Sermons | Northstar Church Pulaski: Recent Episodes
David Farris
Don't go to Church; BE the Church.
https://www.northstarpulaski.org
Join us Sundays for service!
Questions? Email - office@northstarpulaski.org
Week 5 of the James Series: Wisdom For An Authentic Life of Faith
Main Scripture passage -- James 1:26-2:13
Paul takes a pause in his argument for two reasons.
First to explain the consequences of our decisions and secondly to appeal to the Galatians.
If the Apostle Peter needed to be reminded of who he was in Christ, it is easy to assume everyone needs the same reminder.
Without the gospel, we are like orphans without hope. With the gospel of grace, we have now been given the opportunity to be adopted into the family of God, through the death of His Son Jesus Christ.
Greg reminds us, as Paul reminded the young Christians in Galatia, how important it is for us to live by our faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation cannot come as a result of our effort and traditions, regardless of how disciplined we are.
Week 4 in Galatians.
The Gospel of Grace
Conflicts with the religious world around us Cultivates incredible unity with followers of Jesus Gives us everything when we have nothing to offer
"As we dive into week 3 of our series in Galatians, we focus on Paul's "former life" and the gospel of Jesus Christ which has the power to change our lives as well."
This week, guest speaker Greg Taylor discusses the unique difficulties Christian men face in their walk as the enemy has waged war against men. We consider causes in this fallen world and discuss solutions for men to be as God intended men to be: builders, cultivators, and encouragers.
For week 2 of our Pursuing Peace series we look at Luke 6. Jesus wants us to take a stance of humility when it comes to conflict and focus on peace, restoration, and reconciliation.
This week we begin a mini series on pursuing peace. Everyone has had to deal with conflict in their lives. To kick off the series we look at James 4:1-10 to find that the root of all conflict is our own desires within ourselves. We look at what it means to humble ourselves and find delight in Jesus as we pursue a peace making lifestyle as we deal with conflict in our lives.
This week, as we celebrate Easter, Dave reminds us of the powerful words Jesus spoke in John 8. In these passages Jesus says He is the light of the world and without Him we dwell aimlessly in spiritual darkness. Dave challenges us to take the matter of eternity seriously and to examine our faith. We may proclaim Christ with our lips, but our hearts can still be far from Him.
As we wrap up our study in Habakkuk, Dave uses the example of Habakkuk to show us that when life continues to challenge us and we feel defeated our faith is tested. We see that we often have a "if, then" mentality to our faith where we think we can earn blessings from God by simply doing religious things. Dave challenges us to follow Habakkuk's example when being tested to find our joy and our strength in the Lord by yielding to His will and rejoicing despite the difficulties.
This week, Dave takes us to chapter 3 as we continue our study of the book of Habakkuk. As Habakkuk changes his tone in the final chapter of the book, Habakkuk uses song like language to reaffirm that God is God and we are not. In this text we see that God is the one who saves us, who is with us, and who will finish it.
This week, guest speaker Chris Miller continues our study of the book of Habakkuk and discuss verses 2:18-20. In these verses, we encounter the Fifth Woe: idolatry. In today's culture, we may not have a carved idol in our home that we bow down to, but the reality is that our nature is to desire the seen above the unseen. Chris challenges us to examine our lives and see if there is anything that we value more than Jesus, and sever that idol from or lives with the help of the Holy Spirit.
This week, we continue our study of the book of Habakkuk and discuss verses 2:6-16. In this passage we see God'd discipline and God's wrath, known as the Five Woe Oracles. We see that God's purpose here was to bring the people to repentance. We discuss how because of the cross, we have the opportunity to embrace God's discipline now so that we may escape God's wrath in favor of his mercy and love.
This week, our guest speaker Scott Anderson continues our study of the book of Habakkuk. We cover verses 1:12-2:5 and ask God three core questions:
God, are you in control? God, are you just? God, are you good?
This week, our guest speaker Brady Deal walks us through what it means to live by faith. We reference Habakkuk 2:4 which says, "The righteous shall live by faith." Using Hebrews 10:1-39, Brady explains that a life of faith in Christ is one that is freed from sin, has complete access to the throne of God, is lived out in a community of fellow believers, is aware of the punishment of deliberate sin, is joyful in suffering, and is running a race of endurance. We then read Hebrews 11:1-40 together, which is known as the Hall of Faith.
This week we look at the God's reply to Habakkuk's prayer of questioning. We look to the book of Romans to see how suffering is part of the journey of our faith. We have three reminders for this week: God is hearing and answering prayers, God is sovereign and we are not, God is Just and we are not.
For the first week in our sermon series on the book of Habakkuk, we briefly review the history of the nation of Israel and introduce the prophet of Habakkuk. We discuss two main questions he has for God, and consider how we can respond when we have similar questions for God in our lives.
This week Neal Nelson, Associate Pastor at Northstar Blacksburg, uses examples from the life of Mark to challenge us to be useful to the ministry of the Church.
For the fourth week in our sermon series Defined and Clarified, we continue to define the Church and we clarify the role of the Church: to go and make disciples.
Click here to view Northstar's 2018 highlight video mentioned in the podcast.
For the third week in our sermon series Defined and Clarified, we define the Church and clarify the role of the Church.
For the second week in our sermon series Defined and Clarified, we define sin and clarify that we need to hate sin. Sin, even what we might call small offenses, is not something we should tolerate nor is it something we have the power to tame. We cannot overcome the power of sin on our own-- we desperately need Jesus.
For week 1 in our sermon series Defined and Clarified, we define Jesus and clarify our need to abide in Jesus. You may know about Jesus, but do you know Jesus? Jesus is the true vine and we are the branches. To know Jesus is to abide in Him.
We close out this year's December Nights services by discussing Jesus as the Prince of Peace.
On the Eve of the Eve, instead of our regular December Nights service, we gathered with multiple churches for a community worship service to celebrate the birth of our Savior. The message centered on drawing parallels between the Little Dummer Boy's perspective on the Newborn King and our perspective on our Risen King.
Join us this week as we kick off our December Nights services! Wayne reminds us of the joy and wonder we first had for the Lord and reminds us that Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor.
This Sunday we reflect on what God has done for us and worship with our families in a special time of praise and scripture reading.
This week we have the privilege to hear from Dr. David Nelms from The Timothy Initiative about the work his team is accomplishing by training up Pauls and Timothys all over the world and are reminded of the urgency we should have for the weight of the souls that are being lost daily.
This week we learn about spiritual discipline. We learn that without godliness we cannot get to God. Creating a rhythm of spiritual disciplines for our lives by using Jesus' example is what will develop godliness in us.
This week we start a new series on discipline. To kick off the series we look at discipline in the church using Paul's letter to the church in Corinth. We see what is expected of the church when there is blatant sin in the church body.
This week we close out our study of Ephesians. We learn that an incorruptible love for Jesus is required when we experience the love Jesus has for us.
This week is covenant renewal. It's a time where all members of the church look at the membership covenant and align ourselves with the goal of the church. In this message, Dave gives us 10 traits of a healthy church. Our main passage is from Ephesians 4 which describes the body of Christ, the Church.
This week we hear from Neal, the Associate Pastor at Northstar Blacksburg. Neal reminds us that the shield of faith is what protects us from the subtle lies the devil tries to use to get us to sin.
This week we learn about guarding our minds with the helmet of salvation. Brad preaches about the many distractions we face in a world fighting for our attention and the danger of the impurity we feed ourselves with our devices and view from the media.
This week in Ephesians, we discuss how to stand firm in battle with shoes equipped with readiness given by the gospel of peace. We are also reminded that through suffering and trials, we can have peace through Jesus.
This week in Ephesians, we take a look at the breastplate of righteousness and our need for Jesus to make us righteous before God.
This week in Ephesians, we look at what it means to put on the belt of truth in a world that is full of untruth.
This week we look at Ephesians 6:10-13 and discuss the importance of understanding the reality of the spiritual warfare going on around us and how we can be battle ready.
Although Jesus has some harsh words for people who have heard the gospel and rejected it, He immediately offers an invitation to finally submit.
What does the Bible have to say about what we as Christians can expect about living in this age where Christ has come and offered redemption, and yet the world is still broken and in sin?
Life without hope quickly leads to despair. The great news for followers of Jesus Christ is that we have hope in a future far better than our best, much less worst days in this life. In today's passage, Paul reminds us of the reality we currently live in a broken world, however, it will not remain broken forever.
This week we look at what it looks like to live as children of light and walk in the path of wisdom as we look at Ephesians 5:7-21.
This week we study the first six verses in Ephesians 5 and God's perspective on sex. Through this passage, Paul instructs us to be imitators of God and to be free from all impurities.
If Christianity is nothing but an ideal a bunch of ideas, then you can dismiss it…God does not only want to change what you do, He wants to change what you want to do.
For the first three chapters of Ephesians, Paul was focused on our vertical relationship with God, and all that he has done for our salvation. Beginning with Ephesians 4, the focus shifts to our relationships with others, and how we can use our gifts together to build up the body of Christ.
For the first three chapters of Ephesians, Paul was focused on our vertical relationship with God, and all that he has done for our salvation. Beginning with Ephesians 4, the focus shifts to applying what God has done to our lives, starting with the importance of church unity.
There are moments when life causes us to doubt and struggle with confidence. It is normal and a reality we all deal with from time to time. However, we are reminded today that we can find confidence through what God has done for us through Jesus.
Although today’s passage may be familiar to some and easy to read/hear/memorize, experiencing and living out the truths Paul describes can be much more difficult.
Even as believers, we constantly need to be reminded of the hope we have because of Jesus. In today's passage we unpack an incredible prayer Paul writes to the Ephesian believers, that challenges us to pursue and know deeply who Jesus is, and to understand the role we are invited into as the Church.
Jeff Noble, from our Blacksburg campus, joined us today to share some of his thoughts from Ephesians 1:11-14.
In today’s passage we bring a theological elephant to the table and discuss the hope and joy that comes from Paul’s introduction to the believers.
Join us as we celebrate our annual State of the Church address to look back at how God has been so faithful throughout the past year and look ahead to see where we believe He is guiding us as believers and as His Church. We hear an incredible testimony of redemption, restoration, and God's faithfulness and celebrate His goodness.
The Church, and many Christians, have lost their saltiness when it comes to influencing culture around us. As we dive into Discipleship On Purpose we look at a few reasons, and according to Jesus, how detrimental it is when we fail to be salt in this dark world.
As a springboard for our upcoming mini-series ‘Discipleship on Purpose,’ Brad challenges Christians to live the life they claim to believe in.
We do not fully appreciate something until we realize how much we truly need it. We live in a dark world. Faithfully understanding that the Light has dawned gives us reason to celebrate the hope we have in Jesus.
Join us as we share and celebrate a few of the things God has been doing over the past couple of months. It will be an encouraging time as we express our gratitude in worship, prayer, and sharing for what Jesus has done for, and continues to do in and through us.
In our final week of Jonah, we compare the heart of God to the heart of a man who was obedient and yet still far from where he needed to be.
In week 3 of our series through Jonah, we see what true repentance looks like. We also see God's relentless love in the most unlikely of places.
This week we learn about Jonah's dark night of the soul and how God gave him deliverance from his own disobedience.
If we don't have a true understanding for who the Church is, it would be impossible to truly see the biblical need and purpose for church membership. As we celebrate our annual covenant renewal service, we must know who we are as part of God's family in order to joyfully embrace membership in His local church.
As a follow up to our How To Neighbor series, we look at Matthew 25 to see how Jesus describes true ministry. In order for us to truly love our neighbors, we must first be willing to tear down the walls that separate us.
In week four of our How To Neighbor series, we talk about the true source of poverty; brokenness, and how it isn't a lack of material, rather it is a lack of meaning.
We see how we, as followers of Christ, can help those who are feeling impoverished.
In the third week of our How to Neighbor series, we realize we were not created to be alone. In fact, we are hardwired to live in community. As believers, we need to be aware of those around us who are struggling with loneliness and be willing to reach out to love our neighbor.
In week two of our How To Neighbor series we discuss another difficult, and yet critically important obligation we have as Christ followers.
Today, we learn the Church is God's primary plan to help children in need.
In our first week of How To Neighbor, we jump right in to the difficult topic of racial reconciliation by looking at The Good Samaritan.