Friday, February 28, 2014

What Is A Disciple? : Sermon Recap

Various Scriptures

Big Idea: A disciple continuously takes the next step to follow Jesus.

From:
"Disciple"

SERMON AUDIO
WORSHIP SET-LIST

Here are some highlights from the message. If you share any of these on your social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) please use this link as a reference:
  • A disciple continuously takes the next step to follow Jesus.
  • Jesus calls us to follow, and He will do the work of discipleship in us.
  • Following Jesus is not just about being disciples but about going and making disciples.
"I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back. No turning back."

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

When the lost are found, don't forget to party!

In Luke 15, the author recounts an instance in Jesus’ ministry when the religious leaders grumbled at the way Jesus received the “tax collectors and sinners”. In response, Jesus tells three parables that illustrate the state of those lost in sin, the heart of Jesus and his Father for the lost, and their work to redeem the lost. While Tim Keller has written extensively and compellingly on the parable of the prodigal son, I find the common themes between the three stories equally stunning.

1. The Lost - The cumulative nature of the things lost in Jesus’ three parables are powerfully parallel to the state of fallen humanity lost in sin. Like the sheep, we are wandering and weak. Like the coin we are lifeless and in the dark. Like the son, we are rebellious and running recklessly headlong into sin.

2. The Redemption - Likewise, the nature of the one seeking the lost in each parable gives us a rich picture of God the Father. Like the shepherd, God comes after the ones that are lost and does not rest until they are found. Like the woman, God comes with light into our darkness and sweeps the corners of creation to find us. And like the father of the prodigal, God rejects our attempts at earning back his favor and our self-justification, and instead embraces and kisses us before we have done anything whatsoever to merit it.

3. The Rejoicing - I find it curious that the one explicit point of the three parables that Jesus actually takes time away from his storytelling to highlight (vv. 7, 10) is the one point that often gets lost in our retelling of them. Jesus is telling these to show the joy in heaven “over one sinner who repents”. And, given the bookends of the chapter starting with grumbling Pharisees and ending with a grumbling brother, Jesus’ implicit second point is how unlike the Father these disgruntled groups (and we?) are being.

Implications For Life and Ministry - Working backwards, we should rejoice at the lost being found as the Father rejoices. It’s so easy to get comfortable in a sanitized, church-y bubble, that the first tax collector or sinner to walk in the doors could be seen as an offense, not an opportunity. Celebrate when people get saved. Throw parties! Try your hardest to match the riotous rejoicing going on in heaven with your own celebrations down here.

We should also seek like the Father seeks, going after the lost, bringing light into darkness, and embracing those who have rebelled. This means the true threat isn't that of sinners upon our sanitized, church-y bubble, but instead, our bubble is actually a threat to the Father’s true mission of reaching those very sinners! It needs to be popped. This obviously requires some wisdom, especially for those prone to join the prodigal in his rebellion. This is why we are on mission as a church, as a body, not individuals. No Christian is Jack Bauer, a solo agent who work better alone. Mission is the call of the body, and we can only fulfill the mission with the body and Christ as our head.

Monday, February 17, 2014

Make Disciples: Sermon Recap

Matthew 28:16-20

Big Idea: Every Christian is called to "Help people encounter and follow Jesus".

From:
"Disciple"

SERMON AUDIO
WORSHIP SET-LIST

Here are some highlights from the message. If you share any of these on your social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) please use this link as a reference:
  • The church building is not the church. The people are the church.
  • To impact lostness around us, we can't just keep saying, “Come and see.” We must also say, “Go and tell.”
  • The church is not a building but a group of people sent on the mission of Jesus. 
  • If you are a Christian, Jesus is not your consultant with advice to take or leave. He is your commander-in-chief with orders to follow.
  • We might be the closest thing to Jesus that the people in our lives will ever see, so we must show them Christ that they might encounter Him.
  • Most Christians are educated far beyond their level of obedience. Where do you need to begin obeying today?
  • You can't stay where you are and follow Jesus.
  • As we follow where Jesus leads us, He is there with us doing what we cannot do ourselves.
  • Satan wants us to believe we must choose between Jesus and a happy life. The only truly happy life is one lived in obedience to Jesus.



Monday, February 10, 2014

I Am Victorious: Sermon Recap

Ephesians 6:10-24

Big Idea:
You do not have what it takes for the battle of your life. Fortunately, Jesus give you everything you need.

From Who Do You Think You Are?: A sermon series on Ephesians

SERMON AUDIO
WORSHIP SET-LIST

Here are some highlights from the message. If you share any of these on your social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) please use this link as a reference:
  • Christ came and ran the race we couldn't finish and gave us the victory
  • Christians are fighting a daily battle with a deadly enemy: Satan.
  • Jesus has already won the war against Satan. Satan's power has been broken, and he is ultimately defeated.
  • The battle we're engaged in is not won in our strength but in God's alone.
  • When we put on the armor of God, we are receiving what God has already provided for us and trusting God to work through us.
  • Praying in the Spirit calls all the King's resources to our aid.

Monday, February 3, 2014

I Am Rewarded: Sermon Recap

Ephesians 6:5-9

Big Idea:
Jesus shows us how to submit to one another—whether we are in authority or under authority.


From Who Do You Think You Are?: A sermon series on Ephesians

SERMON AUDIO
WORSHIP SET-LIST

Here are some highlights from the message. If you share any of these on your social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) please use this link as a reference: http://ow.ly/th7aJ
  •  If you are a Christian, then God is your boss and you work for him.
  •  There is no job for a Christian that isn't for God. 
  • What kind of employee are you when no one is watching? (Ephesians 6:5-8)
  • All work has dignity, all workers have dignity, all work is a calling from God. 
  • Jesus, under authority, said to the Father "not my will but yours be done". Jesus, in authority, loved the church and gave himself up for her.
And the new song we learned this week:

Lay Me Down - Chris Tomlin