I’m so glad that you are here as we begin together this journey that will take us through the next 6 weeks helping us to make the most of the next 5 years, to get us to the next decade. We are praying that the Lord will do a new thing in us and in our Church just as He did in the book of Acts. They built off the foundation that was there and we will do the same. Then they launched into new territory as they depended on the Lord and sacrificed and surrendered their lives. Our prayer is that we would do the same...
Don’t you want to REALLY live? To live life to the fullest? To get the most out of it and to make a maximum impact on those around you? All of us want to feel that our lives matter, that we are making a difference. In order for this to be true, we must understand that how we view eternity affects how we live right here and now...
Let's celebrate what the Lord has done in the year 2014! Take a look at Ezekiel 37 and let's think about how this passage relates to us personally, relates to us corporately, and relates to us theologically...
What do you think of when you talk about kings? They didn't associate with commoners. They lived lavishly while most other people lived ordinary or even poor and peasant lives. They instilled a great fear in their own people. They were famous and had great prestige. They had servants to do their bidding - everything and everyone was beneath them. They had people who willingly laid down their lives for them. Yet here our King lays down everything for us, even his very life. Our King does not fit the standard picture for royalty. It really almost seems absurd. Let's compare Him and the typical definition of "king."
Jesus, Immanuel, Messiah, Son of God...Many different names are used to refer to Jesus--and there is meaning behind all of them. Join us this morning as we dive into the different names of our Lord and the BIG DEAL about each one!
Today, I wanted us to address what perhaps is the most important doctrine or truth that we base our Christian faith upon. If it breaks down here, or we say, "Well it is not really that important", the rest of His life and subsequent death all begins to unravel. Here is a quote from Larry King, former CNN talk show host when he was asked if he could choose to interview anyone from history, who would it be? His reply: "'Jesus Christ.’ The questioner said, ‘And what would you like to ask Him?’ King replied, 'I would like to ask Him if He was indeed virgin-born. The answer to that question would define history for me.’”You see even he understands that this question is one of the most important question to answer and really it all begins here!
Let’s answer the question: what’s the big deal about Christmas? What’s so important about this holiday that we put so much effort into? This week, we ask: what’s the big deal about Jesus’ family tree? To the Jew, family pedigree was critical to knowing if one was a pure Jew. For the Priest, it was incredibly important. In fact, when some came back from being deported they could not find their genealogy and were not allowed to be priests any longer. In our passage today, Matthew establishes Jesus’ genealogy proving that He was in the proper line, and also fulfilling prophecy.
As we continue our Thankful Series, let's turn back to last week when we talked about our decision to be thankful--this concept sets up this entire series: The 1 Important Perspective that we must have: Giving Thanks. Ephesians 5:20 tells us “giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (NRSV) In this verse are 2 Important Phrases: At All Times/For Everything. Who is this directed at? 1 Important Person: The Focus of our thankfulness - God the Father...
People ask me, "How do we know that Jesus really loves us? I don’t understand, I cannot feel that love." Have you realized the incredible fact that Jesus Christ, the God of this Universe, died for you? He loved you so much that He would rather die than live without you? He was willing to go to any length. In order to understand how much Jesus loves us, we need to let in this truth: the awesome, gruesome, loving sacrifice of Jesus’ death. I don’t have too many people who would give their life for me, how about you?
This morning we turn our hearts towards the third thing for which we are thankful: Our Support. Outside of Christ, our greatest and most important spiritual support is Our Church Family. Our support includes our LifeGroups, our Church Family, other Churches in our area and even other believers and Christ Followers around the nation and the world...