Fathered by God - Part 1
This week, we begin a new series on God as our Father. Too often, we allow our baggage from our relationships with our Earthly fathers to cloud our view of our heavenly Father, but Jesus tells us that God the Father wants us to know Him, to be in His family, to be loved by Him, and to be at home with Him. Even from the beginning of mankind, God the Father shows his people how much He loves and pursues us even when we mess up, and He is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to cover us and to be in relationship with us.
Fathered by God -
Part 2: "The Loving Father"
This Sunday we take a look at the story of the Loving Father that Jesus told in Luke 15. Any understanding we are going to have about the Fatherhood of God has to begin with His great love towards us. We see through this story that the Father's love allows room for freedom, always works for the reconciliation of relationship, and is on full display through His pursuit of us and His enduring presence in our lives. May we recognize the Father’s heart toward us as He draws us near with cords of loving-kindness!
Fathered by God -
Part 3 "Learning to love"
1 John 4:8 tells us that God is love, but do we really believe that? Often, we fight God’s correction and redirection in our lives. We downplay and minimize our sin, trying to shift blame or judgement, and even so, God approaches us in love to correct us for our own benefit. For we cannot live life to the fullest, if we are living outside of His love.
Fathered by God -
Part 4: "Growing in Grace"
No matter what age you begin your spiritual journey with Jesus, it is important to remember that there are stages we all must grow through to follow Him well. He wants to help us grow where we are planted, to pour His knowledge and wisdom into us, and to be in communion with us. It is up to us, however, to learn from the Father, immerse ourselves in His family, and embrace the life He has for us as a part of His house.
Fathered by God -
Part 5: "Come as a child"
In today’s message we take a look at what it means to come to God as a child. We are called to approach our Father in the “fear of the Lord” because it is the foundation for knowledge and growth. May we all learn to humble ourselves as we grow into the sons and daughters He is calling us to be.
Fathered by God -
Part 6: "GROW IN WISDOM"
Centuries later, the wisdom of Solomon is still frequently discussed in and outside of church. He was the wisest and most blessed king of Israel, but where did his wisdom come from and how can we achieve it? This week, Pastor Jake discussed the exact same wisdom that Solomon had and how it is available to us. God wants to give us great wisdom, but it is important that we do our part. It is not enough that we just become obese in our knowledge; we must use that knowledge to receive His wisdom and live a life of wisdom.
Fathered by God -
Part 7: "spiritual parents"
In today’s sermon we take a look at the relationship between Paul and Timothy, in order to gain some insight into the importance of “Spiritual Parents” in the life of a believer. One of the key ways that God helps us to grow and mature as his children is through the impact spiritual father-figures have in our lives. It is just as important for us to understand that we are meant to grow by pouring into the lives of others as well. We all need to have not only “Pauls” in our lives but “Timothys” as well.
Fathered by God -
Part 8: "Conversation with our Father"
Spending time in communication with our heavenly Father can feel like an obligation or item to check off our daily list, but if we look to the perfect example of Jesus, we see that His communication with God was constant and refreshing. God uses his word, the Holy Spirit, and His people to speak to us, but we must do our part to listen and obey instead of requesting and expecting.
Fathered by God -
Part 9: "In the Valley"
David spent a lot of seasons of his life in the valley. This week, we discuss the well known Psalm 23. David reminds us to always look to the character, correction, and protection of God when we are in any season of life, but especially when we are in the low points. It is tempting to turn our negative feelings about our situations towards God, but as we see with David, if we can trust in who God is, He will be faithful to walk with us through the valleys and back to the mountain tops.
Fathered by God -
Part 10: "In the Valley - Pt. 2"
This week, we are continuing on the theme of being stuck in a valley, specifically the ones we create for ourselves through our own sin and struggles. Our tendency can be to hide from God out of guilt and shame or remain in denial by minimizing our sin and its consequences. The reality is we can come honestly to God calling out for his help, because his heart toward us is merciful and kind and always for redemption. He wants to restore our souls and lead us in the path of righteousness.
Fathered by God -
Part 11: "on the mountain"
Today we discuss how to navigate seasons of peace and victory in our lives, when we are on the mountain top and all is well. We can learn a lot from how David’s reflections in Psalm 30 about how to remember and celebrate all God has done for us, while also being aware of the potential for pride and complacency to creep in and rip us off from enjoying our Heavenly Father. May gratitude become our default posture, as we learn to recognize the presence of God in our lives in every season.
Fathered by God -
Part 12: "Hiking the Trail"
Life is a journey; at times we are in the valley, at times on the mountain tops, but most of the time, we are just hiking along the trail. While we are traveling, we can become weary, injured, or feel defeated, but our heavenly father promises to recharge the weary, repair the injured, and renew the defeated.
Fathered by God -
Part 13: "Welcome to the Family"
As we wrap up our series Fathered by God and look towards Christmas, we see the lengths that God is willing to go in order to welcome us into His family. Jesus became a part of our human community so we could be welcomed into His heavenly family. Now, we can be assured that there is a place for us in the family of God, and answer the call to join in on the ultimate redemption story.
