the kingdom of heaven

We are often impatient with ones who are less mature than us. However it is so important for us to humble ourselves and accept the fact that we are “little children” who are completely dependent on our Heavenly Father. As we rest in Him and receive His gentle demeanor toward us, we will be able to communicate this same attitude of love and patience to those around us. 

Seeing how much God values little ones will help enable us to fulfill this command. Whether we are interacting with adults who are new in their faith or with children who need to mature, we can learn great lessons by looking to Jesus as our example! God’s desire is that we all become “as little children” - ones who are dependent on our Heavenly Father and who, in simplicity and trust, take Him at His word.

Want to go deeper in studying this command of Christ? Download a free study guide at www.homediscipleship.com

Study guide includes: 

• Scriptures referenced in podcast
• Review of Old Testament context
• Guide for Scripture meditation
• Questions for application and prayer

For more information, visit us at www.homediscipleship.com

Find us on Facebook and Instagram @homediscipleshipnetwork

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https://instagram.com/commandsofchristpodcast

When the disciples asked Jesus “who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”, they were probably not expecting Jesus to answer the way He did! He pointed them to a little child and said that we must become as little children in order to enter the Kingdom. Join Nate and Gabe as they explore the rich insights of becoming “as little children” - ones who believe God and take Him at His word.

 Seeing how much God values little ones will help enable us to fulfill this command. Whether we are interacting with adults who are new in their faith or with children who need to mature, we can learn great lessons by looking to Jesus as our example! God’s desire is that we all become “as little children” - ones who are dependent on our Heavenly Father and who, in simplicity and trust, take Him at His word.

Want to go deeper in studying this command of Christ? Download a free study guide at www.homediscipleship.com  

Study guide includes: 

• Scriptures referenced in podcast
• Review of Old Testament context
• Guide for Scripture meditation
• Questions for application and prayer

For more information, visit us at www.homediscipleship.com

Find us on Facebook and Instagram @homediscipleship

https://www.facebook.com/homediscipleshipnetwork

https://instagram.com/commandsofchristpodcast

God's desire for us comes from the kingdom of heaven. It is always much more than we can ask or think. God doesn't typically ask us what we want, because He made us and knows what we desire. He is preparing a mansion for all of us, but He hasn't asked us our style because He knows better than we know or what our soul desires.

The Beatitudes is a way that the kingdom of Heaven can manifest in our lives. God is always looking for a way to bless us. When we follow and obey Jesus's sermon (The Beatitudes) the blessing will manifest in our lives.

Scripture Used: Matthew 5:1-16

Sermon Notes: The Beatitudes
 - Jesus is our teacher. Are we listening?
 - Who is really well off? Those who receive Jesus.

Dallas Willard quotes from Divine Conspiracy:

"The call for us is to reconsider how we have been approaching our life in light of the fact that we now, in the presence of Jesus, have the option of living within the surrounding movements of God's eternal purposes, of taking our life into his life."

"The [good news] of the kingdom is that noe one is beyond [being blessed], because the rule of God from the heavens is available to all. Everyone can reach ig, and it can reach everyone. We respond appropriately to the beatitudes of Jesus by living as if this were so, as it concerns others and as it concerns ourselves."

Question to consider: How does God's definition of being blessed confront your definition?

Have you ever wanted something so desperately that you'd do anything to get it? Once you are captured by a vision of what could be, you will do whatever you have to do to make it all come about. According to the words of Jesus in Matthew 11, we should have the same desperation about the kingdom of heaven. But, what exactly does that look like?

Sermon: "Violent Men Receive The Kingdom?!" | Jesus Said That? | Part 6
Scripture: Matthew 11:1-15
Speaker: Pastor Tim Chicola
Date: August 29, 2021

Connect with us! @tccnj.church
Learn more at: www.tccnj.church

For nearly the last year we have been listening each week to Matthew' s Jesus story, where he states his understanding of who Jesus is

-         How Jesus reveals nature of God

-         What reign God- kingdom of heaven looks like

-         taught by Jesus in sermon of Mount and particularly Beatitudes

-         lived and teased out – rest of gospel

John asks in light of that how do we read the parable of the talents we heard this morning?

Then we explore three ways of reading the parable of the Talents.

 Rather than picking the right interpretation, how do these three ways of reading this parable deepen your understanding of it, and how does that help you hear what it might mean for your life today?

The notes for this sermon can be found here

A discussion and sermon about Matthew 25:1-13, the parable of the bridesmaids, some foolish and some street-wise. 
We explore people’s reactions and questions and what this reading offer us in these times?

John suggests we are invited to get ready to live lives of active waiting for reign of God, living for the long haul but looking for the surprising breakouts of the God’s justice, mercy, compassion and generosity.

The key questions then are:

• What are we waiting for?
• How do we wait?

The notes for this sermon can be found here

John uses the Deuteronomy reading and Martin Luther King Jr.’s use of it in his last sermon as a springboard to explore our vision of the “Promised Land”. We as a church have left Egypt and are in the wilderness, a place to be reminded of God's faithfulness and steadfastness.; that God sustains and nurtures us, and leads us to the promised land. In light of that, where are we heading to and hoping for? What shapes that vision and hope?

As we watched this video of the "I Have a Dream" speech, people are invited to prayerfully reflect on their vision of the promised land, and how we are invited to do to live that out

Bonnie Hebenton uses stories from the last week to explore what it means for us to be made in the image of God. She finishes by inviting us to look for God's image in others this week.

You can read John's thoughts on this here

John explores how Matthew 22:1-14, the story of the King and the wedding feast,  is NOT a story about the nature of God and kingdom of Heaven. He suggests it is instead a critique of how Chief Priests and Jerusalem elite view the reign of God and their place in it

John invites people to:

• reflect on the ways are we like the ungrateful one who did not wear the wedding robe
• In what ways are we like chief priests and Jerusalem elite
• And what might we need to let go of to really join the party

You can read the notes for this sermon here

During this Season of Creation, we are being invited to re-examine how we answer – whose are we, who are we, and what is ours to do? If God is the creator and Sustainer of all, who through the love for all creation lived in Jesus is renewing and restoring humanity and all creation – then who are we and what is ours to do?

There are many competing claims to how we answer this which constantly call us away from seeing this world as gift and our calling to live in such a way that we join God’s work of sustaining all life – Loving God by loving our neighbours – all creation – as ourselves. 

In light of all that John invites people to see that living in reverence for God’s creation and all who share our common home is a core part of being a follower of Christ. In what ways do we not live this out, and what new ways of living are we being invited into.

You can find the notes to this sermon here

We continue with another Season of Creation living in the shadow of Covid-19.

This sermon is part of the online service on September 13th, 2020, for the Anglican Parish of Gate Pa, Tauranga, New Zealand.

Using both the readings set down for the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time and those for the Season of Creation John suggests this season reminds us of the centrality of safeguarding the integrity of creation in the mission of God. In light of that we are invited to offer hope and an attitude of reverence to action around Climate Change, rather than fear and hopelessness.

You can read the notes to this sermon here

We enter into another Season of Creation living in the shadow of Covid-19.

This sermon uses both the readings set down for the 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time and those for the Season of Creation John offers a biblical base for giving priority to the common good and living for and in communion with all creation

He explores what it might mean to be liberated by/take up our cross and follow Jesus and What kind of world are we being liberated into?

He suggests that maybe it is to be liberated from placing ourselves at the centre. Maybe it is to be liberated from seeing the point of creation is to serve humanities needs, rather then seeing that we join God in meeting the needs of creation.

In this election year in New Zealand

-          How will these issues affect how we vote

-          What we vote for

"this is the season for letting our prayer be inspired anew, ” a season “to reflect on our lifestyles ,” and a season “ for undertaking prophetic actions . . . calling for courageous decisions . . .directing the planet towards life, not death."

The notes for this sermon can be found here

For most of this year we have ended the prayer for the day with “Through Jesus Christ our Liberator”. What we mean by naming Jesus our liberator?

All of this weeks passages (Exodus 3:1-15, Romans 12:9-21, Matthew 16:21-28) speak in some way of Liberation. John uses these passages to explore what we are liberated from and what we might be liberated into, and how they might speak about our place on this hill in Gate Pa, and the events happening around us including BLM and the creation of a Maori Ward in Tauranga Moana.

He finishes by inviting people to reflect on

• What we mean by naming Jesus our liberator?
• What are we being liberated from?
• What are we being liberated into?

The notes for this sermon can be found here

Use my three questions to explore Matthew 16: 13-20, and nods to the bold women in Genesis and Paul’s renewal of mind.
The three questions are -
·        Whose are we?

·        Who are we?

·        What is ours to do?

In light of all that - where have we experienced/received God’s abundant generosity and compassion? What difference does that make?

You can find the notes to this sermon here.

John explores how there is more than one way to understand most things

-         Lock down

-         Quarantining

-         Jesus treatment of the Canaanite woman

In all this lockdown level 2 means for us, let us take hold of sheer gift and abundance God’s blessing in this time.

What gift do this weeks readings offer us as we settle into level 2.

The notes for this sermon can be found here