Seasons Part 1
Notes
Transcript
Welcome
Welcome
Youversion
New Series month of Nov
Christmas - toy drive
Intro:
Intro:
Everything revolves around seasons
1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
The Florida “seasons”
There are seasons of life
My girls growing up
Marriage has seasons
Your spiritual walk should have seasons
The church has seasons also
When we look back on the seasons Cornerstone has been in
Cornerstone is entering a new season (Excited)
Seasons give us the opportunity to thank God for our past, enjoy the present, and look forward to the future
The most significant marker for a new season is change
Every season brings a new change and for the most part, if we are honest, we don’t handle change very well
Listen, the church is not immune to change. The church needs to keep moving forward so that the gospel is heard clearly by people of the 21st century.
When facing new seasons, preparing is better than comparing
When facing new seasons, preparing is better than comparing
Cornerstone has been through a lot of good seasons
We have been through some tough season
But God is calling Cornerstone into a new season
A season where we really dig into God’s word
A season where we really connect with one another
A season where we are real
But how do we prepare for a change of season?
If there was ever a man in the Bible who went through so many different seasons it might be Peter.
There were times when Peter would do and say things that you thought man this guy gets it
And there are times when Peter would do and say things that you thought man this guy is hopeless
We first encounter Peter in Luke 5
Peter, James, and John were fishing
Jesus tells them to cast their nets and they catch more fish than they could handle
Jesus tells Peter he will no longer be a fishermen but that he would be a fisher for men
We then see Peter in Matthew 14 walk on water
The disciples on a boat, Jesus walks on water towards them
Peter walks on water towards Jesus
then he begins to sink because of the wind and waves
And Jesus says to Peter “you of little faith, why did you doubt me?”
It’s this moment where you see Peter is beginning to change. But he’s not there yet
Then we see this account. A powerful moment with Peter and Jesus
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.
18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Jesus is saying to Peter what you just said will be the rock in which I build my church on. You feel that in this season Peter is nailing it!
Then the very next verse. Not like chapters from now but the very next verse this is what you see
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
You have to think Peter is confused at this point.
Am i the rock in which the church will be built
Or am i satan?
Then in Matthew 26 we see Peter come to Jesus’ defense
Cuts the soldiers ear off
Jesus puts it back on
Vs 50
Peter disowns Jesus
Vs 69
Jesus is beaten headed to the cross to die for Peter’s sins and yet he is swearing him off. denying His very existence
The is such a low point. It says Peter goes and he weeps. A season of mourning
Then Peter see Jesus face to face once more
He receives this commission the same one we have received.
Go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and son and holy spirit, teaching them to obey everything i have commanded you
And thats what Peter does
Pentecost comes. They receive the Holy Spirit and Peter stands up and preaches and 3000 people were saved.
And the church begins
Peter heals a lame begger and preaches to more people and more people are save
The church is growing and expanding and it’s in large part because of Peter
Peter is going through this fruitful season
Peter and the apostles are beaten, thrown in jail, persecuted and none of it stops them from spreading the gospel.
Then we see Paul have to address Peter in Galatians 2 because Peter begins to distance himself away from the gentiles to make himself look better to the Jews
So even after all that Peter has gone through there is still some things in him he has to work on
Your journey never stops.
But we see toward the end of Peter’s life he writes this
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,
5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,
9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
This is what we are after as a church.
So that, no matter where you are, we are on this journey like Peter. To become more like Jesus.
God calls us all to new seasons, Embrace them
God calls us all to new seasons, Embrace them
In the coming weeks we will discuss our vision and our mission statements. We will discuss how we see those worked out here.
know this
God is up to something
I don’t care if there are 30 people in these seats or 300
As long as God is continuing to speak and work and move then we are moving forward chasing after what He has for us
We are going to be real.
So listen, if you are looking for a church that just makes you feel good this may not be the place for you
We are gonna love and care for another as best we possibly can. and we have a lot to learn in that area.
We are going to speak the truth of the Word of God in all of our gatherings
And we are going to strive and help one another become more like Jesus at all costs.
We are going to be the church. God’s most choicest gift for His son. A calling. An opportunity. An honor.
And we will try to reach our community with the gospel because in Jesus there is life!
