Quotes from Sermons
Adam and Eve: Friendships Run Deep
July 12, 2015
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“The reason friendship is so important is [because] we were made for companionship, we were not made to be simply alone AND we were forged out of the creative handiwork of God who IS friendship. Who is love, Who is communication as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”
“I want to challenge you . . . remind yourself that the Bible’s story is that you were made for companionship. You were made for friendship. We need friends. You and I are not designed to go at life alone or even to grow spiritually alone.”
“God takes this perfect individual, and puts him in a perfect environment, and gives him fulfilling tasks to do. Gives him creativity and the ability to do labor and to make a difference. And then God even is with him there….And yet it is not enough.”
“However we too easily settle for superficial relationships….”Technology is seductive. When what it offers meets our human vulnerabilities. And as it turns out we are very vulnerable indeed. We are lonely, but fearful of intimacy. Our networked life allows us to hide from each other …” (Quote from Shirley Turkle’s book, Alone Together)”
“You grow in your faith in the context of friendships. If you are going to grow as a follower of Jesus, you need friends to help you along. You can’t do it alone.”
Joy: A Fruitful Life for a Flourishing World
May 24, 2015
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“Many of us are clearer on how to build an external career than on how to build inner character. And in our effort to build moral character, unfortunately we often attempt to improve our character through moral reformation, rather than through spiritual transformation.”
“The Holy Spirit has come into our lives to form Christ’s character in us supernaturally, so that more and more we are not just reading the moral notes, that we are supposed to read, but we’re playing God’s music from a place of inner renewal.”
“There is a being, the Holy Spirit, who will seek you in your pain, and in that seeking will give you joy….There is a joy that is somewhat unexplainable because it is certainly inexpressible.”
Growing in the Knowledge of God: Walking Worthy
March 2, 2014
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“God’s heart is about intimacy. It is about knowing and being known. One of the longings of God’s heart is that we be responsive to his initiative of love toward us, not just so that we could be saved, or not just so that the mechanism of forgiveness would be at work in us, but so that there would be a relationship that is developed between God and us.”
“God’s own sadness that is revealed throughout the Scriptures about our lack of desire to know him is what gives new shape to the New Covenant. At the heart of the New Covenant is that God will be for us and we will be for God and he will know us and we will know him.”
“On a human level, one of the things that we most long for is to be known, is to be known well. I don’t mean by a lot of people, and I don’t mean by reputation. But to have people who know who we are and love us. That’s why people get married, sometimes that’s why people have children, that’s why we make friends, that’s why we find a church, and sometimes that’s how we evaluate a church. And if that’s true on the human level, how much more is that true on the level of our relationship to God? The deepest longing of the human heart is to be known by God and to know that you are known by God, and then to pursue that God by knowing him.”
“What is going to be restored in the New Heaven and the New Earth, and what Jesus came to purchase through his cross, through the redemption that he’s given on our behalf, is not just to save our souls, and not just to forgive a list of sins, but to create a whole new existence which is intricately involved in knowing God, in loving God. And when we know God, and when we know God intimately, and when we pursue knowing God, there is no hurt and there is no destruction in all of God’s holy mountain, which will be the whole earth. It will be a new world. When people pursue knowing God, that’s the redemption he came to bring.”
“I commend to you that in 2014 we pray. We pray that we might begin living in the reality of our eternal life now by growing in the knowledge of God. That’s where you’re headed. Pursue it now. Pray for Valley Springs as a whole, for people you know, for our leaders, for yourself, and for Jayne and me. Pray that we’d be growing in the knowledge of God. That’s more important than what’s going to happen next month, that’s more important than a congregational meeting here in 3 weeks, that’s more important than the 25th anniversary, that’s more important than some job that might be opening up for Jayne and me. More important than all of those things is in the midst of that, are we growing in the knowledge of God?”
“If we are going to get to know God, we need to get to know God’s love. I didn’t realize how much my parents loved me until I had my own kids. I don’t realize how much Christ loves me. And nor do you realize how much Christ loves you.”
“One of the challenges that I know is going to be very great for Jayne and me over these next months is to not be here. It’s going to be a very big challenge because this is a place where we feel very known and loved, and that will not be replaced. And this whole idea of knowing God is calling us and through the pain of this we know God has a purpose, and yet that’s going to be hard, that’s going to be difficult because being in a community where you are known and where you know others and where you are loved in the midst of that, that’s what’s so delightful. My characteristics and my strengths and my weaknesses and those of you who know me well and we can kid about those things but I am loved in the midst of my strengths and in the midst of my weaknesses. And this is what God delights in as we get to know him for who he is, as we get to know him in his kindness, as we get to know him in justice, as we get to know him in his righteousness, as we get to know him in his love.”
“I’d like to challenge all of us to make knowing God the pursuit of your life. The pursuit of your life.”
Bearing Fruit / Bear Fruit in Every Good Work: Walking Worthy
February 23, 2014
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“After 25 years of ministry here, God is calling Jayne and me to a new chapter of service… I chose these verses as my year verses because really these are the ways that I would like to pray for Valley Springs in 2014.”
“Although Paul is confident in where they’ve been and what they’ve done and how they’ve responded to the Gospel, he knows that there are challenges in that church. He wouldn’t have written this letter if there weren’t challenges. Wherever there is a church there is challenge, because wherever there is a church there are sinners. We make up the body of Christ and there are challenges.”
“Do you count it a privilege to be a believer? Do you know what an awesome opportunity it is that you have given all the billions of people on the face of the earth to know Jesus as your Savior? Does your life reflect that? Does your life show that kind of esteem and opportunity and privilege?”
“I want to walk worthy… pleasing God in every respect. I feel this way about being Jayne’s husband, I just have to work hard at walking worthy to be her husband. I feel that way about being pastor of this church for the last twenty-five years. It has been such an honor to be pastor of this church, that I just need to be worthy of the privilege of being the pastor of this church. And that’s how we’re to feel about the Lord… How can I please him? How can I honor him? How can I adore him?”
“This is our first commission from God: ‘Be fruitful.’ Not ‘be happy.’ ‘Be fruitful.’ There is something about God that wants to get things done. God has a pattern. God has a purpose. He does want to care for us, but he has a plan. He cares for this world, he cares for the people of this world, and he’s created people who have the capacity like he does to be fruitful and to bring blessing to others.”
“If God is going to bear fruit through us, we need to be rooted. This is not just about doing good deeds. It’s about the Spirit of God working through us to really make lasting change on planet Earth in other people’s lives.”
Year Verse 2014, January 12, 2014
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“These verses give comprehensive truth about living faithfully before God, involving 4 things:
- Bearing fruit
- Growing in the knowledge of God
- Being strengthened with all power according to His glorious power
- Giving joyful thanks to the Father”
“Continue to pray for one another as you evaluate how God is leading you to ‘bear fruit in every good work,’ serving people in love.”
“Stand firm in this exquisite faith.”
“Don’t underestimate what God can do.”
The Destructive Power of Envy: Wisdom From Above
June 30, 2015
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“Being envious is wearisome I tried to make sense of… how You can be on your throne in heaven and this be such a mess right now, and I am the loser! If we don’t catch ourselves, envy does a destructive work in our heart. It changes you. It sours you. It makes you less human. It turns you into an enemy or it turns some friend or some family member into an enemy for you. Why am I stuck where I am (with envy)? In addition to that, it’s nothing I’m proud of so I keep it quiet. I’m embittered (from envy). I’m so un-human! It’s not the way you made me. The antidote is always God – a relationship with God. Jesus is the great reverser of envy. Instead of grasping that which belonged to him, he let it go. For you. And for me. Hey Paul, how about some self-defense? How about the scandal that is being reported about you? How about clearing the reports, how about calling to account for what they are saying about you is untrue, behind your back? Paul says, (with a dismissal wave), ‘Nah.’”
God is With Us: The Gospel of Pentecost,” May 19, 2013
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“God is with us in the worst storms.”
“John 16:33 Jesus promises tribulation in the world, then says ‘fear not I have overcome the world.'”
“You can’t do this life without Help! Holy Spirit is our Helper, coming along side to speak to you and be with you.”
“When pressed, we don’t know the answer to life’s biggest questions, so the Spirit teaches us!”
“If we walk by the Spirit, we gain the fruit of spirit…He changes us.”
“In the midst of darkness, you can depend on the Spirit.”
The Gospel is True: The Next Few Days
April 7, 2013
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“His forgiving you is more important than you forgiving yourself or your securing another person’s forgiveness.”
Our families are not forever. We become scattered, we die. But God has brought you into a family that lasts absolutely forever. Death, divorce, and time can’t break it.”
“The resurrection happened to Jesus, and it will happen to you.”
Christ’s Resurrection Changes Everything
March 31, 2013
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“Christ’s resurrection changes everything for the future. Our lives are filled with lost hope and disappointments, and dashed dreams. But the resurrection is the message of hope fulfilled; Jesus conquered death! At Christ’s resurrection, the hope of the world was being fulfilled, and that is what gives meaning to every unfulfilled hope we ever have.”
“Christ’s resurrection changes our present. He lives with us and for us, and is working on our behalf now. The living Christ gives me strength to do all I need to do.”
“Christ’s resurrection changes our perspective of the past. The disciples on the Emmaus road had their perspectives suddenly changed; they were eager to see Old Testament prophecies fulfilled in a political way, but suddenly everything made sense, just not in the way they were expecting! Christ’s resurrection gives me a different perspective on my past and what God was doing through it.”
Defining Moments: Long Live the Queen
February 3, 2013
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“It’s about being everywhere, and anywhere, where God has you. What is God up to… what is God wanting to do in you, and through you?”
“We have this massive view of what God is up to. God’s story… God’s will… God’s purposes… redemption… His glory… and He’s chosen you to be part of His story!”
“He calls you to partner with Him and He works through you. We’re called to seize moments in our lives, and God will give us strength.”
“This is a ‘defining moment’ for you. Make a decision today to follow Christ… make Him your Savior… make Him Lord… come to Him.”
God’s Silent Sovereignty: Long Live the Queen
January 20, 2013
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“The providence of God is that He is working even when we can’t see Him. He is working even when we can’t feel Him. When nothing’s going right and He seems to be silent, and there’s no evidence that God is answering prayer, He is at work. When God seems most absent, He is very, very present.”
“God does not give up on us. It’s never too late to begin making right choices based on your true identity with God.”
“No matter where you are… no matter how you got there… no matter how much disappointment has brought you to this place, God is in your life. You have not been deserted.”
“Grab hold of the fact that God loves you and He has a plan for you life here and now!”
Year Verse 2013
January 13, 2013
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“Generally speaking, time all by itself doesn’t heal; God heals… and He does it in the lives of disciples who go after him, who seek him.”
“These people who have helped form me and shape me, and for what – what has God brought me to – it’s about growing in the Holy Scriptures and sharing the Holy Scriptures so that I as a servant of God may be competent and equipped for every good work.”
“It’s only Jesus who tells his followers that we can be fruitful only through a direct relationship with him rather than through the scriptures themselves (20:30). Jesus is not a dead hero but a living Savior who wants to know you and be known by you.”
“We are often like Fred Flinstone pedaling our feet frantically to move our go-cart. Jesus says, “I’ve given you an engine, and I want to be the gas. Fill up! Not just on truth, but on me!”
“The first and primary way that we abide in Christ is to abide in His love, to continually remind yourself how much he loves you.”
How to Prepare for the New Year: Looking Ahead/Looking Back
December 30, 2012
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“Who do you look to for direction in your life? How do you make a decision about moving forward when you are at a crossroad? What’s going to be different about how you make decisions in the future?”
“We have many resources available to us when making decisions (technology, social media, friends/family) but stop and seek the good and ancient path. Get direction from the right source.”
“Ancient path = long term, enduring, foundational, eternal. Jesus is not a fad. He is foundational.”
“It is not in man to determine his own steps. It’s not in the one who has the ability to walk to direct where his walk is taking him. We as individuals need our God. Jesus came to make that way clear and plain to us.”
“We wait on Jesus by bringing him in the decision making process – we don’t do it on our own. All the word of Jesus to come into your life.”
“He promises to give us rest and peace in the midst of the challenges of life…rest for our souls.”
I Believe in the Holy Spirit: Confessing What We Believe
October 28, 2013
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“Two aspects of the Holy Spirit….Helping Presence and Teacher of Truth”
“Intrinsic to the Gospels is the fact that we cannot do the life we need to do without the Spirt.”
“Conversion to Christ is acknowledging that you need God”
“The main thing… enable us to understand the things freely given to us by God. [Therefore] if you do not allow Scripture to have a prominent place in you life, you will starve the Spirit….like a handy man without tools”
“Make it your personal resolve around magnifying the work of the Spirit in your life by giving the Spirit the Word of God to work with.”
“The trajectory of the universe is moving toward a relationship between you and your God. And starting now, the Holy Spirit has come into your life to begin shaping you for that relationship.”
In that day….you will be joined to God in a way that you have never known before..in the way that is was intended for you as a human being.”
“You’re going to experience your humanness in complete capacity – in absolute fullness like Jesus did….You will be….fully in the Father and fully in the Son.”
How it Becomes Yours: Jesus’ Promise to You
April 15, 2012
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“When we live in the vital power of the vital connection with the Lord we are not fighting our battles alone. The Lord is with us.”
“Fellowship with God is one of the powers that helps you with not living in the darkness. Fellowship with God is one of the things that enables you to enjoy the fact that He is in you and He is with you.”
“When you wake up in the morning remind yourself that YOU ARE NOT ALONE.”
Gathered By the Church: Jesus On Church
March 4, 2012
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“It was Jesus’ intention to build the church as His church. The error of the church throughout the centuries has been to forget that it’s His church. We think it’s our church; we think it’s my church; we think it’s your church, and denominationally, we think it’s our own denomination’s church. We get focused away from at root who is this that is building this church and to whom does the church actually belong….We are Jesus’ church. We need to see the church as Jesus’ church.”
“I will build my gathering, I will build my team, I will call people together, and I’m going to create a gathering that is going to be international…”
“Jesus is the One who calls us to be in His gathering. And there is also the gathering we have with one another….the need for people coming together in His name on a regular basis.”
“He is building His church by redeeming people all around the world gathering them to Himself as His bride, and then gathering them to one another to anticipate His return and to help each other to grow in the grace and knowledge of who He is.” “Death itself will not conquer His church. He will prevail.”
“If your relationship with the church is sloppy, if it is casual, and if it’s based on convenience, get with it! Get with it! Is Jesus your Lord or not? Are you part of His gathering or not? Are you lining up with His intention for you to be gathered with others so that you can actually grow in His grace and His knowledge.”
Year Verse 2012
January 8, 2012
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“This may be an opportunity for you to stop coasting. Grab ahold of the mechanisms that help you make decisions about how God wants to lead you in your life.”
“God’s hand is on you. You are loved by God… God has plans for you. God wants to work through your life no matter what has happened. no matter what has taken place, no matter how things have fallen apart, no matter how plans have not gone in the way you wanted those plans to go in.”
“Our lives are being shaped by circumstances, and sometimes those circumstances are negative circumstances. God shapes our lives as we react and interact with the circumstances that come to our lives. But God has been working in helping us even in responding to those negative things. ”
“You continue in what you believe by realizing the role of the sacred scriptures in your life…If it’s a new day, it’s a new day to continue. If it’s a new day, it’s a new day to abide. If you are going to grow, if you’re going to be on the cutting edge, you need to have a practice in your life which enables you to over and over and over again continue, remain, abide.”
“Jesus is not the Bible. You can do the Bible and miss Jesus. Bible reading is a means to an end. The end is knowing Jesus, the end is connecting with Jesus, the end is being a disciple of Jesus, and learning to worship Jesus, and having your life one with Jesus. The cardinal means to that is the sacred writings, the holy scripture. The way by which you and I are going to continue is as we allow the scriptures to move us to Jesus.”
How to Experience Transformation: Life in the Spirit
June 26, 2011
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“The Holy Spirit is the one who makes it all alive for us, who works in us and through us to act not in natural ways, but supernatural ways.”
“God created the sun and moon to bless us. The moon’s glory is not the moon’s, but the sun’s. In the same way, we reflect God’s glory when we turn toward God and reflect His glory to others.”
“Put yourself where you can hear God. Wherever you are, turn to the Lord. He is for you!”
What Difference Does Resurrection Make?: Resurrection Questions
May 22, 2011
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“Jesus is coming back and he will destroy death.”
“The resurrection is the Christian response to grief.”
“The resurrection should make an impact on every decision we make during our lifetime. We should live our lives in anticipation of the resurrection of our bodies.”