The Story of the Kingdom of God: Kingdom Come

What will happen when we die? What is this world coming to? Will there be justice? Is there hope beyond this life?

These are our deepest questions, but no one can answer them through experience or experiment. These truths have to be revealed to us.

This week, we talked about how God has revealed the answers to these questions...

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The Story of God's Kingdom: Our Present Purpose

God has lavished his love on us by calling us the sons and daughters of God. He did not do this just so that we would bury the blessing. As a new humanity, we are called to the same purpose as Adam and Eve, to be fruitful, fill the earth, and bring in God's Kingdom.

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Story of God's Kingdom: Our Present Reality

Jesus sitting triumphantly at the right hand of God... once-for-all atonement... access to the throne of God... the very presence of God dwelling within us... the temple re-built as the church... This present reality causes a drastic shift in our focus. We can no longer have a temple "come-and-see" mentality. The house of God is not a building. It is a people on the move, working by God's power to bring his kingdom to the world.

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The Story of the Kingdom of God: The Arrival of the Kingdom

Jesus changes everything.

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The Story of the Kingdom of God, part 3: The Presence

After God allows his people to "grow up" in the hardship of Egypt, the Exodus brings the next movement in the kingdom of God: a people among whom the presence of God resides.

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The Second Advent, part 5: A Promise Kept

We finished our three-year walk through the story of the Bible on Christmas Day.  What will it be like when Jesus comes again?  

This sermon has been delayed in being posted, but it's an important one!  I hope you are blessed.

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The Second Advent, part 4: Final Judgment

The promise is that through Christ, God will bring peace.  Peace can come through reconciliation or through victory.  The final judgment will be God's final victory over evil and will bring justice to the world.

What do we need to know about the final judgment?

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The Second Advent, part 3: Don't Be Deceived

Jesus said Satan is the Father of Lies.  Just before Jesus returns, there is going to be a great deception that would even fool God's true people, if that were possible.  How do we prepare to know the truth from the lie?  How do we stand on truth in a society that denies objective truth?

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The Second Advent, part 2: Birth Pains

In a very literal sense, the first advent of Jesus Christ was signaled by birth pains: Mary began to go into labor, and Joseph hurried to secure a place for the baby to be born.  Jesus said that His return would also be signaled by events that come like birth pains (Matthew 24:4-8).  This picture is also used by Paul in two of his letters.  What does this image teach us about Christ's second coming?  What does it teach us about how we are to prepare and to await this return?

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The Second Advent: Waiting, Watching, Hoping

What is you attitude toward the Second Coming of Jesus?  Are you watching with anticipation?  Hope?  Dread?  Are you skeptical?  As we celebrate the first coming of Christ this Christmas season, we also watch for His return.  This week, we examined the Parable of the Ten Virgins to see what Jesus teaches about how we are to be waiting for Him to come back.

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Story of the Church - Marriage Today, part 3: Loving Your Spouse Well

What does it look like when we live by the power of the Holy Spirit in our marriages?  You will love your husband or wife well, and we will bear witness to the world about the greatness of God and the availability of His kingdom right now.

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Story of the Church - Marriage Today, part 2: God Makes One out of Two

Near the end of His teaching ministry, Jesus was challenged by the religious leaders of the day on the question of divorce.  Jesus used that opportunity to challenge the chauvinistic divorce culture of this time and to teach how the kingdom of God restores marriage to its original design.  Jesus' answer speaks directly to the marriage questions of our current culture and teaches us how God meets our deepest needs by making one out of two.

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Story of the Church - Marriage Today, part 1: A False Gospel

The place where the church and Western culture are at the greatest divide is in the area of marriage and sexuality.  This division is not just a matter of differing viewpoints but of two different gospels.  To speak to our culture, we must first understand the false gospel of the ongoing sexual revolution so that we can respond in the love and power of the true good news of Jesus Christ.

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Story of the Church - Spirit and Worship, part 2: When We Come to Worship

"Worship" is a church word we use all the time, but it's used in a lot of different ways.  What does the Bible say about worship? What is worship?  What makes a “worship service” distinct from a bible study or Sunday school class?  Why is it important to worship?

That was our focus as we "worshiped" this past Sunday...

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The Story of the Church - Spirit and Worship, part 1: Modern-Day Pentecost?

We say we believe the stories of the Bible, but few of us have experiences with the power of the Holy Spirit as depicted in the book of Acts.  In the early 20th Century, a group of people started seeking God to reveal Himself as He did at Pentecost.  A remarkable breakthrough happened in California called the "Azusa Street Revival."  What happened there?  Was it a true move of God?  What kept it from having a broader impact in the church?  Most importantly, can we still live by the power of the Holy Spirit today?  These are some of the questions we explored this past Sunday.

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The Story of the Church - Reformation, part 3: Church and State

Most of the accusations in history against Christians can be laid at the feet of an improper relationship between church and state.  Baptists have historically led the way in religious freedom and the separation of church and state, since the founding of the first Baptist churches in England and in America.  What is the biblical view of the relationship of the church to the state?  Should we seek political power?  Should we seek to establish God's standard as the law?  This week, we look at these issues...

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The Story of the Church - Reformation, part 2: To the Ends of the Earth

Yes, God is still sovereign over history.  His kingdom is advancing, despite the church's stumbles and imperfections and retreats.  Let's concern ourselves, first and foremost, with being on mission with Him.

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Story of the Church - Reformation, part 1: Martin Luther's Stand

The basis for how someone comes into a reconciled relationship with God is probably the fundamental question of religion.  The Reformation was about correcting confusion in the church about the answer to that question.  How are we saved?  The church had become corrupt, and their answer had more to do with gaining wealth and preserving power than what was taught by Jesus and the Apostles.  Then on October 31, 1517, a monk named Martin Luther took a stand for truth...

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Story of the Church - Middle Ages, part 2: The Challenge of Islam

In the Middle Ages, Islam was born and expanding rapidly and aggressively, mostly over territory that had been under the influence of the church.  The church responded with the Crusades.  They were an utter failure.  Now we face a new challenge from Islam; it is at the center of our national debate.  How can we do better than our spiritual forefathers?


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Story of the Church - Middle Ages, part 1: Human Nature

"Follow Your Heart"

It seems to be the official advice of American culture reinforced across all corners of our culture from Apple to Disney to graduation speeches.  But is it really good advice?  What does the Bible say about human nature?  Are we basically good or basically evil?  

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