YONDER BREAKS

Here is the fourth and final sermon in the "Jesus Is ______." series by Judah Smith. Ephesians 2:1-7 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. Genesis 4:1-7 Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnan...

Here is the third sermon in the "Jesus Is _____." series by Judah Smith. Usually I write some comment on the sermon, but nothing's hitting me with this one at the moment, so maybe take the time you may otherwise spend reading the nonsense I write, and check out these scriptures! Matthew 28   1 John 4:15 - "If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God." Notes: Having someone else with you somehow subsides fears We tend to believe that we don't get God's presence if we aren't "good" Christians and go to church, etc. But what does 1 John 4:15 say? A missionary life has struggles It's because we are a target Hunters don't shoot at dead animals; the enemy knows that John 16:33 - “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” This is spoken just after Jesus' discipl...

Here is the second sermon by Judah Smith in the "Jesus Is _____." series. It's based on Luke 19:1-10. Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.   He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd.   So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.   When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”   So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.   All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”   But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”   Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this hou...

Here is the first in the "Jesus is _____" series by Judah Smith of The City Church. It is based on Luke 15 , which is three parables Jesus tells in response to the Pharisee's chide that He was eating with sinners. There is some powerful stuff here about how we should receive our worth and grace from God. Jesus says in Mark 10:15, " Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Judah reads this and points out that kids don't try to repay gifts...until they get older.  I remember being in high school and making a CD for our awesome punk band, Minus the Standard . We printed off a bunch of CD booklets on my parent's printer and then sold the CD's at one of our shows. I then tried to pay my dad back from our proceeds for the ink and paper I used. I remember trying to hand him money, and him refusing, and then my friend's dad saying abruptly, "just keep the money," emphasizing ...

I wanted something light today and ended up listening to this really in-depth stuff by Ray Vander Laan...a lot of notes, but it's really good stuff. I really encourage listening to the sermon because the notes below will make a lot more sense. http://www.followtherabbi.com/uploads/assets/audio/jesusthejewishrabbi.mp3 I'm a huge fan of Ray Vander Laan because he examines the culture of Jesus' day and applies it to our Christian walk. Everything should be taken in context, and when it comes to Jesus, we miss a lot if we don't understand the culture. There is a ton of information here that has taught me so much about what it really means to be a follower of Jesus. I'm not going to write too much here since there are a lot of notes below. The first part has a lot of numbers and Hebrew words that I almost definitely misspelled, but there is some more practical stuff below. Of course I encourage listening to the whole sermon though, otherwise I wouldn't share i...

Here is the fourth and final sermon in the Elephant in the Room series by Chip Judd, at Seacoast Church. My faith has felt a little dry lately, and I know it's because a lot of what I do (reading the bible, going to church, listening to sermons) is missing the heart involved in the act. As a friend told me, "God is most concerned with your heart." This sermon, though about money, speaks on that a lot. And I think getting back to heart of God starts with faith. Hebrews 11:6 - "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. " My aunt is changing careers for the 4th or 5th time, and she said she received the direction for where to go by seeking God's face. This was an encouraging word as I feel like I am constantly in transition when it comes to direction in life, but to do this really requires trust that God's plan is something I wi...

Here is the third sermon in the Elephant in the Room series, by Josh Surratt. It's pretty practical financial advice with biblical backing. I know a lot of people who exist in a state of debt, particularly when it comes to cars. Finance a car, pay it off, finance another one to replace the older car, pay that off...do it again. It's a cycle of constant debt; it's the American way. There are some pretty gnarly statistics here about debt in the US. I fall into it as well -- buying what I want with money I don't have. Why do we do that? Is it a lack of patience? Is it the desire to keep up with our neighbors? I understand things like house loans and student loans -- large amounts we could probably never get around. Or could we? I have a friend who was saving up to buy a house with cash, and at the time I chided him for it. "No one does that," I said, probably with a hint of jealousy in my voice. It's true, no one does that anymore. But as Christians, ...

Here's a sermon by Greg Surratt, second in the Elephant in the Room series. This guy is a great speaker and pretty much always has applicable and engaging things to say. Giving has always been a discipline for me - 10% of what I make, before taxes (first fruits). Someone told me to do it this way in high school, and so I did. I think this is great, but then I got married, and giving became a conversation rather than my own decision. I married an incredibly generous woman, and so when I came into giving with my disciplined approach, she asked where my heart was. It was something I haven't thought much about, but since then, it has become a major theme in my life. 2 Corinthians 9:7 - "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. " Jesus was always concerned about the heart of His listeners, and so that should always be our focus for everything, but especially when it come...