Christ Community Sunday - Olathe Campus

22.09.18

Just as the cross of Christ has two beams, vertical and horizontal, so is the nature of Christ’s reconciling work on the cross. Ethnic unity in the church isn’t merely an application of the gospel, it is a continuing extension of the gospel. When we settle for a gospel that only speaks to matters of vertical reconciliation without horizontal reconciliation we are settling for an impoverished, truncated, and incomplete gospel. One of the more powerful ways we declare the gospel of Christ is in how we display the body of Christ as an ethnically unified and reconciled people. The work of ethnic unity and reconciliation in the church is an embodied testimony and witness to the power of the gospel. Because the gospel makes us and moves us to be family. But we risk losing the credibility of this testimony and witness to the gospel as the church when we at best see the work of ethnic unity and reconciliation as merely a fringe benefit of the gospel, and at worst see it as a distraction from the gospel.Sermon Notes:

The story of God, and His work of reconstructing us and reconstructing our world, is so much bigger than just good works. But also good work. The work you do. Whatever that is. Wherever you spend a majority of your time contributing. Whether you get paid for it or not. Whether you like it or not. That is also part of the good work God has prepared for you, to join Him in.Work is part of God’s good design. Adam and Eve, even before the fall, were commanded to join God in working the Garden. They were co-workers. Even in the New Creation, there will be work for us to do. Right now, in our broken world, we have the opportunity to join God in His work of reconstruction. Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/4894485722.09.04

As we consider the cultural movement of “deconstructing” faith and turn to Ephesians with some hope that it might give us insight into how we can “reconstruct” faith, I wonder if deconstruction itself is not the problem, but instead, it is the quality of the thing we are deconstructing that has lead to disappointing outcomes. I wonder if, too often, we who have faith quickly plateau in our knowledge of God. I wonder if we have not sufficiently experienced the power of God in our lives so that we are captivated and convinced by it.  Far be it from me to put myself in the place of Paul, but as I hear him pray that those who have faith might be given a spirit of wisdom and revelation of the knowledge of God, I feel compelled to pray the same thing for myself and for my brothers and sisters in Christ.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/4894117722.08.28

The deconstructing of faith is a popular practice these days. But what is it exactly? For some, it is an opportunity to live their authentic life free of all moral and religious authority. For others, it is a sincere attempt to determine if their faith has been formed by the words of Christ or by cultural ideologies. Regardless of the motivation, it is clear that we are in serious need of Reconstructing Faith. But in order to do that we need a solid foundation upon which we can reconstruct our faith. This is precisely what we plan to do together as we explore the foundations of the Christian faith through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/4893759322.08.21

Death is something we despise not because it marks the end, but because it was never meant to be here at all from the beginning. Death was never meant to be part of God’s good world. Death is a pain that feels like no other. Because it’s a pain that not only produces hurt, it produces hate. We hate death. We hate what death does. We hate what death takes. We hate that death exists. And that’s because we know deep down that death ought not to be. We tend to say that death is a part of life. That dying is what humans do. We have been dying ever since the beginning. The reality is that death is an abnormality. But even though the abnormality of death is now a reality in our world, the good news is that death will one day be defeated and wiped away forever. For the sign of life that Jesus gives in declaring himself to be the resurrection and the life is the basis of our hope. A hope that says while death is a reality, it is in fact an abnormality that will be defeated through the immortality of Jesus who victorio

Our Shepherd gives us eternal life, so we will never perish. And no one can snatch them out of His hand. Or the Father’s hand. Because it’s the same hand.And I pray that you would feel it right now if you’re one of His sheep. May you feel Him holding you. If you feel alone. If you feel lost, if you feel angry, if you feel disappointed or depressed. Do you see His hand encompassing you?If you feel afraid. Or maybe you feel like your faith is just so weak. Or your pile of mess-ups is just so big. And you imagine Jesus doing this -- wiping his hands of you. Not this Shepherd. Not our God. Nothing can snatch away His sheep.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/4893026122.08.07

There's a blindness that's worse than not seeing. There's a blindness that does more than make life hard, it makes finding life impossible. It's a blindness that won't find help, or love, or grace.Everyone in this passage is blind except for Jesus. And there’s only one other person who knows it. He’s the one who gets healed. He’s the one who responds in faith and worship. And others will get there. Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/4892647722.07.31

Is it possible that you have walked away from Jesus, not because you have tried him and want nothing to do with him, but because somewhere along the line you developed a view of Jesus that is contrary to the Jesus of the gospels?My fear as a pastor is not that someone would reject Jesus. But that they would reject Jesus for the wrong reasons. Is it possible that the Jesus you, or someone you love, has walked away from is nothing more than a caricature of the real Jesus?Look again, listen closely, and let Jesus speak for himself. Because he has come to make you out to be his very own by loving you, forgiving you, redeeming you, and calling you. Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/4892302822.07.24

Jesus points to the one true path that will take us to the freedom our hearts long for.  It is not a path of religious legalism, it is the path of discipleship with Jesus. When we embrace Jesus and become his “abiding” disciple then we will know the truth and when we know the truth we will be set free to experience the true freedom our hearts long for. In our culture when we refer to knowing we often think of having lots of information in our brain we can comprehend and spit out when we need it. What Jesus means by “knowing” the truth is not merely knowing the facts or having lots of information crammed in our brains, but rather deeply knowing and being known by someone. Jesus is speaking about relational knowing!       Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/4892008622.07.17

He’s not just claiming to be light generically. He’s claiming to be your Light. The One who defines your reality. The true, the good, the beautiful. Who drives you to repentance and change. And asks you to trust and obey. Bring that light into your office, your family, your neighborhood, those hard decisions, those dark places of anxiety. He wants to show you the way. For without Him our lives are like the earth without the sun. A wasteland drifting aimlessly through space.And when we do walk in the light. Just sit in this promise for a minute. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. In Greek, it is saying NEVER. NEVER EVER. No way ever!Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/4891615422.07.10

One of the greatest indicators of whether or not you’ve drunk deeply of Jesus -- that you truly believe in Him -- is right here. Would the people around you look at you -- your attitudes, your words, your actions, the way you spend your time and money. The people closest to you. And the people who disagree with you. Or see the world very differently than you. Your coworkers and classmates.Would they look at you and say: There is a river of life! I hope it splashes me!Through His Holy Spirit poured out on all who believe. He wants to make us rivers of life. So come to Him. Bring Him your need, your thirst. And drink.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/4891390422.07.03

Will we go with Jesus even when he challenges our sensibilities and our sin? Will we go with Jesus even when we are tempted to walk away? Will we go with Jesus even if it means enduring costs? Will we go with Jesus when others won’t? The only way that we can answer in the affirmative is if Jesus is the Holy One of God who has the words of eternal life.I realize that it may be hard for some of us right now to continue following Jesus. But when we know and believe the power and love of the Holy One of God who promises to not walk away from us then it is only natural to respond as Peter did “To whom shall we go.”Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/4890962622.06.26

Could it be that the Son of God also longed for those places where He could hear the Father whispering to Him: I am with you.I struggle to hear God's voice. But I regularly hear it most in 2 places. From His Word. And from His people. And if you feel like you’re drowning in the chaos. You are not alone. And you need it, too. His Word. And His people. Imagine the chaos. Maybe it’s a relationship. Maybe it’s your cubicle. The next doctor's visit. Do you see it? Do you feel the storm?I want you to hear these words. As you imagine yourself in that place. Jesus says to you: I’m here. Don’t be afraid. I’m here. Don’t be afraid. I’m here. Don’t be afraid.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/4890674522.06.19

Jesus gives the crowd the sign of bread as a way to place himself in the grand story of God’s plan of redemption. Jesus is the awaited Messiah and fulfillment of everything promised, previewed, and pointed to in the Old Testament. The reassuring words of Jesus lovingly invite us to come to him to be satisfied. For Jesus has not only come to be the redeemer of our sin and the restorer of fallen creation. He has come to be our joy! And he has done so not just by bringing us what satisfies but being what satisfies. Jesus is our savior but he is also our satisfier! For he alone knows what our hearts truly hunger for. And until we give up on our search for satisfaction in lesser things we will never be satisfied.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/4890341722.06.12

Jesus our Messiah, the one whom Isaiah declared as delighting in the fear of the Lord, has come to deliver us from all fears by delivering us from our sin.The fear of God frees us from all fears. And the only way we can properly fear God is by giving the fullness of our lives to Jesus, body, mind, and spirit. For when we do his life of perfection is credited to us and frees us from all fear of condemnation and judgment.Friends, there is much to fear in this life filled with smoke, uncertainty, and chaos. But thanks be to God that through Christ the fears of sin and death are destroyed. Because the fear of God frees us from all fears. Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/4889983122.06.05

Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/4889633822.05.29

We all want justice but without the judge. We all want wrongs to be righted but without surrendering to righteousness. And what we end up getting is an endless cycle of violence, oppression, and unforgiveness. And it leads only to the clamoring for power in order to defeat our enemies. In a world where real meaningful justice work is stalled out and hijacked by polarizing conversations about justice, and where cancel culture is the justice tool of choice across the spectrum, we need a better tool. We need a better judge. We need a better gospel.The only way we can find hope and justice in this world under the sun is to surrender our lives to the Son of God who himself surrendered his life to the One who judges justly.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/4889156722.05.22

The Bible teaches that God made a world of abundance. That if we look at the Garden, you and I were created for a world without lack, where we had everything we needed and more.And even though our world is now broken, and our attachments are now broken, we can still enjoy God’s gift with gratitude. This is the theme of these final verses. Eat, drink, and be merry. Enjoy your work. And enjoy His gifts.Instead of gratitude we think: I worked hard for that stuff! I earned it. I’m entitled to it. Which only feeds the dragon inside you. Instead, we need to learn to say thank you. And say it all the time. Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/4888550222.05.15

We know that our labor is not in vain because there is life beyond the sun. Because God has called a people unto himself from all peoples of the earth to establish the work of their hands no matter where they are or what they do. When our perspective and time horizon changes regarding our work, we are able to see that God is at work in and through our work. We are able to see that our work is not incidental, but rather it is integral to God’s work of restoring all things. How do we know that our labor is not in vain? Because of the promise of God in Isaiah 65 that is echoed throughout the entire biblical storyline and reverberates in and through our lives today.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/4888546422.05.08