2017 SermonsHabits of Grace

2017 Sermons

Death Through Discipline Produces a Life of Resurrection!

December 31, 2017 • David Hwang

For Unto YOU, A Child is Born!

December 24, 2017 • David Hwang

Joy is a Verb

December 17, 2017 • Tony Chung

His Might Makes True Right

December 10, 2017 • Joe Park

Duck, Duck, SWAN

December 3, 2017 • David Hwang

Rejoice in the Lord Always

November 19, 2017 • Joe Park

Self, Salvation, Service

November 12, 2017 • Tony Chung

Masterpieces of the Master

November 5, 2017 • David Hwang

Only in Community

October 29, 2017 • David Hwang

Some Essential Characteristics to Build True Community : 1.Unconditional Acceptance a.Whether you’re a rookie or an expert, there is no judgment, no shaming or discrimination b.A various and diverse group of people 2.Unconditional Encouragement a.Everyone cheers for you, cheers you on, no matter what b.Everyone pushes you to do your best, calling you by name c.No criticism- Though we might point out mistakes that you are making because the focus is NOT on what you can’t do, what you’re doing wrong, but what you’re doing better, right, and well 3.Serious Accountability a.“Coaches”, or our church’s leadership, will surely push you to do more, and in particular, to live in full obedience to the fullness of God’s word. This is a given. That’s what they’re there for. It’s their job and it’s what you want and expect them to do b.Teammates/ Your peers will text you if you miss a "workout." They too should and will hold you accountable to God’s word c.And we will allow this to happen to us! We will embrace it because of points 1 and 2! 4.Not to mention that there are regular meetings with the same team, 5-6 days a week to prep for the games. And this is true for us too as the Church for as the Apostle Paul said, we are to run the race of faith as we would in a race to get the prize! 5.There is a clear, shared, and positive goal- to be in the best shape of your life and to do well in the games. And again, in the case of our faith, to grow to be like Jesus as much as you can and to run well the race marked out for you. To really live to love others as Christ loved you that they may see Christ in you. 6.There is a shared investment in suffering and vulnerability. That we will come together in rawness and vulnerability to create then the needed reality in which we can actually help each other and carry each others’ burdens 7.There is Transformation a.Personal transformation to be more like Christ, which will then affect the whole of our being. This will give us a greater sense of personal awareness, a change of mood, confidence, vitality, etc.. for the better b.Social transformation. As we live to love others, the society around us should and will be impacted towards greater love, care, truth, and freedom 8.Not a theory but an Experience. Being the Church is something to be shown, done, experienced, and not just talked about/ As Jesus said "Come," he replied, “and you will see.” 9.This is not just about the time at church, but your life outside the church http://10.and as a result of all this, the people involved will stay very much committed to Christ, His words and His promises, because of the synergistic power produced in the authentic community that has been built through the characteristics just mentioned. And in such, Christians will be very joyfully open and active to recruit as many others as they can to what they found as both good and true!

The Wall of God's Word

October 22, 2017 • David Hwang

1. Hear It- As Romans 10:17 states/ Faith comes through hearing the word of God. So we need to be committed to listening regularly to the word of God being declared/ And especially in the church congregation context. 2. Read It- We also have to read the word of God for ourselves! And just as we need to eat everyday, Bible consumption should and must happen everyday, as well, for similar reasons. To do, scheduling a time to do so in the morning sometime, as well as using some kind of Bible-reading plan, is very highly recommended. 3. Meditate on It- In the midst of all your read, latch on to one point that caught your attention, to then focus in on this point to intentionally think about it all day (What does this point say about God? About you? About your current life circumstances? About your relationships?/ Etc.) 4. Study It- You don’t have to do so like a biblical scholar, but there needs to be some sort of commitment to the study of God’s word. So when you read, use the units of inquiry (Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why?) to identify one thing in that passage that you had a question about and look do some research about it! 5. Memorize It- It doesn’t have to be word for word perfect, but there’s spiritual blessing and power to committing to putting God’s words accurately into our minds. 6. Pray it- Since our prayer life must always be a response to the Lord, the Bible should and must ALWAYS be the source of your prayers 7. Include Others- Talk to others about the Bible, your insights, your questions, etc. This brings encouragement to others as well as greater accuracy and discernment to your own understanding as we test our Bible thinking and thoughts with those of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. 8. Test it Through Your Actions- The Bible is to be heard, read, meditated on, Studied, Etc., to ultimately be obeyed! This is what will being true transformation in your being to be who God redeemed you to be and to do what God set you free to do, in Christ Jesus! 9. The Quality of Your Devotion- If you see how the Israelites rebuilt the wall, you will see that they did so with a singular focus and determination- with materials in one hand and swords in the other (Nehemiah 4:17). This gives us insight as to the quality of devotion we should and must have, to guard our time in God’s word.

Prayer, Bury It or Double It

October 15, 2017 • David Hwang

1. Jesus Himself was a man committed to the discipline of prayer. So if He did, how much more so do we need to be?? 2. A commitment to a life of prayer is expected by the Lord, and commanded for His people 3. Know that prayer is something to learned, to be practiced towards improvement. Like learning a new instrument. So don’t be easily discouraged when your prayer life seem difficult in the beginning. 4. Know that praying demands planning (Sentence prayers vs sustained prayers). 5. Always use God’s word for prayer first, as prayer is first a response to God! 6. Pray with faith and persistence! Know that God will always answer our prayers, but the “problem” is that it many times is not in the way or in the time in which we want them answered, as God needs to coordinate on many, many levels to answer even the simplest of prayers. This can take some time. And remember that His answer could also be a no. 7. Share and pray with others to learn, but also for discernment. 8. Only God can touch and change a human life so we must pray for others if we want to see them touched and transformed towards more Christlikeness. 9. Recognize and remember that God can do FAR MORE than we can do. So cover all your work, and thoughts, and plans, and worries in prayer! 10. Spiritual warfare is real so we got a fight in the spiritual realm and a big part of doing so is through prayer. As it’s been said, when on the battlefield, the soldiers need to stay in communication with the General!

True Fasting

October 8, 2017 • Tony Chung

The Oaks of Righteousness

October 1, 2017 • John-Michael Becker

To Be Jubilee is to Do Justice

September 24, 2017 • David Hwang

The Freedom of Simplicity

September 17, 2017 • Joe Park

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