The FIVE Sermons

Before we can get into the tough things Jesus said, we’ve got to take a look at the book that records those sayings.

“Sure the Bible says some difficult and challenging things, but when in doubt, when those things don’t make sense, just look to Jesus.” That was the advice a mentor gave me, and it’s good advice, except what do you do when the difficult things you’re reading in the Bible are coming from the life and mouth of Jesus himself? However, before we can really dig into some of the weird and challenging things Jesus said in did, we need to take a step back and ask ourselves – what is the Bible really? Why do we have it and what are we to do with it? What’s it trying to say anyway? It seems to me that unless we get right with what the Bible is and is not, we are going to have a real hard time trying to get right with what it says, what it means, and why any of it matters. Next week we’ll start getting into some difficult verses, but today we’ll be exploring the nature of the Bible, what it is, why it matters and how having a healthier understanding of what it is (and isn’t) can help us make sense of some the challenging texts we come across – especially when those words come from the mouth of Jesus himself. Thanks for joining us today!

From the moment Jesus gave up his Spirit on Good Friday, things began to open. Curtains, earth, stones, graves, hearts; one by one these ‘openings’ began to reveal that Jesus really was Gods son and that something else was on the horizon...something revolutionary. One by one and little by little, these opened realities prepared us for God’s great victory of sin and death through Jesus.

What does it look like to honor God in a world or culture that doesn't? Do we take the path of least resistance, compromise our convictions, and yield? Do we become defiant and demand respect for our convictions? Or should we live in subversive and counter-cultural ways that faithfully witness our convictions to the world? We are all called to faithfully witness to the world, but how we do it is just as important as why we do it. Remember...little things matter.

Exiled and enslaved by a foreign and idolatrous kingdom, Daniel and his friends are under immense political and cultural pressure to embrace the lure of power, influence, opulent lifestyles, unfettered privilege and delectable pleasures that king Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian kingdom can offer them.  It would have just been easier to yield, indulge and enjoy; but despite the intense pressure, Daniel remains firm in his conviction and defiant in his cause to not defile himself and break God's law. As a result of his commitment to honor God in the little things, God gives Daniel favor and wisdom with the king, which is used to influence both the king and Daniel's friends through subversive living that counters pagan tradition and provides a faithful witness of their convictions and their God to the culture around them.

Christian growth happens in safe spaces where people are their true selves. Do you have a Christian space to be your honest self?

One of the saddest things a person can experience is living in this world without being known. I can't imagine what it was like for Esther to hide her true identity for many years. It must have been eating her up inside. Yet, as Christians, there are very few people who are willing to reveal their true thoughts, their true feelings, and their true struggles. We need people and spaces in our life where we can be honest, intentional, and transparent. Finding those spaces requires wisdom and a desire to seek holiness. So may you leave this week refusing to settle for a superficial Christianity; may you seek intentional, open and challenging places to grow in your faith.

While victory is overwhelming ours in Jesus, sometimes doing the right thing doesn’t always have a happy ending.

The book of Esther is a bit unusual. First of all, the entire book of Esther never once mentions God. On top of that, things like prayer are noticeably missing and the motives of the folks in the story don’t always line up the way we might think they should. And yet, through it all, God is behind the scenes, quietly working all things to our good. In Esther 1, the author spends a great deal of time showcasing just how rich and powerful and generous the king of Persia is. It’s as if to say, “See! There’s no one like him. No one could possibly stand against him!” And then, without warning, all that changes when his own wife, Queen Vashti, refuses him and her refusal sets into motion a chain of events that God would use in unforeseeable ways for God’s glory and the sake of the world. Vashti’s courage however, comes at a cost and reminds us that sometimes the right thing doesn’t always have a happy ending. If you’ve ever found yourself in an impossible situation, Vashti’s story might be just what you need this weekend. Thanks for joining us and we hope you leave encouraged, equipped and empowered to live for the glory of God and the sake of the world.

It’s not enough just to know who God says you are, at some point you must make the intentional decision to live from it.

When Goliath taunted Israel and mocked God, you’d expect Saul to stand up and fight. However it wasn’t Saul but David who stepped up to put an end to the giant threat. This decision to stand against Goliath was a defining moment for David in which he really began to embrace who God said he was. In much the same way, we too, at some point in our lives, have to make the intentional decision to begin to live freely from who God says we are. It’s wonderful to know who God says we are, it’s another thing to truly begin to live from that knowledge. It’s not always easy or safe, but when we really begin to live from who God says we are, victory is close at hand.

If we want to live the life we were made for, we must begin to see ourselves as God sees us.

Today we’ll be entering our second week of our “Won By One” series by exploring a small part of the life of a man named Gideon. Gideon was a lot like all of us - there’s how he saw himself and how God saw him and those two perspectives could not have been more different. If we want to  live free and from the heart, we have to start learning to see ourselves not as we think ourselves to be but as God says we are. And the best news is, Gods vision of you is so much better than you could ever dream. We hope today’s service encourages, equips and empowers you to know just how loved you are and how knowing this can be good news for the whole world. If you have any questions, need prayer or would just like to learn more about the church, be sure to stop by a connect table after service. Thanks again for coming!

Sometimes it’s those challenges we don’t see coming that are exactly what we need to help us see God more clearly.

In Exodus 17, the people of Israel are suddenly attacked by the people of Amalek. The attack comes as a complete surprise because, well, who are the Amalekites really? If the Egyptians had chased down the people of Israel that would at least make some sense… but why in the world would these people come out of nowhere to make war with a people who have just been set free from Egyptian slavery? It doesn’t make sense, but most of the things that blindside us in life rarely do. While the attack is sudden and unexpected, Moses and the people of Israel provide us with a powerful picture of how to face those unexpected challenges we don’t see coming. In fact, sometimes the things we don’t see coming can help us see God at work in us and through like never before.

God doesn’t need a lot to do a lot in us and through us.

Throughout the Book of Jonah, God does a great deal of good through some rather not so good circumstances. God ends up doing some really amazing things through disobedience of Jonah, some mediocre preaching and a little itty-bitty worm. God doesn’t need a lot to do a lot. Today we’ll be exploring the possibility that if God can use these kinds of things to work incredible good in and through the life of Jonah, maybe God can and actually is doing just that in us as well.

We're continuing our Jonah series talking about some of the difficult questions that are raised by the story. Many of us have grown accustomed to the children's book version of Jonah's story, but a closer look reveals some tension. In the story, God rescues and has compassion, but He also proclaims judgment, sends a storm and allows Jonah to be thrown into a raging sea...how are we supposed to make sense of this kind of God?! One of the most beautiful things we'll find is that God invites us to wrestle with the questions, and meets us in the tension...and in doing so, we begin to grasp the majesty and beauty of God and His Word. What if the God we've created in our minds is too small? What if God is actually way bigger, wiser, and more powerful than we've come to conclude?