Sermon Rewind 02/27/11 - Freedom in Christ

Colossians 2:8-12 (NIV)

⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. ⁹ For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, ¹⁰ and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. ¹¹ In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

Benjie Kim continued the One series by paraphrasing Colossians 2: “Jesus is the only way for us to experience freedom.” No human philosophy, tradition, or pursuit can achieve this, certainly not our pursuit of the illusion of safety. We have darkness within us that no amount of piety or good works can counter. Only Jesus and the cross can free us from our darkness.

Sermon Rewind 2/20/11 - Knowledge vs. Belief

Colossians 1:15 - 23
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.
17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,
20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.
22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—
23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.


It is one thing to know the truth, and another to believe the truth. As Christians in the early days struggled with the truth of Christ, Paul sent the Colossians a letter reaffirming the truth and provisions gained in The One - Christ. As Christ followers, we believe in the preeminence of Jesus – that He was God in the flesh, who reconciled us to bring us in relationship with God. Because of this, we have been rendered holy and without fault. We may have this knowledge, but do we believe it? Armed with this knowledge, we must continually stand firm in it. Only through true belief that Christ now lives in us can we be compelled to transform our hearts and minds. Believing in Christ’s power is the only way we can learn to truly forgive, do good, and resist temptation.

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Sermon rewind 2/13/2011 - Deeper with Jesus

Lamentations 3:21-33 (New International Version, ©2010)

21 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke
while he is young.

28 Let him sit alone in silence, for the LORD has laid it on him.
29 Let him bury his face in the dust — there may yet be hope.
30 Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him, and let him be filled with disgrace.

31 For no one is cast off by the Lord forever.
32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.
33 For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.

Myths about suffering vs. God's view:

Man's View	God's View
As Christians we should not suffer in this life.	We are called to suffer for Him (1 Peter 2:20-21)
When we are living in His will, living godly lives, we should experience few hardships.	We must go through many hardships to enter His kingdom. We were destined for trials (Acts 14:22, 1 Thess. 3:3)
Suffering means something is wrong. It is an abnormal state.	Suffering is normal, and inevitable in this Christian life (2 Tim. 3:12)
Suffering has no redeeming or positive results.	God uses suffering for our good, to conform us to the likeness of His Son. (Rom. 8:28-29)
Suffering means we can have no joy. It robs us of the choice to rejoice.	We have a choice to rejoice in our suffering.
Spiritual people don't hurt emotionally when they suffer.	Spiritual people feel many painful emotions when they suffer (Mark 14:33-34, 2 Cor. 2:4)
If God really loves us, He won't let us suffer very much. His love means that He will put a hedge around us to keep terrible trials from entering our lives.	He didn't prevent His own Son from suffering (Rom. 8:32) and He didn't prevent Paul, Peter, John the Baptist, Job and others He loved from suffering greatly.
When we do suffer God is punishing us out of anger. He is vindictive and wants us to suffer when He is angry with us.	Suffering may be God's loving discipline for our good (Hebrews 12:7-11)

Tommy Nixon shared that if we are to be deep with Jesus, if the church is going to be the Church that God always intended us to be then we need to enter into pain, struggle and suffering and when we do we will find Jesus. Lamentations teaches us that in the midst of struggle and suffering we find clarity as we are brought to a place of dependence only on God. This deepens our relationship with Him. Entering into our own suffering and the suffering of others is essential for depth with Christ and produces the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians.

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Sermon Rewind 2/6/11 - Living a Life Led by the Voice of God

Genesis 24:3, 14, 21, 66-67
3 I want you to swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 14 May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.” 21 Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the LORD had made his journey successful. 66 Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. 67 Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

James A. Lee shared about finding a spouse by heeding God's voice. God has a particular person in mind that He will bring at the right time. Using Genesis 24, James exemplifies three ways that God speaks to us, and how to listen to Him. (1) We are to find our spouse among those who fear, love, and are passionate about God. (2) God speaks one step at a time. When God gives you a sign, ask for multiple confirmations, such as the parents giving a blessing; and the other person saying “yes.” (3) God may speak through our emotions, but it is only when we have true, unconditional love for another that we know it is a divine blessing. This ability to love freely comes only once we are filled with God’s unconditional love.

God will always answer with peace, joy, and assurance.

- By Arnold Wang

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Sermon Rewind 1/30/11 - Causing Justice For an Unjust God

Deuteronomy 32:3-4 (New International Version, ©2010)
3 I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Oh, praise the greatness of our God!
4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just.
A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.

Pastor Peter closed out the HD series by giving us an eternal and immediate view of justice. Justice is important to God because it is a nature of Him and has been instilled in every being. God created all mankind equally in value, and judges us by our actions, not our perceived external values. Because we follow a just God, we must thus uphold justice. By speaking for the oppressed, we will be pointing to God and making Jesus more tangible. When we relate to God, however, we actually want injustice. We are beings who routinely fail and sin, and deserve eternal separation from Him. However, we ask for His grace – an unjust verdict. If we accept his unjust grace of salvation, we will face an unjust eternal life with Him. We can help others learn of his unjust love by causing justice in this world.

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