Resurrection Sunday: Don't Settle for a Secondary Salvation!

Finding True Freedom: Looking Beyond Our Immediate Needs

Life has a way of creating gaps and leaving us longing for things we think will make everything better. Whether it's acceptance, financial security, better relationships, relief from struggles, or something as simple as the right pair of shoes, we often believe we know exactly what we need to fix our problems.

When What We Think We Need Isn't What We Really Need

Just like the religious leaders and crowds at Jesus' crucifixion, we can become so focused on what we think we need that we miss the bigger picture. The religious experts were looking for a conquering king to overthrow Rome, but they missed countless prophecies showing the Messiah would come to suffer and save in a much deeper way. Read through Psalm 22 and notice all the ways this points us to Jesus!

Why Do We Miss What's Most Important?

We often sacrifice long-term good for short-term gain. Like the religious leaders who were experts in scripture yet missed its true meaning, we can become blinded by our immediate desires and perceived needs. We look for a “secondary salvation” to be saved from something that isn’t the true issue.

Finding Freedom Through Proper Focus

True freedom comes when we shift our focus from our temporary problems to our relationship with Jesus. Whether dealing with:

1. Relationship struggles

2. Financial difficulties

3. Health issues

4. Future uncertainties

The key is remembering that these are temporary concerns compared to our eternal relationship with God.

Jesus' Promise About Our Needs

In Matthew 6:33, Jesus says "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." When we prioritize our relationship with God, He promises to take care of our other needs.

Life Application

This week, take your biggest current need or concern and bring it before Jesus with this challenge:

1. Ask Jesus "What do you think my greatest need is right now?"

2. Give Him time to answer - don't rush to fill in the blank

3. Discuss with Christian friends and seek their prayer support

4. Keep asking until you gain His perspective on your situation

Questions to reflect on:

1. What do I spend the most time worrying about or praying for?

2. Could this concern be distracting me from a deeper spiritual need?

3. How might my perspective change if I truly trusted God to handle my temporary problems

4. What steps can I take to seek God's kingdom first this week?

What Is A Christian - Week 5 - What Does It Mean To Be A Christian

What Does It Mean to Be a Christian? Understanding True Transformation

At its core, being a Christian means experiencing a profound transformation through Jesus Christ. It's about being able to look back at who you were and seeing how your life has been fundamentally changed by encountering Jesus.

The Starting Point: Recognizing Our Need for Salvation

The journey begins with acknowledging that we were once "dead in our transgressions and sins" - following worldly ways and deserving of God's wrath. However, because of God's great love and mercy, He made us alive with Christ through salvation.

How Does God's Mercy Transform Us?

True transformation happens when we:

1. Recognize we cannot earn God's favor on our own

2. Accept His mercy and grace through Jesus

3. Allow His kindness to lead us to repentance

4. Experience renewal of our minds

5. Stop conforming to worldly patterns

What Does Christian Transformation Look Like in Practice?

A transformed Christian life is marked by:

1. No longer living for self but for Christ's mission

2. Showing mercy and grace to others as Christ showed us

3. Being part of something bigger - the body of Christ

4. Sharing the good news of God's love with others

5. Continuing to grow and become more like Christ

Common Misconceptions About Being a Christian

Being a Christian is not about:

1. Simply believing certain facts about God

2. Following religious rules

3. Trying to earn God's favor through good works

4. Judging others

5. Living a perfect life

Life Application

Take time this week to reflect on these questions:

1. Can you identify specific ways your life has been transformed since encountering Jesus?

2. Are you still trying to earn God's favor, or have you fully accepted His mercy?

3. How can you better reflect Christ's love and mercy to others around you?

4. What's one way you can participate in Christ's mission this week?

The challenge is to move beyond simply believing in Jesus to allowing His transforming power to change how you live. Look for opportunities to share God's mercy with others, just as He has shown mercy to you.

Remember: A Christian is someone whose life has been so transformed by Jesus that they cannot help but live differently and share His love with others.

What is a Christian Week 3 - What Went Wrong?

What Went Wrong? Understanding Sin and Redemption

When examining the fundamental question of what went wrong with humanity, we must look back to the beginning - the Garden of Eden. This pivotal moment shaped the course of human history and our relationship with God.

The Original Sin: Choosing Desires Over God's Word

In Genesis 2-3, God gave Adam and Eve clear instructions not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. However, when tempted by the serpent, they chose to follow their own desires rather than trust God's word. The serpent used crafty half-truths to question God's authority and play on their desires.

Why Do We Still Struggle with Sin Today?

The same pattern continues today - we know what God wants but instead choose to:

1. Trust our own sight and understanding

2. Follow our desires and feelings

3. Try to fit God around our plans rather than shape our lives around His will

4. Suppress truth in favor of what we want

The Consequences of Rejecting God's Truth

When we reject God's standards and truth:

1. We experience separation from God

2. Our thinking becomes futile

3. We exchange truth for lies

4. God "gives us over" to our sinful desires

5. Society descends into moral chaos

How Can We Return to God?

The solution begins with belief and faith:

1. Taking God at His word even when we don't fully understand

2. Trusting His ways are better than our desires

3. Accepting that our human understanding is extremely limited

4. Believing in Jesus' sacrifice for our redemption

Life Application

This week, examine areas where you're trusting your own desires and understanding rather than God's word. Ask yourself:

1. Where am I trying to fit God around my plans instead of shaping my life around His will?

2. What desires am I placing above God's clear instructions?

3. Am I willing to take God at His word even when it doesn't make sense to me?

Challenge: Choose one area where you've been following your own understanding and commit to taking God at His word instead. Study scripture related to that area and pray for the strength to trust His way over your desires.

Remember - we don't have to fully understand everything to believe. Faith means trusting God even when we can't see or comprehend the full picture.

You Asked For: Are There Different Severities of Sin?

Understanding God's Perspective on Sin and Life

Life through Jesus offers something far greater than what our old life of sin and death could provide. While we may sometimes feel pulled back toward old habits and desires, they ultimately leave us empty and unfulfilled compared to the joy and peace found in Christ.

Can God Create a Rock So Big He Can't Lift It?

This question attempts to create a paradox to disprove God's unlimited nature. However, the question itself is flawed because it tries to put limits on a limitless God. Scripture tells us that "with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26) and that His understanding has no limits (Psalm 147:5).

To illustrate the difference between a million and a billion, we talked about in terms we might understand. A million seconds works out to a little over 11 days. A billion seconds is….over 30 years! And a trillion seconds? It would take 1,000 generations to experience 1 trillion seconds. Our human minds struggle to comprehend true infinity - whether in terms of space, time, or power. The vastness of the universe, with its billions of galaxies, gives us just a glimpse of God's unlimited nature. He exists outside of our limited understanding of time and space. This perspective on God set’s up our next question.

Are There Different Levels of Sin?

From our human perspective, we often try to categorize sins as "worse" or "better." However, God's perspective is different. Romans 6:23 tells us "the wages of sin is death" - all sin leads to death and separation from God. While there may be different earthly consequences for various sins, God's primary concern is whether we are spiritually dead in sin or alive in Christ.

How Do We Receive New Life?

The path to life comes through:

1. Faith in Jesus Christ

2. Believing in His death and resurrection

3. Accepting His gift of righteousness

4. Being justified through faith

5. Experiencing baptism as a symbol of dying to sin and rising to new life

Life Application

This week, instead of comparing sins or trying to justify behavior, focus on this core question: Are you living in death or in life? Consider:

1. Do you truly believe Jesus loves you and offers new life?

2. Are you still finding satisfaction in things that lead to death?

3. What areas of your life need to be surrendered to experience more of Christ's life?

4. How can you pursue things that lead to life rather than death?

The challenge is to stop playing the comparison game with sin and instead embrace the new life Jesus offers - a life that finds no satisfaction in the empty promises of sin but finds complete fulfillment in Christ. We spent a lot of time in Romans this week. It’s so full of this language and helps us understand how we move from dead to sin to alive in Christ. Take some time this week to read Romans.

Presents or Presence - Week 1

What Do You Truly Want from God? Presence or Presents?

As we transition from Thanksgiving to the Christmas season, it's a perfect time to reflect on what we truly desire from God. This week, we kicked off a new sermon series titled "Presents or Presence," which challenges us to examine whether we seek the gifts God can give us or his very presence.

The Fillet Knife: A Lesson in Value

Pastor Jeff began with a story about a common Rapala fillet knife. While this knife is inexpensive and easily replaceable (you can pick one up at Scheels if you were wondering) the one he owns holds immense sentimental value because it was a gift from his grandfather. The knife represents something much greater. This story serves as a metaphor for our relationship with God. Do we just value the gifts he gives us, or do we cherish his presence in our lives?

The Israelites' Dilemma

In Exodus 33, God offers the Israelites the Promised Land but says he will not go with them due to their repeated disobedience. This was the land of milk and honey, whispered of around campfires for generations, the fulfillment of a divine covenant made with Abraham hundreds of years prior. Yet now they faced a profound choice: Would they accept this long-yearned-for inheritance without God's presence? This scenario challenges us to consider what we truly desire from God. Is it the blessings he can provide, or is it his presence that we seek?

Moses' Response: Choosing Presence Over Presents

Moses' response to God is clear and resolute: "If your presence does not go with us, do not send us from here" (Exodus 33:15). Moses understood that God's presence was more valuable than any earthly blessing. He preferred to stay in the desert with God rather than enter the Promised Land without Him. What about us? Again we consider what we truly desire from God. What would you have said? 

The Tent of Meeting: Knowing God

Exodus 33:7 says “Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting.” Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp.” While anyone could go meet with God there, most Israelites stayed at their own tent entrances. There might have been any number of reasons for this hesitation: fear due to their disobedience, feeling unworthy, not seeing dramatic signs like the pillar of cloud, delegating spiritual responsibility to Moses, or being too preoccupied with dreams of future prosperity in Canaan. Any of these excuses sound familar? Maybe hit a little close to home? What keeps us from seeking God's presence today?

The New Covenant: God With Us

We are under a new covenant through Jesus Christ. Matthew 1:23 says Jesus will be called Emmanuel, meaning "God with us." We hear about that often around Christmas time…but think about what it means for us! Unlike the Israelites, we don't need to go to a special tent to be in God's presence. Through Jesus, we have direct access to God anytime, anywhere. This is the greatest gift we can receive—God's presence in our lives.

Application: Embrace God's Presence

As we reflect on this sermon, let's challenge ourselves to seek God's presence above all else. Here are a few questions to ponder this week:

1. **What do I truly desire from God?** Is it His blessings or His presence?

2. **How often do I seek God's presence in my daily life?** Am I content with just attending church, or do I strive to be in His presence continually?

3. **What distractions keep me from experiencing God's presence?** How can I overcome these distractions to deepen my relationship with Him?

Challenge for the Week

This week, make a conscious effort to spend time in God's presence. Whether through prayer, reading the Bible, or simply being still, prioritize your relationship with Him. Remember, the greatest gift God offers is not what He can give us, but Himself.

Conclusion

As we journey through this series, let's remember that God's presence is the ultimate gift. While His blessings are wonderful, they are meaningless without Him. May we, like Moses, choose God's presence over any earthly blessing and find true joy and peace in Him.

Stay tuned for the upcoming sermons in this series as we explore the good gifts God promises and how they are enriched by His presence. Come back and celebrate with us again next week! 

Citizens of Another Kingdom

Understanding Our Role as Christians in Voting Season

Introduction

As we approach another election season, it's essential to reflect on our responsibilities as Christians. This week's sermon delved into the complexities of voting, the importance of prayer, and our ultimate allegiance to the Kingdom of God. Let's explore these themes and understand how we can navigate this season with faith and wisdom.

Why Is Voting Important for Christians?

Voting is a civic duty that allows us to influence the direction of our nation. However, many Christians feel conflicted when the options don't align perfectly with their values. This tension can lead to disengagement or frustration.

Biblical Guidance on Leadership and Authority

The Bible doesn't directly address voting, as it wasn't a practice in biblical times. However, principles from scripture can guide us. In 1 Timothy 2:1-4, Paul urges us to pray for all people, especially those in authority, so we may live peaceful and godly lives. This peace and godliness are crucial for spreading the knowledge of truth and salvation.

The Power of Prayer Over Politics

Prayer is more powerful than our vote. While voting is important, our primary responsibility is to intercede for our leaders, regardless of their faith or actions. This intercession can lead to a more peaceful society where the gospel can flourish.

Living as Ambassadors of Christ

Our True Citizenship

2 Corinthians 5:17-20 reminds us that we are new creations in Christ and ambassadors of His Kingdom. Our primary identity is not as citizens of any earthly nation but as citizens of heaven. This perspective should shape how we engage in politics and view our role in society.

Seeking the Prosperity of Our Nation

Jeremiah 29:7 instructs the Israelites in exile to seek the peace and prosperity of their city. Similarly, we should pray for and work towards the prosperity of our nation, understanding that our well-being is tied to the nation's well-being. However, our ultimate hope and identity lie in God's Kingdom.

Navigating Political Tensions

Engaging with Grace and Wisdom

It's easy to get caught up in political debates and lose sight of our Christian witness. We must engage with grace, remembering that our goal is to reflect Christ's love and truth. This means being informed about issues, voting according to biblical principles, and maintaining a spirit of peace and unity.

Avoiding Division

Political seasons can be divisive, even within the church. We must remember that our unity in Christ is more important than any political affiliation. We should strive to understand and love those who vote differently, focusing on our shared mission to spread the gospel.

Life Application

Applying the Sermon to Our Lives

As we approach the polls, let's remember that our hope is in Christ, not in any political system. Here are some practical steps to apply this week's message:

1. **Pray for Leaders**: Commit to praying for all leaders, regardless of their political stance. Ask God to guide them and bring peace to our nation.

2. **Stay Informed**: Educate yourself on the issues and candidates, seeking to understand how they align with biblical principles.

3. **Engage with Grace**: Approach political discussions with humility and love, prioritizing relationships over winning arguments.

4. **Remember Your True Citizenship**: Keep your focus on your identity in Christ and your role as His ambassador.

Reflective Questions

1. How often do I pray for our leaders and the peace of our nation?

2. Do I approach political discussions with grace and a desire for unity?

3. How can I better align my voting decisions with biblical principles?

4. Am I more passionate about my political views or my identity in Christ?

By keeping these reflections in mind, we can navigate this election season with faith, wisdom, and a focus on our ultimate allegiance to God's Kingdom.