Monday, September 9, 2013

Sermon Rewind 9/8/13 - Marked By God

Ephesians 1
New International Version (NIV)
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To God’s holy people in Ephesus,[a] the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Praise for Spiritual Blessings in Christ
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he[b] predestined us for adoption to sonship[c] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he[d] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
11 In him we were also chosen,[e] having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[f] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.




Dave Brubaker talked about how the excitement of a church retreat often fades after it ends. Many times after a retreat, people say "Well, it's back to reality" but in actuality, the Bible is the true reality. Zacchaeus climbed a tree to see Jesus, and Jesus met him and changed his life.

Dave drew inspiration from Ephesians 1, which talks about how God chose us and gives us every spiritual blessing. Dave summarized Ephesians 1 with the phrase "You have what it takes." Often, we underestimate ourselves - sometimes others see our strengths that we are blind to, and sometimes we have strengths that others are unaware of. Dave encouraged us to have a greater awareness of our capabilities and use them for God.


Jesus told his disciples, "I will make you fishers of men." Jesus will make you what you need to be to do his work. The Holy Spirit seals us and owns us, much like Andy in 'Toy Story' wrote his name on Woody's boot.

by Kenny Yamada

Listen to this sermon and others online! 

http://noc.newsong.net/grow/resources/message-archives

Sermon Rewind 8/25/13 - Soul Talk: Facing Tragedy

Dave Brubaker concluded the Soul Talk series by answering, "How does the church address tragedies of life and depression?"

When people face tragedies, well meaning friends try to give advice, like 'There's a plan'. In the Bible, Job suffered many afflictions, and his friends’ advice didn't help. Dave explained that many times, the best thing to do is just be there for your friends, say nothing and simply be a caring and listening ear.

In 2 Corinthians: 7-9, Paul recounts a “thorn in the flesh” that God would not take away from him. But God said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Sometimes God does give us things that even we can't handle. Why? So that we will fall on our knees before him.

Dave concluded by sharing the story of a lesbian woman who near the end of her life, was filled with struggles and doubts. She met Mother Teresa, and poured out her heart to her.  Mother Teresa said few words, but expressed her love for the woman - the thing she needed most.
http://noc.newsong.net/grow/resources/message-archives



by Kenny Yamada

Listen to this sermon and others online! 

Sermon Rewind 8/18/13 - Soul Talk: How Do I Love Someone Who Is Hard To Love?

Last Sunday Alex Wu continued the Soul Talk series and addressed the question: “How do I love someone who is hard to love?”
To really understand the question, Alex asked the following:
1. Who does the hard to love refer to? It can be someone you don’t like, as well as someone you are simply indifferent to.
2. What makes loving these people hard? Because we view love on a scale of transactions. When we love someone we expect to be loved back.
3. Why should we love them? Because Jesus says to love God, and to love your neighbor as yourself.
4. How do we do it? Following I Corinthians 13:4 - “Love is patient, love is kind.”
- We should pray a prayer that taps into the power of God, who can love in a way we cannot. - We need to make the choice to be kind to those who are unkind to us.
- We do it because we want to please God by reflecting His heart.


Listen to this sermon and others online! 
http://noc.newsong.net/grow/resources/message-archives