Message Descriptions - June - July 2017

Message Descriptions

June – August 2017

June 4 – The Minas (Luke 19:11-26)

Have you ever been asked to watch a friend’s pet while they are away? Depending on the pet, it can be a minor effort or a major one! The friend trusts you enough to ask you to take on their role in caring for their pet and ensuring that their home isn’t wrecked while they are away. Knowing that they will come home is the filter through which you see your role.  You know it isn’t permanent and that the stuff you’re caring for doesn’t belong to you. Jesus teaches us about the kingdom with a story like this. He describes several different approaches and results which are meant to ask which one represents us. How are you doing with what Jesus has entrusted to you?

Not Yet (the Kingdom) v. 11-14

Using What You’re Given v. 15-19

Burying Your Mina (v. 20-26)

QUESTION:  What has your master entrusted to you?  What have you been doing with it for the kingdom while He’s gone? Will He find you faithful or unfaithful when He returns?

June 11 – The Tenants (Luke 20:9-19)

Have you ever loaned out something you really value?  If you trust the one you’ve given it to, you can rest easy unless you receive some kind of news of trouble.  But if you don’t know or trust that person, you will not have a moment’s peace until you have your valuable back in your hands again. It would be a huge problem if those to whom you’ve loaned decided to think and act like they were in fact the owners. When you tried to retrieve what belonged to you, there would be some kind of conflict and they probably wouldn’t take your desires into account when making decisions.  Jesus tells a story of some tenants using this idea to ask his audience who is in charge of this world and who will stand as judge in the end.  How often do we act like we are the owners instead of God?

v. 9-12 – the owner entrusts the tenants – sends reps

v. 13-15a – the owner sends his son – the reps see opportunity

v. 15b-20 The owner takes full control and final say

QUESTION: What has God entrusted to us?  Are we living like He’s the owner? Will the Day of Judgment actually happen – and if so, what does that mean for us THIS day?

June 18 – The Lost Son (Luke 15:11-32)

Father’s Day

Have you ever thought about the ‘power of Dad’? Certainly both parents are vital to God’s design for home, but there’s something unique about Dad’s voice. When it is time to discipline the kids, what Dad has to say makes a large difference. And statistics show the undeniable spiritual impact that Dad has on his children – both positive and negative. So it isn’t surprising that God is presented as our ‘Father’ many times in the Bible.  Jesus refers to his Father over and over.  And in this story, Jesus uses the image of a father to illustrate God’s reaction to people. No matter your choices, this story has a message for you!

One Stays, One Leaves

The Wild Son’s Journey

The Older Brother’s Reaction

QUESTION: Do you know your Heavenly Father like this? If you’re wandering, are you ready to come home? If you’ve stayed, are you ready to join the feast? And if you’re a dad, are you using your role like this?

June 25 – GoZone Takeover Service!Do you remember what it's like to be a kid?  Everything is an adventure. Every day is an opportunity to learn something new, forming hopes and dreams.  Think about how the unfolding of your childhood effected the outcome of your adulthood.  Dr. Tim Kimmel says having children is like "being handed a piece of history in advance - a gracious gift you send to a time you will not see - and you play the biggest role in how that history will ultimately be recorded."  What a challenge to parents and the church!

Here at Hope we are committed to making a BIG deal about our kids. There's a lot of voices in the world today that can easily drown out the still small voice of God in our kids’ lives.  Let's give them the opportunity to be immersed in the Jesus "culture" as much as possible. HopeKids! Ministry is set up to help you do just that. Every Sunday we put together a special service in the GoZone specifically geared towards elementary aged students. We also offer HopeKids! Hangout and Kid Connection events. The highlight of the summer, Vacation Bible School, is also a huge event for our kids. Don't pass up the opportunity to invest in our children’s future by giving them the best foundation for their adulthood now.

July 2 – In Remembrance of Me (Luke 22:14-23)

Communion

This is going to be a very special Sunday.  Our entire service is going to be built around the words of Jesus as He gives us the Lord’s Supper.  Over the centuries, Christians have used these symbols to remember Jesus. Our morning will be filled with music and reflection and we’ll share communion together. How are you doing at Jesus admonition to remember Him and His sacrifice?  Has it shown up in your daily life?  Let’s take this morning to dig deep into the sacrifice of our Lord and what it means for every person who is a child of God.

A deconstructed service with no ‘rules’ …. Whatever works best to present communion and the depths of its meaning

Video, music, readings, poetry

Each of the segments for ‘preaching’, I will be reading the verses and making a comment in line with the three points – each segment will be 5-10 minutes – total of 20-25 minutes

A Saving God – Passover, the Cross, the Kingdom (fulfillment

Pictures – our human need to see / touch / taste / hear…

COMMUNION

Respond – how big of a deal is this compared to all your other deals? 

What is the result of what we remember – and how does it show up in our daily living?

July 9 – Who is the Greatest? (Luke 22:24-32)

Competition is everywhere in our lives.  Our kids join various teams and compete against one another.  As we grow up, we find many different playing fields, from social to academic to career. We talk about political races and our culture seems obsessed with sports.  Since we’re all well acquainted with trying to come out on top, we all understand the discussion that the disciples have with Jesus.  They wanted to know the pecking order of their group.  They tried to work it out among themselves.  But Jesus weighs in and changes the whole discussion, challenging them (and us) to a different definition of greatness.

Normal Great (v. 24-25)

New Great (v. 26-27)

The Path To Great (v. 28-32)

QUESTION: Is there anything different about our personal idea of greatness than the competitive crazed culture in which we live?  Does our church reflect Jesus’ thoughts on greatness?  What is Jesus’ designed path for you have a life that matters?

July 16 – The Temptation of Jesus (Luke 4:1-13)

The biggest mistakes we make are usually driven by something we want that we think will bring us enjoyment or something desirable. Sure, there are times when we know what we’re doing is wrong and that it will cost us, but most of the time, we find a way to rationalize it so we can pretend like we’re getting something we need out of it. At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, Satan shows up to try to get Jesus to turn away from the Father’s plan for Him.  How Jesus reacts can help us in our own battles against temptation.

Physical Suffering Solved (v. 1-4)

Elevated as King (v. 3-8)

Overcoming Death (v. 9-13)

1 John 2 – lust of flesh, lust of eyes, pride of life

We struggle with all of these – Jesus faced them head on

Hyper unique circumstance for Satan to think he has a shot at getting Jesus to fall

Everything He came to do and to be offered to Him without the cross

QUESTION: What tempts your flesh?  What do you see that pulls at you?  How often has a ‘shortcut’ been used to trap you?  How will you respond to the temptations that come your way?