Sermons | Northstar Church

The sermon this Palm Sunday reminded us of Jesus' Kingship and made us reflect on what kingdom we are bowing down to. The message touched on the triumph of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. It also gave us perspective on how the struggle between kingdoms is playing out in our world today.

In this message, the amazing relationship between Paul and Timothy is explored. It's a challenge for every Christian to find someone to imitate and someone to influence. In the end, we are reminded to encourage our spiritual leaders.

This sermon highlighted Christ's Lordship over our lives and why that motivates obedience in us. Matt points out that our Christianity cannot be another identifier, like pastor or ginger, but that our lives should be poured out as an offering in submission and obedience to Christ.

This week's sermon highlights God's authority and that we cannot make Jesus Lord of our lives because Jesus always has been Lord. His name is higher than all names. We need to be cautious of bowing to human authorities before bowing to the authority of Jesus.

Darrell's message highlights the importance of humbling ourselves before others. It is easy for believers to see why we need to humble ourselves before the Lord. However, if we aren't humbling ourselves before others, we are not only following Christ's example, but we are also saying the servant is greater than the master.

During the State of the Church, Jeff touched on where the church has been over the past year, where we are now, and what this next year will look like. Northstar in the new days of 2021 will have new ways while keeping a faithful gaze on King Jesus.

Jeff reminds us of the humility of Jesus, coming down to earth to take on human flesh. He saw equality with God not as something to be grasped, but he emptied himself. Jesus came down in order to then come up in the glory of resurrection. Jeff gives us questions to reflect on where our confidence is found - in ourselves or in Christ.

This sermon focuses on how attitude is the lens through which we see life. How we react to different situations in life depends heavily on our attitude. Through surrendering our attitude, confessing it, and cooperating with the Holy Spirit, we will be transformed by the renewing of our minds so that our attitudes will reflect that of Jesus.

This sermon looks at how the love that Jesus has for us should grow within us a spirit of humility, and gratitude and love for others. It is in that posture that we can begin to approach others with the gospel and the news of Jesus Christ.

This sermon looks at how we are not citizens primarily of the nation we live in, but of the Kingdom of God. Because of that, we must stand firm in unity with other Christians, and stand firm in contending for the convictions and truth of the gospel.

This sermon looks at how full faith in Christ, and living in full relationship with Christ will lead to an awareness of the holy spirit abiding within you, courage in your identity, conviction in your beliefs, knowledge of your purpose, and a spirit of humility.

In Paul's imprisonment, intended to prohibit him from sharing the news of Jesus Christ, the gospel was instead advanced through the boldness it inspired in those that followed Paul's mission, and through Paul's use of his time and limited resources to share the gospel with the very people who held him captive. In our own lives, we often seek deliverance from our current discomfort, but should instead approach sharing the gospel through the lens of eternity.

This sermon looks at how the birth of our savior should inspire in each of us an impassioned desire to share the good news of salvation. As the shepherds were amazed at Jesus’ coming, and immediately began to glorify Him, so we too should we spread the story of Jesus, and “Go Tell It on the Mountain”.

This sermon looks at the history of the song "O Holy Night", the true meaning behind it, and how God has used it to transcend people groups and nations. Despite opposition, and even being banned, this hymn has continued to glorify God throughout history, which points to the sincere holiness of the night of our Savior's birth.

Jesus will quench our thirst. He fulfills our longing. Anyone whose heart looks forward to Jesus and cries out "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" will discover the wonder and beauty and hope of God.

This sermon looks at how love and knowledge or truth are both necessary components in true Agape love. You need both. The healthiest love is one fully informed by the content and wisdom of God’s Word. Through scripture, we see that Jesus modeled truth and love together.

This sermons looks at how we as members of the body of Christ should emulate the example Paul gave us in his interactions with the people of Philippi, and view others in terms of their relationship with Christ, through which God is completing a good work in them.

In this sermon that begins our dive into Philippians, we took a look at how Paul's thankfulness for the people of Philippi is a direct reflection of God's thankfulness for His children. Despite our shortcomings and misgivings, God will complete a good work in us, because of His love for us.

As the time to move into our new building draws near, we are struck by how much God has provided thus far, and by the need we still have. This sermon looks specifically at how God equipped the Israelites to be able to give towards the construction of the Tabernacle and our belief that God does the same in the New Testament Church. Even more than that, this sermon examines how as Christ followers we are compelled to be the hands and feet of Jesus, and that the new ministry center will allow us to better serve the NRV.

Kicking off our Philippians series through an introduction to the people of Philippi, this sermon looks at how inviting God into our circumstances can allow us to receive joy, no matter the hardship we may be walking through.

This sermon looks at how Ruth and Naomi's desire to unite with people of God is an example of how we as Christians are called to join in relationship with the Church- the body of Christ. Ruth's allegiance to Namoi is also a clear depiction of Christ's allegiance to His church, which in turn emphasizes the value of membership and belonging to a church body.

What does it mean to be truly known? This sermon looks at how in the age of social media and constant texting, we place cheap and shallow connections on an altar. In John 4, the Samaritan woman met Jesus at the well, and she was rid of her shame and guilt. When we truly experience Jesus and allow ourselves to be fully known by him, we lose the need to keep going back to the well.

Our joy is not dependent on the circumstances of the world around us. This sermon looks at how when times are good and when times are bad, we need to remember that “this too shall pass.” We cannot depend on “successes” AND we cannot be be defeated by trials. We are more than conquerors through Jesus.

What should we fear? In this sermon Jeff uses Romans 8:31-39 to remind us that when we fear God, we see clearly to fear nothing and no one. We are able to step out with a sense of compassion and urgency to share the Gospel with the lost.

So often we have a tendency to put God on our "to-do lists", justifying by listing Him as our top priority. However, God should not simply be the biggest part of our lives, He should be our the entirety of our lives. This sermon looks at Deuteronomy chapter 4, and the notion that the greatest commandment is to be consumed by a love for God.

The moment we forget who we we are and Who's we are, we begin to establish a pattern of selfishness and chaos that leads to relational strife between ourselves and others, and ourselves and God. This sermon looks at John chapter 8, and how an awareness of our identity in Christ ties into our ability to extend grace and compassion to others.

In this sermon, Jeff speaks about the importance of living a life full of gratitude and thanksgiving and how a life that walks with Christ is a life that overflows with an abundance of gratefulness. He says: "ingratitude is followed by misplaced entitlement..." on the contrary, gratitude is a life that is grateful for every good gift of the father, including our forgiveness!

This sermon looks at how an intimate love relationship with Jesus is absolutely required in order to enjoy the fruit of the Spirit. And get this… we aren’t given the fruit of the Spirit to become more noticeably nice. We are given the fruit of the Spirit to become more like Jesus and display His glory. These are all characteristics of Jesus.

God calls us to compassion, even for those it seems impossible to show grace to. In this sermon, we see how Jonah was called to show compassion to the Ninevites, despite how wicked they were. Even in his refusal, God was pursuing both grace for the Ninevites and Jonah. How can God's compassion for you compel you to show compassion for others?

In our faith walks, in order to grow as a Christian, it is important for us to realize that repentance is essential. True repentance allows us to overflow with God's grace, so that we might bless others.

In our trials, we can either render ourselves defeated, or we can choose to acknowledge the reality that we desperately need God's grace. This sermon looks at how it was not until Jonah came to the end of himself that he understood how greatly he needed God's goodness and mercy.

Even if we are doing all of the "right Christian things", it is possible to still have a hardness of heart towards God, which can be revealed by a hardness towards other people. This sermon looks at how Jonah was hardened towards those outside of his own people group, even when they were reflecting righteousness and a fear of God.

Jonah was called to love those starkly different from him, or "the other"; yet, he ran in the opposite direction. Despite that, God used "the other" to draw Jonah back to himself. This sermon prompts us to consider where in our lives we are running from those different than ourselves, looking down upon them instead of loving them as our savior does.

When we think of the book of Jonah, we usually think of the whale. However, this sermon begins our series on Jonah by looking at how the story of Jonah is really about race and nationality, about following God's commands, and about our own ideas of God and what he may ask us to do.

What is truly important is being a “new creation.” Works don’t please God, power, acclaim doesn’t please or impress him, what he wants from us is to become a new creation in Christ. If that is how we can summarize Galatians, then we should be concerned about knowing what a new creation is!

This sermon looks at how Christian life is meant to be done together, in community, and how true spirituality is displayed in self-sacrificing love that is powered by the Holy Spirit to the body of Christ.

When looking at the fruits of the spirit, we must realize that resisting the desires of the flesh is not about willpower or our own strength, it is about our faith in God and love for God, and the fruits that come of it. This passage is not about effort- the point is not to "try harder" or to "do better", the point is to allow the Spirit to produce the fruit.

In this sermon Matt Simpson looks at how Paul defines freedom in his letters to the Galatians. As Christians we have freedom from sin, as well as freedom to approach God and to be in relationship with Him. Our society looks at freedom as individual liberty, but in Christ we know that freedom is far from selfish and that it calls us to a greater purpose.

Galatians 5 shows how the cross was not politically correct when Paul was writing to the churches of Galatia, just as it is not politically correct now. Society still wants us to add different cultural movements to the gospel, but if we are following the true gospel, it is only Jesus. What are we adding or taking away from the message of the cross?

This message examines the promise of freedom that Jesus gives those who follow Him and examines the temptation to align oneself with causes and movements (even good ones) that distract us from the one, true gospel. Christians must hold out the hope of Jesus alone for the problems of our world and culture today.

On one side there's religious bondage, and on the other is spiritual freedom. Paul teaches the Galatians about the joy of a love relationship with Christ and how legalists will always try to rob us of simple faith.

This sermon examines our adoption into the Kingdom of God, and how if we as believers cling to the law and our minimal ability to fulfill it, we will miss the intimacy that is offered to us in our relationship with God. We are treated as heirs and children in His kingdom, not as houseguests, so our faith and love for Jesus should reflect that.

This sermon examines how as we grow in faith and in love for Jesus, it is sometimes all too easy to slip into a pattern of legalism, in which we believe that it is our works that justify us rather than our faith. But the patterns of evil in this world should tell us that humanity will always fall short of upholding a law. So then, in the face of life's most daunting hardships, we should be reminded of our absolute need for Jesus, and for the grace that has been extended to us by Him.

Truths to be reminded of: 1. No one has ever been justified by works. Ever. 2. God doesn’t change. Ever. 3. The Law exposes that on your best day, you are as desperately wicked as your worst day. Always. 4. The Law did not give life and your laws will not give you life. Ever. 5. Life comes only through Jesus. Always.

Jeff Noble preaches on how those who have been saved by faith will live by righteousness, but a life of righteousness requires complete perfection- no sin, at all. We do not have to attempt to achieve this perfection through legalism, because Jesus became sin for us and makes us righteous by his sacrifice.

This sermon looks at how the people of Galatia were tempted to find their identity and their salvation in the works of the law, and how they believed that that was synonymous with faith. True faith however, comes from a love relationship with Jesus, in knowing who He is, and knowing that our identity is not rooted in how successfully we adhere to the law or volunteer at church, but in who He says we are.

The first hours of the first Easter Sunday were full of chaos and confusion. Angels, soldiers, disciples running, and reports of a risen Jesus. How would Jesus' resurrection impact what the disciples thought was their "new normal?"

In Matthew 27:32-50, the reality of the cross is that Jesus really *died." His death disheartened the disciples, but it brought a new reality - HOPE. And yet, in those dark moments of the cross, God was dealing with sin, death, and hopelessness. Jesus asked His disciples during His ministry, "Why are you afraid?" From the cross, He declared, "It is finished." Death defeated. Sin vanquished. Fear no more.

Jeff Noble preaches on the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and how his authority is confirmed through the fulfillment of prophecies. He discusses how the Pharisees reflect our own tendencies to chafe against authority, and how the change of the crowds from supporting Jesus to calling for his death reflects the expectation for God to fix the circumstances of our lives, rather than fix our hearts to deal with undesirable circumstances in a manner reflective of God.

This sermon takes an in depth look at what Paul describes as the "foolishness" of the Galatians, in that they made little of the cross by tying themselves and their faith to legalism. We know that because of the cross we have the tomb, and because of the tomb we have we have the resurrection. Jesus defeated our sin, defeated death, and as we prepare for Easter, we remember that He has risen.