God may have you in the belly of the beast for a time. Don’t despair. The Holy Spirit's work in us is designed to make us more like Jesus. He uses the events of our daily lives to transform us. Sometimes these lessons seem way too hard. The problem is not that he asks too much of us—the problem is that we settle for too little. Our love for the status quo makes us leery of God's plan for us.
Disappointed
July 15, 2018 • Christopher Young
At the beginning of this message, I revealed to you one of the greatest disappointments in my life, losing my dad at the age of 7 and it has changed my life. But I want to tell you that in the midst of my loss and disappointment, God stepped in and appointed men that helped make today possible. And I want to introduce you to three of them.
Loving with Abandon
July 8, 2018
as we continue our series called Awkward Family Photos, we are going to take a look at one of the most awkward moments in the Gospels. We are going to a dinner party, but this will be unlike any dinner party you or I have ever attended. This moment has three characters involved: Jesus, along with a Pharisee and a woman, both of whom will be confronted with their desperate reality, this one being spiritual. And by the end of the party, these three will show us that the greater your grasp of what you have been forgiven, the greater your love for the one who has forgiven you. When we truly understand who God is, who we are before him, and what he has done to make us right, to rescue us, our hearts will erupt with love and worship. One of them gets it. The other doesn’t.
Jacob Meets His Match
July 1, 2018 • Dr. Gary Brandenburg
It's an old story, so old in fact that some of you have never heard it. A hiker, walking near the edge of a steep cliff and fell over the side. Fortunately, he was able to grab hold of a tree limb. As he dangled in mid-air, he cried out for help, "Is anybody up there?" After a few repeated attempts he heard a voice, "I am here." "Who are you?" "I am the Lord." "Can you help me?" "Of course I can. I am the Lord. But you need to let go of the branch." "Let go of the branch?" "Yes." There was a pause and then the man cried out, "Is anybody else up there?"
Hope for Those Forgotten by God - Hannah
June 24, 2018
Some of you today may feel forgotten by the God who spoke your life into existence. He remains silent in the midst of your bareness... brokenness... singleness... loneliness... sadness... weariness. Although you’d never let another soul hear it, your heart cries out a raw prayer, “Lord, my name is ______. Do you even remember me?” I don’t know where you’re at today. Some of you may be in a really long difficult season. And if you were honest, you wonder where is this good and powerful God? It feels like he’s abandoned you.
Come to the Table - Mephibosheth
June 17, 2018
There are some of you here today who have been going through the motions of church. Working for God’s approval. Maybe you’ve never bowed low like Mephibosheth. You might have been in church for decades even, but maybe it’s time to get over it and surrender. In fact your carrying shame and guilt you were never ever meant to carry. To bow low and receive His amazing grace. this may be your first time in a church.
God's Faithfulness - Judah and Tamar
June 10, 2018
Forgiveness from the Pit - The Story of Jacob's Son
June 3, 2018
This morning I am going to guess that if we went through the photo albums of your life, like me, you’d have some really awkward photos. Hopefully none of your parents are sitting on you. There would also be pictures of your best moments in life – the victories and celebrations. But as we turned the pages, we’d see photos that hold the memories of some really painful moments of your life. Even if you don’t have the physical pictures, they’re forever engrained in your memory. That’s because most of you have experienced pain at the hands of someone supposed to love you or wounded by someone you trusted. For many of you, that damage was caused by someone in your family – others it’s been through marriage, a friendship, church relationship, or maybe all of the above.
Significance From Insignificance
May 27, 2018
You have a Father who's also given you a family photo album. And while there are no actual photographs to be found, the Bible tells the story of God's family. And just like my family, and I'm sure just like yours, there are plenty of awkward pictures to be found in this book. Just in the genealogy of Jesus is found the pair who brought sin into the world, a man who was sold into slavery by his brothers, a woman who bore sons to her dead husbands' father, an adulterer and murderer, and a guy with 1,000 wives. Talk about awkward.
