Jesus is Greater

Jesus is Greater

Dave Riddle - 10/22/2023

Key Passage: Hebrews 1:1-3

In the Last Days

- Hebrews 1:2

- Words pointing to the Messiah

Spoken to us through His Son.

- Hebrews 1:2

- He speaks the same message as the prophets.

- Repent!

Heir of all things

- Hebrews 1:2b

- Psalm 89:27

- Romans 11:36

God created the universe through him

- Hebrews 1:2c

- Colossians 1:16

- Everything that has ever existed!

The Radiance of God’s Glory

- Hebrews 1:3

- 2 Corinthians 4:6

An exact expression of God

- Hebrews 1:3

- Colossians 1:19

- Jesus is the fullness of God

All things are sustained by His word

- Hebrews 1:3

- Colossians 1:17

Jesus is both priest and sacrifice

- Hebrews 1:3

- He made purification for sins. How? By his blood.

- Philippians 2:8-9a

Jesus sits at the right hand of the Majesty on High

- Hebrews 1:3

- Mark 16:19

Exaltation

Conquering Self-Pity

Conquering Self-Pity
Guest Speaker - Victor Nuwamanya - 10/8/2023
Key Passage: 1 Kings 19:1-18

Missions Emphasis Week - Part 2

God’s call conquers our self-pity

1 Kings 19:1-8

- Elijah has just seen God deliver his people (1 Kings 17 & 18), and now he runs from a threat delivered by a messenger

- Even the best men are men at best…

- Elijah doesn’t consult God he just runs.

- He becomes a “non-prophet” organization.

- Another messenger arrives.

- 1 Kings 19:5

- Before God confronts Elijah he provides comfort and rest.

1 Kings 19:9-14

- “What are you doing in this place?”

- Elijah deflects.

1 Kings 19:15-17

- God gives him a task. A meaningful task. He renews Elijah’s prophetic calling.

- God meets Elijah in the cave.

- What is your cave?

- Who is your Jehu (v. 16)

Love: The Catalyst of Missions

Love: The Catalyst of Missions

Guest Speaker - Jay Armstrong - 10/1/2023

Key Passage: 1 Timothy 1:5

Missions Emphasis Week - Part 1

What do we mean when we say Gospel / Disciple?

- The gospel that you preach determines the disciples we produce.

Axiom: Christianity without Discipleship is always Christianity without Christ

- “Christianity without Discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

A Better Question: Jesus, how am I doing loving the people you’ve given me to love?

- What are we practicing?

- How are we preparing?

Grow in Grace

- Grace is God at work on our behalf to help us become and do what we could never become nor do on our own for our best good and His highest glory.

- Titus 2:11-15

The Disciple’s Process

1. Believe like Jesus

2. Live like Jesus

3. Love like Jesus

4. Serve like Jesus

5. Lead like Jesus

The Royal Command

- Love God. Love People.

- Matthew 22:32-40

A Divine Example

- As I have loved you

- John 15:11-17

A Disciple’s Duty

- Live as people of love

- Can we ever really say, we love God whom we haven’t seen if we are not willing to love the people he commands us to love who live right next door?

- Information alone doesn’t create transformation.

The Church: a community of faithful love.

- Motivated by relationships built on love, not on traditions, personalities, finances, programs, buildings, or events.

Relationships

- The end

- The means

- The message

Without Wax

- When love is sincere

Defining Love

- Love is the ongoing sacrificial pursuit of God’s best for another person.

Paul’s Purpose

- 1 Timothy 1:5

- The goal of our instruction is love

Two Goals

1. Love more people than we’ve ever loved before

2. Love people longer than we ever have before

Axiom:

- it’s more important to be than do

- It’s more important what happens in you than to you.

- You cannot give to others what you do not posses yourself.

We His People - We Beseech

We His People - We Beseech

Dave Riddle - 9/24/2023

Key Passage: 2 Corinthians 5:20

Beseech: implore, beg, ask urgently and fervently. To request earnestly or anxiously.

We plead (beseech) on God’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.”

- 2 Corinthians 5:20

- The spotlight is on God, not us.

- …for Christ …God is …On God’s behalf… to God

- The gospel should be the only obstacle to receiving Jesus, not us.

- God could have revealed himself to the world in an infinite number of ways… he chose us as his ambassadors.

- We each have a role and a part to play.

- Ambassadors = presbeuo: to be a senior, act as a representative, to be an ambassador.

- You represent Jesus to everyone you meet.

Boldness and Urgency

- Ephesians 6:19-20

- pray that I might be bold…

- Do we have a sense of urgency in sharing the gospel?

- parakaleo: to call near. Invite, invoke, implore. To beg or beseech.

Be Reconciled to God

- Settle your debts and differences

- “Let God change you from enemies to friends” (GNT)

- Our message: live at peace with God. Come back to God.

- 2 Corinthians 5:17 - …God reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.

We His People - We Become

We His People - We Become

Dave Riddle - 9/17/2023

Key Passage: Philippians 2:5

Spiritual Formation/Development

- “The process of being formed in the image of Christ…” – M Robert Mulholland Jr. - Invitation to a Journey

- Luke 6:40

- We should be becoming more like Jesus.

- Matthew 28:19-20

- We should be forming others to be more like Jesus.

- Teaching for transformation, not just information.

Imitators of Christ

- John 14:15 - If you love me, keep my commands.

- 1 John 2:4-6

- …walk just as Jesus walked.

- 1 Peter 2:21

- Ephesians 5:1-2 - be imitators of God

- 1 Corinthians 11:1 - imitate me as I imitate Christ

- Galatians 2:20a

- …I no longer live but Christ lives in me.

Belonging and Becoming are intrinsically tied together

- We are meant to walk and grow together.

How do we do this?

Philippians 1:6

- God is at work in you!

- Surrender, listen to the Holy Sprit

- Walk with brothers and sisters in Christ

Hebrews 12:1-3

- Jesus starts and finishes the work

- Our job? Throw off all the weight that entangles us.

2 Corinthians 3:18

- be transformed

Galatians 5 - Fruit of the Spirit

- are you filled with these things?

- Are you growing in them?

“The process of being formed in the image of Christ for the sake of others” – M Robert Mulholland Jr. - Invitation to a Journey

If we aren’t becoming more like Jesus, what’s the point?

- “the church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that… [it’s] simply a waste of time. God became man for no other purpose.”

- CS Lewis

We His People - We Belong

We His People - We Belong

Dave Riddle - 9/10/2023

Key Passage: 1 Peter 2:9

We Belong to God

- 1 Peter 2:9

- Deuteronomy 7:6b - Notice the similarities.

- Genesis 17:7 - God kept His promise to Abram.

- John 1:12-13 - Children of God

- 1 John 3:1

- Revelation 21:3 - We Belong to God Forever

We Belong to Each Other

- Romans 12:5 - members of one body

- Philippians 2:3-4 - look to the interests of others.

Brothers & Sisters in Christ

- Are you just attending church, or are you walking in community?

We His People - We Believe

We His People - We Believe

Dave Riddle - 9/3/2023

Key Passage: John 3:14-16

You may have heard “Hope is not a strategy”

  • There is some truth to that popular saying.

    • But hope IS an essential part of our faith.

      • 1 Corinthians 13:13

      • Hebrews 11:1-3

      • Romans 15:13

We Believe

  • We are people of faith.

    • John 3:14-16

    • Ephesians 2:8-9

      • Saved by faith though grace.

    • Romans 5:1-2

      • Faith and hope

We often struggle to live by faith

  • So often, we walk by what we see, know, and feel, rather than walking by faith.

    • Galatians 2:20

    • 2 Corinthians 5:7

      • walk = peripateo (Greek: περιπατέω) literally: to tread all around, walk at large. Figuratively: to live, to make one’s way, to regulate one’s life, to conduct oneself

      • Are you living in a manner consistent with your confident belief in God’s promises?

    • 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

      • We do not focus on what is seen!

On what our whom do you set your eyes?

  • What/who are you chasing?

  • Are we people who live by faith?

  • Romans 8:24-25

The Canaanite Woman’s Faith 

  • Matthew 15:21-28

    • Great faith is powerful

The Disciples failure to heal

  • Matthew 17:14-21

    • Little faith is powerful

The Fiery Furnace

  • Daniel 3

    • We have faith even if God doesn’t answer our prayers.

    • We have faith even in death.

Do you believe?

  • John 11:25-26

God Hates Wicked Hearts and Evil Feet

The Hated Six - God Hates Wicked Hearts and Evil Feet

Dave Riddle - 8/20/2023

Key Passage: Proverbs 6:16-19

Seven are Detestable to Him

“Detestable” = tôʿēḇâ: Something disgusting (morally), an abhorrence, especially an idol or idolatry. Often translated “an abomination”

A Heart That Plots Wicked Schemes

  • “Heart” = lēḇ - inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding

  • “Wicked” = āven - to exert oneself, usually in vain; to come to naught; nothingness; also trouble, vanity, wickedness

What we think is right

  • Proverbs 15:12 / Most of Judges

    • The way the seems right to us is the way that leads to death.

    • We plot towards nothingness and scheme towards vanity

  • Romans 6:23 - the wages of sin is death…

  • Psalm 14:1 - …there is no one who does good.

We plot… and then eagerly run to do evil

  • Proverbs 6:18

    • What the heart plots to do, the feet are eager to carry out

    • Run = mâhar - to be liquid or flow easily

  • Proverbs 6:12-17

  • Genesis 6:5-6 - God sees the wickedness of our hearts and it breaks his heart.

The Answer

  • Christ alone.

  • Ephesians 2:8

    • We can be saved, by grace, through faith.

God Hates Lying Tongues

The Hated Six - God Hates Lying Tongues

Dave Riddle - 8/6/2023

Key Passage: Proverbs 6:16-19

A Lying Tongue

seqer: an untruth, by implication, a sham (often adverbial)

John 8:44 - …the father of lies…

  • God hates lies because he is truth and the enemy is all about deceit.

    • 2 Corinthians 11:3, 14

A Lying Witness

kezab: falsehood; literally (untruth) or figuratively (idol)

Exodus 20:16 - …do not give false testimony…

John 14:6 - I am the way, the truth, and the life.

The Sobering Reward For Lies

  • Judgement

    • Psalm 5:6

    • Proverbs 19:8

    • Revelation 21:8

    • Revelation 22:15

Why do we lie?

  • Because we’re afraid

  • To gain advantage

  • To hurt others

  • Financial gain

  • Habit

  • To avoid embarrassment

  • To hide

  • To avoid punishment

  • To protect yourself or others

How do you lie?

  • We speak untruths

  • We believe the lies of the enemy and begin to tell them to ourselves and others.

  • We lie about who we are and what we believe 

    • 1 John 2:9

    • 1 John 4:20a

The solution for our lies: Repent

  • This is good news!

    • There is hope for us if we receive the truth of the gospel.

      • John 8:31-32

  • The truth will set you free.

The Hated Six - God Hates Our Pride

The Hated Six - God Hates Our Pride

Paul Trulock - 7/30/2023

Key Passage: Proverbs 6:16-19

Haughty Eyes

  • Haughty, prideful, arrogant.

    • To have too high a view of yourself and too low a view of others. 

  • Eyes

    • The eyes convey what is in our hearts.

No exceptions

  • God hates our pride.

Why does God hate pride?

Our pride promotes selfishness

  • “The world wants proof that Christians are better than other people. The proof is that Christ can change selfish people into models of love and self-sacrifice.”

  • Philippians 2:3

  • 1 Corinthians 10:24

  • James 3:16

Our pride causes us to stop listening 

  • Isaiah 28:33

  • John 8:47

  • Luke 11:28

Our pride steals God’s glory

  • Daniel 4:30

  • John 15:5

  • Isaiah 42:8

How do we overcome our pride?

Recognize our opposition 

  • James 4:6 - God opposes the proud…

Repent of our pride

  • 1 John 1:9 - if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us…

Rely on the Holy Spirit

  • Romans 8:6-7 - …the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace…

Calling All Calvary - The Universal Calling

Calling All Calvary - The Universal Calling

Dave Riddle - 7/16/2023

Key Passage: 1 Corinthians 12

We are the body of Christ

Spiritual Body

Unity (one) + Diversity (many)

  • 1 Corinthians 12:27

  • We are more than the sum of our parts.

    • Multiplication not addition

You are one

1 Corinthians 12:12-13

We are many

1 Corinthians 12:19-20

Functionality

Romans 12:4-8

  • One body… but we don’t all have the same function

    • We have been given different gifts

    • When we don’t live into those gifts we compromise the functionality of the body

Interconnectedness

1 Corinthians 12:15-16

  • We are connected and interlocked together.

  • We need each other.

  • We need community.

Interdependence 

1 Corinthians 12:17-18, 21

  • We need each other and we need our differences.

Constructed by God

1 Corinthians 12:24-25

  • God has out the body together

  • …so that there would be no division in the body

United In Love

1 Corinthians 12:31

  • And l I will show you an even better way

    • LOVE • 1 Corinthians 13

      • Romans 12:9-10

  • When one suffers, we all suffer. When one is honored, we all rejoice • 1 Corinthians 12:26

  • Philippians 2:4

  • James 2:15-16

  • John 13:35

Growing Up - Spiritual Maturity

Growing Up - Spiritual Maturity

Paul Trulock - 7/2/2023

Key Passage: 1 Peter 3:8-12

We have the knowledge of the Bible

We have the power of the Spirit

We lack willpower

Growing old is a natural process, but growing up doesn’t come easily.

Unity

  • 1 Peter 3:8 - likeminded

  • Unity, not unanimity.

    • We don’t have to agree on everything, but we should be united despite our disagreements.

  • Devoted to the person of Jesus not devoted to programs, causes, or politics.

Sympathetic

  • 1 Peter 3:8 

  • Romans 12:15-16

    • Rejoice with those who rejoice. Mourn with those who mourn.

      • Only possible in and through unity.

      • Does your concern for others outweigh your concern for yourself?

Brotherly Love

  • 1 Peter 3:8

    • philadelphos: Loving brother or sister. In a broader sense, loving one like a brother

Compassionate

  • 1 Peter 3:8

    • splagchnizomai (Greek: σπλαγχνίζομαι) - to be moved as to one's bowels, hence to be moved with compassion, have compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity).

      • Deep compassion and tenderheartedness towards others.

Humble

  • 1 Peter 3:8

    • Meekness not weakness

    • “We never mature when we narrow the use of our efforts, talents, and means to our own advantage.”

Forgiveness

  • 1 Peter 3:9

    • Not paying back evil for evil or insult for insult.

    • Bless those who curse you.

  • 1 Peter 2:20-21

    • Called to a life of non-retaliation.

Control the Tongue

  • 1 Peter 3:10

    • Do you want to love life and see good days? Control your tongue.

Purity and Peace

  • 1 Peter 3:11-12

All of this is only possible through diligence, discipline, and community. 

What is Servant Leadership?

What is Servant Leadership?

Dave Riddle - 6/18/2023

Key Passage: Philippians 2:4-8

How do we lead/love

  • Ephesians 5:23 

    • Emulate our Heavenly Father.

  • Ephesians 6:4

    • Instruct and raise children in the ways of the Lord

  • Ephesians 5:25

    • Love like Jesus, self-sacrificially 

Servant Leadership

  • Philippians 2:5-7

    • doulos (Greek: δοῦλος): a slave, bondman, man of servile condition

Do you wish to be great, or do you wish to be a servant?

  • Matthew 20:20-28

  • John 13:4-7

Adopt the attitude of Jesus

  • Philippians 2:5 

What does the heart of a servant look like?

Selfless

  • Philippians 2:4 - look not to your own interest.

Eager

  • 1 Peter 5:2 - not out of compulsion, but freely… eagerly

Responsive

  • Matthew 9:36 - seeing the crowds, he felt compassion…

Vibrant

  • Ephesians 6:7 - work with enthusiasm

  • Colossians 3:23

Everyday for Everyone

  • Galatians 6:10 - as often as you have the chance… do good to everyone.

Is Your Faith Worthless?

Is Your Faith Worthless?

Dave Riddle - 6/11/2023

Key Passage: James 1:26-27

If anyone considers themselves religious…

  • James 1:26

  • Religious = thrēskos: fearing or worshipping God; ceremonious in the worship of God

…their religion is worthless

  • James 1:26

  • Worthless, profitless, empty, devoid of value 

    • Same word as 1 Corinthians 15:14

      • If there is no resurrection your faith is “worthless”

…If you don’t keep a tight reign on your tongue…

  • James 1:26

    • We all hold tightly to the resurrection, but how seriously do we take the way we speak?

Pure and undefiled religion…

  • James 1:27

  • Pure = katharos: clean (literally and figuratively). Free from anything that soils or corrupts.

  • Undefiled = amiantos: not defiled. Incorruptible.

Our faith is directly tied to our concern for others

  • James 1:27

    • Pure and undefiled religion means having concern for vulnerable people.

      • Orphans and widows in distress.

      • Doing this requires an investment of time, energy, resources.

  • See also: James 2:15-17, James 2:26, 1 John 3:17-18

Our Allegiance and Devotion

  • James 1:27

    • Keep yourself unstained from the world.

  • Romans 12:2 - don’t be conformed… be transformed…

What is the product of your heart?

  • Luke 6:45

    • What we say and do overflows from our heart.

Your words, actions, and heart are the true indicators of your faith.

  • Repent. Don’t rationalize.