03/15/2026  The Unexpected King

The Humble King | Luke 4: 14-30

BIG IDEA: Jesus is not the King that was expected; He is the King that was needed.

Will we follow Jesus as He truly is, or only as we expect Him to be?

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11: 28-30

Jesus is the humble King who:

1. Depends on the Spirit. (vs 14-15) God’s power flows through dependence. Humility begins when we realize and admit that we are powerless to control anything.

2. Identifies with the lowly. (vs 16-19) Jesus moves toward the people the world moves past. Who do you move toward?

3. Confronts pride. (vs 21-24) Pride rejects the king it cannot control. We love what comforts us, and we reject what confronts us.

4. Opens the Kingdom to outsiders. (vs 25-30) Grace crosses every boundary that pride tries to build.

“Jesus, shape us as we give up trying to shape You.”

03/08/2026 Is It Well With Your Soul

Psalm 42 Dennis Turner

BIG IDEA: Soul Health: an ongoing, honest appraisal of who we are (v3), through an ongoing, honest acceptance of who God says we are (v8).

The threats of the soul: Psalm 42: v3a - unending sorrow; v3b - taunting from unbelievers; vs 4&6 - removed from worship; v7 - totally overwhelmed; v9 - a feeling of abandonment.

1. Worriness - the things in life that we fret over.

2. Wariness - perpetual fear that paralyzes us.

3. Weariness - soul fatigue, just being “done with it”.

The thirsts of the soul: 

1. God Himself - (vs1-2) our souls long for God in order to experience His presence.

2. The love of God (v8) 

3. Hope in God (vs5,11) only God can satisfy and fulfill us.

Cultivating a rhythm of soul health:

One hour a day - meet with God

One day a week - practice Sabbath

One morning or afternoon or evening - set time apart to commune with God

One weekend a year - sabbatical or retreat

03/01/2026 Love, Rewritten | God’s Unconditional Love

Exodus 34

BIG IDEA: God’s hesed is covenant love that binds Himself to us and refuses to let go.

How long will God keep loving us? Following Jesus is not about trying harder, it’s about surrendering more. 

Idols in our lives: What idols do you have in your life that keep you from enriching your relationship with Jesus? You are free to choose, but you are not free to choose your consequences.

God’s hesed for you:

Hesed is rooted in God’s character. Hesed is not sustained by your behavior, it’s sustained by God’s character..

Hesed outlasts failure.

Hesed is revealed fully in Christ. (John 1:14) Jesus is hesed embodied (1 Peter 1: 18-19). The Cross is not emotional love, it’s covenantal love paying the price.

In Christ, your new reality is:

Hesed means you can stop performing. If God’s love were conditional, you would have to maintain it. Read Galatians 3:3 and 2:20.

Hesed means you can stop hiding. Confess your sins, repent, and receive God’s forgiveness. (Psalm 32)

Hesed means you can start loving differently. (Colossians 3; Ephesians 4) We are anchored by God’s love, so we can love others properly.

02/22/2026 Love Rewritten: Troubled Love

Hosea 1-3

BIG IDEA: Troubled love walks away, God’s covenant love goes again.

God’s love does not depend on our performance.

God’s covenant love:

1. Enters into messy spaces. God’s love is not contractual, it is covenantal, and it steps into the mess of troubled love.

2. Reveals the false sources we chase. (Jeremiah 2:13) 

We commit adultery against God by placing our hope and trust in earthly things. The things we hold onto were not meant to hold us. When was the last time you found what you need in God?

3. Speaks tenderly into wayward hearts. (Hebrews 12;10-11)

The wilderness is not abandonment, it’s an invitation.

4. Goes again. (1 Peter 1: 18-19)

We cannot earn or deserve God’s love, we simply receive it.

If you’ve experienced troubled love: God sees you and hears you, and He is with you. (Psalm 147:3)

If you’ve given troubled love: Your worst chapter isn’t the end of your story. 

Repent and experience God’s forgiveness, God is ALWAYS faithful.

02/15/2026 Love Rewritten | Dysfunctional Love

Genesis 29-30

Big Idea: Dysfunctional love breaks relationships, but God rewrites them with His love.

We don’t love badly because we’re evil, we love badly because we’re empty.

Love needs to be about giving, not getting.

Dysfunctional love on display:

Leah craves to be seen. (Chosen but not wanted)

Rachel craves to be chosen.

Jacob loves selectively.

Everyone is wounded and wounding. We buy into the lie because we think it will satisfy our desires. We tend to operate out of fear, not faith. Control is fear with a strategy.

Three freedom truths to overcome dysfunctional love:

1. You don’t have to perform to be loved by God. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Love didn’t begin with your effort, it began with God’s grace.

2. You don’t have to compare to be valuable. You were fearfully and wonderfully made perfect in God’s image.

3. You don’t have to control to be secure. (Romans 8:38-39)

02/08/2025 Generous: Redeeming the Days     Ephesians 5:15-17

Big Idea: The way you spend your time determines the direction of your life.

Sometimes we live as if we have an unlimited amount of time to live. We need to spend more time being with Jesus (think Mary), and less time doing for Him (think Martha).

When it comes to time in our lives:

1. Wisdom shows up in how you spend your time. (v 15) Does God actually care about out time the same way He cares about our money? Our lives need to reflect our relationship with Jesus. The life you live tomorrow is being shaped by the time you steward today.

2. Time isn’t owned, it’s entrusted. (v 16) The time we are given to live is valuable, we need to be wise in how we choose to spend it. See Psalm 90:12.

3. God’s direction becomes clearer when your time is ordered. (v 17) Is your schedule crowding out God’s voice?  See Mark 1:35. 

If God is first in your life, He’ll be first on your calendar.

Wisely stewarding the time entrusted to me means I:

1. Put God first on your calendar. (Matthew 6:33) The Creator of the universe wants to be in a relationship with each one of us as individuals.

2. Practice Sabbath and margin. Can you commit one day a week to connect with God, and let the world spin by? 

3. Be fully present where you are. We don’t need new priorities, we need new attention. Presence is one of the most generous gifts you can give.

4. Learn to say “no”. What is your “yes” costing you in your relationship with God?

Information -> Application -> Transformation

02/01/2025 Generous: Generosity Shaped by Grace, not Law

2 Corinthians 9:6-7

Big Idea: All that I have and all that I am belongs to God.

Things to remember when it comes to giving:

Generosity flows from grace, not guilt.

We are stewards, not owners.

All that I have and all that I am belongs to God.

TITHE = Tenth; are we required to tithe? How much should we really give? Should I give off the gross, or the net? What if I don’t give?

Giving BEFORE the Law: Genesis 4-Cain & Abel; Genesis 8-Noah; Genesis 12-Abram; Genesis 14-Abram & Melchizedek; Genesis 28-Jacob’s vow; Genesis 41 & 47- Joseph’s tax.

Giving UNDER the Law: Tithe tax (Gov’t tax) Numbers 18; Celebration tithe Deut 12; Welfare tithe Deut 14; Harvester’s tax (Ruth) Lev 19; Land Sabbath Web 7: 4-9

Giving IN the New Testament: Required tithe & voluntary theocratic tithe, Roman tax; Tithe in the Gospels Matthew 22:23; Luke 12; Tithe in Hebrews Hebrew 7:4-9.

Giving is not about 10%, it’s about 100% & it’s really about your heart.

We are under grace, not the Law.

When I give…

1. It recognizes God’s goodness & faithfulness to supply for my needs.

2. It demonstrates that God doesn’t own just 10%, He owns it all.

3. It communicates my heart to love God and love people.

4. It supports the work (mission) of the local church here and around the world.

01/18/2025 Generous: Living a Giving Lifestyle

Proverbs 3:9-10

Big Idea: What we give first reveals what we trust most.

God doesn’t need us to give.  What does it look like to honor God with what comes first, not from what’s left over? Left over giving isn’t usually intentional, but it’s always revealing.

First Fruit Giving:

1. First fruits is about honor and trust. God loves us for giving faithfully, not for giving more. (Matthew 6:21) Generosity is not about money, it’s about the heart.

2. First fruits means first, not leftover. First fruits requires faith, not abundance. First fruits is not emotional generosity, it’s intentional trust. (Genesis 4:4) Do you give like Cain, or do you give like Abel?

3. First fruits is not a prosperity promise. Trust God first, and He will prove Himself to you over time. Sometimes, His blessings are provisional. God promises faithfulness, not financial stability. (Romans 8:32; 1 Corinthians 15:20).

How is God speaking to you right now about His First Fruits principle? Does your heart dictate how much you give, or is it just another expense? Do you give out of trust, or do you give out of obligation?

01-11-2026

Get Wisdom Proverbs 8:1-11

Do you value wisdom? 1 Kings 3:1-15

1. What is wisdom? It is the ability to make right moral decisions, to use skill and discernment properly. Wisdom is not knowledge. Knowledge is the possession of information. Wisdom is knowing what to do with that information.

2. Why do we need wisdom? 

a. To make the right decisions

b. To discern the truth of Scripture

c. To identify false teaching and temptations

d. To help others

e. To judge correctly and righteously

3. Why don’t we have wisdom? We don’t make wisdom a priority in our lives, because we are not truly seeking God. We are arrogant and stubborn. We are impatient, always in a hurry to do everything. We’re overly emotional.

4. How do we get wisdom? 

a. Ask God (James 1:5). 

b. Humble ourselves before God and own our mistakes. 

c. Spend time in God’s Word. 

d. Get good teaching to make correct decisions. 

e. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide and teach us (John 14:26).

01/04/2026 Rest in Jesus

Matthew 11:28-30

Goal: To grow spiritually in your relationship with God.

Foundation: Rest in Jesus

What do you need to remove? Example; wasting time in idle behavior.

Prioritize God throughout each day, not just for one hour on Sunday.  Stop doing “for God”, and start being “with God” ( Martha vs Mary complex).

Psalm 37: 1-7; Spend time in prayer and the Bible. Be intentional in your spiritual growth.

Col 3:17

Reorient your perspective in your daily life. Start making a valid effort to go to God throughout your day when making decisions and undertaking tasks.

Question - How will you prioritize God and rest in Jesus on a daily basis?