Anchor Church

Freedom has already been purchased but needs message of good news and to declare that hopelessness doesn’t win. Hopelessness is not the end of the story but is overpowered by the hope and trust we have in God.

In the midst of an addiction, you may become fearful at times, you may doubt your effectiveness, you may want to run, hide and throw in the towel. But know this, God does not waste anything. Lean into Him and leave room for God to have the last say. The word of God shows us that if we would just press and persist in trusting in the Lord, even during our darkest days, God will intervene in our circumstances and turn them around for our good.

The bitterness, spiritual devastation, mental anguish… unforgiveness. God wants to free us from it all. And here’s the good news: Every single believer in Christ can be free from bitterness. We don’t have to be bitter and resentful and unforgiving and mentally anguished and spiritually devastated anymore. Can you imagine that? Imagine a life free from resentment, a life where you don’t have to be disgruntled… What if you could actually let go of that grudge and live in the freedom God always intended for you? This is God’s will for you and me… Freedom from Bitterness.

Guilt and shame change the way we see ourselves. Guilt and shame can lead to an identity crisis. Remember, guilt says “I did a really bad thing” and enough guilt can lead to shame, which says “I am a bad person.” When we’re living with shame and constantly believing “I am a bad person” we eventually stop believing that we are the image of God. We stop believing that we are who He says we are.

Fear is a crazy thing. It can cause us to think and behave in ways we normally wouldn’t. But God never intended for us to live in fear, and when He’s with us, when we’re with Him, there’s nothing to fear.

How many of us are truly aware of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross that faithful day over 2000 years ago. So many were and are oblivious to the sacrifice that had just been made on their behalf. So many of us do the same thing to God. We wave as we pass Him by, never give a second thought to the sacrifice He made on our behalf. God allowed the jaws of death to close in on His Son. And millions pass by oblivious and indifferent. God sending Jesus to die on our behalf was not a panic move; it wasn’t a spontaneous decision. It was planned. Jesus’ death was not the result of jealous Jews or hard-hearted Romans. It was the result of a loving God, who in His wisdom, said there was no other way. Jesus chose the nails, to demonstrate just how far he was willing to go to win your heart. He chose the cross to prove just how much He loves each and every one of us.

¹⁸But the Jewish leaders demanded, “What are you doing? If God gave you authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.”¹⁹“All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”²⁰“What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?” ²¹But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body. ²²After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said. - John 2:18-22

Our question is not, “how much of what is mine do I give to others?” The question is, “how much of what is God's do I reserve for myself?” Our answer reveals our commitment to Christ.

Being God’s Temple is serious business… It’s not all fun and games. The way we act matters, the way we conduct ourselves matters. God is going to root out all corruption from His Temple, The Body… The Church. The way we deal with anything, including our money,

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers (and sisters), you did it to me. - Matthew 25:35, 40

One of the early sign’s that Jesus did was to turn water into wine. So, what exactly does this sign mean? Well, God can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary and that is very important to know and understand for our daily life.

Jesus believes you can be like Him. So do you believe you can be like Him? Do you believe you have what it takes? What’s your giant that Jesus wants to equip you to reach for Him? Is it a family member? Is it a workplace? Is it a school campus? Whatever your Hierapolis is, Jesus believes you can do what He does!

Who are you? If you call yourself a Christ-follower, then like John, we must know our position in relation to God and yield to His will. If you’re the captain of your own soul, you and you alone are responsible for figuring out who you are. But if your life is submitted to Jesus, then He wants to tell you who He’s created you to be.

Who are you? If you call yourself a Christ-follower, then like John, we must know our position in relation to God and yield to His will. If you’re the captain of your own soul, you and you alone are responsible for figuring out who you are. But if your life is submitted to Jesus, then He wants to tell you who He’s created you to be.

What if we actually decided to live in the Blessing of His Grace and decided that you trusted the Grace of God to cover over all your shortcomings? No more guilt, no more shame, no more moral gymnastics. Just living in the overflowing, endless supply of God’s grace. Imagine that for yourself. Imagine that for your kids. Imagine that for your mom, your dad, your brothers, your sisters, your co-workers, your classmates…

Today, we’re talking about the importance of the Word of God to the life of a believer. The title of my message today is “I’ve Hidden Your Word in My Heart…”. What’s going to happen if we don’t take this seriously? What’s going to happen if we don’t work hard to know God’s word and hide it in our heart? Today I want to talk about what happens to us when we don’t read and know the Holy Scriptures.

True worship is offering yourself to God as a sacrifice and saying “Do what you will”. You can honor and show reverence through song. We do it all the time. But the best way, in my opinion, and according to Romans 12, is living your life in a way that reflects Christ to everyone around you.

What does this look like for us? What does this look like for me?” It looks like having an honest conversation with the Lord. It looks like opening yourself up to Him and letting him know what’s going on in your life. Psalm 142:1-3 - "I cry out to the Lord; I plead for the Lord’s mercy. I pour out my complaints before him and tell him all my troubles. When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn."

It doesn’t matter where you’ve been, where you’re from, what you’ve done, what you’ve said… You are loved and God has a plan for you… And that plan involves making you new. You don’t have to make yourself new. You don’t have to fix everything yourself. You just have to trust Him… bring it to Him. Let Him do what He will. A New Year, A New You… And all you have to do is receive it from the Lord.

Life is rarely silent. Life rarely slows down enough for us to experience peace. Life is rarely settled. But God… But Jesus… The birth of Jesus changed all of that for the people of the bible. The birth of Jesus changed all of that for us here and now. If you have your bible, turn to Luke 2 and we’re going to read together how the birth of Jesus brought hope to everyone past, present, and future