New City Church

Is the presence of God a priority for you? This weekend Pastor Steve Andres continued our MOSES series with a message about valuing God’s presence.

Exodus 33:15-16

Then Moses said to the Lord, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

God’s presence is the theme that runs from beginning to the end of the Bible. The word for God’s presence (panim) can also be translated as God’s face. This face to face relationship with God is exactly what we were made for!

1) The presence of God is our IDENTITY.

Moses correctly sees that even if God gives them the land he promised, and gives them victory in battle, it will not be the same as if God goes with his people. The distinguishing mark of God’s people is not who we profess to be, nor our proximity to the things of God, but the abiding presence of God. 

2) The presence of God is our SECURITY.

God didn’t give the children of Israel a map to the promised land. He gave them his presence to guide them. Our one responsibility is to stay close to God's presence. He moves, we move. He stays, we stay.

Psalm 73:25-26

Whom have I in heaven but you?

  And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

  but God is the strength of my heart

  and my portion forever.

The presence of God shifts our perspective from envy and grasping to peace and contentment. With God as our portion, our hearts are satisfied.

3) The presence of God is our DESTINY.

The whole Bible is one long story of exile and return. From the garden to the garden city. From the presence of God to the renewed presence of God. Our destiny is to enjoy the presence of the Lord forever.

There is only one way to gain access to the presence of the Lord. Jesus paid the price for our passage home. He was alienated from his Father so we could be brought near again!

Are you dealing with your character or just getting more discreet? This weekend Pastor Steve Andres continued our MOSES series with a message about the cost of character.

Numbers 20:11-12

Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”

Moses’ life serves as an encouragement and warning to all of us. His successes and failures can teach us about how we can faithfully live out God’s purposes for our lives. What does this story teach us?

1) Your CHARACTER counts.

If we look at the story of Moses’ life, we can see anger is a persistent and unresolved issue. Character flaws will remain in our lives when we choose to hide them instead of addressing them. 

There is no healing in hiding.

Moses' crazy, rock-striking anger comes because he values his own leadership and the people’s respect more than obedience to God. He reacts in a way that diminishes God in front of the people, and God declares a judgment over Moses that he will not personally enter the promised land. 

2) Your CALLING is not your healing.

The scariest part of the story is that even though Moses was wrong to strike the rock, God still caused the water to flow. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that your gifting and calling is the same as God’s approval. Gifting can provide validation, but it won’t produce transformation.

3) CHRIST is the pattern for our lives.

Anger can reveal so much about what we love. God’s plan and purpose is to grow us up to love what He loves, in the way the He loves. 

It’s easier to act like a Christian than to react like a Christian.

Pastor Mark Batterson

God does not call you to greatness; He calls you to Christlikeness. He calls you to the humility and meekness and love and righteousness of Jesus. And He has promised to help you!

Philippians 2:13

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

Why do counterfeits capture our hearts? This weekend, Pastor Joaquin continued our MOSES series with a message about counterfeit gods, why we build them, and how God calls us back to Himself.

Exodus 32:4

And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” 

Israel’s greatest problem didn’t begin with a golden calf; it began long before that. Before they ever built an idol, they drifted from God’s presence. In the waiting, their hearts were exposed, and they took the very evidence of God’s faithfulness and turned it into a substitute for God Himself.

1) Reject God’s presence, and you’ll replace it with something else.

James 2:19

You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

God desires more than our belief; He desires our relationship. Before Israel ever built a golden calf, they first chose distance over God’s invitation to draw near. When we stop pursuing God’s presence, our hearts don’t stay empty; they begin searching for substitutes. 

2) Waiting reveals what you worship.

Exodus 32:1 

“When the people saw that Moses delayed…”

Waiting reveals us. It exposes what is really in our hearts. The people of God grew impatient, which opened the door for their idolatry. Every idol begins as an attempt to solve a problem we think God hasn’t solved fast enough. God isn't late; He's right on time. The question is whether we'll trust him enough to wait.

3) We all worship something.

Exodus 32:4 “And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf…”

The very gold God had provided as evidence of His faithfulness became the material they used to build a substitute. God’s gifts were never meant to replace His presence; they were meant to point us back to Him. Every gift He places in our hands has an assignment: to build His Kingdom, not our own.

4) Return to the God you replaced.

Romans 1:25 “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie…”

The answer to idolatry isn’t simply tearing down the idol, because apart from Christ we’ll just build another one. Our hearts were created to worship, and if Jesus isn’t on the throne, something else will be. The good news of the gospel is that when we replaced God, He didn’t replace us. Through Jesus, He faithfully pursued us and still invites us to return to the One who alone can satisfy our hearts.

Counterfeits lose their power when you’ve spent time with the real thing. This week, don’t settle for a substitute. Draw near to the God who is still inviting you into relationship with Him!

Where do justice and mercy meet? This weekend Pastor Steve Andres continued our MOSES series with a message about the Law of God.

Exodus 20:1-3

Then God gave the people all these instructions: I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. You must not have any other god but me.

This is the moment when God gives Israel the law, and yet the people are terrified. If the Law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul (Psalm 19:7), why do we hide from it?

1) You can’t understand the law of God without knowing the person of God.

The first words from God are not about what Israel must do, but about who God is and what he has already done for them. To truly understand God’s law, we have to first understand God’s heart.

2) God’s laws are rooted in his unchanging nature.

Before sin was ever called sin by the Law, it was still sin and it was still deadly. God’s laws are descriptions of reality. He draws lines around sin because he knows that it leads to death!

3) The Law is meant to point us to Christ.

The Law is not able to save. It is designed to clarify our deep need for saving.

Galatians 3:24

Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

When we feel conviction or guilt because of the law, it is the pain that is designed to get our attention and cause us to address the problem.

4) The Holy Spirit is the presence of God to his people today.

When Israel sees God’s presence at Mt. Sinai, they are terrified because they realize that God’s presence will not keep company with sin. And yet the miracle of the New Testament is the gift of God’s presence to every believer. How?

5) Jesus came to fulfill the law.

When Jesus preached his Sermon On the Mount, he clarified the heart of God’s Law. In doing so, he made it perfectly clear how high God’s standard truly is.

Matthew 5:17

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

There are two ways to fulfill a law: obey it perfectly, or pay the penalty for breaking it. Jesus did both! He lived a sinless life that met God’s standard, and then he paid the penalty for all of us lawbreakers who deserved punishment. The cross is the place where God’s justice and mercy met, and the reason we can now live with daily access to the presence and promises of God!

How has God prepared you to be a blessing? This weekend Pastor Steve Andres continued our MOSES series with a message about servant-leadership.

Exodus 18:1

Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, heard about everything God had done for Moses and his people, the Israelites. He heard especially about how the Lord had rescued them from Egypt.

After the miracle of the Red Sea, after the waters of Marah and Elim, after the battle with the Amalekites, Moses is taking a crash-course on leadership. Jethro comes to give him a lesson that will save his life.

1) Kindred spirits nurture rejoicing. Familiar spirits nurture resentments. 

Pay attention to how people tell their story. If God‘s goodness and redemption don’t take center stage, be careful. Like Jethro, good friends and family nurture a spirit of gratitude and hope.

2) Sin complicates your life in all the worst ways. God’s blessings complicate your life in all the best ways.

When God blesses your life, it will always require a leveling up. Moses is experiencing a whole new set of challenges that require greater wisdom and greater character. 

3) Other people can see beyond what you say.

Moses gives a report on what is happening, but the next day, Jethro sees what Moses didn’t say, and he challenges Moses to change. Who have you invited into your life to SEE beyond what you SAY? 

4) Gifting won't take you any farther than your character can sustain.

Jethro tells Moses to select capable leaders who are honest. One of the worst things that can happen to a person is to have gifting that outpaces their character. 

1 Timothy 4:16

Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.

Skill and integrity go hand in hand. Don’t do so much working that you stop watching your own life and character. 

5) The Spirit gives gifts to everyone. Love activates those gifts.

Everyone has been given gifts to build up the body of Christ. The only two reasons those gifts aren’t in operation is because people are disqualified by sin or because they are withholding because of a lack of love. 

How has God graced you to be a blessing to those around you? Consider a few things:

YOUR PASSION. What professional skills have you developed? What excites you about the church’s mission? 

YOUR PEOPLE. Who do you know that you would enjoy serving with? Often this is a great first step to find your fit. Who are you interested in serving? 

YOUR PAST. Where did you first experience the grace of God? What challenges has God helped you overcome? What past pain has equipped you to encourage someone today?

YOUR PACE. What time does this season of life allow for you to wisely commit? What does a healthy balance look like with your family, work and other commitments?

God is able to use everyone to encourage and build up the body of Christ. Remember, it’s not the instrument that matters most, but whose hand it is in!

What are you fighting under? This weekend Pastor Joaquin Pardo continued our MOSES: Live No Lies series with a message about how God’s people fight spiritual battles.

Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands grew weary, so Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword.

Exodus 17:11-13

Israel had already been delivered from Egypt, but their journey still included opposition. They were no longer fighting for freedom, they were fighting from freedom.

The same is true for us. Jesus has already won the decisive victory over sin and death, but every believer still faces spiritual opposition.

1) You have to fight.

Joshua didn’t get to choose whether Amalek showed up. His decision was whether he would engage in the battle. Similarly, we don't choose whether spiritual warfare is real. We cannot experience victory while refusing to fight. We must stop allowing fear, shame, temptation, bitterness, and compromise to bully us into accepting a life God never intended for us. We must decide in our hearts that the enemy does not get another inch.

2) Fight faithfully. Fight prayerfully.

Joshua fought in the valley, but the battle's outcome was connected to what Moses was doing on the mountain. The sword mattered, but the sword was not the source of victory. Connecting the Lord to the battle was. We do the same today through prayer. Prayer does not make God powerful. Prayer reminds us who is powerful. You cannot win spiritual battles using only physical strategies. Practical obedience matters, but spiritual battles require spiritual dependence.

3) Your fight is my fight.

When Moses grew tired, Aaron and Hur noticed and moved toward him. They did not wait for Moses to ask for help. They lifted the hands he could no longer lift himself. Victory in the Kingdom of God is never meant to be experienced alone. The church should be filled with people who notice the hurting, the weary, the lonely, and the discouraged and then move into action.

4) Fight with The Lord as your banner.

When the battle was over, Joshua didn’t take the credit. Moses didn’t take the credit. Aaron and Hur didn’t take the credit. Moses built an altar and called it Jehovah-Nissi —The Lord Is My Banner.

A banner gave soldiers identity, direction, courage, and hope in the confusion of battle. When they became afraid or disoriented, they looked toward the banner and remembered that they were not fighting alone.

Our Banner is Jesus. Our Banner was lifted up on a cross. He bled, died, rose again, and now reigns in victory. The battle may still be real tomorrow, but don’t spend your life staring at Amalek.

Lift your eyes to your Banner. The Lord is our Banner.

Who is your source? This weekend Pastor Devin Gough continued our MOSES series with a message about trusting God for provision.

Exodus 16:17-18

So the people of Israel did as they were told. Some gathered a lot of manna, some only a little. But when they measured it out, everyone had just enough. Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough. Each family had just what it needed.

After God led the people to the wilderness, he provided food for them daily. Why daily? Because Israel wanted security, but God wanted relationship.

1) God will empty what you used to depend on.

God brought them to the wilderness to grow them. Growth happens in seasons of discomfort, as you learn the difference between your RESOURCES and your SOURCE.

2) God will give you just as much as you need.

God could have given Israel a forty-year supply, but instead he taught them to look each morning for his provision.

Dependence is not a weakness, it is discipleship.

If God had given them more than a daily supply, they would have trusted in their storehouse, not their Provider.

3) God cares more about your formation than your provision.

Israel needed to learn a new way because the Egypt living in them was worse than the Egypt they had been living in. The goal wasn’t food, the goal was formation. 

The real miracle in the desert wasn’t the bread, it was God staying faithful to a people who weren’t faithful to him! The miracle of God’s love and mercy is still a daily reality for all of us in Christ!

What do you do when your back is against the sea? This weekend, Pastor Joaquin continued our MOSES: Live No Lies series by examining one of the most famous miracles in Scripture: the crossing of the Red Sea. 

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

Exodus 14:21- 22

After 400 years of slavery, God’s people were finally free. Yet, instead of taking the shortest route to the Promised Land, God led them toward what appeared to be a dead end. With the Red Sea in front of them and Pharaoh’s army behind them, Israel found themselves trapped, afraid, and questioning God’s plan.

1) Trust his route.

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.”

Exodus 13:17 

God did not lead Israel by the shortest route because He knew they were not ready for what was ahead. The route that looked better to God’s people wasn’t actually better for God’s people.

Sometimes what feels like a delay is actually God’s protection. What feels like a detour may actually be God’s grace. God sees what we cannot see, knows what we do not know, and leads His children according to what they need, not simply what they want.

2) When we forget, we fear.

“They did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.”

Psalm 106:7 

Psalm 106 reveals something surprising about the Red Sea story. The real issue wasn’t Israel’s fear; it was their forgetfulness. They forgot God’s power, God’s provision, God’s promises, and God’s steadfast love. Their forgetfulness opened the door for fear. Yet even after they complained, doubted, and rebelled, God remained faithful.

The miracle of the Red Sea is not ultimately about Israel’s faith. It’s about God’s faithfulness despite their forgetfulness.

3) Faith moves forward.

When the Israelites found themselves trapped, God gave Moses a surprising response:

The LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.”

Exodus 14:15 

There are moments in life when prayer must lead to obedience.

“There are times when prayer is not enough—when prayer itself is out of season. When we have prayed over a matter to a certain degree, it then becomes sinful to tarry any longer; our plain duty is to carry our desires into action.”

Charles Spurgeon

The miracle belonged to God but the movement belonged to his people. Faith doesn’t just believe God can make a way. Faith moves forward when He makes that way.