Sunday Sermons

SUMMARY

Burnout seems epidemic these days. Many of us don’t see this trap coming because we start off in this life so optimistic. But when burnout traps us, we experience a paralyzing collapse. This week, we take a look at the causes of burnout, how to know if you’re in it, and how to get back.

MAIN POINT

To avoid burnout, ask the most important question, practice the most important discipline, and remember the most important word.

KEY VERSE

“After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” – 1 Kings 19:12

CHALLENGE QUESTION

What step do you need to take today to avoid burnout tomorrow?

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

1 Kings 19:1-7, 11b-13

SUMMARY

So many people are surprised by something that generation after generation of successful people encounter: success is emptier than they ever dreamed. Even when all your dreams come true, you may feel grateful. But feeling grateful doesn’t leave you full. Only God can produce the fullness in our lives that we are seeking.

MAIN POINT

There’s no end to the emptiness of making you the center of your life.

KEY VERSE

“My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” – Jeremiah 2:13

CHALLENGE QUESTION

(1) Are you the center of your life?

(2) What step can you take today to make Jesus the center of it all?

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Ecclesiastes 1:2,8, Jeremiah 2:13, Matthew 6:33-34, Matthew 16:25

SUMMARY

Most people believe that pride is a problem only for narcissists. What if they’re wrong? What if most pride springs not from narcissism, but from things like being insecure, ungrateful, or judgmental? As strange as it might sound, most of us have fallen into the trap of pride.

MAIN POINT

Only humility will get you out of what pride got you into.

KEY VERSE

“For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” – Matthew 23:12

CHALLENGE QUESTION

How do you need to begin to make humility a habit?

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Proverbs 16:18, James 4:6, Matthew 23:11-12, Matthew 20:28

SUMMARY

We’ve never been more disconnected as a culture, and we’ve never felt more alone. Many experts are beginning to call loneliness a cultural epidemic. Why is it that we can have 500 friends on social media and feel so utterly alone? A devious disconnect is underway in our culture, and it’s not just a tech problem…it’s a human problem.

MAIN POINT

Avoiding the trap of disconnection requires intentionality.

KEY VERSE

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." – 1 Peter 5:8

CHALLENGE QUESTION

How can you begin to put your heart and mind out there again?

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Luke 19:1-10

SUMMARY

Nobody sets out to be cynical, but so many people end up there. Why? Cynicism starts not because you don’t care, but because you do. Surprisingly, most cynics are former optimists. This week, we looked at how to recognize cynicism and how to stop it.

MAIN POINT

To avoid the trap of cynicism, we must choose to put our heart and mind out there again.

KEY VERSE

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." – 2 Corinthians 4:18

CHALLENGE QUESTION

How can you begin to put your heart and mind out there again?

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Ecclesiastes 1:2-8, 16-18, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Matthew 18:3

SUMMARY:

Ten years ago, God started the amazing story of Relevant Community Church. Since 2009, we have existed for one purpose: transformation. Our mission has been to transform people, to live as a transforming church, that is part of transforming the world. As we celebrated all that God has done over these last ten years, we hope that you can also reflect on the goodness of God in your personal lives.

MAIN POINT:

To experience a greater story, you’ve got to engage in the story.

KEY VERSE:

“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 1:6

CHALLENGE QUESTION:

How can you start to engage in the story?

INTRODUCTION:

Choosing a better family with the ones you already have is attainable, but it requires that you make intentional choices. We’ve discussed three ways to engage in healthier families: proactive protection, selfless submission, and radical reconciliation. In the final week of this series, we learn that better words lead to better families.

MAIN POINT:

If you want your family to be better, it starts with the rhythms you choose and the words you use.

KEY VERSE:

“Do not let any unwholesome language come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” – Ephesians 4:29

CHALLENGE QUESTION:

Has my language been life giving or life taking?

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:

Proverbs 18:21

INTRODUCTION:

Choosing a better family with the ones you already have is attainable, but it requires that you make intentional choices. Every family experiences conflict but not every family chooses to reconcile with one another. What would it look like if you made a commitment to radically reconcile with your family today?

MAIN POINT:

Do whatever it takes to talk not walk TODAY.

KEY VERSE:

“Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry and do not give the devil a foothold.” – Ephesians 4:26b-27

CHALLENGE QUESTION:

With whom do you need to "talk not walk" today?

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:

Matthew 5:23-24, Ephesians 4:26-27, Colossians 1:21-22

INTRODUCTION:

We all have families that look different from one another due to changing circumstances and challenges. If we were all honest, we probably wish that our family was better in some ways. We at Relevant want to help each other choose a better family with the ones that we already have by proactively protecting our family and selflessly submitting to one another like Jesus did.

MAIN POINT:

We choose a better family when we put others first!

KEY VERSE:

“I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” – John 13:15

CHALLENGE QUESTION:

What are you doing today to leverage all that you are and all that you have for the benefit of those in your family?

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:

Ephesians 5:21-22, John 13:1-17, Mark 10:45

INTRODUCTION:

When it comes to our families of origin, none of us had a choice in the matter. While we got to pick our friends as we grew up, we didn’t get to pick the families we were raised in. If we’re honest, we all probably wish our families could be “better” in some way. So, how do we choose a better family with the ones we already have?

MAIN POINT:

Choose proactive protection and take control, because when we take control, the devil loses control.

KEY VERSE:

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”– 1 Peter 5:8-9

CHALLENGE QUESTION:

Where do you need to protect your family better?

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:

John 8:44, 1 Peter 5:8-9, John 10:10a, Ephesians 6:12, Proverbs 4:23