We are a story-telling and story-shaped people. We tell stories to make sense of who we are and where we fit in the world. But as people of faith, we find that our stories fit within God’s larger story of blessing, promise, and purpose. This message wraps up this series by running through the famous “Hall of Faith” chapter in Hebrews. Hebrews 11 and 12 tell us how these forerunners kept walking with God though the road was uncertain and many of their hopes remained unrealized in their lifetime. Let us find inspiration for our story through their story of trusting God.

NOTES

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS -- Hebrews 11.1-16

// QUOTE -- “Faith, for Hebrews, is always closely linked to hope. Faith is looking at God and trusting him for everything, while hope is looking at the future and trusting God for it.” (N.T. WRIGHT, Hebrews for Everyone)

// In a word, "Faith" = TRUST and "Hope" = EXPECTATION. But hope needs a foundation of faith underneath in order to transform it from optimism to assurance.

// CREATION -- It takes faith to see the visible world as created and sustained by an invisible Creator

// ABEL and ENOCH -- It takes faith to see that we can actually please God–that God accepts us and keeps us in life and death

// NOAH -- It takes faith to see and align ourselves with the justice of God when the world turns their back and follows their own way.

// ABRAHAM and SARAH -- It takes faith to see that God promises and partners with us to make possible what the world believes impossible.

// We are the beneficiaries of where God's story was headed all along. Our story is the gospel. The gospel is the Good News that Jesus—through his life, death, and resurrection—is the reigning Lord of heaven and earth and all people are invited to live in God's kingdom, filled with God's Spirit, free from sin and death.

// We can tell ourselves this story...

- I am a beloved child of a good Father

- I am one in whom Christ dwells

- I am filled and formed by the Holy Spirit

- “I am safe and secure in the unshakeable kingdom of God.” (James Bryan Smith)

Reading the book of Genesis might start to feel less like a morality tale and more like a reality tale--we find imperfect people with dysfunctional relationships making sketchy decisions. But what else do we see? We find a gracious God who is always faithful to keep his promise even when his people aren't perfect. So if God can partner with someone like Jacob, can he bless and partner with me? If God can pull back the veil of heaven and earth in an ordinary place, can God show up in my everyday life?

NOTES --

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS -- Genesis 28.10-22

1. Why this person?

2. Why this place?

Becomes...

1. IF God can bless and partner with this person, can God bless and partner with me?

2. IF God can speak and move in this place, can God bless and move right here?

// God meets us as we are and where we are

// There is no other “You” that God wants to bless, to walk with, or to work with. You are not your worst hurt, hang-up, or habit. You are joined with God through his promise and for his purpose.

// There is no other place that God wants to meet you and show you how the resources of heaven are breaking through. Your everyday life is the place where heaven and earth meet.

// QUOTE -- "This Gethsemani is the land is where you have given me roots in eternity. This is the burning promised land, the house of God, the gate of heaven, the place of peace, the place of silence, the place of wrestling with the angel." (THOMAS MERTON)

Listen as we share stories of some of what God has done in us and through us in the 7 years since becoming The Neighborhood Church.

Esther is a book of the Bible fit for a hit Netflix series. It has drama, mystery, and many twists and turns. Esther found herself in a unique but risky position to help save her people from annihilation…how did this happen and what would she do? How does this story help know God better and live a life of those who “love their neighbors”.

We looked at the entire book but focused on Esther 4:7-17.

// While God is never mentioned explicitly in the story, we can see the hand of God if we choose to look closely, and this can help us navigate our own reality of living in a fallen world.

// While God may seem hidden, He is not absent. Where does God seem hidden in today’s world? What is our response?

// Many characters in this story abused power over others, even punishing an entire group of people for the actions of one person, out of fear of losing even an ounce of an abundance of power.

// We have the benefit of reading Esther’s story in light of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

// Jesus showed us how He used His power. He uplifted the weak, poor, and powerless. This leads us to question ourselves…

What power might we have? How are using it?

Our guest preacher is Dr. Bob Hyatt, Director of Equipping and Spiritual Formation for the Ecclesia Network (ecclesianet.org). We begin a new series called "Faith of Our Forerunners" where we explore the lives of those who pioneered and exemplified a life of trust in God. This week's focus is Abraham and the dramatic story recounted in Genesis 22.

What if we prayed a really, really big prayer? Would we be prepared to partner with God if and when he answers it? In this message we offer this big prayer: "God, help us to become the most loving church in Garland." How might we prepare and practice living out the kind of love God calls us to? We explore some answers in 1 John with a couple big ideas and 2 shapes to help us envision the kind of love that can transform us and our city.

NOTES --

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS -- 1 John 4.7-12

How do we pray and partner with God to become the most loving church in Garland?

// BIG IDEA 1 -- We stay connected to the Source of Love

// Love is the litmus test of Christianity. If you say you love an unseen but don't love your neighbor you can see, how can we say we're connected to God and his love?

// Love is God's being. Love is God's activity. God show us love so that we'd know it and show it.

// SHAPE 1 -- The Circle of Love

// BIG IDEA 2 -- We love like God loves: with sacrificial action.

// It's easy to love the folks who like us and are like us. But cross-shaped, kingdom-like love is rooted in and looks like God's sacrificial, self-giving, boundary-crossing love.

// The love of God is working in you when the love of neighbor is flowing out of you.

// SHAPE 2 -- The Love Triangle

// A step toward God leads to a step toward neighbor.

// Selfish love asks, "What can I get?" Self-giving love asks, "What can I give?"

There's an old saying that goes like this, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans!" Well, Nehemiah prays, plans, and swings for the fences... and God doesn't laugh -- God says "Go for it!" Was it easy? No. Was it exactly how he planned? No way. (Kinda like how some technical things went during this, our first night in our new space!) But through sadness, fear, and the staggering task before him, Nehemiah shows us how we can trust God with it all and through it all.

NOTES --

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS -- Nehemiah 1 and 2

1. We can trust God with our SADNESS

// Instead of stuffing it, Nehemiah feels it and mourns. Instead of lashing out, Nehemiah moves deeper and fasts. Instead of shutting down, Nehemiah engages and prays. True faith allows us to be fully human so that we can bring our whole selves to God.

// There's a lie that says, "God would never call me to something sad." But isn't that where God wants to be and to work with us?

2. We can trust God with our FEAR

// There's a lie that says, "God would never call me to something scary." But isn't that where God can teach us to rely on him?

// When God calls us to something scary, we have a choice to turn around or trust that he'll give us what we need when we decide to take a step and walk with him.

3. We can trust God with our PLANS

// There's a lie that says, "God would never call me to something staggering." But isn't that where God in his grace invites us to partner together with him?

// So what happens when God says "YES" to our big plans and prayers? Will we actually take a step? What big, scary, significant prayers are we going to dare to pray now in this season?

We collected questions during our series “After Life: What’s Next and Why it Matters Now.” Here are the responses to those questions as we wrap up the series.

What words or images come to mind when you think about the "End of the World"? Is what comes to mind fire and destruction or renewal and restoration? American Pop Christianity has distorted and misunderstood Biblical teaching of Christ's return. In this message we use 3 images to help us explore the imagery the Biblical authors use to point us toward the mystery of Christ's return.

NOTES --

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS -- 1 Thessalonians 4.13-18; Philippians 3.20-21

// 3 IMAGES --

1. POLITICAL CARTOON: Biblical teaching (like Revelation) on "The End" is like a political cartoon, full of theological, cultural, and political symbols!

2. PARADE: One of the ways Jesus' return is talked about in 1 Thess. 4 and Phil. 3 is like a Royal Parade.

3. SIGNPOSTS: All of this symbolic teaching is like a signpost pointing us to a truth someplace down the road.

// SOME SIGNPOSTS THROUGHOUT THE NEW TESTAMENT --

1. The kingdom of God is already here but it's not here fully until Jesus returns.

2. Jesus will be personally "present" (Parousia) at his return

3. The dead will be raised like Jesus

4. The living will be transformed in their body like Jesus

5. Death & evil will be defeated

6. Judgment & renewal will follow

7. Heaven & Earth will be one

// We hold onto hope not because we know the “How, when, or why” of Christ’s return…

We hold onto hope because WE KNOW JESUS who has gone before us & will come back to us.

// Like a child awaiting birth, we will see the one whose voice we’ve known as we wait.

Resurrection is the emphasis of Christian hope that has been de-emphasized in American Pop Christianity. Maybe it's because of all the well-meaning funerals that speak of dearly departed souls on heavenly clouds. Maybe it's because of well-meaning Easter sermons that preach more about the victory of the cross than the mystery of the resurrection. Whatever the reason, hope in a bodily resurrection is the emphasis of Christian hope that needs reclaiming. Talk a walk with us through Paul's mind-blowing chapter in 1 Corinthians with us to see why this hope for tomorrow can transform your present.

NOTES --

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS -- 1 Corinthians 15

1. We EXPLAIN why the resurrection is the biggest deal in Christianity

// The resurrection is not just an ADD-ON, it’s the ENGINE that makes our whole faith run!

// What started in the later Old Testament period as a whisper (Isa. 26; Ezek. 36; Daniel 11-12) becomes a shout in the New Testament

2. We EXPLORE the mystery of resurrection

// The resurrection is the 2nd step in our “AFTER LIFE 2-STEP”

1. Resting in God’s presence

2. Resurrected at Christ’s return

// What New Testament scholar N.T. Wright calls “Life AFTER life after death”

BIG IDEA 1 -- Christian hope envisions a new kind of bodily existence for God’s new creation.

3. We EMPHASIZE the hope of resurrection

// DEATH is the last enemy and the ultimate weapon of fear-mongering power-hungry oppressors. The Resurrection of Jesus put the world on notice that God is stronger than their strongest weapon.

// So if Jesus is raised…

- He is the true Lord

- God’s new creation has begun

- We’re witnesses (Matt. 28) and ambassadors (2 Cor. 5)

BIG IDEA 2 -- Hope is the outcome of a new worldview when you realize that a new world is possible.

BIG IDEA 3 -- God’s commitment to renewal and resurrection shows us that nothing good will be lost in the end.

BIG IDEA 4 -- We hold onto hope not because we know the "How, when, or why" of the mystery of resurrection... we hold onto hope because we know Jesus who has gone before us.