Encounter at Illinois State University / ISU

God’s promises over His people are clear. What happens when we rush out to meet those outside of His instructions? In Abraham and Moses’ stories, we see with clarity how little human effort accomplishes without God’s divine blessing. Where does that leave us? What is God’s promise for us now? And how do we live as we wait for that promise to be fulfilled? (Ex 2:11-25, Gen 17, John 14:3)

When we look at Hebrews 11, we see many of the pillars of our faith. But we quickly see a common thread in the grander story. Our heroes are deeply flawed. We learn that God’s standard operating procedure is to use imperfect people to accomplish His greater purposes. If God uses ordinary things and people to accomplish His extraordinary work, what does that mean for us? (Hebrews 11, Genesis 15, I Cor 1:27-29, Acts 4:13, Romans 15:13)

God is a Good Father.

God is real and present.

God is merciful.

I AM: The Resurrection. When Jesus’ dear friend Lazarus dies, we see Jesus interacting with death in an intensely personal way. In this world, we taste both beauty and decay. But with Jesus as our resurrection and our life, we gain a glimpse into eternity and we begin to understand our complete and total dependence on Him. John 11:1-44, John 15:1, Matt 6:19, Phil 3:7-11

Jesus is the substance that satisfies the deepest cravings of our soul. In this sermon we learn what it means to feast on the Bread of Life (John 6)

John 8:12

Light reveals God.

Light exposes darkness.

Light transforms everything.

They’ll know we are Christians by our hashtags? The heart of the Father is, and has always been, the heart of a shepherd. When Jesus tells us that He is the Good Shepherd and not merely a hired hand, he sets a crucial example for His people to follow until His return. (John 10:6-18, Gen 4:8-9, Ezekiel 34:1-10, James 2:14-16, Luke 5:12-13, John 13:35)

To know who we are, we must know who God is. The God of the Universe goes by the name I AM, a name that Jesus affirms and helps us define. Life comes into focus when we begin to realize who the Great I AM really is and where we stand in relation to Him. Ex 3, Matt 16:24, John 1:19-27

Every minute, of every day, we are building a kingdom... whose kingdom are we building? We are wired in our DNA to build God's kingdom, and through the Grace of Jesus, we can freely go & do just that, in a million different capacities. So just go, do your thing, for the Glory of God & the Good of Others!

Throughout Scripture we see a God who invites us to join Him in the greater work that is happening all around us at every moment. Grace draws us into that partnership with our Father, revealing His active work and allowing us to respond with our great YES.