Thursday, June 20, 2013

Sermon Rewind 6/16/13 - Time Is Short

1 Corinthians 7:29-31

New International Version (NIV)
29 What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; 30 those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep;31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.
Alex Wu reminded us that our time on this earth is short. All of us face two truths: life is fleeting and Jesus is returning soon. There is nothing more important for us to do than to establish a saving relationship with Jesus. Not all of our earthly fathers are still alive, but in Christ we can still celebrate Father's Day in Heaven.
Alex's friend Linda shared about her feelings and experiences after her husband Tom passed away suddenly last year, leaving her and their four children behind. A powerful blessing is that he had reiterated his profession of faith in Jesus earlier that same day.

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Sermon Rewind 6/9/13 - A Lasting Faith

Liz Yim continued the Red series with a message about faith, and what faith is based on the accounts where Jesus talked about faith in the Gospel of Matthew. Faith requires us to know God, to know His character and nature.  A lasting and real faith will be rooted in a relationship with God that is informed daily by the scriptures.  Faith also requires us to believe, act with a hopeful expectation and have confidence in who God is.  As we get on the journey of faith, sometimes our experiences may not match up with what the scriptures say.  In these times, God will honor our conversations with Him about unbelief - "I believe, but help me overcome my unbelief."   

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Thursday, June 6, 2013

Sermon Rewind 6/2/13 - More Than Words

John 14:15-24
New International Version (NIV)
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[a] in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”


23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.



Dave Brubaker paraphrased Jesus' words from John 14 by quoting the song More Than Words by Extreme: "...if you only knew how easy it would be to show me how you feel ... then you wouldn't have to say that you love Me, cuz I'd all ready know."  Just as we are called to demonstrate our faith by our works (James 1:14-18), we are called to show our love for Christ in our obedience.  Dave also quoted Howard Hendricks: "The opposite of ignorance is not knowledge; it's obedience."  Jesus followed this principle when He acted out both his love for us and His obedience to the Father by going to the cross. Dave closed by asking all of us what act of love we felt the Holy Spirit was placing on our hearts to show someone right now.

by Chris Cheung

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