March 4, 2012: Getting a Grip on Anger

Pursuing Excellence Series message 9

Text: Proverbs 22: 24-25

We've built a platform for our Christian lives by looking at our position in Christ and the perspective we now hold. We saw last week that we are to be diligent in slaying sin through the power of the Spirit. Anger is a powerful emotion that can lead to sinful behavior. It is mentioned over 500 times in the Bible, and you'll find it in both Genesis and Revelation. The only emotion referenced more often is... love; (aren't we glad for that!). We'll look at root causes of anger and how to prevent it from dominating our lives.

Getting a Grip on Anger

February 26, 2012: Slaying Sin

Pursuing Excellence message 8

Text: Romans 8:13

We've laid a foundation for empowered Christian living through perspective and our position in Christ. We have the privilege of considering ourselves "dead to sin" and also the responsibility of choosing not to live as we did before we knew Christ. Sometimes, the struggles we face in life are directly tied to the sin we are tolerating instead of mortifying. John Owen, my favorite theologian/pastor, said this: "Be killing sin or it will be killing you"; this is very true. Some churches never talk about sin, while others leave their people feeling beaten down and asking, "where's the grace?" A healthy perspective on sin is balanced in its approach: in light of God's wonderful love for us and our our high calling as children of God, and, out of reverence for Christ, we must not tolerate sin... period. We'll look at practical ways to address the temptations we face as we lived in a fallen world.

Slaying Sin

February 19, 2012: Pressing On with Passion

Pursuing Excellence message 7

Text: Phil. 3:4-14

Joy. Zeal. Focus. All of us are passionate about something, even if that passion wanes in different seasons of life. But our consuming passion should always be JESUS CHRIST! In Philippians 3:4-14, Paul gives a personal testimony about putting the past behind and pressing on to what God has called him to. We'll take a look at Paul's past, present and future: how he viewed his past and what he was passionate about as he considered his future. It's a great model for us today!

Pressing On with Passion

February 12, 2012: My Identity in Christ

Pursuing Excellence message 6

Text: 1 John 3:1-3

Last week we saw what Ephesians 1 has to say about our position in Christ; accepted, forgiven, chosen, predestined and adopted. Nothing in heaven or on earth can, or ever will, shake that relationship we now enjoy. Our salvation is secure and God is faithful to His promise from Jeremiah to remember our sins no more. We have been born again, and our identity is now in Christ. If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. This is how we live life and approach our challenges; totally accepted by our Heavenly Father, empowered by His Spirit, co-heirs with Jesus Christ, and citizens of heaven.

My Identity in Christ

February 5, 2012: Our Position In Christ

Pursuing Excellence message 5

Text: Ephesians 1:1-10

Through Christ's suffering and wonderful work of redemption, God has blessed us with EVERY spiritual blessing in Christ! We hold our heads up high because we are children of the KING! Understanding and believing what the Bible says here will provide a solid foundation for our lives, as we BY FAITH extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one. Amen!

Our Position In Christ

January 29, 2012: Fix Your Eyes on Jesus

Pursuing Excellence message 4

Text: Hebrews 12:1-4

Paul tells us that we need to set our hearts and minds on things above; that is,on things that hold eternal value. Jesus invites us to come to Him to find rest; we find rest by trusting Christ alone for salvation and learning from Him through personal relationship. Hebrews 12:1-4 paints a picture of running the race before us with perseverance, fixing our eyes on Jesus. This is true discipleship at its core: intentionally following what God has for us by focusing on Christ and learning from Him each and every day.

Fix Your Eyes on Jesus

January 22, 2012: The Gentle Call

Pursuing Excellence message 3

Text: Matthew 11:28-30

Last week we said we need to set our affections and thoughts on things above. Now we'll be a little more specific - we need to fix our eyes on Jesus and what a wonderful Savior He is. He is majestic and yet He calls us in gentleness. He is God yet He is humble. We are to learn from Him. It is only in Him that we find true rest; rest for our souls. All good and so encouraging!

The Gentle Call

January 15, 2012: Determining Your Perspective

Pursuing Excellence message 2

Text:Colossians 3:1-4

If we are to Pursue Excellence in our lives, we have to have the right perspective. Our focus needs to be in the right place - if we set our hearts on temporal things or passing pleasures, we only set ourselves up for failure. What a joy to live life with a perspective that rises above the temporal and sees Christ, enthroned next to the Father. Paul bases his appeal about perspective on seven glorious facts that are true for every Christian.

Determining Your Perspective

January 8, 2012: When God’s Word Takes Root in Our Lives

Pursuing Excellence message 1

Text: Psalm 1:1-3

The point this Sunday as we start off a new year is to purposefully get ourselves in God's Word, so He can teach us, comfort us, convict us, build us up and strengthen us. The picture in Psalm 1 is of a tree with deep roots that thrives because it is near its life source of water. The Word is our life source and our lives are firmly established if God's Word is firmly planted in our lives.

When God’s Word Takes Root in Our Lives

December 18, 2011: The Hope of the Gospel In Our Suffering

This week we'll wrap up our series on Job. The emphasis is on how the Gospel changes our perspective on suffering and helps us bear up under it. We'll talk about Christmas as well; how God has given us the perfect provision. The themes will be our absolute need for deliverance through Christ, our longing to be free from our suffering, and how Jesus' birth was at just the right time as people longed for His advent, and the eternal perspective.

The Hope of the Gospel In Our Suffering

December 11, 2011: The Glory of God in Our Suffering

Text: Job 38:1-11

This Sunday and next will wrap up Job. Job asked for his day in court with God and he got it. God shows up in the storm and points Job to the wonders of creation and the created order, as well as His sovereignty over man in His moral universe. The big idea here is that God offers no philosophical explanation for Job's suffering, but reveals Himself in a very personal way to Job; that is all he needs. Next week we'll lay the principles of grace and he Gospel over these final chapters to finish the series.

The Glory of God in our Suffering

December 4, 2011: Jesus Christ: Full of Grace and Truth

Text: John 1:14

The Apostle John tells us that when Jesus came He was all about grace and truth. When you think about it, the prevailing "wisdom" from Job's friends was the opposite of this. They taught that we relate with God based on our performance; in doing so, they got it all wrong as they analyzed Job's trial. Not to mention adding grief in this godly man's sorrow and pain. The Gospel frees us to confront the truth about ourselves in the context of God's grace, in which He does not treat us as our sins deserve. God's grace changes everything, particularly our perspective in suffering. This Sunday we will examine the full expression of God's grace; the Advent of Jesus Christ and His suffernigs for us. It will be a wonderful foundation for wrapping up the book of Job.

December 4, 2011: Jesus Christ: Full of Grace and Truth

November 13, 2011: Treasures from Job

Scripture: various

We've examined the wisdom of Job's three friends, now we will highlight some of the more memorable truths from Job himself. He spends a lot of time contesting their twisted view of justice and asserts his own innocence. We'll highlight the wisdom/power of God, the brevity of life, and Job's tenacity in holding to his integrity while his world crumbles around him. All highly relevant for us today!

Treasures from Job

October 23, 2011: Bildad and God's Justice

Text:  Job chapters 8, 18, & 25.

Bildad deals with God’s justice.  But just like Eliphaz, he only gets half the picture.  In the Gospel, God’s justice meets God’s love and mercy.  If God is just but not merciful, we’re doomed.  If God is merciful but not just, He is not holy.  The Gospel frees us because God’s justice is fully met at the cross while we experience God’s tender mercies in our lives.  Everything’s resolved and we understand that “it is for freedom that Christ has set you free.”  (Galatians 5:1).

Bildad and God's Justice

October 16, 2011: Do Not Despise the Discipline of the Almighty

 

As Job’s friends try to figure out Job’s calamity, Eliphaz takes his stab. Good things happen to good people, bad things happen to bad people. Job, God is disciplining you…repent of your wrong doing.  Just what Job needed; Moral relativism. We contrast this to the Gospel (Eph 2:1-10) and see that our standing with God is based on grace, not works.

 

Do Not Despise the Discipline of the Almighty

October 9, 2011: Job Breaks His Silence

Text:  Job 2:11-3:26

This week we meet Job’s three friends who start off well by sitting with Job in his grief.  Job breaks his silence and gives us a window into his soul.  Job pulls no punches and is brutally honest about where he’s at.  God has big shoulders and there is no virtue in pretending that hurt that’s there really isn’t there. 

Job Breaks His Silence