- Mar 6, 2022More Like Jesus Part 9: The Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20)
More Like Jesus Part 9: The Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20)If the Great Commandment tells us our purpose then the Great Commission tells us our strategy. The most effective way to love God with all of our being is to obediently go and make disciples of all nations. The most effective way to love others as ourselves is to compassionately go and make disciples of all nations. There is no greater way to show God or people that we love them then to share the eternal life giving Gospel of Jesus Christ.
- Feb 27, 2022More Like Jesus Part 8: The Great Commandment (Matthew 22:34-40, Mark 12:28-34)
More Like Jesus Part 8: The Great Commandment (Matthew 22:34-40, Mark 12:28-34)So, what is our first and second greatest jobs in this life? What are our two primary purposes on earth? Loving God and Loving People. How you respond to the first, loving God, will determine how you respond to the second, loving people. When you obey the second, it proves that you have truly embraced the first. And, we can use the 10 commandments as a guide to do both of these, but as Jesus makes it clear, all of the scriptures depend on these commands. The word of God is our guidebook on how to accomplish these. Yes, it will be a difficult and lengthy process, but at the end of our lives, we will be judged based on whether or not we did these well.
- Feb 20, 2022More Like Jesus Part 7: The Way The Truth And The Life (John 14:1-14)
More Like Jesus Part 7: The Way The Truth And The Life (John 14:1-14)When we look to Jesus we may be tempted to look at him as a helper, a comforter, or merely a friend who offers helpful advice. And, while Jesus fulfills all of these roles through the Holy Spirit, He is so much more. In a world filled with Billions of people searching for eternal life, Jesus is the way. To all of those looking to find a definitive answer to what is right and what is wrong, Jesus is the truth. For all of those people trying to figure out whats the purpose and meaning of this life is, , Jesus is the life. Jesus fulfills all of our physical and spiritual needs and Jesus also fulfills all of our philosophical needs. For all of our questions about purpose and meaning, right and wrong, life and death, Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and The Life!
- Feb 13, 2022More Like Jesus Part 6: Depending on the Great I Am (John 8:12-59)
More Like Jesus Part 6: Depending on the Great I Am (John 8:12-59)
In Exodus Moses comes across a sight so astounding that he literally can't believe his eyes; a bush on fire but is not consumed. He goes over to investigate and discovers that the bush also speaks. It tells him to take of his shoes because he is standing on Holy Ground. You know the story right? The bush, who Moses now recognizes as God, tells him to go and free the Israelites from the Egyptians and after reluctantly agreeing, Moses has one last question; who do I tell them sends me. Basically, God, what is your name? And God tells him, I Am that I Am. Tell them I Am sends you!
In John 8:58 Jesus uses the exact same phrase speaking of himself. Jesus is the I Am because Jesus and God are the same. In fact Jesus uses the “I Am” phrase several times in the book of John to show that he is God, but also to let his followers know that they can depend on him. As we saw last week in John 6 Jesus says “I Am” the bread of life. In John 8 he says “I Am” the light of the world. In John 10 he says “I Am” the good shepherd, the door to the sheep. In John 11 he says “I Am” the resurrection and the life. In John 14 he says “I Am” the way, the truth, and the life. And in John 15 he says “I Am” the true vine. All of these sayings use symbolic language to help us recognize that our assurance, our credence, our hope, our faith, our reliance, and yes... our dependence can be placed in no other than Jesus Christ.
- Feb 6, 2022More Like Jesus Part 5: Bread That Satisfies (John 6:22-71)
More Like Jesus Part 5: Bread That Satisfies (John 6:22-71)
The application is simple. How much do you desire and depend on Jesus to sustain you and satisfy you? Do you find that Jesus is the meal, or that he is simply a side dish? Do you find your joy in the things of this world? If Jesus wasn't a thing in your life, how would that change your life? Another way of asking that is this... if Jesus were a single building block in the tower of your life would removing it cause the whole thing to fall down? If not, you aren't depending on Jesus enough! I dare say, you aren't depending on him enough to even be saved.
We must depend on him to be saved and then we must depend on him to live the Christian life everyday. Is that something you are doing? Are you feeding on him every single day or are you a causal if not infrequent visitor to the restaurant of Jesus? How can you make it without Him? I dare say if you can make it without Jesus then you don't know him.
- Jan 30, 2022More Like Jesus Part 4: Belief That Saves (John 3:1-21)
More Like Jesus Part 4: Belief That Saves (John 3:1-21)If we are to share the Gospel, and there is not doubt that we are, then we must share it the way Christ intended us to, boldly and truthfully, We must tell the lost that they need faith and repentance. To believe in Christ means to be living for Christ. Walking away from darkness and walking in light. The effects of your faith will be seen if you truly are in Christ. Preach that!
- Jan 23, 2022More Like Jesus Part 3: The Blessing of Rejection (Matthew 13:53-58, Luke 10:13-16)
More Like Jesus Part 3: The Blessing of Rejection (Matthew 13:53-58, Luke 10:13-16)After being rejected in Nazareth, the city of his childhood, and Capernaum, the city of his adulthood, and after his disciples had endured rejection in Samaria and in the villages... Jesus does something extremely revealing. He prays, praising God and thanking him for who he has chosen to reveal himself to and who he hasn't. This is very different than us who would just be mad at God for who he had not chosen to reveal himself to. He recognizes that he has a gracious will, and then he gives this blessing which has become a comfort to Christians for thousands of years; “come to me all who labor”– all who labor to give the message and preach the Gospel. Come to me all who are bearing the weight of the lost they are trying to reach and I will give you rest.
Listen, we don't worry, fret, or become anxious about those who reject Christ... because it is Christ's burden to carry. We are not responsible for those who are saved, we are merely responsible for doing what Christ has called us to do... and after doing so now we rest in his promise of peace.
How do we find blessing in rejection? Because we know that every time we share the Gospel and someone believes we are blessed in their salvation... and every time we share the Gospel and someone rejects it we are blessed in knowing we've been obedient and are not responsible for that burden any longer. Blessed are the rejected in Christ for they will never be rejected by Christ. Sometimes being more like Jesus means not only embracing the blessings he received but also the rejections he endured.
- Jan 16, 2022More Like Jesus Part 2: Fools for Christ (John 7)
More Like Jesus Part 2: Fools for Christ (John 7)In John 7 the pharisees make it clear to the people that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ are on the outside. Although Jesus confirms who He is through His various miracles, and through His amazing sermons and revelations of the scriptures, only those who are willing to see past the uncertainty cast by the naysayers will find him to be the Messiah. Will you? And if so, are you willing to be called a fool for Christ, which is most certainly what the world will call you.
- Jan 9, 2022More Like Jesus Part 1: The Pursuit of Righteousness (Matthew 3:13-4:11)
More Like Jesus Part 1: The Pursuit of Righteousness (Matthew 3:13-4:11)If Jesus is the most important figure in all of history; if He is as Spurgeon says, "the most unique, credible, and undeniable case of the diety of God in human form," then we must pay attention to who he is and how he lived. If there is none like unto him as the Son of God then we have two divine directives; to know him more and to be more like Him.Our 10 week series begins by exploring the two events Jesus had to endure in order to be prepared to launch his earthly ministry; his baptism and his temptation. In looking at Jesus' life through these two events we see how we as believers are to pursue righteousness in everything we do. Spiritual Baptism is the beginning of the pursuit of righteousness. it is sustained through sinless living as we resist the temptations of the enemy.
- Dec 19, 2021Christmas Unwrapped Part 3: Who Is Christmas (Luke 2:17-35)
Christmas Unwrapped Part 3: Who Is Christmas (Luke 2:17-35)
Mary has to stop and Ponder what the Shepherds meant when they told her that Jesus was her Lord. Could she come to grips with the idea that her son, Jesus, would be the warden of sinners and the master of slaves? In today's culture we wince at the thought of slavery, almost to the point that we have ridden our society of all vestiges of what it did to our country. We don't talk about it. Why? Because we know that it is wrong for any person to own another person like a piece of property. I'm sure in Mary's day they struggled with this notion to pretty much the same extent. So when the shepherds mentioned to her that Jesus would be her Lord, It meant that in a sense, she would be enslaved to him. That he would be so great, so awesome, so holy, that she could not help but find herself under his control. After all of the Lord's the people had seen for the last thousand years. The evil kings of Israel and Judah, the pagan kings of Babylon, Persia, and now Rome. The fake pretenders like Herod and the Pharisees. What would a good and Godly Lord even look like?
We too must ponder this. What does it mean to subject ourselves to Jesus as our Lord? It means we are servants and slaves under his control. It means we do what he says, we go where he sends, we work his fields, we feed his sheep, we follow in his steps, we suffer for his cause, we carry his banner, we fight in his army, we reap his harvest, and if need be, we carry his cross. When we subject ourselves to Jesus as Lord, we become faithful and willing slaves committed to His cause and for His glory! Can you do this? Can you submit to Jesus as your Lord? Romans 10:9-10 tells us that we must confess that Jesus is Lord and believe it in our hearts and then we will be saved. This is how we must come to Jesus. This is how we truly experience Christmas. Jesus truly is Who Christmas is all about!
- Dec 12, 2021Christmas Unwrapped Part 2: What Is Christmas (Galatians 4:4, Luke 2:8-16)
Christmas Unwrapped Part 2: What Is Christmas (Galatians 4:4, Luke 2:8-16)The wrapping paper of Christmas looks like a lot of things; shopping, parties, television specials, music, movies, giving gifts, family reunions, egg nog, mistletoe, carols, elf on the shelf, and on and on... but thats not the real gift! The present under the wrapping paper is way more important and substantial! Christmas is about the fact that God kept his promise, sent his Son Jesus to earth as a man, to die for our sins and give us eternal life. If we focus on the wrapping paper we may become more selfish, more stressed, more worldly... but when we focus on the actual gift of Christmas, the gift of Jesus Christs given for the sins of all mankind, it transforms your life. It helps us keep our promises, it helps us trade our carnal life in for a life of true godliness, and it helps us recognize that we need salvation... we need to be born again. This morning... what is Christmas? Christmas is God with us, God for us, God born to die for our sins! Christmas is one of the greatest miracles the world has ever known and it should change who we are! If you know what Christmas is really all about, it should change your life.Christmas is about a night when a virgin favored by God gave birth to the son of God knowing that in due time he would give his life for the sins of the world! This why the nativity matters... this is what Christmas means. Yes, Charlie Brown... this is what Christmas is really all about!
- Dec 5, 2021Christmas Unwrapped Part 1: When Is Christmas (Luke 2:1-7)
Christmas Unwrapped Part 1: When Is Christmas (Luke 2:1-7)Do we really know what Christmas is all about or is it like a Christmas present where the wrapping paper that we focus on is keeping us from seeing the true gift beneath? When discussing the truth of when is Christmas, the wrapping paper is the date we focus on; December 25th. While December 25th might be the exact date that Jesus was born on, though doubtful, it doesn't matter. All that matters is that we do celebrate the fact that Jesus was born; the fact that God became flesh and dwelt among us. When is Christmas? We should celebrate Christmas everyday!
- Nov 28, 2021WTDASCC Part 15: Kingdom Focus (1 Corinthians 3:4-9)
WTDASCC Part 15: Kingdom Focus (1 Corinthians 3:4-9)There's something within the American church that wars against the Kingdom of God. It's the desire of wayward men to place the advancement of God's kingdom second to the advancement of their own kingdoms. Unfortunately we see this in churches all the time don't we. We see it on roadside billboards advertising that their church is better than other churches in the area. We see it on giant banners promoting a man and his ministry over the ministry of God. We see it in sermons promoting health, wealth, and prosperity over the blessings of transformation and suffering. We see it when a man who claims to be a pastor gets on television and preaches self help motivational God is love sermons but forgets to mention sin and repentance. And we see it on every street that has one, two, even three churches within walking distance to one another and yet rather than combining their efforts to share the love of Christ with their community they are in competition with one another. Instead of the pastors praying together and loving on one another, they gossip about one another and run one another down. Their main pursuit has become gaining more marketshare. They want to see their “churches” become great so that their name becomes great and all the while the world sees us acting like spoiled brats running Jesus' name through the mud! It's disgusting!
We haven't been called to build the kingdom of Stone Creek Church, or the kingdom of Shevi Sloane... how dare we. We've been called to build the kingdom of God!
- Nov 14, 2021WTDASCC Part 13: Accountability & Discipline (Galatians 6:1, Matthew 18:15-17)
WTDASCC Part 13: Accountability & Discipline (Galatians 6:1, Matthew 18:15-17)It is absolutely necessary that we as members of the local church not only commit to keeping our brothers and sisters accountable but that we allow them the same access to keeping us accountable. Accountability is an act of grace by which we, in love, gently help one another remove the deadly sin within our lives as to be a more righteous and pure bride of Christ.Church discipline is only necessary in the unlikely event that accountability does not produce repentance and restoration in the heart of a believer. Christian accountability is the first line of defense. Church discipline is a last resort. Accountability is for righteousness. Discipline is for restoration.So... who are you accountable to and who are you accountable for?
- Oct 24, 2021WTDASCC Part 10: Servant Leadership (Acts 20:28)
WTDASCC Part 10: Servant Leadership (Acts 20:28)
At Stone Creek, our prayer is that you would be able to trust and depend upon the leadership of our church. As leaders we are not unaware of how many in our position seem to fall on an almost daily basis. Therefore, we covenant with you to do the best we possibly can, through the power of the Holy Spirit and the Grace of God, to rise above the attacks of the enemy, the temptations of this world, and the pride of our position.
Paul makes it clear to leaders of the church, that we must take extra care of our own spiritual health so that we can care for your spiritual health. This isn't our church, we are stewards of it. It is God's church, bought by his own blood. Therefore we must be extra careful. We are called to be servant leaders who shepherd, serve, and equip the people God has placed in our care, and we will give an account to Him of how well we do in that regard.
