Storyside Church

Easter Weekend — Everyone    Easter is a reminder that God always has the last word.       Everyone: everybody, every one.        Romans 3   22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.   23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.        Acts 2:21 — And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.     Romans 1:16 — For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.       We have a Savior who will stop for everyone!       Luke 23:41 — We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.     Is it you?       Do you need the Savior to stop for you today?  

What do I have that the devil wants?     What should I be fighting for?     Who should I be fighting for?     Have I lost my fight?         Jude 1     1 This letter is from Jude, a brother of James. I am a servant owned by Jesus Christ. I am writing to you who have been chosen by God the Father. You are kept for Jesus Christ.    2 May you have much of God’s loving-kindness and peace and love.   3 Dear friends, I have been trying to write to you about what God did for us when He saved us from the punishment of sin. Now I must write to you and tell you to fight hard for the faith which was once and for all given to the holy people of God.    4 Some sinful men have come into your church without anyone knowing it. They are living in sin and they speak of the loving-favor of God to cover up their sins. They have turned against our only Leader and Lord, Jesus Christ. Long ago it was written that these people would die in their sins.   8 In the same way, these men go on dreaming and sinning against their bodies.

Mark 8   34 He called the crowd and his disciples together and said to them, “If anyone wants to follow me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.    35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.     Have I given my life to the Lord?     Am I living my life for the Lord?       When we come to Christ, we’re no longer the most important person in the world to us; Christ is. Instead of living only for ourselves, we have a higher goal: to live for Jesus. — Billy Graham     What no is keeping me from my yes? Galatians 5   17 The sinful self wants what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit wants what is against the sinful self. They are always fighting against each other, so that you don’t do what you really want to do.    19 The wrong things the sinful self does are clear: committing sexual sin, being morally bad, doing all kinds of shameful things,    20 worshiping false gods, taking part in witc

Titus 2:11-14 (NIV)  11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.     12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,    It teaches us to say no. Truth and Grace came from Jesus. King James mentions deny.    13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,    14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.       Titus 2:12 — Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world. (KJV)        Is God teaching you to say “no” to something?   Saying no is often difficult.   Say no with your yes in mind.   What no is keeping you from your yes?      

John 5:2-15   2 Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. 3 Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. 5 One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” 7 “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” 8 Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” 9 Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, 10 so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t work on the Sabbath! The law doesn’t allow you to carry that sleeping mat!” 11 But he replied, “The man who healed me told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” 12 “Who said such a thing as that?” they demanded. 13 The man didn’t know, for Jesus had dis

There is no "I" in denial.      Luke 9    18 Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”    19 And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.”    20 Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”   23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.    24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.    25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?   Some say...     Who do you say that I am?     Jesus is not one of many ways to approach God, nor is He the best of several ways; He is the only way. — A. W. Tozer     Romans 6   23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.      “Our confe

“Again” — 2/28/21       Proverbs 24:16 — For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.       Luke 5    2 He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets.    4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”   5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.”    6 And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear!       Again: Another time, once more.        The Wall      The Fall    Loneliness Ledge Lackadaisical Letdown   Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. — Quote      The Fallout      The Finality      Proverbs 24:16 — For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.     AGAIN     Psalm 147:3 — He heals the brokenhearted and binds u

Shut The Door    2 Kings 4 [KJV] 1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.    2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.    3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.   4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.    5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.   6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a ve

Joshua 3:17 — The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.     Joshua 4   3 and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.   4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe,    5 and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites,    6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’    7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.

“Get Up”   Luke 22   31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.    32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”   33 But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”   34 Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”     54 Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance.    55 And when some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them.    56 A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.”   57 But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said.   58 A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” “Man, I am not!” Peter replied.   59 About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was w

Middle: The position of being among or in the midst of something.      Mark 6   39 Jesus then told his disciples to make all the people divide into groups and sit down on the green grass.   44 The number of men who were fed was five thousand.    45 At once Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to Bethsaida, on the other side of the lake, while he sent the crowd away.    46 After saying good-bye to the people, he went away to a hill to pray.    47 When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, while Jesus was alone on land.    48 He saw that his disciples were straining at the oars, because they were rowing against the wind; so sometime between three and six o'clock in the morning, he came to them, walking on the water. He was going to pass them by,   49 but they saw him walking on the water. “It's a ghost!” they thought, and screamed.    50 They were all terrified when they saw him. Jesus spoke to them at once, “Courage!” he said. “It is I. Don't be afraid!”    51 Then

The Middle      When you feel like quitting, remember why you started.      “You will never see the end, if you give up in the middle.”        Ezekiel 37   1 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones.    2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry.    3 And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.”    4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.    5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.    7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.        Have you ever felt like you were in the middle of a valley?       Can these bones live?     I’m going to m

“Happy New You”    Faith sees through the fog. — Corrie Ten Boom     Mark 10   46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging.    47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”   48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”   49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.”    50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.   51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”   52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.     What do you want me to do for you?       Luke 8   42 ...As Jesus was on his way, the crowds alm

There Is More | Part 5     Colossians 3  8 But now you must stop doing such things. You must quit being angry, hateful, and evil. You must no longer say insulting or cruel things about others.  9 And stop lying to each other. You have given up your old way of life with its habits. 10 Each of you is now a new person. You are becoming more and more like your Creator, and you will understand him better.     Change    The same Jesus Who turned water into wine can transform your home, your life, your family, and your future. He is still in the miracle-working business, and His business is the business of transformation.  — Adrian Rogers     1 Corinthians 16:13 — Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.    Courage        Philippians 2   12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,  13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his

More Thankful   Psalm 34:3 — Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.   Psalm 34:3 — Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt his name together.   Magnify: To enlarge, to increase in significance.    Luke 17 11 As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria.  12 As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance,  13 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. 15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!”  16 He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine?  18 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”  19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”     Everythin

There Is More | Week 3 Having A “There Is More” Mindset 1 Kings 18   41 And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of the rushing of rain.”   42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees.   43 And he said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” And he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go again,” seven times.    44 And at the seventh time he said, “Behold, a little cloud like a man's hand is rising from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.’”    45 And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel.   NOTHING     The importance of the prophetic.    The importance of posture.    The importance of prayer.    To get nations back on their feet, we must first get down on our knees. — Billy Gra

There Is More | Week 2 LUKE 18   18 Once a religious leader asked Jesus this question: “Good Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”   19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Only God is truly good.    20 But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother.   21 The man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”   22 When Jesus heard his answer, he said, “There is still ONE THING you haven’t done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”   23 But when the man heard this he became very sad, for he was very rich.     ACTS 20   35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is MORE blessed to give than to receive.'     Everything Kole = the

There Is More   2 Kings 4   1 The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.”   2 Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” “Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.”   3 Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few.    4 Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”   5 She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring.  6 When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.” But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.   7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can