Relationship Status | YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME | Pastor Steve Andres

New City Church

Relationship Status | YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME | Pastor Steve Andres

September 29, 2024 • Pastor Steve Andres • 1 Corinthians 7:17, Ephesians 5:18, Ephesians 5:21

Are you searching for significance in relationship status? This weekend Pastor Steve Andres continued our YOU’RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME series with a message about romance and relationships.

1 Corinthians 7:17

And don’t be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God’s place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there. God, not your marital status, defines your life.

Many people have experienced heartache and hurt because they let themselves be driven along by loneliness, insecurity and desire. What instruction does the Bible give to us about relationships?

1) Real significance is not based on relationship status.

The Apostle Paul is clear that both singleness and marriage are good. The single person can focus on honoring God without distraction, while the married person is able to grow through the blessings and challenges of covenant commitment.

2) God’s work in my relationships begins with me.

Self-centeredness is the main problem in any relationship. God’s word addresses this problem first before it ever gives instructions on roles in other relationships.

Ephesians 5:18, 21

Be filled with the Spirit… Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

The ability to submit your needs and desires to another person’s is not natural or instinctive. You need to be filled with the Holy Spirit to do this.

3) Every season has an assignment. Lean into that.

God’s plan is for each of us to grow in Christ-likeness. The assignment isn’t to GET SOMEONE, it’s to BE SOMEONE.

4) The assignment begins with alignment.

Every building begins with a foundation, and the structure takes on the shape of it’s foundation. If it has a faulty foundation, or if it isn’t aligned with it’s foundation, then it won’t stand. Are your loves, priorities and actions aligned with Christ?

Not until we look to Jesus as the source of our ultimate security and love are we properly equipped to love others in a truly redemptive and life-giving way!

Guilt | YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME | Pastor Devin Gough

October 13, 2024 • Pastor Devin Gough • Psalm 51:1–4

This weekend Pastor Devin Gough concluded our YOU’RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME series with a message about guilt. Psalm 51:1-4 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. David’s prayer to God came when he faced the awful nature of his own sin. What can this Psalm teach us about how to deal with guilt? 1) Accept God's love. David’s prayer is offered “according to” the love of God. Before we can find freedom from guilt we need to trust in the love of God for sinners. 2) Assume responsibility. Over and over again, David refers to himself as the one responsible for his sin. Owning our sin is key to finding freedom. 3) Admit our sin is against God. Sin makes victims of people, but is ultimately an offense to God whose laws and love we are violating. 4) Ask God for cleansing. God is the only one who is able to cleanse our hearts and set us free. David’s prayer pointed forward to the One whose sacrifice would one day provide forgiveness and freedom for all of us who receive it!

Fear | YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME | Pastor Steve Andres

October 6, 2024 • Pastor Steve Andres

What is your ONE THING? This weekend Pastor Steve Andres continued our YOU’RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME series with a message about fear. Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? David is not in denial. As we read David’s prayer in Psalm 27, we see that he has real reasons to experience fear. How does he respond? 1) SEEK David’s reflex in the face of fear is to seek God. Different seasons require different glimpses of the face of God. 2) MEDITATE Our imaginations can fuel our faith or our fears. When we meditate and think deeply about who God is, our redeemed imagination is encouraged. Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you. What is your meditation? What do you allow your mind and heart to dwell on during your day? 3) GAZE David’s ONE THING, his highest desire, is to see and appreciate the beauty of God. What is your ONE THING? 4) WAIT Maturity in faith comes only when we break our addiction to control. David’s trust and surrender are expressed in his waiting in the face of fear. We can overcome fear because we serve a God who is able to turn every curse into blessing!

Opinions | YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME | Pastor Joaquin Pardo

September 22, 2024 • Pastor Joaquin Pardo • Daniel 3:1–6, Proverbs 29:25

Are the opinions of others ruling your life? This weekend, Pastor Joaquin continued our series YOU’RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME with a message on Opinions. Daniel 3:1-6 King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold... and whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. In this story we are introduced to King Nebuchadnezzar and the young Hebrew boys Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego where we learn about living under the influence of opinions, both from others and ourselves. 1) When your opinions of yourself become excessive, it leads to obsession. King Nebuchadnezzar’s pride led him to build a golden statue and demand worship. While we may not build statues, excessive self-focus can lead us to idolize our own opinions, creating a throne in our hearts where we crown ourselves, and in doing so we take our eyes off of Jesus and rob God of his glory. 2) The opinions of others can strip away your God-given identity. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego's original names—Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—pointed to God. Yet, the Babylonian culture tried to erase their identities by renaming them. Similarly, if we aren’t careful, the opinions of others can distort who God says we are. 3) Pleasing God over pleasing people leads to true freedom. Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe. Despite facing the fiery furnace, these three young men declared that whether God delivered them or not, they would not bow to the king’s false gods. Their faithfulness reminds us that trusting God, rather than being swayed by human opinions, leads to true freedom and safety. God stands with us when we stand firm in His truth. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, we are called to let God's Word, not man's opinion, define us. Let’s choose this week to break free from the influence of others' opinions—and our own—by focusing on who God says we are!