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From Wine to Worship

Sermon Audio

February 25, 2024 • Cody Zimmerman • 1 Kings 19:11–13, Ephesians 5:15–21, Psalm 33:3

It can be very easy to confuse the effect of something with the thing itself. There is a beautiful moment in the story of Elijah where God tells Elijah to come out of the cave he was hiding in to meet with Him. The Bible says that the Lord passed by, and with that there were several effects of his presence: a mighty wind, an earthquake, and a fire. But Elijah knew the difference between the effects of God's presence, and God himself.


It is especially dangerous in worship to make the same mistake. In Ephesians 5, Paul tells us that our songs of worship are to be an effect of being filled with the Holy Spirit. If our worship doesn't come from a lifestyle of being filled with the Spirit, and if it doesn't lead us into further submission to the Spirit, then our worship can become something altogether different.

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May 12, 2024 • Cody Zimmerman • 1 John 2:18–22, Colossians 3:12–13, 2 Thessalonians 2:3–4, Matthew 24:12, Romans 15:1–5

Entitlement, bitterness, cynicism, and resentment threaten every relationship we have. We have all been placed among people who we are called to love sacrificially, but the reality is that there are times when we feel like we are pouring out more of ourselves than we are getting back from others, and that can lead us to become bitter. It can tempt us to draw back from those God has placed in our lives for a reason. We could all stand to learn a little from the great mothers of the world in that way, because while every other relationship seems to be threatened by one party sacrificing more than their fair share, the constant sacrifices that mothers make for their kids actually cause them to love their kids more; not less. As we pick up our series through 1 John on this Mothers' Day, Cody reminds us that the danger of going from being part of Christ's Kingdom, to being anti-Christ, begins with the urge to grow bitter and pull away from the people God has called you to love when things get hard. The mark of a true citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven, however, is steadfastness, consistency, and the ability to bear with our brothers and sisters in love.