Pastor Scott delivers a sermon about the glory, the greatness, all the fullness, splendor and majesty of God. We have to fight through blockages in the world to see the glory of God; the way we think about God determines the way we live. We can have small, shallow, and inaccurate thoughts about God -- we can't understand the gospel until we truly understand who God is. Scott offers a powerful exhortation and prayer for the church, that our hearts would be opened to the goodness and glory of God, because we are called primarily to be worshipers, and to seek Him with all of our hearts.
Love Story: Resurrection
Pastor Scott unpacks Mark 16, and the astonishment that comes when we (like Mary Magdalene, Mary, Salome and the disciples) first realize that Jesus is actually alive, raised from the dead, now Lord and King and Savior of the universe. Something supernatural happens when the Holy Spirit makes the truth real. We stop hearing and seeing in the natural, but hear and see with our hearts. Scott also offers an exhortation against soul weariness: God is merciful and compassionate, and gives power to the weak.
Love Story: Eternity
For many, the concept of eternity seems unreal, so we only focus on things of the world. Popular culture has created a shallow notion of Heaven. But for the Christian, death is a promotion – a transition from this world to something much greater. Pastor Scott paints a vision of the new Heaven and Earth as presented in scripture, and urges us to live in the light of eternity.
Love Story: New Birth
Being "born again" in Christ means He has regenerated us; we are regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. There are dramatic implications of rebirth in our lives: we go from spiritual blindness to sight; we stand on solid ground; we receive a new heart and are cleansed from the inside out. Everyone has a different experience, but those who have truly been regenerated know, without doubt or question, that they are a new creation thanks to Jesus. Pastor Scott talks very personally about his own experience of being born again.
Love Story: The Cross
The proclamation of Christ's suffering on the cross is an essential part of the gospel message. While many people can accept a historical Jesus as a moral teacher, or a champion for social justice, the full message of the cross can seem like folly to those who are perishing. It can either break hearts or harden them; it puts pressure on people to accept or reject the message that Jesus somehow became sin for us all, and the wrath of God fell on Him instead of us. Pastor Scott explains why it is important to behold the agonies of Jesus on the cross, and how it should impact our lives as believers.
Love Story: Redemption
Redemption is the act of making something better or more acceptable. Christ makes us acceptable to God. The crime of sinning against God is eternal separation from Him, but the record of our sins is put on Christ. He exchanged His life in return for a people; we are a reward for what Christ gave. Redemption is also about exchange, and Pastor Scott entreats us to see the serious implications of the doctrine of redemption.
Love Story: Jesus Rescue
Before God created mankind, He knew we would rebel, and that He would need to come to die and atone for us. Jesus – king of kings, lacking nothing, through whom all things were made – came to solve the problem of the condition of humanity: all are stained and sentenced to eternal separation from God. He entered into our suffering world, both fully man and fully God, and allowed Himself to be beaten, mocked, scourged, and crucified so that He could have a people who would love Him for eternity, to lavish and pour out His riches on us forever. Pastor Scott urges us not to settle for anything less than a heart ablaze with love for Christ, because of what He has done for us.
Love Story: The Problem of Sin
Until we understand the bad news, the Good News won't make much sense; a cure for a horrible disease can't be appreciated as a wonderful thing unless we see the horrible disease. Pastor Scott implores us to comprehend the futility of our own sense of morality before a perfectly holy and righteous God. Nothing unholy can enter into Heaven, and we are all stained by sin. The gospel teaches us that there is a way to be washed, to go from guilty to innocent, so we can stand without fear before God, knowing we are covered by the righteousness of Christ and our debts were cancelled on the cross.
Love Story: Image of God
There are so many ways that humans hate other humans; though we were created for love, we seem bent on hating. Yet all human beings are made in the image of God. Scripture states that we are the crowning artwork of the Creator: once an idea in the mind of God, brought into being as living, breathing works of art created by God Himself. Pastor Scott exhorts us to comprehend just how fearfully and wonderfully made we are, and how aware God is of us; He thinks about us, He is present, He is listening. We need to understand that all people are precious, and God has an unquenchable, burning passion to pull them close. Every human is sacred to God, and of great worth to Him, and we are called to honor them.
Love Story: Introduction
Pastor Scott gives an overview of a new series going deeper into the love story of the gospel – a story of a lovesick God, pursuing people who do not love Him, but give their love to anyone and anything other than God. But instead of giving up on us, God continues to woo us. Despite our straying hearts, God is persistent in His love and desire for us. Scott also delivers an impassioned plea for us to participate in the work of proclaiming the truth of the gospel, who God is, and reconciling people to God.