LIFEGATE DENVER SERMONS

<p>One of the most profound statements Jesus makes is when he says, "I am the good shepherd." This is not simply a remark that Jesus makes off the cuff. Rather, it is a powerful invitation into the protection and provision of God's promise.</p>

<p>Our identity is not in our shortcomings, or our flaws, or the ways that the world defines us. Our Identity is in the Lord. Watch as Catherine takes us through a portion of Ruth and talks about the redemption of our identity.</p>

<p>When Jesus says that words, "I Am" He, in no uncertain terms is declaring that He is in fact, God. However, He is not a distant God. Rather, He brings to us the proximity of God Himself. In John 10 Jesus says that He is the "door." In this message, we learn the truth of what that means and by living in who Jesus is we can experience the peace that Jesus offers us in this life.</p>

<p>The world we live in is dark. This is not meant to be a challenging concept to wrap our minds around. Yet, we often fail to embrace a truer reality: Christ is the light of the world. This week we dive into Scripture’s witness of God breaking into the darkness through Christ, our true light.<br><br>Watch as Pastor Trevor shares a powerful message on Jesus being the light of the world.</p>

<p>The Good News of the Gospel is not that Jesus came to make bad people good but to make dead people alive. God loves you. Because He loves you He sent His Son Jesus to invite you into life with him.<br><br>Jesus Christ is the Son of God who lived a perfect life and died on the cross for your sins. He was buried in a tomb but three days later He walked out defeating sin and death. In His resurrection, He offers you a new life in God. This decision to believe is not simply to acknowledge it but to begin the journey of walking with Jesus every day. It is an invitation to surrender your life to Him.<br><br>Do you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead and through Him, you can have life? Do you believe He is calling you to walk with Him?</p>

<p>Isn't it odd that the first "I am" statement that Jesus makes is comparing himself to bread? But it is a very strategic comparison. Bread is universal, it is symbolic, it is something that everyone understands culturally, gluten or not. It is something everyone has in their homes, something that is close, somethings that we depend on. Jesus is the same way. He is close, he is familiar, he is known.</p>

<p>1 Thessalonians 5:16-18<br><br>How do you pray in a pandemic? If we are honest, praying in times that are difficult does not come easy to us. Yet, God's Word reminds us to "rejoice, pray and give thanks" in all seasons. In this message Pastor Nirup encourages us how to pray during a pandemic with the "frequency and intimacy of heaven."</p>

<p>We are living in truly uncertain times. While the tactic of the enemy is to try and grip us with fear we know that God is sovereign and in control over all things. In this message Pastor Nirup teaches from Psalm 121 and what it means to live in the promises of God in times like today. Our hope is found in Christ and Christ alone.</p>

<p>Hospitality is a necessary part of walking with God. We see that Paul, while he was in prison, still opened up his doors and still invited people in. He didn't have the greatest situation, he was certainly not living in luxury, he was living in constraint, and working to live in that constraint. But he still practiced a consistent and hospitable heart. This is how we should act. Watch as Pastor Nirup brings us deeper into the topic of hospitality.</p>

<p>There is a story that each and every believer has been instructed to tell. It is the job of both the individual and the church to tell the incredible story of transformation and becoming Made Alive in Christ Jesus. It is a story that is not meant to be kept within our circles, within the wall of our church, but it is a story meant to be shared with the ends of the earth. Watch as Pastor Nirup takes us deeper into what it means to share the Eternal Story.</p>

<p>The first expression of the local Kingdom community found in the New Testament was a collective of people who understood what it meant to live in the Kingdom's invitation. In this message we see and learn how this new church expressed, embraced and extended the Gospel in such a way that people were being "saved day by day."</p>

<p>The community of Christ is one that is called to gather. There is a responsibility in our walk with Christ to be a people that gather, that are in community with each other, that are engaging in the lives of other believers. Watch as Pastor Nirup takes us deeper into what this means in our own lives.</p>

<p>Do you have fear? Or does fear have you? So often we are blind to the things in our life that may be controlling us. But we were not created for slavery. Those of us that belong to the family of God that have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us, we were created for freedom. Watch as Pastor Nirup takes us deeper into what it means to be living in freedom.</p>

<p>Watch as Pastor Jim and his wife Alisha talk about their story, how God has provided in the midst of them stepping out and being bold, and how the next chapter they are stepping into reflects the call on each of our lives to step into God's calling.</p>

<p>Watch as Pastor Trevor takes us through what we are created for. We are made in God's image and not made just to enjoy life on earth in meaningless ways but to bring the Kingdom of God to earth.</p>

<p>One can give without loving but one cannot love without giving. We see that God loved and because he loved He gave everything he had and then He gave some more. Dr. Reverend Martin Alphonse guides us deeper into the magnitude of John 3:16 and 1 John 3:16 in the context of God giving everything for us out of love for us.</p>

<p>The greatest embodiment of love is sacrifice. That means that love will always cost something. The tithe is a perfect example of that sacrifice and Jesus is the perfect example of the tithe. Jesus was God's tithe to humanity.</p>

<p>Giving is an act of love. God gave his only Son to die on the cross for our sins, and that is the greatest gift humanity has ever received. However, we so often put different values on those that we claim to love, we place different values in certain treasures. As we gaze at Jesus we become givers and when we give we become more like Jesus who gave everything he had for everyone to receive. Watch as Pastor Nirup takes us through the act of giving in a refreshing way, not out of obligation nor guilt, but out of love.</p>

<p>The Christian life is about becoming more like Jesus which cannot be done without God's power. In this message, we learn what it means to be invited into God's power as we face the battles in our lives before the blessing can be experienced.</p>

<p>When we hear God’s voice we have the assurance that we are called into His promise. In this message Pastor Nirup teaches through the life of Elijah how he was truly a man of great faith and anticipated God’s promises.</p>

<p>The story of Elijah is the story of one man who is on fire for God. Though he was called out of obscurity what we find in his life was that he truly knew how to hear and obey the voice of God. In this first message, we unpacked the story of Elijah to see that the voice we believe will determine the life we experience.</p>

<p>The definitive trait of God’s people has always been his presence. As God’s people, we must center the entirety of our being around engaging with and calling others into this presence. It has been, and must always be, the church’s distinctive.</p>

<p>The church of the future will not be obsessed with entertaining a crowd but deploying a force. As the people of God, we are called to action. To make disciples as we go, at work, at a coffee shop, at school, wherever that applies. That is the future of the church and it is the call to action in each of our lives.</p>

<p>What the world needs today is a church that has a prophetic voice - a church and people who have a vision of the future and boldly proclaim it the world. In this message Pastor Nirup challenges the church to reclaim the voice it was given by the Lord Jesus.</p>