Simple Church

In part four of "The Psalms", we can see that a life in pursuit of God will cause relationship changes. As we depend more on Jesus and less on ourselves, many people will leave our lives that do not share the same desire to seek after the things of God. The same unexplainable, incomprehensible Creator of the universe sees and cares deeply for each one of us. He fills in the gaps left by those who abandon us because we are following after Christ.

The Psalmist opens his heart in both prayer and praise in the stanzas we look into. He declares that God knows our hearts and His Word is life. In these scriptures, we hear one overarching word. "HOPE." 

Psalm 119:114 says, "You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my source of hope."

Take heart in your aim, continue in the path of righteousness and know that God sees and loves you. We have hope because while we were still sinners, He sent Jesus to die for us. That is worth fully entrusting our hope in. 

Psalm 119:57-120

Pastor Kenny Nix

In the fourth message in our "Faith" series, Keith Wilson shows us how the faith of Noah was exemplified in his obedience to God. Noah was commanded to build a vessel that would serve as salvation to his family when the appointed time would come. Scripture shows us that having great faith in Christ will make you feel alone at times. Pursuing a life that pleases God will call you to do things that no one will understand; yet, it will take you on an incredible journey if you are following the leadership of the Holy Spirit. 

Scripture shows us that sin breaks the heart of God. Sin brings death. God is the righteous Judge in bringing this great flood that changed the world forever. God is also the Rescuer who offered salvation to Noah and his family. Keith explains through the simplicity of scripture that God does not want us to just follow His "rules"; He wants to save us from our sin. He wants to bring us to Himself and have a personal closeness with us. 

Hebrews 11:7, Genesis 6:9-22

Keith Wilson, Youth Pastor

In the third message in our series, The Psalms, Pastor Kenny Nix shares the simplicity of how to live a life of joy amid our trials and under difficult circumstances. Those who pursue God and keep His word by obedience will retain their peace, joy and comfort even in the most dire situations. 

We see that without the Word of God, we have no knowledge of the freedom through salvation in Jesus. We are encouraged in this passage to look to the Word for the source of life, hope, joy and freedom. 

Psalm 119: 1-56

Kenny Nix, Pastor

In the third part of our "Faith" series, Keith Wilson walks us through what our lives will look like in comparison to the rest of the world if we have true faith. When our faith is genuine and our hearts are seeking after God, we will want to be more like Jesus in every area of our lives. 

Enoch had faith in God in such a way that death did not have a grip on him here on earth or after God took him. Through the life of Enoch, we can clearly see God's desire to be a part of our story and the great love He has for His children.

We see that even in our sinfulness and despite the unmatched holiness of God He wants a relationship with you and I. He not only wants a relationship with us, He made a way for that to happen through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. We sometimes search for other things to fill a void or a place inside ourselves that only Jesus can satisfy. As Keith so simply stated, "faith is going to Jesus to satisfy your soul's hunger".

Hebrews 11:5-6

Keith Wilson, Youth Pastor

In the second message of the series, The Psalms, Pastor Kenny Nix wants us to see that sometimes God allows things to come into our lives so that we can better see that He has to be the source of everything we could possibly need. Redemption and salvation are the things we need above anything else.

From the moment we have a seeking heart for God and recognize our need for a Savior, we are His. As we reflect on how God changes us, we can see how His love redeems us. 

Our worship is a result of the transformation God makes in our heart as we become more of the original image He made us to be. The transformation is in the way we think and who we are by His power. 

Psalm 107

Kenny Nix, Pastor

In the second part of our Simplify series, "Faith", Pastor Kenny Nix shares how the picture of our lives is filled with sin and grace. The gospel is a beautiful picture of God's love for us. He shows us time and time again that His way is the only true way; our way will lead to sin becoming the master of our lives. 

In the message, Cain was jealous that Able's sacrifice was accepted by God and his was not. God knew Cain's heart and that he was not offering his best to God. God loved Cain and even warned him that sin wouid gain control if he didn't turn away. Cain allowed his sin to manifest in such a way that it took control of every aspect of his life. He murdered his brother and his sin ultimately caused separtion between he and God. 

God gave Cain opportunities to confess his sin, as He does with you and I. Cain refused to repent and ask God to forgive him. Even in Cain's rebellion and sin, God never stopped loving him. This is the picture of the gospel.  

Hebrews 11:4, Genesis 4:1-16

Kenny Nix, Pastor

In the first message of the new series, "The Psalms", we see an honest, raw look into the heart of David. In the process of his cry for help and deliverance from God, we see how remembering the promises of God can turn our pain into worship.

God gives us life. We can rejoice in the hope we have that is beyond this world. Our hope is in eternity and because of that we are able to proclaim the goodness of God in any situation.

Just as God was the deliverer of David, God is for us in the same way. Take heart and cling to the assurance found in scripture that God is with you in the midst of your struggles and praise Him in spite of your circumstances.

Psalm 56

Kenny Nix, Pastor

In the first part of our new Simplify series, "Faith", we see that knowledge of Christ and faith in Christ are two different things. True faith in Christ compels change, not only in your actions but in who you are. It is impossible to live a life in pursuit of Jesus and not be changed from the inside.

Hebrews 11:1-3

Keith Wilson, Youth Pastor

April 19, 2017