2 Cities Church Podcast

Big Idea: Glasses can't fix chosen blindness. John 9: 1-34 1. (Not) All sickness is the result of sin! John 9:1-12 As he was passing by, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” Jesus answered. “This came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him. We must do the...

Big Idea: Titles don’t matter, only your name lasts. John 8:48-59 1. This name can defeat Thanos. John 8:48-51 The Jews responded to him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you’re a Samaritan and have a demon?” “I do not have a demon,” Jesus answered. “On the contrary, I honor my Father and you dishonor me. I do not seek my own glory; there is one who seeks it and judges. Truly I tell you, if anyone...

Big Idea: It’s better to lie on a bed of hard truth, than soft lies. John 8:30-47 1. Truth is the key that unlocks all prison doors. John 8:30-33 As he was saying these things, many believed in him. Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you continue in my word, you really are my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” “We are descendants of Abraham,” t...

No force on earth can stop a focused church. Ephesians 4:11-16 Ephesians 4:11-13 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s...

You can hold on through anything when you hold on to hope. John 8:21-29 1. Hope is  more powerful than your problems. John 8: 21-22  Then he said to them again, “I’m going away; you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I’m going, you cannot come.” So the Jews said again, “He won’t kill himself, will he, since he says, ‘Where I’m going, you cannot come’?” 2. Hope is bigge...

Jesus = Joy = Jesus 1. Joy pushes back darkness. John 8:12 Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.” 2. Joy helps you see clearly.   John 8: 13-18 So the Pharisees said to him, “You are testifying about yourself. Your testimony is not valid.” “Even if I testify about myself,” Jesus replied,...

Big Idea: Grace is God’s free and priceless gift. John 7:53-8:11 1. We all desperately need God’s grace gift. John 7:53   [Then each one went to his house. 2. Grace gives you a second chance. John 8:1-6  But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he went to the temple again, and all the people were coming to him. He sat down and began to teach them. Then the scribes and the Phar...

A failure to plan is a plan to fail. 1. How will we serve? 1 Thessalonians 3:11  Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you. 2. What will we do? 1 Thessalonians 3:12  And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone, just as we do for you.. 3. Who will we be? 1 Thessalonians 3:13  May he make your heart...

Big Idea: Your thirst for more ______ can only be satisfied in Jesus. 1. The Holy Spirit satisfies. John 7:37-39  On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.” He said this about the Spirit...

Big Idea: "Living Free" means no critics allowed in 2 Cities. 1. Believe they can tell God what to do John 7: 10-13  After his brothers had gone up to the festival, then he also went up, not openly but secretly. The Jews were looking for him at the festival and saying, “Where is he?” And there was a lot of murmuring about him among the crowds. Some were saying, “He’s a good man.” Others were...

1. Too close John 7:1-5   After this, Jesus traveled in Galilee, since he did not want to travel in Judea because the Jews were trying to kill him. The Jewish Festival of Shelters was near. So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples can see your works that you are doing. For no one does anything in secret while he’s seeking public recognition. If you...

1. Hard words break the hard heart. John 6:60  Therefore, when many of his disciples heard this, they said, “This teaching is hard. Who can accept it?” 2. Why you can’t fake faith John 6:61-65 . Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, asked them, “Does this offend you?  Then what if you were to observe the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? The S...

Big Idea: Stay Hungry! 1. Stay hungry to know Jesus. John 6:41-47  Therefore the Jews started grumbling about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”  They were saying, “Isn’t this Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered them, “Stop grumbling among yourselves. No one can come t...

Write this down: Daily bread can’t satisfy your hungry soul. 1. Don’t settle for ‘stuff’. John 6:22-27  The next day, the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the sea saw there had been only one boat. They also saw that Jesus had not boarded the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone off alone. Some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread...

Big idea: Bad problems are the best place for God’s big power. 1. It’s darkest just before the Son rises. John 6: 16-18 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. Darkness had already set in, but Jesus had not yet come to them. A high wind arose, and the sea began to churn. 2. Don’t row against raging seas. John 6:19 After they...

Big idea: What draws you to GOD? 1. The fickle crowd 1 After this, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias). 2 A huge crowd was following him because they saw the signs that he was performing by healing the sick. 3 Jesus went up a mountain and sat down there with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover , a Jewish festival, was near. 5 So when Jesus looked up and noticed a huge crowd coming toward...

Write this down: The internal war starts after the last bullet is fired. I. What was it all for? Deuteronomy 20:8 The officers will continue to address the army and say, ‘Is there any man who is afraid or cowardly? Let him leave and return home, so that his brothers won’t lose heart as he did. II. Was it worth it? Psalm 20:7 Some take pride in chariots, and others in horses, but we take pride in t...

Write this down: You are a son or daughter, not a servant, of the King! 1. Do people have guardian angels? Psalm 91:11 For he will give his angels orders concerning you, to protect you in all your ways. Matthew 18:10 See to it that you don’t despise one of these little ones, because I tell you that in heaven their angels continually view the face of my Father in heaven. 2. Do angels carry our spir...

Write this down: You can’t walk away from this spiritual fight. Matthew 10:1 Summoning his twelve disciples, he gave them authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out and to heal every disease and sickness. 1. Is there still demon possession today like in the Bible? Acts 10:37-38 You know the events that took place throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John preac...

2 Cor 4:3-4 But if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. Write this down: Satan still serves God! 1.   How did Lucifer have the choice to rebel against God with pride? 1 Timothy 3:6-7 He must not...

This week, Pastor Jeff preaches the third in a short series on angels and demons.  Also in this episode, Army veteran and country music singer, Keni Thomas, premiers a song he and Billy Montana wrote about being an angel to others. Which came first, evil or Lucifer? Luke 10:18 He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like lightning. 1. When were angels created? Job 38:4-7 Where were...

Ps 148:1–2. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights.  Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly armies. Write this down: “Dad loves you most.” 1. What are angels?  Are they like ghosts? PS 103:20 Bless the Lord, all his angels of great strength, who do his word, obedient to his command. Heb 13:2  Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for b...

Colossians 1:16 Big Idea: Jesus is King of 2 realms 1. Angels Matthew 26:53 Or do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and he will provide me here and now with more than twelve legions of angels? -sons of God -gods -Holy ones -Ministers -Messengers -Commander -Host/army -Messenger (envoy) -Cherubim/ cherub -Seraphim -Watchers -Archangel -Glorious ones 2. Demons Ephesians 6:12 For our struggl...

John 5:31-47 1. John the Baptist John 5:31-34  “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who testifies about me, and I know that the testimony he gives about me is true. You sent messengers to John, and he testified to the truth. I don’t receive human testimony, but I say these things so that you may be saved. John was a burning and shining lamp, and you were will...

John 5:17-30 Big idea: Only after you’ve learned you can do NOTHING, can you do ANYTHING for God. 1) A faithful child’s… John 5:17-18 Jesus responded to them, “My Father is still working, and I am working also.” This is why the Jews began trying all the more to kill him: Not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal to God. 2)... full submis...