No One Ever Told Me - Part 3 - Pastor Steve Zarrilli

Renewal. How do we get it? Many think they are too far gone to find restoration; they feel stuck or even unworthy of it. But God tells us a different story. He says that we can come to Him with everything and ask for Him to restore us, and He will. This week we are journeying on in our series, Confessions: Erasing Shame and Experiencing Renewal, looking to Psalm 51 as a guide to help us in our journey of finding renewal in Christ. In times when we have messed up or let someone down, it is easy for us to be full of shame and think that hiding is better. But God invites us into something different. He tells us that we can experience life transforming restoration and renewal, when we go to Him in humbleness, He is faithful to help us out of our pit of sin. When we are seeking renewal, we can ask for God’s restoration and respond to His grace with genuine worship. God’s restoration in us, should cause us to react in worship. Giving praise to God for what He has done in us and for us; giving testimony to others through what Christ has done in us. Our response should be genuine praise back to Him for what He has done for us. God’s restoration leads us into worship. Tune in to the latest message of the series, Seeking Renewal, and seek the true renewal that can only be found in Jesus.

Admitting when we mess up is not easy. It is hard to swallow our pride and ask for forgiveness. Owning up to our shortcomings is difficult and it can be even more nerve-racking when we go to God with our failings and sins. Taking responsibility for our sins is an essential part of realizing our lack of having it together and our great need for Christ. As we journey on in our series, Confessions: Erasing Shame and Experiencing Renewal, we will see that an essential part of confession is taking responsibility for our sin. In Romans, we see that Paul states, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” When we were born into this world, we entered into sin, our need for Jesus is very great. And the first step we take in the process of confession is realizing our sin and owning up to it. In confessing before God, it is important that we acknowledge that God is just, confess our fallen nature, and receive God's wisdom. What a gift, that we do not have to do it alone. We have the blood of Christ to cover our sins, He does not leave us, we need to take the initial step of recognizing and confessing. Join us in the latest sermon from the series, It’s On Me, and see the freedom in confession.  

Have you ever tried to cover up your sin? Going to whatever lengths you can to try to bury it, so no one will see it or discover it? At some point, a lot of us have been in that place, where we are full of shame from our sin and fear of what may happen if someone discovered our shortcomings. We can see where David was coming from in his efforts to cover up his sin with Bathsheba. But God calls us to step into His light and to confess our sins, so that we don’t continue on in silence trying to fix what we have tarnished. We are continuing in our new series, Confessions: Erasing Shame and Experiencing Renewal, this week we will be diving into Gods mercy and how He is faithful to show us mercy. When we appeal to the character of God and appeal to the cleansing power of God, we can experience His great mercy. Rather than carrying it on our own, the Lord is calling us to confess, surrender, release our grip on struggling to clean ourselves up. We can’t do it without Him. When we believe in Him and turn toward Him, confessing before Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to show us mercy. He can mend what we have broken, and He can heal our heart, from what we have let in. We do not have to suffer in silence, no matter how easy it may seem to suppress it and clean it up on our own. We need Him. Join us in listening to the latest message of the series, God’s Immeasurable Mercy, and release your grip on the sin you may be trying to cover. 

Confession is a hard subject to discuss. It can be uncomfortable to confess and be confronted by our sin. We are sinful people by nature, so sin is not inescapable, but we often have a reflex to run and hide when we do sin. Some may think why is confession so important for our walks with Christ? To that question, we look to the word of God. We are beginning a new series, Confessions: Erasing Shame and Experiencing Renewal, where we will look at 2 Samuel to better understand the role confession plays in our lives for us to find renewal. Today, we begin talking about this topic looking at David’s shortcomings when he gave into temptation and sinned against God. We see that the Lord confronts our sins so that we can experience renewal. To an extent, it’s as if we can have blinders on, where we can’t see the sin that tangles itself in our lives. On the other hand, we are aware of it and may turn our heads away from seeing it. God lovingly confronts us with our sin because we are blind to it, at times we have despised the word of God, and the Lord is faithful to forgive our sins when we repent before Him. Tune in to our latest sermon on this vital topic, When God Confronts Our Sin, and allow your heart to be open to what the Lord may be confronting you with. 

Over the past six weeks, we have taken a deep dive into the life of Daniel. We have seen from the challenges and hardships he faced, that he remained faithful to God through it all. As the body of Christ, we can learn from Daniel's faith and should strive to have the same in our lives. Today, we are closing out our series, Daniel: Clash of Cultures, looking at the life of Daniel as he faced several difficulties and resided in a land that was hostile towards God. As Christians, we are called to have faith, a faith that stands strong against the patterns of the world. Our faith can have an impact on the people and communities we are met with. We are the representation of Christ; the world is looking at us, watching our actions and lifestyle. God calls us to be faithful and to stand firm upon Him. He is saying be faithful; He will deliver us. As we dig into this chapter, we see four truths about Christian faithfulness, it exposes cultural opposition, cultivates uncompromising character, reveals Divine deliverance, and sparks spiritual awakening. Our faithfulness to God is so vital, it impacts all who we meet. May the truths we have looked at in this series inspire and challenge you in your walk with Christ. Stand firm, we are image bearers, we are in this world, but not of it!

What happens when one directly disobeys God? Or when someone goes as far as to blaspheme Him? That is dangerous territory to trod on. That's why scripture warns us of how serious it is to oppose Him. To see it in others is simple, but to admit it in our lives is never easy. Whenever we challenge, insult, or forget God's character and His goodness in our lives, we act in blasphemy toward Him. It is a serious thing, thankfully we have a God of forgiveness and mercy, and we can be forgiven by faith through Jesus Christ. Today, we are diving into another chapter in Daniel, looking at the fall of a king who opposed God. In this chapter, we see that God is sovereign over ungodly kings and kingdoms. We learn lessons from history and actively try not to repeat their past mistakes—it is the same for us as Christians. The word of God is full of stories of men and women who have fallen short, disobeyed God, forgot Him, and walked away, but thanks be to God that He never stopped chasing after them. We see that through their failings and mistakes, God is present, He picked them up, patched the pieces, and restored them. Just as He did then, He is doing now, so we need to learn from what scripture states. Join us in another sermon from the series, Following a Father's Footsteps, and remember your need for Jesus.

When we hit professional milestones or ministry milestones, what is our typical reaction? Are we quick to give ourselves praise for the accomplishments we make—letting our pride get in the way. Or do we acknowledge Christ giving Him the glory for all that we have the privilege to steward with what He has blessed us with. Today, we are moving forward in our series on Daniel, looking at the journey of Daniel’s life and his courage to stay loyal to God whilst living in a culture that rejected God. Pride so simply entangles us in its grasp. It is easy to get caught in the success of what we complete or achieve and give ourselves all the credit, puffing ourselves up with more pridefulness. God warns us of the evil that can infect our hearts when we indulge in pride. But he does not leave us to figure it out on our own, He provides careful correction for our sinful ways, sharing with us His grace. God warns us of our pride, He will judge us for our sin, and then He restores us by his grace. He is faithful to redeem us. Join us in the latest sermon of the series and hear of how you can humble yourself before the true King. 

For the past couple of weeks, we have been immersed in the world of Daniel, seeing His struggle through remaining loyal to God despite living in a culture that directly opposed God. Daniel displayed courage, loyalty, and faithfulness to the Lord through hardships and hostility from the crowds around him. Like Daniel, we too face the challenge of denying our present cultural norms and fighting to remain faithful to God. Today we will continue our series, Daniel: Clash of Cultures, looking at another courageous story of Daniel and his friends in Babylon. When faced with the direct command to bow down to a false image by King Nebuchadnezzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bend their knee to a fake god. They had the courage to refuse and remain loyal to God alone; even if their refusal meant threats of death. Still, through the bravery of these young men, we see how courageous faith rejects idolatrous worship. As we fight in our present culture to stick close to our faith and values, we should reject cultural idolatry, refuse to compromise, and trust in God's deliverance. Tune in and hear how the courageous faith of these men allowed them to stay loyal to God despite living in a sinful, idolatrous society. 

Have you faced moments of great struggle? There can be times in our lives when it feels like our world is crumbling—when God seems distant or doesn’t seem to hear us. During these times it is easy to turn from God and indulge in worldly ways. But we can lean on Him when we endure these trials. As we continue in our series, Daniel: Clash of Cultures, we will see how just like us, Daniel also faced difficult times. He was a faithful man of God, remaining dependent on Him when he suffered, rather than turning his back on God. Today, we will learn how Gods wisdom, kingdom, and authority are greater than all. We can depend on God when we endure difficult trials—He is above all. Join us in the latest sermon of our Daniel series, A Kingdom Dream, and let the Lord stir in your heart. 

Have you ever visited a different country? If so, then you might be familiar with the disorienting experience of navigating an unfamiliar culture. As Christians in a modern world, we can often feel like foreigners who are under pressure to blindly accept the morals of our age, even when they are in conflict with the gospel. Today, we're beginning a new series called Daniel: Clash of Cultures. When we step into the world of Daniel, we find ourselves in a land known for its excess, sin, and violence. How could God’s people remain loyal to Him under the pressure of a culture that directly opposed worshiping the Lord? This was the reality faced by Daniel and the Jewish exiles of his day. This is also our reality in the world we live in. The key to their survival and ours is to recognize the influences of our culture, remain dependent on God, and receive the Lord's divine favor through faith. Listen in as we discuss how to remain loyal to God in a hostile culture — by holding fast to the truth that God is sovereign over our circumstances.