We live in a world that has some very conflicting ideas of what makes a woman. You pick up the magazines at the grocery store and she can be made to feel that she does not measure up in beauty, knowledge etc.

But what does God have to say about what makes a woman, but a Godly woman for that matter? It's quite a bit different from what the world thinks, that's for sure...

When you started out in your walk with Christ you may have felt that you will never ever measure up to being a good disciple of Jesus.

There's so much to learn, and expectations are so high, and what do I do about my own brokenness. Jesus wants us to hear a very simple message, stay connected, learn from me, be obedient and you will find joy in the way I have wanted you to live for me...

Fruit Bearing Disciples Sermon Worksheet/Outline

SERMON: Pathway of Living is Loving Obedience

Back in the 60’s John Lennon attempted a Peace Sit In, it was an attempt to challenge the world to try and let Peace be the main source of living. He coined a song, Give Peace a Chance.

Man has attempted to try and live in peace, but when its built on man made systems it will always sadly disappoint. Jesus however, invites us to live by his system of peace, and it can be fully realized when a life is surrendered to the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit.

SERMON:

Easter A Resurrection of Hope

by Tim Walker

One thing our world is looking for is Hope. And despite what man may try and say to disquiet the resurrection of Jesus, it does provide tremendous hope to our world.

We will take 4 quick snapshots of how Jesus responded to the grieving, skeptic, the disillusioned and the fallen.

After what our world did to Jesus on that Passover day, he is resurrected by the power of God and then begins to do what he came to do, to redeem man back from the sin scarred world we have made it. Do you need a shot of hope, come take a look at Jesus.

Surprised By Hope

How good are we at listening? How good are we at obedience? Jesus takes the time to assure his men that despite the unstable situation that is about to hit them, Jesus is not going to leave them on their own. He has asked the Father to give them the full presence of the Holy spirit. This is good news for us, because as followers of Jesus, we have the same guarantee too, the challenge is for us to depend on him, listen and be obedient to his leading and promptings in our lives Jn. 14: 12 – 21...

Sermon Worksheet (in .PDF)

by Spencer Boersma

Why did Jonah not want to go to Nineveh and preach judgment? We assume he was scared of these cruel people, but this story unfolds the real reason: he did not want God to be merciful on them.

Upon seeing the people's repentance, God "changes his mind" and does not come in wrath. Why does God change his mind? Is God fickle? What does this story reveal about God's character that we often miss?

Moreover, why was Jonah still upset afterward? Jonah, that man that ran from God and gave up, throwing himself into the sea in suicidal despair only to be rescued by God from the brink of death and hell, once again lost hope.

What did he loose hope in? He lost hope in a God that proclaims, "I have mercy on whomever I choose to have mercy" and truly desires "all people to be saved." How often to we become Jonah?

While we get fixated on the notion that Jonah was swallowed by a whale, we forget that Jonah was the prophet that ran from God. What kind of person runs from God? Who did he understand God to be? Was God someone so terrible and unforgiving that there was no hope of second changes? It seems like Jonah did not know that he would be saved from the whale, nor does it sound like Jonah merely resided in the belly of a whale for three days. If we read the sign of Jonah through Christ, as Christ used this story to refer to himself, the sign of Jonah leads us deeper into the mysteries of what happened as Christ died on the cross and descended into hell. It looks more plausible that Jonah was brought to the brink of death and hell in the whale and God brought him back (maybe even resurrected him) in order for him to understand that God is a God that you cannot run from...and that is a good thing...

Sermon | Missional Living

So what do we do when life hits us hard. Sometimes Christians think that we are suppose to be impervious to pain, trials or times of suffering. Yet Jesus was about to go through the test of his life and he wanted to prepare his men for the next few days.

Everything they believed was going to be shaken, and yet Jesus takes the time to give them some calm assurances and few hints of what to hold onto as the storm was going to hit. They are still applicable for us today when we hit our times of crisis too…

It seems that Jesus is weaving all kinds of Old Testament word pictures into play as he brings a new covenant act into play with his disciples, the Lords Table, the Eucharist, or Communion. Jesus is using wedding imagery to reveal that Gods heart was fully expanding to the whole world to be drawn into his relationship.

But like any marriage the bride to be must choose to accept the grooms offer. Its really an offer to hard to refuse when our groom, Jesus has truly done it all for us...

Luke 22: 17 – 20

Sermon Worksheet (opens in a new window)

When we read the account of the prediction of Peter's denial, we easily write Peter off as stupid and impulsive. However, the truth is far scarier. Peter was the most gifted and faithful disciple, and Jesus foretold his denial. The truth is we are no different from Peter. What would you do if someone told you that you would give up your faith at the end of this very day? What would you do if that prophesy came true? How would you understand your faith after that?

More importantly, how would you understand God?

John 13: 18 – 30; Luke 22: 24 – 30

One of the hardest things we can deal with is betrayal from a close friend. It hurts real bad and can usually scar us. What if you knew it was happening while you are still with that person – how would you handle them and the situation? Jesus reveals his divinity about the betrayal of Judas, but we also see the agony of his humanity as it struggles with the cost of a broken relationship all for the sake of some money.

Message Worksheet/Notes

In the 80's it was dubbed the "Me Generation", and presently this generation is called the "sense of entitlement", what marks these generations, is the idea of servanthood is not a popular word. These two generations want to know whats in it for me, not for you.

Yet Jesus says that if you're a leader, be a servant, and if you're a follower, be a servant. With Christ, no position can or should hold you back from serving others. And Jesus does say, if you do serve, you and they are blessed - so much for the me generation or the age of entitlement.

One of the hit shows in the late 80’s and early 90’s was Cheers, the title song , sang about a place where everyone knows your name. but is that all you want out of your friendships and relationships, most likely not. We have been wired for relationships and how should friendships with other believers look like. Paul concludes his letter with some very interesting thoughts on his friends that worked and lived with him. There are some really great insights that we can learn and grow in as friends...

Kicking at the Darkness: Bruce Cockburn

Sermon: Prayer: Out of the Closet into the World by Tim Walker

Sermon Notes/Worksheet in PDF