Blue Oaks Church Weekend Services

You have heard the saying, ‘you are what you eat,’ but maybe the more accurate saying would be, ‘you are what you think.’ This week we look at Jesus’ teaching about what’s going on inside our hearts and minds and how it influences our actions. In Luke 6, Jesus declares that a good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart. In this, Jesus connects a person’s character with their thoughts and actions. Like the The post How to Renew Your Mind appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

This week we look at one of the more controversial and often misunderstood statements Jesus made in the Sermon on the Mount. It’s Matthew 7:13-14 where Jesus said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate, and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” If you look carefully and examine the life and The post Narrow and Wide Gates appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

Have you ever earnestly prayed for something that ultimately did not come to fruition? How did this seemingly unanswered prayer make you feel? This week we will study Matthew 7:7-11 where Jesus instructs us to keep asking and seeking and knocking with confidence, because we approach God not on the basis of our performance or our spiritual track record, but solely on the basis of the sheer goodness of God the Father. Matt will help us explore the truth that The post Keep Asking and Seeking and Knocking appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

Maybe the most misunderstood, one of the most misapplied verses in the entire Bible is the verse we’re going to look at this week. It’s Matthew 7:6 where Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount, “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” As we do the work of interpreting what Jesus meant by this, we The post The Pig and The Pearl appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

This week we study Jesus’ teaching about the plank and the speck from Matthew 7:1-6. Jesus says, “First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from someone else’s eye.” Jesus knew that we’re quick to see the problems, faults, shortcomings, and screw-ups in other people, yet we’re slow to see them in our own life. When we are led by judgment and condemnation, when we place another as the The post Plank appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

This week we will study Jesus’ teaching about judging from Matthew 7:1-2. We’re quick to see the problems, faults, shortcomings, and screw-ups in other people. We’re slow to see them in our own life. The message is pretty simple this week. Jesus said, “Do not judge,” and he gave no loopholes. So in this message we’ll talk about how to offer what Dallas Willard calls, “Gentle noncooperation with evil.” Next Steps I will pray, “God, make me accepting in a The post Judging Others appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

We all deal with worry. It might be because of health, work, finances, or a relationship. Worry cuts us off from the presence and power of God like almost nothing else. It robs us of joy and paralyzes our ability to trust God. Join us this week as we learn to give our worries to God and live with a peace that is beyond human understanding. Next Steps I will memorize Philippians 4:6-7 I will pray about what’s going on The post Worry appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

God created human being to treasure. We treasure. Jesus said to be careful about what you treasure, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. That’s why we must treasure God above all else. Next Steps I will sacrifice to God in my relational life by serving people. I will give generously as a sacrifice of worship to God. The post What Do You Treasure? appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

Fasting is simply the practice of abstaining from food, drink, or other things for a period of time. It’s considered a helpful practice for human flourishing. For Jesus, it became a way to experience and depend on the reality of the kingdom, the presence, and power of God. When we fast we realize how much our bodies insist on having their way, and we learn about the kind of grip food has on our lives. We discover how we might The post Find Freedom Through Fasting appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

So many of us are trying to build our own kingdoms. When we look for ways to control our agenda, our money, our comfort, our career, and our security, we’re building our own self-sustaining empire. Sometimes we’re successful at this, and sometimes we’re not. Either way, the pursuit of such an earthly kingdom is endless and unsatisfying. That’s why Jesus teaches us another way to live – within the power of the Kingdom of God. Next Steps I will surrender The post Lord’s Prayer – Glorification appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

Why do we choose to violate our values, the very things that give our lives meaning and purpose? Why do we voluntarily give into sins that we know are going to be destructive? Part of the answer lies in the fact that we have an enemy who is bigger, stronger, and smarter than we are. The evil one’s fundamental weapon is temptation. And we easily give into these temptations because we are not equipping ourselves properly to deal with them. The post Lord’s Prayer – Protection appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

This week we look at the passage in Matthew 6 where Jesus said, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” We all have debtors. We have all been sinned against at one time or another. Which brings us to a critical crossroads — what are we going to do with people who have sinned against us, our debtors? What does it mean to forgive someone just as God forgave you? And what happens if we don’t The post Lord’s Prayer – Confession appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

If asked what you should pray for, what would you say? The answer is everything. Prayer is a daily practice, and when we talk to God each day, we get to bring our physical and spiritual needs to him. We pray for our daily bread. NEXT STEPS I will make this request of Jesus starting today, “Lord, teach me to pray.” I will gratefully acknowledge how God has met my daily needs. I will bring to God my physical and The post Lord’s Prayer – Provision appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

From the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, the kingdom of heaven was central to his message. But to pray “Your kingdom, Your will” brings up questions; what is the kingdom, and what is God’s will? And what implications does it have for you when you pray this way? God has a plan in motion, and praying, as Jesus describes, is about joining God in what he is doing and engaging in His mission. This Sunday as we learn to pray, “Your The post Lord’s Prayer – Submission appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

What enabled Jesus to live such an extraordinary life? If we look to the New Testament, we can see that his life was marked by continual prayer. Before every significant event in his life, Jesus could be found on his knees. When the disciples asked him how they should pray, Jesus did not just give them words to recite. He was teaching them a method that could open the door to life with God. The first sentence of the Lord’s The post Lord’s Prayer – Adoration appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

Because of the resurrection, hundreds of millions of people all around the world stop what they’re doing on Easter Sunday, and they go to a church. Some go to remember. Others go the rejoice. Still others go to recalibrate, to ponder the significance of the resurrection. In an attempt to help us remember and rejoice and recalibrate this Easter, we will focus on four brief conversations Jesus had with people shortly after the miracle of his resurrection. Each of these The post Remember, Rejoice, Recalibrate appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

A week can make a world of difference in outlook, opinion, and outcome. Jesus had become somewhat of a celebrity among people who had heard of his miracles and the works that he has done. As he entered the city of Jerusalem a week before Passover, the people welcomed him as a coming king. But by the end of the week, their shouts had turned to crucify him. This Sunday we look at what happened. Next Steps I will read The post Coming King To Crucify Him appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

In Matthew 6:2-4, Jesus teaches a profound observation about human behavior in the kingdom of God. Your giving should become habitual to the point that your left hand doesn’t know what your right hand is doing. Initially, when you begin to give and are generous with your resources, it will feel like you’re doing something heroic. Eventually, you can be generous without thinking about how wonderful you are. Dallas Willard said, “A sign of spiritual maturity is the thought that The post First in Generosity appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

Dallas Willard taught that there are 4 great questions of life that everyone has to wrestle with: 1. What is real? 2. What is the good life? 3. Who is a good person? 4. How do you become a good person? The reason the Sermon on the Mount is the most influential sermon in human history is simply that no other teacher answers the four great questions of life in a way that brings anywhere near the guidance or wisdom The post Audience of One appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

Have you ever told a lie? We often deceive others with our words – both with the words we speak and the words we omit. We can even deceive others with the tone of our voice and the gestures that we make. We tell ourselves we don’t do it on purpose, but when getting what we want is threatened, lying is often the most convenient option. However, Jesus says those who live in the Kingdom of God are truth-tellers. They The post Truth-Telling appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.