SummitPA Sermon Audio

In the third part of his lecture series on Purpose, Dr. John Stanko teaches us why it's important to face reality when trying to discover your purpose. While we should be courageous and ambitious, it's important to accept honest feedback when others provide it for us. In the pursuit of purpose we should be prepared to embrace change. The apostle Paul experienced radical change when he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus. An important part of finding your purpose is following your joy. Does this thing make you happy? Life is difficult and growing in your purpose will be difficult, but constant misery while you work is certainly and indication that something is wrong and you may be pursuing the wrong things.

In the first message of our series called Win By Losing, Pastor Mel makes the case for reorganizing what you prioritize as valuable. Jesus said, "If you cling to your life you'll lose it, but if you give up your life for me you will find it." Our world teaches us to make sacrifices in an effort to win, but Mel explains why winning by itself is an improper motivation. Preaching through Philippians 3, Mel outlines the perspective which views everything else as worthless compared to the infinite value of knowing Jesus Christ. The message finishes with an illustration of the famous statue called, "The David" which Michelangelo carved from marble. The illustration teaches how God wants to shape us into something immeasurably valuable by subtracting the things which are not fitting to the image of Christ.

Special guest Pastor John Nuzzo joins us for an encouraging message called Pick Your Punctuation. John explains how inflection points in our lives can either drop a "period" or a "comma" in our stories. He makes the case that a "period" can be devastating because we allow terrible moments to define us. If we look to Jesus and trust in Him, then we can find power to turn major life events into "commas" which lead us into a better future. A "comma" reveals how God is not done using us if we should choose to remain faithful. John makes the case that God wants to give us good things, but we need to be steadfast in our posture to receive what He has for us.

In the second sessions of his three part series on Purpose, Dr. John Stanko teaches us how to define our purpose. The first step in defining our purpose is to seek God. Proverbs chapter 2 instructs us to cry out to God for discernment and lift our voices for understanding. Scripture teaches us that discerning the fear of the Lord leads to discovering the knowledge of God. Dr. Stanko also explains why in search of your purpose you should not overlook the simple things, you should be willing to work, and have the courage to face your fears. Believing that God wants you to do something is much different than wanting to do something yourself.

In the sixth and final message of our series on The Temple, Pastor Mel teaches how to cultivate an overcoming worship. What happens to your faith when trouble comes? Preaching through Revelation chapter 4, Mel explains how a durable faith requires worship, and how this kind of worship relies on a revelation of God. The less you know about God the less you will want to worship, while the more you know about God the more you will want to worship. Mel makes the case that your perception of God is incubated in your worship. The defining characteristic of God's people is God's presence, and faithful worship is vertical, horizontal, and reflective.

In a special edition of Leadership Night, our guest speaker Dr. John Stanko teaches how to identify your purpose. Teaching through Acts 6, John explains how being effective means being full of power to achieve results. He goes on to make the case that in order to be effective you must know your purpose. Dr. Stanko supports his claim by walking us through the personal purpose of several key figures in scripture. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Paul was charged with bringing the gospel to the Gentiles. Peter was entrusted with preaching to the Jews. John the Baptist had the duty of preparing the way for Jesus. What's your purpose?

In the fifth week of our series called The Temple, Pastor Mel examines seven different Hebrew words which are used in the scripture to describe worship. Working primarily through the Psalms, Mel explains the reasons why we worship the way we do. Raising hands during worship is an expression of surrender to, vulnerability towards, and dependence on God. Being physically expressive in your worship of God is not necessary, but it's a natural way to intensify the inner exultation which is at the heart of worship. The message concludes with Mel quoting A. W. Tozer who said, "The goal of every Christian should be to live in a state of unbroken worship."

In the fourth week of our series called The Temple, Pastor Mel preaches about the ark of the covenant which was stored in the innermost sanctum of the temple - the holy of holies. The holy of holies was a place only accessible by the Israelite High Priest, and even the High Priest did not enter lightly. Teaching through Leviticus 16, Mel describes these particular parts of the temple and he explains the processes the priesthood had to observe to maintain it. The message resolves with Mel showing how reverence for this part of the temple is symbolic of the reverence we should have for God today. He explains how the Jewish law was demanding, why God deserves great attention, and how our being intentional raises our awareness.

In the third week of our series called The Temple, Pastor Todd supplies a teaching on the altar of incense. The altar of incense was the last pass before entering the holiest part of the temple. Todd walks us through the Levitical process of sacrifice and explains what it means for our worship today. He talks about why God emphasized certain placement of the altar when designing the structure of the temple, as well as stringent particularity in the design of the altar itself. Todd traces the chain of possession of the sacrificial fire through the various rituals in the temple and shows that it originates from God Himself. The message culminates in the idea that God provides all that we need to worship and the means of sacrifice is not sourced within ourselves.

In the second week of our series on The Temple, Pastor Mel teaches all about the symbolic significance of gates and how they translate to your relationship with God. Gates serve a variety of purposes including protection, authority, and control of access. Psalm 100:4 teaches that we should, "Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name." As Christians we should be mature enough that we come into worship with expectancy and we don't need to be stirred up. Holy worship should result in holy obedience, because worship without obedience is little more than a superficial opiate numbing us against the pressures and pains of life.