hope community church

Love God? Check. Love people...all people? Maybe not so easy. But that's what we're called to do. In this sermon Duane Calvin speaks on the power of loving God and loving people.

Ten: Week Eight

The Eighth Commandment – Gratitude

God gave us the Ten Commandments to teach us about relationships, relationships with Him and with other people. We’ll study this eighth commandment by examining: 

1. What the Eighth Commandment is and the Principle of Gratitude.
2. Some definitions of stealing.
3. Four words that will change your life.
4. How to be grateful for what God has given you and the life He’s chosen for you.

• In the Eighth Commandment, God tells us that “You shall not steal,” which brings us to The Principle of Gratitude. 

In Exodus 20:15, God warns us to not to steal, and the principle behind this commandment is The Principle of Gratitude.

After 430 years of slavery and 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, Moses led the Israelites to the Promised Land. They were incredibly poor, and God knew they would face a desire to steal from each other.

• Here are some definitions of stealing.

Anytime you improve your situation by taking someone else’s stuff, you’re stealing.

Anytime you deceive someone for personal gain, you’re stealing.

When you take what belongs to God, you’re stealing.

– Tithe means one-tenth, and the word ten represents a test all though the Bible.

• Four words that can change your life: God owns it all!

God asks us to show our trust and gratitude by returning 10% to Him.

In Malachi 3:8, the Israelites were trying to rob God by not giving Him their tithe. 

In 1 Chronicles 29:14, King David gives us two lessons.

1. We don’t realize that everything we have comes from God.

2. We don’t understand that God distributes to each of us as He decides.

If you miss those simple truths from David, you’ll never be grateful for what God has given you.

• Are you grateful for all that God has given you and for the life that He’s chosen for you?

How do we cultivate a grateful heart? Here are three specific ways:

1. We need to learn to be grateful for imperfect gifts.

    – If we wait for perfect gifts, we’ll never be grateful at all.

2. We need to learn to be grateful in times of anxiety and frustration.

    – Gratitude often comes in the midst of pain and suffering, or it usually doesn’t come at all. 

    -C.S. Lewis wrote, “God whispers to us in our pleasure, but shouts in our pain.”

3. We need to develop the discipline of noticing.

    – If you’ll take the time, you’ll discover that you have a lot more to be grateful for than you realize. Thank God for all these blessings.

The difference between people isn’t the circumstances we go through or what we have and don’t have. The difference between people is how we deal with where God takes us on this journey called life.

Ten: Week Seven

The Seventh Commandment – Intimacy

God gave us the Ten Commandments to teach us about relationships, relationships with Him and with other people.  We’ll study this seventh commandment by examining: 

1. What the Seventh Commandment is and The Principle of Intimacy.
2. How we get to adultery and how lust affects our lives.
3. Some suggestions to keep us from adultery and the Ten Commitments of Marriage.

• In the Seventh Commandment, God tells us that “You shall not commit adultery,” which brings us to The Principle of Intimacy. 

In Exodus 20:14, God warns us to not commit adultery, and the principle behind this commandment is The Principle of Intimacy, which helps us understand how to have intimacy with God and with our spouses.

God created sex as a way to enjoy the pleasure and intimacy of marriage.

Because of how sex can be abused, God warns us to flee from sexual immorality because it is a sin against ourselves. (1 Corinthians 6:18, Exodus 20:14)

• There is a process in getting to adultery, and the impact of lust greatly affects our lives.

Lust precedes adultery.

The word for lust is also used in the Bible with the meaning, “to have a passion for other things.”

What are the negative impacts of lust in our lives?

1st – Lust affects your relationship with God.

The Bible uses different words for sin: transgression (action), iniquity (inward motivation). 

2nd – Lust affects your relationships with the people in your life.

“If we love each other, and we’re going to get married anyway, what difference does a 

piece of paper make?” It’s not the marriage license; it’s God’s blessing on your life that makes 

the difference.

All sexual immorality opens the door to numerous sins (deception, manipulation, lying).

Looking precedes lust.

Don’t look at attractive people! (Genesis 39:6-7, Matthew 5:28, Job 31:1)

• Here are some suggestions to keep us from adultery, and there are Ten Commitments of Marriage that are helpful to follow.

1st – Push the clock forward.

2nd – Recognize your times of vulnerability. 

C.S. Lewis said, “The long, dull, monotonous years of middle-age prosperity are excellent campaigning weather for the devil.”

3rd – Continue to work on your marriage.

4th – Obey the Ten Commitments of Marriage. 

The Ten Commitments of Marriage

1. You shall have no other human relationship before your spouse.

2. Remember to date and keep it fresh.

3. Remember your anniversary so your life may be long on the earth.

4. You shall not be apathetic toward your marriage.

5. You shall not search for old sweethearts on Social Media.

6. You shall not ride in a car alone with a member of the opposite sex.

7. You shall not eat alone with a member of the opposite sex.

8. You shall not have a trainer that’s a member of the opposite sex.

9. You shall not work late with members of the opposite sex.

10. You shall not share intimate details of your marriage with a member of the opposite sex.

To what degree are you willing to go to protect what is most important to you? 

Why not be extreme now instead of finding yourself in a place where you wished you had been extreme? We either have extreme regret or extreme standards.

The weekend of Easter is the most important of our faith. We will learn about why Easter is the defining moment for christianity by examining: 

1. The historical worldview and implications.
2. The various theories given for the question, “If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, how do I explain everything that’s happened?”
3. How this impacts your life.
4. How you take the next step.

• The historical perspective from a non-biblical worldview is frequently taught.

Around 25 AD during political turmoil in Jerusalem, a teacher named Jesus of Nazareth came on the scene, gathered followers, stirred up the people and was put to death for treason by Rome.

After Jesus’ death, several followers continued to spread His teachings.

If that was it, how do you explain that over half of the world’s population believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

This perspective doesn’t explain what happened historically, and it doesn’t explain what continues to happen for believers. (Acts 2)

• There are various theories given for the question, “If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, how do I explain everything that’s happened?”  

Someone stole the body (Matthew 27:62-65)

1. Roman officials assigned soldiers, under penalty of death, to guard the tomb and seal the tomb. Matthew 28:1-15

2. Would you die for a hoax? Jesus’ disciples died for their belief that Jesus rose from the dead.

3. There was no reason for a Jewish leader or a Roman official to steal the body and create a bigger problem for themselves.

4. There were ten specific appearances by Jesus after the resurrection.

The Hallucination Theory

1. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:6 that 500 people saw Jesus alive at one time. Most of those people were still living at the time of his writing and could verify his statement.

The Swoon Theory – Jesus didn’t really die but was just unconscious.

1. Jesus could have never rolled away a two-ton stone after His ordeal of beatings and crucifixion.

The Twin Brother Theory – It takes more faith to believe that than the resurrection.

• The implications of Jesus’ resurrection impacts your life. 

The fact that Jesus rose from the dead changed the world at the time of His resurrection, and it continues to change the lives of believers today.

The implications of whether or not Jesus did rise from the dead changes how we live our lives. There has to be a response. If you’re at the “Something happened; what happened?” stage, take the next step and investigate. 

• How do you take the next step?  

Find the Gospel of John and just start reading it. Get to know the story of Jesus. There’s not much to lose but a whole lot to gain.

This week we lit the fourth Advent Candle, remembering the Gift of Great Joy that Christ brought to the world at the first Christmas. Pastor Joel spoke about a joy that is deeper and longer lasting than merriment. Listen and be encouraged by these life-giving Biblical truths. 

One of the ways the New Testament describes the coming of the Messiah into the world is the light that he brought and continues to bring to us. The gift of light that Jesus brings us dispels darkness, reveals, and guides. Listen as Pastor Joel continues our advent series with a message on the the Light of Jesus. 

This week Pastor Joel continues our Advent Series around the theme of Hope. Hope is one of the profound gifts, presented to us by the coming of Christ. "Hope is not the absence of difficulties and suffering, it is the presence of something or someone that is not only good but strong enough to give meaning to our story." 

This Week Pastor Neil Clark began our Christmas series about the Gifts of Christmas. Throughout the Old Testament God made a consistent promise to His people--that someday He'd send a Messiah to save the world from sin. Listen as Pastor Neil unpacks this gift of Promise and what it means for us today. 

This week Pastor Joel concluded our Jars of Clay series from the book of 2nd Corinthians with a message about the sufficiency of God's grace for our sin, our shame, our sorrow,  and our service. 

Definition of Ministry

Christian ministry is following the lead of the Holy Spirit for the benefit of others. It is the continuation of Jesus’ project of bringing heaven to earth--and we are all called to it. 

Distortions of helping others for their good: 

• Helping others to feel good about myself
• Helping others to gain their respect/attention/praise
• Helping others to make sure they know I’m better than them
• Helping others so that they feel like they owe me something

4 Distortions of Ministry by the False Apostles in Corinth

1. Distorted Ministry Depends on an Attractive and Wealthy Lifestyle (2 Cor. 12:13,15)
2. Distorted Ministry Depends on Crafty Persuasion (10:10)
3. Distorted Ministry Depends on Authoritarian-Style Leadership (11:12)
4. Distorted Ministry is Measured by Human Standards (10:12)

4 Marks of Legitimate Ministry Demonstrated By Paul

1. Legitimate Ministry is Aligned to God’s Will (10:13)
2. Legitimate Ministry is Empowered by God (10:4)
3. Legitimate Ministry is Approved by God (10:18)
4. Legitimate Ministry is Marked by the Attitude of Christ (10:1, Mt. 11:29, Luke 6:20-26)

“By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you” (10:1)

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Questions for Reflection

What kind of people do we look up to and learn from? 

• Attractive, wealthy, powerful people? People who show off?
• People who use tricks, manipulation, or force to persuade us?

What are some more humble sources from which we could learn? 

• Those who have suffered much? 
• The marginalized, colonized, underprivileged, persecuted?

What does my ministry to others currently look like? 

• Aligned to God’s will, or according to my own agenda?
• Empowered by God, or striving with my own strength?
• Approved by God, or comparing to others? 
• Humble and gentle, or arrogant and forceful? 

This week Pastor Joel preached from 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 about living a generous life. In these chapters, Paul is collecting money for Christians in need and writes compellingly about the joys of generosity. Listen as Pastor Joel shares insight into these passages and encourages us to step into that joy.  

This week Pastor Jelani Pinnock from Grace Church in Middleburg Heights, OH presented a thought-provoking message about handling conflict in a way that brings glory to God. This practical message comes from the Apostle Paul's discussion of his conflict with the Corinthian church in 2 Corinthians 7. 

This week Pastor Joel teaches from 2 Corinthians chapter 3 about the life that is available to us in the Spirit of God. God's Spirit inside of people enables them to live a life full of the fruit of God's Character in their life. 

This week Pastor Robert Brooks continued our Jars of Clay series with a message from 2 Corinthians 5:1-10. In this message, he shares important insights about our earthly bodies in contrast with the resurrection bodies we look forward to receiving one day. He helps us look forward with anticipation to the day we are at home in the presence of God. 

This Week Pastor Joel introduces a major faith step for Hope Community Church by reflecting on the unique faith journey of Gideon. God led Gideon one step at a time to accomplish his purposes. In this sermon, Pastor Joel recalls the step-by-step faith journey that has made up the 4.5-year history of Hope Community Church and shares the next major step of that journey. 

This week Pastor Jonathan Schaeffer preached through 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, explaining the importance of keeping our eyes "fixed on the unseen" rather than being overwhelmed by the troubles we face. 

This week Pastor Joel continues his series on ministering to others out of our weaknesses. Listen as he unpacks important themes from the 2nd chapter of 2nd Corinthians.  Transformational ministry only happens by the power of Christ in us. Christ in us brings love and truth. Christ in us is triumph. Christ in us changes the environment. 

"Spiritual ministry flows out of the life of God. It is not a vocation. It is the calling of all those who follow Christ. Ministry happens when the supernatural life of God is at work in my life in a way that brings growth and spiritual fruit in the life of others.

The source of spiritual ministry is the Holy Spirit living through us. The context in which it takes place is in our weakness and troubles."