Jesus - Part 2: Beyond Rules

Jesus defined sin as anything that harms you or others. We usually think of sin as breaking God’s rules or laws. But God’s didn’t give the law because he likes rules. He gave the law to protect and honor people. All sins are not equal in their effects and every sin has built in consequences. To follow Jesus is to live a life of daily repentance and learn from the Holy Spirit how to love God and love our neighbor as ourself.

What Do You Want For Christmas? - Part 4

King Jesus

What do you want for Christmas - Part 2

It's common to ask what YOU want for Christmas... A special gift? Time with family? Some peace and quiet? But what does GOD want for Christmas. We tend to think that God simply wants us to clean up our act. But as we look through the Gospels today, we'll see that what Jesus wants (even for Christmas) is something very surprising...and ultimately, very peace-giving.

What do you want for Christmas - Part 1

"What do you want for Christmas"? That question gets asked every year and with all the confusion about what Christmas is really about, maybe it's a great question for us to ask together. In this 4 week series, we'll ask this question from 4 different perspectives. In part one, we'll be asking, What does the World want for Christmas?

What’s on the inside eventually shows up on the outside. That’s why it’s important to learn to guard our hearts and manage our emotions.

“Make it Make Sense,” is about making sense of our story in light of God’s story. Everyone loves a good story. In fact, our entire lives are shaped by the stories that we believe about ourselves and the world around us. God has wired us that way which explains why the Bible is filled with stories. In fact, if you have eyes to see, the Bible tells one grand overarching story. And you are a character in God’s story.

Israelites enslaved in Egypt, the call of Moses, 10 plagues, passover, parting the red sea, manna from heaven, the arrival at Mt. Sinai, and God's covenant with Israel.. they're all part of a grand story called The Exodus. But there's a much bigger story underneath the Exodus and it points to Jesus.

The story of Joseph in Genesis is not just a beautifully recounted story of Joseph's trails, tribulations, and redemption, it's also a story of God's sovereign hand guiding and directing all things towards our deliverance and His kingdom coming into the world.

Today’s message is about how the "heroes of the faith" tell a story not only of faithfulness, but of severe dysfunction. We see the same pattern we see in our lives:
We get controlled by deep fear or desire.
We try to FORCE an outcome to avoid risk.
Lives get destroyed.
Thankfully, their lives and ours are not identified by our mess, but by God making it all new...and changing the world through us.

The story of Noah and the Flood is one of the most devastating stories of God's justice in the entire Bible. Humanity's evil, violence, injustice, and oppression had caused God's patience to run out. Yet, God also extends mercy and remembers his promise to Eve.

The Angels announcement to the shepherds that a Savior had been born was pretty hard to ignore. So is the mercy and peace that God brings to you today.

Invited even though rejected.