Journey Church BG Sermons

In the Bible not all knowing is in our heads. Some knowing is in our hands. God made us to know Him by doing His work. Knowing God requires a relationship. The opposite of knowing God isn't ignorance. The opposite of knowing God is rebellion. John 10:14-15, “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep."

The greater the understanding of our sin and the love that Jesus lavished on us the greater the motivation will be for us to live a life not to try to gain favor or acceptance from God but to live a life out of love and gratitude for what He's done for us. It's a much better motivator. Our life stops being about trying to climb a ladder of acceptance from God and everybody and it becomes an offering of thanksgiving. The pressure to perform goes away and it's replaced with the pleasure to live in joy and peace and with purpose for God's glory. This is something that we must preach to ourselves everyday. It’s the essence of the Gospel and we tend to slip into performance mode and forget it. We need to keep coming back to it every time we forget it.

THIS IS EVERYTHING. Why is it everything?Have we forgotten where we were when Jesus found us? Have we forgotten about being slaves to sin and then Jesus rescuing us? Have we forgotten what He did for us? How He came for us? How He offered us forgiveness and grace? We have a whole community and college that needs to hear about that. They need to hear about the wonderful love of Jesus and the hope that can be had in Him. This is our mission as a church. This is the mission for every follower of Christ.God sent His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will have everlasting life. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. His great commission to the church was to go into the world and make disciples of all nations. In the book of Acts the church was started. They went around proclaiming the Good News of Jesus. Nothing has changed. This is still the mission of every believer and every church. This is why we are here in this community. We are to seek out the one. The Bible says that there’s a celebration in heaven over one lost soul that comes to Christ. I want Journey Church to constantly be the reason parties are happening in heaven. I want the angels in heaven to look at each other and say, "We can't even get finished with one party before the next one begins." We have to keep this in front of us because it’s so easy to forget there’s a crowd needing Jesus at the foot of the mountain.

The gift of grace and forgiveness that Jesus offers through the cross and resurrection, who He is, is worth giving everything else up and going all in. This is how the Kingdom of God works. This is a description of the people of the Kingdom. That Jesus is not only enough. He's more than enough. He's not just more than enough. He's so valuable that those who follow Him, follow Him with all abandon. They give it all up for Him so that the Kingdom of God can expand, so others may know Him and experience His goodness and grace.Once you are found it's time to go find someone else.You may just reach one but the one you reach may reach thousands. In order to reach one you have to be intentional. Who's Your ONE?

Never underestimate what God can do in one person, in one day. We have to think outside of the box. We don’t want to be a normal church. We aren't a normal church. We will never be a normal church. We don't have normal church issues. We have unique issues. We have a unique community. And we have a unique opportunity to show our community, to show Bowling Green, the beauty of the Gospel in the lives of people. We can show that when God transforms those far from God who are rich and poor and in the middle, black and white and brown, old and young and college student, English speakers and non-English speakers and brings them together to lift up the name of Jesus and praise Him for what He did on the cross then we show the world what the Gospel does. We have an opportunity to be the church. We have an opportunity to show what Jesus can do in the lives of people. We cannot miss the opportunity. The thought coming into each Sunday should be this, "I can't wait to see what God is going to do today and I can't wait to hear what He's done this week."

What comes to your mind when I say the word "Christian?" What about the word "disciple?" The word disciple, is a much clearer description when you think about what you actually become when you choose to believe in Jesus. Matthew 4 we have the calling of the first disciples, and in that you’ll get a glimpse of what a disciple was and how Christians saw themselves and what this means for us. "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men."

Jesus did not die the death that he died so that we would have a comfortable life. He did not die on a cross so that we could spend our lives on ourselves. He did not die with the weight of our sin on His shoulders so that we could play games while a world around us dies and goes to hell. He died so that we could be forgiven, to be made whole, to be made alive, to be brought into relationship with God, and to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to be witnesses in the world to the hope we have found in Jesus. God has called us to so much more than our little kingdom, called “life.” He's called us to a new Kingdom. It's a Kingdom where the king is Jesus, not us. It's a Kingdom that is about grace that was bought with Jesus' blood. It's a Kingdom that's about the love of a Savior for the world! As followers of Jesus, we are a part of this Kingdom and we are to be about inviting others into this Kingdom as well.

How do you truly love a hard to love or unlovable person, even someone that you may say is an enemy? Or, what about a friend that betrays you over and over again?How do you have true joy? How do you have peace? How can you finally get self-control? It all goes back to the Gospel of Jesus. How does the Gospel apply to your life past the moment of salvation? We all want to know the ways to go and the right path to take. We want to know what's right and what's wrong. We beg and search for what will bring our lives purpose. It all goes back to Jesus. Through Galatians 5, John 14, and Matthew 11 you'll see a common thread. God wants to do all of this in you. It only takes one thing to begin to grow this fruit in your life.

Are you tired? Does life feel too heavy for you? We miss, many times, the truth of God in our lives. We try to relieve the feelings of heaviness and tiredness of our souls with things that just don't work and if they work they don't very long. Jesus actually gives us what we need to find rest for our souls. He gives us what we need to relieve that heavy burden that is weighing us down.This year we need to become the person that God has in mind knowing that the person he has in mind doesn't need to do anything but come to Him. He brings rest. His yoke is easy and light. "Be still and know that I am God."

This is the Gospel. You can’t do it. You realize you can’t do it. So, you trust Jesus because He did the work for you. What was the purpose of the law? To show people their sins. Does it ever show us our sins. It’s impossible to fulfill. And that’s the point. I'm afraid that there are a lot of people, people who may have even been in church for their entire lives that "believe" in Jesus but they are adding stuff to their faith. They are trusting in their goodness and work when Jesus has done all the work for us. God's standard is too high, too great. The Gospel is trusting in Christ alone, by faith alone.

Lucas finishes up the Advent/Christmas series "Who is this Baby?" by looking at how God has manifested Himself throughout history and how He will come again soon! God's desire has always been to be near to man.

What does the word “peace” mean to you? Does it mean what it may mean for a neighbor that wants the teenager across the street to stop practicing on his drums? She really wants quiet. Does it mean what it may mean for a store owner wants when he’s worried about paying his bills? He really means that he’d like his store to be busy and bustling with customers. Peace to him means prosperity. Does it mean what it may mean for a patient waiting anxiously in the doctor’s office to be told the results of lab tests wants? He really means good health. Does it mean what it may mean for a person that stays up night after night worried about their job, their kids, their lives? They really mean sleep. Or, does it mean what you see in Isaiah 9:6? Shalom. Shalom means wholeness, completeness. No matter what your definition of peace is, there is one truth for everyone Everyone wants peace. Everyone wants to feel whole. Everyone wants to feel complete.

What we know of a "father" may project expectations or experiences of what a father should be, or has been, onto God. It’s so important to see the truth of who Jesus is and allow that to affect how we relate to Him. If our view is skewed, then we may have a skewed relationship with Him and that’s hurtful to our lives. We have to see Jesus correctly. Jesus is our Everlasting Father. He is good and loving and grace-filled and merciful and just and kind and strong and mighty and bigger than anything life can throw our way. This is Jesus’ Fatherliness and it never, ever, ever, ever ends. Jesus is a billion times better than the best father. He is a billion times kinder than the kindest father. He is a billion times more gracious than the most gracious father. He is a billion times stronger than your greatest struggle or your deepest sin. He is a billion times more capable to transform your life than anything the world has to offer. He is our Everlasting Father

What comes to mind when you hear the word “hero?” Deep down we want and know that we need a hero. That hero is not a guy in tights, a cape, that plays on a movie. It's not our favorite quarterback. The hero we need is more powerful and mighty than any hero we can imagine. The hero we need is Jesus. He is the mighty God. And He is . . . mighty to save. He is mighty to create a new nature in you. He is mighty to break what enslaves you. He is mighty to transform your heart and give you new life. He is mighty to meet you in your sorrow and He is mighty to move mountains. He is mighty to conquer your fears and conquer the grave. He is mighty to save you and your momma and your friend. He is mighty to awaken the deadness in your heart. He is mighty to help you live a life that glorifies Him. He is mighty to make it able to give yourself to His work, and your life for His cause. He is mighty enough for you to trust Him with your life, your money, your time, and your family. He is mighty to send you out into this community with the grace of Jesus and let someone know what He's done for you and for them. He is mighty to overcome your anxiety and depression TODAY. He is mighty to save. He is mighty to save. He is not filled with the power of God, He is the power of God. He is not just a good teacher or a strong god amongst other gods. He is the one and only almighty God, worthy of our lives. He is our hero. He is our champion. He is the Mighty God.

We need to be more like children. We need to see the wonder of Jesus. For some reason we fill our days with cheap imitations of wonder. Our heads stay down in our phones, our eyes stay locked on our TV's, our minds stay busy with things that don't matter. We are looking for things that bring wonder but we never really have a sense of real wonder. They are all things that don't last. They are fleeting. Our lives are like filling up on Cheetos when there’s Thanksgiving dinner on the table. All the while God is giving us glimpses into Himself, ways to see and enjoy who He is in the things around, in the words of Scripture, in the laugh of a child, in the conversation with a friend, in the beauty of the day. But we miss it because we don't stop long enough to enjoy it and see the wonder of God. We don’t have time for that. But, when your heart catches a glimpse of real wonder you will cease to bother yourself with things that aren't truly wonderful because the things that bring real wonder are too wonderful for you to miss. Jesus is too wonderful to seek wonder anywhere else. Everything else is a cheap imitation.

What God plans for good, the enemy plans for evil. The enemy is an accuser, a blamer, and a twister of truth. Stay alert to his tactic! Defeating the enemy isn't about trying harder, it's about believing Jesus more. We have to make our hearts bow down to the truth of God's sovereignty and control. We defeat the enemy not by our strength but by drawing close to Jesus. It's His strength that we get behind. The enemy is strong but our God is much stronger. The enemy needs to be reminded that he's already defeated, Jesus has crushed his head. We are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus.

The Gospel of Jesus gives us an opportunity to look at suffering and trials from a whole different perspective. It's a perspective based on the work that Christ did on the cross. The work of Jesus also gives us the opportunity to look at all of life differently. We are newborn babies in Christ, born-again followers of Jesus. We have different cravings, different desires, and we are done, finished, with the work and hold of sin in our lives. We now enjoy what God has done for us through Christ and then use our lives to bring glory to God.

The right perspective of suffering is essential. Derek looks at 1 Peter 3:13-22 and helps us:Remember we are Blessed in our Suffering (v.13-14)To Prepare for Suffering (v. 14-17)We need to Cling to the Gospel in our Suffering (v.18-22)Christ Suffered to Bring You Close to God God Saved Noah in SufferingGod Will Not Forsake You

Nathan continues the series on 1 Peter by helping us understand as followers of Christ to prepare our minds for the action of making what you're going through about Jesus. It's about using this opportunity, through suffering, to point to what Jesus has done and who Jesus is. We are to be like obedient children. Most children aren't very obedient but we learn how to be and why we should be. We didn't know any better before we followed Christ but now we see the benefit of following Christ and obeying Him. We are called to be holy as He is holy. In everything! We strive toward that end. This is a picture of God's presence in our lives, in all the moments of our lives. Salvation and grace are not just for you, it's for everyone.

We are continuing a series today on 1 Peter called: Hope for the Here and Now: How to Live in a World that’s Messed Up. Peter wants to reorient your perspective of life and help you see it from God’s level. It's from His level that we can see what He's doing. It makes life make more sense. It's how you live in this messed up world with a hope that is strong and enduring. As a follower of Christ, we live at a different level. We see things differently. We live at a different level. It isn't a level that is based on what you can see. It isn't a level based on what you can feel. It isn't a level based on what people say about you. It isn't a level based on what you did in your past. It isn't a level based on what you think of yourself. It's a level of hope. It's a level of trust in God's goodness. It's a level of belief in the work of Christ in your life. It's a level based on knowing that God's got you in this season, He's surrounding you in this hard time, He is for you when no one else is, He is doing a work in your life even when you can't see it. It's a level based on a future that He's got planned for you. It's a level based on the truth of God.

A Message from 1 Peter

Sometimes life gets tough . . . but as a result. This is what we want, right? We want to have a sense that the pain we experience has a purpose. Does God know or care about what I’m going through? Does He understand? If there is a God, why is there so much pain in the world? Is there any good that can come from my pain? We all will go through painful times. We will all have suffering. Some will have more. Some will have less. This life will try to crush you. What is God up to in the pain? Why the pain? What is the designed result of pain and suffering?

Sometimes life gets tough . . . but as a result. This is what we want, right? We want to have a sense that the pain we experience has a purpose. Does God know or care about what I’m going through? Does He understand? If there is a God, why is there so much pain in the world? Is there any good that can come from my pain? We all will go through painful times. We will all have suffering. Some will have more. Some will have less. This life will try to crush you. What is God up to in the pain? Why the pain? What is the designed result of pain and suffering?

The Holy Spirit has a summit, a relationship of your dreams, in mind that He wants to lead you toward. Will you allow the Holy Spirit to guide your life and your relationships? If so, your relationships and life could be transformed into something incredibly beautiful. The beauty of a Spirit-led life and a Spirit-led relationship. Fruit is usually easily seen. But from a distance you don’t know if it’s real or fake, rotten or healthy. I think an important question is, what fruit do others see in you and in your relationship? Can they describe the beauty and fragrance of your fruit? Is it Jesus-typed love that they see? Does your life and relationships exude peace? What about patience? What about goodness. But, I think an even more important question is, what fruit do the other branches on your tree (the people closest to you) see in you and in your relationships? They know what’s up? They know the real fruit that is dangling from your branch. What fruit is your life producing? How do you follow the Holy Spirit to have a Christ-centered and beautiful relationship and life?

No one ever makes a goal to buy so much stuff that you are drowning in debt and then all you do is fight over money. No one ever makes a goal to start looking at pornography, become addicted to it and lose all intimacy in marriage. No one makes a goal to start telling small lies that you have to cover up with bigger lies where your life becomes a lie and then your relationship is crushed under the weight of it. No one makes a goal to get so busy with work and chores and kids activities and hobbies that you wake up one day and realize you don’t really know your spouse anymore. No one makes those goals but people end up there all the time. They end up there because they don’t prepare. They don’t have the right goals for their relationships. You can’t do what is normal and expect to have a relationship that is better than what is normal. Making the right goals will keep you on the right track and put you in the place for the right kind of relationships.

Relationships are not easy. We look around us and many relationships are broken and we know that we are the product of the relationships we've been involved in or grew up in. There are also some cultural myths that must be debunked before we look at the relational framework of Jesus. He has a better way of living in relationship with people. It's a way that is a game changer. “Following Jesus will make your life better and make you better at life.” Andy StanleyJohn 15:1-12Application: Become Christ-centered in your life by following Jesus and in your relationships, consider one characteristic of Jesus’ love for you and then intentionally practice that one thing this week. A few examples: patience, grace, forgiveness, or presence. How does Jesus love you in these areas? Go out and do the same.

What you see right now is not the whole story. God has greater things ahead. This is the story of Abraham - a life more like yours than you first think. He faced incredible circumstances, just like you. He had the struggles of life hit him, just like you. He had to be constantly reminded of God’s faithfulness and work, just like you. He made mistakes and took wrong turns, just like you. He sometimes questioned God, just like you. He lived a life, just like you. The difference is, Abraham mastered his life so well. He lived a life of faith in God where he willingly and confidently stepped into what God was asking. He lived a big, amazing, and triumphant life. He lived in such a way that there was no doubt he believed God had greater things ahead.

God has a picture, a dream, in mind when He looks at Journey Church. He sees what it is and what it is to become. Just like a Lego set, the Creator has thought through Journey Church, He knew who would be a part of it, who would be here today, who will be a part of it in the future and He wants the beautiful picture that He has in mind for Journey Church to come to life. And just like a Lego set, every piece matters. This is why you matter. You have a place.You can only see the finished work if all the pieces are in place.

The point of Jesus is that he is the point of life. What we are looking for is completely found in him. What we are longing for is completely fulfilled in him. I hope that you are encouraged by this message. If you've felt like you have been running aimlessly through life there is something far better and His name is Jesus.

Grace is freely offered to you, not because you are good, but because God is good. Grace is one thing that is unique to Christianity. It's the unique thing that Jesus offers to us. It's the one thing that changed the world and will change us.

The first message in the "Jesus Is..." series.

Pastor Matt finishes his sermon series on A Year Will Love.

Pastor Matt continues his sermon series on A Year Will Love as he talks about money.

We live in a world of broken relationships, hate, and division. Jesus speaks into what is going on around us, in our communities, in our homes, and online. There is hope. There is a way to make a difference.

Depression, anxiety, and other harmful thoughts fog up your mind so much that it's hard to believe God loves you. Sometimes you just need to be reminded that he does. The fog will lift! There is hope!

Every year, we make New Year's resolutions, and only about 50% of us keep them all 365 days of the year. As Christians, there's just one thing we should resolve to do in 2019 to make it a year that we and those around us will love.