Sunday Sermons

God guides and provides when we trust and obey. The God who provided manna for Israel and Jesus (the ultimate Bread of Life) still longs for our daily and total dependence and dedication.

Series: Others First: Recalculating...

Speaker: John Pryor

Notes:

We must depend on God daily. Whether we like it or not, we are all totally dependent on God, but it's deeper than that: He designed us for deep, ongoing, effective relationships with Him and with each other.

Matthew 6:9-13, Genesis 1:26-31, Romans 12

We must depend on God completely. When we choose to depend on Him, we give Him a chance to display His love, His power and His ultimate will.

John 6, 1 Kings 17

We must dedicate ourselves to Him. Dependence can be a choice; dedication must be a choice. God is especially close “to those who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them.

Psalm 145

God guides and provides when we trust and obey. This is why we do everything we do.

Matthew 28:18-20

Lord, I will TRUST You…

Lord, I will OBEY You…

We don't make the rules; God does. We get our purpose and power from Him; though He counts us as friends and family, He is still our King, and we must keep actively building His kingdom together.

Series: Others First: Recalculating

Speaker: John Pryor

Notes:

God makes the rules. As we daily re-sync ourselves with our Heavenly Father and relentlessly make choices that honor His Name, we must remember that He is also our King—and His kingdom is wherever He makes the rules and we obey.

Matthew 6:9-13, Numbers 22-24, Psalm 11:3-7,
Matthew 6:33, Philippians 2:1-11

God gives us our purpose and our power. We are called to serve and recruit people who reject God; it must never be the other way around. We must not, however, automatically assume we are right—let alone righteous or just in God's sight. Instead, we must never stop seeking and building His kingdom.

Philippians 2:12-13, 2 Timothy 3:1-5, 1 Thessalonians 2:4, Isaiah 29:13, Colossians 2:8, Joshua 1:9 & 10:42,
Ephesians 3:6-12

We are the friends and family of the King. As His representatives whose primary citizenship is in Heaven, we must stand together with one Spirit and one purpose, sharing the Good News.

Romans 5:11, Jude 16-23, Philippians 1:27

We must keep building His kingdom together. Jesus began His ministry proclaiming the Kingdom and commanded His followers to recruit people from every language, culture, location, and belief system on earth. We unite under Him.

Matthew 3:2, Proverbs 11:9, Psalm 10:16, Philippians 1:27-30, Mark 4

Lord, I will…

We must celebrate and unite around God's goodness and glory in our daily lives as well as in our weekly worship. A relentless pursuit of justice and unity means more to Him than songs and prayers.

Series: Others First: Recalculating...

Speaker: John Pryor

Notes:

We must celebrate God's goodness and glory. Even when we face the hardest seasons of life, God's unchanging character, power, and perfect perspective can help us navigate the pain and confusion. This also allows Him to fight our battles for us.

Matthew 6:9-13, Psalm 7:17, Exodus 20:7, 2 Chronicles 20, Acts 16:13-40, Philippians 4:4-9

We must unite around God's goodness and glory. To make sure God's Name in honored, we must make sure that we, His people, live by His values. Saying we follow Him does more harm than good when we don't live the way we speak and sing and pray.

2 Chronicles 20, Isaiah 1:13

God prefers justice and unity over songs and prayers. We must refuse to let anyone corrupt us—no individual, crowd, or cause, inside or outside of the church. We see God show up in mighty ways when we hunger and thirst for righteousness and justice, focusing on caring for whoever needs the most help.

Exodus 23:2, James 1:27, Isaiah 1:15-18, Matthew 5:6

We proclaim that You are good and glorious…

We unite in our desire to honor Your Name…

We unite in our hunger for justice…

We ask You to guide us and pledge to obey…

Lord, I will…

The purpose of the church is to make disciples who make disciples. As His disciples, we're accountable to fulfill that commission. We need to examine how we are doing and see if what we are doing is mirroring what Christ had in mind.

Series: OTHERS FIRST: Recalculating

Speaker: David Pryor

Notes:

Are we doing what we're supposed to be doing? Our enemy works to minimize the most important things so we focus on the wrong things and get off track. We are to be disciples who also make disciples. Christ left us to continue the purpose for which he came.

Matthew 28:18-20

Big changes can be made by several little changes over time. Too much focus on a one-time decision reduces the gospel to a plan of forgiveness without discipleship. Jesus said “make disciples.”

Luke 6:40

All who are called to salvation are called to discipleship. Living as a disciple is part of our salvation experience. A disciple commits to follow the will of God in living his/her life. We are not only saved from the consequences of sin, we are saved for new life as well as eternal life.

Titus 2:11-14

For a disciple, Jesus is not only Savior, he is our Lord. Jesus determines the purpose, direction, and character of our lives. We can't fulfill God's purpose for our lives while focusing on our own desires and plans.

Romans 14:8, Galatians 2:20

A disciple is intentionally maintains spiritual disciplines. Our relationship and connection with God grows weak and unhealthy without the spiritual disciplines.

James 4:17

The most neglected discipline is making disciples. Do it like Jesus—“Come follow me.” The main requirement is to love others like Jesus loved us. Form relationships with the heart of Jesus. Live life together. Share the good news of differences Christ has made and is making in your life.

John 13:34-35

Lord, I will . . .

From the beginning, Jesus consistently submitted to human authority, but doing so clashed with His true Identity and purpose, He submitted to this higher authority instead. While He deserved ultimate authority to begin with, He also earned it--and now He uses it to change our roles in His Story from victims and enemies to family, friends, and teammates who help Him save the world.

Series: Ultimate Authority: For Such A Time As This

Speaker: John Pryor

Notes:

Before and after the fall… The Trinity was the embodiment of love: purpose-based unity that creates more life, more teamwork, and more purpose-based unity.

John 1:1-5, 1 John 1:1-4, Genesis 1-3

His early life… From the beginning, Jesus consistently submitted to human authority. He also made it clear that He knew His true Identity and true purpose—and whenever it was necessary, He submitted to this higher authority instead.

Matthew 1-3, Mark 1:1-15, Luke 1-4, John 1-3

His ministry and His claims... Jesus claimed to be the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Bread of Life, the Light of the World, God Himself (I AM), the Gate, the Good Shepherd, the Resurrection and Eternal Life, and The Way, The Truth, The Life. He proved this in practical and symbolic ways, teaching with authority and challenging any authority that used God as a pedestal for their own power.

John 2, 4:26, 6:35, 8:12 & 58, 9:1-41, 10:7-11, 11:25, 14:6

His ultimate triumph… Jesus suffered and died to pay the penalty for all of our sins. He death tore down the wall between us and God and put the responsibility back on us again. His resurrection broke the power of death and sin itself, empowering us with a chance to live fully on earth and eternally with Him in Heaven.

Matthew 26-28, Mark 15-16, Luke 23-24, John 19-21

We must work together to get the job done. Jesus said He is the True Vine and we are the branches. He commanded us to share His story, follow Him, and help others do the same—preparing the way for His return and Ultimate Salvation.

John 15:1, Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1-2

Lord, I will…

Elisha was unique as an individual and as a prophet, but we can still learn a lot from the way he interacted with God and others. Like him, we can choose to follow God boldly, making it hard or impossible to go back, investing deeply in our relationships with God and others, and giving God a chance to display His power by using what we have on hand and trusting Him to do the rest.

Series: Ultimate Authority: For Such A Time As This

Speaker: John Pryor

Notes:

Make it so you can't go back. When we make big commitments, it's a great idea to make them public, memorable, and hard to reverse. This powerful strategy works well, which is why God designed so many “that was then, this is now” moments.

1 Kings 19, Romans 6:1-14

Discipleship requires relationship. Jesus told us to make disciples who make disciples. Every image God uses implies close, ongoing connection and a common purpose. We must stay connected to God and to each other—and keep growing.

Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 2:38-42

Give God a chance to display His power. God loves to rise to the occasion. We should not test God's grace, mercy, forgiveness, and protection—but we should test His power, character, and ability to bless and empower us beyond what we can imagine.

2 Kings 2, Matthew 4:1-10, Malachi 3

Be bold and use what you have right now. Most of the time, God gives us what we need as we go, in real time. Not thinking and overthinking are both mistakes; we must start obeying now, and then keep obeying, trusting God to keep providing.

2 Kings 2-6, 2 Chronicles 20

Lord, I will…

As Christ's body, each of us must play our own part well and consistently choose love. It means aiming for what's right more than what looks good to others, whenever there is a difference. This means refusing to label people but honoring good character when we see it. It means working together as a symbol of God and His love.

Series: Ultimate Authority: For Such A Time As This

Speaker: John Pryor

Notes:

God loves to create symbols of His love. These include a father's love, a mother's love, marriage, church fellowship, and every time someone chooses to love others like Jesus loves us. Some of the all-time best examples of all of these are in the story of Ruth.

2 Peter 1:1-12, Psalm 22:9, Job 1:21, Matthew 12:28

We must consistently choose love. Jesus said that His followers would be known by their love. Faithfulness, honesty, and selflessness are who we are and what we do as Christians.

Ruth 1, John 13:35

We must love people, not label them. Whatever else they felt about each other, Boaz and Ruth's relationship was built on mutual respect. Their refusal to label each other opened the door for real, healthy love.

Ruth 2, Galatians 3:28

We must aim for what is right—not what looks good. We should be careful about how our actions appear to others, but we should be much more concerned with how they appear to God. Love is far more about integrity (who we are) than reputation (who people think we are).

Ruth 3, Colossians 4:5-6, Romans 13-14

We must each play our part in God's big plan. God's ultimate will must happen, but part of His plan is that we all get real choices. He promises to bring good out of every situation for those who love Him—those who follow Him and go where He sends them.

Ruth 4, Matthew 1:5, Jeremiah 1:5, Romans 8:28

Lord, I will…

Since we submit to human authority out of reverence for Christ, we should almost always be the most respectful team players around. Nevertheless, we must refuse to pledge allegiance to anyone or anything that claims higher authority than God in our lives--even if those "tyrants" are our own doubts, fears, or questions or peer pressure from people we love.

Series: Ultimate Authority: For Such a Time as This

Speaker: John Pryor

Notes:

We submit to authority out of reverence for Christ. As much as we can, we must respect and honor all those in authority, but we must focus on lighting up this dark world with truth and love.

Romans 13, Matthew 5:14, Daniel 1

We work together with humble courage. Not only does the Holy Spirit live in each believer; He lives and works in our midst. Collectively, we are the body of Christ, and each person plays a vital part. We must work together to accomplish God's will on earth.

Daniel 2, 1 Corinthians 3:16 & 12:27

Worship means submission, pledging allegiance. Scripturally speaking, we serve God or idols by building our lives around them, and we worship by pledging them our unconditional allegiance. To God, great worship means that the prayers, singing, Communion, giving, fellowship, and Bible study express true commitment and inspire action.

Daniel 3:1-15, Romans 12:1-2

We must commit to trust God unconditionally. Even if the “tyrants” we must defy are our own doubts, fears, or questions or peer pressure from people we love, we must never submit to anyone or anything more than we submit to God. Only He deserves our unconditional allegiance and obedience, and we must focus on building His kingdom.

Daniel 3:16-30, Matthew 28:18-20

Lord, I will…

God never abandons His people, but sometimes He does lead them through seasons of waiting, isolation, and even suffering. No matter the circumstances, we must remember that He blesses us so that we can be a blessing, and no matter how confusing life gets, we must find a way to trust and obey.

Series: Ultimate Authority:For Such A Time as This

Speaker: John Pryor

Notes:

God never abandons His people. God never abandons us. He's a wise leader—and He often draws us closer to Himself, helps us grow, and gives us opportunities to serve others through seasons of waiting, isolation, or outright suffering.

Psalm 23, Jeremiah 29, Daniel 1, 2 Kings 24

God blesses us so we can bless others. God gave us free will—and real choices that matter and shape The Story. He expects each of us to play our parts strategically and proactively—not just reacting to whatever happens around us. What are your blessings? How can you bless others?

Proverbs 3:5-6, Joshua 24:15, Daniel 1

Wisdom and discretion produce faithfulness and respect. Daniel compromised when he could and politely, creatively refused when he could not. His choice to show as much respect as possible allowed him to serve God and God's people while four kings came and went.

Daniel 1-5

“Humans are amphibians…” C.S. Lewis. While our souls and God's ultimate purposes are eternal, we are locked into time and space. We should expect cycles, seasons, and change as much as we expect God to transcend them and give us an eternal reward.

Daniel 7-9

We must find a way to trust and obey. The reality of spiritual warfare requires us to wear the armor of God every day, but simply surviving is not an option for God's people. If we choose to trust and obey, He will always guide and provide.

Daniel 10-12, Ephesians 6:10-18

Lord, I will…

Our heroes in the Bible were people just like us. They asked the same questions and had no way to prepare for the crises they had to deal with--but they bet everything that God would guide and provide if they trusted and obeyed. We have the same opportunities they had today--and the Holy Spirit living in us! Live strategically.

Series: Ultimate Authority: For Such A time As This

Speaker: John Pryor

Notes:

Our Bible heroes were people just like us. They asked the same questions and struggled the same ways we do. They only became iconic symbols of faith because they bet everything that God would guide and provide if they trusted and obeyed. They did, and He did!

Esther 1-3, Hebrews 11-12

At “such a time as this,” team up with God and others. Mordecai mobilized God's people to fast and pray—then he mobilized them again when Esther asked him to. When they couldn't be together, they used a messenger to make sure they still communicated.

Esther 4

We must focus on today. Life happens in a series of real-time moments and choices. Setting our minds on God, truth, and good things allows us to see and handle reality better. Focusing on the past, bad stuff, or ourselves makes us miserable and easily manipulated.

Esther 5-8, Romans 12:1-2, Philippians 4:4-9

We must take responsibility for our own choices. Mordecai and Esther did not feel prepared or know how things would end, but they trusted God and each other, fasted and prayed for each other, and always told the truth. They submitted to authority but not to “destiny.”

Esther 9-10

God guides and provides when we trust and obey. God is always working, even when we can't sense His presence, and we are always on duty, even when everything seems crazy or on hold. We must serve with humble courage, teaming up to play each of our parts well.

Proverbs 3:5-6, Colossians 3:17,23

Lord, I will…