Southwood Lutheran Church

The Holy Spirit

Listen to Chip's Message

Text based on: John 14:1–17

• The Holy Spirit is God. Divine Attributes of the Holy Spirit: Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Eternal and Holy
• The Holy Spirit is Personal—He can be lied to, grieved, quenched, resisted, and blasphemed.
• What is the Holy Spirit Like? Several metaphors in Scripture for the Holy Spirit include breath, wind, dove and light.

What Does the Holy Spirit Do In The Lives of Believers?

• Justification: The Spirit applies Christ’s work of reconciliation to us in order to transform our hostility toward God into fellowship with Him.
• Regeneration: The word regeneration literally means rebirth. Regeneration is a spiritual transformation where the Holy Spirit takes us from death unto life.
• Sanctification: The process of becoming more like Jesus.
• Work of the Spirit: intercedes for us, guides us, illuminates God’s Word, assures us we are God’s, helps us fight sin, etc.

How Does the Holy Spirit Empower Us to Follow Jesus?

• Fruit of the Spirit: Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such things there is no law."
• Spiritual Gifts: The Holy Spirit gifts all believers to strengthen the Body of Christ and to bring Him glory.
• Through prayer and scripture: The Holy Spirit guides our prayers and illuminates Scripture.

For Further Study and Reflection

• Pray that the Holy Spirit would strengthen and empower you this week to get through whatever comes your way. Pray for guidance and illumination as you study God’s word. Download a free pdf file of an e-book about the Holy Spirit here: http://tinyurl.com/holyspiritpdf
• What are your spiritual gifts? Go to this site and take an online assessment to find out: http://tinyurl.com/gifts52
• Read through the passage on the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. What qualities are you strong in? What weak areas can the Holy Spirit guide you and strengthen you to love Him and others more?

The Gospel

 Listen to Chip Uhrmacher's Message

Message Text: Colossians 3:12–17

The Gospel literally means “Good News.”

Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” (NIV)

• This verse instructs the “word of Christ” to dwell in us. Most scholars agree that this “word of Christ” is the Gospel—the core teaching of Jesus.

There are three part of the Gospel and all are vital to understanding our faith.

• Manger - This is the amazing truth that the infinite, eternal, all powerful God of the universe who exists outside of space and time chose to enter time and human history as the ultimate servant. Consider how amazing this is. God empties Himself and becomes a servant.
• Cross - The beautiful and terrifying truth that Jesus willingly went to the cross and experienced all that pain, rejection and filth for us. That He willingly substituted Himself for us. That He lived the perfect life we could never live and that He died the death that we deserved.
• Crown - Not only has Jesus entered human history and experienced life on earth and not only has He substituted Himself for us, but He is alive. Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and He is coming back to renew and restore this world so that the victory He gave us on the cross is not just for now, but for eternity.

If we don’t believe and trust in all three of these parts of the Gospel, our faith is incomplete and we will live differently.

For Further Study - How to allow the Gospel to dwell in us

• A great book on the various parts of the Gospel and identity of Jesus: Vintage Jesus: Timeless Answers to Timely Questions by Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears.
• Read the biblical book of Galatians. This book is small and references the Gospel over a dozen times. It is rich and full of Gospel truth.
• Watch this video on the Gospel from Mars Hill Church: http://tinyurl.com/falsegospels
• During your prayer times this week, ask God to reveal in you which parts of the Gospel are easiest and most difficult for you to believe and trust. How can you allow this glorious Gospel to dwell in you more deeply?

How Are You Hearing?

Main Point: Our hearts must be open to hear, seek, understand and live the Word of God. How we hear and respond to God’s Word reveals the condition of our hearts.

Points From Luke 8

• In verse 8, Jesus points out that hearing is with the heart/spirit and not just ears.
• Even the disciples didn’t always understand Jesus right away.
• The Word of God softens some hearts and hardens others.
• With an open and honest heart, more faith and intimacy with God will be given.

Four Types of Hearing

• Hearing & Rejecting or Hearing & Forgetting—rejecting the Word of God or allowing Satan to steal the truth from your heart.
• Rootless Hearing/Fair Weather Faith—shallow faith that disappears once trial, struggle or illness occur. Turn your back on God.
• Hearing that is Choked by Pleasure and Possessions—cares of this world, possessions, idols matter more than God and our spiritual growth is stunted or stopped.
• Hearing With an Honest and Good Heart—our hearts are transformed by the Gospel because we treasure God’s Word and our hearts are open to hear and respond to God.

How do we hear with a trusting and honest heart?

• Ask God for an open and trusting heart. It is God who opens our hearts and gives us the gift of faith.
• Psalm 40:6 In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. (esv)
• Repent of failing to hear with your heart. Confess your sins and turn towards God.
• Hear the Word of God. Read the Bible. Study the Bible. Listen to sermons attentively.
• Join a small group and/or Bible study.

Additional thoughts and resources relating to today’s sermon:

• Ask God to soften your heart and give you openness and trust in Him. If you have had a hardened heart in the past, repent and seek God’s forgiveness.
• Are there areas of your life that have become idols and have displaced God in your life? If so, name them and seek to remove those idols so that the seed of God’s Word can take root in your heart.
• Read through the book of Romans. As you do, ask God for the ability to truly hear His Word with your heart and understand it.
• Go to www.desiringgod.org and listen to some of the sermon resources there.

Giving Presence to my Family

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Text: Luke 10:38-42 (NIV)

Big Idea: We must prioritize our lives during the holiday season so that we don’t just do all of the good things, but that we especially do the best things, namely worshipping God and sharing the love of Christ with our family members through our presence with them.

Main Points:

• If we are honest, most of us will admit that Christmas and the Advent season is a time where, like Martha, we are distracted and worried and upset about many things.
• When we worry and get distracted about all we have to do, we neglect the two most important things that Mary did—worship of Jesus and giving our hearts, emotions and time to our family.
• Many of the things we get distracted by are good things.
• When the swirling vortex of the Christmas season gets going we need to prioritize and keep perspective.

Ways to Give Presence to Your Family and Friends This Season

• Being Present Physically: Show physical signs of affection. Hug, shake hands, instead of watching a football game, try board games or something else interactive. Take the time to be present physically.
• Being Present Emotionally: Listen to others. Share your heart, successes, failures. Ask good questions. Say “I love you.” Compliment others. Reflect back on the past year’s blessings and struggles. Call family members you haven’t seen in a long time or can’t see this season.
• Being Present Spiritually: Share the miracle of Christmas with your family. Celebrate the coming, the arrival of Jesus. Pray together. Go through Advent Devotions as a family. Worship together. Serve together. Read the Christmas story together. Pray for each other.
• Above all, be present with God this holiday season.

Additional Study & Reflection Tools

• Get a copy of the book The Advent Conspiracy by Rick McKinley, Chris Seay and Greg Holder. It’s a great read and talk about shifting the way we celebrate Christmas.  ISBN: 978-0-310-32452-2
• Pray about ways you can be more present to family members and friends physically, emotionally and spiritually this Christmas.  What might you give up?  What might you do differently?
• Ask your family members and/or friends how you are doing with giving your presence to them.  Honestly assess how you are loving them.  Ask for forgiveness where needed and celebrate where you are doing well.
• Here is a great link to ideas for dad’s this Christmas season: http://www.theresurgence.com/16-daddy-christmas-tips

Reformation and Repentance

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Message based on: Psalm 46:1–11

Today is Reformation Sunday.
Reformation Sunday marks a very important historical event in the life of the Lutheran church, but it is also important to remember that reformation is always happening.

On October 31, 1517 a German Catholic Monk named Martin Luther challenged the teaching of the Catholic church with a document entitled “The 95 Theses.” After much study, prayer, and confession Luther wrote this and subsequent documents that called the church to turn back to God through Bible Study. Luther translated the entire Bible into German so that the average person could read and interpret it for themselves. Before Luther’s translation, the Bible was only available in Latin for the priests and educated professors to read and study. This began a reform of the Catholic Church that eventually led to a Protestant church and then many dominations of churches that all bear the name “Christian.”

But the Reformation continues today. We believe that the church is always under reform and that we are constantly called to a sound study of Scripture and a “turning back” to God for guidance in our lives and in the life of the church. The first of Luther’s 95 theses says: “Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ willed that the whole life of believers should be one of repentance.” As Christians we must continually repent and return to God. The heart of the reformation is repentance.

Repentance is not the same as confession.
Confession is simply acknowledging sin, but repentance is turning from it towards God. Literally means to change mind or change direction.

2 Chronicles 7:14 - “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (niv)

Repentance is both a one-time event and an on-going process.

• God gives us a new heart and new nature upon our regeneration and we repent once for salvation.
• But we are also called to continually repent throughout our lives as we sin and struggle to follow Jesus.
• Revelation 2:4-5

Repentance is at the heart of the Gospel
Repenting well means that we experience the tension between our will and God’s, either through the Holy Spirit convicting us or reading Scripture or both, and we choose to turn toward God and not inward.

Repentance is proof that we are following Jesus.

For Further Study:

• Read and reflect on the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-31
• Meditate on Romans 2:4 and what is means following Romans 1. What does it mean?
• Ask God to reveal areas of your life where you need to repent. Where are you feeling tension between your will and God’s? What does repentance in that area look like for you?
• Log on to itunes and search for The Village Church Podcast—Sermon Audio and listen to the sermon “The Path (part 2): A Continuing Ethic”.

People of God: Mary Magdelene

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Text based on: John 20:1–18

Who is Mary Magdelene?

• She is a woman named Mary from a town in Galilee called Magdala.
• Luke 8:2 says that Jesus cast 7 demons out of Mary—we know she was living a sinful lifestyle and separated from God.
• From Luke 8, we next see Mary mentioned several times during the last few days of Jesus’ life. She is present at his trial and crucifixion when the disciples (except for John) are not. She is following Jesus and watching in horror as her Lord and Savior is being crucified.
• John 20 is our longest and most in depth look at her life and how she loved Jesus.

How to Live a Redeemed Life Like Mary Magdalene

• First, we must come to Jesus. We’ve been saved from ourselves and from Hell! Mary recognized Jesus as the only hope for her situation. She came to Him and he redeemed her life. First we must be redeemed. We must come to trust in Jesus and know the Gospel.
• Second, we must follow Jesus and be His disciple.
• Notice that Mary followed Jesus during the most difficult and gut-wrenching times. We, too, must follow Jesus. We must be disciples of Jesus. That means praying, reading the Bible, serving and making other disciples.
• Finally, we must love Jesus. John 20 shows us a picture of a woman who deeply loved Jesus. Do you love Jesus? Do you really love Him? Do you understand what He has done for you? 1 John 4:19 (NIV) —“We love because He first loved us.”

For Further Reflection and Study

• This week pray and ask God to reveal to you how you can come to live a redeemed life more completely. Do you need to come to Jesus? Are there parts of your life that need redemption? Give them to Jesus.
• Read “The Real Mary Magdalene” a short article found online:  http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/3059
• Read John 20 several times this week and see what insights God gives to you.

People of God: Daniel

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Text: Daniel 6:6-23

Big Idea: Daniel stood firm through faith in God and that we are called to do the same. Daniel is a great example of what it means to stand firm in faith despite difficult circumstances.

Who is Daniel?
In Hebrew Daniel’s name means “God is my Judge”. He was brought to King Nebuchanezzar’s attention because he was wise, good looking and a quick learner. He was offered the King’s delicacies, but refused them because eating them would violate God’s laws. Then Daniel is given great power and wisdom from God to interpret dreams, and he interprets King Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams on several occasions each time giving glory and honor to God and not to himself or the king. He becomes a friend of the king. Then his friends get thrown into a fiery furnace because they won’t bow down to a 90 foot statue of the king.

Main Points

• Like Daniel we all face difficulties and pressures of life. We are tempted to deny our faith and run from persecution and pain.
• How do you deny God, maybe even in small things? Money? Being two different people at work/school and church? With your language? Doubt?
• Daniel possessed this bold faith and was able to stand firm because he fully trusted and relied upon God to be good and faithful. He did not trust in himself, but God. We are called to do the same.

How to Develop Bold Faith

1. Pray
2. Read the Bible
3. Do what the Bible says

For Further Study/Growth

• Ask God this week to reveal to you ways that you are holding back, doubting or not completely trusting or relying on Him in certain areas of your life.
• Take one hour and read Daniel chapters 1-6 to read about his faith and dependence on God.
• Read Paul’s words on standing firm in the faith in Ephesians 6 and Philippians 4.

Chicago Youth Mission Trip in Review

From June 21-27 fifty of our high school students and adult leaders traveled to Chicago to give their time and resources to three different organizations.  This was the largest youth mission trip in the history of Southwood.  God did some amazing things through the dedication and sacrifice of our youth and adult leaders.  We partnered with Bethel New Life, The Night Ministry and two Head Start Preschools.  We spent the majority of our time at the North Austin Head Start in Chicago.  This preschool is in the middle of one of the poorest neighborhoods in Chicago and it has the highest crime rate.  To our surprise the preschool is housed in an old Lutheran Church.  At this location we painted three classrooms, a hallway and four bathrooms.  We also landscaped, weeded, planted flowers and painted their exterior fence.  All told, we used 22 gallons of paint, 15 bags of mulch and cleared out about 10 large bags of trash.  We paid for everything so that the Head Start would not have any expenses.  As we left this site, we gave them a gift of $400 so that they can purchase and install new custom blinds in the classrooms as well.  It was a blessing to be able to serve the students and administration of this great school.

Our second site was the Trinidad neighborhood in Chicago.  At this head start location, which was also housed in a church, we dodged thunderstorms as we did an afternoons worth of landscaping, trimming and planting flowers.  The exterior of this school/church was totally transformed by the work of our students and adult leaders.  Again, we paid for all of the flowers and mulch so that the preschool had zero expense.

On Monday and Thursday we spent time at Bethel New Life and The Night Ministry respectively.  At Bethel New Life we cleaned up an acre of city block so that they can begin work on a Community Garden in the near future.  It was hot and dirty work, but well worth our time and effort.  At The Night Ministry our students packed hundreds of hygienic totes, over 7,000 cookies and over 10,000 condoms for homeless and low income residents of inner city Chicago.

The experience was outstanding and our students grew together as a group and in their faith in Jesus.  We shared meals together and had nightly teaching and worship.  Our housing was at the International House of the University of Chicago, so our students had a real urban, college-like mission experience.  All told, we contributed about 1,250 volunteer hours to these three organizations during our week.  God is good!

Chip Urhmacher
Director of Youth Ministries

People of God: The Transformation of Jacob

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Based on: Genesis 32:22-30 (Good News Bible)

Who is Jacob?

• Jacob is Isaac’s son and Abraham’s grandson.  He is a member of God’s covenant family.
• Jacob is a trickster, deceiver and coward.
• Jacob comes out of the womb wrestling his brother.  He grabs Esau’s ankle.
• He steals his brother Esau’s birth right.
• He is 100 years old in this story and is coming back to his brother Esau after 20 years and is terrified.

What Happens in Genesis 32?

• Jacob wrestles with God—Jesus.
• Jacob loses, is injured and Jesus changes His name from Jacob to Israel.
• Jacob gives control of his life to Jesus and is forever changed - he received a new identity.

Why does it matter?  How do our lives intersect with Jacob’s?

• First, we are all on a spiritual journey with God and He is pursuing and calling us.
• Second, Jesus transforms us and gives us a new name and identity!  We are no longer just sinners who are far from God, we are His children!  We are His own—new creations in Him.
• Third, God is God and we are not.  We cannot be greater than God. We cannot win in a wrestling match with God.
• Finally, all is not resolved just because we are God’s and have a new identity.

For Further Study

• Read the rest of the story in Genesis 33–35. What happens between Jacob and Esau?
• Listen to another sermon on Jacob  www.marshillchurch.org/media/genesis/jacob-wrestles-god
• Pray for God’s guidance and direction this week.  In what ways are you wrestling and struggling with God?  How do you try to control you life?  What areas of your life do you need to give over to God?

Pentecost

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Messaged based on Acts 2:1-4; 14-24

Pentecost is not just a historical event 2,000 years ago, but the effects of Pentecost (outpouring of the Holy Spirit) happen every day and impact our faith and lives as Christians.

What is Pentecost and Why Is It Important?

• First, Pentecost is when Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to baptize the Church so that His mission could be completed on the earth.
• Second, it is important because it is the fulfillment of the Old and New Testament prophecies.
  • Joel 2:28
  • John 14:12
  • Acts 1:4-8
• Third, Pentecost is the continuation of the ministry of Jesus.

The Role of the Holy Spirit Today

•   Regeneration - 2 Corinthians 5:17
• Boldness - example of Peter
• Joy - Acts 3-4
• Power - Acts 3-4

If you have not received the gift of the Holy Spirit
and have not been made new, ask!

Luke 11:13 says: “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

All Christians should live in the new life, boldness, joy and power that the Holy Spirit brings!

For Further Study/Reflection

• Using a concordance do a word study on the Holy Spirit throughout the bible.
• Read Acts 3-4 to see what happened to the church after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
• Invite the Holy Spirit into your life and to guide and empower you throughout your prayer time this week.
• Go to http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/campus-media/filled-with-the-holy-spirit listen to the sermon about the person and work of the Holy Spirit.