Teachings - Restoration Covenant Church

Philippians 1:3-11 “Western societies are, by and large, individualistic societies. The most important entity in an individualistic culture is the individual person. This misreading of Scripture arises from combining our individualism with a more subtle, deeply hidden and deeply rooted aspect of our Western worldview: we still think the universe centers around us.” E. Randolph Richards, Misreading...

Philippians 1:3-6 3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of King Jesus. The Word: Began The Word: Good The Word: Completion “I am neither an optimist nor a pessimist; Jesus Christ is risen from the dead!” Lesli...

Philippians 1:1-6 , Acts 16:6-40, Exodus 19:3-6, Romans 6:3-5, Colossians 3:1

Philippians 1:27-30, Acts 17:7 Philippians 1:27-30 27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit,[ e ] striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to the...

Ecclesiastes 5:8 - 6:9

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7, Matthew 6:5; 5:34-35, Isaiah 29:13, Hebrews 10:19-25, Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 “Compassion is allowing someone else’s heart to walk around in your chest”. Two Assumptions the Teacher has: 1. I can’t find it here… then I have to go there! 2. If I find it, he will be full and content. “We are unhappy and we are generally unhappy about being unhappy, but it’s fine.” Jonathon Haidt - The Happiness Hypothesis “[You are] a being whose wants make no sense, don’t...

Ecclesiastes 1:12-18, 2:12-17 Nick Blurb: "In order to get to the truth, we have to be willing to take a look at the things we do not like." “As a reader you will have to start off with meaninglessness and wade through twelve chapters of tension, poetry, proverbs, unanswered questions, unsettling speech, and intimate language before arriving at the point he wants to make. Because of this approach,...

Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 “Ecclesiastes is a kind of back door that allows followers of Jesus to have the sad and skeptical thoughts that they would never allow to enter the front door of their faith.” Norbert Lohfink “The author wrote the book to suggest with such fullness as he judged adequate, the emptiness of this life, with the ultimate objective, to be sure, of making us yearn for another kind of...

Mark 3:20-35; 1:1, Colossians 1:13; 2:13-15(Message) “The parable may be taken as Jesus’ mission statement in Mark, urging us to interpret the rest of the narrative guided by this image. The whole Gospel is a story about the reign of God coming to displace another reign, and that other one will not relinquish its power without a fight.” N.T. Wright “Enemy-occupied territory---that is what this wor...

Mark 3:7-19, John 15:16, 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 Mark 3:7-12 7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. 8 When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. 9 Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the...

Mark 2:23-3:6 “A “day off” cannot sustain the human soul. Only a Sabbath can.” A.J. Swoboda, Subversive Sabbath: The Surprising Power of Rest in a Nonstop World “The Sabbath is God’s solution to FOMO anxieties. On the Sabbath, we are “in” because we are with Jesus Christ. God is with us. And the world does not define us.” A.J. Swoboda, Subversive Sabbath: The Surprising Power of Rest in a Nonstop...

Mark 2:23-28, Genesis 2, Exodus 20:8;11 1. The Sabbath is Built into the Rhythm of Creation Genesis 2 “The Sabbath is an invitation to enter delight. The Sabbath when experienced as God intended, is the best day of our lives. Without question or thought, it is the best day of the week. It is the day we anticipate on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday – and the day we remember on Sunday, Monday, and T...

Luke 24:13-32 “Without that we die, whether you live in an Auschwitz or in a luxury apartment downtown.” Viktor Frankl - Man’s Search For Meaning “We substituted and deified nation for God. Americans looked increasingly to the nation, not to God, as the source of justice, mercy, and hope.” Andrew Delbanco - The Real American Dream: A Meditation on Hope “Our hope is now for individual freedom to pu...

Psalm 22:1-2, Psalm 88, 1 Peter 5:6-7,Luke 19:41–42, 2 Corinthians 6:4-10

Mark 2:1-12; 1:15 2. April 6th sermon needs to get put up on podcast. Lament: To Complain to God Psalm 22:1-2, Psalm 88, 1 Peter 5:6-7,Luke 19:41–42, 2 Corinthians 6:4-10

Mark 1:35-39, John 17:13-23 “Community is vitally important because the church – the community of God’s people – is the hermeneutic of the gospel. In other words, the community of the church is the living, breathing, in-your-face demonstration of what it means to live under the reign of God.” Wes Roberts and Glenn Marshall Reclaiming God’s Original Intent for the Church “Clearly the early Christia...

Mark 1:21-39 Map of Galilee 1. Jesus did his work in the synagogue and in the home. 2. Jesus saw the home as a place of ministry and mission. Ministry – serving people inside God’s Mission – serving people outside of the faith 3. Jesus carved out times of renewal.

Mark 1:16-20; 10:21-22; 28-31; 8:34-37; 3:31-35; 8:14-18; 10:32-40; 14:48-52 Order: Mark 1:16-20 “In the 20th century (generally speaking), protestant Christians set out to make America Christian and ended up making Christianity American.” Stanley Hauerwas 1. You have to Drop Everything to follow Jesus “When Jesus calls a man, he bids him come and die.” Dietrich Bonheoffer - Cost of Discipleship 1...

The Gospel According to Mark Series #1: Drop Everything February 16th, 2020 Follow Part 1: Be My Apprentice Mark 1:16-20 Map of Galilee 1. Beit Sepher “House of the Book” 2. Beit Talmud OR Beit Midrash “The House of Learning” 3. Talmidim Picture of Doremus Family Map of Albania “A disciple is anyone whose ultimate goal is to live as Jesus would live if he were in their place.” Dallas Willard

Mark 1:14-15, Isaiah 61:1, Matthew 6:10, Mark 15:43, Isaiah 40:3; 40:9-10, Daniel 2:45-45 Mark 1:14-15 Two Parts: What the Kingdom of God is What the Kingdom of God is not Isaiah 61:1 Can be translated “Gods Rule – God’s Reign The Kingdom of God = God’s Rulership “Active exercising of God’s power and authority” Matthew 6:10, Mark 15:43, Isaiah 40:3; 40:9-10, Daniel 2:45-45 Misconception #1: The Ki...