Sacred Mission Sermon Audio

<p>Unfaithfulness tends to come through the means of weariness. Weariness works to convince us that we will never truly be happy, satisfied, or fulfilled. Weariness says that all of this isn't worth it anymore. The times that we find ourselves in make our hearts weary and we begin to believe that it's easier to give up than to keep fighting.</p>

<p>In the cultural moment we find ourselves in, it seems as though our hearts are failing to hold on to faith, joy, peace, and hope. With every headline we read, a new heart wound emerges as our gaze becomes fixed on the brokenness of the world around us. How do we strengthen our hearts and lift up our heads, not to simply "make it through", but to live out the restorative promises of the gospel in our lives and the lives of others?</p><p><br></p><p>Join us for our summer vision series "Times Like These" to have your heart strengthened and your faith, joy, peace, and hope restored.</p><p><br></p>

<p>Join us this Sunday as we compare and contrast two miraculous healings in the gospel of John. In chapter 20 we are told that John recorded these acts of grace so that we might have faith, so come expecting your faith to be challenged and to grow in ways only he can do!</p>

<p>In John 4, we see the famous encounter of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. Through this encounter, we see an unlikely proposal and immeasurable blessing that Christ offers to each of us.</p>

<p>John the Baptist’s disciples, who were becoming frustrated due to his declining fame, sought guidance from him. In response, John not only helped his followers comprehend the reasons for exalting Jesus but also demonstrated to them what it truly means to do so.</p>

<p>God is the artist, wise and good. We are the canvas, marred and defaced by sin. And on us, God is recreating the likeness of his Son, Jesus. Though we have fallen short of God's perfect design for us as men and women, God's grace and Spirit are redeeming his image in us. Our story is not over. It's only just beginning.</p>

<p>In this sermon, we dive into the unique purposes that God gave women along with the struggles they face in a fallen world.</p>

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<p>If we are ever truly going to understand who we are and why we exist, we have to go back to the beginning. The origin of mankind sets the stage and communicates the "why?" mankind exists in the sexual binary. There is a purpose to our existence and that purpose is experienced through our sex and discovered in the beginning of God's word.</p>

<p>One of the most cherished verses of the Bible might just be the most terrifying in all of scripture! Join us as we look at John 3:16-21 and discover how the words of John bring both terror and beauty.</p>

<p>What does it take to enter the kingdom of God? Does it take living a good life, or believing the right things, or some combination of the two? What if it took something completely separate from us? Separate from all of our own actions or beliefs.</p>

<p>Taking whip in hand, Jesus famously ‘cleansed the temple’ in Jerusalem. But more than simply driving out animals and profiteers, Jesus was purging his Father’s house as a preview of both coming judgment and also salvation through his own body, the true Temple.</p>

<p>The first miracle Jesus performed, turning water into wine, is one of the most well known miracles Jesus performed. The gospel writer John calls this miracle a sign. We need to pause and ask, “Why did John include this miracle and what did he intend to. communicate with this sign?”</p>

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<p>To be found means that someone was looking, seeking... The scriptures tell us that Jesus came "to seek and save the lost" and we see this happen in the story of a man named Nathanael.</p>

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<p>Join us as we dive into the actual narrative of the gospel of John where we are brought into the life and ministry of the "other" John, John the Baptist.</p>

<p>At the end of his prologue, John wants to recapitulate and solidify our Christology. Who IS Jesus? What we come to understand about Him, will be a matter of life and death.</p>

<p>The eternal Son of God entered the world he had made, but most rejected him. By God's grace, all who welcomed Jesus were welcomed into God’s family.</p>

<p>John the Baptist was one of the greatest witnesses to the light sent by God. In the same way, we have been sent by God to be witnesses to the truth of the gospel in our everyday lives.</p>

<p>John's gospel sets forth with the task of fully answering the question posed by Jesus to Peter, "Who do you say that I am?". This is the most important question that, not simply Jesus' disciples, but all of human history would endeavor to answer.</p>

<p>The Apostle Paul is the most infamous missionary in history. While our lives will look radically different than his, we are able to observe what a life on mission looks like in our everyday rhythms.</p>

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<p>The gospel is the power to save and it is the means by which God establishes a peculiar people for His glory. A people who are taken out of the world and brought into a community of doing life with one another as disciples of Jesus.</p>

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<p>Joy is the fulfillment of something longed for. Christmas is often called "The Season of Joy" because of the fulfillment of God's promises longed for in Jesus.</p>

<p>Who is my neighbor? That is, whom am I obligated to love? In answer to this question, Jesus told the parable of the “Good Samaritan,” possibly the best known and least understood story Jesus ever told.</p>

<p>In today's culture children are often seen as a burden instead of a blessing. The Bible says that we are blessed when our homes are full, not when our social media reels are. In this sermon, we work to reclaim the truth of God's word and the joyous blessing of children.</p>

<p>What does it mean to love unity more? Is our goal to focus on unity? Does God want us to love unity or is unity the fruit of something else? Psalm 133 tells us how good unity is but what does that mean for us today.<br><br>Join us this Sunday as we look to understand how to love unity more.</p>

<p>Psalm 84 is a song of deep longing and appetite for God's presence. Composed by men who had at one time dwelled with God in the temple, now in captivity and cut off, this Psalm brings to light the power and beauty of the Gospel.</p>

<p>What does God require of his people? What does he want from us? Throughout the Bible the answer is to follow God's ways in how we love and promote justice for others. How do we do this in light of God's Word?<br><br>Join us as we answer the question: "how do we love the sojourner?"</p>

<p>To be able to love God would mean that we are able to know him. To know him would mean that he would have to reveal himself to us. How might we know him, and how has he revealed himself?<br><br>Join us as we answer the question of "how can we know God to love him?".</p>

<p>To begin working toward loving God more, we must first assess the authenticity of the love we claim to have for God already. The Apostle John works to help us do just that through a spiritual litmus test he gives to the church.</p>

<p>Our heart's affections are more often stirred by the things of this world than by the things of our Father. We have to train and discipline our hearts to foster a love for the things God's word tells us we should love; things like Him, our neighbors, unity, generosity, and our city.</p>

<p>As Paul closes his letter to the Philippians he instructs them to "greet" all those in Christ. A task only able to be accomplished by both being known and knowing others.</p>

<p>It is so difficult to be satisfied in our lives. Whether it be in our jobs, relationships, health, etc. our propensity is to have hearts that are dissatisfied... absent of contentment. In this, we trick ourselves to believe that contentment is just another decision, action, or plan away, but then we arrive and are quickly as dissatisfied if not more than we were before.</p>

<p>In a world brimming with fear, anxiety, and division is it possible for God's people to live in Peace? Who are we called to peace with, and just what is peace in the first place? In this sermon, we unpack Paul's reminder that as the people of God, it is our privilege to live out the Gospel in true peace.</p>

<p>With the single-minded focus of an olympic sprinter, the Apostle Paul pressed towards the finish line in his race of faith in Jesus Christ.</p>

<p>Our whole lives we work toward building substance into our personhood. A substance filled with accomplishments and accolades that point to some semblance that we have earned a right standing in this universe. But when do we know we've truly earned enough or how do we know we are earning the right things?</p>