Crosswind Church

The coming of Jesus was not without conflict. In Matthew's telling of the story, King Herod plays a major role in Christmas story. The conflict of Christmas brings to us a new fight, a new King, a new fallout, and a new humility.

In a lot of ways, the coming of Christ was the opposite of what was expected for a Messiah. One of the most memorable scenes in the entire Bible happens when the birth of Jesus is first announced to a group of Shepherds. These were people who were despised, outcast, lowly, and seemingly, unworthy.

In Joseph's story, we find a man who loved his wife-to-be, but found himself wrapped in controversy and fear over her pregnancy. On the edge of divorcing Mary quietly, an angel of the Lord speaks to Joseph and challenges him to have courage. So, what does the courage of Christmas look like?

Business, hurry, and urgency are systemic problems in the workplace and even our culture today. There is little to no patience when it comes to making and receiving things. What Jesus shows us in the story of Mary and Martha is the importance of slowing down, sitting still, and allowing the refreshing of God to come into your life. More often than not nowadays, we are Martha busy at work in the kitchen when Jesus is looking for us to be more like Mary and sit as His feet.

Often times we identity ourselves as sinners. The problem is, we wrap our identities around the false narratives we find ourselves believing. The truth is that though Christ, God has transformed us and made us into a new creation, who is alive with Christ.

We often think that in our Christian walk, we are working our way to God, or to Heaven. This work narrative puts the control of life in our own hands and makes our salvation a matter of work. The fact of the matter is, however, we don't work our way to God, instead, He worked His way to us. The work of reconciliation and salvation was done on the Cross. The only thing required of us is faith, and a life lived out of the reality of His love and His sacrifice.

God's wrath is often one of the most misunderstood parts about Christianity. When we look at His wrath based on what the Bible teaches, we see that it not part of who He is but instead what He does. His wrath is not judgment and death, but instead His righteous and just action against sin, because ultimately, God is for us and wants for none to perish.

Most of us tend to think God will love us if we promise to, and work towards improving our lives. He might us if we truly change our behavior and do the right thing. What Jesus reveals to us is a God that loves us even in our worst times, and whose love is truly unconditional. The God that Jesus reveals loves us, period.

Jesus reveals a God who does not demand but who gives; who does not oppress but who raises up; who does not wound but heals; who does not condemn but forgives.

Is God Trustworthy? The God that Jesus talks about is all-knowing, all-loving, and good. When we look through the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6, we see that God is a father that has nothing but good gifts for His children.

We often hear the phrase that "God is Good", but don't often fully understand or believe that it's true. We believe that God is good, and yet at the same time can still think about a God who curses us when we sin. How do we balance the ideas of God's goodness and bad things that happen?

Have you ever wanted to change? Too many times we rely on our own willpower and knowledge to make meaningful changes in our lives. In this first sermon in our new series "Turn", we talk about how to effect real spiritual change in our lives and the God who will make it happen.

Everyone comes to faith differently. God created us with different learning styles and personalities, which means that we don't receive and process information the same. The wonderful thing is that there is not, necessarily, one right way to share your faith.

Telling people about Jesus is an essential part of our faith, but many times it can be the hardest. How do we share Jesus with others?

Why do we pray? Many times we fail to see our prayers as a warfare activity, but for Paul; he saw it as one of the most powerful weapons in our arsenal.

What does it mean to wear the "Armor of God"? Paul sees the christian doing battle "in Christ" through the power of self-sacrifice and love.

What is a Christ-like marriage supposed to look like? What causes so many to fail? Husbands and Wives both have roles they are supposed to play, but understanding them in light of Christ is key to keeping a relationship healthy and full of life.

Over the last several verses, Paul has been calling us to a new way of living with a new set of standards. Starting in chapter 5, he now moves from the obligations of Holy behavior to the motivations behind them. Why are we to live Holy lives? What is the motivation behind becoming a new creation?

As we grow into maturity in our Christian walk, we begin to take off rags of our old life and put on the garments of the new life. What find out however, is that the change must happen inside of us before it can be shown on the outside.

What does it mean to be renewed in our minds and put on the new self? Being a Christian redefines our identity and therefore points us in a new direction of purity and walking in the light. We are awakened to who we truly are as a being made in the image and likeness of God!