PASSAGES:

Key passages used during the sermon

  • Acts 2:12-21
  • Ephesians 5:18
  • Acts 2:14
  • Acts 2:16-21
  • Acts 2:17b-18
  • Acts 2:21

POINTS:

Key points made during the sermon

  • What does it mean?

  • Let the Spirit you.
  • The Spirit fills us up so that we will for Jesus.
  • Prophecy is less about than it is to bring change in the present.
  • Jesus radically redefined .
  • God’s Kingdom is and it every country.
  • We are to be truth tellers.
    • with the Spirit.
    • with courage.
    • of the Lord.

Personal Application

Personal notes/application

 

 

PASSAGES

Key Passages used during sermon

  • Acts 2:1 (CSB)
  • Acts 2:1-12 (CSB)
  • Genesis 11.1-9
  • Acts 1.14

POINTS

Key points made during sermon

  • What does it mean?

  • We as the are to be the “” where others can come and find .
  • The Book of Acts is both and .
  • God often does the through people committed to honoring Him in the .

Personal Application 

Personal notes/application

 

PASSAGES

Key passages used during sermon.

  • Acts 1.12-26 CSB
  • John 13.21 NLT
  • 2 Tim 3:16-17 NLT
  • Acts 1:17 NLT
  • John 13.27 NLT

POINTS

Key points made during sermon

  • Judas’ story should us.
  • Our greatest spiritual threat is discipleship.
  • We are spiritually vulnerable when we are against threats around us.
  • PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY
    • Deny God’s Sovereignty
    • Deny that we need Jesus to forgive our sins
    • Deny the reality of Hell
    • Deny the authority of the Bible
  • Our should inform every area of life.
  • We are spiritually vulnerable when we are of what’s going on inside us.
  • What are you tempted to trade your faith for?
  • Get serious about following Jesus.

Personal Application 

Personal notes/application 

Passages 

List of important scriptures used in message 

  • Romans 8: 1-4 NLT
  • Romans 8: 5-7, 9 NLT
  • Galatians 5: 16-18 NLT

Points

Key points/questions during message 

  • – doing something we know God has forbidden or would not approve of
  • – natural desire to focus on self
  • Law of and
  • Have I Jesus?
  • What do I about?
  • What is my life ?
  • Spirit, help me follow you as closely as I can – not getting so far ahead of you that I’m all alone, but also help me not to drag my feet and fall behind.

Personal Application

Notes and personal application based on message

 

John 14:16-17 (CSB)
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor (Helper) to be with you forever. 17 He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive him because it doesn’t see him or know him. But you do know him, because he remains with you and will be in you.

 

Notes:

 

John 16.5-6 (CSB)
5 But now I am going away to him who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 Yet, because I have spoken these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.

 

Notes:

 

John 16:7-14 (CSB)
 7 Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth. It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: 9 About sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; 11 and about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

12 “I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own, but he will speak whatever he hears. He will also declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.”

 

Notes:

 

The Holy Spirit is God.

 

Notes:

 

Matthew 28.19

Make disciples of all people everywhere, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I’ve commanded you.

 

John 14:16 (CSB)
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor (Helper) to be with you forever.

Ephesians 4:30

 

Notes:

 

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

 

The Holy Spirit is a promise.

 

Notes:

 

Ephesians 1:13-14 (CSB)
13 In him [Jesus] you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. 14 The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.

 

Ruah (Hebrew)

Ruah (Hebrew)/Pneuma (Greek)

Ruah/Pneuma = wind, breath, spirit

 

Notes:

 

John 14:16 (CSB)
16 I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor (Helper) to be with you forever.

 

Parakletos = one who comes alongside to help

The Holy Spirit is our helper.

  • The Spirit continues the work of Jesus IN us.

 

Notes:

 

John 16.8-11 (CSB)
8 When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: 9 About sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; 11 and about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

 

Notes:

 

Romans 8.26
In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings.

 

Notes:

 

John 16.12-13 (CSB)
12 “I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own, but he will speak whatever he hears. He will also declare to you what is to come.

 

Notes:

 

John 16.14 (CSB)
14 He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.”

 

Notes:

 

Ask the Holy Spirit to:

  1. Convict you of your sin.
  2. Reveal truth.
  3. Empower you to choose truth instead of sin.

 

Notes:

 

Help Everyone Find & Follow Jesus

Are you a good “wait-er”?

 

Notes:

 

Acts 1: 4-6
I wrote the first narrative, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach 2 until the day he was taken up, after he had given instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After he had suffered, he also presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 4 While he was with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. “Which,” he said, “you have heard me speak about; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days.” 6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?”

 

Notes:

 

Luke 24: 45-49 (CSB)
45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46 He also said to them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead the third day, 47 and repentance for forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And look, I am sending you what my Father promised. As for you, stay in the city until you are empowered from on high.”

 

Notes:

 

Acts 1: 7-8
7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

 

Acts is not just the story of the early church—it’s our story.

 

Notes:

 

Acts 1.8
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

 

Notes:

 

The Holy Spirit empowers us to live the Kingdom life.

There’s power in our witness when we share our stories of transformation.

We’ll be his witnesses here, there, and everywhere.

 

Notes:

 

witness = martyr

Are you willing not just to die FOR Christ, but to die TO self?

 

Notes:

 

Acts 1:9-11
9 After he had said this, he was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 While he was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them. 11 They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen him going into heaven.”

 

Don’t get distracted! Stay on mission.

Who in your life is waiting for you to tell them about Jesus?

 

Notes:

 

Help Everyone Find & Follow Jesus

 

Luke 2:8-17 (NIV)
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

 

Notes:

 

These poor, outcast shepherds received what is arguably the most important message ever delivered to mankind. And it was a three part message

  1. A savior has been born
  2. He is the Messiah
  3. He is for everyone

 

Notes:

 

 

Luke 2: 10 (NIV)
“…I bring you good news that will cause great joy for ALL the people. Today is the town of David a Savior has been born TO YOU”

 

Notes:

 

John 3: 16-18 (NIV)
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned…”

 

Notes:

 

We have a message to share that is good news for everyone

 

Matthew 28: 19-20 (NIV)
Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, son and Holy Spirit and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you.

 

Notes:

 

Acts 4: 13 (NIV)
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

 

Notes:

 

Your greatest qualification for sharing the good news is with Jesus.

 

Notes:

 

Luke 2:17 (NIV)
“…they spread the word concerning what had been told to them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

 

Notes:

 

I bring ____ news that causes great ____

 

scary-fear.

Hell is real for sure, but so is heaven!

harsh-anger

Sin is real for sure, but so is grace!

judgmental-animosity

Others sin for sure, but so do I!

no-silence

 

Notes:

 

Glory to the newborn king!

Peace on Earth and mercy mild

God and sinners reconciled!

Hail the heaven born Prince of Peace

Hail the son of righteousness

Light and life to all he brings

risen with healing in this wings!

He was born that man no more may die

Born to raise the sons of Earth

Born to give them second birth

Hark! Hark! The angels sing – glory to the newborn King!

 

Notes:

 

Help Everyone Find & Follow Jesus

 

“Have yourself a merry little Christmas.

It may be your last.

Next year, we may all be living in the past.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas.

Pop that champagne cork.

Next year we may all be living in New York.

No good times like the olden days.

Happy golden days of yore.

Faithful friends who were dear to us,

Will be near to us no more.

But at least we all will be together,

If the Lord allows.

From now on, we’ll have to muddle through somehow.

So have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

 

Notes:

 

John 11:1-44 (CSB)
Now a man was sick—Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair, and it was her brother Lazarus who was sick. 3 So the sisters sent a message to him: “Lord, the one you love is sick.”  4 When Jesus heard it, he said, “This sickness will not end in death but is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that he was sick, he stayed two more days in the place where he was. 7 Then after that, he said to the disciples, “Let’s go to Judea again.” 11 …and then he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I’m on my way to wake him up.” 12 Then the disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will get well.” 13 Jesus, however, was speaking about his death, but they thought he was speaking about natural sleep. 14 So Jesus then told them plainly,  “Lazarus has died. 15 I’m glad for you that I wasn’t there so that you may believe. But let’s go to him.” 17 When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. 18 Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, 19 and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. 20 When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.” 23 Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.” 25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?” 27 “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.”  28 Then she returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, “The Teacher is here and wants to see you.” 29 So Mary immediately went to him. 30 Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met him. 31 When the people who were at the house consoling Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus’s grave to weep. So they followed her there. 32 When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. 34 “Where have you put him?” he asked them. They told him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Then Jesus wept. 36 The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!” 37 But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?” 38 Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. 39 “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them. But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.”

Myrrh is mine; its bitter perfume breathes a life of gathering gloom; sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying, sealed in the stone-cold tomb. 40 Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” 41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” 43 Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”

 

Notes:

 

Glorious now behold him arise, King and God and sacrifice: Alleluia, Alleluia, sounds through the earth and skies.

Peace is not found in the absence of bad circumstances, but in the presence of Jesus.

 

Notes:

 

John 11:35 (NLT)
35  Jesus wept. 

 

Notes:

 

LIGHT THE CANDLE

  • Someone else will come out and light the candle in this moment.

 

Leader:

Father…We come to You today in the quiet, in the heaviness, in the places of our hearts that don’t always fit the season. In the season of joy and peace, we sometimes feel grief and sorrow. Sometimes our hearts feel the weight of what used to be… or what we hoped would be… or what we’ve lost along the way.

Everyone:

And yet—You are here.
Emmanuel.
God with us… right now, in the aching and the longing.

Leader:

Lord, today we remember that the first Christmas wasn’t tidy or polished or picture-perfect. It was raw, confusing, dark. A young couple far from home, a birth surrounded by uncertainty, a world full of oppression and fear. And into that world, Your light broke through.

Everyone:

So, Father—if You met Your people in the darkness then, we trust You to meet us in the darkness now.

Leader:

We lift before You, tenderly and honestly, those who grieve the loss of someone they love.
For empty chairs at the table…
for phone calls that won’t be made…
for voices we can still hear in our memories but not in our homes…

Everyone:

Lord, hold them close.
Give them the permission to grieve deeply, and remind them that Jesus wept, too—that our tears are not signs of weak faith, but of honest love.

Leader:

We lift those who are carrying the silent grief of miscarriage… or the ongoing ache of infertility.
Father, You know the longing for life—You knit us together in the womb, You called children a blessing, You welcomed them with open arms. So You know this pain. You see the hidden tears.

Everyone:

Lord, today surround these precious hearts with Your peace… with gentleness… with the assurance that their sorrow matters to You. Wrap them in Your compassion.

Leader:

We lift those who walk the road of divorce—the unraveling of something they prayed would last.
Lord, You are near to the brokenhearted, and You save those who are crushed in spirit.

Everyone:

Where there is shame, speak dignity.
Where there is anger, bring calm.
Where there is loneliness, fill the space with Your presence.
Where there is fear of the future, whisper Your promises again.

Leader:

We lift those who carry the pain of estrangement—family members no longer speaking, friendships fractured, holidays once full that now feel fragile.
Father, You are the God who reconciles, who restores, who runs to prodigals and softens hearts.

Everyone:

Today we ask for Your patient, persistent grace. Teach us to wait with hope, to pray without giving up, to forgive even when restoration feels far away.

Leader:

We lift those who feel the sting of distance—those who are far away from family… or whose loved ones now live in another state, another country… another time zone. We lift those who have someone deployed in the armed forces far from home.
Lord, You stretch across every mile.
You bind hearts together in ways deeper than geography.

Everyone:

Give those who feel isolated the comfort of knowing they are not truly alone—you are closer than breath.
Give courage to those who wait, strength to those who worry, and hope to those counting the days.

Leader:

We pray for families walking the painful road of dementia and mental illness. You see the confusion, the fear, the exhaustion, and the questions they carry.

Everyone:

Wrap them in Your steady presence and hold their loved ones gently.

Give them strength for today, compassion for the journey, and moments of unexpected grace.

Remind them that You are near to the brokenhearted and that Your light still shines in the darkness.

Leader:

And Lord, we lift those who can’t quite name their sorrow…
Those who say, “I’m fine,” but inside feel empty…
Those who are exhausted, discouraged, anxious, depressed, confused, or numb.

Everyone:

Jesus, Shepherd of our souls—gather them close. Let them rest in Your love today.

Leader:

In all these stories, Father, we acknowledge our need for You.
The Christ who stepped into our tears,
the Savior who entered our suffering,
the King who conquered death not by avoiding it, but by walking straight into it.

Everyone:

Remind us that the gospel doesn’t skip over the dark chapters.
It redeems them.
It carries us through them.
It meets us in them.

Leader:

So today, in this Blue Christmas moment, we choose to bring You our grief.
We choose to bring You our questions.
We choose to bring You our unmet desires, our broken places, our fragile hopes.

And LORD we ask—
Do what You have always done.
Be the God who stays.
Be the God who heals.
Be the God who listens to every cry and renews every weary soul.

Everyone:

Lord Jesus, in Your birth You brought light into darkness.
In Your death You brought hope into despair.
In Your resurrection You brought life out of loss.

Leader:

So today, shine Your light where shadows still linger.
Breathe Your hope where dreams have been buried.
Speak Your peace where fear tries to take root.
And surround every hurting heart with Your faithful love.

Everyone:

We wait for You, Jesus, with honest hope.
Hope anchored in the manger…
hope secured at the cross…
hope guaranteed at the empty tomb…
hope that one day, You will wipe every tear from our eyes.

Leader:

Until that day—
hold us.
Strengthen us.
Carry us.
And remind us that even in the blue of this season…
You are still Emmanuel.
You are still here.
You are still enough.

Everyone:

In the name of Christ our Savior, who is the Resurrection and the Life —
Amen.

 

Notes:

 

Help Everyone Find & Follow Jesus

  • 322 Commitments to Uncharted
  • An increase of $755,069 in Committed Funds to Uncharted
  • 410 Total Givers

 

It’s the most wonder filled time of the year.

 

Luke 2:8-14 (NLT)
8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

 

Luke 2: 9 (NLT)
9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said.

 

Luke 2: 13-14 (NLT)
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

 

Isaiah 6: 3
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heavens Armies; his glory fills the whole earth.

 

Deuteronomy 10:12 (NLT)
12 “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you except to fear the Lord your God by walking in all his ways, to love him, and to worship the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul?

 

Awe is found in the mysterious place where beauty, joy, and fear collide.

The AWE of God is to be terrified of being away from God.

Don’t let the familiarity of the story weaken its wonder.

He came to save you from your sins.

The best way to celebrate Christmas is to respond with awe in worship.

 

Notes:

 

Help Everyone Find & Follow Jesus

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

 

Notes:

 

BIG GIVE SUNDAY – December 7th

 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

 

Notes:

 

WHY SHOULD WE GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES?

 

Notes:

 

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)
“Give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God.”

 

Notes:

 

Our fall is that we aren’t satisfied in God and what he gives.

– Ann Voskamp

 

Notes:

 

SIN IS GIVING THE THAT GOD DESERVES TO SOMETHING OTHER THAN GOD.

WE GIVE THANKS IN CIRCUMSTANCES BECAUSE IT’S GOD’S WILL.

 

Notes:

 

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)
“Give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus.”

 

Matthew 26:26-28 (NLT)
26 As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take and eat it; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” 

 

Notes:

 

WE CAN BE EVEN IN OUR .

WE GIVE THANKS IN CIRCUMSTANCES BECAUSE IT’S GOD’S WILL IN CHRIST JESUS.

 

Notes:

 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

 

Colossians 2:6-7 (NIV)
“So then just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness.”

 

Notes:

 

 

GRATITUDE IS NOT JUST WHAT GOD HAS DONE OR GIVEN, BUT A GOD WHO WOULD DO SUCH THINGS.

WE GIVE THANKS IN CIRCUMSTANCES BECAUSE IT’S GOD’S WILL IN CHRIST JESUS FOR US.

 

Notes:

 

Help Everyone Find & Follow Jesus