Vida Church Santa Maria

What we believe about Jesus will directly impact how we live for Jesus. And how we live for Jesus will directly impact what others believe about Jesus. We are carrying others along who are watching our faith to see if it’s real and trustworthy. And this truth is most critical when it comes to our homes and how we're reflecting Jesus to our kids. Today's message inspires us to live in such a way that the next generation is better able to recognize and follow Jesus.

In this series we've been talking about three main attributes of Jesus: He is here, He is good, and today, He is Lord. But is one of these more important than the others? Yes! Everything else about Jesus flows from his Lordship. He has all authority over all things, and nothing is impossible for Him. So this begs the question: If he's all these things, why don't more people surrender to Jesus as their Lord? Because if there is any Lord other than ourselves, that Master will require things of us. And we tend to run from requirements as they can restrict how we want to live our lives. And what's the problem anyway? Can't we just love Jesus as our Savior without fully surrendering to him as Lord? Today we're diving into these issues. What does Jesus require of us, and what are the problems with rejecting his Lordship while still trying to connect with Jesus as the center of our faith? NOTE: For those who were with us on Sunday, February 4, you'll notice that this message contains an "alternate ending" to what you heard that morning! Let it bring new challenge and understanding to this conversation.

When you hear that "Jesus is good," you're actually hearing a code phrase that means much more. It's a statement declaring that EVERYTHING about Jesus is good – his nature, his mission, and his message are completely good all the time. And in today's message we're looking at one story, just a few minutes from Jesus' life, that demonstrates the reality of his goodness in so many ways.

We're going to discover:

He sees us and knows us.

He's compassionate toward us.

He acts on our behalf – not based on religious protocols, but based on His love. | He works miracles to fix what's broken.

He is working to bring restoration – restoring any parts of our story that have been damaged by hell.

Jesus is good. He is for you, not against you. And because he's the same Jesus now that he was when he was on earth, he is completely reliable and worthy of our trust.

God’s mission has always been to be present with us in continual, life-giving relationship. We see that throughout Scripture — from the start to the end. And Jesus' promise is that he would be with us ALWAYS. But though Jesus is here with us, we're not always aware of his presence. Today we look at ways we can develop our awareness, practices that help us experience his presence in powerful ways.

We all have two columns in our minds: one for WINS and another for LOSSES. When you think about this past year you’d be able to put lots of things into one of those two categories: relationships, your health, your finances, emotional and mental health, etc. This kind of list is what we use to determine whether we’re ADVANCING or LOSING GROUND in different areas in our life.

We've reached the end of our journey through the 260 chapters of the New Testament, and are in the final chapters of Revelation. Today we learn about heaven in an incredible description of its size and beauty — plus we discover what's in and what's out; who's in and who's out. And there's an amazing invitation to ANYONE who wants to secure their future and join God in this eternal home!

Rest is always seen as God's blessing. From Genesis through Revelation, including the Christmas story, rest is a deep, complete and lasting peace that brings calm not only to the storms around us, but the storms within us. Today we're looking at God's vision of rest, including how we can receive it this Christmas season!

Sometimes when reading a mystery you need to check the end of the story to make sure it ends well — then you can jump back into the intrigue. That's what we're doing today! In Revelation we find the "mystery of God" being fulfilled — the we flip back to the Christmas story and discover it's a central part to mystery of the gospel.

Can Revelation have anything to do with the Christmas story? Absolutely! It's in Revelation 5 we find that Jesus died to ransom ALL PEOPLE! That's the very same message the angel proclaimed on the night of Jesus' birth: that his coming was good news that will bring great joy to ALL PEOPLE! Hell's plan is always to divide people. God's plan is always to unite them. And our church — in a small but important way — is working God's plan in our community. That's why we are ONE church with TWO congregations, and why today we all together for a beautiful bilingual message of God's love.

As we enter this Christmas Advent season, celebrating the first arrival of Jesus into the world, we are mindful of his promise that there will be a second advent, when he'll return again. Today's message is the first of our Christmas series through the book of Revelation, and we're reintroduced to Jesus — not as the meek and mild baby in a manger, but as the righteous and all powerful king!