Friesland Community Church

#GrowInFaith

“Paul reminds us we belong to Jesus. We're bought at a price. Jesus gave himself for us as sinners. And when the Holy Spirit brings something that needs to change in us, whether it is a step out of a very, very sinful situation or something that we have not been fertilizing and cultivating in our own lives, we can run the gambit. We all have room to grow. So this week, I challenge you to choose one thing to remove maybe and one thing to cultivate. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you follow through because what we feed ends up growing, so we should feed the life that God wants to grow in us. Let's pray.”

#FreedomInChrist

“Jesus gave his life to people who could not free themselves from sin. Through his death and resurrection, he offers forgiveness and a new life of his lordship even when we fall. If you belong to Christ, another master has no rightful claim on you. Even if you've been hooked, you will be able to get off the hook by the help of Jesus in his spirit. But we need to bring it honestly to Jesus. We can't walk around with a hook in our mouth going, nothing to see here.”

#SurrenderToGod

“What's it mean to sanctify Christ as Lord in our hearts? Well, basically, it means to turn everything, turn it over to him. And I admit to you, there are times when that's hard to do. I wanna take control of situations. I wanna be in charge. But, no, I wanna let... I wanna recognize that God's in charge. He's the one that has the authority. So we turn everything over to him and live only to please and glorify him.”

#ShepherdingTogether

“the call is to shepherd these people, love them, teach them the word, equip them. Don't try to be their savior because they only have one and they only need one. And it's Jesus. So, goal for us as pastors to point all of us to Jesus continually. And for us as the congregation, we we should receive Trevor. Pray for him, encourage him, serve alongside him. Don't ask him to do the ministry of God for us, but to do it with us.”

#JesusShapesPolitics

“Whether your party and your candidate wins or loses this fall. I need you to understand that if you're way easier to hold power accountable when they're not on your side, You need to learn how to hold our own power accountable if you're on a different side. Because we need to let Jesus shape our politics, not let politics reshape our Jesus. And when people hear our politics, may they still recognize our true king.”

#TreasureShapesTheHeart

“We might expect him to say, where your heart is, your treasure will follow. But Jesus shows us that our investments, what we what we treasure actually direct our actions and also our affection. What we end up treasuring, we end up loving. Put money, time, energy into something and you begin caring deeply about what happens to it. You just do. You've made an investment. Invest into a relationship, that relationship matters more to you. Invest in a ministry even, and you begin noticing that it consumes you to some extent.”

#FindYourPlace

“But I'm challenging us to find our place to step in because Jesus did not save you merely to occupy a seat in this space. We want you here. We want you in your seat. Don't hear me that I don't want you here. But by his mercy, he's joined us to a body of believers and gave us the grace to build one another up. So, the challenge is to find our people, find our place, and to step into the calling God has given each and every one of us as believers in Christ.”

#GraceToForgive

“To the student who wants to retaliate and wants to get back at that friend who betrayed you and turned their back on you. Ask, and God will give you the grace. And will give you everything you need to turn your cheek and forgive. To the wanderer, to the weary, to the hurt, to the broken, to the prideful, to the skeptic, to the griever, to the afraid, to the burden, and to the ones who are ready to give up. Jesus' invitation for you this morning is stop trying and realize every time you ask for his forgiveness and the grace you need to live this life, he'll give it to you.”

#PurposeNotPlan

“That's been my whole life. And I know some of us have had that too. Sometimes he sends us towards people we didn't expect. Sometimes he asks us to build bridges where we'd much rather tell them what they're doing wrong. So don't confuse a broken plan with a broken purpose, what God has for your life. Don't confuse the delay God's abandonment. Don't confuse unexpected destinations with a wasted season.”

#RedirectNotReject

“``There's an important difference between God rejecting Paul and God redirecting Paul. God's knowing that situation was not a judgment on Paul. It was actually his faithfulness to him. It was his guidance toward another assignment that he needed to go this way so he could go that way. And some of us know what's like to stand in front of a closed door. You thought an opportunity would work out, but it didn't. You prayed for that particular answer, but it never came. You believed you knew what the next season would look like, and yet the plan changed. Closed doors are painful, partly because we can see what did not happen, but we can't see what God may be doing.”

#SavedToBeSent

“``He gave him a new purpose. You and I aren't saved to sit. We are saved to be sent. Saul was not saved because he became a missionary. He became part of the mission because he had been saved. That order matters for each and every one of us. Mission is a response to grace. We don't serve so Jesus will love us, and I've shared this many times. We serve because he has loved us. We don't care for others because God will accept us if we do. We care for others because God has already accepted us. The people grace brings together become the people God sends together.”

#TrustJesusToHeaven

“``If you want your destination to be eternal life, if you want your destination to be heaven, who better to get you there than Christ? He knows everything. He knows all the things that you're gonna go through. But so many times, we wanna grab ahold of the wheel and say, no, I wanna do this. I don't wanna take that road. I wanna take this road. But that's what it means to follow Jesus, is you gotta let go and trust that he is gonna get us to the destination that we wanna be at better than we ever could.”

#LeadOthersToChrist

“``So in closing, why should we be salt and light? We should always do it for his sake and his glory. That we may lead others to Christ so that none should perish but everyone have everlasting life, and that our life may reflect God's love and compassion to a lost world. So the question before us, how are we doing? What is our character? What is our purpose? And why does it matter? Remember, you are the salt of the earth. are the light of the world.”

#JesusGaveHimself

“``Before Jesus asks us to surrender what's in our hands, He gives Himself for you and me. He gives His life on the cross, bears our sins, offers forgiveness to people who could never earn it. He rose from the grave and gives eternal life to everyone who trusts him. We're not bringing our time, money, and service to Jesus so that he will love us. We're bringing ourselves to him because he already loved us, gave himself for us. The boy's lunch helps feed the crowd for the day, but Jesus, is the bread of life, satisfies our deepest hunger for the human heart forever.”

#SurrenderedHeartOverFame

“``Big name mission says, who who looks the part? This guy or girl, they're the ones. They're the obvious choice because this is what they they look like, and they they can do, and they can speak well. But big heart mission says, who's surrendered to me? Big name mission says, who will impress the people? But big heart mission says, who is willing to obey the Lord? Big name mission says, who has the platform? Big heart mission says, who's faithful when no one sees? Because God isn't looking for the biggest name, the most obvious choice. He's looking for the surrendered heart.”

#GodStillOnTheThrone

“``One of the other ideas in our passage is that power without God is way more fragile not having power and being with God. Iglon Iglon looks secure, but he's not sovereign. He has a palace, but doesn't have ultimate authority. He has the appearance of control, but God is still on the throne. And this is something we need to remember in every generation. Evil looks strong, And it can be for a season be strong. Pride can look untouchable. Corruption can look permanent. The powerful can look protected. And the wicked may look like they're winning. But evil is never sovereign. We need to remember that. God may allow evil for a season, and God may even use evil in ways we can't fully understand. But God never loses control, and evil never gets the final word.”

#GraceWelcomesAll

“``So if you're wondering whether there's room for you in God's story, we can look at Ruth and look beyond Ruth to Jesus. Your background doesn't disqualify you. Your weakness doesn't disqualify you. Your past doesn't have the final word. Your limitations do not place you beyond the reach of God's grace. Because Christ, in Christ, he welcomes home the outsiders. And the grace that brings us home also makes us ready, ready to belong, to serve, to welcome others, ready to do the next faithful thing.”

#TruthWithGrace

“It means we tell people truth as people who have received that truth in mercy. We can tell the truth without being arrogant. We can disagree without being cruel. We can stand firm without being harsh. And we can be clear without being combative. It's what grace does. Grace makes us humble enough to remember who we were we were once lost. Grace makes us steady enough to not get swept up in the outrage. Grace makes us ready enough to bring help instead of more heat to the situation.”

#GraceTrainsUs

“``The grace of God appeared, and now nothing about your life matters. That's not what he's saying. He's saying, the grace of God appeared, and that grace trains us. It teaches us to say no to ungodliness, worldly passions, yes to self controlled, upright, godly living. So grace is free, but it's not cheap.”

#orderBeginsWithJesus

“``And by grace, he is setting us in order. We don't come because we've served enough. We don't come because Jesus has has called us to this. We come because Jesus himself is enough. The bread reminds us that Christ's body was given for us. The cup reminds us that Christ's blood was poured out for the forgiveness of sins. And as we receive by faith, we are reminded again that the Christian life doesn't begin with what we can do for God. It begins with what Christ has done for us. So at the cross, at this table, we're reminded that order begins with Jesus.”

#TrustForShalom

“Does that mean that we'll never feel like God is distant? Will we suddenly be free of all of our anxieties? Those feelings are going to continue to plague us. as we walk each day, as we seek to trust him more, as we ask the Holy Spirit for help, we will be strengthened. God will shine through. He will make himself evident. You see, God's desire for our relationship with him is to be one of shalom, one of wholeness and completeness, and he will bring that to us in spite of our circumstances or situation.”

#BattlefieldToCourtroom

“the nations are gathering for war. They're thinking they're coming. They're going to take over. They're going to finally get rid of this God forever. He's going be no more. The people are going to be no more. They're doing this final battle, they're coming to take over. And they get there, and they think it's a battlefield, and they come in, and it's a courtroom. God isn't there to fight them, He's there to judge them.”

#InviteGodEveryDecision

“So the question to ask yourselves, are you inviting God into all of your decisions? Are you asking him what honors him in what you do? Are you letting his word shape not just a few things, but all of your relationships, your habits? Are you letting your belief in God cost you something? Because it will always cost us something. And person doesn't just wake up one morning and go, well, I'm done with God now. I've graduated. I'm out.”

#AlreadyNotYet

“The last days aren't marked by prediction charts or end times predictions. They're marked by the pouring out of the spirit. Now, yes, we still wait for the final end when Jesus comes back, but we live in this overlap right now. And and theologians called it the already, but not yet. Jesus' kingdom is inaugurated. He's ruling and reigning. And and and we are to pray as his people, may your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.”

#LookDeeperRepentance

“"Why did I believe that anger would give me power? Or maybe, why did I believe approval from others would give me the worth that I'm looking for? See, this is structural work that Joel is calling the people of God to and us to today. It's not just repainting the room. It's not asking what new flooring can go. It's asking what has been cracked underneath to get me to this space. And for the follower of Jesus, that's the hard work of repentance. Not just, Lord, help me stop doing this, but, Lord, what lie have I believed that made this sin look like life?”

#PurposefulDiscipline

“``But Joel says the army is ordered because God is not careless. Did you catch that in the text? The army was very meticulous. They did things in an order. They never broke ranks. They moved through with precision. Everything had an order. Because God doesn't discipline at random. He disciplines always with a purpose. Because if God had abandoned them, He would stop confronting them. If He rejected them, He would stop pursuing them.”

#ReadTheMoment

“The smoke is in the air, the land is suffering, the worship is disrupted, the alarm is sounding. And Joel asks us, how will we read the moment? Will we ignore it or explain it away, turn it into speculation, or will we let it drive us back to God? Yes. History is moving towards the return of Christ. There's no doubt about it. There will be a final day of the Lord coming. But this text is not calling us to obsess about the future. It's called us to obedience in the present. So church, let's not become a church fascinated with signs while remaining unmoved by in our souls. Let us not become people who could read the headlines but also read our own hearts.”

#PrepareForWellDone

“Have you ever just closed your eyes and imagined yourself at the judgment seat standing before Jesus, eye to eye, face to face? I have many times because I want to be preparing myself for that day. See, I don't imagine it from the perspective of judgment. I imagine it from the perspective of opportunity. I imagine it from the standpoint of looking into his incredible eyes, sensing his heart of gold, and with a smile on his face, I hear, well done, child. Well done. It'll be the happiest moment of my life.”

#RaisedAndJustified

“Because the resurrection doesn't just prove something then. It actually provides something for us now. Romans four twenty five says this, He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. Did you catch that? We were raised to life being justified because of him. This means that you're not trying to earn God's forgiveness anymore by doing these things and doing repentance. We don't fight for approval. We fight we live from the approval that God has given us. That's a huge change.”

#NotAloneInChrist

“Because of the cross, you are not alone either. You are not left to endure on your own. You're not left to carry by yourself what's crushing. As Chris said, the lie says, I I need to be stronger, but the gospel says I need to become more dependent. Because we don't need more strength. We need deeper surrender to the one who is our strength. That's the goal. That's the hope that we hold on to. Because God is good, and he has good in store for those who love him and are called according to his purpose. And sometimes that good is not what we envision. It's to be formed in the image of Jesus.”

#PleasingJesus

“But the ambition that we ought to have is to please the lord Jesus Christ. To please god. Not so that we earn our salvation, not that we say, okay. I'm good enough now. I've got my good outweighing my bad, and I I I'm good enough to go to heaven. No. The ambition is to please him. Why? Because of what he's done for us. What he's done for us is something that is so far beyond our comprehension. Sometimes I don't even think we're able to conceive of what it really means that Jesus Christ took the place of each one of us by dying on the cross.”

#CrossShapedLife

“So this week, we're we're talking about what God is doing through the cross. The cross doesn't just save us. It actually informs how we move our whole lives after you become a Christ follower. It speaks to how you and I should live here and now and look towards the future as well. So what this whole series in Lent has been about. Now I was gonna do an illustration today with some kids in the in the congregation, but there's no kids here today. So I'm just gonna share a little bit about what I I I hope kind of tell you a little bit of a story. And imagine that there is a little child up here with me,”

#SecureInChrist

“Jesus didn't need to prove himself because he already had his father's approval. If you remember back to his baptism, he said, when Jesus was baptized, John didn't wanna baptize him because he's like, I'm not worthy to baptize you. You don't need to be baptized. And he's like, yes. You need to baptize me because this is decreed. And when Jesus comes out of the water from the baptism, there's this voice from heaven that says, this is my son who I am well pleased. Before he ever went to the cross, he had the approval of the father. He didn't go to the cross to be approved. He went to the cross because he was. If you are in Christ, you are a son and daughter of the most high right now before you ever do anything else. We are not fighting for our identity like I shared last week. We are fighting from it. We have a secure identity, and because of that, it can produce a real humility. Fragile identity produces defensive pride.”

#CrucifiedWithChrist

“Alright. Are we serious for a moment? Church, you have been crucified by Christ. It is no longer you who live, but Christ who lives in you. So as we go from this place, know this and be this rooted in grace, anchored in truth, secure in Christ. When the world pressures you to perform, remember who you are.”

#PrayAndTrust

“Well, for all of us, we don't know what tomorrow holds or even the rest of today or next week or next month. We don't know what lies ahead, but we do know this. Jesus taught his followers to pray this prayer, and praying this Lord's prayer settles us into the arms of the one who holds us. Our father, who is in heaven, may his name be hallowed. Let's pray together.”

#WisdomThroughTrials

“We often struggle with the why, why do bad things happen to good people, or we feel like we don't deserve this. When we are in the middle of a storm, it's hard to see past the rain. We might get angry or feel like God has forgotten us. However, peace and wisdom don't just fall out of the sky while you're sitting on the couch. You don't just wake up one day suddenly wise, you gain wisdom through the practices of getting through hard times.”

#WorthBeyondStatus

“As we close, I want us to hear this clearly. I've said it multiple times. Your worth is not measured by your marital status. It can't be measured by a ring. Your value is not determined by your past. Your future is not limited by the season you're in. I can't do that. I'm just a single person. No. You can do a lot more Because your worth isn't defined by your relationship status. It's revealed by your redeemer who is Jesus Christ.”

#BuildOnTheRock

“``Jesus reinforces this thought in Luke six. And he's talking about, and we mentioned this last week, the the building of the two different houses, the one that built on the sand and one that built on the rock. One stands and one does fall. The issue isn't intention, it's foundation. Marriage biblically is not a leap of emotion for us. It's meant to bear weight.”

#RespondWithPurity

“``Purity is the soil where covenant love can grow. And this message isn't about earning God's love either. It's about responding to it. The invitation today isn't for us to clean ourselves up. It's to listen to the Holy Spirit. Ask what weeds might be God calling you to pull? What obedience might feel a little costly now, but may lead to life in the end? What soil am I preparing for a future that God desires for me?”

#CovenantNotContract

“``Because marriage is a contract, the fine print usually says, as long as it works for us. But if marriage is a covenant, which I believe God does say it is, especially for the Christ follower, the fine print says, even when it costs me dearly, I'm here. And how we understand that fine print shapes everything about a marriage.”

#GodComesNear

“``God doesn't save from a distance. He comes and saves by being near. Last week, we talked about the idea of saving and that if we fall through the ice onto a lake, that we don't need encouragement, we don't need someone cheering us on. You can do it! Get out! You're great! Good job! And we need a hand, someone who comes close, to pull us out of the ice so we don't drown. God saves us by coming near.”

#AliveInChrist

“``Putting Christmas lights on a dead tree looks festive. But it can never bring the tree back to life. If you got a real tree for Christmas you put it in your house it looks alive but it is dead. And it will dry out and if you leave it for too long the needles will drop even though there's lights and bows and decorations on it. That's what living a life apart from the salvation of God is like. The gospel isn't about helping you try harder. The gospel is about God making you alive when we're dead.”

“The marriage experience is one of constant growth and I certainly know that. Earlier this year we celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary and I can tell you looking back at the age of 20 when I got married I thought I was pretty grown up. I had a lot of learning to do, there had to be a lot of teaching and instruction in my life and even today I can tell you that I have not arrived.”

“If we are following Jesus we need to take off the old clothes and put on the new which we will talk about in a little bit and that's what he's talking about to the people in colossi to us the temptation is to be a little bit better try a little bit harder to be a better person because what has creeped into the church in our context is morality if we're just moral enough if we're just good enough and the argument i have heard way too many times by good well -meaning christians and a lot of young believers is if i'm just good enough god will let me in but the truth is none of us are ever going to be good enough no matter how hard we try we cannot be good enough to get in to heaven or have communion with god here it is one way and one way only it is only through jesus that we get this reward.”