Village Church Audio

ADVANCE - 13: How do we find contentment in life? Millions of dollars have been made in the self-help industry telling people how to find true fulfillment and contentment in a world defined by discontentment. Many are bored or frustrated while having more access to education, knowledge, food, and entertainment than any other time in history. The "secret" - many self-help writers say - is to look inside yourself, tap into your inner potential, and think positive. In this final passage of Philippians Paul offers the real and only secret to contentment.

ADVANCE - 12: This passage of scripture helps us to understand that an intimate relationship with Christ can help us overcome anxiety and relational strife. We can find peace and a joy that the world doesn't understand. In the power of Christ we can find true joy. We can take one step past happiness!

ADVANCE - 11: Some people functionally relate to Jesus in the following way: I trust you to forgive me of my sins but don't trust you with much else. We look forward to being with Jesus when we die, but aren't that interested in spending time with him in this life. This is a deeply disturbing reality and once that should not go unchecked. Paul counters this form of Christianity by discussing sanctification, and lists a few practical ways we can grow and mature in our faith. He also discusses where sanctification ends: glorification, the transforming of ourselves into the image of Jesus at the end of time.

ADVANCE - 10: Why are we so easily satisfied and content with where we are at in our relationship with God? In this sermon we explore one major reason this is the case: we tend to relate to God primarily out of what we do for him, trying to earn his favour, instead of what He has done for us. We stay away from certain movies, share Jesus with our friends, and obey a list of rules and then think God owes us, instead of focusing on getting more of God. This is precisely what Paul is addressing in the Philippians church, and he says if you say salvation is found in Jesus plus anything you ruin everything. Jesus is enough. But do we live like that?

ADVANCE - 9: It takes a village to raise a child. In this passage Paul explores two examples of godliness and fearless courage which give way to practical teachings for our day about mature Christians pouring their lives into newer Christians, and how we are to view Christianity as a messy war instead of a white-collar tennis match. All of this is talked about with an eye to judgment day when Jesus will return and our whole life lived will be assessed starting with whether we have believed in Him for eternal life.

ADVANCE - 8: Popular culture and different religions give different visions of salvation. The television show Lost recently gave a vision of salvation where we choose what it looks like and who we spend eternity with. Some Christians speak of salvation as simply about going to Heaven when they die. In this passage Paul says salvation is not only something that has future implications but present ones. That salvation is to be experienced with fear and reverence of God, instead of treating him like our Facebook friend, and that all this must translate in living missional lives.

ADVANCE - 7: Many are surprised at the Biblical solution to stress, anxiety, division and a whole host of other problems: Humility. This is because humility counteracts pride, and is a sin which undergirds our idolatry (trusting ourselves instead of God). In one of the deepest theological sections of Philippians Paul gives us a peek into the mystery of what it meant for God to become human in Jesus - showing us both the best example of humility and the means by which to attain it.

ADVANCE - 6: When it comes to spiritual things you're either moving forward or backward. There really is no middle ground. So as we strive to move forward as a church and as individuals the key is not being better, not being more talented, not being the most spiritual but surprisingly enough the key to "advancing" is just the opposite of what you might think.

ADVANCE - 5: You are going to die. There's nothing you can do about it. No matter how much you work out, how well you eat, and how many vitamins you take, one day you will die. The question is not if but when and more importantly, "then what?" What happens after we die? Different world-views give different answers: nothing happens, we reincarnate, we become gods, we all go to heaven. The list is endless, but the Bible says all these answers are wrong. So what are the options? This sermon is about dying, how not to waste your death, and how to live life to the full.

ADVANCE - 4: One of the biggest questions we face in life is what to think about suffering. Philosophically it has been deemed the hardest question for Christianity to answer: Why would a good God allow suffering? This sermon explores the deep waters of suffering and the sovereignty of God and contrasts a theology of suffering offered by the Bible with therapies of suffering offered by our culture ("there is no evil", "there is no God", "God is not all powerful", and "God is not all-knowing"). In the end will we waste our suffering, or use it to help conform us into the image of Jesus?

ADVANCE - 3: Joy is the most motivating factor in our lives. It's the reason we do the things we do. We have an infinite desire for joy and happiness built within us. The problems of our lives stem from trying to meet that infinite desire with things like religion, relationships, children, and an endless amount of products that we think will enhance our lives. But they don't. This sermon explores why that is, and where true joy and fulfillment in life is found.

ADVANCE - 2: Paul begins Philippians by clearly laying out the three kinds of people who form the local church, back then and still to this day: committed church members, deacons and elders/pastors. What is the biblical expectation on these three types of people in the church? We discuss highly debated and controversial issues - mostly revolving around male leadership in the home and the church. We also present how the calling of Jesus on men interfaces with our culture's treatment of them.

ADVANCE - 1: The Philippian church started with three people who couldn't be more different: Lydia, a wealthy, religious, and empty entrepreneur; a slave girl who was bitter, oppressed, and angry; and a Roman jailer who was indifferent and cruel. In this sermon we explore how Jesus changed all three even through their issues with riches, demons and a hardened heart, while reflecting on how he continues to do the same thing today in the face of these relevant modern challenges.

The Jesus Scandals - 10: Did Jesus of Nazareth really rise from the dead? There are two responses to this question - belief or skepticism. In regard to the skeptic we engage alternative views of Jesus' resurrection (the disciples as gullible or conspirators, the swoon theory). To those who believe, we explore how the empty tomb helps us face the challenges and pain of this life. We also consider Jesus' invitation for all to believe in Him, so as to live even beyond our own death. Such is the final scandal of this series... the scandal of the resurrection.

The Jesus Scandals - 9: The centre of the centre of the whole Bible, the gospel and world history is the death of Jesus Christ. Many have seen the historical telling of His crucifixion in movies like the Jesus Film, and the Passion of the Christ, but in order to understand why Jesus died we must reflect on the meaning of His death. In this sermon we explore the questions: what did the death of Jesus accomplish and how? And why does the New Testament claim that it is the most scandalous event of all time?