Sermon Rewind 5/8 - GOD Loves Moms

Ephesians 2:8-10 (NASB)

⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Cindy Park continued Wonder.Full with a message focused on mothers, but directed to us all. We are GOD’s masterpieces and should reflect the Master’s hand on us and in us. Our lives should point others towards Christ. When we accept Christ, we receive both purpose (“We are not saved BY good works, but FOR good works”), and identity (“when we know who we are, we know how to live”), even when we don’t see the good in them. GOD can restore and redeem any and all aspects of our lives, so long as we are obedient.

Audrey Tang read a Mother’s Day letter to her mother Sue, thanking her, affirming her, and blessing her.

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

Sermon rewind 5/1 - Wonder.full Trust

Psalm 46 (New International Version, ©2011)

1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.[c]

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

8 Come and see what the LORD has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields[d] with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”

11 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Peter Park continues the Wonder.full series with a message from Psalms 46 - a familiar passage for many Christians about "being still and know that He is God", but it is more than just that. When we trust God and fear God, there is little to fear about our own worries in this world. His awe cannot be understood by mortals, His love is as solid as a rock. Kumi then shared about how even a tsunami in Japan can be used by Him to bring unity and strength to His church and His glory to a nation that needs it.

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

Before I Was a Mom

By Sue Tang

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom.

Sermon Rewind 4/24/11

Wonder.Full God

Psalm 139:1-18 (New International Version, ©2011)

Psalm 139
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

1 You have searched me, LORD,
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you, LORD, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts,[a] God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.


Newsong NOC celebrated this past Easter Sunday and God’s epic love story through song, dance, videos, and good food. Pastor Peter reminded us how God is so powerful, yet so personal. We were each lovingly handmade by Him, and He continuously pursues us so that we can be with Him forever. Though we may be separated by our sin or unwillingness, God never gives up. His ultimate plan to return us to Him was completed that fateful day 2000 years ago through Jesus’ death on the cross. Through it He proves His power over death and the ability to give eternal life! He is risen! Amen!

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

Sermon Rewind - 4/17/2011 - Ruth: Receive Like the Beggar

Benjie Kim ends the Benchwarmers series with his take on Ruth. She was from the hated land of Moab and yet God still used her to demonstrate the beauty and wonder of hesed - an extraordinary act of kindness, love, and self-giving. Our calling as followers of Christ is to not only demonstrate hesed, but to also take on the posture of the beggar - in order to receive God's love with openness and humility.

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

Sermon Rewind - 4/10/2011 - Thomas - From Doubting Benchwarmer to Sacrificial Starter

John 11:5-16 (New International Version, ©2011)

⁵ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, ⁷ and then he said to his disciples,“Let us go back to Judea.”

⁸ “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”

⁹ Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. ¹⁰ It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

¹¹ After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”

¹² His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” ¹³ Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

¹⁴ So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, ¹⁵ and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

¹⁶ Then Thomas (also known as Didymus^[a]) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Alex Wu continued the Benchwarmer series with a sermon on "Doubting" Thomas, a man labeled because of his actions of disbelief after the resurrection of Jesus. John 11:5-16 sheds light on a new label for Thomas, "Bold Sacrificer". Alex shared two things we can take from Thomas. The first thing is, it's okay to doubt a little. Doubt is the crossroad that can bring us to a place where our faith is strengthened. The second thing is, be willing to sacrifice. Thomas was bold and willing to follow Jesus, even at the cost of his life. Where do you see God leading you? Be open to the will of God.

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

Sermon rewind 3/27/2011 - Naaman - An Everyday Hero

Cindy Park continued the Benchwarmers series with her message - the healing of Naaman - from 2 Kings 5. Naaman went to Elisha, expecting to meet him and be instantly healed. Naaman expected a heroic cure, however, was instead asked to simply wash himself in the Jordan River. Fortunately, Naaman's servants challenged him to put aside his pride and disappointment and obey Elisha's instructions.

We are not always asked to do dramatic, heroic things, but rather humbly obey and submit to God's call on our lives, even if the daily tasks seem ordinary. We're called to be faithful with the time and resources He's given us, and to engage with the people He's put in our lives. The everyday tasks in our lives may not feel heroic, but we need to trust in God's sovereign plans, knowing that in our obedience, we get to part of His epic story.

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