Rolling Hills Community Church Sermon Series

You’ve seen the movies. The ones where a bunch of small things happen and the main character is convinced that each one is “a sign” and they’re all building up to some huge, life-altering event. It’s fun when we see it come to life on TV but rarely does that kind of thing happen in reality. But that’s exactly what the church of God should be like. Every little thing we do as Christians should point to Jesus. Join us and discover how the building of the Temple of God was all pointing toward the coming of Jesus and learn what that means for your life today.

It should come as no surprise that a group of people, working together, can accomplish far more than a single person working alone. So why do we as Christians so frequently try to go at it by ourselves? Alone, you may be able to reach your neighborhood for Christ by sharing the Good News to those in your everyday life. But just think of what could happen if the others in your small group had the same goal. Then what if we added multiple small groups with the same goal? What about the entire church? Everyone has a part to play in the body of Christ, and one of the best examples of that is found in 2 Chronicles 2. Join us as we explore how King Solomon brought his kingdom together to build the temple of God.

Some people are book-smart and made straight A’s from the womb through med school. Others are street-smart — these are the people who can easily (and annoyingly) navigate through cities they’ve never been to and situations they’ve never been in. But wisdom is different. True wisdom isn’t about intelligence or instincts. And it can’t be found in a textbook or from life experience. True wisdom comes from God alone. Join us as we continue our series, For the Kingdom. Learn how King Solomon became the wisest person who ever lived and discover how God grants us wisdom when we first commit ourselves to Him.

Do you inspire others to do great things? Whether you know it or not, you will leave a legacy on this planet. There are others watching you right now, paying attention to the things you say and do and drawing conclusions about what is most important in your life. What kind of legacy will you leave them? Will you be known as someone who was only focused on their career? Will you be known as the kind of person who was only interested in making their life as comfortable as possible? Or will you be known as the kind of person who empowered others to be the very best they could possibly be, drawing them closer to God and inspiring them to do great things for Him? This week learn how David empowered his son, Solomon, to do great things for God.

If you grew up in the church, you’ve probably heard the phrase, “God loves a cheerful giver.” In fact, if you’re EXTRA lucky, you might have even grown up with the Steve Green song “God Loves a Cheerful Giver.” Google it. It’ll get stuck in your head for days. It’s actually from 2 Corinthians 9:7 where it says, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” God can always use the things we give over to Him. But He loves it when we give with a willing, cheerful heart. Hear how the leaders of Israel gave willingly after seeing the generous example set by King David.

All of us are leaders. Maybe you don’t oversee a Fortune 500 company or have tens of thousands of followers on Twitter. But there’s no question that there are people you interact with on a regular basis who look up to you and are watching what you do and say. And one of the best things we can do as leaders, whether at home or at work, is to personally invest in whatever we do. That might mean sacrificing your time by spending it to help others. Or it might mean sacrificing your money to put toward the things that really matter. Join us this week at Rolling Hills as we continue our series, For the Kingdom, and discover how David invested personally in the biggest and most important project of his life.

Let’s make a commitment together. For the next 50 days, let’s invest our lives in what will last. Together let’s “reach out, grow up, and give all” for the glory of our great God. As we enter into this new initiative at Rolling Hills called, “For the Kingdom,” let’s commit to pray, serve, and give our best. Our God used David and Solomon, and now it is our turn. We are God’s Church today. Let’s “be strong and courageous and do the work.” During these next 50 days, take a “Next Step” in your spiritual life – give your life fully to Christ, pray, read God’s Word, be baptized, join a Community Group, become a church partner or whatever God is calling you to do next with Him. Then, on November 4, let’s make a three-year pledge, over-and-above our tithe, to invest together in His Kingdom. Our best days are still ahead, so let’s join together and invest “For the Kingdom!”

There is incredible power and potential in prayer. Through prayer, we invite the God of the Universe into a situation and into our lives. Prayer changes things, but even more prayer changes us. Through prayer, we have the opportunity to reach our full potential in Christ. The disciples said to Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray.” As we grow in our prayer life, we become more alive and more engaged with what God is doing. None of us are perfect at prayer, but as we take steps to grow spiritually in our prayer life, the impact is incredible. God will move mountains and God will transform us into people of love, joy and peace through prayer. Let’s become people of prayer and a church of prayer together.

There is power in prayer. Prayer is inviting the God of the Universe into a situation and our lives. God has the power. So many times, we try to fix a situation ourselves, when all along God’s power is available. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to His disciples. God gave us His power and then sent us out to be His witnesses. We are called to pray, go, and serve. And we do this in His Name, with His power and locking arms with His people. We are truly better together. Jesus taught us to pray this way and to live this way. Let’s pray and live it out for His glory!

All too often we stumble into our prayer time without a plan, throw up a few requests and then quickly move on to the next thing. But Jesus taught that prayer should be more like a discipline — something we spend time on and take seriously. Something we practice and develop.

Prayer is an incredible gift from God. The ability to communicate with the Creator and Sustainer of this world and of our life is a joy and a privilege. Yet, so often in prayer, we move in the wrong direction. We start with us – we launch into our needs and what we want. Jesus teaches us through the Lord’s Prayer, or the Model Prayer, a new pattern – start with God first. Focus on your Heavenly Father, and this will change how you pray. When we begin to see reality from God’s point of view vs. our own, this changes everything. As we learn to pray like Jesus teaches, our lives are forever changed. There is a joy, peace, purpose, and love that flows when we have the right pattern in prayer. “Lord, teach us to pray…”

Every person prays. Whether it was the ancient Egyptians praying to the sun, religions praying to gods they built, or someone in desperation calling out for help, there is an innate response in all of us to pray to something or someone. Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Our Father,” and to call out to God. Addressing God as “Father” was a radical notion – and this is what separates Christianity from every other major world religion. The God of the Universe wants to have a personal relationship with you. God wants you to call out to Him. He invites you to know Him intimately. Do you know God as Father? This only comes through Jesus Christ. When we know God as Father, it is then that we come alive. Prayer is the lifeline to your Father, and your Father loves you.

Prayer is a great thing. Whether we want to say thanks for what God is doing in our lives or share our deepest fears and desires, we can do it directly to Him any time we want. So if prayer is such a great thing, why does it come with so many questions? Like, why do some prayers get answered and some don’t? What makes some prayers effective and others…not so much? And how, exactly, do we pray?

God did not call us to be successful but to be faithful to Him. But how do we live a faithful life?

It’s easy to identify with Joseph. Through every twist and turn in his journey, we’re always rooting for him to prevail. We cheer for him just as we would the protagonist of any great tale. But as we get closer to the end of Joseph’s story, a new hero begins to take shape. And it’s not who you’d expect. Because this hero doesn’t play a huge role. He’s not even mentioned by name. But as the journey of Joseph unfolds it becomes more and more clear that the hero of this story isn’t Joseph at all, but Jesus. Joseph’s role as the bearer of forgiveness in the lives of his brothers shares a striking resemblance to the relationship we have with Jesus. And pretty soon we realize that we identify more with Joseph’s brothers than with Joseph himself. Because just like his brothers, we’re the ones who have sinned and we’re the ones who are in desperate need of forgiveness.

Our faith is tested more in the good times than in the hard times. In the difficult times, we hold on to God. We recognize our utter dependence on Him when we are in the hospital, facing a financial struggle or in a crisis. Yet, in times of success, many people begin to drift away from God. We put our faith in ourselves and talk about what we have accomplished. Learning to hold on to God and being faithful in times of success is a real mark of spiritual growth and maturity. Joseph did this, and I pray we will as well. Let’s be faithful people even in the good times.

Things don’t always go our way, and that’s a fact. Instead of taking these moments as personal offense and wallowing in self-pity, what if we saw them as a chance to grow into Godly leaders? In our greatest struggles we have opportunities for greatest change. Godly leadership is not discovered but developed, and God has to forge His leaders before He can use them as agents of change in the world. So how do we move from a leadership style that points others in a general direction to a more Godly leadership style of guiding others in God’s direction?

How do you stay ready for God’s timing? Staying ready means fighting the temptation to give up and bringing peace to the troubled hearts around you, even in the midst of your waiting. But it also means staying connected to Christ and pointing others to Him.

We all go through times of waiting. Maybe you are in that season right now – waiting on a dream to be fulfilled, waiting on a new job (the right job), waiting to get married, waiting for a child, waiting… What do you do in these times of waiting? Well, we learn from Joseph to be faithful to God and to be “active” in the waiting. God is preparing you for what God is preparing for you. God is writing a greater story in you, so be faithful where you are and allow Him to forge you into the man or woman He wants you to be – even in the waiting.

We all face temptations in life. From sexual immorality to pride, “sin is crouching at the door” (​Genesis 4:7​).  However, temptation is not sin. In fact, temptation is an opportunity to choose what is right. There is a  difference between temptation and trials, but God uses both to forge us into the men and women He desires. Temptation is a test to see how we are growing in our relationship with God. When temptation comes, stand firm in the Lord, as Joseph did. He loves you, and He will provide a way out for you when you’re faithful to Him. Remember, He is doing a bigger work than you can see, so stay faithful.