Sermons from The Water's Edge

The rescue matters.

So does the next morning.

The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, “Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.” -Luke 10:35

Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.” -Luke 10:36-37

A welcome matters.

So does what happens after the welcome.

Here for Good means we keep showing up.

A full house is not a finished mission.

The roof is not their mission. Bringing this man to Jesus is.

Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up, take your mat and walk”?

-Mark 2:9

We make room because we have received grace, not because we are trying to earn it.

The house may be full. The mission is not finished.

God has been good to us. God has good to do through us.Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?”“Seven loaves,” they replied. -Mark 8:5So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to his disciples, who distributed the bread to the crowd. -Mark 8:6

Better Advice: The way of Jesus is mercy, not payback.But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don't try to get them back. Do to others as you would like them to do to you. -Luke 6:27-31Forgiveness does not change past events. But it does change the future.

Better Advice:Time can create distance from our wounds, but Jesus is the one who brings healing.Time plus nutrients heals wounds.My grace is sufficient for you. My power works best in weakness.-2 Corinthians 12:9 The presence of pain does not prove the absence of God.

Better Advice:The fullest life is not found by chasing what feels good, but by becoming more like Jesus.The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that theymay have life, and have it to the full.-John 10:10BAD ADVICE: Love things. Use people. Worship yourself. BETTER ADVICE: Use things. Love people. Worship God.

Better Advice: We will face more than we can handle on our own, but never more than Jesus can overcome. Putting God in a sentence doesn’t automatically make the sentence something God said.I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. -John 16:33

Better Advice: Our hearts can mislead us. Following Jesus’ truth over our own, His way over ours, and His will over our desires leads us to something better. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?Jeremiah 17:9

20 Years of The Water's EdgeAgain Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. He taught them many things by parables.-Mark 4:1-21. WE live in community like Jesus2. WE serve and give like Jesus3. WE invite people to Jesus4. WE make room for people to encounter JesusFor twenty years, we have refused to believe that the people already here are the only people God cares about. There is always one more person to invite.

“Whatever you do, work at it will all of your heart, as if working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” – Colossians 3:23-24

Depending on the task at hand, the person we’re doing it for, and our motivation for getting it done, our approach and effort to our work can be greatly impacted

1. It changes the what

2. It changes the who

3. It changes the why

“Good enough” asks, “What’s the least I can give?” A job done well asks, “What’s the best I have to give?”

Whatever you do, be faithful with it, put your whole heart into it, do it for Jesus, and trust God with the rest.