The Names of God: The Lord Who Sanctifies

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Many of us are crying out that we're the light of the world, but we're unwilling to walk out the process of sanctification. Sanctification is a walking out of the righteousness we've been given and it doesn't happen all at once. The book of James tells us that through persevering we are made complete. Being sanctified means that we listen and obey every day - it's the interchange between God and us. We can't "manage" our sinful nature or minimize it - it will lay dormant and catch up to us eventually. We have to kill it with sanctification. 
*The video shared at the beginning of the sermon can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mcXtontujA

The Names of God: The Lord Who Sanctifies
Josh Pavel

The Names of God: Jehovah Shammah

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Jehovah Shammah, meaning "God is there" as used in Ezekiel, may seem at first like it keeps God at a distance. God's omnipresence means that "God is there" is never at the cost of "God is here". However, by looking into this name, we realize the beauty of hope, the beauty of blessing "the other", and even the beauty in the separation of "here" and "there". 

The Names of God: Jehovah Shammah
Josh Pavel

The Names of God: The Lord Is My Shepherd

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"The Lord is My Shepherd" is a name of God that we are very familiar with, but have lost a lot of connection to living in capitalistic 21st century America. This name says as much about the "Good Shepherd" as it says about us. Looking at Psalm 23 and John 10, we see that the Good Shepherd leads us to places we would never go on our own, and profoundly connects the Divine Intention to our mortal selves. Instead of being SERVED by this name, we instead get to see the profound humility understanding that the "The Lord is my Shepherd." 

The Names of God: The Lord Is My Shepherd
Josh Pavel

The Names of God: Jehovah Shalom

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Peace is the concept that is the foundation of Kingdom rule and reign. But if we define peace simply as the absence of conflict, war, anxiety, etc, then we have an incomplete picture of the fullness of the peace that God offers. God's shalom is the nature of the very presence of God. The peace of God is something of substance that occupies our hearts and drives out fear. 

The Names of God: Jehovah Shalom
Josh Pavel

The Names of God: Jehovah Rapha

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In the book of Exodus, God reveals Himself as Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals. Healing is a good gift and God the Father loves to give good gifts to His children. With healing, we have to be equipped, have faith, and lean into the "not yet" of the Kingdom of God. In this sermon, Pastor Josh discusses three aspects of healing: healing is in God's nature, what our role is in healing, and why healing doesn't always occur when we want or hope for it to. 

The Names of God: Jehovah Rapha
Josh Pavel

The Names of God: Jehovah Nissi

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Jehovah Nissi - the Lord is our banner. Our attempts, our efforts, the things we do, only succeed because of who God is - because He is our fortress and our banner. This name of God goes hand in hand with what we learned last week about God, The Fear of Isaac, is our provider. Being under God's banner isn't covert or silent. Like Moses raising His hands for victory in battle, God gives us freedom in the Kingdom, but also chooses to use our efforts and abilities to accomplish His purposes. Being under God's banner means that we surrender and that we give up our own story for the Kingdom story. 

The Names of God: Jehovah Nissi
Josh Pavel

The Names of God: The Fear of Isaac

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Twice in the book of Genesis, Jacob calls God the "Fear of Isaac". By using this name, Jacob is bringing us deeper into his story and God's BIG story. As we look at God as the "Fear of Isaac", we see that our own fears are meant to be met by God Himself, knowing Him as our provider, as the God who gives generously, and how those who follow Him do the same. 

The Names of God: The Fear of Isaac
Josh Pavel

The Names of God: Alpha & Omega

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Alpha and Omega, a name for God used only three times in scripture all in Revelation, is deep with meaning. It's the name of God that ties us to both the history of God and the future of God. In the beginning of his book "The Pursuit of God", A.W. Tozer says, "We pursue God because, and only because, He has first put an urge in us that spurs us to the pursuit." God is the very source of even our own longing for Him, but not only is He the source, He is our destination and end. He is both the author and finisher - what He initiates, He will complete. 

The Names of God: Alpha & Omega
Josh Pavel

The Names of God: Yahweh

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In one of the most revealing examples we have of God making himself known, He tells us His personal, intimate name: Yahweh. In this name, God makes Himself known, not as a generic deity, nor a philosophy, but as a personal, knowable being - even if just in part. In this teaching, we explore what this name and this story tell us about God, and how we can fulfill our Summer of Blessing as we bless people in the name of Yahweh. 

The Names of God: Yahweh
Josh Pavel

The Names of God: The God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob

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This sermon is the first of our new summer series, "The Names of God", and goes along with our Summer of Blessing campaign, reminding us that as Abraham's spiritual heirs, we inherit the promises and blessings of God to Abraham, and are blessed to be a blessing. This week, Pastor Josh shows how we have a spiritual lineage - God is the "God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" and is also personally, our God. "The God of the Patriarchs" may seem like a distancing name of God at first, but this name of God ties us to the blessing, heritage, and inheritance from the very beginning. 

The Names of God: The God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob
Josh Pavel

Blessed To Be A Blessing

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God has poured out so many blessings of all kinds - material, emotional, spiritual - but they aren't meant to be stored up and hoarded only to be used for our own benefit. We are blessed to be a blessing. God blessed Abraham and told him that the entire world would be blessed through his descendants. In Galatians 3, Paul reveals that as believers in and followers of Jesus, we are actually spiritual heirs of Abraham that have inherited both the blessing and the mandate to pour out that blessing on the whole world. 

Blessed To Be A Blessing
Leah Pavel

Elements: Work

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The Fall of Man adversely affected everything, including our God-given mandate to work. Work is an essential part of what it means to be a follower of Jesus and live out our mandate and calling. Yet for many of us, our view of work has been distorted into thinking that work is an inconvenience or even an evil to be avoided. When we approach work with a Kingdom of God perspective, the element of work in our lives can be a satisfying, fulfilling, and even transformative aspect of our discipleship. 

Elements: Work
Brant Cannon

Elements: Community

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Our culture and society praises very individualistic, independent lives, but scripture never talks about solitary Christians. We are meant to be in communities of faith. Even the Lord's prayer is written as from a plural perspective referring to "our" Father and "our" sins. Community is an essential element of our faith and in this sermon, we look at how Psalm 133 encourages that aspect of our discipleship. 

Elements: Community
Josh Pavel

Elements: Prayer

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While we may think of prayer as natural, Jesus needed to take time to teach His disciples to pray. Like Him, we need time in prayer with our Heavenly Father. Looking at Jesus' teachings on prayer, we see that prayer is meant to be bold, persistent, and that the answer to all of our prayers is fulfilled in the Holy Spirit. 

Elements: Prayer
Josh Pavel

Elements: Repentance & Holiness

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This week we look at how the first element of the Christian life is repentance. Repentance doesn't cause us to look at ourselves, but causes us to realize that we're meant for a different world - the Kingdom of God. Repentance, then, leads us on a pilgrimage through holiness - the idea of being separate from the world, but united with God. 

Elements: Repentance and Holiness
Josh Pavel

Elements: Intro

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Our spiritual walks are meant to be such that we abide with God, day in and day out. In order to be healthy, maturing disciples, there are basic components that must be a regular part of our lives. Pastor Josh introduces this new sermon series, "Elements", by discussing how our reliance on the Holy Spirit and pursuit of Jesus must be a 7 day a week adventure. 

"Elements" Series Intro
Josh Pavel

Now What?

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When the disciples discovered that Jesus' tomb was empty, they weren't really sure what to do next - so they just went home or went on with their normal routines. In this sermon, Administrative Pastor Leah Pavel shares from the story of the disciples on the Emmaus road to show that Jesus was revealing himself to his disciples and teaching them to recognize Him. Likewise, we must look for Jesus in unexpected places and ways and learn to pay attention when He is "burning in our hearts" so that we learn to hear and discern the voice of the Lord. 

Now What?
Leah Pavel