Dwell Forever
Where does our hope come from when life is hard? When we’re in Christ...
Living on mission means being a witness for Jesus and about Jesus in everyday life - from your family at home to your co-workers, or maybe even across the world on a mission trip. No matter where God leads us, Jesus gave us seven reminders about who He is in our life - reminders that He is the source of our strength, truth, hope, and peace. We have a Savior who goes with us each day to help us accomplish the mission He gave us.
Jesus gave us a very specific mission: to be his witnesses here, near and far, telling everyone God puts in front of us about the gospel, and making disciples. But he didn’t give us the mission and leave us to fend for ourselves. The promise that came with that assignment was that Jesus would be with us every step of the way, leading us, guiding us, encouraging us and loving us, through great times and the hardest times. So where is He sending you to be his witness today?
Part of the Christian life is the process of continually turning away from sin as God transforms us little by little into the image of Jesus Christ. But what does that look like practically? How do we walk with integrity in the midst of a world broken by anger, gossip, selfishness, slander and so many other destructive pursuits? The answer lies not in our own strength, but by surrendering ourselves to the Lord, staying close to Him, and allowing Him to renew us each day.
Have you ever felt like you were losing faith? Maybe it seems like evil is winning in the world. Maybe you’ve been hurt by someone in the church. Maybe life has been extremely hard and you can’t catch your breath. All of these things can cause us to doubt the goodness, sovereignty or love of God. Psalm 73 is a raw picture of what it looks like to be losing faith and then be lovingly restored. Through its verses, we can identify ways doubt can creep in, and also learn how to lift our eyes off of the troubles of the world and up to the God who loves us, cares for us and provides for us.
When we encounter the brokenness of our world and people sin against us, it can be easy to get discouraged or even to feel hopeless. It can even feel like those who cheat, steal and lie are getting ahead in life while those who are doing the right things are left behind. But Psalm 37 reveals God’s heart for those who seek after Him and the righteousness we receive through faith in Jesus Christ. When we’re discouraged by the state of our sinful world, we can take heart that God sees us, hears us, loves us, and promises to make all things new.
Have you ever heard from God? We all have moments in our life when we wish we could hear directly from God, but the truth is that God has always been speaking - and speaking loudly - since before time began. Psalm 19 opens our eyes and our minds to realize that the voice of God is always near if we quiet our hearts, turn off the distractions around us, and take time to listen.
Everyone worships something. For some it might be success, status, power or comfort. But all of those will ultimately leave us still wanting, never satisfied. Only God is worthy of our worship, because only He can satisfy the desires of our hearts that will lead to lasting peace and fulfillment. True worship is rooted in a recognition of God’s sovereignty, power and steadfast, never-ending love.
Where do we find happiness? It might seem like an easy question at first, but so often our world presents us with pursuits of happiness that are temporary at best and completely destructive at worst. Psalm 1 gives us a better answer. By pursuing a relationship with the Lord, our Creator, we’ll find ourselves with a deep rooted peace and joy that will bring more happiness than the world could ever offer.
Everyone sins. So what do we do when we’re confronted by others or the conviction of the Holy Spirit about our sin? The hope of the gospel is that Jesus saved us from our sin by becoming the sacrifice on our behalf. And the forgiveness he offers is complete - not only is our sin forgiven, but we can also be set free from the shame that so often accompanies it. The first step in receiving that gift of grace and freedom is repentance: recognizing that we’ve fallen short, and understanding our deep need for a Savior.
What does it mean to ‘bless the Lord’? God certainly doesn’t need our approval, so the encouragement to bless the Lord must go much deeper than that. Psalm 103 shows us that when we take time to remember who God is, His attributes, His faithfulness and His love and provision for us, we’ll be led to a greater perspective of worship. Recognizing who we are in relation to who God is should bring us to a place of awe and reverence, allowing us to rest in His perfect love.
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Sermons by: The Lord Is My Shepherd Psalm 23
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