We are exploring the powerful topic of prayer with a sermon entitled “How to Pray.” Whether you’re looking to strengthen your prayer life or curious about how to begin, this message is sure to resonate with everyone.
God provides us with strength and hope in our daily lives. Whether you are seeking comfort, inspiration, or a deeper understanding of God’s presence, this message is for you.
We are called to worship God in spirit and in truth. Therefore, truth matters because our thoughts about God must be true to qualify as worship, and without truth, our worship is hollow at best. It’s not about our truth, it’s about God’s truth. And the greatest truth we can bank on is this: God did not spare his son but gave him up for us.
How much time do you spend thinking of the Holy Spirit? We have Jesus with us every day, but we ignore him or don’t recognize his presence. God desires to take us from the darkness of the world to live out the fruits of the spirit. He made it possible to do this through his son, Jesus, and then through sending us his holy Spirit to be with us, live in us, guide us, speak to us, remind us, teach us, and make himself known to us
When we look at a map of a place we’ve never been, it has little meaning to us. But as we travel the roads and experience the place, we add dimension and depth. We take a flat piece of paper and fill it with memories and meaning. The Lord’s Prayer is just a handful of verses; seven thoughts. But if we are brave enough to pour ourselves into each section and set our souls on discovering each place, the Lord’s Prayer can become like the map of our favorite vacation destination.
One of the things that God forms in his people in the wilderness is culture. Israel’s culture was multifaceted and revolved around family traditions, priestly rites, and days, weeks, and years of celebrations centered around fasting and feasting. As we continue to read Scripture, we see that these festivals were more than just vacation days on the Hebrew calendar. They become a part of God’s cosmic calendar, with each celebration taking on greater meaning in the life of Jesus and the church.
Just as the intricate design of the Tabernacle followed a pattern so the people could experience God in worship, Jesus’ incarnation was intricately designed so we could experience the presence of God in our lives and the church. This Sunday, we’ll examine the state of our tabernacles and the difference God’s presence should make.
How does the law of Jesus compare to the law of Moses?
The Torah is the closest thing we get to a set of rules from God. But even amongst the 613 commands, there is narrative, mystery, and tension. No set of rules could be complete enough to guide the human heart. The Spirit knew we needed more and has given us a rich set of 66 books. The result is that we are often unable to just turn to a simple answer for the things we face. Rightly handling the word of God means that we must engage with the Spirit, engage with spiritual people, research theology and history, and above all else, pray.
We all have things that we rely on or look to in our lives. Often we don’t give these strong influences much thought. As Israel makes their escape in Exodus they are given a physical reminder of the presence of God in the form of a pillar of cloud and fire. Day and night, God was with them, leading their steps, and protecting them powerfully. What are you leaning on? How do you know where God is leading you? Is the presence of God a pillar in your life?
In Christ, we have been gifted with a lifetime of opportunities that if grasped, help us find our place in God’s story. We will look at David who grasped his opportunities and subsequently was described as one who fulfilled God’s purpose for his life. We will look to see what we can learn from David’s life to help us find our place in God’s story.