North Way Christian Community

In our culture, we love progress. We crave more and more of it. We often think if we aren’t progressing, we are regressing. By seeking to fulfill our own passions, we settle for any myth just to suit that appetite. God creates and Satan counterfeits. Love is becoming our idol. God is love, but love is not our God. God calls all of us to be living sacrifices. We must follow the words of Jesus and take everything to the cross, not the culture.

Join host Rebekah Stolle as she sits down with Pastor Dave D’Angelo as they discuss dropping your kid off at college, how to choose a sermon series, and the importance of the Old Testament. We dive deeper into God’s perspective when He gave us the 10 Commandments (spoiler: they weren’t actually called “The 10 Commandments”!) and how we can leverage gratitude to combat judgment. To watch this past week’s sermon: Not Just a List of Rules For more info: northway.org

We all have a different posture and response when it comes to rules. Sometimes we view rules as whether they apply to us or not based on where we are in life. We must start seeing beyond our own perspective. When we see as God sees, then we start to do as God says. God gave us the 10 Commandments as a gift so we can flourish and be free as His people. In this new sermon series, we will be exploring the 10 Commandments, not just a list of rules, but instead an invitation to know a God who invites us into a life of freedom and joy.

Sometimes we view church community as an optional bonus that comes with being a follower of Jesus. However, it’s an integral part of following Him. When we put our faith in Jesus, we believe the good news of the Gospel and that we belong to God and to one another. Our faith is personal but never private. It’s made to be experienced inside community. We encounter Jesus through the way we love one another. We are created, called, changed, and will be completed in community.

We always want the quick and easy fix, especially in American Christianity. When it comes to loving God and others, we often get caught up in thinking that the solutions need to look bigger, better, and faster. But Jesus shows us that the smaller things are actually the greater things. Jesus is constantly challenging our perspective on how we love. We are to love earnestly. As Christians, we need to become more aware and step out in obedience. We are called to community and to be missional. We love because we are overcome with His love for us.

In the scriptures, God commands us to give generously, and he blesses those who obey. We all need God’s blessing and supernatural favor in our lives. In this sermon, Pastor Dave shares seven truths about giving and God’s blessing. Giving works greed and selfishness out of our lives, keeping us from sin and opens God’s word to us.

When we turn away from the reliance of Jesus Christ and look to something else for a blessing or fulfillment, we are chasing after an idol. In John's letter, he tells us if we aren't experiencing God's love and light there is something competing in our hearts for God. When an idol rules our hearts, we can become prideful, and our hearts harden. To honor God, we must loosen our grip of any idols and call upon the Holy Spirit, practice generosity in all things, and humble ourselves.

Sometimes we like to push against boundaries. We do this in small ways but also larger ways with God’s commandments. We can say something is true but live our lives as if it’s not true. To abide in God’s light and love is to have a close enough relationship with Him to understand His heart and to not see His list of commands as burdensome. Out of His love for us, God gives us boundaries to follow so our lives can flourish and be a blessing to others. The commandments are not a burden, but a blessing put in place for our good.

At the root of all fears is mistaken or forgotten identity. Where are we abiding? Where we abide influences who we think we are. When we know who we are in Christ, all fear vanishes. We are beloved children of God and His perfect love casts out fear.

How do we discern what's from the Holy Spirit and what's from the world? Objective truth seems hard to come by, and it gets tricky when spiritual truths are mixed in with cultural concepts. We need a test; a way to discern what is from God. Discernment is more than choosing right from wrong; it's choosing right from almost right. The gospel continually moves from our head, to our heart, and to our hands in a cycle. How you think about God is going to impact how you love Him, and how you love Him is going to impact how you follow Him. The worldly tests we use are leading us astray as we falsely rely on our emotions or cultural approval to discern truth. The best way to discern what is from God is by discerning what points to Jesus and His Supremacy.

The full joy that we long for is found by abiding in God’s love. It’s found by loving others the way Jesus did. Jesus died willingly on the cross for us and our benefit. Jesus’ love is an unconditional, covenant love. According to Jesus’ version of love, “if” is never part of the equation. It’s always a matter of “how.” John is calling us to obedience and to love like Jesus. The question we need to ask is, “How do I love someone, not if?”

Our identity is crucial as Christians. When we lack confidence and have doubts about our faith, our relationship with Jesus doesn’t grow. We become more shameful of ourselves. When we misplace our confidence, we become more critical with others. In Christ we are forgiven and there is no room for shame. We aren’t called for perfection but for repentance. Jesus calls us to obedience because a life lived for Him is what we were created for.

Inconsistency of morality without a standard will always lead to chaos. Our own truths won't set us free. The eternal truth will set us free. The disciple John reminds us that the end could be near any day and to anchor ourselves in the truth. Having a last hour mentality causes us to see our relationships differently, handle our resources differently, and understand our time differently. We abide when we stay in the Word and stay connected to His Spirit.

Obedience matters. If we believe in God, our behaviors should match our belief. We must lean into new patterns enabling new power from God. Loving others must be central in our life. Specifically, loving others not just as we love ourselves, but as Jesus loves us. Love hard, even when it is hard or painful. 

Are you struggling with shame in your life? Do you want to be free?  The more we renew our minds on truth, the freer we become and the further we get from shame. Knowing who God is contains the secrets to living the most joyful and satisfied life. God’s love isn’t based on us; it’s placed on us. One of the biggest components of the process of sanctification is learning to receive grace. When we fully commit ourselves to knowing, experiencing, and following, Jesus, we encounter true freedom and joy.

God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. Because God is light, He contains the goodness we all long for. John urges us to take our sin seriously because it has the power to divide us, destroy us, and remove freedoms. By ignoring or tolerating our sin, self-deception, and chasing idols, we are walking towards darkness instead of the light. In Christ, we are fully excepted, significant, and eternally secure.

John, Jesus’ disciple, heard all that Jesus taught and saw how he lived. He witnessed firsthand God’s glory. As we study 1 John, we will explore John’s words and discover what it means to live in the light. Throughout John’s words we will see three main concepts. Theology matters: knowing Jesus begins with believing what God says. Devotion matters: experiencing Jesus allows us to enjoy eternal life now and forever. Obedience matters: following Jesus is our response to God’s love. When we anchor ourselves in what matters- knowing, experiencing, following Jesus, we will experience God’s love more fully. The fuller our experience of God’s love, the deeper our love for one another. Our identity is rooted and secured in the love of Christ.

Often, we come across the choice of either listening to a good God who loves us or listening to the lies of the enemy. Periods of waiting can be painful, but when we choose to listen when God speaks, the reward is immeasurable. When God guides, He will always provide. God wants to grow us so we can experience the level of His goodness. His timing is just as important as His direction. Will you follow Jesus’ example and do it afraid?

Often, we take God’s gifts and love them more than God Himself. They become ultimate things and we believe they will give us acceptance, significance, and security. We use the gift of relationships in our lives as an ultimate thing but end up disappointed. Only God can provide us the acceptance, significance, and security we need. When God is our ultimate source of goodness, we are free to enjoy good relationships.God is calling us to not only know about Him but to experience Him inside a relationship by tasting and seeing His goodness.

Most days of our lives are ordinary. But are we conditioning ourselves to search for God’s goodness only on the extreme days? God is good always! We can train ourselves in everyday moments by simply recognizing and responding to what God is asking us to do. We have the chance to do justice every day when we encounter something that is wrong. When we experience something to forgive, we can love kindness. Each day there is something to be honest about, which gives us the opportunity to walk humbly.