Morning Worship 05-22-16

Matt Fisher ·

What is "important" in your life?

Message: The Gospel according to Luke
Text: Luke 2:1-7
Caesar Augustus was the most powerful man in the world at the time Jesus was born and placed in a manger because that’s all they had. I know where Jesus is...where is Caesar Augustus?
 
Why a cattle trough in Bethlehem?
 
Mozart,  "Remember, merciful Jesus, that I am the cause of your journey."
 
The good news is not that Jesus lived and died, but that He died and lives.
 
Philip Yancey,  "In Jesus, God came close...What differences did Jesus make?  Both for God and for us, He made possible an intimacy that had never before existed."
 
Henri Nouwen,  "There is no journey to God outside of the journey that Jesus made."

 

Morning Worship 5-15-16

Matt Fisher ·

What do you need to pray about right now?

Message: The Gospel according to Luke
Text: Luke 1:57-80
 
Prayer and Praising
 
It’s exciting when we see the fulfillment of our prayers and God’s promises...and disappointing when we don’t
 
The desire of your heart is your prayer. Your burden is your prayer...no matter what your mouth says
 
 
Soren Kierkegaard's prayer,  "I do not feel that I am strong enough to resemble You and in so doing die for You or for Your cause;  I content myself with something less, with worshipfully thanking you  because you would die for me."
 

 

Morning Worship 05-08-16

Matt Fisher ·

How should we view our children?

Message: The Gospel according to Luke
Text: Luke 1:39-56
 
~God is the author of life...and is the sole authority
 
Cardinal Joseph Bernadin's letter to the Supreme Court.  "Creating a new right to assisted suicide will endanger society and send a false signal that a less that perfect life is not worth living."
 
~Mary and Elizabeth had an incredible anticipation of what God would do with their children. The issue of children is one of the most emotional issues we will deal with. Hardly anything else in life brings so much joy or pain
 
~A child of God

 

Morning Worship 05-01-2016

Matt Fisher ·

What do you think God can do?

Message: The Gospel according to Luke

Text: Luke 1:23-38

 Vs 32, 35 — The only begotten Son of God. (Mt 1:1-2, Gen 1:27) In light of what comes before and after Jesus’ birth, for the gospel to be non exclusive makes no sense. If there is another way…

Vs 35 — Virgin birth, inherited sin. We only sin because we choose to...but we all will choose to. We inherit our bent to sin from our fathers. Jesus inherited His bent to not sin from His Father

Vs 37 — We sometimes think we know God “can,” but aren’t sure if He “will.” Sometimes we need to consider “can” again

 

Morning Worship 04-17-2016

Matt Fisher ·

What does it mean to be freed from sin?

Message: The Gospel          According to Luke
Text: Luke 1:15-17
 
What is our ultimate problem?
Ben Franklin, “No form of government will work if the people are bad. Almost any form of government will work if the people are good.”
Theologian Joey Rupard. “We are all in various stages of recovery.”
 
Free or Free Fall?
Welcome mat at theologian Tony Byrd’s back door, “There is nothing in this house worth dying for.”
 
Beware of the sin you are not struggling with!

 

Morning Worship 04-10-2016

Matt Fisher ·

What is God saying when he's not speaking?

Message: The Gospel According to Luke

Text: Luke 1:5-22

The two responses of Zachariah

1st response:

After 400 years, God’s silence was all Zachariah had ever known. He hasn’t forgotten what he is supposed to do, so he doesn’t need God to remind him.

When you don’t know what to do, continue doing the last thing God told you...until He tells you to stop.

Has God told you to stop?

2nd response:

God had been silent for so long and Zachariah & Elizabeth had been childless for so long, he thought it was the end of the road, but instead it was a bend in the road. 

Can you recognize a bend in the road? Is God working around you right now but you’re not seeing it or believing it?

Morning Worship 04-10-16

Matt Fisher ·

Message: The Gospel According to Luke

Text: Luke 1:1-5, 2:1

 ~400 silent years. The Apocrypha, the Maccabees—Matthias Maccabeus and his sons

 ~Herod the king of Judea (Herod the Monster)

 ~Caesar Augustus, the first emperor and also the first to institute emperor worship...the emperor as deity

 Genesis 49:10 Jacob’s prophecy

 Galatians 4:4-5

Why does God wait until things get so bad?

 We don’t search for God until we can’t find Him...hardly any of us pray so hard, until we really need to...faith is built where there is a real need for faith

Easter 2016

Matt Fisher ·

Do you need a second chance?

Message: Your meeting by the sea

Text: John 21:14-15

~Matthew 26:56 His disciples run away

~Luke 22:60-61 The rooster crows and Jesus looks at Peter

~Mark 16: 5-7  “But go, tell His  disciples—and Peter—…”

This is Simon Peter’s chance at a second chance

Jesus never asks a question He doesn’t already know the answer to. The question is for Peter to know the answer.

Philip Yancey,  "Like grace, forgiveness has about it the maddening quality of being undeserved, unmerited, unfair."

Morning Worship 03-13-16

Matt Fisher ·

Message: Everyone is welcome
Text: Ephesians 2
 
Eph 2:1-10 (Grace)
Good works don’t save us, we do good works because we have been saved
 
Eph 2:11-22 A part of the  family
The church bell
The dinner bell
John 10:7-11, 14-16
The same open door that allows you to enter, is still open
  
Philip Yancey,  "Grace is unfair, which is one of the hardest things about it."

 

Morning Worship 02-14-06

Matt Fisher ·

What does your belief look like?


Message: The Acts of the Holy Spirit thru the apostles

Text: Acts 28:24-31

Some believe, some will not

Some will not: 

There is no true foundation of hope for you, in this life or in the life/death to come. No other religion or non-religion on earth has any kind of     allowance or true remedy for sin, our ultimate problem. All others are man reaching up to God, only Christianity is God reaching down to man—Jesus!

In Jesus, there's a bridge to cross the great divide.

In Jesus, there's a cross to bridge the great divide.

I Believe:

 More than a mental assent to who Jesus is, but a receiving of the Holy Spirit thru who Jesus is and what He finished on the cross. A complete   repentance—a complete change of heart and soul that completely saves your soul, in this life and in the life to come.

 

Morning Worship 02-07-2016

Matt Fisher ·

What is important to you?

Message: The Acts of the Holy Spirit thru the apostles

Text: Acts 28:24-31

Some believe, some will not

Some will not: 

There is no true foundation of hope for you, in this life or in the life/death to come. No other religion or non-religion on earth has any kind of     allowance or true remedy for sin, our ultimate problem. All others are man reaching up to God, only Christianity is God reaching down to man—Jesus!

In Jesus, there's a bridge to cross the great divide.

In Jesus, there's a cross to bridge the great divide.

I Believe:

 More than a mental assent to who Jesus is, but a receiving of the Holy Spirit thru who Jesus is and what He finished on the cross. A complete   repentance—a complete change of heart and soul that completely saves your soul, in this life and in the life to come.

Morning Worship 01-24-2016

Matt Fisher ·

The importance of prayer.

Message: The Acts of the Holy Spirit thru the apostles

Text: Acts 28:7-10

 Observation: the only healing in Acts where prayer is accompanied by laying on of hands...personal touch. Other healings: speaking, praying, handkerchiefs/aprons, staring intently

 No amount of social media will ever replace the personal touch, or the ministry of presence (being there)

 There are 2 people involved:

The pray-er and the pray-ee

Ron Hutchcraft,  "It is quite possible that the person you are praying with has never heard their name mentioned in prayer in their entire life."

Morning Worship 01-17-2016

Matt Fisher ·

Why am I still here?

Message: The Acts of the Holy Spirit thru the apostles

Text: Acts 28:1-10

God isn’t finished with you yet. how do I know?  Because you’re reading this!

Philemon, Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus
(Hebrews?)

2 Timothy 4:6-7  From the Mamertine Dungeon:

1) There is no victory without a fight!. Stop looking for “easy”

2) Staying the course assigned to you. Not laying down the baton but handing it off to someone else. Someone handed it to you, who will you hand it to?

3) Hanging on to faith. Our faith must be tested—we arrive at stronger faith by going thru the door of doubt.

Dr Franklin Dummond, “Faith stretched thin is thick enough.”

Morning Worship 01-10-2016

Matt Fisher ·

Why is what we are doing no longer working?

Message: “This kind…”
Text: Mark 9:28-29
(Mark 6:12-13, 9:23-24, 22,
James 5:16-18)

Practical solution to positive change:

“Definition of insanity:  Doing the same thing over and over, while expecting different results.”
But, trying harder to cast out demons, won’t cast out demons.

Spiritual solution to positive change:

~God is waiting on you—       James 5:16-18 Elijah’s prayer. Sometimes Job’s friends are right.

 ~You are waiting on God—      Mark 9:23-24 It is easy for others to give up on this demon possessed boy, but for some reason this father won’t. It is common for God to wait and allow you to exhaust all others alternatives
(the woman with an issue of blood)