Mark 4:35-41; James 1:2-3; 1 Peter 1:6-7; Psalm 73:21-23; Hebrews 13:5; Psalm 46:1-3

• Joshua 2:1-13
• Matthew 1:5
• Hebrews 11:31
• Hebrews 12:2
• Proverbs 16:9

• Acts 7:58–8:3
• Acts 9:1–19
• Acts 26:13–18
• Matthew 5:43–48
• Psalm 83:13–16
• Ephesians 3:18–19

• Numbers 22:5–31
• Deuteronomy 2:9
• Deuteronomy 23:4
• 2 Peter 2:15

Primary Sources

• Wenham, Gordon J. Numbers: An Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 4. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1981.
• Wiersbe, Warren W. Be Counted. “Be” Commentary Series. Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub., 1999.
• Matthews, Victor Harold, Mark W. Chavalas, and John H. Walton. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament. Electronic ed. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000.

• Acts 6:8–7:1
• Acts 7:35–39
• Acts 7:51–53
• Acts 7:52
• Matthew 5:17
• Hebrews 4:15
• 2 Corinthians 5:21
• Galatians 3:13
• Hebrews 10:11–14
• Acts 7:55–56
• Hebrews 1:3
• Ephesians 1:20
• 1 John 2:1
• Hebrews 7:25
• Acts 7:59–60
• Luke 23:34
• Acts 8:1
• Genesis 50:20
• Romans 8:28

Primary Sources

• McCaulley, Esau. The New Testament in Color
• Wright, NT. The Challenge of Acts
• Keener, Craig S. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament
• Witherington, Ben, III. The Acts of the Apostles: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary
• Keller, Timothy J. The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive, 2012-2013. New York: Redeemer Presbyterian Church

• Acts 6:1–7
• Deuteronomy 15:7–11
• James 1:27
• Amos 8:4–7
• Isaiah 10:1–2
• Galatians 3:28
• Matthew 25:35–40
• Luke 4:18–19
• Revelation 7:9–10
• Galatians 6:2
• 1 John 3:16–18
• Micah 6:8

Primary Sources

• McCaulley, Esau. The New Testament in Color
• Wright, NT. The Challenge of Acts
• Keener, Craig S. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament
• Witherington, Ben, III. The Acts of the Apostles: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary

• John 10:10
• Acts 4:32–37
• Acts 5:1–2
• John 8:44
• Matthew 6:24
• 1 Timothy 6:9–10
• Matthew 7:15
• 2 Corinthians 11:3
• Acts 5:3
• Matthew 7:15–23
• Galatians 5:16–21

Primary Sources

• McCaulley, Esau. The New Testament in Color
• Wright, NT. The Challenge of Acts
• Keener, Craig S. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament
• Witherington, Ben, III. The Acts of the Apostles: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary

• John 15:20
• Mark 10:29–30
• 2 Timothy 3:12
• Acts 14:23
• Acts 3:13–17
• Acts 4:1–22
• Mark 13:11
• Acts 4:23–31
• Psalm 2:1–2

• Acts 2:1–47
• Genesis 2:7
• Psalm 42:1–2
• Matthew 10:28
• Matthew 11:29
• Mark 8:36–37
• Genesis 1:26–27

Primary Sources

• McCaulley, Esau. The New Testament in Color
• Wright, NT. The Challenge of Acts
• Keener, Craig S. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament
• Witherington, Ben, III. The Acts of the Apostles: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary

• Acts 1:4–5
• Acts 2:1–41
• Ezekiel 36:27
• Exodus 19:18
• Luke 3:16
• 1 Corinthians 3:16
• John 14:16–18
• Acts 2:6–11
• Genesis 11:1–9
• Revelation 7:9–10
• Isaiah 49:6
• Acts 2:3–4, 17–18
• Joel 2:28–29
• Matthew 28:18–20
• 1 Corinthians 11:23–26

Primary Sources:

• McCaulley, Esau. The New Testament in Color
• Wright, NT. The Challenge of Acts
• Keener, Craig S. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament
• Witherington, Ben, III. The Acts of the Apostles: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary

Acts 1:3, 6–8
Luke 24:36–43
1 Corinthians 15:3–8
Luke 4:43
Matthew 13:31–33
John 1:1–3
Colossians 1:16
John 3:16
Isaiah 55:8–9
John 18:36
Matthew 28:18–20
2 Corinthians 5:20
Luke 9:23
Galatians 5:16
Colossians 3:12–17
Primary Sources:
McCaulley, Esau. The New Testament in Color
Wright, NT. The Challenge of Acts
Keener, Craig S. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament
Witherington, Ben, III. The Acts of the Apostles: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary

Matthew 9:35–38

Matthew 23:37

Isaiah 6:8

1 Corinthians 3:6

John 15:5

Psalm 127:1

Romans 10:14–15

James 1:22

1 Peter 2:9

You don’t have to be a professional to point someone toward Jesus. You just need to say yes. Whether it’s your coworker, your sister, or a friend who’s walked away from church, God is already at work in their story, and he might be sending you to walk with them.

Matthew 9:35–38

John 1:14

Psalm 23

Ezekiel 34:11–16

Hebrews 4:15

Primary Sources

Keener, Craig S. Matthew. Vol. 1. The IVP New Testament Commentary Series

McCaulley, Esau. The New Testament in Color

Morris, Leon. The Gospel according to Matthew. The Pillar New Testament Commentary.

France, R. T. Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 1. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries

Kittel, Gerhard, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, eds. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament

Davis, Jim, Michael Graham, Ryan P. Burge, and Collin Hansen. The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back?. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2023.

Brooks, David. How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen. Penguin Random House, 2023.

Matthew 9:35–38, Luke 4:18–21, Mark 1:14–15, Isaiah 61:1–3, 1 Corinthians 15:1–4, Romans 10:14–15, Deuteronomy 6:6–7

Primary Sources:
Keener, Craig S. Matthew. Vol. 1. The IVP New Testament Commentary Series

McCaulley, Esau. The New Testament in Color

Morris, Leon. The Gospel according to Matthew. The Pillar New Testament Commentary.

France, R. T. Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 1. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries

Kittel, Gerhard, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, eds. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament

Davis, Jim, Michael Graham, Ryan P. Burge, and Collin Hansen. The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back?

Primary Sources:
Keener, Craig S. Matthew. Vol. 1. The IVP New Testament Commentary Series

McCaulley, Esau. The New Testament in Color

Morris, Leon. The Gospel according to Matthew. The Pillar New Testament Commentary.

France, R. T. Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 1. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries

Kittel, Gerhard, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, eds. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament

Davis, Jim, Michael Graham, Ryan P. Burge, and Collin Hansen. The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back?

John 14:16–17, 2 Corinthians 3:17, Acts 5:3–4, Romans 8:9, Genesis 2:7, John 3:5–6, Romans 8:11, 1 Corinthians 6:19–20, Psalm 139:13–14, Ezekiel 37:1–14

Mark 15, Acts 1, Romans 5:8, Galatians 2:20, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Corinthians 15:3–4, John 19:10–11, Acts 2:23, Psalm 24, Genesis 2:15, Matthew 12:36, Leviticus 19:34, Romans 13:1, Psalm 139:13–14, 1 Corinthians 6:19–20

Primary Sources

What is a Christian Anyway?- Glenn Packiam

The Nicene Creed- Kevin D. Young

The Nicene Creed: An Introduction- Phillip Carey

Practicing Christian Doctrine- Beth Felkner-Jones

1. Spiritual Formation over Ideological Formation – Choosing to be shaped by God's truth instead of cultural trends.

2. Embrace over Exclusion – Reflecting Jesus' inclusive love, welcoming people of all backgrounds into our community.

3. Jesus over Everything – Ensuring that Jesus remains the center of our lives and the light we reflect.

In this Advent season, we often focus on the sweetness of Christmas—on the birth of Jesus, the infant in the manger. But in today's episode, we turn to a very different part of Scripture: Luke 21. This chapter takes us beyond the peaceful scenes of Bethlehem and into a challenging, sobering glimpse of the future. Jesus, speaking to His disciples, warns of impending chaos—the destruction of the temple, false messiahs, wars, environmental disasters, and persecution. It's a dark picture, yet it holds a message of hope.

As we face the uncertainty of the present, fear often becomes a powerful force in our lives. From media that preys on our anxieties to cultural pressures that stir up dread, it's easy to be overwhelmed. But Advent invites us to shift our focus. It calls us to look forward—to a promised future, even amidst present trials. Just like the progression of light in a sunrise, Advent points us toward the hope that the darkness is not the final word.

In this episode, we explore how we can live with hope, even in the face of fear.   Through the lens of Jesus' teachings, we discuss:

• Hope amid institutional failure.
• Hope when false saviors arise
• Hope during times of war and political instability
• Hope through natural disasters and environmental calamities
• Hope despite persecution and loss of religious safety

Join us for this powerful reflection on living with hope during Advent, as we look to the future with expectation and trust in the promises of our coming King.

• Foster, Richard. Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home. HarperOne, 1992.
• Kinder, Derek. Ezra and Nehemiah: The Old Testament Commentary Series (TOTC). InterVarsity Press, 1984.
• Bird, Michael F. Evangelical Theology: A Biblical and Systematic Introduction. Zondervan, 2013.
• Keener, Craig S. The Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. InterVarsity Press, 1993.

27 After that He went out and looked at a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow Me.” 28 And he left everything behind, and got up and began following Him.

29 And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them. 30 The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling to His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners.”

Primary Sources:

• Fighting Shadows- Jon Tyson and Jefferson Bethke
• For Everyone (Matthew and Luke)- N.T. Wright
• Luke: An Introduction and Commentary TNTC- Leon Morris

1. Reveal Yourself to Us, God (1-2): A plea for God to dramatically reveal Himself, tearing through the heavens, and making His name known to the nations. Seeking God's presence in the midst of uncertainties.

2. Remember God's Good Deeds (3-4): Recounting the awesome things God has done unexpectedly. Reflecting on personal experiences of God's unexpected goodness and relating them to Psalm 77.

3. Remember Your Best Efforts Fall Short (5-7): Acknowledging our uncleanliness and the inadequacy of our best efforts. Recognizing the need to surrender to God's grace in our shortcomings.

4. Release the Future into God's Hands (8-9): Surrendering the future into God's hands, acknowledging God as the Potter and trusting in His control. A call to release worries about the future into God's care.

As we journey through Isaiah's prayer, we unveil a resilient hope that thrives not in the absence of challenges but in the steadfast assurance of God's enduring promises. It's a hope grounded in the unchanging character of God, bringing light into the darkest corners of our lives. Join us in preparing hearts for Advent, cultivating a hope that endures beyond circumstances.

Scripture References:

• Isaiah 64
• Psalm 119:18; Psalm 77; Proverbs 3:5-6
• Isaiah 63:9
• 1 Corinthians 1:3-9
• Numbers 6:24-26

Scripture References:

Malachi 3:1-6

Isaiah 40:3; Isaiah 54:7-8; Isaiah 29:13; Micah 6:8

Hebrews 9:14; 1 Peter 1:18-19

Ephesians 1:15-23

Numbers 6:24-26

Episode Highlights:

Anticipating the Messenger's Arrival: Reflect on John the Baptist preparing the way and the significance of waiting for Christmas.

Allowing Our Hearts to Be Refined: Understanding God's refining fire and how it shapes us into vessels of grace.

Pursuing Truer Worship: Exploring the call for genuine worship and its restoration through Jesus Christ.

The Gospel Message: Unpacking the Covenant Messenger, the Refining Fire, and the Restoration of True Worship in the context of the gospel.

Scripture Reflections: Isaiah 40:3, Isaiah 54:7-8, Isaiah 29:13, Micah 6:8, Hebrews 9:14, 1 Peter 1:18-19, Ephesians 1:15-23, Numbers 6:24-26.

Closing Invitation:

Join us in preparing hearts for Advent—embracing anticipation, allowing refinement, and pursuing truer worship. The gospel unfolds the transformative power of Christ's coming, bringing fulfillment to ancient prophecies and redemption to our lives. May this Advent be a time of profound reflection and spiritual preparation. As we await Christ's second coming, may our worship be genuine and our hearts surrendered.

• Philippians 4:2-9
•  1 Corinthians 1:10
• Matthew 5:11
•  James 1:2-4

PRIMARY SOURCES:

• Markus Bockmuehl, The Epistle to the Philippians, Black’s New Testament Commentary
• John Hellerman, Following Jesus Christ (ed., John K. Goodrich)
• M. J. Edwards, ed., Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture
• Dave Guzik, The Enduring Word Commentary
• N.T. Wright, Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters– Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon.
• N.T. Wright, Paul and His Letter to the Philippians
• Linda Belleville, Philippians: A New Testament Covenant Commentary
• Nijay K. Gupta, Living the King Jesus Gospel (ed., Gupta, Leach, Bates, Strait)

• Philippians 3:18-21
• Romans 8:11
• John 13:34-35
• Revelation 11:15

PRIMARY SOURCES:

• Markus Bockmuehl, The Epistle to the Philippians, Black’s New Testament Commentary
• John Hellerman, Following Jesus Christ (ed., John K. Goodrich)
• M. J. Edwards, ed., Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture
• Dave Guzik, The Enduring Word Commentary
• N.T. Wright, Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters– Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon.
• N.T. Wright, Paul and His Letter to the Philippians
• Linda Belleville, Philippians: A New Testament Covenant Commentary
• Nijay K. Gupta, Living the King Jesus Gospel (ed., Gupta, Leach, Bates, Strait)

• Philippians 2:19-30
• James 2:1-4

PRIMARY SOURCES:

• Markus Bockmuehl, The Epistle to the Philippians, Black’s New Testament Commentary
• John Hellerman, Following Jesus Christ (ed., John K. Goodrich)
• M. J. Edwards, ed., Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture
• Dave Guzik, The Enduring Word Commentary
• N.T. Wright, Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters– Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon. 
• N.T. Wright, Paul and His Letter to the Philippians
• Linda Belleville, Philippians: A New Testament Covenant Commentary
• Nijay K. Gupta, Living the King Jesus Gospel (ed., Gupta, Leach, Bates, Strait)

• Philippians 2:12-18
• Deuteronomy 6:3-9
• John 14:15
• James 1:4
• 2 Peter 2:5-8: 5

PRIMARY SOURCES:

• Markus Bockmuehl, The Epistle to the Philippians, Black’s New Testament Commentary
• John Hellerman, Following Jesus Christ (ed., John K. Goodrich)
• M. J. Edwards, ed., Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture
• Dave Guzik, The Enduring Word Commentary
• N.T. Wright, Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters– Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon.
• N.T. Wright, Paul and His Letter to the Philippians
• Linda Belleville, Philippians: A New Testament Covenant Commentary
• Nijay K. Gupta, Living the King Jesus Gospel (ed., Gupta, Leach, Bates, Strait)

• Philippians 2:1-11
• Isaiah 53:3;7

PRIMARY SOURCES:

• Markus Bockmuehl, The Epistle to the Philippians, Black’s New Testament Commentary
• John Hellerman, Following Jesus Christ (ed., John K. Goodrich)
• M. J. Edwards, ed., Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture
• Dave Guzik, The Enduring Word Commentary
• N.T. Wright, Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters– Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon. 
• N.T. Wright, Paul and His Letter to the Philippians
• Linda Belleville, Philippians: A New Testament Covenant Commentary
• Nijay K. Gupta, Living the King Jesus Gospel (ed., Gupta, Leach, Bates, Strait)

• Philippians 1:20-30
• Romans 12:2
• Mark 8:34

PRIMARY SOURCES:

• Markus Bockmuehl, The Epistle to the Philippians, Black’s New Testament Commentary
• John Hellerman, Following Jesus Christ (ed., John K. Goodrich)
• M. J. Edwards, ed., Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture
• Dave Guzik, The Enduring Word Commentary
• N.T. Wright, Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters– Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon. 
• N.T. Wright, Paul and His Letter to the Philippians
• Linda Belleville, Philippians: A New Testament Covenant Commentary
• Nijay K. Gupta, Living the King Jesus Gospel (ed., Gupta, Leach, Bates, Strait)

• Philippians 1:12-20
• Colossians 1:19-20
• James 3:1

PRIMARY SOURCES:

• Markus Bockmuehl, The Epistle to the Philippians, Black’s New Testament Commentary
• John Hellerman, Following Jesus Christ (ed., John K. Goodrich)
• M. J. Edwards, ed., Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture
• Dave Guzik, The Enduring Word Commentary
• N.T. Wright, Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters– Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon. 
• N.T. Wright, Paul and His Letter to the Philippians
• Linda Belleville, Philippians: A New Testament Covenant Commentary
• Nijay K. Gupta, Living the King Jesus Gospel (ed., Gupta, Leach, Bates, Strait)

• Philippians 1:3-11

• Acts 16:11-15
• Philippians 1:1-2
• Mark 10:43-45
• 1 Corinthians 1:30
• 2 Corinthians 7:1
• 1 Thessalonians 4:7
• 1 Peter 1:14-16
• 1 Peter 2:9-10

PRIMARY SOURCES:

• Markus Bockmuehl, The Epistle to the Philippians, Black’s New Testament Commentary
• John Hellerman, Following Jesus Christ (ed., John K. Goodrich)
• M. J. Edwards, ed., Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture
• Dave Guzik, The Enduring Word Commentary
• N.T. Wright, Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters– Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon.
• N.T. Wright, Paul and His Letter to the Philippians
• Linda Belleville, Philippians: A New Testament Covenant Commentary
• Nijay K. Gupta, Living the King Jesus Gospel (ed., Gupta, Leach, Bates, Strait)

• Revelation 2:4
• ‭‭Habakkuk‬ ‭3‬:‭2‬
• Isaiah 26:8‭
• Ezekiel 37:1-14
• Philippians 2:5-11

Primary Sources:

• The Enduring Word Commentary: Dave Guzik
• Barna: https://www.barna.com/stateofthechurch/
• Live No Lies: John Mark Comer

Jeremiah 29:4-7

1 Peter 1:1-2

1 Peter 2:10-12

Luke 10:33-37

Micah 6:8

Acts 6:1-3

Amos 5:21-24

Amos 5:10-13

Primary Sources:

• Live No Lies- John Mark Comer
• Radiant Church- Tara Beth Leach
• The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast Interview with Tim Keller 

Luke 10:1-9

1 Corinthians 12:12-14;27

Galatians 3:26-29

Matthew 13:32-32

Acts 10:36

John 14:27

Primary Sources:

• Living the King Jesus Gospel (various authors)
• Following Jesus Christ (Mark L. Strauss and John K. Goodrich)

Prayer is one of life’s great mysteries. 

Most people pray at least sometimes; some people a great deal. For some, it seems like shouting into a void on the off-chance there may be someone out there listening. For others, prayer merges into love, and the presence of God becomes palpable. 

But for most Christians, it's somewhere in the middle. And for many of us, it's not just a mystery but a puzzle. We know we ought to do it, but aren’t quite sure how to “do it right.”

Jesus gave us a model for prayer placing it in the context of relationship with our heavenly Father. Let's unpack this and more in today's message… 

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PRIMARY TEXT:

—Matthew 6:5-9 (NIV)—

5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.

6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.

8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

Don't we have a few things worth lamenting together?

A lament is spiritual permission to process the pain of life all while searching for God’s grace and understanding. We'll never escape pain, heartache, or disappointment in this lifetime, but we can more surely become better equipped to process it with the Lord. 

In this episode we look at when a group or nation vocalizes corporate pain, grief, fear, or some other strong emotion together. And we consider how communal lamenting can help us process our pain as a people, and simultaneously remind us of the goodness of our great God.

Let's unpack this and more in today's message… 

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PRIMARY TEXT:

—Psalm 12:1-8 (CSB)—

1 Help, Lord, for no faithful one remains; the loyal have disappeared from the human race. 2 They lie to one another; they speak with flattering lips and deceptive hearts. 3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaks boastfully. 4 They say, “Through our tongues we have power; our lips are our own—who can be our master?” 5 “Because of the devastation of the needy and the groaning of the poor, I will now rise up,” says the Lord. “I will provide safety for the one who longs for it. 6 The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in an earthen furnace, purified seven times. 7 You, Lord, will guard us; you will protect us from this generation forever. 8 The wicked prowl all around, and what is worthless is exalted by the human race.

“Where are you God? Why is this happening?” Pain, trauma & tragedy are inevitably circumstances that seem to challenge everything we think we know about the goodness of God. As followers of Jesus trying to process these things, it's the deep questions we find ourselves facing & wrestling with (often quietly) that make us timidly wonder, “Can I really even say that out loud?”

The answer is yes. The “Psalms of Lament” give us permission & even a framework of sorts to how we can (and need to) say the hard things out loud that we can't make any sense of in life. It's a spiritual process of moving from heartbreak to hope that gives us permission to honestly process the pain, all while searching for God’s grace and understanding.

Let's unpack this and more in today's message… 

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PRIMARY TEXT:

—Psalm 13 (CSB)—

Psalm 13

A Plea for Deliverance | A psalm of David

1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

2 How long will I store up anxious concerns[a] within me,

agony in my mind every day?

How long will my enemy dominate me?

3 Consider me and answer, Lord my God.

Restore brightness to my eyes;

otherwise, I will sleep in death.

4 My enemy will say, “I have triumphed over him,”

and my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.

5 But I have trusted in your faithful love;

my heart will rejoice in your deliverance.

6 I will sing to the Lord

because he has treated me generously.

Recently we’ve come to understand Biblical lamenting as honestly bringing our raw complaints to God (even if they are about Him), praying boldly for Him to right the wrongs, and choosing to trust Him with His answer.

But what when Godly people pray for children of their enemy to be harmed? Or what about Jonah earnestly praying to God for God to destroy the Ninevites? Is this a good way of lamenting or simply mean-spirited?

These are prayers of imprecation, and understanding their purpose and meaning can help us grapple with the seeming tension between making heartfelt pleas to God for specific justice against evil, and also loving our enemies and even praying for them. Loving our enemy does not absolve them of sin or from the justice their sin deserves, and grasping God's heart for both is imperative to understanding the place for prayers of imprecation in our lives.

Let's unpack this and more in today's message… 

How much does the Trinity matter to you? If you found out tomorrow that God is actually only one person instead of three, would your relationship with God feel any different? Would it require a drastic overhaul in the way you think or witness or pray?

While most Christians have retained a formal belief in the Trinity, what we need to recover is an understanding of what it really means and why it matters so much. 

Let's unpack this and more in today's message… 

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PRIMARY TEXT:

—John 16:12-15 (CSB)—

12 “I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own, but he will speak whatever he hears. He will also declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. 15 Everything the Father has is mine. This is why I told you that he takes from what is mine and will declare it to you.

“The longer we live, the more pain we see. God could intervene, but there are times—many times—when he chooses not to...”  That’s the tension we face, as followers of Jesus, when facing dire or dismal circumstances in life that leave us feeling forgotten, anxious, alone, and even defeated.

But, what if the goal of lamenting is not to resolve the painful situation, but to restore your hope in God? Through lament, we have permission to be utterly raw and real—interacting with God in a process that's both painful and profoundly healing. The spiritual process of lamenting confronts our utter confusion and deep pain with the deeper truths of the God of the universe.

Let's unpack this and more in today's message… 

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PRIMARY TEXT:

—Psalm 13 (CSB)—

Psalm 13

A Plea for Deliverance | A psalm of David

1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

2 How long will I store up anxious concerns[a] within me,

agony in my mind every day?

How long will my enemy dominate me?

3 Consider me and answer, Lord my God.

Restore brightness to my eyes;

otherwise, I will sleep in death.

4 My enemy will say, “I have triumphed over him,”

and my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.

5 But I have trusted in your faithful love;

my heart will rejoice in your deliverance.

6 I will sing to the Lord

because he has treated me generously.

It's astonishing how much a medical crisis can bring us to the point of hopelessness. Despairing of any healthy, normal living, all the color seems to fade out of life, and the joy you once had seems gone.

And perhaps even more devastating when your child is on a course for destruction, and you feel totally unable to do anything to stop it. How can you have joy in life if your child is suffering? You'd gladly take your child’s place, but you cannot.

In today's message we consider two people seeking Jesus' help from serious crises, but who did not resign themselves to suffering in the grave of hopelessness, and instead found help and healing in the garden of new life.

Let's unpack this and more in today's message… 

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PRIMARY TEXT:

—Luke 8:40-56 (CSB)—

A Girl Restored and a Woman Healed

40 When Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. 41 Just then, a man named Jairus came. He was a leader of the synagogue. He fell down at Jesus’s feet and pleaded with him to come to his house, 42 because he had an only daughter about twelve years old, and she was dying.

While he was going, the crowds were nearly crushing him. 43 A woman suffering from bleeding for twelve years, who had spent all she had on doctors[a] and yet could not be healed by any, 44 approached from behind and touched the end of his robe. Instantly her bleeding stopped.

45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

When they all denied it, Peter[b] said, “Master, the crowds are hemming you in and pressing against you.”[c]

46 “Someone did touch me,” said Jesus. “I know that power has gone out from me.” 47 When the woman saw that she was discovered, she came trembling and fell down before him. In the presence of all the people, she declared the reason she had touched him and how she was instantly healed. 48 “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has saved you.[d] Go in peace.”

49 While he was still speaking, someone came from the synagogue leader’s house and said, “Your daughter is dead. Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”

50 When Jesus heard it, he answered him, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe, and she will be saved.”[e] 51 After he came to the house, he let no one enter with him except Peter, John, James, and the child’s father and mother. 52 Everyone was crying and mourning for her. But he said, “Stop crying, because she is not dead but asleep.”

53 They laughed at him, because they knew she was dead. 54 So he[f] took her by the hand and called out, “Child, get up!” 55 Her spirit returned, and she got up at once. Then he gave orders that she be given something to eat. 56 Her parents were astounded, but he instructed them to tell no one what had happened.

Have you ever had something that really mattered stolen from you? 

In reality we've all had something essential taken from us—something of great consequence stolen from us when sin entered the world & started corrupting everything. But Jesus came to the world to absolutely put things back to rights.

In this message we consider five indispensable things that've been stolen from us all because of this world's brokenness, and how deeply King Jesus cares to restore them whole to us again.

Let's unpack this and more in today's message… 

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—Luke 8:26-39 (NLT)—

Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Man

26 So they arrived in the region of the Gerasenes,[a] across the lake from Galilee. 27 As Jesus was climbing out of the boat, a man who was possessed by demons came out to meet him. For a long time he had been homeless and naked, living in the tombs outside the town.

28 As soon as he saw Jesus, he shrieked and fell down in front of him. Then he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Please, I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had already commanded the evil[b] spirit to come out of him. This spirit had often taken control of the man. Even when he was placed under guard and put in chains and shackles, he simply broke them and rushed out into the wilderness, completely under the demon’s power.

30 Jesus demanded, “What is your name?”

“Legion,” he replied, for he was filled with many demons. 31 The demons kept begging Jesus not to send them into the bottomless pit.[c]

32 There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby, and the demons begged him to let them enter into the pigs.

So Jesus gave them permission. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned.

34 When the herdsmen saw it, they fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. 35 People rushed out to see what had happened. A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been freed from the demons. He was sitting at Jesus’ feet, fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. 36 Then those who had seen what happened told the others how the demon-possessed man had been healed. 37 And all the people in the region of the Gerasenes begged Jesus to go away and leave them alone, for a great wave of fear swept over them.

So Jesus returned to the boat and left, crossing back to the other side of the lake. 38 The man who had been freed from the demons begged to go with him. But Jesus sent him home, saying, 39 “No, go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you.” So he went all through the town proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him.

“Storms” in life are inevitable. They often come suddenly, with no clear timeline or certain outcome, and almost always demand our full attention to contend with.

In this series we've been looking at the stories of people who felt all hope was lost, fear had consumed, and tragedy had won—until Jesus arrived. When the "storms" of life suddenly emerge, we're faced with the same two questions Jesus' followers were faced with on one fateful night: “Who is Jesus?” and “Will I really trust him?”

Let's unpack this and more in today's message… 

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—Luke 8:22-25 (CSB)—

Wind and Waves Obey Jesus

22 One day he and his disciples got into a boat, and he told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” So they set out, 23 and as they were sailing he fell asleep. Then a fierce windstorm came down on the lake; they were being swamped and were in danger. 24 They came and woke him up, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to die!”

Then he got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves. So they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 He said to them, “Where is your faith?”

They were fearful and amazed, asking one another, “Who then is this? He commands even the winds and the waves, and they obey him!”

We all face moments in life when our future seems hopelessly stolen away. Suddenly steeped in insecurity, uncertainty swells, dreams are dashed. How can you find hope in these moments?

In this episode we consider what happens when Jesus interrupts a funeral procession of a now-childless widow,  and turns her grave of insecurity into a garden of provision. In thoughtfully considering the 3 ways Jesus responded to this dire situation, we can see how he interacts in the same way with us, graciously restoring our lost hope in the deeply insecure moments we face.

Let's unpack this and more in today's message… 

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—Luke 7:11-15 (CSB)—

A Widow’s Son Raised to Life

11 Afterward he was on his way to a town called Nain. His disciples and a large crowd were traveling with him. 12 Just as he neared the gate of the town, a dead man was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the town was also with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said, “Don’t weep.” 14 Then he came up and touched the open coffin, and the pallbearers stopped. And he said, “Young man, I tell you, get up!”

15 The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.

The struggle of power. It's clear that there are powerful forces all around us constantly competing for preeminence and authority over each other. From macro political & cultural ideologies to struggling friendships and marriages, these opposing forces seem stuck in cycles of constantly grappling with each other for greater influence, control, and ultimately power.

In this episode we look at a different kind of power—In considering Jesus' encounter with an unlikely character, we see through his eyes an unexpected, seemingly counterintuitive kind of power unlike anything we typically find ourselves drawn to. 

Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

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—Luke 7:1-10 (CSB)—

A Centurion’s Faith

7 When he had concluded saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. 2 A centurion’s servant, who was highly valued by him, was sick and about to die. 3 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, requesting him to come and save the life of his servant. 4 When they reached Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy for you to grant this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built us a synagogue.”

6 Jesus went with them, and when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell him, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, since I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I didn’t even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.[a] 8 For I too am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

9 Jesus heard this and was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found so great a faith even in Israel.” 10 When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant in good health.

Have you ever felt deeply wounded by disappointment? Chances are we all have at some point for one reason or another. But have you ever found yourself feeling disappointed with God? Being completely honest, it's only human at times when facing our own unmet  expectations or when circumstances suddenly seem changed against us.

It seems an enduring truth that we can never seem to escape deep disappointments in others and sometimes even in God while living in this world. But a deeper truth also exists—that we can also never escape Jesus' abiding grace in our lives. And this truth, when understood, means we don’t have to carry the shame or bitterness of our disappointments anymore.

Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

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—Luke 24:1-12 (NIV)—

Jesus Has Risen

24 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.

9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

In today's text we look at the end of Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church in which he makes “deep truth” proclamations about the resurrection of King Jesus that are actually the foundation for our faith.

Yes, the resurrection of King Jesus is GOOD NEWS, but it was also intentionally a very public, highly visible event. Jesus’ death and resurrection wasn’t God just trying to make the best of an unfortunate situation—it was “PLAN A” from before the universe was even spoken into existence, and has powerful implications for you personally to this day.

Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

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—1 Corinthians 15:1–11 (NIV)—

1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.

2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.

6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.

7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,

8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

In today's text, Jesus publicly signals a change unlike anything the world has yet experienced: Jesus openly reveals that “the time has arrived”—that he is the one they’ve been waiting for. But also, with unprecedented grace, this shocking proclamation from Jesus also reveals a change that his audience wasn’t remotely expecting.

Israel had been waiting, longing, expecting the Messiah, the one who would rescue & deliver them, the one who would bring about life and healing. In this unexpected proclamation, Jesus makes it clear that not only is he the long-awaiting Messiah, but that he brings Good News for all the world's troubled people, not just for Israel.

 Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

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—Luke 4:14–28 (NIV)—

14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.

15 He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.

16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read,

17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,

19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him.

21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.

23 Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’ ”

24 “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown.

25 I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land.

26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon.

27 And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”

28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this.

Jesus' vision of God’s kingdom differed radically from ours. On this second Sunday in Epiphany, we are looking at the true King, and considering what his vision is for his Kingdom.

We look first at John the Baptist's sudden announcement of Jesus as the Messiah, immediately followed by Jesus' baptism, which points us to the cross. And from this we can see that the true king has a radical vision for sharing, fairness and contentment. A radical vision for our identity, for power, and for true glory. 

 Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

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—Luke 3:1-22 (CSB)—

The Messiah’s Herald

3 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch[a] of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, God’s word came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the vicinity of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make his paths straight!

5 Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be made low;[b] the crooked will become straight, the rough ways smooth, 6 and everyone will see the salvation of God.[c]

7 He then said to the crowds who came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance. And don’t start saying to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones. 9 The ax is already at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

10 “What then should we do?” the crowds were asking him.

11 He replied to them, “The one who has two shirts must share with someone who has none, and the one who has food must do the same.”

12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?”

13 He told them, “Don’t collect any more than what you have been authorized.”

14 Some soldiers also questioned him, “What should we do?”

He said to them, “Don’t take money from anyone by force or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.”

15 Now the people were waiting expectantly, and all of them were questioning in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah. 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I am is coming. I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with[d] the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing shovel is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with fire that never goes out.” 18 Then, along with many other exhortations, he proclaimed good news to the people. 19 But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the evil things he had done, 20 Herod added this to everything else—he locked up John in prison.

The Baptism of Jesus

21 When all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized. As he was praying, heaven opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in a physical appearance like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.”

Today we begin a new series teaching through the season of “Epiphany” in the church calendar.  We hope to deeply focus our minds & hearts on the significance of Jesus’s resurrection for our church, our lives, and our world.  And that by exploring these truths together, we ask the Holy Spirit to deepen our heart's burden as followers of Jesus for these realities to be experienced by our friends, family, and neighbors. 

 Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

How is “hope” defined? In one sense, hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. But hope is also defined as a sense of deep, knowing trust.

As Christ followers, our deep sense of hope anticipates a future God has already written for us. A new heaven, a new earth, God being with his people, living among his people. Our future is no more tears, no more death, no more sorrow, no crying or pain. There will be one sitting on the throne forever, and that one is King Jesus.

We can trust what God will do because we know what God has done. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

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—Revelation 21:1-7 (CSB)—

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 

3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” 5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” 6 And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.

Hopelessness breeds despair, and despair often disguises itself as passivity...

Have you ever seen someone in the midst of immense hardship, and yet wandering through the circumstances of each day seemingly indifferent to it all? Perhaps you've even been there.

But, when hiding in the desert on the run for his life, how did not-yet-king David not lose all sense of hope? And to now only dodge despair, but to deeply express a deeply, heartfelt focus on the true hope of his salvation.  

Let's begin unpacking this and more in today's message…

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—Psalms 63:1-11 (CSB)—

God, you are my God; I eagerly seek you. I thirst for you; my body faints for you in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water. 2 So I gaze on you in the sanctuary to see your strength and your glory. 3 My lips will glorify you because your faithful love is better than life.

4 So I will bless you as long as I live; at your name, I will lift up my hands. 5 You satisfy me as with rich food;  my mouth will praise you with joyful lips. 6 When I think of you as I lie on my bed, I meditate on you during the night watches 7 because you are my helper; I will rejoice in the shadow of your wings. 8 I follow close to you; your right hand holds on to me. 9 But those who intend to destroy my life will go into the depths of the earth. 10 They will be given over to the power of the sword; they will become a meal for jackals. 11 But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by him will boast, for the mouths of liars will be shut.

Many of us have endured seasons of life when hope seemed thin or failing altogether. Seasons filled with such sorrow, loss, doubt or suffering that it seems the forces of evil might actually be greater than the forces for good.

But they are not. And there is a truer, deeper hope to be found in the middle of the suffering. Advent embraces the mess, the pain, the uncertainty of suffering, and still draws us into a depth of hope that transcends anything our human experience can offer.

“If only... So that... Yet Lord...” 

Ann Voskamp says it this way: “You can’t lose hope, because Hope has a name and His name is Jesus.” Let's begin unpacking this and more in today's message…

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—Isaiah 64:1-9 (CSB)—

If only you would tear the heavens open and come down, so that mountains would quake at your presence —2 just as fire kindles brushwood, and fire boils water —to make your name known to your enemies, so that nations would tremble at your presence! 3 When you did awesome works that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains quaked at your presence. 4 From ancient times no one has heard, no one has listened to, no eye has seen any God except you who acts on behalf of the one who waits for him. 5 You welcome the one who joyfully does what is right; they remember you in your ways. But we have sinned, and you were angry. How can we be saved if we remain in our sins? 6 All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a polluted garment; all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind. 7 No one calls on your name, striving to take hold of you. For you have hidden your face from us and made us melt because of our iniquity. 8 Yet Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we all are the work of your hands. 9 Lord, do not be terribly angry or remember our iniquity forever. Please look ​— ​all of us are your people!

Today we follow James into even more difficult territory as we candidly consider two uncomfortable realities: 

➊ No matter how long you've been following Jesus, you can still stray from the truth.

➋ When others stray from the truth, we must try to bring them back.

Hard truths to be sure, but very important for us to understand more deeply. So, today we spend some time marinating in these two uncomfortable realities. Because Jesus wants so much more for us. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

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—James 5:19-20 (CSB)—

19 My brothers and sisters, if any among you strays from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let that person know that whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

Patience and endurance—two key words in today’s text that we will spend a few minutes exploring as we hear James speaking affectionately to his fellow believers, offering hope and encouragement in their suffering. He reminds them that their God is faithful, they are not forgotten and he will deliver them. 

What’s the secret to facing the hardest of times with patience and endurance? It’s embracing the deep truth that God is, in fact, actively producing a harvest in our lives, even in the middle of the mess. It’s knowing that He’s actually working in our waiting, even when we can’t understand how.

There can be no perseverance without trials—no victories without battles and no peaks without valleys. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

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—James 5: 7-11 (CSB)—

Waiting for the Lord

7 Therefore, brothers and sisters, be patient until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.

9 Brothers and sisters, do not complain about one another, so that you will not be judged. Look, the judge stands at the door!

10 Brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name as an example of suffering and patience. 11 See, we count as blessed those who have endured.[a] You have heard of Job’s endurance and have seen the outcome that the Lord brought about—the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

Who's in charge of your life? This is the nucleus of today's conversation.

James begins to open the door to some very challenging issues to all of us in the neverending war in our hearts and minds between independence & dependence. James contends with the two most important questions we could ever ask: ➊ Who is Jesus?, and ➋ Who are we to him?

Spoiler: Jesus is not who we think he is—not defined by us. Jesus defines himself to us in scripture. And to him, we are God's beloved children created to be most fully alive by and through our complete dependence on him and his supreme grace and goodness.

Self-dependence or God-dependence: Which is it going to be? The true sign of a Christ-follower is someone who's surrendered to God. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

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—James 4:13 - 5:1-6  (CSB)—

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” 14 Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes.

15 Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So it is sin to know the good and yet not do it.

Chapter 5... 

1 Come now, you rich people, weep and wail over the miseries that are coming on you. 2 Your wealth has rotted and your clothes are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasure in the last days. 4 Look! The pay that you withheld from the workers who mowed your fields cries out, and the outcry of the harvesters has reached the ears of the Lord of Armies. 5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and have indulged yourselves. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned, you have murdered the righteous, who do not resist you.

What is wisdom? Is it having a vast knowledge of a subject? Having the right answers or insights to the world's biggest problems? 

What if the true essence of wisdom is a moral rather than intellectual quality?

In this message we'll make the case that wisdom is less about the knowledge in our heads, and much more about what we demonstrate in life. We'll thoughtfully consider the two specific directions James invites us to: ➊ The personality of radical wisdom, and ➋ the source of radical wisdom. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

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—James 3:13-18  (CSB)—

13 Who among you is wise and understanding? By his good conduct he should show that his works are done in the gentleness that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and deny the truth. 15 Such wisdom does not come down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without pretense. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.

Our words have more power than we give them credit for. The tongue is like a very small rudder that, with such small effort, can guide our lives (and others) to one place or another. The tongue can give life to ourselves and those around us. It can be used to keep us on course, to bless others… But it has the power to lead people astray, to destroy. lives, and relationships.

James has some insightful words to say about the tongue. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

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—James 3:1-12  (CSB)—

3 Not many should become teachers, my brothers,[a] because you know that we will receive a stricter judgment. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is mature, able also to control the whole body. 3 Now if we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we direct their whole bodies. 4 And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how a small fire sets ablaze a large forest. 6 And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed[b] among our members. It stains the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 Every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and fish is tamed and has been tamed by humankind, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in God’s likeness. 10 Blessing and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way. 11 Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water.

Can you believe anything without acting upon it? It’s just part of the human psyche that faith in something causes and results in acting on that faith. Failure to act on what we say we believe indicates we don’t really believe.  

In raising the question of faith that doesn’t save versus saving faith, it seems that James is making the case that it’s impossible to have faith without works.  But is that really true? 

Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

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—James 2:14-26  (CSB)—

Faith and Works

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can such faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.”[a] Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one. Good! Even the demons believe—and they shudder.

20 Senseless person! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless? 21 Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works in offering Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was made complete, 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,[b] and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works in receiving the messengers and sending them out by a different route? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

Do you, with your acts of favoritism, really believe in Jesus? A hard question, I know—but exactly the hard truth that James challenges us to face today. How we treat one another is a gospel issue, and favoritism and faith in Jesus have no place together.

“The world is always assessing people, sizing them up, putting them down, establishing a pecking order. And God, who sees and loves all alike, wants the church to reflect that generous universal love in HOW it behaves.” - N.T. Wright

 Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

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—James 2:1-5 (CSB)—

My brothers and sisters, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. 2 For if someone comes into your meeting (this could be a church gathering, this could be a smaller setting) wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor person dressed in filthy clothes also comes in, 3 if you look with favor on the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here in a good place,” (or the place of honor) and yet you say to the poor person, “Stand over there,” or “Sit here on the floor by my footstool,” 4 haven’t you made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?

—James 2:8-13 (CSB)—

8 Indeed, if you fulfill the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well. 9 If, however, you show favoritism, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the entire law, and yet stumbles at one point, is guilty of breaking it all. 11 For he who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. So if you do not commit adultery, but you murder, you are a lawbreaker. 12 Speak and act as those who are to be judged by the law of freedom. 13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has not shown mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. 

We all have an ache inside to belong, don't we? Whether with family or culture or a sports team or other shared interests, we're made to crave & enjoy community with each other. 

But there's also a dangerous kind of 'tribalism' that's set into our society. A polarizing 'us-vs-them' mindset that's destroying relationships, and is imminently destructive rather than life-giving.

But there is a better way—a timeless way we can learn from James that shows us how to reflect something greater back to our culture and community. 

Can we see this become a shared reality in our own church family? Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

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—James 1:22-25 (CSB)—

22 But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his own face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was. 25 But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who works ​— ​this person will be blessed in what he does.  

We all experience seasons of painful trial and suffering at some point in life. And what we think about God in walking through these seasons is immense in determining how these experiences will end up shaping us, for better or worse. 

Whether we're led toward doubt, pride and fear or toward a much deeper, truer experience of God's profound and constant goodness in the midst of it all.

Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

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—James 1:2-18 (CSB)—

2 Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. 5 Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God ​— ​who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly ​— ​and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord, 8 being double-minded and unstable in all his ways. 

9 Let the brother of humble circumstances boast in his exaltation, 10 but let the rich boast in his humiliation because he will pass away like a flower of the field. 11 For the sun rises and, together with the scorching wind, dries up the grass; its flower falls off, and its beautiful appearance perishes. In the same way, the rich person will wither away while pursuing his activities.

12 Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. 13 No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God,” since God is not tempted by evil, and he himself doesn’t tempt anyone. 14 But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire. 15 Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.

16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 By his own choice, he gave us birth by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. 

This message kicks off our twelve part series marinating together in the book of James. From this we will take wisdom, insight, action, and a bigger vision—not only for our lives, but also for our church. When applied, the results will be radical.

We start considering the first four verses, and what it means to say that our trials and troubles are more than something we are meant simply to endure, but are intentionally meant to lead us toward greater maturity.

What does this really mean to us? Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

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PRIMARY TEXT:

—James 1:1-11 (CSB)—

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ: To the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. Greetings.

2 Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. 5 Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God ​— ​who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly ​— ​and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord, 8 being double-minded and unstable in all his ways. 

9 Let the brother of humble circumstances boast in his exaltation, 10 but let the rich boast in his humiliation because he will pass away like a flower of the field. 11 For the sun rises and, together with the scorching wind, dries up the grass; its flower falls off, and its beautiful appearance perishes. In the same way, the rich person will wither away while pursuing his activities. 

We have far too much pulling on our time and attention today. From pandemic to politics, from ever-changing work/school dynamics to endless news cycles & social media distractions...

Amid the ongoing inundation and mental/emotional roller coaster of it all, it's critical that we remember how to actually rest. Not just taking a physical/mental break, but experiencing a deep, lasting, “no matter the circumstances” kind of rest. 

This can be a very difficult thing to find, or even understand. But good news: There is hope for weary souls looking for this kind of deep, abiding rest, and it can be found in better understanding Jesus' simple invitation to “Come to me.”

Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

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—Matthew 11:28-30 (CSB)—

28 “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 

As a Christ follower you constantly encounter people who need your voice speaking Jesus’ hope into their lives & circumstances as they try to navigate these difficult times. 

But why is it so hard for us to have meaningful spiritual conversations with people sometimes?  Maybe you're unsure of how they'll respond, or frozen by feelings of fear, insecurity or  embarrassment... 

Missional conversations do not start with tactics or strategies but with Christ ruling as Lord in our hearts. And in this episode we offer you a framework for having real missional conversations about Jesus in a secular age—practical tools you can use in having meaningful spiritual conversations with those in your life.

Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

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PRIMARY TEXT:

—1 Peter 3:15—

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” 

In this series we've been discussing what it means to live a “missional life.” Today we’ll consider what it might look like integrating our missional identity and calling, with what we do for work. 

Most of us will spend ⅓ of our lives working—around 90,000 hours over the course of an average lifetime. And we all think about work in different ways don't we?

• Is a job just a job, or could it be something more? 
• Is it possible that God's great calling in your life isn’t your vocation, but the location of your job?

Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

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—Romans 10:8-15 (CSB)—

This is the message of faith that we proclaim: 9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame, 12 since there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord of all richly blesses all who call on him. 13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 14 How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. 

Why am I here? What’s gone wrong? What’s the solution? What will “restoration” look like? 

These heavy questions stir consciously or unconsciously in every human heart.

Our culture is teeming with narratives attempting to answer these questions for us. Followers of Jesus have the best, truest answers—and a great hope compelling us to order our lives in alignment with God’s character, and to live & share these deep truths with others around  us.

Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

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—Romans 1:16-17 (CSB)—

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.

An “ambassador” is someone committed to representing the values, culture & stories of another place or people group. Most of us understand this best in a geopolitical sense, but it's also a factor of our everyday life. 

The vast majority of us are an “ambassador” of something that we find deeply connected to, whether a sports team, political ideology, a movie series or even Apple products. As followers of Jesus we are called to live out our calling as representatives of the Kingdom of God. No matter where we live, we can seek for it to be “on earth as it is in heaven” by representing our Lord’s Kingdom.

What does it look like, and how does it work? Let's continue unpacking this and more in today's message...

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—Romans 10:14-15 (CSB)—

14 How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. 

—2 Corinthians 5:17-21 (CSB)—

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come! 18 Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. 19 That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.” 21 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

—1 Peter 2:9-10 (CSB)—

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 

—2 Corinthians 5:20 (CSB)—

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.”

—Matthew 5:3-10 (CSB)—

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the humble, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. 

—Matthew 5:13-16 (CSB)—

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. 

—John 13:34-35 (CSB)—

34 “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” 

—Matthew 28:18-20 (CSB)—

“All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” 

—2 Corinthians 5:13-15 (CSB)—

13 For if we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ compels us, since we have reached this conclusion, that one died for all, and therefore all died. 

—1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (CSB)—

19 Although I am free from all and not anyone’s slave, I have made myself a slave to everyone, in order to win more people. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win Jews; to those under the law, like one under the law—though I myself am not under the law—to win those under the law. 21 To those who are without the law, like one without the law—though I am not without God’s law but under the law of Christ—to win those without the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some. 23 Now I do all this because of the gospel, so that I may share in the blessings.

If you're a follower of Jesus, you've been called to a life that bears witness to the place you live—a life lived on mission for the things of God. But between the faith we typically have and the radical, empowered faith we're called to is a gap. This is our “missional angst” where personal, social & cultural forces work to keep us from following Jesus the way we desire deep in our hearts. Let's unpack this and more in today's message...

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PRIMARY TEXT:

—Romans 10:14-15 (CSB)—

14 How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. 

—Matthew 5:13-16 (CSB)—

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. 

—Matthew 28:18-20 (CSB)—

18 Jesus came near and said to them,“All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” 

—Acts 1:7-8 (CSB)—

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 

—Romans 10:14-15 (CSB)—

14 How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. 

—Philippians 2:13-16 (CSB)—

13 For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose. 14 Do everything without grumbling and arguing, 15 so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world, 16 by holding firm to the word of life. 

—2 Corinthians 5:20 (CSB)—

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.” 

—Ephesians 4:11-13 (CSB)—

11 And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness. 

At every turn today we're constantly barraged by messages about the things we're lacking or missing in life, along with spotlighting the things we should consider that might make us more content—or at least distract us from our gnawing discontent for a time.

In reality, we often don’t really understand what true contentment looks and feels like. More than merely feeling ‘satisfied’, contentment is a deeper state of mind and heart that, when authentically experienced, draws us closer to the heart of God. 

But it doesn’t just naturally grow in us, and we just mentally ‘flip a switch’ and turn contentment on. A content heart must be thoughtfully cultivated, and when we do, it unlocks so much more for us in understanding God’s best for our lives.

Let's continue unpacking this and more in today's message with how contentment cultivates in us a kingdom-minded heart...

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—Matthew 13:44 (CSB)—

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.

—Isaiah 55:1-3 (CSB)—

Come, everyone who is thirsty, come to the water; and you without silver, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without silver and without cost!

2 Why do you spend silver on what is not food, and your wages on what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and you will enjoy the choicest of foods. 

3 Pay attention and come to me; listen, so that you will live.

—Psalms 73:25 (CSB)—

25 Who do I have in heaven but you? And I desire nothing on earth but you.

—Ephesians 2:11-22 (CSB)—

11 So, then, remember that at one time you were Gentiles in the flesh ​— ​called “the uncircumcised” by those called “the circumcised,” which is done in the flesh by human hands. 12 At that time you were without Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh, 15 he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might create in himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace. 16 He did this so that he might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by which he put the hostility to death. 17 He came and proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building, being put together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you are also being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.

At every turn today we're constantly barraged by messages about the things we're lacking or missing in life, along with spotlighting the things we should consider that might make us more content—or at least distract us from our gnawing discontent for a time.

In reality, we often don’t really understand what true contentment looks and feels like. More than merely feeling ‘satisfied’, contentment is a deeper state of mind and heart that, when authentically experienced, draws us closer to the heart of God. 

But it doesn’t just naturally grow in us, and we just mentally ‘flip a switch’ and turn contentment on. A content heart must be thoughtfully cultivated, and when we do, it unlocks so much more for us in understanding God’s best for our lives.

Let's continue unpacking this and more in today's message with how contentment cultivates important spiritual rhythms in our lives...

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—Philippians 4:11 (CSB)—

11 I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself.

—Psalms 63:1-7 (CSB)—

God, you are my God; I eagerly seek you. I thirst for you; my body faints for you

in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water. 2 So I gaze on you in the sanctuary to see your strength and your glory. 3 My lips will glorify you because your faithful love is better than life. 4 So I will bless you as long as I live; at your name, I will lift up my hands.

5 You satisfy me as with rich food;  my mouth will praise you with joyful lips.

6 When I think of you as I lie on my bed, I meditate on you during the night watches

7 because you are my helper; I will rejoice in the shadow of your wings.

—Philippians 2:16 (CSB)—

16 by holding firm to the word of life.

—Matthew 6:9 (CSB)—

9 “Therefore, you should pray like this:

Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread.  12 And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.  For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, amen

—Exodus 20:8-11 (CSB)—

8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy: 9 You are to labor six days and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work ​— ​you, your son or daughter, your male or female servant, your livestock, or the resident alien who is within your city gates. 11 For the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy. 

—Philippians 2:5-11 (CSB)—

5 Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God  as something to be exploited.  7 Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity.  And when he had come as a man, 8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death —even to death on a cross.

—Philippians 2:13-16 (CSB)—

13 For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose. 14 Do everything without grumbling and arguing, 15 so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world, 16 by holding firm to the word of life.

At every turn today we're constantly barraged by messages about the things we're lacking or missing in life, along with spotlighting the things we should consider that might make us more content—or at least distract us from our gnawing discontent for a time.

In reality, we often don’t really understand what true contentment looks and feels like. More than merely feeling ‘satisfied’, contentment is a deeper state of mind and heart that, when authentically experienced, draws us closer to the heart of God. 

But it doesn’t just naturally grow in us, and we just mentally ‘flip a switch’ and turn contentment on. A content heart must be thoughtfully cultivated, and when we do, it unlocks so much more for us in understanding God’s best for our lives.

Let's begin unpacking this and more in today's message, starting with how contentment cultivates both confession and greater joy in our lives...

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—Philippians 4:10-14 (CSB)—

10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly because once again you renewed your care for me. You were, in fact, concerned about me but lacked the opportunity to show it. 11 I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. 12 I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content ​— ​whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. 13 I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me. 14 Still, you did well by partnering with me in my hardship.

—Galatians 5:16-26 (CSB)—

16 I say, then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I am warning you about these things ​— ​as I warned you before ​— ​that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

—Philippians 4:6 (CSB)—

Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

—Mark 10:51-52 (CSB)—

51 Then Jesus answered him,“What do you want me to do for you? ”“Rabboni,”' the blind man said to him, “I want to see.” 52 Jesus said to him, “Go, your faith has saved you.” Immediately he could see and began to follow Jesus on the road. 

—Matthew 6:30-34 (CSB)—

30 If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t he do much more for you ​— ​you of little faith? 31 So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat? ’ or ‘What will we drink? ’ or ‘What will we wear? ’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. 34 Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

—Luke 11:9-13 (CSB)—

9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him? ” 

—Luke 11:9-13 (CSB)—

9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” 

—Psalms 37:4 (CSB)—

4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.

—2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (CSB)—

Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so that I would not exalt myself. 8 Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it would leave me. 9 But he said to me,“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. 10 So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

—Isaiah 53:1-9 (CSB)—

Who has believed what we have heard?  And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

2 He grew up before him like a young plant and like a root out of dry ground.

He didn’t have an impressive form or majesty that we should look at him, no appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was. He was like someone people turned away from;  he was despised, and we didn’t value him.

4 Yet he himself bore our sicknesses, and he carried our pains; but we in turn regarded him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced because of our rebellion, 

crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds. 6 We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the Lord has punished him for the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughter and like a sheep silent before her shearers, he did not open his mouth.  8 He was taken away because of oppression and judgment and who considered his fate?  For he was cut off from the land of the living; he was struck because of my people’s rebellion. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, but he was with a rich man at his death, because he had done no violence and had not spoken deceitfully.

—Numbers 6:24-26 (CSB)—

24 “May the Lord bless you and protect you;

25 may the Lord make his face shine on you

and be gracious to you;

26 may the Lord look with favor on you >

and give you peace.” ’ 

When we're jealous, we are in effect saying, “God, you don’t really know what I need to be happy”. Often the 'gateway' to so many other negative emotions, from greed to anger to guilt and shame, jealousy is also a road leading to resentment of God's goodness in other people's lives, while ignoring God's goodness in our own lives.

The antidote for jealousy is cultivating a heart of contentment. And in truth, the secret of cultivating a heart of contentment is found in Christ and Christ alone. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

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PRIMARY TEXT:

—Philippians 4:11-13 (CSB)—

11 I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. 12 I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content ​— ​whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. 13 I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.

—Philippians 2:2-4 (CSB)—

...make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. 4 Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.

—Philippians 4:6 (CSB)—

Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

—Psalms 63:1-7 (CSB)—

God, you are my God; I eagerly seek you. I thirst for you; my body faints for you

in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water. 2 So I gaze on you in the sanctuary to see your strength and your glory. 3 My lips will glorify you because your faithful love is better than life. 4 So I will bless you as long as I live; at your name, I will lift up my hands.

5 You satisfy me as with rich food;  my mouth will praise you with joyful lips.

6 When I think of you as I lie on my bed, I meditate on you during the night watches

7 because you are my helper; I will rejoice in the shadow of your wings.

—Philippians 4:19 (CSB)—

19 And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

—Philippians 2:5-11 (CSB)—

5 Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God  as something to be exploited.  7 Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity.  And when he had come as a man, 8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death —even to death on a cross.

—Ephesians 3:14-21 (CSB)—

14 For this reason I kneel before the Father 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. 16 I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit, 17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, 19 and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us ​— ​ 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Today, we consider the baggage of fear, a reality we all must contend with. 

What are you most afraid of? Being completely honest, what ominous fears do you find yourself secretly simmering or wrestling with in quiet moments or sleepless nights? 

In this episode we invite you into a deeper understanding of how combatting the baggage of fear starts with having a right-sized view of God. And how a richer understanding of the profound goodness of God can absolutely overshadow even the darkest "shadow of death" fears in our lives.

Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

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PRIMARY TEXT:

—Psalms 23:1-6 (CSB)—

The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. 2 He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff ​— ​they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.

—Psalms 139:7-12 (CSB)—

7 Where can I go to escape your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. 9 If I fly on the wings of the dawn and settle down on the western horizon,  10 even there your hand will lead me; your right hand will hold on to me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light around me will be night” — 12 even the darkness is not dark to you. The night shines like the day; darkness and light are alike to you

—Philippians 4:5-7 (CSB)—

The Lord is near. 6 Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Today, we consider the baggage of pride—and more specifically spiritual pride. We revisit the story of a “rich, young ruler” who approached Jesus asking what he must do to gain eternal life, only to leave confused and dismayed by Jesus’ answer. We’ll see how Jesus' answer wasn’t a recipe for salvation, but an exposure of a heart’s idolatry. 

An idol is anything more important to us than God, and this is at the very heart of what Jesus is saying to us here.  If we're honest with ourselves, we really resemble the rich young ruler in letting our own religious pride prevent us from even seeing how the “idols” in our own lives are preventing our hearts from fully loving Jesus with our whole being. 

Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

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PRIMARY TEXT:

—Mark 10:17-31 (CSB)—

17 As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? ” 18 “Why do you call me good? ” Jesus asked him. “No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; do not defraud; honor your father and mother. ”  20 He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these from my youth.” 21 Looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him,“You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 But he was dismayed by this demand, and he went away grieving, because he had many possessions. 

23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,“How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! ” 24 The disciples were astonished at his words. Again Jesus said to them,“Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They were even more astonished, saying to one another, “Then who can be saved? ” 27 Looking at them, Jesus said,“With man it is impossible, but not with God, because all things are possible with God.” 28 Peter began to tell him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” 29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said,“there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundred times more, now at this time ​— ​houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions ​— ​and eternal life in the age to come. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Today, we are looking at the baggage of bitterness, which always starts with unforgiven pain at its source. And this unforgiven pain, left unchecked for too long, has profound effects on our lives. But it doesn’t have to.

As followers of Jesus we're sometimes called to seasons of suffering, but not under the oppressive weight of our own unforgiveness and resulting bitterness. But how do we deal with the seeds of unforgiveness and prevent the ugly fruit of bitterness from taking root and growing in our lives? 

Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

Matthew 18:21-35 (CSB)

21 Then Peter approached him and asked, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? As many as seven times? ”22 “I tell you, not as many as seven,” Jesus replied,“ but seventy times seven. 

23 “For this reason, the kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle accounts, one who owed ten thousand talents was brought before him. 25 Since he did not have the money to pay it back, his master commanded that he, his wife, his children, and everything he had be sold to pay the debt. 26 “At this, the servant fell facedown before him and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 Then the master of that servant had compassion, released him, and forgave him the loan. 

28 “That servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him, started choking him, and said, ‘Pay what you owe! ’29 “At this, his fellow servant fell down and began begging him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ 30 But he wasn’t willing. Instead, he went and threw him into prison until he could pay what was owed. 31 When the other servants saw what had taken place, they were deeply distressed and went and reported to their master everything that had happened. 32 Then, after he had summoned him, his master said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you? ’ 34 And because he was angry, his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured until he could pay everything that was owed. 

35 So also my heavenly Father will do to you unless every one of you forgives his brother or sister from your heart.”

Have you ever had to be bold about something? To stand up to someone or set the record straight?

There's a time coming when boldness in our faith will be more important than ever. And in this time we’ll have two choices: ➊ to recede or backpedal in fear, or ➋ to boldly step forward and stand up for truth.

But how? And what does that even look like? And what if we've not had the best track record with being bold before?

Today we consider two contrasting stories of Peter: First when he fearfully denied even knowing who Jesus was to a teenage girl, and then when speaking with seismic boldness only 50 days later to set the record straight about exactly what has just happened with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Peter understood scripture, and his Holy Spirit boldness was rooted in this knowledge of scripture and his realization of Jesus. By better understanding these things, we can gain a better understanding of how to step into greater boldness similarly in our own lives. 

Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

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PRIMARY TEXT:

Acts 2:14-41 (CSB)

14 Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them, “Fellow Jews and all you residents of Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and pay attention to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it’s only nine in the morning. 16 On the contrary, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17 And it will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all people; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. 18 I will even pour out my Spirit on my servants in those days, both men and women and they will prophesy. 19 I will display wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below: blood and fire and a cloud of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes. 21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 

22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to these words: This Jesus of Nazareth was a man attested to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through him, just as you yourselves know. 23 Though he was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail him to a cross and kill him. 24 God raised him up, ending the pains of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by death. 25 For David says of him: I saw the Lord ever before me; because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices. Moreover, my flesh will rest in hope, 27 because you will not abandon me in Hades or allow your holy one to see decay. 28 You have revealed the paths of life to me; you will fill me with gladness in your presence. 

29 “Brothers and sisters, I can confidently speak to you about the patriarch David: He is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn an oath to him to seat one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke concerning the resurrection of the Messiah: He was not abandoned in Hades, and his flesh did not experience decay. 32 “God has raised this Jesus; we are all witnesses of this. 33 Therefore, since he has been exalted to the right hand of God and has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, he has poured out what you both see and hear. 34 For it was not David who ascended into the heavens, but he himself says: The Lord declared to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand 35 until I make your enemies your footstool.’ 36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” 

37 When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what should we do? ” 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other words he testified and strongly urged them, saying, “Be saved from this corrupt generation! ” 41 So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them.

It was just another day...until it wasn’t. 

Today we continue exploring the critical yet often overlooked role of the Holy Spirit in our church and lives as Christ followers. First with the Day of Pentecost, when a group of people begin suddenly and inexplicably speaking in other languages. We also consider the broader context of two central figures echoing in the story, Abraham and Moses, and the key events underlying God's plan surrounding that day.  

Then we look more deeply at the Spirit's role that day, and even still in our church and lives today, so that we can see more clearly the Holy Spirit as a long-awaited gift to us, whose purpose is not to divide us, but to unite together in Jesus.

Are we seeing the Holy Spirit do anything in our lives that would cause unbelievers in our community to stop and ask, “What's happening with that church?”

Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

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PRIMARY TEXT:

Acts 2:1-13 (CSB)

When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. 3 They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and rested on each one of them. 4 Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were Jews staying in Jerusalem, devout people from every nation under heaven. 6 When this sound occurred, a crowd came together and was confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 They were astounded and amazed, saying, “Look, aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 How is it that each of us can hear them in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites; those who live in Mesopotamia, in Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts), 11 Cretans and Arabs ​— ​we hear them declaring the magnificent acts of God in our own tongues.” 12 They were all astounded and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean? ” 13 But some sneered and said, “They’re drunk on new wine.”

Focusing on the Holy Spirit is a salient reminder that we are deeply in need. We desperately need the Holy Spirit in our lives to fix what's broken, restore us to God and resurrect what is otherwise hopelessly dead inside us. Anything else that we turn to for this will eventually fail us.  

Today we consider the Holy Spirit's divine qualities, the name of God indirectly given to him, the works of God attributed to the Holy Spirit, and how these things are relevant to our lives.

Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

Have you ever thought of the Holy Spirit as a person? 

For most people, it's easier to view Jesus, and even the Father, as distinct personalities. But the Holy Spirit can often seem more like God's mystical shadow, with somehow not as much actual person-hood.

And yet the Holy Spirit is very much a person. His power is equal to the Father and the Son's, and yet his mission is distinct. His actions—to guide our hearts, to counsel, comfort and convict— are deeply personal, and the better we understand him, the more profoundly & intimately we understand our God.

So, today we look more closely at the person of the Holy Spirit, to better understand him as a vibrant part of our daily lives…

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PRIMARY TEXT:

—Deut. 6.4 (CSB)—

“Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart.

—John 14:16-18 (CSB)—

16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. 17 He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive him because it doesn’t see him or know him. But you do know him, because he remains with you and will be in you. 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you.

—John 16:8 (CSB)—

8 When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment. 

—John 16:13 (CSB)—

13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.

—Psalms 86:11 (CSB)—

11 Teach me your way, Lord, and I will live by your truth. Give me an undivided mind to fear your name.

But what is the trinity? Where is the trinity in the Bible, and how should we apply this triune doctrine to our lives?  

Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

Defining Physical Health Biblically: The stewardship of the physical body that God has given us that in turn allows us to flourish for kingdom work, loving ourselves, our family, neighbors, community and church well for the length of time God has us on this earth.

Or, as Paul asserted in 1 Corinthians, your body is a temple. On top of that, a compelling case is made that your body is not your own, and you're responsible to glorify God with your body—including how you care for it.

Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

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PRIMARY TEXT:

—1 Corinthians 6:12-20 (CSB)—

Glorifying God in Body and Spirit

12 “Everything is permissible for me,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me,” but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 “Food is for the stomach and the stomach for food,” and God will do away with both of them. However, the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 God raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. 15 Don’t you know that your bodies are a part of Christ’s body? So should I take a part of Christ’s body and make it part of a prostitute? Absolutely not! 16 Don’t you know that anyone joined to a prostitute is one body with her? For Scripture says, The two will become one flesh. 17 But anyone joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.

18 Flee sexual immorality! Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the person who is sexually immoral sins against his own body. 19 Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.

Why is caring for our bodies so difficult? It’s because there’s something working against our bodies and health…

Sin broke our bodies and brought depravity into the story. And not just the inner shame of our fallen nature, but ongoing degradation of our physical nature also.

But God meets our brokenness with grace. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

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PRIMARY TEXT:

—Genesis 3:8-11 (CSB)—

Sin’s Consequences

8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze,[a] and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 So the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

10 And he said, “I heard you[b] in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.”

11 Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

—Isaiah 53:3-4 (CSB)—

3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was. He was like someone people turned away from; he was despised, and we didn’t value him. 4 Yet he himself bore our sicknesses, and he carried our pains; but we in turn regarded him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.

The church has largely failed to wade into one very important area of everyone's life: Our physical health. We take seriously issues about our spiritual health, finances, relationships, and even vocation. But rarely is the issue of physical health ever given the spotlight.

And yet—the quality of our physical health impacts & influences every other area of our life. God truly cares about our physical health. And the care we give to our physical health is stewardship of a highly precious gift the Lord has graciously given us.

Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXTS:

Genesis 1:26-27 (CSB)

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female.

Genesis 1:29-30 (CSB)

29 God also said, “Look, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the surface of the entire earth and every tree whose fruit contains seed. This will be food for you, 30 for all the wildlife of the earth, for every bird of the sky, and for every creature that crawls on the earth—everything having the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.”

Proverbs 23:1-3 (CSB)

When you sit down to dine with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you, 2 and put a knife to your throat if you have a big appetite; 3 don’t desire his choice food, for that food is deceptive.

Daniel 1:8 (CSB)

8 Daniel determined that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or with the wine he drank. So he asked permission from the chief eunuch not to defile himself.

Matthew 6:26 (CSB)

Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?

1 Timothy 5:23 (CSB)

Don’t continue drinking only water, but use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.

Revelation 21:4-5 (CSB)

4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away. 5 Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.”

Nearly every area in life in which we might have found peace in has been shaken over the last year. Thinking back over this turbulent time, who or what has really brought you peace?

The resurrected Jesus has brought us peace. Not momentary comfort or distraction from circumstances—but true PEACE that can be deeply experienced and abide even in the midst of life's terrible storms.

After his resurrection, Jesus spoke peace into the fears of everyone around him. He also speaks peace to our fears today. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

John 20:1-21 (CSB)

The Empty Tomb
20 On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark. She saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she went running to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said to them, “They’ve taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve put him!”

3 At that, Peter and the other disciple went out, heading for the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and got to the tomb first. 5 Stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then, following him, Simon Peter also came. He entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there. 7 The wrapping that had been on his head was not lying with the linen cloths but was folded up in a separate place by itself. 8 The other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, then also went in, saw, and believed. 9 For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples returned to the place where they were staying.

Mary Magdalene Sees the Risen Lord
11 But Mary stood outside the tomb, crying. As she was crying, she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 She saw two angels in white sitting where Jesus’s body had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“Because they’ve taken away my Lord,” she told them, “and I don’t know where they’ve put him.”

14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know it was Jesus. 15 “Woman,” Jesus said to her, “why are you crying? Who is it that you’re seeking?”

Supposing he was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you’ve carried him away, tell me where you’ve put him, and I will take him away.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

Turning around, she said to him in Aramaic,[a] “Rabboni!”—which means “Teacher.”

17 “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus told her, “since I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them that I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”

18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what[b] he had said to her.

The Disciples Commissioned
19 When it was evening on that first day of the week, the disciples were gathered together with the doors locked because they feared the Jews. Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

20 Having said this, he showed them his hands and his side. So the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.”

In the final days of Jesus pre-crucifiction, his triumphal entry into Jerusalem is breathtaking to consider: This Jewish carpenter riding a borrowed, unbroken colt through a screaming crowd shouting to him, “Save us!”

But how did this same crowd get from “save us!” to “crucify him!” in only a matter of days?

These people knew they desperately needed a savior, but also felt certain they knew exactly what their salvation should look like. They were desperately trying to make Jesus into the person they wanted him to be.

But Jesus rescues us in ways we often don't understand. His insight is eternal and he (thankfully) doesn't let our circumstances or expectations reshape his work in our lives. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXTS:

Zechariah 9:9 (CSB)

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion, Shout in triumph, Daughter Jerusalem! Look, your King is coming to you; he is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Mark 11:7-11 (CSB)

7 They brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their clothes on the road, and others spread leafy branches cut from the fields. 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted: Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven! 11 He went into Jerusalem and into the temple. After looking around at everything, since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

In the late 1500’s, a Spanish Carmelite monk wrote a deeply reflective poem about the spiritual crises that must occur in our journey toward true devotion to Christ. In “The Dark Night” he describes how some face these critical moments and grow, while others give up the faith.

No doubt Asaph wrote Psalm 73 to aid us in the same inflection point that we all encounter at some time. Because we too go through crises of faith—through dark nights in which our journey towards true devotion to Christ faces a test that challenges our faith in Christ to the core. And Asaph wants to show us how to successfully navigate through this dark night.

Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

Psalm 73 (CSB)

God’s Ways Vindicated | A psalm of Asaph

1 God is indeed good to Israel,
to the pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet almost slipped;
my steps nearly went astray.
3 For I envied the arrogant;
I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

4 They have an easy time until they die,[a]
and their bodies are well fed.[b]
5 They are not in trouble like others;
they are not afflicted like most people.
6 Therefore, pride is their necklace,
and violence covers them like a garment.
7 Their eyes bulge out from fatness;
the imaginations of their hearts run wild.
8 They mock, and they speak maliciously;
they arrogantly threaten oppression.
9 They set their mouths against heaven,
and their tongues strut across the earth.
10 Therefore his people turn to them[c]
and drink in their overflowing words.[d]
11 The wicked say, “How can God know?
Does the Most High know everything?”
12 Look at them—the wicked!
They are always at ease,
and they increase their wealth.

13 Did I purify my heart
and wash my hands in innocence for nothing?
14 For I am afflicted all day long
and punished every morning.
15 If I had decided to say these things aloud,
I would have betrayed your people.[e]
16 When I tried to understand all this,
it seemed hopeless[f]
17 until I entered God’s sanctuary.
Then I understood their destiny.
18 Indeed, you put them in slippery places;
you make them fall into ruin.
19 How suddenly they become a desolation!
They come to an end, swept away by terrors.
20 Like one waking from a dream,
Lord, when arising, you will despise their image.

21 When I became embittered
and my innermost being[g] was wounded,
22 I was stupid and didn’t understand;
I was an unthinking animal toward you.
23 Yet I am always with you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me up in glory.[h]
25 Who do I have in heaven but you?
And I desire nothing on earth but you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength[i] of my heart,
my portion forever.
27 Those far from you will certainly perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
28 But as for me, God’s presence is my good.
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
so I can tell about all you do.

Grace Hill: What Happens When We Die?

We've all heard stories of near-death experiences. And it seems they almost all have similar elements of being “out of body”, seeing departed loves ones, seeing "a light", feeling loved...

• But does everyone experience the same thing? And if no, then why? What if some people (of other faiths, or even no faith) seem to have different experiences than the stories we’ve heard?

• And a larger question: What even is death, really? And what does God do in us at death?

These are important things to consider. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

Luke 16:19-31 (ESV)

[19] “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. [20] And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, [21] who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. [22] The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, [23] and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. [24] And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ [25] But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. [26] And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ [27] And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house—[28] for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ [29] But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ [30] And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ [31] He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

With so much fear & anxiety around us today, we must remember Jesus' powerful promise: “I will build my church...”

“But what if...” ⇠ These words can seem so unnerving, controlling and emerge so easily inside us, especially in uncertain times.

“I will build...” ⇠ Words from Jesus so deeply comforting & re-centering, if we can really understand them in their true context & meaning.

Jesus cares more deeply for the Church that we can even fathom. And it's HIS Church to build, not ours—not in buildings, but in people. He is sovereign, he's good, and he always keeps his promises. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

Matthew 16:13-18 (CSB)

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 “But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus responded, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

PRIMARY SOURCES:

• IVP Bible Background Commentary
• The Enduring Word (Guzik)
• Matthew for Everyone (Wright)
• TNTC- Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary (France)
• NIGTC- The Gospel of Matthew (Nolland)

Was Jesus' suffering and death really necessary? And how much does the WAY it all happened matter? Was so much pain & suffering really paramount to our ultimate redemption?

As we consider this for a few minutes together, we explore some truly remarkable aspects of Jesus in the process, and his ability to deeply understand us in our own suffering & trials. Because of his great love for humanity, he was humbly obedient to his Father's plan. And we see that through the profound pain and suffering of his experiences, he not only understands us in the midst of our own, but is able to be truly with us in the middle of our mess.

Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

Mark 8:31 (CSB)

31 Then he began to teach them that it was necessary for the Son of Man to suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and rise after three days.

What are you tempted by the most in life right now? Temptations are only human, right? But when we give into temptations, it also inevitably leads down sordid paths and arrives at unhealthy destinations that we never really intended.

Jesus can help. The good news for us today is Jesus not only understands our temptations, but was tempted just as we are. And today we can find hope and help from Jesus in his how he handled his temptations. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXTS:

—Hebrews 4:15 (CSB)—
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin.

—Matthew 4:1-11 (CSB)—
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 Then the tempter approached him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will give his angels orders concerning you, and they will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”
7 Jesus told him, “It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and began to serve him.

—Psalm 119:11 (CSB)—
I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you.

—Deuteronomy 8:3 (CSB)—
“It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

—Deuteronomy 6:16 (CSB)—
“It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.”

—Deuteronomy 6:13 (CSB)—
For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”

What can we even believe anymore? With misinformation, disinformation & “fake news” roiling all around us today, we're living in a world where the existence of any absolute truth is constantly under attack.

But there is absolute truth, and it's more critical than ever that we deeply understand and embrace it.

In this episode we focus a few minutes on three specific ways God defines absolute truth for us, and what's really at stake if we lose sight of it. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXTS:

—John 17:17 (CSB)—

17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

—John 14:6 (CSB)—

I am the way, the truth, and the life.

—John 1:14 (CSB)—

14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

—Ephesians 1:13 (CSB)—

13 In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed.

—Colossians 1:3-6 (CSB)—

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints 5 because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. You have already heard about this hope in the word of truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you.

—2 Timothy 2:16-18 (CSB)—

16 Avoid irreverent and empty speech, since those who engage in it will produce even more godlessness, 17 and their teaching will spread like gangrene. Hymenaeus and Philetus are among them. 18 They have departed from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and are ruining the faith of some.

We all need to be taken care of at some point. Even the most capable & resilient of us experience moments or seasons of profound hurt, deep brokenness, anxiety, even despair. We also all share the same core question as an undercurrent of our worst moments and our best: Who's really there for me when I need it? Who’s really going to take care of me?

There's something very unique about the God of Christianity, and his ability to do exactly this. Psalm 147 paints a vibrant picture of the heart of our God and how he takes care of you. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

Psalm 147: 1-11 (CSB)

God Restores Jerusalem
1 Hallelujah!
How good it is to sing to our God,
for praise is pleasant and lovely.

2 The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem;
he gathers Israel’s exiled people.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and bandages their wounds.
4 He counts the number of the stars;
he gives names to all of them.
5 Our Lord is great, vast in power;
his understanding is infinite.[a]
6 The Lord helps the oppressed
but brings the wicked to the ground.

7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
play the lyre to our God,
8 who covers the sky with clouds,
prepares rain for the earth,
and causes grass to grow on the hills.
9 He provides the animals with their food,
and the young ravens what they cry for.

10 He is not impressed by the strength of a horse;
he does not value the power of a warrior.[b]
11 The Lord values those who fear him,
those who put their hope in his faithful love.

Today we're talking about good vs evil. ⇢ We have a real enemy, and he is pure evil. Unfortunately, it's far too easy for us to let our attention be misdirected to lesser "enemies", and lose sight of fighting the “good fight” that matters the most.

Hands down, the biggest problem we face as Jesus followers is not a president, a political party, our constitutional “rights”, or even religious freedoms. It's when we (i) fail to use the life-giving power of Jesus to love & serve others well, and (ii) let our current circumstances keep us from even remembering what that really looks like.

When we're tempted to take our eyes off Jesus & fix them on someone or something else, we've lost already. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

Mark 1:21-28 (CSB)

Driving Out an Unclean Spirit
21 They went into Capernaum, and right away he entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and began to teach. 22 They were astonished at his teaching because he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not like the scribes.

23 Just then a man with an unclean spirit was in their synagogue. He cried out, 24 “What do you have to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

25 Jesus rebuked him saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit threw him into convulsions, shouted with a loud voice, and came out of him.

27 They were all amazed, and so they began to ask each other, “What is this? A new teaching with authority![a] He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 At once the news about him spread throughout the entire vicinity of Galilee.

Have you ever witnessed a miracle?

Ever prayed for something unlikely/impossible to happen, and then seen it actually happen before your eyes? Today I invite you to ruminate over this with me for a few minutes, starting with one of Jesus' most famously impressive miracles—which completely blew the minds of a few discouraged men—and their remarkable response to him after the experience.

And then we have an even greater miracle to candidly discuss together, and the hope that it may elicit a similarly remarkable response from us. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

Luke 5:1-11 (CSB)

As the crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear God’s word, he was standing by Lake Gennesaret. 2 He saw two boats at the edge of the lake; the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from the land. Then he sat down and was teaching the crowds from the boat. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we’ve worked hard all night long and caught nothing. But if you say so, I’ll let down the nets.” 6 When they did this, they caught a great number of fish, and their nets began to tear. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them; they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’s knees and said, “Go away from me, because I’m a sinful man, Lord!” 9 For he and all those with him were amazed at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were Simon’s partners. “Don’t be afraid,” Jesus told Simon. “From now on you will be catching people.” 11 Then they brought the boats to land, left everything, and followed him.

We're all looking to be known and looking to know others—looking for something to believe in, follow & give our lives to.

Recently we've grappled with facing two realities:

1. That WHO you subscribe to often shapes WHAT you subscribe to.
2. And that subscribing to Jesus means often means doing the hard things.

We see several facets of this visible when Philip & Nathaneal decided to follow Jesus. And as we consider their story, we can have a better understanding of how Jesus knows & sees us, and has invited us to follow him in the same way. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

John 1:43-51 (CSB)

Philip and Nathanael
43 The next day Jesus[a] decided to leave for Galilee. He found Philip and told him, “Follow me.”

44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law (and so did the prophets): Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”

46 “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nathanael asked him.

“Come and see,” Philip answered.

47 Then Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

“Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you,” Jesus answered.

49 “Rabbi,” Nathanael replied, “You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!”

50 Jesus responded to him, “Do you believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” 51 Then he said, “Truly I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

We want the benefits of Jesus, but do we really want the way of Jesus?

Last week we began exploring what it really looks like to be a Jesus “follower”, and the reality that who you subscribe to reflects & shapes what you subscribe to. This time we're diving headfirst into what subscribing to Jesus should look like right now— in the midst of the very contentious political season we're all surrounded by today. What does following Jesus look like amid these very troubled waters?

Spoiler: It's about more than simply embracing the good news of the Gospel—it means doing life differently. Not perfectly, but striving to authentically follow Jesus in all his ways. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXTS:

Matthew 5:43-44

You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 44 But I tell you, love your enemies

Matthew 4:17

17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Romans 2:4

4 Or do you despise the riches of his kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

Luke 5:32

32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Matthew 6:33

33 But seek first the kingdom of God

Hebrews 12:28-29

28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.

Matthew 18:21-22

21 Then Peter approached him and asked, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? As many as seven times?” 22 “I tell you, not as many as seven,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven.

Ephesians 4:32

32 And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.

John 13:34

34 “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Reality Check: We are, more than ever before, a people drawn to be subscribers, fans & followers. And it's only normal to want to closely follow those who you most admire, enjoy, learn from and aspire to be more like, right?

Another Reality: WHO you subscribe to very often shapes WHAT you subscribe to. Let that sink in for a minute. And as we take a few mins to reflect on this together, we invite you to consider just what it looks like to be a Jesus “follower”, and the 14 little verses in John revealing 15 highly compelling reasons he's worth subscribing to the most…

PRIMARY TEXT:

John 1:1-14 (CSB)

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. 4 In him was life,[a] and that life was the light of men. 5 That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome[b] it.

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him.[c] 8 He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.[d]

10 He was in the world, and the world was created through him, and yet the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be[e] children of God, to those who believe in his name, 13 who were born, not of natural descent,[f] or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man,[g] but of God.

14 The Word became flesh and dwelt[h] among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son[i] from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Hope is powerful. And also one of the defining marks of Christ followers. What's at the center of your hope right now?

We so often need to be reminded of the depth & absolute solidity of our true hope. That despite the confusion, pain and suffering that comes from living in a fallen world, we can know with absolute certainty that God will one day complete what he's started in the lives of believers and in the whole of his created universe.

Jesus constantly shows up in scenes of deep hopelessness. Then he changes the future, heals the sick, raises the dead and speaks life & hope into hopelessness. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXTS:

John 11:23-26 and 39-44

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

39 “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

Many of us feel like we're caught in the middle of impossible things right now. Weary, discouraged, broken, confused—we need to be deeply reminded that we serve a God who specializes in the impossible.

The whole coming, living, dying and rising of Jesus Christ is a testimony to the impossible, miracle working nature of our God. The same is true no less in our world & lives today. God often does impossible things through impossible people in impossible places to accomplish impossible plans.

Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

Luke 1:26-38

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and was pondering what kind of greeting this was. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 But Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also the holy Child will be called the Son of God. 36 And behold, even your relative Elizabeth herself has conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called infertile is now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the Lord’s bond-servant; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

These often involve waiting: Following Jesus, growing in our faith & discipleship. We're not a "waiting people" today, are we? But there's often good that comes from our waiting. Waiting time isn't wasted time.

John the Baptist knew a little about waiting. But what good was it? What did God do in his life through his waiting?

Today we look at three deep truths reflected in the waiting:

A life of knowing who we are & who Jesus really is,

A life of true humility,

And a life of pointing people to the true Savior.

What is your life telling others about your savior in your waiting? Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

John 1:19-34

19 This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” 22 Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said,
“I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness,
‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’”
as the prophet Isaiah said.
24 Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. 25 They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” 26 John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, 27 the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” 28 This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

We begin a new series "Wait For It" looking at several of the scriptural narratives that offer us hope in this season of Advent. We consider the Messiah most expected vs. who he really is.

When Jesus first came, many desired a Messiah to lead them against the Romans, not a prophet telling them to repent.

And even today, we mostly look for a functional Messiah to help us with immediate needs, political threats & personal ambitions—someone to repair our structures, systems & leaders, not someone to reshape our lives.

Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

Galatians 4:4

4 When the time came to completion, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Mark 1:4-8

4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. 6 John wore a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He proclaimed, “One who is more powerful than I am is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the strap of his sandals. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Mark 1:14-15

14 After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God: 15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Isaiah 40:3-5

A voice of one crying out:
Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert. 4 Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be leveled; the uneven ground will become smooth and the rough places, a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord will appear, and all humanity together will see it, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

In thoughtfully reflecting on God's promises to us, some powerful truths have emerged:

• Because we can trust God for what he's done, we can also trust him for what he will do.
• God promises to fix what is broken.
• Though they may feel impossible sometimes, God's promises are for now & for later too.
• His timing is always perfect—though his promises may take some time, his delays are not denials.

And now we return to the story of Joseph & his brothers to consider that, yes, God always keeps his promises. But the reality is that they often come about in surprisingly different ways than we expected.

Explore with us why & how God's sovereign goodness in life's every circumstance is always a constant. Even the unexpected, confusing & seemingly tragic things we face can be fully trusted to his goodness and his promises to us, no matter how dark the day may seem. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

Genesis 45:1-28 (NASB2020)

Then Joseph could not control himself in front of everyone standing before him, and he shouted, “Have everyone leave me!” So there was no one with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 Then he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard about it. 3 And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were terrified in his presence.
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come closer to me.” And they came closer. And he said, “I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold to Egypt. 5 Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me ahead of you to save lives. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7 So God sent me ahead of you to ensure for you a remnant on the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. 8 Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9 Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. 10 For you shall live in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your grandchildren, and your flocks and your herds and all that you have. 11 There I will also provide for you, for there are still five years of famine to come, and you and your household and all that you have would be impoverished.”’ 12 Behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth which is speaking to you. 13 Now you must tell my father of all my splendor in Egypt, and all that you have seen; and you must hurry and bring my father down here.” 14 Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept on them, and afterward his brothers talked with him.
16 Now when the news was heard in Pharaoh’s house that Joseph’s brothers had come, it pleased Pharaoh and his servants. 17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: load your livestock and go to the land of Canaan, 18 and take your father and your households and come to me; and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land.’ 19 Now you are ordered, ‘Do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father and come. 20 And do not concern yourselves with your property, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’”
21 Then the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them wagons according to the command of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the journey. 22 To each of them he gave changes of garments, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments. 23 And to his father he sent the following: ten male donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and sustenance for his father on the journey.
24 So he sent his brothers away, and as they departed, he said to them, “Do not quarrel on the journey.” 25 Then they went up from Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan, to their father Jacob. 26 And they told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and indeed he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” But he was stunned, for he did not believe them. 27 When they told him all the words of Joseph that he had spoken to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, then the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 28 Then Israel said, “It is enough; my son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

God's promises might take some time. ⇢ But God’s delays are not denials. God keeping his promises to us sometimes doesn't happen in the way or timing we think they should—but his ways are not our ways. They're far wiser, more insightful & complete than our limited perspectives can possibly see or understand.

Are the promises of God worth waiting for? Are the promises of God worth the pain that you may have to endure? Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

Gen. 37:1-11 (NASB)

Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had lived as a stranger, in the land of Canaan. 2 These are the records of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, when he was seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flock with his brothers, while he was still a youth, along with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his other sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a multicolored tunic. 4 And his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; and so they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms. 5 Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Please listen to this dream which I have had; 7 for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf stood up and also remained standing; and behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 Then his brothers said to him, “Are you actually going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. 9 Then he had yet another dream, and informed his brothers of it, and said, “Behold, I have had yet another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 He also told it to his father as well as to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have had? Am I and your mother and your brothers actually going to come to bow down to the ground before you?” 11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

Because we can trust God for what he's done, we can trust him for what he will do. God promised to fix what is broken. He also promised us his mercy. But the heaviness of circumstances in our life can often make God's promises feel impossible. The truth is, God's promises are solid, they are for now, and for later too.

“God has a way of letting things get so bad until the only way you can look is up.” —Tony Evans

Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

Genesis 15:1-5 (CSB)

After these events (encourage you to go back and read chapters 12-15 to see the whole context this week), the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:
Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield;
your reward will be very great.
2 But Abram said, “Lord God, what can you give me, since I am childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Abram continued, “Look, you have given me no offspring, so a slave born in my house will be my heir.”
4 Now the word of the Lord came to him: “This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.”

Consider: Grace is receiving something that we don't deserve, while mercy is withholding what we do deserve. And mercy always involves sacrifice on the part of the merciful.

Today we revisit the great mercy God showed Noah in not only sparing his family, but promising to, “never again curse the ground because of human beings, even though the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth onward.” This story gives us a glimpse into the state of humanity, and also a glimpse of Jesus. Each of us needs (and receives) mercy every day. Are we moved by God's mercy towards us to extend mercy to others?

Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

Genesis 8:15-9:17 (CSB)

15 Then God spoke to Noah, 16 “Come out of the ark, you, your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives with you. 17 Bring out all the living creatures that are with you—birds, livestock, those that crawl on the earth—and they will spread over the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” 18 So Noah, along with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, came out. 19 All the animals, all the creatures that crawl, and all the flying creatures—everything that moves on the earth—came out of the ark by their families. 20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord. He took some of every kind of clean animal and every kind of clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 When the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, he said to himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of human beings, even though the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth onward. And I will never again strike down every living thing as I have done. 22 As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat,
summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.”
God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 2 The fear and terror of you will be in every living creature on the earth, every bird of the sky, every creature that crawls on the ground, and all the fish of the sea. They are placed under your authority. 3 Every creature that lives and moves will be food for you; as I gave the green plants, I have given you everything. 4 However, you must not eat meat with its lifeblood in it. 5 And I will require a penalty for your lifeblood; I will require it from any animal and from any human; if someone murders a fellow human, I will require that person’s life.
6 Whoever sheds human blood, by humans his blood will be shed,
for God made humans in his image.
7 But you, be fruitful and multiply; spread out over the earth and multiply on it.”
8 Then God said to Noah and his sons with him, 9 “Understand that I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you—birds, livestock, and all wildlife of the earth that are with you—all the animals of the earth that came out of the ark. 11 I establish my covenant with you that never again will every creature be wiped out by floodwaters; there will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.”
12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all future generations: 13 I have placed my bow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all the living creatures: water will never again become a flood to destroy every creature. 16 The bow will be in the clouds, and I will look at it and remember the permanent covenant between God and all the living creatures on earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and every creature on earth.”

God created us so he could love us. Then we turned our back on him, and he responded, “Now, I’m really going to love you.”

When the first humans disobeyed God, he responded to their shame with surprising grace & provision. And he's done the same for you in your life.

God promised to fix what is broken. Because we can trust God for what he's done, we can trust him for what he will do.

Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXTS:

—Genesis 1:26-30 (NLT)—

26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

27 So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.” 29 Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. 30 And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened.

—Genesis 3:1-13 (NLT)—

The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” 2 “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. 3 “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’” 4 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5 “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” 6 The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. 8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.” 11 “Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”

13 Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?”

—Genesis 3:21-23 (NLT)—

21 And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.

22 Then the Lord God said, “Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!” 23 So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made.

Facing “storms” in life is inevitable... “There are many Christians who have been taught that once they have faith everything ought to flow smoothly. Acts replies: you have not yet considered what it means to take up the cross.” (N.T. Wright) But what's not forgone is how you'll contend with life's storms, where you'll find Jesus in them, and the true meanings (or miracles) waiting for you within them.
The presence of the storm does not equal the absence of God. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

Acts 27:27-44 (NLT)

The Shipwreck
27 About midnight on the fourteenth night of the storm, as we were being driven across the Sea of Adria,[a] the sailors sensed land was near. 28 They dropped a weighted line and found that the water was 120 feet deep. But a little later they measured again and found it was only 90 feet deep.[b] 29 At this rate they were afraid we would soon be driven against the rocks along the shore, so they threw out four anchors from the back of the ship and prayed for daylight.

30 Then the sailors tried to abandon the ship; they lowered the lifeboat as though they were going to put out anchors from the front of the ship. 31 But Paul said to the commanding officer and the soldiers, “You will all die unless the sailors stay aboard.” 32 So the soldiers cut the ropes to the lifeboat and let it drift away.

33 Just as day was dawning, Paul urged everyone to eat. “You have been so worried that you haven’t touched food for two weeks,” he said. 34 “Please eat something now for your own good. For not a hair of your heads will perish.” 35 Then he took some bread, gave thanks to God before them all, and broke off a piece and ate it. 36 Then everyone was encouraged and began to eat— 37 all 276 of us who were on board. 38 After eating, the crew lightened the ship further by throwing the cargo of wheat overboard.

39 When morning dawned, they didn’t recognize the coastline, but they saw a bay with a beach and wondered if they could get to shore by running the ship aground. 40 So they cut off the anchors and left them in the sea. Then they lowered the rudders, raised the foresail, and headed toward shore. 41 But they hit a shoal and ran the ship aground too soon. The bow of the ship stuck fast, while the stern was repeatedly smashed by the force of the waves and began to break apart.

42 The soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners to make sure they didn’t swim ashore and escape. 43 But the commanding officer wanted to spare Paul, so he didn’t let them carry out their plan. Then he ordered all who could swim to jump overboard first and make for land. 44 The others held on to planks or debris from the broken ship.[c] So everyone escaped safely to shore.

Are your are hardwired doer? ⇢ Are you constantly "doing" right things for God, but seem to struggle with just "being" with him? You sound like Martha, who learned that doing things for God can't replace time with God. Jesus didn't ask Martha to change the way she was as a person—he just rearranged her priorities. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

John 11:1-44 (NLT)

The Raising of Lazarus

11 A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. 2 This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair.[a] Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. 3 So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.”

4 But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” 5 So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, 6 he stayed where he was for the next two days. 7 Finally, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.”

8 But his disciples objected. “Rabbi,” they said, “only a few days ago the people[b] in Judea were trying to stone you. Are you going there again?”

9 Jesus replied, “There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world. 10 But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light.” 11 Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.”

12 The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!” 13 They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died.

14 So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.”

16 Thomas, nicknamed the Twin,[c] said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go, too—and die with Jesus.”

17 When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. 18 Bethany was only a few miles[d] down the road from Jerusalem, 19 and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. 20 When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”

23 Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”

25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life.[e] Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”

27 “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.” 28 Then she returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, “The Teacher is here and wants to see you.” 29 So Mary immediately went to him.

30 Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met him. 31 When the people who were at the house consoling Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus’s grave to weep. So they followed her there. 32 When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

33 When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him,[f] and he was deeply troubled. 34 “Where have you put him?” he asked them.

They told him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Then Jesus wept. 36 The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!” 37 But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”

38 Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. 39 “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them.

But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.”

40 Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” 41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” 43 Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”

“Do not have other gods besides me.” ⇠ Seems pretty straightforward, doesn't it? There's only One who's almighty & sovereign over all. The only One who can be counted on to work all things out for his glory and ultimately our good, and to whom we should turn when things seem chaotic, confusing or even desperate. But if it's so simple, then why did God's people seem to struggle so much with abiding in this great truth? And why do we, as God's people in 2020, continue to struggle with this even today? Let's unpack this and more in today's very timely message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

Deuteronomy 32:1-39 (Christian Standard Bible)

Pay attention, heavens, and I will speak;
listen, earth, to the words from my mouth.
2 Let my teaching fall like rain
and my word settle like dew,
like gentle rain on new grass
and showers on tender plants.
3 For I will proclaim the Lord’s name.
Declare the greatness of our God!
4 The Rock—his work is perfect;
all his ways are just.
A faithful God, without bias,
he is righteous and true.

5 His people have acted corruptly toward him;
this is their defect[a]—they are not his children
but a devious and crooked generation.
6 Is this how you repay the Lord,
you foolish and senseless people?
Isn’t he your Father and Creator?[b]
Didn’t he make you and sustain you?
7 Remember the days of old;
consider the years of past generations.
Ask your father, and he will tell you,
your elders, and they will teach you.
8 When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance[c]
and divided the human race,
he set the boundaries of the peoples
according to the number of the people of Israel.[d]
9 But the Lord’s portion is his people,
Jacob, his own inheritance.

10 He found him in a desolate land,
in a barren, howling wilderness;
he surrounded him, cared for him,
and protected him as the pupil of his eye.
11 He watches over[e] his nest like an eagle
and hovers over his young;
he spreads his wings, catches him,
and carries him on his feathers.
12 The Lord alone led him,
with no help from a foreign god.
13 He made him ride on the heights of the land
and eat the produce of the field.
He nourished him with honey from the rock
and oil from flinty rock,
14 curds from the herd and milk from the flock,
with the fat of lambs,
rams from Bashan, and goats,
with the choicest grains of wheat;
you drank wine from the finest grapes.[f]

15 Then[g] Jeshurun[h] became fat and rebelled—
you became fat, bloated, and gorged.
He abandoned the God who made him
and scorned the Rock of his salvation.
16 They provoked his jealousy with different gods;
they enraged him with detestable practices.
17 They sacrificed to demons, not God,
to gods they had not known,
new gods that had just arrived,
which your ancestors did not fear.
18 You ignored the Rock who gave you birth;
you forgot the God who gave birth to you.

19 When the Lord saw this, he despised them,
angered by his sons and daughters.
20 He said, “I will hide my face from them;
I will see what will become of them,
for they are a perverse generation—
unfaithful children.
21 They have provoked my jealousy
with what is not a god;[i]
they have enraged me with their worthless idols.
So I will provoke their jealousy
with what is not a people;[j]
I will enrage them with a foolish nation.
22 For fire has been kindled because of my anger
and burns to the depths of Sheol;
it devours the land and its produce,
and scorches the foundations of the mountains.

23 “I will pile disasters on them;
I will use up my arrows against them.
24 They will be weak from hunger,
ravaged by pestilence and bitter plague;
I will unleash on them wild beasts with fangs,
as well as venomous snakes that slither in the dust.
25 Outside, the sword will take their children,
and inside, there will be terror;
the young man and the young woman will be killed,
the infant and the gray-haired man.

26 “I would have said: I will cut them to pieces[k]
and blot out the memory of them from mankind,
27 if I had not feared provocation from the enemy,
or feared that these foes might misunderstand
and say, ‘Our own hand has prevailed;
it wasn’t the Lord who did all this.’”

28 Israel is a nation lacking sense
with no understanding at all.
29 If only they were wise, they would comprehend this;
they would understand their fate.
30 How could one pursue a thousand,
or two put ten thousand to flight,
unless their Rock had sold them,
unless the Lord had given them up?
31 But their “rock” is not like our Rock,
as even our enemies concede.
32 For their vine is from the vine of Sodom
and from the fields of Gomorrah.
Their grapes are poisonous;
their clusters are bitter.
33 Their wine is serpents’ venom,
the deadly poison of cobras.

34 “Is it not stored up with me,
sealed up in my vaults?
35 Vengeance and retribution belong to me.[l]
In time their foot will slip,
for their day of disaster is near,
and their doom is coming quickly.”
36 The Lord will indeed vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants
when he sees that their strength is gone
and no one is left—slave or free.[m]
37 He will say, “Where are their gods,
the ‘rock’ they found refuge in?
38 Who ate the fat of their sacrifices
and drank the wine of their drink offerings?
Let them rise up and help you;
let it[n] be a shelter for you.
39 See now that I alone am he;
there is no God but me.
I bring death and I give life;
I wound and I heal.
No one can rescue anyone from my power.

Jesus serves undeserving people. ⇢ In Jesus, the form of God wasn't exchanged for the form of a servant—it was revealed in the form of a servant. Jesus did something he didn’t have to do, for people who did not deserve what he did. And the evening before the torture of the cross, Jesus didn't think of Himself. He thought about His disciples. He showed his deep love to them in a profound way, and then painted a beautiful picture inviting us into that story with him.

Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

John 13:1-17 (CSB)

1 Before the Passover Festival, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
2 Now when it was time for supper, the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son, to betray him. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had given everything into his hands, that he had come from God, and that he was going back to God. 4 So he got up from supper, laid aside his outer clothing, took a towel, and tied it around himself. 5 Next, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel tied around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who asked him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus answered him, “What I’m doing you don’t realize now, but afterward you will understand.”
8 “You will never wash my feet,” Peter said. Jesus replied, “If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.”
9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.”
10 “One who has bathed,” Jesus told him, “doesn’t need to wash anything except his feet, but he is completely clean. You are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For he knew who would betray him. This is why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
12 When Jesus had washed their feet and put on his outer clothing, he reclined again and said to them, “Do you know what I have done for you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are speaking rightly, since that is what I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done for you.
16 “Truly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his master, and a messenger is not greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

How will you respond? ⇢ When Jesus’ story intersected with one man’s, he responded by enthusiastically telling everyone he could find how Jesus changed him. When Jesus’s story met with others, they were moved to begin deliberately teaching others about Jesus's story. And when Jesus’s story converged with some, they responded by turning him away from their story altogether. How will you respond when Jesus meets your own story? Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

—Acts 3:1-10—

3 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple for the time of prayer at three in the afternoon.[a] 2 A man who was lame from birth was being carried there. He was placed each day at the temple gate called Beautiful, so that he could beg from those entering the temple. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter the temple, he asked for money. 4 Peter, along with John, looked straight at him and said, “Look at us.” 5 So he turned to them, expecting to get something from them. 6 But Peter said, “I don’t have silver or gold, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” 7 Then, taking him by the right hand he raised him up, and at once his feet and ankles became strong. 8 So he jumped up and started to walk, and he entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. 9 All the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and they recognized that he was the one who used to sit and beg at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. So they were filled with awe and astonishment at what had happened to him.

—Acts 4—

4 While they were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple police, and the Sadducees confronted them, 2 because they were annoyed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 3 So they seized them and took them into custody until the next day since it was already evening. 4 But many of those who heard the message believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.
5 The next day, their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem 6 with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and all the members of the high-priestly family. 7 After they had Peter and John stand before them, they began to question them: “By what power or in what name have you done this?”
8 Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders:[b] 9 If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a disabled man, by what means he was healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing here before you healthy. 11 This Jesus is the stone rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone.[c]
12 There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”
13 When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 And since they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in opposition. 15 After they ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin, they conferred among themselves, 16 saying, “What should we do with these men? For an obvious sign has been done through them, clear to everyone living in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But so that this does not spread any further among the people, let’s threaten them against speaking to anyone in this name again.” 18 So they called for them and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
19 Peter and John answered them, “Whether it’s right in the sight of God for us to listen to you rather than to God, you decide; 20 for we are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
21 After threatening them further, they released them. They found no way to punish them because the people were all giving glory to God over what had been done. 22 For this sign of healing had been performed on a man over forty years old.

To help our own faith grow, we revisit the familiar story of a paralytic man suddenly lowered through a hole in the roof so he could connect with Jesus for a few minutes. And we consider this highly unusual event through the eyes of the four men willing to do this faithful and courageous act for him—people so committed to their friend they're clearly willing to do whatever it takes for him. As we continue discussing “Spiritual Habits” in this session, let’s consider how and why we need such people as this in proximity to us who are persistent in their own faith, and how our hope in this is to cultivate a sincere outpouring of praise. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

Mark 2:1-12

2 When he entered Capernaum again after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and he was speaking the word to them. 3 They came to him bringing a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4 Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying. 5 Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 But some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts: 7 “Why does he speak like this? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 Right away Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were thinking like this within themselves and said to them, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat, and walk’? 10 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he told the paralytic— 11 “I tell you: get up, take your mat, and go home.” 12 Immediately he got up, took the mat, and went out in front of everyone. As a result, they were all astounded and gave glory to God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

“All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision. But as that decision is repeated, a habit sprouts
and grows stronger. Roots entrench themselves and branches grow.” —James clear atomic habits

Our hope over the next 4 episodes is to encourage you in taking steps towards starting, re-starting or improving some profoundly meaningful spiritual habits in your life. Spending time with God is our first habit to consider together—a simple choice with a profound & lasting impact. Let's unpack this and more in today's message as we look at the "right choice" for one woman that made all the difference...

PRIMARY TEXT:

Luke 10:38-42 (CSB)

38 While they were traveling, he entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord’s feet and was listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, and she came up and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand.” 41 The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Philippians 3:7-11 (CSB)

7 But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith. 10 My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, 11 assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.

People all around us are facing crisis of some sort right now. How should we see this—how should we respond? As Christ-followers, we're called to (i) see these things through the lens of Jesus, and (ii) to step into them—to engage them as Jesus would, be a blessing, carry each other's burdens and advance the gospel of Jesus in doing so. Today we visit the early Church to see what we can learn about how to do these things for the people facing crisis around us today…

PRIMARY TEXT:

Acts 6:1-7 (NIV)

In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

We were all created to worship. And we absolutely will. The question is not will or won't we worship, but who are what will we worship? Today we're dropping into perhaps one of the most awkward places in scripture. But it's also a beautiful place we get to see an example of pure, raw, unadulterated worship of Jesus. We also get to see the gospel on full display in response. It’s truly beautiful and there’s much we can take away from a better understanding of it. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

Luke 7:36-50 (NIV)

36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”
40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me, teacher,” he said.
41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”
“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

CRISIS ⇢ It has a unique way of revealing so much about our lives, doesn’t it? No one’s immune to it, and when life suddenly goes sideways you find yourself suddenly fact to fact with your deepest fears, core values & character. Crisis has a way of revealing unseen motives, anxieties & core beliefs you may not even be aware of yourself. And yes, crisis can even bring doubts in your faith...and that's OK.

Who we get answers from in the midst of crisis may be more important than the answers we’re seeking. In this episode we'll explore John the Baptist’s struggle with doubt in the face of deep, personal crisis, and draw powerful truths from Jesus' response to him in his pain. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

Matthew 11:1-5 (NIV)

1 After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee. 2 When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples 3 to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” 4 Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”

Are you using your strength to serve others? ⇢ As we continue exploring our calling to live a life “on the contrary”, let's consider for a few minutes Paul's challenge to us, that we cultivate the same mindset toward each other that Christ Jesus had. As we do, we can see immense peace and joy in store for us when using our strength to serve others, and serving others to God's glory. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

Romans 15:1-13 (NIV)

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. 3 For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” 4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. 8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed 9 and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written:

“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles;
I will sing the praises of your name.”

10 Again, it says,

“Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people.”

11 And again,

“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles;
let all the peoples extol him.”

12 And again, Isaiah says,

“The Root of Jesse will spring up,
one who will arise to rule over the nations;
in him the Gentiles will hope.”

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Don't major in minors ⇢ Yes, there are some “closed hand” matters indisputably central to our faith that we should never lose sight of. But there are also many “open hand” matters that are disputable matters of conviction—things we should be approaching with immense grace, compassion and humility. Today we dive into Romans 14 to gain understanding of Paul's insights about how we should handle disputable vs. indisputable matters. We see many, rich takeaways for our church engaging today's culture. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

Romans 14 (NIV)

The Weak and the Strong

14 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written:

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will acknowledge God.’”

12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.

19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.

22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

Last time we talked about God and government—a lighthearted little sermon. ;-) This time we continue with Paul in Romans 13 as he shares an important metaphor in shaping our lives as Jesus followers: WEARING CHRIST.

“Every believer has put on Christ by virtue of trusting in who Jesus is and what he has done for us. Yet we are also called to put on the character qualities and virtues that reflect our identity as children of God.” —Matthew Harmon

Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

Romans 13:8-14 (NIV)

8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. 11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

Imagine this ⇢ A government so corrupt & convinced of its own power, that the administration has elevated themselves to a god-like status. Imagine a leader so brazenly drunk on his own power that he's willing to commit some of the most heinous acts in human history, and do whatever it takes to accomplish it’s own agenda.

This is the precise context in which Paul is writing the book of Romans—and the place from which we can draw two very powerful conclusions for ourselves today:

1. Government has been established by God to remind us that it isn't our God.
2. Our relationship to our government is actually a gospel issue, whether we recognize it or not.

Scripture speaks into our hearts & lives even when it's through uncomfortable truths. Let's unpack this and more together in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

Romans 13:1-7

1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. 4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. 6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

“I am the way, the truth and the life.” ⇠ There's more to this statement than seems apparent at first, in how deeply it impacts the brokenness, sin, and death in our world. Looking deeper into this, we can see three salient, life-changing truths:

1. When we're lost in our brokenness & cutoff from God, Jesus provides the way back for us.
2. When we're completely trapped in our sin, Jesus defeats Satan's lies by speaking truth into our lives.
3. When we're sentenced to death & hopelessness, Jesus gives us life.

These things are worth our time & attention to understand them on a deeper level. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

John 14:1-6

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”

5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

As we continue reflecting on how modeling Jesus means living life “on the contrary”, we consider how being consistently considerate of others fits into this, what it really looks like, and a sobering reality that 'love' is ultimately more about what you do than what you feel towards another.

Then we look at the deep work of overlooking the personal offenses around us, and how you can exchange outrage, bitterness & revenge for peace, humility & love. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

Romans 12:9-21

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection,[a] and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.[b] 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

“I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,”[c]
says the Lord.

20 Instead,

“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads.”[d]

21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

PRIMARY SOURCES:

• IVP Bible Background Commentary
• Exposition of Chapter 12: Christian Conduct (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
• The Enduring Word Commentary (Guzik)
• Horae Homileticae Vol. 15: Romans (Simeon)
• Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: VI Romans (Bray/Oden)
• The Bible Exposition Commentary (Wiersbe)

As we turn our attention to chapter 12 of Romans, we see Paul describing 5 things that are important dynamics for a Christ follower's life lived “on the contrary”:

1: Humble Evaluation
2: Gracious Cooperation
3: Faithful Participation
4: Consistent Consideration
5: Extreme Condonation

Starting with the first 3 of these, we begin to see a core truth that we were made to need each other. And we need each other now more than ever. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

Romans 12:1-21 (NIV)

1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
3 Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!
17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
“I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.
20 Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.”
21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

PRIMARY SOURCES:

• IVP Bible Background Commentary
• Exposition of Chapter 12: Christian Conduct (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
• The Enduring Word Commentary (Guzik)
• Horae Homileticae Vol. 15: Romans (Simeon)
• Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: VI Romans (Bray/Oden)
• The Bible Exposition Commentary (Wiersbe)

We begin a new series called “On the Contrary” looking at Paul's writing to the church in Rome, a very diverse group of people with mixed beliefs, and struggling with how to live their Christian faith out in their world. Sounds familiar doesn’t it?

As Christ followers we've never had a better opportunity to let the love of Jesus more brightly than when world is screaming for hope, compassion, empathy & purpose.

Today we explore how a life live “on the contrary” is a life
➊ that's truly dependent on God,
➋ actively pursues pleasing God, and
➌ battles the easy work of conforming to the world, and embraces the ongoing work of transforming the mind.

Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

Romans 12:1-2

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

PRIMARY SOURCES:

• IVP Bible Background Commentary
• Exposition of Chapter 12: Christian Conduct (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
• The Enduring Word Commentary (Guzik)
• Horae Homileticae Vol. 15: Romans (Simeon)
• Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: VI Romans (Bray/Oden)
• The Bible Exposition Commentary (Wiersbe)

Essential Empathy—In this brief departure from our "First Thing First" series, we attempt to make better sense of how we can (and should) be responding to the storm that's raging all around us right now.

We all tend to view these things through our own lens, which is often filtered by political convictions, circles of influence, and personal experiences. As Christ followers, it's most critical that we do our best to view these events and the people involved through a biblical lens above all.

How shall we respond to the pain, heartache & brokenness roiling around us right now? An important question we'll unpack together in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXTS:

Galatians 3:28 (NIV)

28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

James 1:19-20

19 You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness.

James 1:26

26 If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.

James 3:5-12

5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, 8 but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh.

Proverbs 17:27

27 One who spares words is knowledgeable; one who is cool in spirit has understanding.

James 1:20

20 for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness.

Is this even possible? ⇢ Amid a global pandemic, an election year with the highest of stakes, and the evils of racism exploding in front of us—fear, anger and anxiety are at an all-time high for almost all of us. How should we respond to the “perfect storm” of adversity roiling around us right now?

As Christ followers, it's important—urgent even—that we do whatever we can now more than ever to LOVE the people around us. And I'm not just talking about the people it's easy to love. Not just family, friends, or the people we agree with about most things. Not just the people who treat us well, and with whom we typically see eye-to-eye on things that matter.

The fact is, as Christ-followers we share a profoundly challenging mission to actively love even those people around us who we find the most off-putting and hardest to love or even understand.

Is this even possible? And if so, how? What does it really look like?

Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

PRIMARY TEXT:

Luke 6:26-37 (ESV)

26 “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.