Higher Aim with Dr. Curt Dodd

We do not come to worship just to go through the motions. We worship because we desperately need to have a fresh encounter with God. The world can go by, but we were made for communion with God. Unless we have that encounter, we will leave unfulfilled, empty, and hopeless. So, what keeps us from experiencing God? I believe it is shame. Shame is a silent killer of your spiritual progress. In this message, we're going to discuss the issue of breaking free from shame so we can worship freely and encounter God.

As we look at a famous passage in Romans, we will read, "In all things, God works for the good.” Is divorce good? No. Is being laid off a good thing? No. Is disease or illness a problem? Absolutely. Not all things are good, but even with the bad, God has a plan. We need to understand that there will be times when your body will fail you. No one gets out of this life alive. It is important that we have a good theology around this subject of healing. You're probably carrying burdens right now—maybe for yourself, maybe for someone you love. In the midst of those burdens, you need to understand what God has for you and what He plans to do, even in the middle of illness or disease.

Carrying burdens is part of the Christian life, and today I want to talk to you about being called to carry a burden. Sometimes, God places something heavy on our hearts, not to overwhelm us, but to invite us into partnership with Him through prayer. Let's look at how we can carry out the burdens we're called to carry in a way that glorifies God and grows our faith.

It is very important that we understand that the two women mentioned in today's key passage, Eunice (Timothy's mother) and Lois (Timothy's grandmother), made an unbelievable impact on his life. The same could be said for the Christian faith. We are never more than one generation away from losing the impact of Christianity upon our culture. That is why we must learn and celebrate passing our faith along. God wants us to make an impact on the lives of our children. Mothers, whether it is a grandmother or a mother, influence their children for the Kingdom of God.

We recently had the opportunity to do something incredible as a church—together, we gave over $250,000 to help build a brand- new orphanage in Mongolia. It wasn't about one person putting their name on the building. It was the body of Christ working together. That's how I believe God wants giving to take place—in secret, without applause or recognition, but in a way that brings Him glory. Jesus talks about this in Matthew 6:1-4. He says when you give, don't do it to be seen. Don't blow trumpets. Give in secret—and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Let's talk about what it means to give like that by looking at four things we can apply from this passage.

I have some important questions for you to consider today: How do people meet the Lord? How do they get connected to Christ? The answer to these questions is the same: through you. God has chosen to use people like you and me to be His ambassadors. He wants us to be heaven connections. In John's gospel, we discover four types of connections that can lead people to Christ. Let's look at those together now.

When we look at Scripture, we see that Jesus' death and resurrection drastically impacted the disciples' lives. But the life change didn't stop with the disciples. The gospel of Jesus has been changing lives ever since the day Jesus rose from the dead. And as followers of Jesus, we can experience the same kind of life change that the disciples experienced all those years ago. Today, we're going to look at six specific ways that the disciples' lives changed because of the resurrection, and as a result, we can be encouraged and challenged by the fact that our lives can be changed in the exact same ways.

Nothing is more important for our lives than to be in the center of God's will. The Lord wants His will to be accomplished in your life. But for this to happen, your will must be surrendered to Him. This is what it looks like to be in the zone spiritually. So if you want to make sure you're living in the zone with God, there are a few truths you need to embrace.

As we look at Scripture, we'll see that it gives us guidance on complete security. Specifically, in 1 John, we find seven questions that we need to ask ourselves as believers. This book of the Bible was written by John centuries ago, but even then it still speaks to us. Let's look at these seven questions together.

If you're going to live a life committed to Jesus, you need to know what you believe. While there is such a thing as blind faith, there is no such thing as blind belief. It is absolutely vital that you know what Scripture says and what Jesus teaches so that you can have a strongly rooted belief in your relationship with the Lord.

Do you know who you are? I pray that you do. The greatest problem for believers is that they do not actually know who they are. From a spiritual sense, I pray that you know who you are beyond just what you are called. Faith is the ability to take God at His Word in every area of life. It is a gift from God, not something we produce ourselves. Without faith, we cannot repent, trust in Christ, or embrace the life God has called us to. Today, we will look at the life of Moses and how faith shaped his journey.

Acts Chapter 8 describes a time of great difficulty for the early church. Being a follower of Jesus does not mean we are exempt from problems. In fact, sometimes our greatest trials can lead to our greatest growth. As Erma Bombeck once said, "When life deals you lemons, make lemonade." Today, we will explore how God uses problems for His greater purpose and our spiritual maturity.

Have you ever found something valuable you didn't know you had, like hidden cash? Rediscovering it feels like an extra gift. Sometimes, in the Christian life, we don't realize the treasures we have in Christ. The story of Stephen, one of the first deacons and the first martyr of the Christian Church, is a powerful reminder of these gifts. Stephen's boldness and sacrifice reveal what makes believers different, showing that when we follow Christ, there is a magnetism about us that words can hardly describe.

Gratitude is a powerful force that can transform our lives. It shapes our perspective, deepens our faith, and strengthens our relationships. While it's easy to be thankful when things are going well, true gratitude is a daily practice that remains steady even in challenges. The Bible teaches us that a grateful heart leads to joy, peace, and contentment. Today, we will explore the biblical principles of gratitude and how embracing them can positively impact our lives.

Sometimes, things happen that don't compute in our minds. Life doesn't always make sense. This can even be the case for people who have God's Hand upon their lives. In this message, as we look at the life of John the Baptist, we're going to discuss some critical principles to remember when life doesn't make sense.

All of us have experienced people who have failed us, hurt us, and disappointed us, especially when we needed them. In Scripture, we don't find any examples of a disciple admitting failure. The disciples scattered in Jesus' darkest hour, and the only disciple who made it all the way to the cross was John. Do we find in Scripture where the disciples are asking Jesus to forgive them? No, we don't. Usually, the first step towards restoration is taken by the person who was hurt the most. Many times, the first step is taken by the person who is the most spiritually mature. Do you want to know how to re-establish broken relationships? Follow the example of Jesus and take the steps we're going to outline in today's message.

As we conclude our study of the heroes of the faith found in Hebrews 11, we're going to take a look at the life of Joseph. Joseph's life was a roadmap to the route of faith. So if we want to live a life marked by faith, Joseph gives us a great example. Together, let's dive into what we can learn from the life of Joseph.

In our world, many things are occurring right now, and they continue to happen with greater intensity. These events are leading us toward the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The next thing on God's agenda is the Rapture of the Church. The warning signs remind us that we don't have that long before the Second Coming occurs. So in today's message, we're going to look at where we're headed as we assess what's happening in our world today.

Christmas is a season filled with traditions, family gatherings, and joyful celebrations. However, in the midst of the hustle and bustle, it's so important that we pause and reflect on the true purpose of this season: celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. In today's message, we're going to explore how to celebrate Christmas in a way that honors God and aligns with His Word.

If there is anything that I have personally struggled with in my life, it is waiting. Have you been waiting for the wins in your life, waiting for those promises to be fulfilled, waiting for the ‘Yeses' to happen, and waiting for God to give you the answer that you desire?” As we take another step deeper into our series on Heroes of Faith, we will wrestle with the issue of waiting. It is an aspect of the believer's maturity process. And it's one we can't skip over if we want to become all that God wants us to be in this life.

Abraham's story is one that says there is hope for all of us. We can be men and women of real faith if we can follow Abraham's example. Faith involves risk. If there is no risk, there is no faith. Faith is not a feeling. Faith involves standing on the Word of God, and sometimes that involves taking risks. Abraham's life was just one risk after another, one step of faith after another. So if we're going to be people of faith, we can't be afraid to take a risk.

Noah's life is applauded by the Lord, not for building an ark, not for collecting animals, not for preaching, but for living a life of faith resistance. If there was ever a message that God's people need to hear, it is simply this, “God wants us to understand what it means to resist our world system by faith.” With this in mind, there's a lot we can learn from the life of Noah.

As we follow Jesus, we need to learn how to exercise faith in a clear foundational way. This will allow us to honor God and bring Him Glory. From today's key passage, we will learn what faith looks like according to Scripture so we can have the kind of faith God desires for us to have.

As we close out this series, we're going to be discussing two final characteristics of the church God blesses. We will see how being dependent on God and being gracious to other believers will lead to God's blessings.

In this message, we are continuing our study of Hebrews and learning about the church God blesses. I want us as followers of Jesus to experience these types of blessings as we continue to live for Christ. So let's dive in and learn some more characteristics of the church God blesses.

In today's message, we are going to focus on verses 14-16 of Hebrews chapter 13. From these verses, we will zone in on three words: “Secure, “Sacrifice,” and “Service.” I want to unpack these words because they speak a great deal to us as followers of Jesus and how we are to live our lives.

Last week, we talked about how we shouldn't focus on false teachings or strange doctrines that don't line up with Scripture. But we can't stop the conversation there. So this week, we'll dive into what we should focus on.

We live in a culture that is easily distracted. With the internet and smartphones so easily accessible, there is always something to be doing, reading, or watching. Not to mention there are numerous sources of false teachings circling around us, tempting us to embrace lies instead of the truth of God's Word. But there's something to be said for being undistracted. And I believe when we as the Church choose to be undistracted, God blesses us. Let's dive deeper into this reality in today's message.

As we have been spending time in Hebrews Chapter 13, we have uncovered many different characteristics of the church God blesses. In this message, we are going to look at another one of the characteristics of the church and the believer who God blesses. Specifically, we're going to look at how God blesses those who share the gospel and those who count on Jesus.

As we've seen throughout this series so far, there is great power and wisdom in Hebrews 13. It speaks of the kind of church that God blesses, and the kinds of believers God blesses. Today, we're going to continue that discussion and see another truth about the church God blesses.

In today's message, we will continue our study of Hebrews chapter 13 and discuss another characteristic of the church that God blesses. Specifically, we'll be looking at how important it is that we value the Lord and our relationship with Him more than we value the things He gives us. Let's dive in.

In today's message we are going to continue our study of the book of Hebrews, specifically by looking at Hebrews 13. There's a lot we can learn from this passage, but today, we're going to dive deep into what it looks like to choose biblical morality as a church, and we'll learn how God blesses us when we make that choice.

Every chapter of Hebrews is full of rich wisdom from the Lord for His children. This book applies especially to His children who are trying to make sense of their lives and are seeking His purpose and blessing in a very confusing world. So if that's you, if you're looking for clarity from God around who He blesses, let's look to the book of Hebrews for the answer.

God will often use disasters to get our attention. He might use finances, relationships, and our own physical health to get our attention. But remember, He always has a purpose. We can learn some deep spiritual truths while going through tough times. Because of this truth, I want you to have a tough times theology. I want you to know what you believe about God, and what He is doing for you before tough times arrive. I want you to be ready. If you believe tough times will never come, you need to think differently. It is a false expectation to think you will be immune from tough times. So in order to help you develop a tough times theology, here are some principles for dealing with hard times.

A good question to answer from time to time is “Where are you?” It's a question of self-awareness and self-evaluation, which are areas we should all be growing in on a regular basis, particularly when it comes to our faith. As we dive into this message, I want us to take a look at this important question in the context of today's key Scripture passage and see how it applies to our lives as believers.

The last picture of Jesus that we are left with that introduces this Book is that of blessing and comfort. I tell you that for a couple of reasons, because verses 17 and 18, describe that specifically. Then he placed his right hand on me. Picture this as a blessing and also as a picture of comfort. When a person wants to encourage someone, they have a tendency to put their hand on them. God wants you to live a full life now. For whatever time He gives you, He places His hand of blessing and comfort upon you. Blessing comes from whose hand is on you. So in this week's message we are going to take a look at what you can do if you want to sense the Father's hand of comfort and blessing in your life.

In this passage of Revelation, John goes on to describe several images of Jesus that are important for us to visualize in our minds. Last week, we talked about the first image of His clothes: the robe going to his feet (picture of authority), and the golden sash around his chest (picture of priestly royalty). And we also talked about His hair being white as snow and how white represents purity and wisdom. Let's continue this list today of things we need to visualize according to John's description of Jesus.

The last couple of weeks, we've talked about John describing Jesus as being a picture of authority and partnership. This week, I want us to see that the Messiah is also a picture of power. Today's key verses describe the powerful image of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, I want us to take several steps to understand this picture of power and break it down into more specific parts.

In this message, I want us to take one more step in this perfect picture of the Messiah. This is, “A picture of partnership.” If you read Revelation 1:9-11, you will see that what John is describing is the perfect picture of partnership. More specifically, John wants us to understand that God calls us to be in partnership with three different entities: believers, the Lord, and the church.

In today's key verse of Revelation 1:8, we see something that is very powerful. I would call it the perfect picture of the Messiah. And as we look over the next few weeks at how the perfect picture of Jesus is described, we will start with one thing, and that is that Jesus the Messiah is a picture of authority. There is so much we can learn about Jesus from this one verse, but all of that learning starts with understanding His authority in our lives and in our world.

As we continue our study of the book of Revelation, we are going to spend some more time looking at the perfect picture of God's messenger, and that is John. In today's key passage, John is still taken away with Christ alone even after all of the years of following Jesus. You can't read what he wrote (inspired by the Holy Spirit) without capturing his passion, love and worship of Jesus Christ. As we look at these words, I need to tell you that some of us have lost heart. How does that happen? How does someone lose the fire that was once in their heart to follow Christ? In the coming days, we will read about a church that lost its first love. But for now, I want us to become aware that we may have lost our fire. And when that happens, we need to know what to do to keep the fire alive in our hearts.

As we continue in our study of the book of Revelation, we are going to see the perfect picture of God's messenger that is described for us in verses four through seven. You see, the Book of Revelation was a letter. It was intended to be read as a letter, a letter that John intended for all Christians to read, then and now. More than likely, the book was written around 95 to 96 A.D. John describes that God gave him this book on the Island of Patmos. As the messenger, he was responsible for simply penning what he was seeing. He wants everyone to see what he was seeing. And so as we look at this picture from John, we are going to learn not only about the message he was giving us, but about the messenger himself.

Today, we are beginning a brand-new sermon series through the book of Revelation! In this verse-by-verse study, we are going to dive deep into this book that cause so many of us to be confused, lost, and frustrated as we try to understand it. But the Lord has packed so much information into this book that is pertinent for us to learn. So the goal for this series is to help guide you as you study the book of Revelation and aid you in your search for clarity in this amazing book of Scripture.

God does not want you to see yourself as a failure. Instead, He wants you to learn from the failures you go through. Sometimes, the only lesson you will learn is, “Don't do that again.” In today's key passage, there are three basic lessons that you will learn from failure. We discussed the first two last week, so we're going to add the third this week. I pray you will learn from these failures in your own life and that you will find encouragement and comfort even when you fall short.

God does not want you to see yourself as a failure. Instead, He wants you to learn from the failures you go through. Sometimes, the only lesson you will learn is, “Don't do that again.” In this passage, there are three basic lessons that you will learn from failure, which we will discuss over the next two weeks. I pray you will learn from these failures in your own life and that you will find encouragement and comfort even when you fall short.

As believers, we need to be mindful of where we are going. It is like we are headed down a road where there is a huge sign across the road that says, “Bridge out.” If you keep driving, you are headed for disaster. Many people are looking at the signs that are occurring today, and they are heading into disaster. This is very important for you to understand. The Bible says that in the last days, terrible times will come. Great Tribulations will come. The New Testament explains the characteristics about those End Times. The Bible says there will be terrible, despicable, periloustimes. But at the same time, God promises to pour out His Holy Spirit during those last days. That's not a contradiction. It's a both-and situation. Our world is falling apart, and yet we're seeing God do amazing things for His Kingdom. With this in mind, let's look at some of the signs of the End Times as described in Scripture.

The cross was a watershed moment for the Apostle Paul and for us. It is important that we understand the cross and the power of the cross. It is more powerful than a piece of jewelry or a symbol that others see. In the early church, the symbol was not the cross. The cross was a Roman instrument of death. As we look back 2,000 years, the cross represents the power of God. What kind of power are we talking about? That's what we're going to discuss in today's message.

Many of us have the mentality that says, “God, I want to do this. I want to go there.” We find ourselves upside down when we want God to bless our plans rather than be part of His plan for our lives. Oswald Chambers once said, “It is not right for the servant to tell the master what he will do and what he will not do.” As children of God and followers of Jesus, the most important thing for us to know is the will of God for our lives. But how do you find God's will? What does it look like? In today's key passage, Jesus gives us a glimpse of God's will. So as we look at this passage, we will discuss some key principles for God's will.

In this week's message, we are continuing our conversation around forgiveness, discussing the steps we can take to forgive those who have hurt us and seeing what we can learn from the life and teaching of Jesus about Christlike forgiveness.

The story in today's key passage of Scripture is a tough one. Forgiveness is always a tough subject in this broken world of ours. But as Jesus addresses this issue, He was being tougher on the person who withheld forgiveness than the person who committed the offense. Why would Jesus do that? That's what we're going to look at in today's message. As we do, we need to ask and answer three specific questions. We'll answer the first one today and then we'll dive into the other two next week.