Sermon Reflections from Transform Through Others | Damon Hopkins | August 20, 2023
 
After hearing Damon’s impassioned sermon about sharing Christ with others, I asked myself what did I learn or experience that I want and need to share this week?   Damon’s premise was – if I love the Lord, then I should be compelled by my love for Him and excited to share it with anyone and everyone I meet.  Many of us are so worried about the circumstances, is it the right time?, will it be received? is it the right place to share?, that we decide the answer is No- it is not the right time, place or people and say nothing.  

As Damon pointed out saying nothing is not an option!  We are commanded by Christ to go and share.  Matthew 28:18-20 “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Jesus did not say, do you want to?, He said, Go and do it!   He seeks to reassure us that He will be with us and empower us though His Holy Spirit all the way! 

So again, what did I learn that I can share?  I learned anew that it is my privilege to share God’s love with others.  I have His Spirit living inside me and I feel His love and care every day.  Why wouldn’t I want to share that with someone so they can feel loved and cared for by the Lord Almighty?  As I was reading in Psalms this morning Psalm 107:1-3 jumped out at me. 

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story--
    those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
3 those he gathered from the lands,
    from east and west, from north and south.

Those of us who know Christ as our Savior are redeemed.  He bought us back from the pathway to death and gave us life through our faith in Jesus’ work on the cross.  We need to tell our story-how we came to faith, what God is doing in our lives, the benefits we see each day in walking with Jesus.  God is good and works in my life each and every day.  I need to look around, see Him and His work in my life, and talk about it to others. Say So!

Another thing I learned was from Ezekiel 33:1-6 “The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, 3 and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, 4 then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head. 5 Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head. If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’  Believers are put in this world as watchmen, like Ezekiel was.  We are to watch and warn others about the coming destruction.  God’s judgement on sin. 

​Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  If they listen and heed our warning, praise God!  If they do not, then the consequences are on them.  However, verse 6 says, it is our responsibility as God’s watchmen to warn others and if we do not we will be held accountable.  That is a sobering thought, Jesus asks us to tell others about His plan of Salvation and if we remain silent and do not speak of Him we will be held accountable.  Damon reminded us of this with his life verse: Matthew 10:32-33 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.  Sobering words.
I am convicted anew of the truth our memory verses hold for us. 

​Philippians 2:1-2.  Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.  If we experience Christ in our lives tell others, say so!

Thanks Damon for the challenge to speak up and speak out about our love for Christ.  It is a command and good to be reminded it is a privilege with benefits. 
Linda

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Every year we make New Years Resolutions or Goals in hopes that this year will be the best ever or that we can improve ourselves in some shape or form. Those lofty goals that we make tend to fizzle out after a month or two and we wonder why we always seem to be doing the same thing over and over. We never see any real change.
This year as I was searching for Goals or New Years resolutions, I sought something more than superficial fluff.

• I was desiring something that was timeless, alive, and active
• I wanted something I could grip and hold onto
• Something that would help inspire me to go further than I had gone before without the simple platitudes or instant gratification of today’s world
• I wanted something that would impact all aspects of my life and my family’s life
• Something that was fresh yet familiar at the same time
• It should shape me into a New Me by transforming from the inside out
• It should penetrate the heart, soul, body, and spirit
• Cultivate different thoughts and attitudes not just superficial habits
• I wanted it to transform all of me not just the mask of me

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If that was my desire, then I had to change what I focused on. And I began to think...What if my goals weren’t based upon what is on the outside but what is different on the inside?
What if my goals didn't just affect the superficial mask of me, but the whole of me?

The only think I knew that could change me in such a way...was the thing I always knew to be true, God. 

Genesis 1:26
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, [a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

Acts 2:42
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

We are created in the image and likeness of God.  If we really want to discover a New You then we have to reorient ourselves back to God.  Our thoughts, words, and actions would have to reflect our creator.  They would have to mirror the life and teachings of Christ.  We would have to be in responsive obedience to God.  In other words, be in communion WITH God and allow his word and spirit to guide us.  Though we messed up and fractured our relationship WITH God, which allowed sin to enter the world and us to experience brokenness, God in his grace and mercy, sent his son, Jesus Christ, so that our relationship WITH God might rightfully be restored.  

What I discovered is that A New You is only possible through conversations and connections WITH God, which leads to a conversion of the heart.  Are you ready to take a journey to discover A New You?

By Alex Hardt

Sermon Reflection from December 24, 2022  | The Jesus Perspective
 
Pastor Alex and his friend Bryson worked in tandem to deliver a compelling recap of all the sermons delivered during the Advent season.  His emphasis throughout the month has been that knowing Christ will lead us to live wisely and differently from the world.  It was clearly evident in all 4 examples.

First, we saw the perspective of the Wise men as their story from Matthew 2:1-12 was read.  The Wise men traveled a long distance in search of the child born ‘King of the Jews’.  They gave their time to the search, resources and finally their gifts to the child.  How are you like the Wise men?  Do you seek to know Christ more fully by spending time in His Word? Do you use your resources to serve and help others?  Do you give generously of what God has given you?  Living wisely and differently involves giving generously of ourselves and our talents with a heart attitude of love and devotion to our Savior.  Faith transforms our stingy, self-seeking hearts into ones filled with His love which spills out generously towards others.

Second, Pastor Alex read the Shepherd’s story from Luke 2:8-20.  Bryson showed us reasons why God would have chosen the lowly shepherds to be the first to worship the Savior.   Their place in society was not one that was elevated, but it was one of value.  The Christ Child came to all people to save them from their sins.  He was needed to restore the relationship with mankind that was broken by the sin actions in the Garden of Eden.  His position on earth was lowly born but He was of extreme value and had a high place in heaven.  Things are not always what they seem as God uses whom He desires to bring His message to the world.  Living wisely in light of the shepherd’s example means one must listen and respond to the Good News from heaven.  Their response was immediate and heartfelt as they moved quickly to find the babe and experience for themselves the joy of seeing their Savior.  Have you encountered Jesus in a personal way?   Has it lead you to embrace the good news and display true joy in your life?   Faith transforms our unresponsive hearts into ones filled with joy and a desire to spread the good news of Christ.

​The truths shown by Mary and Joseph’s part in this Christmas Story lead us to look at the ordinary in a different way.  Both the Luke passage 1:30-35 and Matthew 1:18-25 show the encounter of the angel Gabriel with both Mary and Joseph.   God chose ordinary people to bring His plan into being.  They were devoted Jews but not kings, priests or landowners.  By worldly standards they were just village people going about their lives serving God through their faith.  God’s trust in them was a reflection of His love for them.  How they were to serve Him was profound and challenging.  Do you see yourself as one who can serve God?   We can take a lesson from Mary and Joseph.  Their faith and devotion to God allowed them to serve Him in an extra–ordinary way.  Faith transforms our unwilling hearts into ones motivated by His love to do the incredible work He has planned for us. 

Lastly, Bryson had us look at Jesus and the encounter he had as a babe of just 8 days old.  Simeon’s story was read from Luke 2:25-35.  The Lord had revealed to Simeon that he would see the Christ, Messiah before he died.   What we learn from his story about living differently is that we need to let God reveal Himself in our lives passionately.  Our zeal for God should be evident in what we say and do.  Our love for Him involves our whole being.  Simeon lived his life trusting in God’s promise to him that he would see the Messiah.  He lived in faith, knowing God was a promise keeping God and would reveal the Messiah to him.  When he was confronted with baby Jesus at his naming ceremony, Simeon knew this was the child who would save all mankind, both Jews and Gentiles.  Faith transforms the doubting impatient heart into one filled with zealous passion for Him, belief in His promises and a desire to praise Him wholeheartedly. 

What kind of a heart is God revealing to you today?  Is your heart like the Wise men filled with His love spilling out generously towards others?   Like the shepherds which is filled with joy and a desire to spread the good news of Christ?  Like Mary and Joseph’s hearts which were motivated by His love to do the incredible work He has planned?   Or maybe your heart is like Simeon’s filled with zeal, belief in His promises and a passionate desire to praise God?    I pray that your heart is like all of the above seeking to love and serve our Savior which is Christ the Lord.  He is with us now.  Look to Him and grab hold of His truth.  It will transform your heart and life so that you can live differently and wisely for Him each day in 2023! 

By Linda Knight
 
SERMON LINK
This Christmas | The Jesus Perspective
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Sermon series, "This Christmas" Today Alex and Bryson teach the Christmas Story

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​Come visit us at 5353 Concord Blvd, on the corner of Concord Blvd and Kirker Pass.   


 
 

I am disturbed when I hear people say, ‘there are many ways to God.’  Jesus spoke plainly that HE was the only way to come into right relationship with God. He is the only one who can make us clean before God. He is the only one who can reconcile us to God and eliminate our sin.
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Sin is what separates us from God since Adam and Eve brought sin into the world and changed our very natures. We are born with a sin nature- a bent towards sinning. There is no way for man to ‘make himself or herself’ acceptable to God. We cannot be good enough, do enough good works, keep ourselves from having impure thoughts, or just trying to be good. We cannot do it! Only God! According to the scriptures, God’s plan to save humankind is by providing a Savior who will take our burdens, sins, and punishments upon them. Jesus is the only way!

Jesus had gathered his disciples in the upper room for a final session of teaching before his death. He assured them that He was going to prepare a place for them and that they would one day be with him there. Thomas, the doubter, asked “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” in John 14:5.  Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except though me.”   This promise of Jesus gives us hope and assurance. Here are several lessons and truths we can glean from this verse alone.

1. Jesus is the only way to come into a relationship with God. Jesus says plainly it is through him and him alone that we can know and see the Father. Because we know Him, we can know the truths about our Father in heaven.

2. Through Jesus we can have a life that is full and eternal. In Him we can have abundant life that is filled with hope and assurance.                     

3. Jesus reveals the truth that is God and about God. Knowing Jesus leads us to see truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Knowing truth in Jesus brings us to God.

So, what is keeping you from trusting Jesus? Are you having doubts about the exclusivity of Jesus and His way?

Look at John 3:16, it shows why God sent Jesus—it was because He loved us and desired us to be with Him eternally. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to humankind by which we must be saved.”   Paul states it plainly too that Jesus is the only way to salvation.

Titus 2:11-14 “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”

Just as Jesus assured the disciples, through Him we can know the way to heaven, to an abundant life and greater knowledge of God. Claim it! Live it with Jesus today!

​Linda

SERMON LINK
Why? God... | Is Jesus The Only Way?
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Sermon series, "Why? God...." Today Damon Hopkins teaches from John 14:1-7

​If you are local, please join us for our weekly service. Our Sunday service is held at 11:00am.
​Come visit us at 5353 Concord Blvd, on the corner of Concord Blvd and Kirker Pass.