Top 10 Sermons - #10

I've decided to start blogging about some of my past sermons. I think sometimes we preach or listen to a sermon every week without having the time to really process the information. Think about all of the sermons you have listened to in the past year. Do you actually remember any of them? Are there some that have stood out to you? Maybe there is a message that radically transformed your life and you will always remember what God spoke to you on that day.

So for a starting point into looking at my past sermons, I've decided to take the top 10 sermons steamed from our website. This isn't the top 10 downloaded sermons via the podcast, but the total number of hits from our media player via our website (includes sermon notes as well).

So let's kick it off with #10

"For God So Loved the World" (Part of our Hope series)

This was such a good series and I remember us putting together a pretty cool video intro for each sermon in the series. The Hope series was based completely on Max Lucado's book: "3:16: The Numbers of Hope." I decided to do this in December because I feel the meaning of Christmas is all about hope. We live in a world where hope is often talked about, but nobody really understands where to find true hope. Hope isn't in our government, economy, or in our jobs. Hope is simply found in Jesus Christ. And when I think of hope, I immediately think of John 3:16, maybe the most powerful verse in the entire Bible. There is so much depth to John 3:16, our Hope series took each section of the verse and looked at what that part really means.

Sometimes I can't fathom how big God's love is. Do I truly believe that God loves every person in this world? Yes. 100 times yes. It's amazing how God possess this unconditional love for you and for me. When I think about God's love, it's allows me to have hope for the world. It allows me to asking God to give me the strength to love the world. When it comes down to it, I'm a sinful man who simply can't love the world like God loves the world. My love will let people down, my love is not truly self-sacrificing. Jesus, who died on the cross is the ultimate example of love that is truly self-sacrificial.

So in the end, please hold onto the timeless truth that GOD LOVES YOU. If you're going through a time where you need to hear this, please embrace it with all of your heart, mind, and soul.

If you want to listen to the 10th most listened to sermon go to:
http://sermon.net/download.php?c=14008-count_audio_download-158041

Checking Your Family History

Do you ever wonder why you do what you do? Why do you constantly do the same sins over again? Do you see patterns in your family that have occurred over and over in a particular generation?

All of us have a family. What we have to embrace is that God choose to bring us in a particular family, in a particular place, at a particular moment in history. This gives us a lot of blessings, opportunities, and gifts. However, many of the families that we are born in hand us down emotional baggage. For some of us this baggage is really small and it doesn’t play a big part in our life. For others of us, this baggage is so heavy, so much of a burden on us, we think that this is the way life has to be lived.

Part of breaking free is being able to live with complete joy and freedom in the present day. But to live this life of breaking free from our emotional baggage, we have to go back. In order to move forward spiritually, we have to go back emotionally. God wants us to break free from the destructive sinful patterns of our pats to live the life God intends for us.

What happens in one generation often repeats itself in the next generation. The consequences of actions and decisions taken in one generation affect those who follow. So in order to break free from generational sin, it is healthy to observe certain patterns from one generation to the next. There are sin patterns such as: divorce, alcoholism, addictive behavior, sexual abuse, poor marriages, children running away, mistrust of authority, pregnancy out of wedlock, an inability to sustain stable relationships, etc.

All of us have a family and all of us came from a family. Our patterns are played out in our present relationships with us not even knowing it sometimes. The way you live your life isn’t just for today. The way you life is affected by your previous generations and the way you live your life will effect future generations.

If you don’t deal with your generational sin, it won’t go away, it will linger. You may think not thinking about your generational sin will make it go away. The reality is that it won’t go away.

So are you going to break the cycle of your family problems? Or are you going to let your negative family behaviors get passed down to the next generation?

Here are two books to help you out on your journey: Why You Do What You Do and Emotionally Healthy Spirituality. Read these and began your journey today.

(Podcast subscription button is on the top of the blog page)

Are You a Risk-Taker?

I don't really consider myself a risk-taker. If you examine most parts of my life, you would not label me as a risk-taker. I'm afraid of trying most new foods, I'm afraid to experiment with any new drinks at Starbucks, don't like most roller-coasters, hate going into cold water, usually slow to make new friends, etc., etc., etc. The list could go on and on. However when I take a deep examination of my life, I realize that I have to make constant decisions to take risks in order to fulfill my dreams.

When I read the Bible, I notice a constant theme with all of the individuals listed - they took faith-filled risks in their lives in order to fulfill God's purpose in their life. Every time we read about someone in the Bible, there was always some measure of risk that came with their life. You think about people like Noah, who risked his reputation and his family to follow God’s calling. Or what about the 12 disciples, who left their jobs, their security to follow Jesus? The early church in Acts is another great example of people taking risks for the sake of spreading the message of Christianity. The Christian life is about ordinary people taking risks so that God can do extraordinary things.

Last Sunday I spoke about this topic and my hope is that I can be part of a community of people who are willing to make changes to their lives so they can faithfully take risks for God.

So how can you be more of a risk-taker today?

(If you want to subscribe to the podcast, click on the podcast/iTunes button above).

God's Love for the World

Hope in John 3:16

I've recently been thinking about the message of John 3:16, influenced by Max Lucado's book, "3:16" I've memorized this verse since I was a kid, but I've come to realize how powerful the message is, especially as we come into the Christmas season. Think about the first part of John 3:16, "For God so loved the world...." God loves the world. What a crazy concept right? God created the world and everything in it, but how many times do we turn away from Him? How many times do we screw up in this life? How many times do we destory what He has created? But the reality is that God still loves the world. His love is unconditional, unchanging, and is always pursing us. As we celebrate the Christmas season, know that God's love is for you. Know that God's love is for everyone. In church we're in a sermon series titled "Hope" which is based on the transforming message of John 3:16. The link to our podcast is located at the top of the blog page.

Below are two videos we did for our sermon series. Check them out, let me know what you think:

Other Stuff

Life has been pretty busy lately. It feels like the past few weeks have all just blended together. I think the craziness started when we moved into a new place towards the end of October. The church is letting us staying in the house they own, so it's been a real treat. It's a bigger space and we're closer to the church and the freeway. We're having an open house tomorrow, so we're looking forward to having a great party. We threw a party for Elianah's 1st birthday party - lots of work, lots of fun. We then had tons of family over for Thanksgiving. My parents came to stay for about a week, and my brother, his wife, and two kids stayed for a few days over Thanksgiving. Fun times. Very crowded. Elianah is growing and is suprising us everyday with how smart she is. Will try to blog again soon.

Monday Morning Update

Do you like the new blog layout? My wonderful wife designed it and I think it looks awesome. For those of you who want things designed, go to http://simplymelinda.blogspot.com and hire her!

Life
I'm still recovering from my cold last week. I'm better, but not great. I'm excited because we're only 1 week away from my parents, brother, sister-in-law, and nieces from arriving! I'm very excited. Looking forward to managing a house with 6 adults, 3 kids, and 2 pets. Very interesting.

Checked out of our apartment today. Only lost $100 of our deposit.

Church
Last Sunday we continued our series, "Party Theology." Yesterday we looked at the concept of God sending us the ultimate invitation - Jesus Christ. The question we have to ask ourselves is this: 1) Am I going to accept the invitation and 2) What am I doing to bring others into the party? We looked a parable in the Bible that caused us to ponder what we are going to do with this invitation and how we are going to use this invitation to impact the world. Click on the links above to subscribe to our podcast.

Going to a dinner tonight with a bunch of other local pastors - should be fun.

One more thing: I love www.woot.com! I'm addicted. Gotta stop going to that site.

Moving, Vacation, Sermon Series Recap,

I had a great lunch meeting with John Fleming yesterday. John and his wife Ellen ive in The Capital Region of New York. They are Raising Support to go Full Time working to Turn Lost College Students into Passionate Christ-Followers through the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. John and I connected very well and we share the same vision for the Capital District. I look forward to a future partnership with John and Ellen as we are both working towards the same goal. I encourage you to check out their blog and show them some support.

Melinda and I are in the midst of packing, yet again in our marriage. We just celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary a few months ago and we are moving into our 6th house/apartment. Elianah is turning 1 next month and before she even turns 1, she'll will have lived in 3 different places!!! My prayer is that this is our last move in A LONG TIME. Why are we moving you ask? Well we're moving from our apartment into the church parsonage (a house the church owns). It'll be nice because we'll only be a mile from the church and we'll have more space - 4 bedrooms. More space for Elianah, Dash, and Jack to run around and chase each other.

If you want to help us pack and unpack the truck, that would be amazing. We're moving this Saturday (10/25/08) @ 11:00am. Contact us if you need directions to our apartment.

This week is our vacation (from all of our jobs) and we're spending it packing. Yeah!?!? Next year, we are really going to go on a vacation and take a family trip somewhere. We won't be in church on Sunday, but I'm excited that Michael Moore will be preaching and Keegan Sidhu will be leading worship.

This past Sunday, we finished up our series, "Caretakers for the Kingdom" where we looked at our role as stewards in God's kingdom. One of the most important aspects of our Christian faith is how we respond to God’s call to give our tithes and offerings to His church. A helpful tool I found regarding tithing comes from Andy Stanley's book, Fields of Gold.
The 4 P’s of Giving

1. Priority Giving – giving to God first prevents good intentions from waning when finances run low at the end of the month.
2. Percentage Giving – deciding on a specific amount maintains discipline in giving
3. Progressive Giving – gradually increasing the percentage given promotes growth in faith.
4. Prompted Giving - being willing to meet spontaneous needs prevents the relational aspect of giving from growing routine

Of course, below are the links to listen to the sermon and/or subscribe to the podcast. I also am posting the video we did to recap the entire series.

Money, Money, Money!!!

Money is often a hard topic to talk about. People will often be open about any topic in their lives accept money. It’s socially forbidden to ask people questions about money. Asking someone how much they make, how much they spend, how much they give, or how much debt they have is socially unacceptable. But when we read the Bible, it’s full of discussion and conversation about money. There are around 800 passages in the Bible that talk about money. 25% of Jesus’ teachings were about money.

Because money such a major factor in our lives, we need to come to an understanding of how God views money.

In today's Worship Gathering, we taught about what it means to be good stewards of our wealth, a very fitting topic considering the state of our current economy.

Sermons Now Online

Hey everybody, exciting news! We finally figured out how to record the sermons from our Worship Gatherings. This allows people from any part of the world to listen to our sermons, plus it allows visitors to catch a glimpse of the church. Click on one of the links below to subscribe to our sermons as a podcasts. If you have iTunes/iPod, please show some love and subscribe. If you simply want to listen to the sermons, without subscribing, click here.

Standing Firm in Your Faith

When I was about 6 years old, my Dad took me to a beach in Southern California. We had recently moved to California, so this was one of my first experiences to the beach. I couldn’t swim at the time, but my Dad decided I should stand in the shallow waters to feel the waves hit my feet. Very reluctantly, I took my Dad’s hand and ventured into the vast ocean. As we stood in the shallow water, my Dad kept telling me to stand firm and keep my feet planted in the ground. He kept repeating, “stand firm, keep your feet planted.” We would then stare out into the ocean and see these large waves occur, then we would feel the ripple effects of the wave hit my feet. I can’t remember if I was having fun at the time or extremely scared. Suddenly this huge wave was forming in the distance, but for some reason, I wasn’t prepared. I briefly lost my focus and unplanted my foot. When the ripple effect of the wave hit my legs, I lost my balance and went under. All I remember is that I was fully immersed in the water. All I remember seeing is little fishes swimming around my hand. Because I wasn’t prepared by standing firm in the water, the wave knocked me to the ground.

In life, there are other ways we can stand firm.

The most important way we can stand firm in life is through our Christian faith. In our world today, standing firm in our faith is an essential part of Christianity. What does it mean to “stand firm”? Standing firm means holding on to what you believe. Standing firm means taking what the Bible teaches and applying it to our own lives. Standing firm means keeping your morals and values in everyday life. Standing firm means your Christian faith holds fast during times of trials.

Standing firm is a critical aspect of our Christian faith.

Standing firm in our faith is so important in our ever-changing society. Too many times in our society, we are forced to compromise what we believe. What the world will tell you is this, “it doesn’t matter what you believe in, because what you believe in is right.” Or many other people hold a universalist view of faith and say that all paths lead to heaven and it doesn’t really matter if you believe in Jesus Christ. Whatever way you think is right, is right.

Everyday in our lives we are forced to make decisions that intersect with what we believe. It happens with how we speak, in how we deal with people, in what we buy, in what we watch, in what we read.

At church our current sermon series is "Philippians: Faith in Everyday Life. " We get to look at how we can practically live in this world as a Christian. If you're struggling with the grind of life, I encourage you to read the book of Philippians.

Philippians 1:12-30
12Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. 13As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
15It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. 20I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.
27Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel 28without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, 30since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.