Sunshine Community Church's Podcast

Leviticus 25:8-22 The second message in the series: GIVE IT A REST!  This sermon talks about rest and the best way to relax into the good promises of God and the healing boundaries he has set for us. We want the church that can only be built by his power, and we see his power best when we are still and waiting on him. This message looks further into Leviticus 25 and the concept of Jubilee. This ch...

Welcome to our series, Give it a Rest! We are taking time to consider the concept of a Sabbath year rest for the land, as commanded in Leviticus 25. In this passage, God reveals that he wants us to take periodic rests from our intensely-driven version of harvest to experience a more dependent and humbling way to be nourished directly by him. Regular intervals of rest are essential for healthy Chri...

Ephesians 4:25-32 Matthew 18:21-35 Forgiveness is a central component of Christian faith - the idea of a Christian who is unfamiliar with it or unskilled in its application would seem laughable, if it weren't already such a tragic and epidemic reality. We are commanded to forgive others swiftly and sincerely; yet many believers are slow to forgive or - worse yet - refuse to do it because of the ot...

Jeremiah 9:23-24; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 4:13 ~God always accomplishes his will, and he even does it using people like us! Mr. Roy Nagelkirk, one of our Missionaries brings this message.

Ezekiel 40-48 In this last chapter, Ezekiel gets to see the part of the restoration he has been wanting most of all. He saw God leave the temple and leave Jerusalem at the beginning of the book. In these last chapters, he comes back! The temple of the Lord WILL be filled with his glory, and out of the temple WILL flow water for the nations and healing for the world; will you see it and receive it,...

Romans 12:1-21 In this life of sacrifice, we know God's will by turning away from the world and living by grace with a renewed mind.

Ezekiel 38-39 The end of Ezekiel starts to sound like the book of Revelation! This is because the story of Israel includes the Church, and the final battle at the end of the story hasn't happened, yet. This passage talks about events and even nations that aren't clearly known to us, yet. This can be disconcerting, but God is in control! No matter what happens in the future history of the world, Go...

Ezekiel 37 This passage is one of the most popular and recognizable in the entire book of Ezekiel. The imagery and message of the valley of dry bones is haunting, encouraging, and downright exciting. It sounds like something Hollywood would be challenged to depict, even with all their CGI and technology. But the picture is powerful - God can use his Word and his Spirit to bring real restoration to...

Ezekiel 35-36 This message is hugely comforting and deeply humbling, all at the same time. It tells us that, in terms of our salvation, we bring absolutely nothing to the table except problems and brokenness! God doesn't owe us anything besides wrath. We don't have any special power or influence that would compel him to love us or long for us. Yet, he gives us gifts and showers us with his love. S...

Ezekiel 33-34 This passage turns the corner into the amazing promise and comfort of Ezekiel. It tells of the Lords desire and plan to save his people, even though they don't deserve it. It starts to point unmistakably toward the New Testament, the Lord Jesus, and the Gospel. When we consider the scale of our sin and idolatry, it is tempting to wonder how he will respond; these chapters show us tha...

Ezekiel 29-32  When you become a Christian, you renounce all other masters and leave behind the slavery of false gods. However, we have a very complex relationship with our former enslavements. Israel left Egypt over 800 years before Ezekiel's time, and yet they had carried a torch for their former captors' protection, wealth, and power all along. Egypt ruled and prospered for millennia; but when...

Ezekiel 26-28 This passage is one of two in the Old Testament that seem to give a lot of backstory about Satan. For millennia, the church has debated how to understand these passages, but there are a few messages that we can take away with absolute certainty: God and his people have real enemies, both visible and invisible. Satan's pride, fall, and consequences are a pattern that keeps spreading t...

Ezekiel 25 Have you ever had a moment when someone picked on your sibling, spouse, or child? I bet you thought something like "hey - I can pick on my little brother, but NOBODY else does!" If we, who are sinful, can think like that, how much more will God, who is perfect, protect his children from their enemies? And he is able to do it even at the same time he is challenging, growing, and refining...

Ezekiel 24  This story is the most difficult of the sign acts God asked Ezekiel to do. It seems cruel and hard to understand, and it is hard to read. At the same time, though, it is a powerful way for God to help his people start to understand his own heart and to begin to think and feel in ways that match him. God is certainly not a human, but he definitely wants us to know that he has a heart an...

Father's Day message from Josh Hendricks on John 5:19-44

Ezekiel 23 Sin is ugly. Sin is insanity. Sin is deadly. And yet, the Enemy of our souls can make it look pretty amazing. Much like an angler decorating a lure to fool a fish into taking the hook, Satan likes to make his plans seem fun, popular, and downright irresistable. The truth is that the only real anitote to tempation is to have our deepest desires satisfied by Someone better. Sin can seem a...

Ezekiel 21-22  The book of Ezekiel tells the story of God's faithfulness and the undeserved restoration he provides to his people in Jesus Christ. In chapters 21-22, God tells Ezekiel to warn the people that the sword of his wrath is coming to them. When we needlessly and callously shed the blood of others, we will face the sword of the Lord, unsheathed for justice's sake. It is far better for us...

Leviticus 5:1-13; Mark 12:41-44 This message discusses the importance of equal sacrifice. We all have different means, motives, and opportunities in our journey as stewards. The real question is how different people on the same journey can still be equal partners in the work of God's Kingdom. This passage shows us that, when we pour ourselves out as a team, we must take turns investing according t...

Acts 2: 1-39 This message commemorates both Pentecost Sunday and Memorial Day. While we celebrate those who give their lives to protect and serve others, we can't help but think of Jesus and how his sacrifice inspires the best in others. The best kinds of stewardship and giving leave freedom for others who live after we are gone. 

Matthew 9:35-10:33 Our mission partners teach us what it means to live on mission in our own neighborhoods. This passage shows us that when we offer ourselves in mission, we do so knowing God has already perfectly met our needs; the lost have nothing, and we have Jesus! 

1 Thessalonians  Stewarding and giving ourselves means closeness with God. When we give of ourselves, it often hurts; it certainly did for God when Jesus went to the cross for us! Real stewardship isn't a reciprocal transaction or investment; rather, it is about a self-emptying sacrifice. 

Romans 12 We talk a lot about the idea that God has given each and every one of his people a gift. Stewardship is definitely about using the gifts he has given us well; but we often overlook the most amazing and precious gift he gave us - ourselves! Every human being is created in the image of God and every believer holds immense value and worth because of what God spent to save us. We don't just...

John 20:24-31; Acts 4:13-31   Our Players in the Passion series concludes with two more players- you and me! The story of Jesus and his suffering isn't meant to live in the rear view mirror - it is meant to keep enfolding and including new believers into the family of God. As we consider the Bible's accounts of Jesus, we need to understand that it was written down for US- we are meant to share the...

John 21  Simon Peter is a brash, bold, and even comical character amongst the twelve apostles. He was often first to shoot off his mouth, and therefore first to be embarrassed, blessed, or exposed for his bad motives. When the chips were down for Jesus, though, he ran. He denied even knowing Christ. In this passage, we see that Christ even saves us from our past mistakes and has the power and will...

John 19:23-42 Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were two secret followers of Jesus. They were inspired by him in private, but were afraid to declare their love for him publicly. Something about the kind of death he died and his willingness to publicly identify with sinners like us changed them, though. In light of Jesus' shameless love for us, secret disciples can't stay secret long! We are called...