The Well: Sermon Audio

On the heels of a perceived backfire in chapter 5, Moses and the Israelites quickly fall into despair that God's plan for rescue and redemption had failed. We come to learn in chapter 6 that the reason for their disbelief and disappointment was based on a misunderstanding of who God is. They believed God was almighty and powerful, but they couldn't grasp the idea that He is faithful. We'll see God reassure Moses and the Israelites – as well as us – that the hope of our deliverance rests on a renewed understanding of God's true name, "Yahweh" – the covenant-keeping God who not only makes promises of redemption, but fully keeps them. [Video File] [Audio File]

On the heels of a perceived backfire in chapter 5, Moses and the Israelites quickly fall into despair that God's plan for rescue and redemption had failed. We come to learn in chapter 6 that the reason for their disbelief and disappointment was based on a misunderstanding of who God is. They believed God was almighty and powerful, but they couldn't grasp the idea that He is faithful. We'll see God reassure Moses and the Israelites – as well as us – that the hope of our deliverance rests on a renewed understanding of God's true name, "Yahweh" – the covenant-keeping God who not only makes promises of redemption, but fully keeps them. [Video File] [Audio File]

God wanted to teach Moses humility, obedience and dependence. After being in the wilderness for 40 years, it is apparent Moses has learned humility, and in saying what God told him to say to Pharaoh, it appears he had also learned obedience. But was he dependent? Pharaoh increased the work and hardship of the Israelites, trying to squash their hope. It’s what Moses did next that showed he was slowly learning dependence on God. When he had nowhere left to turn, Moses cried out to the Lord in his despair. [Video File] [Audio File]

God wanted to teach Moses humility, obedience and dependence. After being in the wilderness for 40 years, it is apparent Moses has learned humility, and in saying what God told him to say to Pharaoh, it appears he had also learned obedience. But was he dependent? Pharaoh increased the work and hardship of the Israelites, trying to squash their hope. It’s what Moses did next that showed he was slowly learning dependence on God. When he had nowhere left to turn, Moses cried out to the Lord in his despair. [Video File] [Audio File]

How do followers of God, surrounded by paganism, enter into their community to influence and shape it? We’ll look at how the Jews did just that in Babylon, and what it could look like in our context if we truly believe God strategically places us where we are so we would take initiative to seek the welfare of the cities he has placed us in. [Video File] [Audio File]

How do followers of God, surrounded by paganism, enter into their community to influence and shape it? We’ll look at how the Jews did just that in Babylon, and what it could look like in our context if we truly believe God strategically places us where we are so we would take initiative to seek the welfare of the cities he has placed us in. [Video File] [Audio File]

When Moses was in the wilderness, he likely felt like he had been forsaken. Yet he was right were God wanted him to be. Even in the wilderness, God was with Moses, working in his life. Through his fear and insecurity, Moses learns obedience and dependence on God, who was preparing him for his calling all along. And if we will learn to walk in God’s strength, recognizing He is doing a work in our lives, then God can use as in incredible ways as well. [Video File] [Audio File]

When Moses was in the wilderness, he likely felt like he had been forsaken. Yet he was right were God wanted him to be. Even in the wilderness, God was with Moses, working in his life. Through his fear and insecurity, Moses learns obedience and dependence on God, who was preparing him for his calling all along. And if we will learn to walk in God’s strength, recognizing He is doing a work in our lives, then God can use as in incredible ways as well. [Video File] [Audio File]

At the age of 40, Moses was at the peak of his leadership ability. On paper, he seemed to fulfill every human requirement we would expect in a true deliverer. But he was lacking the one thing needed to bring about Israel's redemption: God. So God, in His grace, leads Moses out on a painful 40-year journey into the wilderness to learn some necessary lessons on humility and dependence. In this message, we'll learn about the futility of trying to lean on our own strength to bring about rescue and redemption in our lives. We'll examine our own wilderness journeys and how God uses them to lovingly break us of our dependence upon ourselves so that in our weakness His power can be magnified. [Video File] [Audio File]

At the age of 40, Moses was at the peak of his leadership ability. On paper, he seemed to fulfill every human requirement we would expect in a true deliverer. But he was lacking the one thing needed to bring about Israel's redemption: God. So God, in His grace, leads Moses out on a painful 40-year journey into the wilderness to learn some necessary lessons on humility and dependence. In this message, we'll learn about the futility of trying to lean on our own strength to bring about rescue and redemption in our lives. We'll examine our own wilderness journeys and how God uses them to lovingly break us of our dependence upon ourselves so that in our weakness His power can be magnified. [Video File] [Audio File]

God chose to wait 430 years to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt. Could He have delivered them on the first day? Yes. But He chose not to. So where was God in the calamity – the slavery and infanticide of the male babies being thrown into the river? He was there, in the midst of it all. Even in calamity and tragedy and horror, God is still God, and God is still good. He’s in control and doing something, even if we can’t see or understand it. He was well aware of their plight and ours. He has not forgotten His people, and we need to learn to trust Him in every circumstance. [Video File] [Audio File]

Why does God allow suffering? Where is He in the midst of difficulty? The Israelites wondered the same things as they encountered the slavery and genocide. The book of Exodus shows us a bigger picture of a God who loves His people through their struggles and redeems them from the slavery they faced in Egypt, mirroring our story today of the same God who loves and redeems us from our slavery of sin and suffering. [Video File] [Audio File]

Racial reconciliation is a gospel imperative. We are in the middle of one of the most controversial situations we have seen in our generation. Yes, we have come a long way, but we have a long way left to go. So how do we live the ongoing visible expression of the gospel in our community? As the church, we need to embrace the authority of Christ and the authority of the Scriptures, because ethnic diversity is an expression of the image of God, and we are all of equal value in His eyes. [Video File] [Audio File]

The way you live your life authenticates your faith. How are you getting involved with what God is doing in our city? Becoming a literacy mentor to help kids learn to read by third grade can change the trajectory of people’s entire lives, as they are more likely to finish high school and college, and less likely to be incarcerated. Faith without works is dead. Whether it’s helping with literacy or something else, how are others recognizing you by your faith? Current Statistics Fresno Unified Demographics Hispanic 67% Asian 12% White 11% African-American 9% Other 1% Our Third Graders 53% of all third graders are reading below grade level Of that 53%, 61% of those kids parents DO NOT have a high school diploma Of that 53%, 72% of those kids are English learners (English is their second language) Of that 53%, 56% of those kids live in poverty Poverty/High School Graduation by Zip Code 93706 (SW Fresno) 41% of adults 25 years and older DO NOT have a high school diploma (43% of this zip code lives in poverty) 93701 (Central Fresno) 54% of adults 25 years and older DO NOT have a high school diploma (61% of this zip code lives in poverty) 93702 (SE Fresno) 57% of adults 25 years and older DO NOT have a high school diploma (50% of this zip code lives in poverty) 93720 (NE Fresno) 7% of adults 25 years and older DO NOT have a high school diploma (7% of this zip code lives in poverty) Information provided by the Fresno County Office of Education. [Video File] [Audio File]

The idea of orphan care and adoption is at the very center of our Christian theology. Our very testimonies reflect the love and mercy of our heavenly Father who stepped into the world orphanage we once lived in to rescue and redeem us back into His family. Yet this theology of adoption is not a mere metaphor for our relationship with God; it is a true, living vertical grace that is meant to transform us and spill over into a horizontal grace toward the orphans around us. In this message we'll look at how God's adoption of His church is connected to the various ways we're meant to care for and rescue the nearly 18 million orphans living in this world, including approximately 2,000 of those living in Fresno. [Video File] [Audio File]