Life Mission Church

Life Mission Church

by Life Mission Church

Religion & Spirituality

January 2, 2022 - SEARCH MY HEART

Search Me, Know Me, Lead Me - Psalm 139.23-24 Jobey McGinty Our mouths put the contents of our hearts on full display, and it's often not pretty.  And while we can (and should!) work hard at running from sin and emptying our hearts of anger, gossip, bitterness, snarkiness, etc, it's not enough to just root these things out and move on with our lives.  Even if we could effectively empty our hearts of these things, how quickly would they sneak back in?  The excavation and demolition of the decay in our hearts must be immediately followed up by laying a new foundation of God's Word. This is not a one time activity...we must constantly be digging out weeds and backfilling with the Word, and thankfully we have God's Spirit as our helper and partner in this activity.   Each year, our church spends three weeks reminding ourselves of what our mission is.  This year we are focusing this time on understanding how the Word of God, Prayer and Gospel Community searches and rescues our identity and equips us to live out our mission for His glory.

December 26, 2021 - LET THE REDEEMED OF THE LORD SAY SO

Psalm 107 Jobey McGinty Every year, on the last Sunday of our year, we spend our last time of corporate worship together in Psalm 107.  In this Psalm, the psalmist exhorts the people to consider God's steadfast love, and if they have seen it in their lives, then "let the redeemed of the Lord say so."  In the midst of the congregation and the elders, it is important for us to declare God's goodness to one another.   Had we known, as a church, what lay ahead of us in 2021 we likely would have been incredulous and fallen into despair before the new year had even begun.  But, in hindsight, we see the kind, strong, loving hands and the tender embrace of a Father who walked alongside us through the loss and heartache, guiding us in the fog of a continuing pandemic, cancer and death.  His strength was evident in our weakness this past year, and as we reflect on His presence in the midst of it all we are prompted to, as the psalmist encourages us, stop and "say so."  God is good, and His mercy endures forever.

December 19 - WHAT WILL WE DO IN HEAVEN?

Advent: The Arrival of Heaven - 2 Corinthians 4.17-18 Jobey McGinty In our previous Advent sermons we've seen how God's intention does not seem to be an abandonment of His creation, but rather a cleansing and a redemption of it.  We see clues that it will be the same with our work, cultures, kingdoms and heritages. God clearly loves creativity and variety and the Bible seems to indicate that Heaven will be a place of many languages (united by a single Heavenly tongue) and cultures, as well as opportunities to pursue joyful, life-giving work.  All things will be subject to His perfect will and will operate only for His glory and our good, including any memories we have of this current life.  As we sing about each year at Christmas, sin and sorrows will no longer grow, and thorns will no longer infest the ground.  Wherever the curse is currently found it will be replaced by His blessing and we will live, work, interact, explore, discover and rest in the shadow of His love.  This is good news!

December 12, 2021 - WHAT WILL HEAVEN BE LIKE?

Advent: The Arrival of Heaven - Romans 8.18-25 Jobey McGinty When you think of Heaven, what comes to mind? What does it look like?  What do YOU look like?  If you picture yourself with wings and supermodel looks, flying above clouds and eating chocolate all day, you might be surprised.  The Bible seems to paint a very different, and somewhat more familiar scene.  We will likely look like ourselves, and the world around us will likely look and work similar to how it does now, minus the effects of sin.  The reality the Bible points to is that God's creation isn't something He's looking to abandon, but rather something He's planning to transform, redeem and cleanse.  And this is so much better than misty, ethereal bodies and 24hr harp music!  (Nothing against harp music!) We will get to see and experience God's creation, minus the curse, with bodies and minds not hindered by sin, sorrow and sadness.  It will be so much more and better than we can ever imagine!

December 5, 2021 - CURRENT HEAVEN VS. THE FUTURE HEAVEN

Advent: The Arrival of Heaven - Revelations 21.1-5 Jobey McGinty Have you ever wondered what Heaven will be like?  As we read what the Bible has to say about Heaven we see that what Heaven currently looks like is different than the future Heaven we so long for.  To be sure, the current Heaven where all of the saints who have gone before us currently are, is paradise and is filled with God's presence.  He has something even better planned for when Jesus returns and ushers in the NEW Heaven and the NEW Earth, though, and His Word gives us an exciting glimpse into what this redeemed world looks like...and it is very good!

November 28 - THE HOPE OF HEAVEN

Advent: The Arrival of Heaven - 2 Cor. 5.1-5 Tyler Willis This Sunday we turned our eyes toward the eternal. Scripture has a lot to say about our future hope and we only scratched the surface. In this part of our Advent series, we acknowledged our current groaning for our eternal home and reminded ourselves that our future hope is secured and sealed by the Holy Spirit. We will find rest, reunion and will reign alongside our Savior and that gives hope as we walk out our salvation here to the glory of God.

November 21, 2021 - BRINGING HEAVEN BACK TO EARTH

Advent: The Arrival of Heaven - Isaiah 9.6-7 Jobey McGinty The biblical story of sin and death entering into the world through Adam and Eve, along with the sin and suffering each of us have personally witnessed and experienced, don't make much sense without an eternal perspective.  It can all feel like a big mistake, where God's Plan A was thwarted by man's sin and Jesus was the Plan B we needed to put things back together.  But the Bible makes it clear that not only was Jesus God's Plan A, but that the sin and fall of mankind that lead up to Jesus were also part of the plan.  While this might seem confusing and unexpected, it begins to come into focus when we look at God's overarching goal...to put His glory on full display, and for us to be able to enjoy that with Him for eternity.  Our ability to enjoy and to be in God's presence is not possible without the backdrop of sin and suffering and the wonder of God's intervention, through His Son, Jesus.

November 14, 2021 - PARALYZING FEAR, MOBILIZING FAITH

Gospel of John - John 20.19-23 Jobey McGinty With Jesus suddenly gone the disciples go into hiding, fearful of being exposed and forgetting what they have been called to live out.  The doubts are creeping in and the fear starts to lead to unbelief, but then Jesus walks in, through a locked door, and interrupts everything.  We, too, can allow the fears of life to lead us into unbelief and hiding, not living out the lives of love and sacrifice He has called us to.  If it were up to us, we would likely stay in those locked rooms of fear, but thankfully Jesus goes where He pleases, and our fear cannot keep Him out.  If you are part of Jesus' flock, nothing can or will keep Him from working in and through your life!

November 7, 2021 - WE HAVE HOPE

Gospel of John - John 20.1-18 Casey Barnes In the midst of grief, loss or pain, we can tend to forget the promises that God has given us in His word all along. In this sermon, we take a look at the empty tomb, and how Mary and the disciples forgot what Christ had told them would happen to Him. But Christ’s gracious heart toward us can call us back to remembrance with just the sound of our name. We have hope because of the assurance we have in God’s promises.

October 31, 2021 - THE TOMB OF VICTORY

Gospel of John - John 19.31-42 Jobey McGinty In the brutal, stark reality of Jesus' death on the cross we see God's grace on full display, and in the time that Jesus is on the cross, we see how a rich man (Joseph), a religious leader (Nicodemus), a soldier, a thief, Mary (Jesus' mother), Mary (a follower who was called out of demon possession) and John, himself, all are forever changed by this grace. This extravagant display of love, and sacrifice causes each of them to surrender and then respond in kind, and that same call continues to go out to each of us as we approach the cross.

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