South Ridge Church FXBG

This all goes back to a father and two sons. God made a covenant with Abraham that included land, lineage to the Messiah, and Himself as the one true God (Jehovah). Now imagine God, who you didn’t know even existed, calling you out of nowhere to pickup everything you own, along with your spouse, promising that you would have kids when you couldn’t, and you don’t stop moving until He tells you?

Why does it matter who or what I listen to? Unexpectedly, Habakkuk ends his book with a song. This wasn’t common for a prophet to break out in song...but he did. Even in the darkness of the prediction (prophecy), Habakkuk knows his hope is in God. Even in the corrupt culture, Habakkuk filled his mind and soul with the promises of God and it led to a song. What can it lead to for you?

It’s predicted that Babylon would take control of Judah by force and take many of its citizens into slavery, including Daniel, who had nothing to do with the evil of the king. When it all goes down, it seems like God is silent when His people are being hurt, enslaved, and killed. Why does God seem silent?

Discipline is a necessary means to develop character and maturity. God patiently does this with His people—whether Israel or the Church—consistently. Babylon painfully conquering Judah is God’s discipline for the evil done by the kings. As the kings go, so does the nation. Why is discipline necessary? Why does God disciple His people?

Habakkuk lived during two kings with different outcomes. King Josiah led a spiritual revival, broke free from Assyrian rule and became an autonomous free state. Then after Josiah died in battle, Egypt installed Jehoiakim as a vassal king. Jehoiakim, Josiah’s son, rejected God and His ways. Why does God tolerate corrupt leaders? Why do law-abiding citizens suffer for the sins of their king?

We should fear the consequences of closing our hands more than the consequences of losing what’s in them.

Our behavior will eventually reflect the condition of our hearts.

During childhood, you may have been handed a faith framework through which you began to view the world. For many of us, that childhood framework didn't survive the rigors of adulthood.

The three largest faith traditions—Judaism, Islam, and Christianity—claim the same starting point: a man named Abraham. God made a series of promises and Abraham’s responses to those promises had large implications.

At some time, we could all find ourselves slipping into a bargaining posture with God: “God, if you will... I promise I will…” But how often do we keep our end of that bargain? And, maybe a better question: Is that really the kind of relationship God wants to have with us?

Guilt is powerful. Shame can be crippling. We all have things in our pasts that haunt us. We know we can do better from this point forward, but how are we supposed to fix the past?

Everything that exists had a starting point . . . including you. You may have started on purpose. You may have started by accident (from your parent’s perspective). You may even have started through the magic of medical science. Whatever the circumstances, you had a starting point and it began before you were aware of it. Faith has a starting point as well.

We constantly look for evidence to support what we believe. But how do we know that Christianity isn’t just a made-up concept with massive success?

Jesus predicted he would start a movement—the church—that would spread all over the earth outlasting the Roman Empire. It would change the world. Here we are, two thousand years later, and Jesus’ church gathering is still going strong.

Rules are often the centerpiece of religious life. What if a relationship with God doesn’t depend on our obedience to a set of rules?

As we gather on this Christmas Eve, we’ll see how Matthew using Jesus’ family tree reveals that Christmas is for everyone. The Christmas story is an invitation to come as we are, with all our imperfections, knowing that in Jesus, we find love, grace, and the ultimate gift of redemption.

Christmas is a time where we love to invite family and friends over for brunches and dinners. It takes effort and a cost. Have you ever thought about Jesus inviting you into a relationship and the cost of that relationship? We’ll learn that one of the reasons Jesus came is to invite sinners to receive spiritual healing.

Have you viewed Jesus as a King? What might keep us from viewing Him as King? We’ll learn that one of the reasons Jesus came is for our full allegiance in a world distracting us with empty promises.

How do you handle pressure? How do you go about getting a desired outcome? We’ll learn that one of the reasons Jesus came is to do what we were unable to do.

What if God has given us what we’ve been asking for but we don’t see it because it’s not what we had in mind?

The local church is a picture of the family. Men and women have unique roles to compliment each other as church leaders. As men and women embrace these roles, the focus of the church is the mission. *Disclaimer: Jeff received feedback about the Kenneth Boa and Lauren Thompson quotes. Those quotes were intended to show how the pendulum has swung in culture as it has changed in 103 years. Jeff unequ...

Men and women have unique roles to compliment each other as spouses and parents. As men and women live in these roles, it helps reinforce clarity when raising kids.

The depth of God is revealed in the counterparts—men and women. God has intentionally created men and women the same to bear His image but different in our roles to compliment each other.

Those unexpected things life throws our way can end up being pivotal circumstances in the growth of our faith.

There is no growth without discipline. And many times, what begins as an “ought to” becomes a “want to.”