BIG IDEA: Worship with the church family can begin at home.

Message Focus: When the gospel of Jesus Christ moves into a person’s life, God affects every aspect, especially their home. In the place where we let our guards down, where people see one of our truest selves, home is where the Spirit should have the greatest reign in our lives. Home is where forgiveness, hope, truth, prayer – worship – can overflow into the other areas of our lives.

Primary Scripture: Job 1:20-21BIG IDEA: Christians can worship God in the midst of their suffering.Message Focus: Often, when people face seasons of suffering of challenge, they respond in one of two ways (and sometimes vacillate between): fighting against it or focusing on it. What if there was a third way? Worshiping God through it. The gospel does not ignore the reality of suffering, nor does it fight against it. Rather, the gospel points to suffering as a real moment that God is present within.

BIG IDEA: Worship is my genuine love response to God: His character and will.Message Focus: Worship begins with an understanding of who God is and who I am in relation to God. Worship finds its fulfillment in my obedient response of love to God. This message will provide a baseline for what worship is and what it isn’t. It may be helpful to look at one or more “case studies” of worship from the Scriptures.

BIG IDEA: Genuine faith in Christ leads to real righteousness – legal and practicalMessage Focus: Paul made a dad joke: There is a “law” required for salvation – the “law of faith.” It is ushers in unity among very different people. Genuine faith leads to a desire to uphold God’s law (ie. God’s character).Cross References: John 19:30, 1 Corinthians 1:30-31, Deuteronomy 6:4, Zechariah 14:9, John 15:9-12, John 21:15-19, Romans 12:9, Romans 13:8, 1 John 4:10

BIG IDEA: Christians are made righteous as a gift by God’s generosity through Christ.Message Focus: The righteousness Paul described is “apart from the law.” The only way a person can have it is through faith in Jesus Christ - no matter their background or lineage. These few verses are some of the clearest expressions of salvation by grace through faith.Cross References: Jonah, Romans 6:23, Romans 11:6, Romans 2:12-13, Romans 1:20

BIG IDEA: The default position of every person is unrighteous.Message Focus: This may not be the feel good message of the year! But… this is an opportunity to clearly define and expose sin/unrighteousness as well as discuss the gift of being able to see and understand our sin. If God opens our eyes to our greatest problem, He can lead us to our greatest solution: salvation in Christ alone.Cross References: 1 John 1:8, Psalm 14:3, Psalm 5:9, Psalm 140:1-3, Psalm 10:7, Isaiah 59:7-8, Psalm 36:1

BIG IDEA: God’s righteousness gives sight to the spiritually blind.Message Focus: Our unfaithfulness does not affect God’s faithfulness. Our unrighteousness does not change God’s righteousness. We are blind to our sin but God's righteousness restores our sight so that we may see our sinfulness and repent! When we rationalize our own sin does not diminish God’s wrath against sin. This also means that when God justifies a person through faith in Christ, He does not change his mind, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins when we confess and repent!Cross References: John 9, 1 John 1:8-9

Primary Scripture: Romans 2:1-29BIG IDEA: Obeying God’s law will not save you from sin.Message Focus: Paul was talking about Gentiles and pagans, but in these passages, he addressed Jews. His point? Putting faith in the law to save you is as effective as what the Gentiles were doing. Paul pointed to an inner heart change stemming from repentance that was prompted by God’s kindness.Cross References: John 6:29, Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 3:24, Matthew 11:28-30