Genesis Church: Sermon Audio

Theology matters—it matters greatly. What we believe about God, Jesus, ourselves, and redemption will show up in the way we live our lives. It is God’s design that the church teach people the great truths about God so that people will authentically worship God, standing in awe of His person and work. It is also His desire that believers in Jesus grow in these great truths so that truth shapes their lives and they can be protected from false teachers. New disciples will probably need these truths taught on a simple level, but the goal is that they will begin to embrace the faith once for all delivered to the saints, be able to teach it to others, and be able to spot a counterfeit.

As we continue our series on the ingredients necessary for making disciples, this morning we will share the importance of holiness. The concept of holiness, or being holy, is a difficult concept for us; yet, this is actually the ingredient that provides the flavor for the Christian life. The primary goal for disciples of Jesus is for them to be shaped day by day into the image of Christ. Disciples are people growing in the character of Jesus so that they are increasingly demonstrating Scriptural morality and values in their personal lives. This involves a transformation in our sexual ethics, integrity and honesty, kindness, generosity, justice, and care for our neighbor. God is holy, Jesus is holy. Without holiness, it is impossible for us to see and really know God. Holiness in the Christian life matters and disciples will desire the blessings of holiness. Furthermore, we will discover that there is a deep connection between our holiness as disciples and our happiness in life … because the flavor of

Today we celebrate the pivotal and climactic moment for all of history, as the Son of God was delivered over to sinful people who condemned the innocent Savior to death on a cross. Jesus submitted Himself to the divine purpose for our salvation, laying down His rights and life for us. But that is not the whole story! Jesus rose again and defeated our worst enemies: death, hell, and the grave. Before His death, Jesus predicted these events to His disciples and then made a bold demand on those who want to follow Him. True discipleship is a life of following the very path of Jesus—denying self and dying to self. The result of a sacrificed life is resurrection power. Following Jesus does mean walking the path of Jesus but the outcome is gaining resurrection power and finding our true selves.

Darin Slater fills in for Mike Hubbard who was ill.

In the Scriptures, discipleship is never an individual event, it is a team sport. In fact, let’s just state that maybe the biggest obstacle to authentic discipleship in our culture is our rugged individualism. Yet, God designed this Christian life thing to be done in community, a group of “one anothers”. First of all, God has ordained that our growth happens in community. This is modeled in Jesus’ calling of the 12 to Himself where He invested in them, did ministry among them, and then sent them out. Second, growth in the Christian life happens in the context of deep and meaningful relationships as people seek to follow Jesus together. Third, it is the authentic love found within community that images the glory of God to the outside world. What this means is that disciples need both rows and circles. Rows where they gather with God’s people for worship and to hear the word taught. And, circles where authentic relationships, so important for our being, are shaped into the image

God’s means for making disciples is the local church. We live in a time when we have access to all the teaching and content of Christianity on a device, without the mess and time commitment of going to church every Sunday. As a result, many people are disconnecting from their churches and finding other things to do. But, the evidence is significant that growth as a disciple cannot happen apart from a person being present when the church gathers, finding their place in the body, and actively participating in the mission and ministry of the church.

Any meaningful goal will take effort and discipline. In most cases, long term goals will require dedication to rhythms of intentional effort. Following Jesus is really no different. Growth in the Christian life does require our dedication to rhythms and practices called the spiritual disciplines. As Jesus is teaching His disciples in the Sermon on the Mount, He addresses their generosity to the poor, prayer, and fasting. We should notice that He does not say, “If you pray,” or “If you fast,” or “You might consider giving to the needy.” Jesus assumes that this will be part of the normal rhythms of His disciples’ lives, but wants to make sure that the way they go about these things comes from the proper motivation and toward the ultimate goal of knowing Jesus in a deeper way. Today we will show how the disciplines of prayer, generosity, fasting, worship and gathering with God’s people, and witness are key ingredients for discipleship. Our goal as a church is to

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. It’s made up of 22 different stanzas with 8 verses in each stanza. All of the Chapter is devoted to praising God for His revealed word. It’s a song of praise for God’s love for us as shown through the pages of scripture. It’s a Psalm that encourages us as disciples of our need to hear, read, proclaim and even sing the word of God. It’s a song that is ultimately thanking God for His Holiness and for the perfect obedience of the Son – Jesus Christ.

At Genesis we sing a song that goes, “My one comfort both in life and death is that I am not my own.” This is the essence of stewardship, and the truth that all of our life, from top to bottom, belongs to God, is His, and our call is to deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow Him in everything. This morning, we’ll see how this ingredient informs every choice, every possession, and every relationship we have in our life, and why it’s so important in making disciples.

It’s Valentine’s week, so no better topic than to talk about love. What we love defines us, shapes our lives, and we are continually being shaped by the objects of our affections. So, it should not surprise us that the primary call in making and becoming disciples is a command to love. This is so vital for our Christianity; we must continually remind ourselves that our faith is a relationship, not a call to religious performance. God is a loving Father and we are invited to know Him, to love Him, and to experience Him. Every activity in the Christian life should flow out of our love for Jesus. This should be the motivation for all of our religious activities and pursuits. Whenever our spiritual activities become mundane, or we do them out of duty, they will accomplish nothing. But when my obedience and service flow from a growing love relationship with my Creator and His Son Jesus, then spiritual activities and service will change my life. Loving God is both the pathway and the goal of our disci

As we continue our series on Genesis Church’s recipe for making disciples, this morning we begin explaining the key ingredients … and the first and most important ingredient is Gospel clarity and fluency. Knowing and believing the Gospel is central to our journey of becoming disciples—followers of Jesus. Apart from the Gospel, religion will be centered on efforts to change our own lives by fulfilling religious duties and rules. Paul reminds us of the universal need of the Gospel, but also the beautiful truth that we are justified as a gift because of the finished work of Jesus. Disciples need foremost and consistently to be reminded of the central truth of the Gospel, and shown that their identity and acceptance before God is always based on the finished work of Jesus. In other words, they need the Gospel, as Martin Luther declared, “beat into their heads continually.” The Gospel is our one and only message as a church and it is our desire to lead our people to gain clarity an

What is a disciple and how are they made? If Jesus’ call to each person is to be a disciple and His commission to His church is to make disciples, we had better know what this means. We might learn about disciple making by thinking about the perfect chocolate chip cookie. First of all, no way a great one comes from store-bought dough. To get the perfect recipe, you have to start with the goal of knowing the texture, taste, and aroma for the perfect cookie. Then you will need to develop a recipe with a combination of the right ingredients, mixed and baked, to get that cookie. In the same way, if we are to be a disciple making church, we need to begin with the definition of a disciple and then discover the ingredients Jesus gave and the conditions necessary to make disciples in our culture.

Jesus’ parting words to His followers gave their marching orders: to go and make disciples. While we may struggle to understand all the implications of this call, these men knew exactly what Jesus was commanding. They had spent over three years with Jesus as He invested in their lives making them disciples. So they knew that the commission was to invest in others the way Jesus had invested in them. This morning we begin a new series on this commission to make disciples. Over the next couple months, we hope to answer two questions. First, what is a disciple? Second, what will it take for a church to make disciples? Like any good recipe, we must use the right ingredients mixed and baked in the right way to get a perfect cookie. We will start this journey by looking at Jesus’ Great Commission and discover what Jesus meant when He said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all t

Can you believe how rapidly our world is changing? We witnessed how quickly the world can be paralyzed with the threat of a global pandemic. Your savings can be wiped out almost overnight with a stock market crash. Advancing technology is changing every industry, sometimes for good, sometimes… not so much. With Artificial Intelligence a student can write a 10-page term paper in minutes! The uncertainty that comes with rapid change can be disabling. So how do we face such a rapidly changing world? Hebrews 13:8 tells us that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever! Today we will see how leaning into our unchanging God is the only way we can face rapidly changing world with peace, joy and confidence.

As we close out 2023, we also come to the end of our Hallmark Christmas Story. Boaz, in response to Ruth’s proposal, seeks out the closer relative to Elimelech and his deceased sons. He isn’t going to let another 24 hours pass before he has Ruth’s future secured. Will the budding romance between Boaz and Ruth come to fulfillment or will the closer relative step up? And, how does all this play into God’s sovereignty?

As we continue in Ruth 3 this morning, the focus of our story is an unusual proposal. Boaz’s kindness and attention spurns an interesting plan initiated by Naomi to be carried out by Ruth. In the previous chapter we were introduced to Boaz, a great guy who could marry Ruth and rescue the family. But like so many guys, he seems to be unaware of the opportunity in front of him and drags his feet to initiate a relationship. So, the budding love story takes a crazy turn as Ruth proposes to Boaz in the most bizarre way. The story is beautiful—a couple moving to marriage and a family being restored. But the story also paints a picture of and points us to another covenant marriage, and a True and Better Groom who pursues and redeems His bride.

According to the Law, the Hebrews were to leave the edge rows of their fields for the poor. This act revealed that they knew God was the giver of the harvest and that they were God’s representatives to the poor. In our passage today, as Ruth goes and gathers wheat, she catches Boaz’s attention and he shows her kindness and even welcomes her at his table. While love might be in the air, the greater beauty in the story is that Boaz is a picture of His God and the promised future Redeemer. The faithfulness of Boaz to God’s call will include him in the family tree of the future Redeemer for Israel.

Do you like sad stories? The start of Ruth is set in a difficult period of history and begins with really hard circumstances for two women. Oppression of God’s people, a famine, tragic deaths of providers all lead to a season of bitterness and darkness. But, this sad story turns to one of redemption as Ruth returns to the homeland of her mother-in-law, Naomi. Little did Ruth know that this was the beginning of a redemption story that would put her in the family tree of the ultimate King for Israel.

Micah ends His prophetic book by raising the question embedded in his name: Who is like Yahweh? The answer is the only source of hope for people who have fallen, broken lives in a fallen, broken world. The True and Living God is full of grace and forgiveness – He will not stay angry forever, rather He loves us and will be faithful. And, He keeps His promises. How do we know? Because the hope promised in Micah and throughout the Old Testament finds its fulfillment on a Spring day when Jesus died on the cross bringing the justice and love of God together in one defining moment.

During the final years of Micah’s ministry, Assyria is ripping through the northern portions of the land leaving Israel devastated and in bondage. Micah helps God’s people realize that there was a connection between their sinful disobedience and the judgment of God in their lives. The consequences of their rebellion is costly, yet for those in a relationship with God, there is always an invitation to repentance which leads to restoration and forgiveness. In the first of Martin Luther’s 95 Thesis that sparked the Reformation, he said that for the believer in Jesus, all of life is repentance. Repentance is one of the great gifts God has given to His people, as our humble sorrow for and turning from sin and idolatry opens the door for reconciliation and all of the blessings promised in the Scriptures. Our prayer today is that Micah’s example will push us toward true repentance so that we, as God’s people, can drink deeply from the well of His grace.