Last week, we looked into the historical context in which Nehemiah was written. This week, we dive deeper into what happens after Nehemiah weeps and mourns in fasting and pray for God’s help in delivering the people of Judah. Nehemiah isn’t immediately mobilized by God, but instead we see a 4-month gap between Nehemiah receiving his calling and making his first move. We will focus on what Nehemiah’s 4-month delay can teach us about the posture we bear as we carry out our callings in a godly and successful manner.

The Book of Acts is the story of the church - continuing the story of Jesus, through the church. In Acts 19, we see a contrast in the power of Apostle Paul and a small group called The Seven Sons of Sceva. Paul encountered God and was transformed from the inside out. He became someone who God performed extraordinary miracles through. Word was also spreading that in the name of Jesus, there is power; in the name of Jesus, miracles can happen.

This week, we finish off our sermon series on the Ten Commandments. We look into how coveting is prominent in our society today and how we may overcome its influence on shaping the way we define and measure our life satisfaction. We will explore the new reality available to us as believers who are freed by God’s love and freedom for free people are joyfully content.

We look at the significance behind the Lord’s Name for us and in our daily lives. What is the meaning when we call upon the Name of the Lord? Why is there reverence attached to the use of God’s Name? We will look into these questions today in the third commandment (Exodus 20:7).

We look at the second commandment today - “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.” (Exodus 20:4-6) We question in our daily lives in what ways we have chosen to make idols in the form of something — choosing to worship them — other than God alone.

The Ten Commandments given to us in the Bible are often perceived as outdated, not applicable in modern society, or contentious in driving people into legalism. We will dive into a new sermon series where we examine each Commandment and seek the Lord’s divine purpose and significance for us.

There are two ways to build our lives. We can build our lives in faithfulness to God - Noah building an ark out of faithfulness to God. We can build lives in isolation from God - the ambitions of the Tower of Babel. The towers differ not only in the materials used or the time of when it took place; no, the towers differed largely because of the wrong motives for one (Babel) and the right motives for the other (the Ark).

Today’s passage covers the story of Noah and the ark. We look at this story to understand the sinfulness of the world, the corruption and evil that was rampant among mankind, and yet God still chose to use Noah to showcase His saving grace and mercy for humans.

As we continue on in the story, we see how the fall of Adam and Eve segregate them from God. The punishment of sin brings about a loss of privilege of abiding close to God’s presence and shalom, and the sense of security and rest they were meant to enjoy. 

In today’s passage, we will explore what life looks like outside of God’s providence. We see how sin naturally grows (metastasizes); we see how sin intensifies and spreads throughout humanity; and we see how sin destroys relationships. Though the stark reality of human sinfulness without the Lord’s favor is shown, sin does not have the last word – the Lord’s graciousness and authority does. 

It is hard to deny that evil broods deep in each one of us. Everyday, we are constantly bombarded by stories and news of suffering and pain resulting from wars, crimes, scandals, abuse, and more. Humanity holds so much potential to do good but we also have an infinite capacity to destroy and ruin. In today’s passage, we will look at when sin first entered into the world, it’s distorted effects on the lives it affects, and how to overcome sin with Jesus’ help.

David is the author of today’s psalm. He was often described as a: shepherd, the defeater of Goliath, courageous, the King of Israel, and genuine. God Himself even calls David “a man after His own heart”. Psalm 103 is an exhortation that David lifted up to the Lord. At the bottom of his heart is a genuine sincerity to praise God.

We continue in discussing the topic of gender from last week’s sermon. Today, we’ll explore 5 questions:

1. What is gender?

2. What is gender dysphoria?

3. What causes gender dysphoria?

4. What does God say to those who are struggling with gender?

5. How should we respond to those who are struggling with this issue?

When we speak about sex and gender, there are nuances that are not apparent to each person.

Sex often refers to the physical body – the biological aspects and physicalities that are true to our human bodies.

Gender refers to the sense of self that is culturally, psychologically, socially, and spiritually created. Gender is more subjective and less tangible than the use of sex.

Oftentimes, the focus of the creation story is on days 1-6. But there is also something created on day 7. God introduces the concept of rest into His creation by choosing to rest Himself. The use of the word “rested” comes up twice in our passage –

• “Rested” on the seventh day from all His work that He had done

• So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God “rested” from all His work that He had done in creation.

This word “rested” in Hebrew is Shabbat, and also the origin word of our English word “Sabbath”. We will explore the importance of rest and compare the creation story of day 7 with the previous 6 days.

‘What does it mean to be human?’ may be a question we seek to answer from time-to-time. This question affects our ways of living and how we may come to find our purpose one earth. When we read into the creation story of mankind, we arrive at the pinnacle of God’s creation story. Humanity is made in the image of God. The use of “likeness” or “reflection” alludes to humanity’s purpose of mirroring God into the world. 

Sometimes, we may subconsciously answer questions with a certain frame of mind the asker is not curious about. When we think about Genesis 1 and the story of creation, we may answer questions rooted in frames of reference touching on ideas of evolution, scientific evidence, astronomical principles, etc. Even after multiple attempts to explain this chapter, Genesis 1 remains heavily debated and struggles in being accepted wholly and satisfactorily under one interpretation.

We dive into a new sermon series titled ‘The Image of God’. We will be starting in Genesis in hopes to re-alter and renew our perspective of developing a worldview anchored unto the unchanging truth of God. Our worldview can heavily impact how we live our lives. We’ll be using Pastor Darrell Johnson’s approach to dividing the Bible topically: Genesis 1 to 11 and then everything else. These 11 chapters in Genesis help set the stage for the rest of the biblical narrative: knowing God, purpose of this created world, human sin, judgment, and the redemptive grace of God.

The ministry of Jesus often revolved around food. Jesus’ desire for those He loved was to feed them.

• Jesus’ first miracle was the turning of water into wine. (John 2:1-11)

• Jesus’ miracle of feeding the five thousand with bread and fish is mentioned in all four of the Gospels. (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14)

• Jesus’ last remembrance was through The Last Supper had with His disciples on the eve before His death. (Matthew 26:17-30; Mark 14:12-25; Luke 22:7-20; John 13:1-30).

In today’s passage, John writes about the important breakfast made by Jesus Himself. Jesus’ provision through this meal is filled with grace and love.

Today on Easter Sunday, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We believe Jesus died on the cross not only to take away our sins but also that He has resurrected from the dead. The reality of the resurrection is where our energy, time, and effort within our faith through prayer, meditation on Scripture, attending church, offering up our service, etc. - to praise the living and risen King.

Hebrews 11 is often regarded as the chapter of faith. Prior to this chapter, we’ve been constantly reminded that Jesus is better. We know though, as we continue on this walk with God - faith is absolutely needed. The previous references (High Priest, Tabernacle) were only the pointers to the door, but faith is the hinge of the actual door we want opened to allow us to approach Jesus.