the message of his redemptive plan through the world. The redemptive strategy all starts on the River Euphrates, in a town called Ur.
One day a man by the name of Abram gets a tap on the shoulder and he hears a voice that basically says, "Hey, I need you...it's time to peace out of Ur." And with that the Patriarch era begins. There are four main Patriarchs we're introduced to in Genesis 12 to the end.
This week I want us to press the pause button on the map and zoom in a bit closer to take a look at Genesis 1-11. As we saw last week in our chart of the Nine Eras of Israel's History there are four major movements in these opening eleven chapters of Genesis: Creation, Fall, Flood, Tower of Babel (Nations).
Open to Genesis one. And let's get a glimpse of the general sequence.
Introduction: Intro: When I lived in Colorado during graduate school I learned that there are 53 "Fourteeners" in all in Colorado-peaks 14k high or higher. When you live in the Denver area there are many spots where you can see the large panorama of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. But, it's difficult to pic out which peaks are "Fourteeners" and which one's are not. It's difficult until the first early fall snowfalls. Our new series Review the new series name and value of getting a big picture overview of the Bible as we discussed in week one. A. W. Tozer said, "The Word of God well understood and religiously obeyed is the shortest route to spiritual perfection. And we must not select a few favorite passages to the exclusion of others. Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian."
Today we begin a new series. I'm really excited about it because I've never done anything quite like it. As you know, usually I teach out of the Bible...but in this series I'm going to be teaching about the Bible.
I'm calling this series: From Garden to Glory-An Overview of the Bible. This is going to be a macro-look at our entire Bible...Big picture, structure, major segments and major themes, geography, language and people groups featured in it. I am praying this series will deepen your understanding and heighten your affection for the Bible.
My hope is that by the end of our time each of you will be familiar with all the major: Men and women, major events and major points of geography. And each of you will be able to put those people and events in proper chronological order and be familiar with the geography where it all happened.
Today I want to conclude my series on the Lordship Resolution by asking the question: What are the signs of a sensible steward? How will you and I know if we're being sensible stewards as God calls us to be?
We are entering week three of this New Year. The New Year is a time when we tend to give more thought to our ways, thought to how we're doing life and for many, giving thought to how we are journeying with Jesus.
As a result, we've been talking about an important resolution for Christians, the Lordship Resolution! We've been learning that Jesus didn't just come to die and rise again to be Lord of your eternal-tomorrow-in-heaven:
-He came to be Lord of every moment in our lives. -He came to bring salvation but also transformation. -He came to bring his perfect leadership to every attitude, every action, and every interaction we have with those around us. -He came that we might learn to love him with ALL our heart, soul, and mind, and to love others in a similar way that we are naturally prone to love ourselves.
Last we began considering the first two of four benefits that become realities for us when we make the Lordship Resolution. Now let's take this a step further this morning. The 3rd benefit of making the Lordship Resolution is...
Now, today I want to ask the question, "Why is Lordship Necessary?" "What are the benefits of choosing to make Jesus Lord of your Life?" What difference is it going to make for you? How is it going to impact your daily experience of life?
I want to talk about two benefits this week and two other benefits next week. The first benefit is that...
As we turn the corner on a New Year it's the perfect time to give thought to our ways-give thought to our lives, our habits, to our understanding and our ways of doing things. If Christmas is the season of giving...The New Year is the season of reflection and resolutions.
This morning I am beginning a four part series I'm calling the Lordship Resolution. I'm not sure what types of resolutions you are making this year, if any, but if you are a Christian, one resolution you need to consider making or refreshing is the Lordship Resolution.
I hope that you can make a special effort to stay tuned to all four of the messages on this subject because the Lordship of Jesus impacts every area of your life; your personal life, your business life and your church life. It affects everything from how we manage our relationships to how we manage our time and even our money. The reality is every resolution you make is in one way or another tied to the Lordship Resolution.
Today as we begin this series I want to deal with the question "What is Lordship and why do we need it?"