Sequoia Church - Ottawa

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Philippians 1:21-30 How do we fight? With an ATTITUDE: Identifying with JESUS. (vs. 21-26) With a PERSPECTIVE: As citizens of HEAVEN. (v. 27a) With a GOAL: UNITY. (v. 27b) John 17:21 Ephesians 6:10-12

Why did God give us family? So that we can know and reflect our Triune God and His Kingdom. Philippians 1:9-11 Big Idea: To have a flourishing family pursue the goal of helping one another be... Filled with Love, Faithful in Character, and Fruitful for Christ. What is your next step? Pursue God as a 1st Priority. Evaluate your Life Choices. Remain in Christ.

Why did God give us family? So that we can know and reflect our Triune God and His Kingdom. In Marriage: Genesis 2:18, Ephesians 5:31-32 In Parenting: Matthew 7:9-11 In the Church: Matthew 12:48-49 1 John 3:1-3 Big Idea: Families only flourish when Christ comes first. How do we flourish as a family or Impact Community? Celebrate our family as a gift from God. v. 3 Pray for our family regularly. v. 3 Trust God to work in our family for His Kingdom purposes. v.6 Love our family well in every season. v. 7-8

Ephesians 5:1-10 Understanding the Nature of Greed: Greed can HIDE. Greed can SPEND. Greed can SAVE. The Litmus Test for Greed: Greed can hide in SPENDING or in SAVING but it cannot hide in GIVING. Leviticus 27:30-34 Malachi 3:8-10. Ephesians 1:3 Tithing can be a good place to START but it s not the place to STOP. 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 2 Corinthians 8:9 Big Idea: Giving in response to the GOSPEL helps us combat GREED and grow a GENEROUS heart. What is your next step? SUBMIT to Christ and others. START Somewhere. STRETCH into Greater Generosity.

Matthew 6:19-21 Two Opposing Lifestyles: In pursuit of EARTHLY treasures vs. in pursuit of HEAVENLY treasures. Pursuing earthly treasures... Is FUTILE (v. 19-21) Fills our hearts with DARKNESS (v. 22-23) Puts us at odds with GOD (v. 24) Leads to ANXIETY and FEAR (v. 25-31) DISTRACTS us (vs. 32-34) Big Idea: Pursuing True Treasure opens the door for DRASTIC GENEROSITY 1 Tim. 6:17-19 To reveal what your heart treasures... Evaluate your SPENDING Evaluate your POSSESSIONS

1 Timothy 6:6-10 Luke 18:18-27 Having WEALTH makes it difficult to Enter the kingdom of God. www.globalrichlist.com Riches are DANGEROUS because they can blind us to our true NEEDS. Wealth can be a TOOL for great joy. Acts 20:35 How do we grow in generosity? Hebrews 12:1-2 Big Idea: Steward wealth CAREFULLY, in RESPONSE to God's GENEROUS grace.  What is your next step? 2 Corinthians 8:7-12

John 20:19-23 The Risen Christ can reach us Anywhere. The Risen Christ meets us in our Fear. Isaiah 41:10 The Risen Christ takes the Initiative. Big Idea: The Risen Christ promises to bring Peace, Power, and Purpose into our lives. Ephesians 2:14-17 (ESV) Peace with God. Peace with Others. Galatians 3:28 Peace with Ourselves. Hebrews 9:14 Peace with Circumstances. Philippians 4:7 Peace with the Creation. Colossians 1:20 How do you receive this peace? John 1:11-12 Acts 1:8 Sequoia's Vision: We long to see thousands of people live out the Kingdom of Jesus together, wherever we live, work, play, and go.

John 20:24-29 Big Idea: Jesus IDENTIFIES with us in our BROKENNESS, through the cross. The reality of the cross TRANSFORMS us, when we IDENTIFY with Christ in His death. Matthew 16:24-26 Galatians 2:20 Revelation 5:12 It is a beautiful thing to be loved in spite of your scars

"As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene.... No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life." Albert Einstein (Nobel Prize winning Physicist) "About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who performed surprising deeds and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was [thought to be] the Messiah. And when, upon the accusation of the principal men among us, Pilate had condemned him to a cross, those who had first come to love him did not cease. He appeared to them spending a third day restored to life, for the prophets of God had foretold these things and a thousand other marvels about him. And the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared." Josephus - Antiquities, 18.3.3. Big Idea: The resurrection of Jesus is the best explanation for the empty tomb, the post-mortem appearances, and the spread of Christianity. Fact # 1: The Empty Tomb Matthew 28:1-7 Fact # 2: The Appearances of Jesus after His Death 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 Fact #3: The Spread of Christianity Mark 16:9-11 John 20:19 What are the implications for us? 1 Corinthians 15:17-23 Because the tomb was empty my life can be full.   Full of grace and forgiveness.   Full of peace and love.   Full of purpose and meaning.   Full of hope and expectation. John 10:10 (AMP) "A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." C.S. Lewis

FEAR, REJECTION and DISTRUST can lead us into UNFORGIVENESS. Big Idea: We must EMBRACE love before we can EXTEND it. The Cure by Lynch, McNicol and Thrall The path of PLEASING God. Striving Hard to Be All God Wants Me to Be. Opening the door of Self-Effort. The Room of Good intentions. Working on my sin to achieve an intimate relationship with God. More right behaviour + Less wrong behaviour = Godliness. Hebrews 4:15-16 15 (NLT) The path of TRUSTING God. Living Out of Who God Says I Am. Opening the door of Humility. Standing with God, my sin in front of us, working on it together. The Room of Grace. The Order of Forgiveness - The Cure 1. Admit something happened. 2. Get in touch with the consequences of the act done against me. 3. Tell God what happened to me. 4. Forgive the offender, for my benefit. 5. Tell the offender I've forgiven him or her when he or she repents, for his/her sake. 6. Distinguish between forgiving and trusting my offender. 7. Seek reconciliation, not just conflict resolution.

We are saved. We are being saved. We will be saved. John 15:1-17 (HCSB) Big Idea: We need to remain in Jesus to live a flourishing life. We need to rest, depend, and obey. 1 REST: We need to rest everyday in Jesus unconditional love for us The natural bent of the human heart is towards self-salvation. Matthew 11:28 2 DEPEND: We must embrace everyday that we are broken sinners who desperately need Jesus. 3 OBEY: We need to step out everyday and obey Jesus commands. Jesus commands are life-giving. We need to both depend and obey.

How do you answer the question: Who am I? 1) I am what I do: Defining our lives this way makes us a slave to performance. 2) I am what others say about me: Defining our lives this way makes us a slave to popularity. 3) I am what I have: Defining our life this way makes us a slave to position and possessions. Big Idea: You are who God says you are - You are the Beloved. Matthew 3:13-17 God affirms Jesus as the Beloved: This affirmation divulges his identity. This affirmation is independent from performance. This affirmation involves the Trinity. This affirmation points to Christ's inheritance. Psalm 2:7-8 This affirmation brings God glory. John 1:14 Romans 8:15-17 God affirms us as the Beloved: We are adopted as beloved sons and daughters. We are loved in spite of our performance. Romans 5:8 We are blessed by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are given an inheritance as co-heirs with Christ. We bring God glory when we live out our identity as the beloved. You are the Beloved because Jesus was the Beloved. Mark 10:38 Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the "Beloved". Being the Beloved expresses the core truth of our existence." Henri J.M. Nouwen, Life of the Beloved

Jonah 4:1-3 Isaiah 55:8-9 OBEDIENCE is different than SUBMISSION. Isaiah 6:8 Jonah 4:5-10 God's GRACE is greater than we think. Romans 5:8-9 Big Idea: There is no SATISFACTION without SUBMISSION. Submit our minds to his PERFECT WAYS. Submit our lives to his GREATER MISSION. Submit our hearts to his UNTHINKABLE GRACE.

God continues to pursue us for His purposes. Jonah 3:1-3 T What is God's purpose for us? Phil 1:6, 9-11 God will equip us where He leads us. Jonah 3:3-4 Deut. 31:16 Ephesians 3:16 Phil. 4:19 2 Cor. 4:5-7 Big Idea: Grace opens the way for us to partner with God though obedience. Jonah 3:5-10 Where is God asking you to step out in faith and obedience today, like Jonah? In what way do you need to repent (make a change in direction), like the Ninevites?

BIG IDEA: Salvation is God s prerogative. God is a rescuer. From beginning to end salvation is all of God. All people need to be saved by God. God can save whoever He wants. Embracing the reality that salvation is God s prerogative: - Humbles us. - Causes us to truly worship. - Transforms us. - Makes us more compassionate. - Gives us hope. Are you a Ninevite? Are you a Jonah?

What can we learn from Jonah? • Disobedience can be ACTIVE and passive. Jonah 1:1-3 1 John 3:4 James 4:17 • The pain of OBEDIENCE is always better than the pain of DISOBEDIENCE • UNBELIEF or WRONG BELIEF is always the root cause of disobedience. Jonah 4:2 Jonah 2:8 Ephesians 2:8-9 • Disobedience brings STORMS which threaten us and others. Jonah 1:4-16 • Where have you been running from God? • Choose to stop running and to start resting in Christ!

Isaiah 49:12-16: 1 Peter 2:24 Matthew 27:45-46 Big Idea: Because God loves us we can trust Him with our whole lives! We can trust God with our SALVATION. We can trust God with our CIRCUMSTANCES. We can trust God with our HEARTS. We can trust God with our FUTURE.

The Gospel of the Kingdom is a message to be SHARED. Matthew 9:35 Mark 16:15 Acts 8:4 An important clarification: EVANGELISM does not precede DISCIPLESHIP. Big Idea: To become a GOSPEL SHARER, develop GOSPEL FLUENCY. LEARNING the Gospel. APPLYING it to every part of your own life. SHARING gospel truths with those who already believe it. Taking up OPPORTUNITIES to share gospel truths with others.

Big Idea: The Kingdom PERMEATES everyday life as you live EVERYDAY WITH Jesus. The Kingdom is AVAILABLE to everyone who places their faith in Jesus: So we "SET OUR SIGHTS on Jesus and the realities of the Kingdom". The Kingdom starts with INNER TRANSFORMATION: So we CHOOSE to follow King Jesus and "live out our new nature". The Kingdom REFLECTS the character of Jesus: So we "let the message of Jesus FILL our lives." The Kingdom INTERSECTS with every aspect of life: So we "WORK WILLINGLY" for King Jesus. Sequoias vision: To equip thousands of people who live out the Kingdom of Jesus with others, wherever they live, work, play, and go.