2026 Wk 5
AlteredLIFE • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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I
SET 1
Rise Up and Praise Him
CONNECTION
The Bible says, “Many will see what he has done and be amazed.”
Then it says, “They will put their trust in the LORD.”
I always love talking about this passage out of Psalm 40
It starts in verse one, talking about how David waited patiently for the Lord and that God heard his cry — need — desperation.
Then in verse two, God rescued David and set him on a firm foundation — He stabilized his situation so that he felt secure — wow!
Now our focus—verse three...
Psalm 40:3 “He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.” (NLT)
Because of Jesus, you can have your past forgiven, find a purpose for living, and secure a home in heaven.
Telling others about the hope you have in Jesus — is the most natural and loving thing you can do.
When people see the difference Jesus makes in your life, it has an impact.
The Bible says, “Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the LORD” Psalm 40:3 (NLT).
Yes, I know that He is still working on us and we are still working to renew our mind to God’s Word — nevertheless, YOU HAVE IMPACT ON THOSE AROUND YOU!
SO IN OUR CONNECTION MOMENT TODAY ...
let’s discuss how to help us share the hope of Jesus with the people in our daily lives.
We can start with these three simple actions:
Listen First.
Share Your Story
Bring People to Worship
Listen First.
Every person on the planet has a deep hunger to be heard, to be understood, and to have their feelings validated — TO BE SEEN… as stated in the 2009 Blockbuster “Avatar” when Jake Sully says, “I see you!”
Proverbs 18:13 says, “Listen before you answer” (GNT).
Your ears are great tools for showing love to someone.
When you listen to another person, you can find the key to their heart.
Share Your Stories.
Notice I said “stories,” not “story.” Why? Because you have many stories, or testimonies. A lot of people get stuck on thinking that they only have one testimony—the testimony of how they came to Christ.
But I would venture to say that God has been there all along the way. I mean, has God ever helped you with your finances, relationships, or health problems?
You have hundreds of powerful testimonies that can point people to Jesus.
Bring People to Worship.
One of the best ways you can share the Good News is to bring people to church.
As they walk into a service, they will see believers coming together, worshiping God, and learning together from God’s Word.
Acts 2:47 says, “At the same time, they praised God and had the good will of all the people. Every day the Lord saved people, and they were added to the group” (GW).
How did this happen?
The were sharing their stories and engaging people in a way that brought people to church and they were prompted by the Holy Spirit to give their lives to Christ.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say...
if we only talk about the weather, the last movie we say, or media post we read — people are not going to be prompted to come to know more about the one who saved you from your “Miry pit.”
Most people are spiritually empty because they don’t know about the hope Jesus gives. What step can you take today to bring someone into the family of God?
What three things will help us share the hope of Jesus with the people in our lives?
Listen first.
Share your stories.
Bring people to worship.
Talk It Over
Talk It Over
When you shared with someone recently the hope you have in Jesus, how did they respond? [raise your hand: Negatively or Positively]
Think of a time when you completely focused on listening to someone. What did you discover in the process?
Action Time
Action Time
Could we take a moment to set this into motion in this safe environment?
It all starts with ACTIVE LISTENING followed by taking turns with STORIES how God has recently helped you with a financial, relational, or health problem, and lastly, make a commitment to help people who see what God has done in you to find hope to find and follow Jesus by making their way to CHURCH.
While we take time, if your on Facebook LIVE today, stop and call someone and have a conversation about what God has done DURING THESE 5-6 MIN. Listen to their response or needs and consider praying with them at the end and invite them to attend with you next week.
LISTEN — SHARE — INVITE
SET 2
Up On this Rock (Chorus and Bridge)
GENEROSITY
This moment of generosity is not solely about the act of giving but also about reflecting God’s generous nature.
God is the ultimate giver;
He blesses us abundantly, providing for our needs and showering us with grace.
When we give to others, we mirror that generosity in our own lives.
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
Giving today, we honor God by our act of obedient generosity.
UPDATES
Super Bowl 60 Party Sunday, Feb. 8, with kickoff scheduled for 5:30 p.m. between Seahawks and Patriots
Wed MidWeek Life Group 630p, Family Friendly
BIG THANKS to all who served at the Warming Station this week!
SET 3
Goodness of God
Breathe (with Goodness of God TAG)
SERMON: AlteredLIFE
?Do you think that there was anyone who went without food this past week in the middle of this winter storm? (yes— then...)
Who’s fault was it?
Was it their fault?
The storms fault?
Your fault?
When there is a FAMINE who do we blame?
The stores? The farmers? The government? Our own sin? God?
IT DOES GET COMPLICATED
Maybe, our experiences, shape how we may respond to such difficult issues?
In the book of Amos we see that there was a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. Amos prophesied...
11 “The time is surely coming,” says the Sovereign Lord,
“when I will send a famine on the land—
not a famine of bread or water
but of hearing the words of the Lord.
A famine — Not of God’s Word, but a famine of HEARING God’s Word.
We need to HEAR God’s Word
EXAMPLE:
Father and son may live far away from each other — but does that change their degree of LOVE ? NO!
BUT does the son feel good to hear from his father especially when it isn’t related to a birthday or holiday? YES!
25 Good news from far away
is like cold water to the thirsty.
DISTANCE can impact the way we live and respond to others.
FEELING DISTANT FROM GOD
Sin or Not spending time with God can bring a distant feeling even when we know or maybe we don’t know that we have been made whole through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection as the final sacrifice to deal with sin, death, and the grave—and everything in between.
13 But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.
18 I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.*
You have been made whole because of Jesus.
Check out Colossians chapter one.
[M&E SUMMARY NOTES: 1/28 AM]
“Perfect in Christ Jesus.” —Colossians 1:28
So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect* in their relationship to Christ.
No matter of your education, financial status, looks or linage.
This passage is a rich meditation on — two kinds of perfection.
One you already possess and
the second is yet to be revealed.
The Christian life begins not with self-confidence, but with a clear-eyed awareness of need.
Yet the heart of the passage is astonishing comforting:
“Perfect in Christ Jesus.”
Not perfect because of...
race, occupation, health, works, finances, education, recognition and achievement...
“Perfect in Christ Jesus.”
Present perfection is by position:
In God’s sight, the believer is already complete in Christ.
Not because of inner purity, but because of union with Jesus.
His righteousness is counted as ours.
We are accepted now—fully, freely, and irrevocably—in the Beloved.
Future perfection is by transformation:
What is true by declaration will one day be true by experience. (Jesus is coming to take us HOME)
Every stain removed.
Every trace of sin gone.
The Church presented faultless, radiant, and holy— no blemish.
This is not exaggeration; it is the promise of glorification.
Imagery we could use in sharing these thoughts might be overwhelming:
Amazing grace Lyrics...
“How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I'm found
Was blind, but now I see”
Charles Spurgeon put it this way—
a worm made into an angel,
blackness turned to dazzling white,
deformity transformed into beauty fit for heaven.
“Perfect in Christ Jesus.”
The passage invites not analysis, but adoration:
“Stand and admire.”
This is salvation not earned, not assisted, but marvelously accomplished by Christ alone.
We can walk in this truth:
walking humbly (knowing our imperfection yet living out His perfection),
walking confidently (because we are resting in Christ’s sufficiency—not our aimless works), and
walking joyfully (as we anticipate our complete renewal some day).
Vianne Stensaas slowly and quietly slipped into eternity on Friday
on this side of heaven we shed many tears
our hearts sunk low
BUT ON THE OTHER SIDE....
heaven was filled with great rejoicing
Jesus welcomed Vianne into His arms
Now, she is part of that great cloud of witnesses cheering us on...
HOW WILL YOU WALK OUT THIS PERFECTION with the time you have left on this earth?
THAT perfection IS FOUND IN JESUS AS it says in Colossians 1.28?
You are…
“Perfect in Christ Jesus.”
MAY I SUGGEST...
LISTEN — SHARE — INVITE
with others and with God!
=========================================
January 30, 2026
“When you hear the sound of movement in the tops of the mulberry trees, then it’s time to take action.” (2 Samuel 5:24)
Believers should always be people of prayer, constantly seeking the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in their hearts, longing for Christ’s kingdom to grow and for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. But there are special seasons when God’s favor is especially evident among His people. Those moments are like hearing the movement in the mulberry trees—a clear signal that God is at work.
When you sense these moments, that is the time to act. That is the time to deal seriously with sin and break harmful habits, while the Holy Spirit is helping you. Raise your sails—but remember, you cannot create the wind yourself. God must supply it. Your responsibility is to be ready.
Make sure your sail is raised so you don’t miss the wind when it comes. Ask God to help you live with greater commitment when your faith is strong, to pray more faithfully when prayer comes easily, and to live more purely as you walk more closely with Christ.
In short:
discern God’s movement, then move with Him
—earnestly, promptly, and humbly dependent on His power. Delay is disobedience.
M&E 2-3-2026
So, brothers and sisters, we have no obligation to live the way our corrupt nature wants us to live.
You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.
As God’s creation, every one of us owes him complete obedience—our bodies, our souls, our strength, everything. But we have all broken his commands. Because of that, we stand in debt to his justice, owing a payment so great we could never repay it.
For the Christian, though, something remarkable can be said: we no longer owe anything to God’s justice. Christ has paid the full debt for his people. And because that debt is paid, our obligation shifts—not to fear, but to love.
I am deeply indebted to God’s grace and forgiveness, but I am not indebted to his justice, because God will never demand payment for a debt that has already been settled. When Christ said, “It is finished,” he meant exactly that: everything his people owed was permanently erased. Divine justice has been fully satisfied. The account is closed. The charges were nailed to the cross. The receipt has been issued. We no longer owe anything to justice.
Yet because we owe nothing in that sense, we now owe God even more in another. Christian, stop and think about this. How much do you owe to God’s sovereign choice? How much to his selfless love, that he gave his own Son to die for you? How much to his forgiving grace, that after countless failures he still loves you without measure?
Think about what you owe to his power—how he brought you from spiritual death to life, how he sustains that life, how he keeps you from falling, and how, despite endless opposition, you are still able to keep going. Think about what you owe to his unchanging nature. You have changed again and again, but he has never changed once.
You are completely indebted to every attribute of God. You owe him yourself and everything you have. So give yourself to him fully, as a living sacrifice—this is not excessive; it is simply the only reasonable response.
