God Centered Life

It is standard, accepted truth in the world today that we are all good, and we do not need saving. Of course this is not what the Bible teaches. But long-time believers can have a tendency to assume they've heard teachings before rather than letting the gospel drive their daily behavior and shape them. And once you assume the gospel, you are that much closer to abandoning it. Luke 10:9-12 Learn mo...

The messaging has shifted down through the years on the cross and what it means. Some have a clear understanding, but others think of a piece of jewelry or a religious symbol. The message has gotten blurred. Luke 10:9-12 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To offer prosperity if we believe enough is pastorally cruel. It raises unrealistic expectations and it's experientially naive. It's counter to the teaching of the Bible, most obviously in the book of Job, not to mention the cross of Jesus himself. Most of all, to offer prosperity is to offer too little. Luke 10:5-8 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Do you ever feel like you're hanging on by your fingernails? This message is designed to be an encouragement for your faith to help you know that you can trust God in these times. We can know that we will be provided for. Luke 10:5-8 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We get this totally the wrong way around. The greatest blessing we can have is God, not what God can do for us. It's a really common misunderstanding that the most important thing you can get out of God is cool stuff—whether that means material things or a perfect relationship. God himself is our highest blessing. Zechariah 1:1-6 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Many would say that our feeling of urgency or hurry is a product of our modern life. Is there a right kind of hurry with a biblical basis? Or is hurry merely an unwanted aspect of contemporary life? Luke 10:4 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our lives are not simply about having a healthy work-life balance. What's the point of having a healthy life if it has no meaning? If you are a follower of Jesus, you are on his mission. Your life is a great gospel adventure—be brave! Luke 10:3 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

God's sovereignty is a difficult idea for us to grasp. But for progress in Christlikeness, understanding of his sovereignty is key.  Luke 10:2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Clearly there are problems out there and those of us who follow Jesus are experiencing pressure. But a problem is also an opportunity. No one wants to suffer, but we can reframe our difficulties into opportunities to pray, to trust, and to feel God's good purpose behind the hard things in life. Luke 10:2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"This message will self-destruct" because there's an urgency to it. We all know that our lives will come to an end, and time is short. There's an offer given to us in this life to turn to Jesus and bring others to him. What could be more urgent than that? Luke 10:1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Zechariah is an important book that can speak into someone's situation when they're feeling a little down. It then gives the true hope that centers on Jesus Christ. Zechariah 1:1-6 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Often in Christian communication today, we hear the phrase: God, family, country. Josh Moody often wonders whether God is really coming first. This reversal can happen because we don't always have clear in our minds how good God is, so we put other things that we think are better in his place. Luke 9:57-62 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Throughout history, those who have captured the attention of their heroes have often described a dream in the midst of sometimes painful reality. These two things thrill us: an acknowledgment of the pain and yet a description of the promise. Amos has done exactly that. Amos 9:11-15 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At the time of Amos, God's people had the most amazing worship experience— dynamic with wonderful music, extraordinary sacrifices, and drama. But God said: I hate it. Our worship should be shaped by what the Bible teaches about who and how to worship. We need to have the Word, prayer, the ordinances—we need gospel-shaped worship. Amos 5:4-7 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.co...

In the time that Amos is writing, not only were they not filling themselves up with God, they were filling themselves up with idols. It would be a little bit like going to the gas station to fill up your car and instead of putting gasoline in, putting in diesel. Things would not go well. Amos 5:4-7 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What God says through Amos is this: you only have I known of all the families of the earth. Therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities. This is an extraordinary statement, so we must do the work of understanding the Bible in its original context, but also apply it to it's contemporary context. Amos 3:1-2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Intimacy in marriage is God's means of protecting the relationship—it's defensive warfare and it will keep you together. But it's also a gift from God. We look at both the delights and the dangers of sexual intimacy. Song of Songs 6:4 - 8:14 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our society is showing symptoms of disease—massive divisiveness, injustice. But why? On that there is little agreement. The book of Amos speaks to today's societal ills. Today we'll hear about the power of God's Word. Amos 2:4-5 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The reason why Pharisaism is always popular is because we think it's possible to follow rules. "I can clean the outside of the dish but I can't clean the inside. I can't change my nature—it's hard-wired." But God can. Matt 5:8 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jesus tells us, against everything the world suggests to us, that the root to extreme happiness is by way of holiness, purity, and integrity. Matt 5:8 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our healing comes both eternally and now in this present life through a restored relationship with God where we receive mercy. That is the path to healing and the nature of our redemptive experience. Matt 5:7 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We need to be people who are proponents of fairness and justice. When it comes to our relationship with God, however, what we really need is mercy. What would a culture of mercy look like in our country? Matt 5:7 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The distance and lack of real intimacy in marriage seems very difficult to solve. Ultimately the loss of intimacy with Christ is what this whole book is pointing us to. How do we regain it once more? Song of Songs 5:2 - 6:3 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our whole western society is set up to encourage us to seek happiness. But happiness is one of those things that cannot be obtained by seeking it for itself. The only way to get happiness is by seeking something else. Matt 5:6 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The saying "your best life now" is half right. "Your best life then" is more like it. In this message we study the most radical beatitude—blessed are the meek. The idea that the meek will inherit the earth is astonishing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices