We're coming to understand that our God is a God who is in the business of rescue. That "rescuer" - is none other than Jesus himself. He rescues us by his beautifully divine life on earth, which is, at the same time, plagued with vulnerability, temptation, limitation, and suffering. But that is not where it stops. He is now headed towards the ultimate suffering of His death on the cross.

At Easter, the church celebrates Jesus' death and resurrection. At Christmas, the church celebrates His birth. Week to week, the church talks about His teachings in the Bible. But in all of this, do we unconsciously miss the importance of the life of Christ? Did His 33 years on earth hold significance? The beginning and the ending matters, but what about the dash in between the dates?

How can we trust that Jesus was the Messiah, our "rescuer"? As we continue through our sermon series, Rescue, we try to answer this question from 3 different angles: ancient prophecies, New Testament affirmations, and people like us who have been changed by Jesus. People are transformed only by Jesus Christ. Without Him, all of this is impossible. Jesus Christ is our rescuer.

Who is God and what does He do exactly? If a child were to ask these questions, they may well stop us in our tracks, even though they may seem simple. In addition to other things, it seems like one of those things God does is to write the real, tangible concept of redemption into the story of humanity. For the month of March leading up to Easter, we will be going through the sermon series titled, "Rescue."

Where do you live? Not necessarily the road, location, or type of structure, but where do you live in your soul? Where we live has a lot to do with where we are going, the personalities we meet, and the opportunities we will make or miss. The last verse of 1 Corinthians 13 says that the three siblings called faith, hope, and love - abide (or live) together. Apparently, there is a hierarchy, and the two cannot exist without the one. The greatest of these is love.

Would you rather be a partial person or a whole person? Would you rather go through life living vibrantly to your fullest potential or simply existing? Unfortunately, many people, including Christians, live the latter lifestyle. It is so incredibly difficult to admit lifelong error and change course that many choose to live in the fog for fear of being judged by others. As we read through 1 Corinthians 13: 8-12, we see that the most vital ingredient to living fully in the peace and joy the Lord provides as we learn, grow, and celebrate is love.

When we think of "sin," we often think of evil acts and behaviors that disappoint God. But at its root, what is this thing we call, "sin?" Simply, it means to miss the mark or target. This can look like "missing the mark" that is right and good and "missing the mission," which is what ultimately matters. As Christians, we are called to strive for the highest mission - serving God in this life until He calls us home. When we are off this trek, we struggle with meaninglessness and despair. We only have so much time until the mission is complete, so let us make it count.

In this sermon of the DNA Series, we discuss two more points of Hope DNA: rolling stones and differing opinions. Some of us have experienced church hurt. Sometimes the error is on the side of the church body, but sometimes it is on the side of the individual. Unfortunately, much hurt from church has stemmed from dogmatic stances on non-doctrinal, secondary, and wholly unimportant issues. These are effectively "stones" that are unnecessarily keeping souls from Jesus. As Hope Church, it's embedded within our DNA to stand firmly on biblical doctrine, but also roll these legalistic stones away so that more people can come to know the saving power of Jesus.

Who are we as Hope Church? Christians have the Spirit of Christ living in them, but without consistent guidance, help, and support from the body of the local church with its biblical, doctrinal reinforcement, we run the risk of making up our own rules and living in the flesh. In this sermon of the DNA series, we discuss two more important points of Hope DNA: being the Church and making disciples. Join back in with us as we discuss and solidify who we are as a church in Jesus Christ.