Sermon Rewind 7/8/12 - Desperate For God

Genesis 45:1-2

New International Version (NIV)Joseph Makes Himself Known45 Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. ² And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.

Philippians 4:4-9

New International Version (NIV)
Final Exhortations
⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God,which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

 

Abe Park shared the dramatic story of the birth of his daughter. drawing a parallel to joseph's confrontation with his brothers in egypt, he noted how it is easy to call out to God when times are desparate, but even easier to forget to be desparate for God when we are comfortable.  we do well to seek God when we experience pain, fear, uncertainty, or lostness, but even better to remember to lean on Him at all times.

by Chris Cheung

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Sermon Rewind 7/1/12 - Life As A Catalyst

Hebrews 11:13-16

New International Version (NIV)

¹³ All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. ¹⁴ People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. ¹⁵ If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Charles Lee shared on what it means to live a catalytical life. Nobody wants to just live the status quo - we want our lives to be meaningful. In the Bible, David was such a man, and also surrounded by men that brought about change for the Israelites. What they all had in common was their origins as misfits - they were distressed, indebted, discontented people. But despite their circumstances, they had the same outlook - they wanted their actions to affect eternity. God often uses unlikely misfits to do his greatest works. As God’s misfits, we need to come to terms with who we are, embrace our lives and identity in Christ and choose to live forward. As we evaluate life through the lens of eternity, we learn to work not just as leaders but also under submission or duress.

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Sermon Rewind 6/24/12 - Praying For The Holy Spirit

Galatians 5:16-25

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever^[a] you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Peter Park continued the Pneuma series with a message from Galatians 5:16-25, on what it means to be a Christian, and to struggle with sins. We repeat sins because "I am" doing it without relying on the Holy Spirit. We are not living with the full potential of the Holy Spirit because we do not fully understand. The Holy Spirit is not an "it" but the 3rd person of the Trinity who lives within us. Change nothing, nothing changes. Spiritual highs are supposed to be for showing us a glimpse. Without a daily relationship with the Holy Spirit, we revert back to the old self. By knowing God, the by products are the Fruit of the Spirit. The relationship with the Holy Spirit points us back to Jesus. He constantly reminds us. The Holy Spirit within me draws us to the Fruit of the Spirit. When the Holy Spirit points us to Jesus then we point others to Jesus.



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Sermon Rewind 6/15/12 - Father's Day

On Father's Day, Ed Salas came to speak about the need of fathers in today's society, where fathers are hard to find in a society that has pushed entertainment above responsibilities. Christ calls us to be spiritual fathers - those who will lead the boys to Christ. He will bring His dreams to you, affirmation and love to you. This is what a real father is about.

by Ed Chu

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Sermon Rewind 6/10/2012 - Born of The Spirit

John 3:5-8

New International Version (NIV)

5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[a] gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You[b] must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”[c]

 

Benjie Kim continued the Pneuma series stressing the importance of being born of the Holy Spirit.  Nicodemus (much like us) came to Jesus knowing much in his head, but believing little in his heart.  The Holy Spirit tells us that we belong to God, shows us that He loves us without limits, and teaches us to find delight in recognizing God's voice.  The Spirit also gives us power have a life "flip turned upside down."

by Chris Cheung

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Sermon Rewind 6/3/2012 - The Holy Spirit

Ephesians 3:14-19

New International Version (NIV)

A Prayer for the Ephesians

14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge —that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Cindy Park continued the Pneuma series with a message from Ephesians 3:14-19 about how the Holy Spirit helps us fully grasp God's love.  Paul's goal for us is to be filled with the fullness of God and it takes the power of the Holy Spirit to help us fully embrace God's love for us.  Being in deep intimate relationship with Jesus establishes a stability, security, and confidence to sustain us during life's pain and trials. We struggle with the idea of being loved, and look for affirmation of love from outside sources, but this will always lead to disappointment.  Through prayer for our hearts to be fully filled in the Holy Spirit, we can rest in the knowledge of God's love for us and this ultimately impacts the way we view ourselves, and helps us to live with an outward focus.  Instead of trying to earn love or prove we're worthy of love, we can live in the overflow of God's great love for us.  How could the full knowledge of God's wide and long and high and deep love for us impact the way we live?

by Arnold Wang

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Sermon Rewind 5/27/2012 - The Unexamined Life

Romans 8:5-11

New International Version (NIV)

⁵ Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. ⁶ The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷ The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. ⁸ Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

⁹ You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life^[a] because of righteousness. ¹¹ And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of^[b] his Spirit who lives in you.

Benjie Kim started the Pneuma series. His message from Romans 8:5-11 is about what living in the flesh, the law and what living in the Spirit is. Living a life according to the sin nature is living in the flesh - it points to a need filled outside of God. Contrast with living by the Spirit, which gives life. This tension of sin and Spirit-filled life will never end on this side of eternity. When the Spirit speaks into our lives, He will always point to a way. We need to examine our lives and be open to the Spirit's lead.  The unexamined life is not worth living. Through the Spirit, He will speak, convict us and show us His way. He may not tell us clearly where we are going, but He will never leave us to face life's trials alone.

by Ed Chu

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