Cornerstone Church in Watertown SD

The biblical Christmas story is not a short story!  (Gen. 1:1-4)  Prophets :  People chosen by God to speak God’s truth. The Prophet Isaiah:  A great light from God will come! (Isaiah 9:2)     John the Baptist:  The great light from God is here ! (Luke 1:78-79)                                               Jesus is the light! (John 8:12; Psalm 119:105) Jesus brings us into his light! (Eph. 5:8)  A...

God’s children win !  (1 John 5:1-5) The testimony about Jesus.  (1 John 5:6-12) John’s wrote so we can be assured of eternal life!  (1 John 5:13-15) God’s children move away from sin.  (1 John 5:16-19) We find our home in Jesus Christ.  (1 John 5:20)  A plea for faithful worship.  (1 John 5:21)  Daily Prayer :  Jesus, I trust you.  I believe you are the Son of God who died for my sin, and rose ag...

What love looks like.  (1 John 3:11-24)  Love sacrifices!  (1 John 3:16) Actions prove love.  (1 John 3:18)  Believe and love.  (1 John 3:23)  Discerning false prophets.  (1 John 3:4:1-6) Testing required!  (1 John 4:1)  Family ties.  (1 John 4:6)  We learn from God how to love!  (1 John 4:7-20)  Real love forgives!  (1 John 4:10)  We trust God’s love!  (1 John 4:16)  Jesus goes first; we follow. ...

God is light!  (1 John 1:5)  God’s light cleanses and forgives.  (1 John 1:9)  God’s children live in the light!  (1 John 2:6)  To live in the light is to live in love.  (1 John 2:7-8)  We love the light, not the “world”.  (1 John 2:16)  Warning about “anti-christs”.  (1 John 2:21-22)  Living as children of God.  (1 John  Next Steps:  Don’t stay in the darkness.  Confess your sin and experience Je...

Jesus as God.  (1 John 1:1; John 1:14) Fake Jesus, Part-time Jesus, Real Jesus.  How we know Jesus.  (1 John 1:1)  Jesus is eternal life.  (1 John 1:2; John 5:39)  The fellowship of Jesus.  (1 John 1:3)  The joy Jesus brings!   (1 John 1:4)  “The good life is to know Jesus.”  (Eldon Cornelius)  Next Steps :  Chose to get to know Jesus. Read the New Testament book of John. 

What’s your goal for your kids? Christ-confidence.  (Joshua 1:9) Realistic expectations.  (John 16:33) Stubborn hope.  (Isaiah 43:1-3) I changed what I pray for my kids:  Jesus, give my kids what they need to face the challenges that will come their way. Next Step: Commit to being who we want our kids to become.

We want to be resilient when those storms come. 2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.  Psalm 34:4-6 We have to get to a place where God is who we go to first.  He is the first one we call. When we go to God, we are worshipping instead of worrying.  Philippians 4:6-7 I also turn to the people  God has placed...

In the Gospel of Matthew chapter 18, Peter asks Jesus the famous question: “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” Do you remember Jesus’ answer?  “Not seven times, but seventy times seven.” Luke writes that all the disciples could say was, “Increase our faith.” Matthew 6:14-15 “…if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Ephesian...

We are either taken captive by anger or we increase our trust in Jesus.  Paul got better not bitter!  (2 Cor. 4:8-9) Joseph got better not bitter!  (Gen. 50:19-32; Rom. 8:28)  As we grow older, if we are growing spiritually, we are growing in hope.  If we do not continue to grow spiritually, we grow in bitterness.  (Dr. Jerry White, Navigators) Getting bitter or better.  (Rom. 5:3-5)  Next Step: ...

Warning:  Life’s hard.  Resilience required.  (Job 14:1; Mt. 7:34; John 16:33)  Children of the Heavenly Father Life’s tough.  Get a helmet! Put on the helmet of salvation.   (Paul – Eph. 6:17; Rom. 12:2) Have you put on the helmet of salvation? We all die.  Resurrection resilience is required!  (Rom. 6:23)  Resilience Prayer :  Jesus, thank you for being honest with me that life is challenging. ...

God has it so easy! God’s story is full of challenges! Creation and the “Fall”.  (Genesis 1-3) The cycle in the Bible book of Judges.  In the Bible God always bounces back from people’s ongoing rebellion.  Jesus is the ultimate proof of God’s resilience!  (Isa. 9:2; John 1:5; Col. 1 13-14)  Jesus resilience with Peter.  (Mk. 14:66-72; Jn. 21:1-17) Next Steps: Jesus’ resilience with you.  (Rev. 3:2...

Not “I can bounce back from anything!” but “ Jesus enables me to bounce back from anything!” “I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything.  I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.  For I can do everything through Christ , who gives me strength.”   (Paul – Phil. 4:12-13) Self-resilience always become an e...

The Lord leads his people.  The Lord’s people follow the Lord’s leading!  (Exodus 40:34-38)  The Lord is not hiding.  You must seek his leading. When the Lord leads are you willing to follow? Follow me and be my disciple.  (Jesus to Matthew – Mt. 9:9) We are most concerned about what we should do.  The Lord is most concerned about who we are becoming.  (Gal. 5:22-23) 

Idolatry isn’t an issue; it is the issue. What we are most disappointed with often reveals where we have put our hope. The Bible says where your treasure is, that’s where your heart is also.   Most Christians would agree that our culture is becoming more godless. Paul says he presses on to reach the end of the race. (Phil. 3:14)   When a gift becomes more important than the giver … … … that’s idol...

A family reunion!  (Ex. 18:1-23) Wise advice given.  (Ex. 18:13-23) Teach and delegate!  (Ex. 18:19-23) Wise advice received.  (Ex. 18:24-27: James 1:5) Interview:  Oscar Palencia, Land of Hope – Chad and Jodi Larson, Leah’s Kids (Guatemala) Next Step: Repeat often:  “I cannot navigate life well by myself”.  Seek advice!  Thank Jesus! 

Exodus 17:1-7 The Israelites had two huge obstacles to following God: ________________ & _________________. In their hardest days, instead of reaching out to God, they choose to _______ God on ______________. The Lord led the Israelites to a place ____________________ _______________. God knows exactly where _________________, where ________________, even when sometimes it is a place we ______...

The false oasis of Marah.  (Ex. 15:22-23) Complaining and a rescue!  (Ex. 15:24-25; Ps. 34:4)  The Lord’s standard test.  (Ex. 15:25-26) The true oasis of Elim.  (Ex. 15:227) We don’t follow Jesus to avoid bitter times in life.  We follow Jesus because He can turn the bitterness we encounter into what is sweet!  Next Steps: Be honest with yourself and Jesus. Don’t be duped by false oases. Seek the...

Rescued?  (Ex. 14:1-14; Eph. 6:10) Rescued!!!  (Ex. 14:15-31)  Why do people sing?  Song of Deliverance!  (Ex. 15:1-21) The rhythm of Jesus’ life:  UP in worship, IN into community, OUT on mission. Jesus Christ is our Deliverer!  (Rom. 6:23) Next Step question:  Do you need to sing a new song? Prayer of Deliverance:  Lord Jesus, I was trapped in darkness.  You set me free and brought me into the l...

Round 1:  The Nile River  (Ex. 7:14-25)  Round 2:  Frogs  (Ex. 8:1-15)   Round 3:  Gnats  (Ex. 8:16-19) Round 4:  Flies  (Ex. 8:20-32) Round 5:  Cattle  (Ex. 9:1-7) Round 6:  Boils  (Ex. 9:8-12) Round 7:  Hail  (Ex. 9:13-35)  Round 8:  Locusts  (Ex. 10:1-20)  Round 9:  Darkness  (Ex. 10:21-29)  Round 10:  First born sons  (Ex. 11:1-10)  Before the Lord set his people free he exposed the gods of Eg...

Things go _______ when you’re doing the _______ thing! Off to a great ________!  (Exodus 4:29-31)  _______________ encountered.  (Exodus 5:1-5; 1 Peter 5:7)  Unexpected ___________!  (Exodus 5:6-23) ________’ example.  (Hebrews 12:1-3)   Prayer for resistance and hardship:  Lord Jesus, open my eyes to see how you use the resistance I encounter to build more faith muscle in me.  When things go wron...

Figuring Out Life: #3 – Discovering Purpose! (Exodus 3) By Steve Anderson. - God gets Moses’ attention. (Exodus 3:1-3) - God reveals himself to Moses. (Exodus 3:4-6) - God reveals his purpose for Moses’ life. (Exodus 3:7-10) - Moses protests! (Exodus 3:11-15; Joshua 1:2,9; Mt. 28:18-20) - God reveals his plan. (Exodus 3:16-22; John 16:33) Next Steps: “Mission Impossible” with Tim Tebow, Friday Jun...

Figuring Out Life: #2 – Surviving Mistakes (Exodus 2) By Steve Anderson. A mistake happens when we “mis” “take” a situation. Surviving mistakes: I haven’t made any mistakes, my mistakes really didn’t matter, everybody makes mistakes. How did God deal with Pharaoh’s mistake? (Exodus 2:1-10) How does God deal with mistakes others make that affect us? (Rom. 8:28) How did God deal with Moses’ mistake?...

Figuring Out Life: #1 – Navigating Change We learn to navigate change, expected or unexpected, by _______ the Lord and _______ Him. When we fear God, we give him our _______ _______. When we fear God we stand in _______ of Him. When we fear God, we give him our _______. Jesus is always _______ us into a deeper relationship with Him, and at the same time _______ us to change to become more like him...