Sermon Reflections from Addiction | Stevan Cox and Alex Hardt | June 25, 2023
Pastor Alex reminded us that addiction is a powerful tool that Satan uses to capture and ensnare our thoughts and lives. His good friend, Steve Cox, shared this truth from his own life and how he saw the consequences of sin play out in what happened to him. To begin, Pastor Alex shared the movie example from Stay Awake where the lives of those surrounding the addict mother were affected by her addiction. Even though the addict thinks they are only hurting themselves the repercussions of their actions reverberate around them as others seek to ‘make things better’ and enable them to continue with their addictive behaviors. Steve continued with his own story of redemption from addiction and evil life choices though the power of Christ in his life. His transformation was complete, whole and filled with restoration and hope. God is good and showed himself in Steve’s life in extraordinary ways. Praise God! As I reflected upon the power of God’s great love for Steve, I was drawn anew to the scripture passages each chose to rely upon. Steve choose 1 Corinthians 15:32-44. This passage speaks about the truth and reality of Christ’s resurrection. Without the power of the resurrection all would be lost. Without the healing power of Christ and what he did on the cross when He died and rose again, Steve, you and I would be desolate and lost without hope. Without the reality of Christ in our lives, it would simply be as verse 32b states, “If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” All our world would be temporal and of and for itself. With Christ in our lives, we gain hope, purpose, salvation, an eternal home and a relationship with God Almighty. Pastor Alex chose Matthew 5:12-12. In this portion of scripture Jesus is giving the Sermon on the Mount and gives a listing of the attitudes that Christ desires us to have in our lives. We will receive God’s blessings if we are sorry for our sins and mourn over what we have done. With a humble attitude we will be uplifted and filled with His purpose, righteousness, purity, peace and the power to sustain us during persecution. Once one turns to Christ, a life filled with blessings awaits. Repentance will begin the process towards all that Christ has for each of us. The power of God’s love and forgiveness is greater than any addiction and is strong enough to break the chains of sin that can bind us. Steve reminded us that addiction does not have to be about drugs and alcohol alone but can be anything that takes the place of the love in Christ in our lives. This is a sobering reminder to constantly examine our priorities and pray, pray, pray. I loved his main point saying, ‘Your walk talks and your talk talks, but your walk talks louder than you talk talks.’ Taking this apart, I see how you live your life- your daily actions speaks to others about who you are. Your words of course speak to who you are. The loudest witness to others is when our words and actions match and thereby speak in unity of Christ in all ways. God uses us to show Himself to those around us as others see and hear us. God desires that our lives are committed and aligned to Him. Micah 6:8 puts it this way, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Take some time this week to examine your walk, your words and ask yourself, how they are matching up? Do your words and actions align with God’s Word? If not, take time to pray and seek God’s help. Let Him direct you and point you in the way you should go! Linda SERMON LINK Click Here to View the Sermon Our Sunday service is online and in-person at 11:00am. Come visit us at 5353 Concord Blvd, on the corner of Concord Blvd and Kirker Pass. Sermon Reflections from Redefining A Hero | Damon Hopkins | June 18, 2023
Last Sunday we were privileged to hear from Damon Hopkins as he compared Spiderman and his situations to Daniel from the Old Testament. Damon knew a lot about Spiderman, way more than I do, even though I have seen the latest Spiderman in the U-verse. Spiderman is uniquely heroic in whatever universe he is in and always stands for justice and goodness. Not all those who surround Spiderman, in whichever universe he appears, agree with Spiderman and many would like to see him destroyed or discredited. They would like to see him ruined before their eyes so they can rejoice in his defeat and claim victory. Surprisingly, the situations where Spiderman constantly finds himself entangled do resemble the situation in which Daniel of the Old Testament found himself. Unlike Spiderman, Daniel had no super power of his own but he did trust in the most sovereign superman of all, God. Daniel was a Jew who was deported as a young man to serve a foreign king in Babylon. We know from Chapter 1 of Daniel, he was a young righteous man who was a good practicing Jew and sought to keep God’s laws even in Babylon. God prospered Daniel and he became learned and was employed by the king. As an advisor Daniel had power which he sought to use justly for the king and his kingdom. There were others that were jealous of Daniel’s knowledge and success and sought to ‘bring him down.’ Scripture tells us they looked for ways to trip him up or find fault in his work or behavior and could not find any. Chapter 6:4-5 “Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. 5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.” His opponents got desperate and decided to trick King Darius into making a law that would prohibit the worship on any god but himself for 30 days. They knew that Daniel was faithful to his God and would not let this deter him. They were right, Daniel 6:10 “ When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.” The trap was laid and all they needed to do was wait. God allowed this to unfold as His plan would bring honor to Daniel, honor and glory to Himself and justice to the evil doers. The opponents of Daniel exposed and accused him of worshipping someone other than king as the law had forbidden for 30 days. When exposed, the king had no alternative but to condemn Daniel to death in the lion’s den. (When the king of the Medes and Persians made an edict or law, it could not be revoked even by the king. The opponents of Daniel knew this and used it to their advantage to get rid of Daniel.) The King was grieved that he had to carry out the order he had foolishly written but he was obligated to do so. He paced and worried all night and when daylight came, he was right there to see if Daniel’s God had saved him. Chapter 6:19-22 “Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. 20 As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” As in the Spiderman movies, now all that was left was the clean-up. The hero had won the battle and good had triumphed over evil. Unlike Spiderman, Daniel’s super power which allowed him to survive safely while with the hungry lions came from God. It was all God and Daniel praises His God and so does the unbelieving King Darius. See how Darius praises God and reveals what he has learned about God’s character through Daniel. Chapter 6:25-27 “Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, For he is the living God, (God is living.) enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, (God is eternal.) and his dominion shall be to the end. 27 He delivers and rescues; (God cares and rescues.) he works signs and wonders (God preforms wonders) in heaven and on earth, he who has saved Daniel (God saves.) from the power of the lions.” God calls each of us to be His Super people wherever He has placed us. Be it in your home, church, community, workplace or nation, He wants us standing for Him. I am reminded of Paul’s admonition in Ephesians 6:13 ‘ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” Just like Daniel we are called to take what God gives us- faith, His righteousness, His salvation, the Word of God, the truth of the gospel, and our spiritual gifts and hold on. We are to stand firm, rooted and grounded in Him. God promises to never leave us or forsake us and we need to trust Him in this, just like Daniel did! We are all called to be His Super people, those called are empowered by Almighty God to do His work in this world. He empowers each of us to live and work for Him every day! Linda SERMON LINK Click Here to View the Sermon Our Sunday service is online and in-person at 11:00am. Come visit us at 5353 Concord Blvd, on the corner of Concord Blvd and Kirker Pass. Sermon Reflections from Reckless Ambitions | Alex Hardt | June 11, 2023
I was not acquainted with the movie Blackberry but I am more than familiar with the term reckless ambition. All you have to do is look around at companies that seek to dominate the market, governments that put their desired and ambitions above others so they can control them, or in the pages of the Bible where we see kings seeking to subdue or enslave others and even the Pharisees who sought to dominate and control Jesus. Ambition is a good thing in many ways as it keeps us motivated and working towards our goals. Being reckless can be more than hazardous and is often associated with the young who think they are invincible! Pastor Alex pointed out the 2 sides of reckless ambition which show the faces of greed and selfishness in regard to the world, which was shown in the movie, and adventure and hope for future gain towards God and His kingdom as described in the pages of Matthew and Luke. Every person can access the way of Jesus and follow His adventure that is filled with hope and glory for God. As we know, we all have that choice to follow Jesus when we hear about Him. We know from experiences in life that the world has a strong appeal to our sin nature. Jesus described this in Matthew 7, in His sermon on the mount, 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Why is it harder to follow Jesus instead of the world? Following Jesus and living an obedient life take perseverance and time to study His Word, pray, accept the fellowship of other believers, witness to the truth of Jesus in our lives and to serve the body of Christ. There are many benefits to living a life obedient to Christ. John 15:10-11 speaks of our being able to remain in God’s love and the joy that brings. “ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” Being obedient to Christ we gain forgiveness and eternal life, John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” With faith in Jesus comes the empowering and indwelling of His Holy Spirit, 1 John 3:24 “The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.” Knowing and loving Jesus allows us to reject the ways of the world and seek to live for Him, He promises us in 1 John 5:3-4,” In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” Jesus proclaims His way is for all but sadly we know not everyone will chose to follow Him. Once the way of the cross through Jesus is chosen it becomes the driving motivation in our life. He empowers us to follow Him with diligent perseverance, hope and clarity that leads to passion for Christ. The Bible refers to this as zeal! Zeal is intense enthusiasm, passion and fervor with a purpose. Jesus wants us to pursue Him with ‘reckless’ love and ambition that is zealous for the honor and glory of His name in all the world. Jesus had this passion as he cleansed the temple of corrupt money changers. John 2:17 ‘ His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” The Apostle Paul described himself as zealous for the law before being confronted by Jesus on the Road to Damascus then he became zealous for Jesus! In his letters to the Romans and the Corinthians he exhorted followers of Jesus to lead with zeal and talk about Jesus with zeal. In Revelation, Jesus admonishes the church at Laodicea not be to lukewarm but to be zealous. Revelation 3:19 “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.” Our attitude and service for the Lord Jesus needs to one filled with zeal for the Lord and lived with reckless ambition for God and His kingdom. How can one do this? Pastor Alex reminded us that it takes focus and complete surrender to Christ. A life lived for Christ is empowered and directed by Him. When we fall or stumble or struggle in our walk, we can claim 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 over our lives. “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong”. Power filled words of promise! We can lean into God’s promises in Deuteronomy 31:6 for strength and hope. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” He can seek comfort and hope from Philippians 1:6 and 4:19 “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” “ And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” The Bible is filled with promises for us to claim as we seek to live each day for Jesus. Linda Need a promise? See me for a copy of my book, Promises for Dynamic Living. It is filled with promises we can claim for our lives. SERMON LINK Click Here to View the Sermon Our Sunday service is online and in-person at 11:00am. Come visit us at 5353 Concord Blvd, on the corner of Concord Blvd and Kirker Pass. Sermon Reflections from Are You There God | Alex Hardt | May 4, 2023
The topic of Pastor Alex’s sermon poses one of the most critical questions each of us faces in life- Who Am I? Then the follow-up question: why am I here? Once we know who we are then we can go about seeing why God created us at this time and in this place. Who am I is the question that has been asked by every generation. Since we believe that the answers to life’s questions are found in the Bible which is our guide, Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path,” we can look to God’s Word for our answers. Pastor Alex said that it is not about what we have done or are doing in life but about what God has done that will help us see who we are. Here are a few things we know from scripture that tell us who we are that could not be accomplished by anything we can or will do. I am reconciled to God. Romans 5:10-11 “For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” No way could we reconcile ourselves to perfect and holy God without His help. I am justified or declared not guilty. Romans 3:23-24 and Romans 5:1 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” and “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” There is no way we could declare ourselves not guilty of sin without God’s intervention through Christ Jesus. I am forgiven. Colossians 1:13-14 and Isaiah 38:17 “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. and “Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back.” Never could we become forgiven by anything we said or did, only God can make us new and forgive our sins! Pastor Alex pointed out an important point about our identity in Christ that we are loved by God. We are his children and He is our heavenly Father. Here are a few things about God’s loving us that will warm your heart and cause you to be thankful. I am a child of God. John 1:12-13 “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” Through our faith in Jesus we are ushered into God’s forever family and are adopted as His sons and daughters. I am loved by God. Jeremiah 31:3 and Ephesians 2:4-5 ““I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.’ and “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” We can love God but cannot make Him love us. He initiates the loving and loves us eternally. His love makes us alive in Him. Lastly, Pastor Alex reminded us that we are a gift because God created each of us for His purpose. Our memory verse for this week speaks to this fact in Ephesians 2:10. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”. We were not made at random but created by God as his handiwork. Other translations use the word masterpiece. He did not make a mistake when he made you! You can also take heart as you are fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14 and Genesis 1:27 “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” and “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” God took time and care creating each of us and we reflect or bear Him image. We are His masterpieces! This week take some time to reflect upon what you have in Christ and how it makes you, you! Each believer is unique in Christ and yet is to reflect the things given to us by and through Christ. As you meditate on Christ and what He has given you, God will give you clarity on who you are in Him and then will reveal what He has for you to do. In all things we are to glorify Him. Seek Him and He will show you how you are His masterpiece and what purposes He has for you! Linda Romans 15:5-6 “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” SERMON LINK Click Here to View the Sermon Our Sunday service is online and in-person at 11:00am. Come visit us at 5353 Concord Blvd, on the corner of Concord Blvd and Kirker Pass. |
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