Soma Eastside Church Sermons

Whose table are you setting? Do you tend to be Mary or Martha? “Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42 Growing in Jesus Christ. 1. BIG IDEA = Living in the Spirit. 2. FOCUS: Gift of the Spirit = Discernment. John 4:23 But the time is coming- indeed it's here now- when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. Whose table are you setting? Confess - What "Table" idol keeps you from Jesus?

What are your priorities? - You have one life to live. - What is your primary God-given purpose for the 70-80 years you have on this earth? - Our priorities reflect our purpose. What are you focused on? What is the meaning of it all?​ - One life to live with one purpose: to give God glory and honor. - We are to give God glory individually as well as in community. - How do we give God glory in community with our Soma Eastside family? Strive for unity. - Live in harmony with one another. - Recognize our influence. Our actions as a group are a witness to the world around us.

Journey Towards Christ. Observer -- Believer -- Disciple. God's path compared to our path.​ - His path is not easily understood. - Lose yourself to find your true self. - Give up your desires to find your deepest desires. Paradox of the Disciple of Christ. - Draw closer to Him to become aware of your own sin. - Confess your sin to become free of it. - Being made pure through suffering.

Is the career, education, house, money, car, and family really enough? The rich young ruler. Can you relate? 1. He desires eternal life with God. 2. He is a good person. 3. He is seeking to find deeper meaning, purpose and peace in his life. How can we respond? 1. Be like children and follow Jesus. 2. Recognize Jesus is "Good" and, "No one is good except God alone." (Mark 10:18) 3. Recognize God's grace, through Jesus, who loves you, is the only way to eternal life.

Empty Tombs: Mark 5:1-20. 1. Jesus is the ultimate authority. Jesus has power over the physical world and spiritual world. 2. Jesus transforms death to life. Jesus renames us. We are His. He calls us His sons and daughters. 3. Jesus is rejected by fallen people identifying with sin. Some people would rather wallow in their sin than be saved by Jesus. The devil's, Satan's, strategies. 1. Oppression – External Demonic influence.​ Stopping or preventing you from doing something. 2. Obsession – demonic influence through temptation to sin​. Putting a false god in place of Jesus. Putting a false identity in place of Jesus. Overworking. Body image. Alcohol. Drugs. Over-sexualization. Many other things. 3. Possession – Human willfully handing over life to the devil​.

Unlikely Outreach: Mark 2:13-17. 1. Jesus' outreach connects with unlikely people. Levi is a social outcast, notorious, sinner, banned from the synagogue, and not well-liked. Levi responds to Jesus' call. The Pharisees, who are the leaders, experts on religion, the highly educated, and most respected, reject Jesus. 2. What did Jesus offer? Jesus prepared the way for Levi. - New Kingdom. - New Direction. - New Start. How did Levi respond to Jesus? 1. Levi recognized he was a sinner and not spiritually healthy. Mark 2:17 says, "...Healthy people don't need a doctor- sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners." 2. "Later, Levi invited Jesus and His disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus' followers.)" Mark 2:15.

Who do you identify with in story told by Mark 2:1-12? 1. The "Ground Floor" crowd jammed in the room hearing Jesus. 2. The "Great Faith" group helping their friend by lowering him in through the roof. 3. The paralytic being healed. 4. Perhaps your life has some aspects of all of these? What if TOGETHER- with great effort, at great risk, with great faith and at a great cost, you and your group were willing to go to great lengths to bring a friend to Christ? - What would you risk to get what you have always wanted? - What would you risk to rescue a dying friend?

Jesus prepares the way for his kingdom by: 1. Declaring His message. "The Kingdom of God is near! Repent (turn away) from your sins and believe the Good News!" 2. Picking His team. Peter, Andrew, James and John were first round picks. What principles can we learn from that account? - Jesus chooses ordinary people like us to do his extraordinary work. - Jesus has a kingdom-sized vision. - Jesus redeems our past. - He invests in the obedient. How do you prepare yourself to prepare the way for others? 1. Ask God to show you areas that need to be redeemed (in your life, home, school or workplace, neighborhood). 2. Ask God for a Kingdom Vision. Ask, "How do these things change when they are redeemed?" 3. Pray for God's Kingdom to come into these areas. 4. Listen for how God will call you into action and follow where he leads. 5. Share these prayers with a fellow believer or with your MC group. For further contemplation, follow links to learn about: - “Faith and Work”, Luke Bobo, The Gospel Coalition - Christi

Living in the Wilderness. We live in an unchurched community. It is the Biblical wilderness. John the Baptist also lived in the wilderness, got out of the way, and pointed others to Jesus. Prepare yourself to prepare the way for others. - Many of those living in the Biblical wilderness are searching for meaningfulness and consider themselves spiritual. Many want you to talk to them. - Make room in your life to respond to "Jesus" opportunities. Create margin. You are not responsible for your closing ratio. The Holy Spirit takes care of that. - Become a better listener. - Review the slide deck for more ideas.