What is God's Will For My Life?

Message Begins at 37:00

What is God’s Will for my life

Jordan Baker - 6/4/2023

Key Passage: Matthew 22:36-40

Remain in God’s Presence and Follow His Leading

• Exodus 13:17 - Pillars of cloud and fire

• Numbers 9:15-17, 22-23 - They camped at the Lord’s command and they set out at the Lord’s command

• God’s people don’t have to worry about when and where to move if we are firmly planted in his presence.

• “where is the shade?”

What does this actually look like in our lives?

• Matthew 28:18-20

• Make Disciples

• A Disciple is one who:

• Loves Jesus

• Follows Jesus

• Is Being Changed By Jesus

• Is On Mission With Jesus

• Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you.

• 1,500 unique commands in the Bible.

• They all depend on…

Love God and Love Others

• Matthew 22:36-40

• Every command exists to help you love God, love others, or both.

“Throughout history, one's calling has often been narrowly defined as an occupation or a status in life… As a result, we often think: "Whatever my calling was, I think I may have missed it." Or, "I'm not trained. I'm just a regular person." Or, "I'm just working, waiting for my true calling to reveal itself." Scripture teaches, however, that every Christian is called by God at conversion. And that calling encompasses the whole of our lives. Recovering this truth revolutionizes how we understand our role--in the workplace and in the world-as men and women sent by Jesus to embody his love.” Pete Scazzero Emotionally Healthy Relationships Day by Day

Know God and Make Him Known, Together.

• Love God… Love Others - Matthew 22:36-40

• We love God by being in relationship with Him and knowing Him intimately.

• We love others by demonstrating Christlikeness to them.

• And we do these things together, because this is a calling for all believers.

Up, In, & Out

• How is your relationship with God? - this is Your UP relationship

• How is your relationship with Other believers? - Your IN relationship

• And Your OUT relationship - How are you proclaiming gospel truth, not just through your actions, but also through your words to the people in your life who don’t know Jesus?

• How will your next decision affect your ability to Love God and Love Others while walking side-by-side with Other Believers? 

What is God’s Will for my life?

• How am I loving God and loving others in this season of life?

• How am I knowing God and making Him known Together with other believers?

• How am I balancing my Up, In, and Out relationships?

All of those questions are just different ways of saying “how can I remain in God’s presence and follow his leading” in my life today.

Make Your Life Count For The Kingdom

Make your life count for the Kingdom

Paul Trulock - 5/28/2023

Key Passage: Matthew 25:14-30

What is the Kingdom like?

• Matthew 25:14-30

The Master

• God. The creator and sustainer of all things.

• Sovereign over all things.

The Servants

• You and me.

• Entrusted with responsibility

The Talents

• The responsibilities God has entrusted us with.

• Time 

• Talent/Gifting/Spiritual Gifts

• Treasures (material resources)

• Matt 25:14 - all things belong to God and have been given to us to steward.

First & Second Servants

• Matthew 25:15 - …according to their ability.

• Luke 16:10 - faithful with little…

• They took what they were given and “Immediately put it to work”

• Delayed obedience is disobedience

Third Servant

• Matthew 25:18 - He dug a hole and hid his money.

• Our lives will never count for the kingdom if we live a hidden life.

First & Second Servants Received:

• Praise

• Praise for their faithfulness, not their fruitfulness.

• The fruit is the product of the Holy Sprit.

• Our job is to be faithful. The results are up to God.

• More responsibility 

• Invitation of special fellowship

The Third Servant

• Matthew 25:25 - I was afraid

• The opposite of faith is not doubt. God can work with our doubt. The opposite of faith is fear.

• Hebrews 11:6

• He is described as: Wicked, Lazy, Worthless.

Attend your own funeral

• Galatians 2:20 - Die to self. Live by faith.

What’s the point of Baptism?

What’s the point of Baptism?

Dave Riddle - 5/21/2023

Key Passage: Romans 6:3-11

John the Baptister 

• Jewish ritual purification based on laws from Leviticus.

• John took it a step further. He required people to repent. Turn from sin. Turn towards God.

Jesus makes a local phenomenon a global one

• Matthew 28:19

• An imperative to make, baptize, and teach disciples.

Why Immersion?

• The grammar says so

• baptizo (Greek: βαπτίζω) - to dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge (of sunken vessels); to cleanse by dipping or submerging, to wash, to make clean with water, to wash one's self, bathe.

• Clarity from a recipe for Pickles

• It’s consistent with what we see in the New Testament.

Baptism is…

An Identifier

• It is open identification with Jesus and his death

• Romans 6:3

Impactful

• A picture of the impact of Jesus’ transformative work in our loves.

• Romans 6:6-8

Sufficient

• Baptism displays the sufficiency of Jesus’ Sacrifice

• Romans 6:9-10

• 1 Peter 3:18

A Reminder

• It reminds each believer of the call to follow Jesus.

• Romans 6:11

• Galatians 2:20

Spiritual Parents • Mother’s Day

Spiritual Parents • Mother’s Day 

Dave Riddle - 5/14/2023

Key Passage: 1 Corinthians 4:14-21

10,000 Guardians

• 1 Corinthians 4:15

• paidagogos: literally, a child-leader. A guardian and guide for children

Not many fathers

• 1 Corinthians 4:15

• gennao: literally to procreate. Used of women who gave birth or men who fathered.

I became your father through the gospel.

• 1 Corinthians 4:15

Truth

• 1 Corinthians 4:14

• Commuted to the truth out of genuine concern.

• “Not to shame you but to warn you”

Love

• 1 Corinthians 4:14

• Matthew 3:17

• agapetos: “dearly beloved”

A Living Example

• 1 Corinthians 4:16

• “Imitate me”

• 1 Corinthians 11:1

A Collaborator

• 1 Corinthians 4:17

• 2 Timothy 2:2

• This is a group effort; a team sport 

Gutsy 

• 1 Corinthians 4:18-21

• it takes courage!

• “If you’ve never been hated by your children, you haven’t been a parent” - Bette Davis

• “If you can’t fly, run. If you can’t run, walk… but by all means keep moving” - MLK Jr. 

Do You Love Me?

Do you love me?

Dave Riddle - 5/7/2023

Key Passage: John 21:15-23

Do you love me?

• John 21:15-17

• “You know I love you!”

• Three questions, matching Peter’s three denials.

Peter was grieved

• John 21:17

• Mark 10:22

• Matthew 17:22-23

Different kinds of love

• Jesus’ 1st and second questions: love=agapaō: divine, unconditional, perfect love

• Peter’s Response and Jesus’ 3rd Question: love=phileō: brotherly love.

• Possibly Jesus lowering the base for Peter?

• Possibly Peter using a more warm and tender version of the word?

• Possibly they author is trying to help us understand the full breadth of love?

Do you love me more than these?

• Possibly, do you love me more than you love these other disciples?

• Possibly, do you love me more than these other disciples love me?

• Possibly, do you love me more than you love fishing?

• Possibly, a combination of all of these.

You know all things.

• John 21:17

Feed my sheep (lambs)

• John 21:15-17

• Responsibility for the shepherding of the flock.

• Feed (provide) shepherd (oversee/supervise).

Do you love me?

Take care of my flock.

Keep On Following Me

• John 21:19

• What about him?

• John 21:21-22

• Don’t worry about him. Follow me!

Before the Throne of God

Before the Throne of God

Ryan & Bethany Reedy - 4/30/2023

Key Passage: Isaiah 6

Method • Questions

What Stood Out To You from Isaiah 6?

• The overlap between the heavenly and earthly realms

• Isaiah’s response to a holy God.

What Questions do you have? 

Who is King Uzziah?

• Uzziah was a pretty good King, but the people of his time were not! 

• 2 Chronicles 27

Who/What are the Seraphim?

• Isaiah 6:2

• The burning ones

• Numbers 21

• venomous snakes

• Ezekiel 10, Revelation 4

• Other passages that depict similarly strange heavenly creatures 

Shaking and Smoke?

• Isaiah 6:4

• The building shakes but doesn’t break at the voices of these beings

• Both of these things point to God’s glory.

What do we learn about God from this story?

What did Isaiah experience?

• He saw

• A high and lofty throne

• His robe filled the temple

• He heard

• Holy Holy Holy

• Supremely and completely

• He felt 

• The shaking

• He smelled

• The smoke

A Special Name of God

• Yahweh Sabaoth

• Lord of Hosts

• Lord Almighty

• Lord of Heaven’s Armies

• Also seen in Psalm 46

• This name reminds us of God’s protection. He’s there when we call out in times of need.

What do we learn about people from this story?

• Isaiah 6:5 - Isaiah’s response to seeing God is complete humility.

• He is overwhelmed and undone.

• Isaiah is completely dependent on God’s grace and mercy 

• Romans 5:6

• Isaiah doesn’t reject God, He receives God’s gift.

Isaiah’s response

• Woe is me

• Isaiah 6:5

• Here I am. Send Me

• Isaiah 6:8

What is OUR response to God’s presence and invitation in our lives?

How do the people of Isaiah’s time respond?

• Rejection (Isaiah 6:9-10)

• John 12:37-43

• Remnant (Isaiah 6:11-13)

Before the throne of God

• Revelation 7:9-10

• “Missions exist because worship doesn’t”

How do I live out what I learned?

• I have seen the King

• Here I am. Send me.

• Lord, how long will this go on?

No Turning Back - The New Normal

No Turning Back - The New Normal 

Dave Riddle - 4/23/2023

Key Passage: John 21:1-14

They go fishing and catch nothing

• John 21:1-3

• In the midst of a crazy situation the disciples look for normalcy so they go fishing… and catch nothing.

• Probably not a coincidence…

Jesus knew

• John 21:5-9

• Their struggles

• The solution

• What they needed

Not the first time

• Luke 5:1-7

• Jesus is again showing them a different way, an alternate reality to their default way of life.

• Ephesians 3:20

Breakfast with Jesus

• John 20:10-13

• They knew it was Jesus and they sat down to eat.

• Compare this to Luke 5 or Matthew 4.

• They weren’t called to be successful fishermen, they were called to be fishers of men.

The Hidden Made Visible

• John 21:14

• Jesus reveals himself to remove all doubt as his followers are about to head into the gauntlet.

• There’s no going back to our old lives!

We have been commissioned. Have we embraced it? Are we walking in it?

Sent. Commissioned. Empowered.

Sent. Commissioned. Empowered.

Dave Riddle - 4/16/2023

Key Passage: John 20:19-31

They Locked Themselves Away in Fear

• John 20:19

• John 19:38

• We gather together today, not in fear, but with joy!

Peace Be With You

• John 20:19, 21

• eirene: a national state of tranquility, harmony, and safety. In a Christian context: the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation

• Peace: the absence of chaos.

Sent On A Mission For The King

• John 20:21 - “as the Father has sent me, I also send you.”

• Sent in the same way He was sent.

• This mission is going to come with chaos, confusion, and resistance.

• Yet, he calls us to peace.

He Breathed on Them

• John 5:22

• A preview of Acts 2

He Validates their Message

• John 5:23

• their message is His message

The Purpose of This Gospel

• John 20:30-31

• So that you may believe!

• That you may come to believe (an evangelistic purpose.)

• That you may keep on believing (an edifying purpose)

• BOTH!

Easter Sunday 2023

30:31 ✦ Jesus is arrested, tried, and sentenced to crucifixion.
36:01 ✦ Jesus is crucified and dies on the cross, fulfilling his purpose to give his life for humanity.
41:39 ✦ Mary Magdalene discovers the empty tomb and informs Peter and the other disciple.
47:11 ✦ Mary Magdalene, a close follower of Jesus, was the first to witness the empty tomb.
52:54 ✦ Mary Magdalene encounters the resurrected Jesus
59:13 ✦ God reveals himself to those who society excludes.
1:05:30 ✦ Mary Magdalene serves as a prototype for each one of us that God comes to us and knows us personally and invites us to receive, not condemnation, but forgiveness and salvation.
1:15:09 ✦ Celebrating the truth of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection

The Hope of Jesus

Special Guest Speaker: Doug Campbell of Hope Clinic

Why Was Jesus Crucified?

Why Was Jesus Crucified? 

Dave Riddle - 3/26/2023

Key Passage: John 19:17-27

The Place

• Golgotha (19:17)

• An intimidating location

• “If you cross us, we cross you”

The Proclamation

• “The King of The Jews” (19:19)

• Pilate was trying to be antagonistic, but he inadvertently stumbled on the truth.

• See also Caiaphus in John 11:50

The Prophecy 

• Dividing his clothes, casting lots. (19:23-24)

• Fulfillment of Psalm 22

The Provision

• Providing for his mom (19:25-27)

• Here is your mother. Here is your son.

• Providing for the criminal on the cross (Luke 23:39-43)

• Providing salvation for us

• John 12:32 - As for Me, if I am  lifted up from the earth I will draw all people to Myself.

The Person

• No one takes my life from me, I lay it down on my own. John 10:18

• He willingly laid down his own life.

The Point

• Redemption and Adoption!

• Galatians 4:4-5

• He bears so much love for us. A love that isn’t just spoken, but is demonstrated in the most powerful way.

• Are you part of those that have been redeemed, or are you not?

• Are you a child of the King, or are you not?

Jesus Condemned to Die

Jesus Condemned to Die

Dave Riddle - 3/19/2023

Key Passage: John 18:28-19:16

Jesus Brought Before Pilate

• John 18:28-30

• Pilate asks for a specific charge and they give him a general response.

A Private Conversation

• John 18:33 - Pilate: Are you the King of the Jews?

• 18:36 - Jesus: My kingdom is not of this world.

• 18:37 - Pilate: So you are a king then?

• Jesus: I have come into the world to testify to the truth.

• Pilate: “What is truth?”

• Pilate’s Question: Dismissive? Inquiring? We don’t know.

• The answer will be seen in Jesus’ actions from this point to the end of the book.

Barabbas 

• Literally “Son of a father”

• Compared to Jesus The Son of The Father.

Jesus Flogged and Mocked

• John 19:1-3

• Not an appeal to our emotions.

• Simply a straight-forward account of what Jesus endured for the sins of humanity.

Pilate find no grounds for charging Jesus

• John 18:38, 19:4, 6

A Second Private Conversation 

• Pilate is afraid. John 19:8

• “Where are you from”

• John 19:10 - Pilate appeals to his own authority

• John 19:11 - Jesus has the ultimate authority.

• 19:12 - Pilate makes every effort to release Jesus.

We Have No King But Caesar

• John 19:15 - they were so consumed with their mission that they said something that would typically be abhorrent for them to say!

• John 19:16 - so then, because of them, Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified.

Denying Jesus

Denying Jesus

Dave Riddle - 3/12/2023

Key Passage: John 18:15-27

Peter

• Peter, much like us, had many triumphs and many failures.

• John 13:37-38 - Peter’s denial foretold.

• Matthew 26:31 and on - Peter says “It will never happen!”

The Other Disciple

• Most likely John 

• Known to be a follower of Jesus

• John 18:17

Peter’s First Denial

• John 18:17

• “I am not!”

Annas

• John 18:19

• Annas was the high priest before he was deposed by Rome

• His sons and son-in-law went on to serve as high priest.

• Annas was the real power behind all of them

• This symbolic high priest interrogates our true high priest, Jesus.

Peter Denies Jesus Twice More

• John 18:25-27

• Confronted by several people, one who obviously knows him as the man who attacked his relative.

What does Peter do?

• he tries to go back to fishing (his old life)

• John 21

Betrayal in the Garden

Betrayal in the Garden

Dave Riddle - 3/5/2023 • Key Passage: John 18:1-11

Jesus Knew What Was About To Happen

• John 18:4 - knowing everything…

• “Who are you looking for?

• John 18:5 - I am he

• “I Am”

They Fall to the Ground

• John 18:6 - at the power of Jesus’ words

• John 18:6 - I am he

• Exodus 3:14

Who is Jesus’ Friend?

• Luke 22:35

• John 18:10

• Judas is “comrade” (Matt 26:50) because he is moving Jesus towards the cross.

• Peter is rebuked because he is standing in the way of the cross

The Cup Jesus Must Drink

• John 18:11

• Jesus knows that he must be pressed out, glorified, crucified.

Walk & Believe

Walk & Believe

Dave Riddle - 2/26/2023

Key Passage: John 12:34-41

A Rebuttal

• John 12:34

• You say the messiah will be “lifted up”/glorified/killed but that’s not what we have heard…

Jesus Responds

• John 12:35-36

• For Jesus, Walk and Believe are synonymous.

• Watch for these words through the end of the chapter.

Isaiah’s Prophecies Revealed in Jesus 

• John 12:37-41

• The Word of God will either spur us on to action or it will condemn us.

A Fruitful Life Requires Death

A Fruitful Life Requires Death

Dave Riddle - 2/19/2023

Key Passage: John 12:20-33

Greeks Come Looking for Jesus

• John 12:20-22

Jesus’ Time Has Come

• John 12:23

• Compare to “my time has not yet come” in John 2, John 7, etc.

Fruitful Life Requires Death

• John 12:24-25

• Just as Jesus had to die to provide life, we have to die to our sin to have a fruitful life.

The Father Honors The One Who Serves

• John 12:26 - if anyone serves me, he must follow me.

• It has been said that “follow me” is the whole of a Christian’s duty, and “to be where Christ is” is the whole of their reward.

“My Soul is Troubled”

• John 12:27

• Troubled = tarassō (Greek) - stirred up, agitated, inward commotion, to take away one’s calmness of mind.

• Like a blender bottle 

Jesus knew what was coming

• John 12:30-33

Hosanna!

Hosanna!

Dave Riddle - 2/12/2023

Key Passage: John 12:4-19

Judas Asks A Legitimate Question

• John 12:5

  • Mary just poured a year’s wages on Jesus feet.

Judas Has Impure Motives

• John 12:6

  • His concern wasn’t actually rooted in his concern for the poor.

Jesus Responds 

• John 12:7-8

  • The Dueteronomy passage Jesus quotes here talks about the importance of generosity. 

    • Jesus isn’t diminishing the importance of generosity to the poor. 

    • He is acknowledging the importance of what Mary had done in light of his looming death.

The Plot to Murder Lazarus

• John 12:9-11

  • Evil builds upon evil

  • Sin spreads and grows

Hosanna!

• John 12:12

  • Hebrew means “save us”

  • Greek usage is uncertain

• A general expression of excitement

  • Hip hip hooray!

    • We know what we mean even if we can’t define the specific words.

Three Responses To The Presence of Jesus

Three Responses To The Presence of Jesus

Dave Riddle - 2/5/2023

Key Passage: John 12:1-11

The authorities want to arrest Jesus

• John 11:49-57

  • Jesus is wanted

  • He retreats to the wilderness

  • As Passover arrives, everyone is looking for Jesus to arrest him.

A Feast in Jesus’ Honor

• John 12:1-3

  • Mary, Martha, and Lazarus are there.

Martha - Practical Service

• John 12:2

• Martha is serving, as always.

  • This time she is serving without complaining. The serving wasn’t the problem. Her heart was.

Lazarus - Practicing His Presence

• John 12:2

• Lazarus is reclining at the table, enjoying the presence of Jesus.

  • Brother Lawrence: Practicing the presence of God.

  • Speechless and awed to just be alive.

Mary - Extravagant Acts of Humility and Devotion 

• John 12:3

• Mary shows complete and total devotion and humility.

  • It would be typical to anoint someone’s head. Incredibly unique and extraordinary to anoint someone’s feet with such an expensive product

  • Highly remarkable for a Jewish woman to let her hair down in public.

Each of these reactions are appropriate and good 

• At different times in our lives we are called to respond to Jesus in different ways.

  • We are called to respond to Jesus in each of these three ways.

God is Faithful. Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.

God is Faithful. Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.

Dave Riddle - 1/29/2023

Key Passage: Deuteronomy 7:9

God is faithful. Are we?

Many words to describe one truth. God is Faithful.

āman (Hebrew: אָמַן) - to go to the right hand. To build up or support someone. To poster as a parent or nurse. Figuratively to be firm or faithful. Permanent. True.

• Deuteronomy 7:9

ĕmeṯ (Hebrew: אֱמֶת) - stability; (figuratively) certainty, truth, trustworthiness, faithful, right, sure, true.

• Psalm 91:4

• Psalm 108:4

ḥeseḏ (Hebrew: חֶסֶד) - goodness, kindness, faithfulness. Loving-kindness

• Exodus 15:13

• Psalm 108:4

• Psalm 89:1

ĕmûnâ (Hebrew: אֱמוּנָה) - firmness, fidelity, steadfastness, steadiness

pistos (Greek: πιστός) - of persons who show themselves faithful in the transaction of business, the execution of commands, or the discharge of official duties

• 1 Corinthians 1:9 - God is faithful…

• Hebrews 3:1-6

• Hebrews 10:23

• 2 Timothy 2:13

Our natural default setting is to be unfaithful

pistis (Greek: πίστις) - persuasion, credence, conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervour born of faith and joined with it. fidelity, faithfulness

• Galatians 5:22 - faithfulness is a product of the Holy Sprit’s work in our lives.

How have you lived?

2 Timothy 4:7 - I have fought the good fight, finished the course, kept the faith.

Come & See All That God Is Doing

Come & See All That God Is Doing

Nate Gangwer - 1/22/2023

Key Passage:  Psalm 66

Psalm 66:5 (HCSB): Come and see the wonders of God;  His acts for humanity are awe-inspiring. 

Restoration

• Wrong view: cherubs and harps

• Correct view: Restoration

• Revelation 21 - a new heaven and earth

• A picture of physical restoration

• Revelation 7:9 - people of every nation and tongue, worshipping God.

• a beautiful picture of unity and diversity.

• “When life is hard, put heaven on the other side of the scale”

Redemption

• Access

• “Redemption is not just a ticket into Heaven”

• Not just mercy, but grace.

• 2 Corinthians 5:17 - new creations!

• Adoption

• We are called sons and daughters

• There’s a big difference between being invited over for dinner and being part of the family

• Romans 8 - We can call God “Abba” Father

• We are co-heirs with Christ

Reconciliation

• Why should we care about the poor?

• Guilt? The overwhelming testimony of scripture?

• Because of what Jesus has done for us and because of the way God sees us.

• If we can understand how God cares for us we can care for others.

• Join the family business!

• 2 Corinthians 5 - God is reconciling the world to Himself. We have the ministry of reconciliation.

• Matthew 6: May God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven

• shalowm (Hebrew: שָׁלוֹם) - a very broad term that means health, security, tranquility, good condition, success, comfort, and more. 

• it has layers of meaning related to peace.

• Not just peace but full reconciliation

• “The voice and the power of the gospel is reconciliation”

• working by our own power = walking around with a candle

• Living in God’s power = allowing God to blow out the candles Ava turn on the lights.

Come and see all that God is doing!