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The Greatest Story

Reading the Bible as a Unified Narrative

Heaven (Week 13)

September 12, 2021

The Bible describes Heaven as a restored Eden where everyone can come into the presence of God. What a marvelous thing we have to look forward to!

Community (Week 12)

September 5, 2021 • Bryan Fojtasek • Ephesians 4:11–13, Acts 2:42–47

The church is called to be a hospital for sinners and a bootcamp for believers. When the church is living out its mission, it'll be caring for one another and reaching the lost with the good news of the Gospel.

Mission (Week 11)

August 29, 2021

Jesus died to fulfill everything God had planned to do since the first sin was committed in the book of Genesis. After his resurrection, Jesus "passed the baton" to the church so that we would take the good news to everyone we encountered. In this message, we explore what our mission is and why we need to be serious about living out our Gospel mission.

Atonement (Week 10)

August 22, 2021 • Bryan Fojtasek

Genesis 1-3 shows us how our sin caused a rift in our relationship with God. The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ removed all the barriers that are separating us from God through his death, burial and resurrection.

Vision

August 15, 2021 • Adam England

Bryan and Adam team up to share about three exciting changes for the future of Westside. 1. We are moving from two services to ONE SERVICE that will meet at 9:30am, effective 9/19/21. 2. We are launching brand new shepherding groups, hosted by our 8 elders, that will meet for the first time on 9/19/21. These groups are being thoughtfully and intentionally put together to be intergenerational and diverse. 3. Our Kids' Ministry will be launching kids classes during the 10:45am slot, effective 9/19/21. Why September 19th for all these big changes? Because it's Back to Church Sunday, and it's the perfect chance to welcome everyone back to find hope in the Gospel, connect with our Christians in a shepherding group, and give their kids a wonderful opportunity to hear the good news of the Gospel.

Fulfillment (Week 9)

August 8, 2021 • John 14:6–7, Jeremiah 31:31–34, Ezekiel 36:24–27, Acts 13:32–33, Luke 24:44–47

Jesus came to be the blessing that Israel couldn't be. Everything that God planned and promised in the Old Testament was fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Homecoming (Week 8)

August 1, 2021

God's people are given a second chance in the Promised Land. In the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, the Israelites come home to rebuild the Temple and the city of Jerusalem. Nehemiah (and Ezra) both challenge the people of God to choose a future of obedience and faithfulness. The question is, will they be able to follow through?

Failure (Week 7)

July 25, 2021

God brought Israel to the Promised Land so they could teach the nations how to honor God and come back home to the Garden of Eden. Instead, they used their newfound power and freedom to pursue selfish gain. For 800 years, Israel tried (and failed) to follow God's laws. During that time, they became more and more focused on personal gain than following God. Eventually, God disciplined his people with exile. Despite their failure, the story wasn't over... and that gives us hope today!

Conquest (Week 6)

July 18, 2021 • Joshua

At long last, God's people enter the Promised Land. Joshua is called upon to lead the people, and after God gives them victory, he gathers the people together for one last message: God is faithful to his promises; God gives the victory, and it's time to make a decision about who to follow.

Covenant (Week 5)

July 11, 2021

God forms a covenant relationship with Israel, who are to bless the world by serving as a nation of priests. God calls upon them to take the grace they've been given and "pay it forward" to the poor, the needy, and the outcasts.

Freedom (Week 4)

July 4, 2021

God rescues his people from their slavery in Egypt, preserving their nation and their mission.

Promise (Week 3)

June 27, 2021

God reveals his plan to address the growing problem of sin in the world: to raise up a people who would show the way back to God. Just as God created a good world against the backdrop of a dark, formless void, God was now creating a good people against the backdrop of a world covered in spiritual darkness. Today, as the body of Christ, we are called to live as people of the promise and continue God's work of blessing all peoples all over the world.

Rejection (Week 2)

June 20, 2021

God created a good world where people found fulfillment to all their deepest desires through their relationship with God. By Genesis 3, Adam and Eve began to venture outside of their relationship with God to satisfy their longings. By circumventing God and his plan, people rejected God in his role as our provider. In this message, we tell the next part of God's Big Story: Rejection. Thankfully, the story doesn't end with rejection and consequences in Genesis 3. God immediately puts a plan in motion to solve our problem of guilt, separation, and a broken relationship with him. As the rest of the Bible unfolds, we see God's unrelenting desire to bring us back to Life in the Garden.

Creation (Week 1)

June 13, 2021

What kind of book is the Bible? Is it a history book, a law book, a dictionary, or something else? How a person views the Bible shapes how they read it. This summer we are learning to read the Bible as one unified story--the Greatest Story! We'll cover the big picture of the Bible in twelve weeks to answer the question, "What is the Big Story?" As we go, we'll explore how we fit into the grand narrative of Scripture... in other words, our purpose! This message is an introduction to our summer series and the first session on the creation account in Genesis 1-2. God made a good world of needy people who were designed to find fulfillment in God, others, and doing God's work.