The Ginns' Story

Rather than a typical sermon this Sunday, the message portion of our service was given to Jeremy and Jennifer Ginn as they shared their story of brokenness, redemption, and restoration. As part of the service, we as a church got to witness and celebrate with them in their marriage recommitment vows. What an exciting day!

Your Next Step - Sermon Recap

Luke 9:23-27
Big idea: Following Jesus is done by taking one step of faith at a time.


SERMON AUDIO

Due to an unfortunate operator error (Jared used the camera earlier in the week and forgot to put it back to the original settings), there is no sermon video this week. Well, there actually was a video, but Jimmy got his head cut off for the entire message, like this:

Here I Am! - Sermon Recap

Nehemiah 2:17-3:32

Big Idea: We don't need anyone to do everything, but we need everyone to do something.

From: "Restore: Moving God Back To The Center - A Series from Ezra & Nehemiah"

SERMON VIDEO
SERMON AUDIO

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/N6LOF

•  God uses ordinary people who respond by faith. 
• God doesn't need our strength; He uses our weakness.
• People need Jesus and they need Jesus now.
• God is not looking for people who are committed. He's looking for people who are surrendered.

Wherever He Leads - Sermon Recap

Nehemiah 2:9-20

Big Idea: Prayerwalking helps disciples develop "eyes to see where the kingdom isn't". Look for gaps between what is and what the Lord desires. Look for the darkest places. Look for the least, the last, and the lost.

From: "Restore: Moving God Back To The Center - A Series from Ezra & Nehemiah"

SERMON VIDEO
SERMON AUDIO

Whatever It Takes - Sermon Recap

Nehemiah 1:4-2:8

Big Idea: God restores the city through ordinary people willing to do whatever it takes.

From: "Restore: Moving God Back To The Center - A Series from Ezra & Nehemiah"

SERMON VIDEO
SERMON AUDIO

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/MxVUL

• We pray conveniently when we need to pray desperately.
• If we are going to see God restore the city, God will do the work.
• Prayer should be our first response, not our last resort.
• Prayer as a first response sets the direction for everything else that follows. 
• As we pray desperately, we need to plan expectantly.
• Our goals need to be big enough to motivate us to change our actions.
• As we pray desperately, we need to act intentionally.
• It takes more than prayer and more than plans. We must act intentionally in what God calls us to do.

Developing a Heart For The City - Sermon Recap

Nehemiah 1

Big Idea: God restores the city through ordinary people with a heart like his.
From: "Restore: Moving God Back To The Center - A Series from Ezra & Nehemiah"

SERMON VIDEO
SERMON AUDIO

The Father's Heart - Sermon Recap

Matthew 28:19-20

Big Idea: God loved you, saved you, and wants through you to save everyone related to you.

From: "GO: Every Tongue, Tribe & Nation"

SERMON AUDIO
SERMON VIDEO

#NoPlaceLeft : Sermon Recap

Luke 10:1-11

Big Idea: Many have still not heard the gospel...and that's our responsibility.

From: "GO: Every Tongue, Tribe & Nation"

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:

• God is at work even before we go. #NoPlaceLeft
• The world is being reached with the gospel as ordinary, everyday people simply take the next step to follow Jesus. #NoPlaceLeft

Because He Lives - Sermon Recap

1 Corinthians 15:1-23

Big Idea: Because Jesus lives, you can live...now and forever!

SERMON VIDEO
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/LgwCV

• The cross is where God's love for sinners collides with God's wrath for sin. 
• The tomb is where Christ's resurrected life removes sin's sting of death. 
• The heart is where the presence of Christ transforms the lives of believers now and forever.
• We were shaped to be completed by Jesus.

Joyful Brokenness - Sermon Recap

Ezra 9-10

Big Idea: Repentance counts the cost; but it always counts Christ as more valuable.

From: "Restore: Moving God Back To The Center"

SERMON VIDEO
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/KZPTH

• Some things in the Bible are hard because we don't understand them. Some things are hard because we do. 
• Our sin never stays our sin. There's always collateral damage. 
• Repentance starts by seeing God's desire in the Word and comparing our lives to it. 
• Just as sin can spread, so too repentance can spread. 
• God is not just interested in you feeling bad about your sin, he wants you to make wrong things right. 
• When we begin to take God seriously, we begin to take sin seriously. 
•  Repentance at the heart level isn't fundamentally about following your sin less and following God more. It's about loving your sin less and loving God more. 
• Repentance is hard when all you look at is the sin you're giving up for God. It's so much easier when you look at what God gave up for you.

Duty or Delight? - Sermon Recap

Luke 10:38-42

Big Idea: Following Jesus will become either a duty or a delight depending upon how much time you spend with Him.

From: "Restore: Moving God Back To The Center"

SERMON VIDEO
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/KKqRP

• The practice of doing must be founded on the priority of abiding. 
• You will only be motivated to follow Jesus out of love for Him to the extent you focus on Jesus' love for you. 
• The reason we lovingly follow is because Jesus lovingly leads.
• It's God's grace that leads us to obedience, not obedience that leads us to God's grace.
• Grace isn't opposed to effort, it's opposed to us trying to earn something we've already been given freely. 

The Door to Good Relationships: Sermon Recap

Romans 5:6-21

Big Idea: I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. - Jesus in John 10:9

From: "Restore: Moving God Back To The Center"

SERMON VIDEO
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/KoZj8

• There's more grace in Christ than there ever will be sin in you. 
• We ought to be a reconciling people. 
• Grudges, resentment, bitterness, and gossip have no place among a people charged with the "ministry of reconciliation". 
• Repentance and reconciliation must begin with the people of God. 

Speak Life - Sermon Recap

Ephesians 4:17-24, 29

Big Idea: Death and life are in the power of the tongue...speak life!

From: "Restore: Moving God Back To The Center"

SERMON VIDEO
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/K9TSI

• Once your words have been spoken you cannot get them back. 
• If you belong to Jesus, your words are not your words. 
• We either give life or we drain it, there is no neutral exchange. What we say to others cannot leave them unaffected.
• The primary purpose of our words isn't to lead you to a better version of yourself, but to lead you to a better Savior. 
• Whatever fills your heart spills out in your words.

TobyMac - Speak Life

Why Do I Keep Doing That? - Sermon Recap

Genesis 4:3-15

Big Idea: You will always reap externally what you sow internally.

From: "Restore: Moving God Back To The Center"

SERMON VIDEO
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/JSxjw

• You will always reap externally what you sow internally. 
• Cain's descent into murder and exile began with half-hearted worship and a "mere" grudge.
• Half-hearted worship happens when we want God in our lives but not in control of our lives.
• Half-hearted worship treats God as a means to our own ends.
• Your sin seems small to you, but big to everyone else.
• Your sin is not done with you when you think you are done with it. - Tim Keller

Gospel-Shaped Repentance - Sermon Recap

Mark 1:9-15

Big Idea: Genuine belief in the gospel leads to genuine repentance.

From: "Restore: Moving God Back To The Center - A Series from Ezra & Nehemiah"

SERMON VIDEO
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/JwQ6x

• The gospel is not about what sinners can do for God, but what God has already done for sinners through Christ.
• Sin robs us of Jesus and gives us a shabby substitute in his place. 
• Anyone who doesn't get serious about sin has lost sight of how serious God got about sin. 
• Belief in the gospel is what changes our minds about sin. 
• In the moment of temptation, you must look past it to the cross.
• Sin is always God-ward. Any and all sin is against God. 
• As your heart for Jesus enlarges, your hunger for sin diminishes. 
• If our repentance is motivated by the gospel, we are free to own our sin. 

This week, as a way of acting out our repentance, turning from our sin and trusting in Christ's finished work on the cross, we wrote notes representing sins and hung them on the cross before taking communion:

Seeking the Father - Sermon Recap

 Ezra 8

Big Idea: When we have the Father's heart, we do what the Father does. When we do what the Father does, we have the Father's help.

From: "Restore: Moving God Back To The Center - A Series from Ezra & Nehemiah"

SERMON VIDEO
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/JcJHu

• A lot of times we tell God by the way we live "I don't need you". 
• Fasting intentionally disrupts the ordinary rhythm of our lives to invite the extraordinary power of the Father into our hearts.
• Fasting reminds us of our need for God.
• Fasting means intentionally setting aside something you need to say "God I need you more".
• When we fast, we put Him first. We put God in the place of that need.
• We don't fast to please God. We fast to hear God.
• We don't do what God wants because we don't have the Father's heart. When we get the Father's heart, we do what God wants.

How To Change Your World - Sermon Recap

Ezra 7

Big Idea: You can change the world by becoming a person of the Word.

From: "Restore: Moving God Back To The Center - A Series from Ezra & Nehemiah"

SERMON VIDEO
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/ILQZT

• We should never be satisfied with the disconnect in our lives between knowing what God says but not doing it. 
• We don't obey God so that he will love us. We obey God because he already does love us. 
• God promises us good through hard obedience. 
• The good that God promises through hard obedience is better than the best we can attain on our own.  

Friday Funny: "Dear Kitten, regarding the big game"

In this video, the older house cat warns the kitten about the coming Super Bowl. This is the latest installment of "Dear Kitten"...

Opportunity and Opposition: Sermon Recap

Ezra 4-6

Big Idea: God delights in overcoming the strong through the faith of the weak.

From: "Restore: Moving God Back To The Center - A Series from Ezra & Nehemiah"

SERMON VIDEO
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/HYyqN

• Standing with God invites opposition from the world and Satan.
• We face the same opposition others have faced; the same God who saved them will save us.
• All believers in Christ face the same source of opposition, but they also have the same hope—a God who saves.
• The goal of the opposition is to get the work of God to grind to a halt, but God transforms opposition into opportunity.
• Every catalyst for a movement of God starts with the word of God.
• We are called to sow the seed wherever we go. The responsibility to reap the harvest rests where it should—in God's hands.

Move God To The Center: Sermon Recap

Ezra 3

Big Idea: Life's struggles are God's invitations to build your life with Jesus at the center.

From: "Restore: Moving God Back To The Center - A Series from Ezra & Nehemiah"

SERMON VIDEO
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/HA1nI

• Worship is placing God at the center of everything. 
• So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. - 1 Cor. 10:31
• You must have habits that help you keep God at the center.
• Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.

God Keeps His Promises - Sermon Recap

Ezra 1-2

Big Idea: The essence of discipleship is hearing God speak and responding in loving obedience.

From: "Restore: Moving God Back To The Center - A Series from Ezra & Nehemiah"

SERMON VIDEO
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/Hp1gk

• God is responsible for fulfilling his plans and keeping his promises. You are responsible for taking the next step.
• The essence of discipleship is hearing God speak and responding in loving obedience. 
• God will orchestrate the circumstances to keep his promises. 
• God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them. - John Piper
• God will provide the resources necessary to fulfill his purposes. 

The Comparison Game - Sermon Recap

1st Samuel 18:1-9

Big Idea: Comparison is a game you can't win.

From: "The Comparison Game"

SERMON VIDEO
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/GTJ1s

• Comparison is a game you can't win.
• Comparison runs the risk of turning an important thing into an ultimate thing. 
• Envy blinds us to God's goodness and blessing.
• It's the things that strike at our identity that generate feelings of envy.
• Jesus died to set you free from the comparison game.