Laborers in the Field | Matthew 20:1-16
Church at the Cross : Sunday Messages
Scripture: Matthew 20:1-16 Key Takeaways: + God is radically generous and free with His grace Psalm 145:8-9 Micah 7:18 + Everyone is equal in the Kingdom of God Ephesians 1:3 1 Peter 5:1-2 + It is never too late to come into the Kingdom of God Psalm 92:12-15
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Unforgiving Servant | Matthew 18:21-35
Church at the Cross : Sunday Messages
Scripture: Matthew 18:21-35 Key Takeaways: + Forgiveness is a lifetime pursuit + Forgiveness is the cancellation of a debt - Forgiveness doesn’t mean removing healthy boundaries - Forgiveness does not exempt us from justice + Forgiveness must be experienced - Luke 7:36-50 + Experienced forgiveness allows us to extend forgiveness “Forgiveness is granted before it is felt.” – Tim Keller + Forgiveness reflects the Gospel
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The Treasure and the Pearl | Matthew 13:44-46
Church at the Cross : Sunday Messages
Scripture: Matthew 13:44-46 Key Takeaways: — Finding — Assessing — Selling — Rejoicing — Buying + Jesus is the one thing worth losing all things just to have + This is how we become a Christian — Jesus is not your Savior unless He is your Treasure “How sweet all at once it was for me to be rid of those fruitless joys which I had once feared to lose… You drove them from me, you who are the true, the sovereign joy. You drove them from me and took their place, you who are sweeter than all pleasure… you who outshine all light… you who surpass all...
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The Growth and Advance of the Kingdom | Matthew 13:31-33
Church at the Cross : Sunday Messages
Scripture: Matthew 13:31-33 Key Takeaways: + The Kingdom of God is humble in its start and unstoppable in its spread. Acts 6:7 Acts 12:24 Acts 19:20 + A Global Dimension Ezekiel 17:22-24 Matthew 24:14 + A Societal Dimension “I call myself a cultural Christian. I’m not a believer, but there is a distinction between believing in something and being steeped in the culture of it.” – Richard Dawkins, Atheist “You cannot take the fruit of Christianity and then say you don’t want the tree.” – Douglas Murray, Atheist Cultural Critic + A Personal...
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The Great Separation | Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
Church at the Cross : Sunday Messages
Scripture: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 Key Takeaways: + Two Destinies + One Day + Listen and Live + Patience and Persuasion 1 Peter 3:14-16
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The Storyteller: Jesus & His Parables | The Paradoxical Power of the Seed | Matthew 13:1-23
Church at the Cross : Sunday Messages
Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23 Key Takeaways: + The Seed explained “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison + The Soil explained The Path Rocky Ground Thorns + For me to live is ______ and to die is ______ The Good Soil
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The Pride of Babel | Genesis 11:1-9
Church at the Cross : Sunday Messages
Scripture: Genesis 11:1–9 Key Takeaways: Genesis 9:1 + Pride seeks to construct a life apart from God - Do I consistently spend time seeking God in his word and in prayer? - Do I often spontaneously voice to God my admiration of Him, gratitude to Him, and need for Him? - Do I often lose arguments with God? - Do I pray and seek wisdom in God’s word and from God’s people before I make a major decision? ...
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Grace and the New Creation | Genesis 8:20–9:17
Church at the Cross : Sunday Messages
Scripture: Genesis 8:20–9:17 Key Takeaways: + God will not let evil prevail + God saves by grace - 1 Peter 3:20–21 + God honors faith - Hebrews 11:7 + God has another Day of Judgment coming - Matthew 24:36–44
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The Thin String of Hope | Genesis 7:11-8:19
Church at the Cross : Sunday Messages
Scripture: Genesis 7:11-8:19 Key Takeaways: Genesis 1:31 Genesis 3:15 + God’s judgement is severe Genesis 7:11-23 - a. It’s devastating Genesis 7:21-22 - b. All encompassing + God’s character is consistent - a. In His standard Genesis 7:16 - b. In His grace Genesis 8:1 + God’s salvation is sufficient Genesis 7:17 - a. It overcomes death - b. It...
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God’s Grief | Genesis 6-7:5
Church at the Cross : Sunday Messages
Scripture: Genesis 6-7:5 Key Takeaways: Isaiah 46:8-11 Malachi 3:6 Psalm 18:30 + God grieves/regrets = A providential, heartfelt response resulting in a planned course of action + 2 Truths of God’s Grief The Seriousness of Sin · The Justice of God + Big Question – Why is Noah spared?
info_outlineScripture: Genesis 1:26-31
Key Takeaways:
+ God made us male and female to bear his image
- Matthew 19:3-6
+ Our bodies are a good gift from God and tell us who we are
“This is hugely important. If the body is merely a vehicle or a costume for the real you, then it is the equivalent of property. But we know this can’t really be the case. However much we might privilege the mind or soul over the body as the ‘real’ us, we know deep down that the body is an essential part of who we truly are. When people hurt your body, you know that they have not just damaged some of your property; they have violated you. What you do to someone’s body, you do to a person… We cannot escape our embodied-ness. Alastair Roberts sums it up neatly: ‘The body isn’t just something that clothes the self but is itself the self.” – Sam Allberry. What God has to say about our Bodies.
+ Some people feel an incongruence between their biological sex and their internal sense of self
“In many Western countries, we’ve seen a massive spike in teenagers questioning their gender. For instance, the Tavistock Centre in London, the main gender clinic in the United Kingdom, treated 51 (34 males, 17 females) children and teenagers in 2009 who had gender dysphoria or were identifying as trans*. In 2016, the same clinic saw 1,766 (557 males, 1,209 females) children and teenagers, and in 2019 it saw 2,364 (624 males, 1,740 females). That’s more than 5000% increase among females in 10 years. Researchers have documented similar upsurges, among biological females in particular, in many Western countries: Sweden, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States.” – Preston Sprinkle. Embodied: Transgender Identities, the Church, and What the Bible Has to Say.
+ Our hope is in transformation not transition
“Christian discipleship is oriented toward living out the divine image that God created us to be. Sexed bodies are part of that image. Ontologically then, transitioning would be moving us further away from who we are, not bringing us closer to it.” – Preston Sprinkle. Embodied: Transgender Identities, the Church, and What the Bible Has to Say.
- Romans 12:1-2
- 2 Corinthians 5:17
+ See people as image bearers that are to be loved, protected, and cared for
+ Develop convictions not just gut reactions
+ Parents, own and exercise your authority compassionately
+ Seek to be a welcoming community that listens, learns, loves, and shares the truths with compassion and patience