North Avenue Church Podcast

It's been a long break, but Sunday we picked back up our 'Questioning Catholicism' series! You can watch this message here .

Main idea: The greatest threat to God's people has always been the sin from within. Here, the people humbly respond with repentance as Nehemiah leads through godly confrontation and illustration. Choosing Sinful Exploitation (v 1-5) Responding to Godly Confrontation (v 6-13) Observing a Godly Illustration (v 14-19) You can watch this message here .

The Christian life is about the sword and the trowel. We are called to build (= the trowel) and defend (= the sword). This passage has become well known for this very reason. You can watch this message here .

Four ways to pursue ordinary faithfulness in a new year: By treasuring the Word of God (Psalm 1) By preaching the Gospel to ourselves consistently (1 Corinthians 15:1-11) By cultivating a firm belief in the sovereignty and goodness of God (Romans 8:28-32) By folding our lives into the local church where we are members (Hebrews 10:23-25) You can watch this message here .

In difficult times... We are tempted to trust in other powers [7:1-8:15] We are tempted to trust in other authorities [8:16-21] We must trust in the God who Saves [9:1-7] You can watch this message here .

Here are the two main points of Greg's meditation on the purpose of the incarnation from Philippians 2: The intentional unity of the church (v 1-4) The intentional incarnation of the Messiah (v 5-11) You can watch this message here .

Nehemiah shows us how to handle discouragement in the Christian life. I. Why We Are Tempted to Give Up (v 10-12) A. Our strength is low B. The burden seems too great C. Opposition grows from without and within II. Ways We Fight to Endure (v 13-14) A. Set a defense where you're most vulnerable B. Expose yourself to truth! C. Remember and fear the Lord D. Remember what is at stake You can watch this...

Why is the Christian life so hard? Here is the outline of the message: The Enemies Mock (v 1-3) Nehemiah Prays and the People Work (v 4-6) The Enemies Threaten (v 7-8) Nehemiah Prays and sets a Guard (v 9) You can watch this message here .

The people beautifully model unified work for the kingdom! A. Nehemiah Leads the People by... Showing the way forward Delegating the work into manageable portions Giving credit to the workers B. The People Avoid... Procrastination A preoccupation with (1) rank, (2) gifting, or (3) recognition C. The People Work... In Unity Diligently and Sacrificially You can watch this message here .

Nehemiah provides a wonderful example of bibical leadership in this passage. Nehemiah clearly communicates the problem (v 17a) Nehemiah clearly communicates the solution (v 17b-18a) The people and their enemies respond (v 18b-19) Nehemiah's uncompromising conviction in the face of opposition (v 20) You can watch this message here .

In this week's passage we learn about godly leadership from Nehemiah. Godly leaders... Use wisdom (v 9) Expect opposition (v 10) Know when to rest (v 11) Have a God-glorifying plan, yet don’t reveal it prematurely (v 12) Clearly understand the problems they face (vv 13-16) You can watch this message here .

Main idea: Nehemiah shows us how to pray, plan, and act all while relying on God's good providence. Prayerful planning Courageous actions God's providence You can watch this message here .

Here is the outline for Nehemiah's prayer of repentance: Nehemiah turns to God first (vv. 4–6a) Nehemiah confesses sin (vv. 6b–7) Nehemiah prays God’s promises in Scripture (vv. 8–9) Nehemiah points to God’s past faithfulness (v. 10) Nehemiah makes his request (v. 11) [Audio is corrected at 1:38] You can watch this message here .

Nehemiah had a great job working as the cupbearer of Artaxerxes, king of Persia. Why did he give it all up to embrace the difficult task of rebuilding Jerusalem's walls? The answer is the Lord developed in him a holy ambition for God's people, place, and glory. Do you have a holy ambition for your life? You can watch this message here .

Mark participated in a Q&A chapel at Westminster Christian Academy for middle and high school students on October 17th. It was led by the head of school, Jared Clark, and was about Jesus and the Bible among other world religions, including Islam and Mormonism.

Here is the outline of the sermon: Ezra mourns and prays over the sin amongst the people (9:1-15) The people respond with a plan for repentance (10:1-8) The people carry out their repentance (10:9-44) You can watch this message here .

This message focuses on the power of the new birth to bring about faith that overcomes the world.

In this message we hear about the power of God's love to transform our lives.

Here Mark breaks down a conversation he had with two Mormon "missionaries" over nine years ago. You can watch this video here .

Here is Greg's outline for the message: Ezra’s godly heritage (7:1-5) Ezra’s devotion to God’s Word (7:6, 10-11) Ezra’s favor with God and man (7:6, 9, 11-28; 8:31) Ezra’s zeal for God’s temple (7:7-8; 8:1-20, 24-36) Ezra’s trust in God’s power and protection (8:21-23) You can watch this message here .

The team discusses God's love which is so richly described in this passage.

Why is it incorrect to list Mormonism ('Latter Day Saints') within the Christian faith? You can watch this message here .

The team picks the 1 John series back up after an extended break. Here we are exhorted to have biblical discernment as Christians.

Greg and Zach Hutzell do a great job walking us through this fantastic passage on spiritual warfare and the armor of God.

As we overview four chapters of Ezra, here is the outline: Two Kinds of Opposition: a) Compromise from within (4:1-3); b) Pressure from without (4:4-5, 24; 5:3-4) God Providentially works through Political Leaders (5:5-6:13) God Providentially works through His Word (5:1-2; 6:14-22 Haggai 1-2) You can watch this message here .