2 Cities Church Podcast

Big Idea: Just PUSH your ROCK. Psalm 18:1-6 I. What do you do when your deliverance is delayed…just PUSH your ROCK. Psalm 18:1-2 I love you, Lord, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliver, my God, my rock where I seek refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. II. When you don’t feel worthy… just PUSH your ROCK. Psalm 18:3-4 I called to the LORD, who is wor...

Big Idea: Duty will either shape or shake your faith! Luke 6:46-49 I. Worship is worthless without Lordship Luke 6:46 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow up into your salvation, if you have tasted that the Lord is good. II. Stress will test your foundation Luke 6:47...

Big Idea: You have no home without the Corner Stone! 1 Peter 2:1-8 I. Getting milk from a stone 1-3 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow up into your salvation, if you have tasted that the Lord is good. II. God only builds from this stone  4-6 As you come to him, a l...

What King Jesus expects of his church in 2025:  I. We will make any sacrifice to become disciples-makers.  1 Cor 11:1  Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ. II. We will live life together as followers of Christ as we grow and push back darkness in our community. Acts 2:42-47   They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  Everyone was...

Big Idea: Praying as Spiritual Warfare. Daniel 10:10-14 When prayers shoot straight to the heart of God. Suddenly, a hand touched me and set me shaking on my hands and knees. He said to me, “Daniel, you are a man treasured by God. Understand the words that I’m saying to you. Stand on your feet, for I have now been sent to you.” After he said this to me, I stood trembling. “Don’t be afraid, Daniel,...

Big Idea: The roots of God’s tree grow so deep that no storm can topple it. Isaiah 9:6 For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. I. Jesus gives his strength amid conflict The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus...

Big Idea: Our son will serve as our brother and become our Father. Isaiah 9:6 For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. I. Our Son, the source II. Our Brother, the sample III. Our Father, the savior Next Steps:  Believe: I need Jesus to save me from my s...

Big Idea: An Almighty King must be greater than your mighty problems.  Isaiah 9:6 For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. I. More mighty than your greatest enemy  Isaiah 9:4 For you have shattered their oppressive yoke and the rod on their shoulders, t...

Big Idea: Wise leaders are awesome… foolish leaders make your life awful. Isaiah 9:6 For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:1 I. Glory from gloom Nevertheless, the gloom of the distressed land will not be like that of the former times when he...

Big Idea: Passing the torch takes steady hands.  In the Beginning: Joseph Genesis 50:15-26 I. Hand off what God handed to you. 15-21 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said to one another, “If Joseph is holding a grudge against us, he will certainly repay us for all the suffering we caused him.” So they sent this message to Joseph, “Before he died your father gave a comman...

Big Idea: Jesus turns a funeral into a birthday.  In the Beginning: Joseph Genesis 50:1-14 I. The distance of death hurts. 1-6 Then Joseph, leaning over his father’s face, wept and kissed him. He commanded his servants who were physicians to embalm his father. So they embalmed Israel. They took forty days to complete this, for embalming takes that long, and the Egyptians mourned for him seventy da...

Big Idea: Only the Gospel creates flourishing from failure!  In the Beginning: Joseph Genesis 43:13-33 I. The conditions of flourishing. 13-21 Zebulun will live by the seashore and will be a harbor for ships, and his territory will be next to Sidon. Issachar is a strong donkey lying down between the saddlebags. He saw that his resting place was good and that the land was pleasant, so he leaned his...

Big Idea: Forget being blessed - focus on being a blessing.  In the Beginning: Joseph Genesis 49:1-12 I. Squandered future. 1-4 Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather around, and I will tell you what will happen to you in the days to come. Come together and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel: Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength and the firstfruits of my virility, excel...

Big Idea: God doesn’t promote based on seniority. In the Beginning: Joseph Genesis 48:1-22 I. Jesus offers an unexpected future. 1-7 Some time after this, Joseph was told, “Your father is weaker.” So he set out with his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed. Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared...

Big Idea: You will give away what no one can take from you.  In the Beginning: Joseph Genesis 47:13-31 I. Your fortune and future. 13-17 But there was no food in the entire region, for the famine was very severe. The land of Egypt and the land of Canaan were exhausted by the famine. Joseph collected all the silver to be found in the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan in exchange for the grain th...

Big Idea: Only Jesus can create a life brighter on the inside than the outside. In the Beginning: Joseph Genesis 47:1-12 I. Life is more than a nice home. 1-4 So Joseph went and informed Pharaoh: “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in the land of Goshen.” He took five of his brothers and presented them to Phar...

Big Idea: Why family reunions are always weird. In the Beginning: Joseph Genesis 45:16-46:34 I. Every family has issues. 45:16-28 When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace, “Joseph’s brothers have come,” Pharaoh and his servants were pleased. Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and go on back to the land of Canaan. Get your father and your families, and come back...

Big Idea: The bedrock bottom of your pit is God’s Mercy.  In the Beginning: Joseph Genesis 44:1-45:15 I. Mercy is undeserving. 1-17 Joseph commanded his steward, “Fill the men’s bags with as much food as they can carry, and put each one’s silver at the top of his bag. Put my cup, the silver one, at the top of the youngest one’s bag, along with the silver for his grain.” So he did as Joseph told hi...

Big Idea: Grace requires you to declare your guilt. In the Beginning: Joseph Genesis 43:1-34 I. You can’t avoid it.  1-14 Now the famine in the land was severe. When they had used up the grain they had brought back from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little food.” But Judah said to him, “The man specifically warned us, ‘You will not see me again unless your brother is with...

Big Idea: You can’t outrun guilt.   In the Beginning: Joseph Genesis 42 I. We’re all guilty of something. 1-6 When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you keep looking at each other? Listen,” he went on, “I have heard there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us so that we will live and not die.” So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain...

Big Idea: A selfish Christian is out of step with Christ and irrelevant to their city! The Church is…part of a community, called out from sin and into transparent relationships for the purpose of making Jesus famous in their city. I. The Gospel is social as well as personal. Dr. King   Job 29:13-17 The dying blessed me, and I made the widow’s heart rejoice. I clothed myself in righteousness, and i...

Big Idea: You were created for more than sitting and listening or standing and singing. The Church is…part of a community, called out from sin and into transparent relationships for the purpose of making Jesus famous in their city. I. “The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.”    Philemon 1-2  Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesu...

Big Idea: Is “I don’t get you people” a compliment? The Church is…part of a community, called out from sin and into transparent relationships for the purpose of making Jesus famous in their city. I. Light and darkness can’t exist together.  Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. II. "It&#3...

Big Idea: Radically re-defining “church” The Church is…part of a community, called out from sin and into transparent relationships for the purpose of making Jesus famous in their city. I. Church never ends.  Acts 14:26-28 From there they sailed back to Antioch where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. After they arrived and gathered the church together,...

Big Idea: Jesus’s plan is far beyond your wildest dreams. In the Beginning: Joseph Genesis 41:37-57 I. Your efforts could never produce God-sized results.   37-45 The proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants, and he said to them, “Can we find anyone like this, a man who has God’s spirit in him?” So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as discernin...