We are taught to believe in ourselves in order to achieve great things. And when things get hard, you must return to the belief that you are the person to do it…that you have what it takes…that you are meant to do this...But family, that’s exhausting…Because even when it works, the high is fleeting and it’s on to the next hill to take. And when you fail, you wonder if you were wrong to think you ever could. It’s a vicious, dangerous rollercoaster. We need something transcendent of us, of our circumstances, something that will remind us of who we are and what truly matters when the shine of success wears off and when our failures leave us crushed.

What Jesus teaches us this morning couldn’t be more opposite. When it comes to spirituality, first you have to give up believing in yourself. And in so doing, you'll find that tiny faith in a great God is greater than great faith in ourselves.

Luke 17:1-10

We are all prone to justifying ourselves, especially in the realm of money. We can always reason away our selfish financial decisions. We can rationalize our comforts and our expenditures. Our list of needs can begin to grow. We look around us and compare ourselves to other people and think, I’m not as rich as them. I don’t have a house as big as their’s or a car as nice as his.

And we don’t realize how riches can begin to blind us. We can become so preoccupied with the pursuit of wealth and our career that we become blind to the suffering of others around. We can begin to lose sight of the priorities of the kingdom of God and God’s law, which call us to be generous and to seek the welfare of our neighbor. We can forget the fact that we are going to die one day and give an account for what we’ve done with what God has given us.

But Jesus in this text wants to slap us away. To shake us. Wake us up out of a dangerous sleep to the realties before us. Wake us up to the realities of suffering in this life and the the danger of suffering in the life to come. He wants to help us see clearly the danger of of ignoring God’s law and ignoring our neighbor in our pursuit of riches. He warns us that riches can blind us to our sinful failings and our need for God’s mercy.

Luke 16:19-31

God has placed something sacred in your hands. Stewardship isn't just about money, it's about managing the sacred.

Luke 16:1-18

Matthew 7:7-11

Jesus changes our actions by challenging our expectations

Matthew 7:7-8

God answers prayers because of His goodness, not yours

Matthew 7:9-11

How You Pray Reaffirms or Undermines Your Belief in the Resurrection

We find joy in God’s pursuit of his people because his story is big enough for us all to belong in.

Luke 15:1-10

We naturally go along to get along.

From a young age, as we become more self-aware, we begin to experience an overwhelming desire to fit in. We begin to notice our differences in comparison to everyone else, and we try to minimize them. We match haircuts, clothing syles, grammer expressions, possessions such as the cars we drive and the houses we buy. And oftentimes we sacrifice who we truly are in order to assimilate to the world around us. Though we may desire to behave otherwise, we often fold under cultural pressure. This is often true of our Christian beliefs, too.

We feel there is safety in the crowd. And that when you blend in, you won’t be ridiculed…but the problem is, you probably won’t be following Jesus either. There may be safety in the crowd, but there is also danger: Jesus tells us narrow is the way to life; broad is the path to destruction. If we go along to get along, we are disciples of the world, not of Jesus. Because Discipleship requires leaving the crowd & bearing your cross.

Luke 14:25-35

Our society determines our worth based on what we have to offer. But the good news of Jesus is for everyone, regardless of what you have to offer!

Luke 14:12-24

We are prone to think our gifting is all about us. But the Holy Spirit empowers believers with gifts for the building up of the church and reaching the lost. The gifts are graciously given from God through the Spirit for the building up and edification of the church. They didn’t come from you, and they’re not ultimately for you! You’re just the vehicle to make Jesus’ name great!

1 Corinthians 12-14

Though we naturally assimilate to the world around us, followers of Jesus are meant to be set apart for God’s purposes. And it’s through faith in Jesus that the Holy Spirit cuts us away from the world and conforms us to Christ.

Galatians 5:16-25

In a world full of trouble and fear, Jesus has given us the Spirit to comfort us until he returns.

Join us this morning as we continue our series on the Holy Spirit "Empowered!"

John 14:15-27

We often confuse conviction and condemnation. We’re so used to being accused, convicted and condemned, that we start to believe that God relates to us in the same way. Instead of feeling the conviction of the Spirit and allowing it to drive us to Jesus for forgiveness, we feel guilt, shame, and condemnation and wallow in despair.

How should we respond?

John 16:7-11

Our best attempts at saving ourselves will always fail. That's because it is primarily a work of God. Long before we choose to follow Jesus, every person of the Trinity has already been at work in your salvation.

Titus 3:4-8

By the Spirit’s power in creation, God brought forth light out of darkness and order out of disorder. It says, “Let us make…” The Father speaks, the Word goes forth, and the Spirit applies the Word of God to the subject/recipient. Thus, one of the key works of the Holy Spirit is to bring things to life and to set things in order.

Acts 1:6-11

The resurrection changes everything! If Jesus really got up, everything changes. Everything you know about the world. Everything you know about humanity. And everything you know about eternity. If Jesus rose from the dead, everything is going to be alright.

Philippians 1:18b-24

We think that blessing means more money, upward mobility, marriage, children, a big house, health, success, status, prestige, power, respect, being served, etc. But what Jesus' triumphal entry shows us is that true blessing is found in humble service.

John 13:12-18

We relate to God as slaves, not friends. We come to Him, still bearing the chains of our past, the echoes of our former servitude to sin. We see Him as a demanding master, a celestial taskmaster, whose love is conditional upon our performance.

But Jesus offers us a place at His table, not as slaves, but as his friends. He doesn’t want our fear-filled obedience; He wants our hearts, our trust, our abiding. He desires that we see Him not as a distant, demanding ruler, but as a faithful friend, who rejoices in our presence. He invites us to lay down our fear, to rise from our bowed posture, and to walk with Him, hand in hand, as beloved friends of the King.

John 15:12-17

We settle for temporary happiness over eternal joy. But Jesus promises us that abiding in him fills your joy fully!

John 15:11

Obedience is a gift, not a burden.

John 15:9-10

Too often our “good works” are really all about us, a sort of spiritual "virtue signaling." But what Jesus teaches us in verses 7-8 is that the fruit we bear as Christians isn't ultimately about us at all. Everything is for God's glory and proof that we belong to Jesus!

John 15:7-8

Though we often rely on our own efforts to be better and do better. A fruitful life comes only from complete dependence on Christ.

John 15:3-6