2 Cities Church Podcast

Write this down: Real love is a boomerang: the more you send, the more returns. 1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us. 1. Love is a gift 2. Love is an undeserved gift 3. Love is a holy gift 4. Love is a reciprocal gift Next Steps:  Believe: I need to experience God’s love for the first time today. Become: I need more of God’s love in my life this week.  Be Sent: I will give away God’s love...

Write this down: Every Moment Matters: God is working until your final breath. Philippians 1:6 I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 1. Who is 2 Cities Church  2. Discipleship matters  3. We are not a perfect church 4. We’re down but not out 5. We’re going to get better before we get bigger 6. We’re going to measure...

Big Idea: No one knows the Father better than the Son, and no one can show the Father like the Son. John 3:17-18 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. I. God’s perfec...

Big Idea: The Gift that keeps on giving.  Isaiah 9:1-6 1. The great light. Isaiah 9:1-2 Nevertheless, the gloom of the distressed land will not be like that of the former times when he jumbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali. But in the future he will bring honor to the way of the sea, to the land east of the Jordan, and to Galilee of the nations. The people walking in darkness have s...

Big Idea: God completely cleanses and restores his sin-stained children.  I. God cleanses a filthy man of his sin. Zechariah 3:1-5 Then he showed me the high priest Joshua standing before the angel of the Lord, with Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! May the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Isn’t this man a burning stick sn...

Genesis 49:9-10  Judah is a young lion— my son, you return from the kill. He crouches; he lies down like a lion or a lioness—who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah or the staff from between his feet until he whose right it is comes and the obedience of the peoples belongs to him. Big Idea: Enemies run, friends rest, when the lion roars. I. All creatures on earth will bow be...

Big Idea: You share the promises of Abraham through faith in his Son. Galatians 3:14-16 The purpose was that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus, so that we could receive the promised Spirit through faith. Brothers and sisters, I’m using a human illustration. No one sets aside or makes additions to a validated human will. Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and t...

Big Idea: Make Thanksgiving a habit, not a holiday. Psalm 66:1-4 I. Shout of God’s works. Psalm 66:1-2 Let the whole earth shout joyfully to God! Sing about the glory of his name; make his praise glorious. II. Speak to God’s worth. Psalm 66:3 Say to God, “How awe-inspiring are your works! Your enemies will cringe before you because of your great strength. III. Sing of God’s worship. Psalm 66:4 The...

Big Idea: Trees thrive together… and so do you. 1 Corinthians 16:15-24 I. Submit for harmony. 1 Corinthians 16:15-18 Brothers and sisters, you know the household of Stephanas: They are the firstfruits of Achaia and have devoted themselves to serving the saints. I urge you also to submit to such people, and to everyone who works and labors with them. I am delighted to have Stephanas, Fortunatus, an...

Big Idea: In a fight, keep your guard tight. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. I. Be alert II. Be steadfast III. Be strong IV. Be loving. Next Steps:  Believe: Today, I surrender my soul to King Jesus. Become: I surrender my battles to King Jesus this week.  Be Sent: I will send someone a Survival Guide this w...

Big Idea: Your generosity opens doors and hearts. 1 Corinthians 16:1-12 I. Be generous with your money 1 Corinthians 16:1-4 Now about the collection for the saints: Do the same as I instructed the Galatian churches. On the first day of the week, each of you is to set something aside and save in keeping with how he is prospering, so that no collections will need to be made when I come. When I arriv...

Big Idea: Living a transformed life at work this week. 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 I. Long for the trumpet  1 Corinthians 15:50-52 What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor can corruption inherit incorruption. Listen, I am telling you a mystery: We will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,...

Big Idea: The God of Restoration.  II SAMUEL 12: 1-13   So the Lord sent Nathan to David. When he arrived, he said to him: There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very large flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing except one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised her, and she grew up with him and with his children. From his meager food she w...

Big Idea: Just like Jesus…  1 Corinthians 15:35-49 I. was transformed through death… 1 Corinthians 15:35-38 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have when they come?” You fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And as for what you sow—you are not sowing the body that will be, but only a seed, perhaps of wheat or another grain. But God gives i...

Big Idea: Live today like you’ll stand before Jesus tonight. 1 Corinthians 15:29-34 I. Live a faith that is stronger than death. 1 Corinthians 15:29 Otherwise what will they do who are being baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, then why are people baptized for them? II. Live by Jesus’s power, not your own. 1 Corinthians 15:30-32 Why are we in danger every hour? I face death ev...

Big Idea: Jesus is Lord Over All, or not Lord at all!  1 Corinthians 15:12-28 I. Jesus is the Lord with all power.  1 Corinthians 15:12-19 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in v...

Big Idea: The resurrection causes radical life change. 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 I. Hope in Jesus’s resurrection power.  1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I passed...

Big Idea: Love is the root system that allows you to reach toward Heaven. 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 I. Love is greatest 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 If I speak human or angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothin...

Big Idea: God sets the order of service for his church.  It’s up to us to keep it orderly. 1 Corinthians 14:26-40 What then, brothers and sisters? Whenever you come together, each one has a hymn, a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Everything is to be done for building up. If anyone speaks in a tongue, there are to be only two, or at the most three, each in turn, and let some...

Big Idea: “… that same prophet must die.” 1 Corinthians 14:1-25 Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophesy. For the person who speaks in a tongue is not speaking to people but to God, since no one understands him; he speaks mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the person who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement, and consolation...

Big Idea: Why do tongues cause so much trouble in the church? 1 Corinthians 12:27-31 Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, next miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, leading, various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all do miracles? Do al...

Big Idea: Which is better, unity or uniformity? 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all given one Spirit to drink. Indeed, the body is not one part but many. If the foot should...

Big Idea: Every Honest Question Deserves An Honest Answer. 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 I. God’s greatest gift is the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:1-3 Now concerning spiritual gifts: brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be unaware. You know that when you were pagans, you used to be enticed and led astray by mute idols. Therefore I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “J...

Big Idea: Beware: the sin of the social gospel. 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 I. A Gospel that doesn’t change lives is no gospel. 1 Corinthians 11:17-19 Now in giving this instruction I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. For to begin with, I hear that when you come together as a church there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. Indeed, it is nec...

Big Idea: Never put society above Scripture! 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 I. Only your Creator can define your identity. 1 Corinthians 11:2-6 Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold fast to the traditions just as I delivered them to you. But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of the woman, and God is the head of Christ. Every man who p...