Olive Branch Community Church - Weekend Messages

In this series we've been challenged to take responsibility, overlook, and forgive, and you may have had in the back of your mind something like, "But you don't know what so-and-so did to me. Does this mean I just roll over, let them back in my life?" Not necessarily, but...

So far we've learned, an offense is when our core needs defense and with God at our core, the most offensive things are our sins and, my fault or not, an offense is my responsibility. With so many offenses to take responsibility for, how can we manage them all?

Last week the what, when, and why of what offends us AND that the greatest offenses are sins. Today we'll look at what God tells us to do when we're offended.

What should offend us? What should not? It can be very confusing in today's world. But if we understand and deal rightly with offenses, we can be a help to our world.

Why did God send the angels to shepherds? Why not the king, or the Pharisees or scribes? In looking for the answer, we'll learn something about the source of joy.

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” That's what Luke tells us the angels proclaimed when Jesus was born. Peace is a term we've often heard, but let's explore what it really means.

Many people have lost hope in God. Maybe they haven't gotten what they wanted, or they don't think He's real. God understands, and he's given us to examples in the Christmas story to help us.

In this series Peter has been teaching us basic truths to help us endure during difficult times. in this concluding message he teaches us one more and it centers on who we are in Christ.

In many countries it's against the law for Christians to share the gospel. In our own country some people risk their jobs if they share Christ at their workplace. Where do we turn for encouragement in a world that seemingly hates what we love?

We are in a gap of salvation, but God has guaranteed us his grace. So, how do we deal with family formation (one of the most powerful forces on all of us) now that we are in this gap?

Constant difficulty can create an expectation of despair. Peter encourages us in our suffering to remember "the gap" - our journey on the way home.

We all face suffering and trouble in this life. In the midst of our difficulties, how can we have joy? Peter points us in the right direction.

We've all faced pushback for our views and opinions, but when we are questioned or mocked for being a Christ follower, it can make us wonder if God is really with us. What if God expected this and gave us a powerful way to think about the rejection and pushback we get? That's what we'll learn about in this series.

We have learned we need to follow Jesus no matter what and love/abide with him in the word, prayer and community, and if we do we'll bear fruit and shape our worlds. This will open the way to make disciples who make disciples IF we see that possibility everywhere.

So far we've learned that 1/if we follow Jesus and it won’t be easy, 2/we will love Christ by spending time with Him, and 3/we bear His fruit when we obey what He teaches us. All of these things will shape our world and make disciples.

Many "follow' people on social media, but how do they know who is worth following? Jesus said, "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?" Let's see what Jesus has to say about being his follower.

Maybe you've learned about Jesus, given your life to Him, and even started to grow more like Him. How do you keep going? How do you stay close to Him?

We’ve come to the end of Exodus. Israel has gone from slaves to a nation, from meeting God to being his people. Now they are beginning their life as a nation with YHWH, and he’s ready to move in.

We've looked at the structure and furnishings of the tabernacle and now move to understanding the role of the priests and how Jesus (and we!) fit into all of this today.

Do you long for heaven? Do you wonder what it will be like? The tabernacle described in Exodus can help us answer these questions.

God is showing Moses the design of a tent in which He will dwell with his people, Israel. God, who lives in heaven, is going to live with them! And He does the same with us.

When you put your faith in Christ you begin to realize you were made for another world. As believers, we have the hope and promise of Heaven, and there are things we can be doing right now to prepare for eternity. 

Jealousy – is it negative or positive to you? What if God is jealous? He is, and in this message we'll learn why, and what He is jealous for.