Til Kingdom Come - New City Church

Like A Child | Til Kingdom Come | Pastor Dr. Dick Foth

March 26, 2023 • Pastor Dr. Dick Foth • Mark 10:13–16, Luke 18:15–16

Oh to be a kid again! This weekend, Dr. Dick Foth concluded our TIL KINGDOM COME series with a message about child-like trust in God. Mark 10:15 These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God's kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you'll never get in." The difference between God’s Kingdom and earthly kingdoms is dramatic. In the kingdom of God, the poor are valued, outcasts are recruited, rip-off guys are invited, worn-out traditions are upended and the humble are honored. That’s why children are valued. So what does it look like when we come to God as a child? DELIGHT. The joy of being a child is the delight of first-time experiences. They never tire of what they love to do. DEPENDENCE. The heart of a child is complete, reflexive, unreserved trust. Once a child trusts, they jump into every experience with enthusiasm. "It may be that God has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.” G.K. Chesterton For most of our lives, we are trying so hard to grow up, but then Jesus says, “Be a child again!” When we receive the grace of God, we receive the power to be kids again!

Un-Crowd Your Heart | Til Kingdom Come | Pastor Devin Gough

March 19, 2023 • Pastor Devin Gough • Matthew 6:5–23, Matthew 13:3–23

Is your heart too crowded? This weekend Pastor Devin Gough continued our TIL KINGDOM COME series with a message about Jesus’ Parable of the Sower. Matthew 13:22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. It’s possible for our hearts to have loves that compete with a love for God and His Word. Jesus says there are two main ways that the seed of God’s Word can get choked out and become unfruitful in our lives. 1) THE CARES OF THE WORLD Worry and anxiety are rivals to a trust in God’s promises in our lives. Do we create space in our hearts for them? "Worry, like a rocking chair, will give you something to do, but it won’t get you anywhere.” Vance Havner If we want to allow God’s Word to bear fruit in our lives, we have to remember that, “There is nothing that can happen today that the Lord and I can’t handle.” 2) THE DECEITFULNESS OF RICHES Wealth is deceptive. It promises security and joy, but it never delivers. Matthew 6:33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. God never promises to give us tomorrow’s provision today. But we can trust that he will take care of our every need today!

New Day, New Way | Til Kingdom Come | Pastor Steve Andres

March 12, 2023 • Pastor Steve Andres • Mark 2:21–22

Jesus came to call sinners, not perfect people! This weekend Pastor Steve continued our series, TIL KINGDOM COME, with a message about the NEW WAY of the kingdom of God. Mark 2:21-22 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; otherwise the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear results.” Jesus’ ministry began with his announcement of the arrival of the kingdom of God. What did his teaching tell us about it? 1) Its originality. The old religious narrative of self-rescue is not new at all. Christianity is original because it not only acknowledges that we are broken, it begins with that fact. 2) Its exclusivity. Being 85% faithful is not faithfulness. The kingdom of God is an all-in proposition. Jesus is either Lord of all, or he isn’t Lord at all. 3) Its incompatibility. This NEW WAY is incompatible with the old. The gift of NEW LIFE through Jesus means learning a NEW WAY of honoring God. We are not mistake-makers in need of correction, we are sinners in need of a Savior. Sin is not something we can be coached out of, it is something we are rescued from. Thank God today for rescuing us by sending his Son!

Jesus Is In The Room | Til Kingdom Come | Pastor Steve Andres

March 5, 2023 • Pastor Steve Andres • Luke 7:38

What do you do when Jesus is in the room? This weekend Pastor Steve continued our TIL KINGDOM COME series with a message about Jesus at the house of Simon the Pharisee. Luke 7:38 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. Simon and a sinful woman are in the same room with Jesus, but they have radically different reactions. Simon is unaffected, but the woman is transformed. What was the difference? 1) There is no healing in hiding. The woman that comes to Jesus had a sinful past but made herself vulnerable and honest. You will only find healing in the relationships where you are honest. 2) There is no transformation without surrender. Simon approached Jesus as if he was interviewing him for a job or negotiating a deal. But God is not the one that we control, he is the one to whom we surrender control. 3) There is no closeness without commitment. When the woman poured out her perfume, she was letting go of her past identity. In religion, I use Jesus to get to other things. In real Christianity, Jesus is who I want the most. As Jesus told his story about two debtors who were forgiven, the woman understood that for a debt to be forgiven, someone would have to pay. Joy and humility fill our hearts when we realize that Jesus went to the cross to pay for our debt and forgive our sins!

The God Who Humbles Also Restores | Til Kingdom Come | Pastor Joaquin Pardo

February 26, 2023 • Pastor Joaquin Pardo • Daniel 4:34, Ezekiel 34:11

Are you building something that will last? This weekend Pastor Joaquin continued our TIL KINGDOM COME series. Daniel 4:34 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever. King Nebuchadnezzar was an evil king filled with pride, arrogance, and self-centeredness which led to him losing all that he had, including his sanity. At the end of his story, after being humbled, he praises the King of Heaven who humbles the proud. 1) In the Kingdom of God, the King is the one who pursues. In the book of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar has three encounters with God. God initiates the pursuit of the soul before we ever desire to pursue Him. Ezekiel 34:11 For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 2) The Kingdom of God does not diminish; it lasts forever. What are you building today that will last? 3) The God who humbles, also restores. The King of Heaven took everything that King Nebuchadnezzar valued. He lost his sanity and became like a beast in the field. Sin will always make us less than human. When we look to God, we are restored to be who we are meant to be.

Worth It All | Til Kingdom Come | Pastor Steve Andres

February 19, 2023 • Pastor Steve Andres

Heaven and Earth Will Pass Away | Til Kingdom Come | Pastor Steve Andres

February 12, 2023 • Pastor Steve Andres • Matthew 5:17–18

Heaven and earth will pass away, but God’s word will remain! This weekend Pastor Steve Andres continued our series, TIL KINGDOM COME, with a message about how God changes our hearts. Matthew 5:17-18 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. As he taught, Jesus was describing the new way of life in the Kingdom of God. What can we learn about this new way? 1) It’s not about moderation, it’s about transformation. Jesus raised the bar that the Law had set from having right behavior to having a right heart. We can’t be trained to live like this. We have to be transformed to live like this. When we receive God’s grace, it comes with the capacity to live a whole new life. [Baptism] is a powerful symbol of that death-to-life transformation! 2) It’s not about the symptoms, it’s about the sickness. The Gospel takes the pride and self-righteousness out of our anger, and it moves us to love and treat everyone as someone made in the image of God, even - perhaps especially - those who are wrong. 3) It’s not about proving a wrong, it’s about making things right. Jesus is saying that his followers will have a strange capacity to humbly speak the truth in love. Whether you’ve wronged someone, or they’ve wronged you, it’s always your move! Jesus did not come to erase the law, but to change hearts so that the law could be fulfilled in us - all because of His grace!

The Power of a Seed | Til Kingdom Come | Pastor Steve Andres

February 5, 2023 • Pastor Steve Andres • 1 Corinthians 4:20, John 12:24, Matthew 13:31–33

How do we understand the kingdom of God? This weekend Pastor Steve Andres began a new series of messages called “Til Kingdom Come." Matthew 13:31-33 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” Jesus came announcing that God’s kingdom had arrived. In this passage he tells us its arrival is inconspicuous at first, like a tiny mustard seed. 1. The seed has power for life. The kingdom of God is not positive thinking or principles for living. It’s not first a system of beliefs or behaviors. 1 Corinthians 4:20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. When God’s rule and authority are in operation, there is power at work to bring life. 2. The seed brings potential for growth. It’s not right for us to think about God’s work in us as something fragile and breakable. The work God is doing in you has potential to transform you and your world. 3. The seed creates new purpose and blessing.The work that God is doing in you is not just for you! God’s work is in you SO THAT you can be a blessing to others. Jesus talked about his own life in this way: John 12:24 I tell you the truth, unless a grain of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But it dies [SO THAT] it can produce a plentiful harvest of new lives. Jesus died a death so we could have life. He wasn’t just buried, he was planted, and he was raised again SO THAT we could have life! Everything we need is in the seed!