Northplace Church Podcast

Affluenza: 1. a pseudo-psychological condition defined as the inability of an individual to understand the consequences of their actions because of their social status or economic privilege. (i.e. Ethan Couch) 2. a social condition that arises from the desire to be more wealthy or successful. (i.e. most Americans)Jesus could not have been any clearer on what we should be doing with what we have. His teaching on the subject can be summarized like this: It's not how much you have that matters. It's what you do with what you have that will count either for you or against you in the kingdom of heaven.

If you have put your faith in Christ, you are not a slave; you are a son. You are not a slave; you are a daughter of the King. But because most of us don't truly understand what the Gospel promises, we live our lives like religious slaves instead of living our lives with assurances the love of God gives us as His children.Your identity is made up of the combination of your self-image and your self-worth. On the other hand, your self-worth comes from the things that make you feel significant, worthy, and confident in your value. So what kind of identity do we need? What kind of identity is stable, secure, and lasting? We need someone from the outside to name us--to GIVE us our identity.

Approval of Others + My Performance = My Self-Worth/Image/Identity.Here’s what this formula produces in us:1. Fear of failure2. Fear of rejection3. Fear of punishment4. ShameThese 4 things are the byproduct of living our lives performing to gain approval and letting other people’s opinions determine our self-worth. These are 4 lies that govern us when we don’t understand the gospel. These lies negatively shape our self-worth, the way we perceive God and the way we relate to other people. God’s response to these lies are profound theological truths anchored in his character and in the gospel. If we can get our heads and hearts around these truths, it would change everythingfor us.

Your thoughts affect your emotional, relational, and spiritual development. And so many of our emotional, relational, and life problems are rooted in our wrong assumptions, perceptions, and beliefs about love and acceptance. We haven’t fully grasped the way God loves us.Most people going to church every Sunday don’t really understand the gospel. They’re more influenced by religious traditions that have been handed down from one generation to the next. And in many places our religious and church traditions are in conflict with the real gospel."Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalm 23:6 This is an emphatic promise--a bold declaration: The goodness and mercy of God WILL follow you every single day of your life.

For some of us, we reached what we thought was the dream, but it doesn't feel as magical as we pictured it. For some of us, it feels like the dream is constantly ever-so slightly outside of our grasp. For some of us, the dream is dormant. We've let defeat and frustration bring us to a place where giving up on the dream felt like a better option than waiting for it to happen the way we thought it was going to happen.1 Corinthians 2:9 "But as it is written, 'No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love Him.'"Not what you've prepared. Not what you've concocted. But what God has prepared for those who love Him. When you finish living out your dreams, when you finally step into what you've been called to step into, will people be talking about you or will they be talking about Him?

One of the consequences of sin is alienation. Not just alienation from God, but also from each other. In the Bible, relationship restoration is often referred to as "reconciliation." When lived out, the gospel has the power to restore us to each other. "For Christ Himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in His own body on the cross, He broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in Himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of His death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death." Ephesians 2:14-16 If being transformed by the gospel produced this forgiving, reconciling culture in the early church, what does that say to us as Christians today?

Do you believe that when you die, you're going to rot? That this world is all you have? That one day the sun is going to burn out and civilization is going to be gone and nobody will remember anything anybody's ever done? Or do you believe what John writes about in Revelation 21:"He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All things are gone forever. And the one sitting on the throne said 'Look, I am making everything new!'"When you study the narrative of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, the central theme of scripture is Restoration. When sin entered the world, the perfection and paradise God had established for His people was shattered. We see all throughout scripture God's plan to restore His people--to undo the curse of sin. When you understand God's design to restore, it produces a hope for you that can't be found anywhere else in the world. It's not an abstract idea. It's a real, living,

If you study the activity of God through history--His character and nature--you will notice that it's during dark times, like what we may be experiencing in our time, that God interrupts the course of human events in destiny defining ways. When things looks darkest--even hopeless--these are the moments when God intervenes. In the Bible we see God, through the prophet Amos, promise restoration:Amos 9:13-14 "'The time will come,' says the Lord, 'when the grain and grapes will grow faster than they can be harvested. Then the terraced vineyards on the hills of Israel will drip with sweet wine! I will bring my exiled people of Israel back from distant lands, and they will rebuild their ruined cities and live in them again. They will plant vineyards and gardens; they will eat their crops and drink their wine.'"God reveals something to us about himself in this book--He gives promises of acceleration and restoration. So what does that look like for each of us in the seasons we'

What if you’ve obeyed, been faithful, done everything right, and still nothing happens? What if your prayers are still not answered? What if there is no healing? What if there’s no breakthrough or miracle?During their Babylonian captivity, King Nebuchadnezzar created a statue, turning it into a god, and making a decree that all the people in his kingdom must bow down before it. However, three young Hebrew men that had been taken captive, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, refused to bow. Nebuchadnezzar is furious and goes into a rage. And in the public square, before all the people at the statue, he gives the Hebrew boys one more chance to bow and warns them that if they do not bow, the Babylonians will throw them into a blazing furnace.Here’s the response from these young men to a powerful and wicked king:Daniel 3:16-18 NLT16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to s

At first glance, it’s not all that profound. It says this in Luke 9:15 ESV: “And they did so...” You’ll probably never hear another person refer to this verse as a life verse. As a matter of fact, you may never hear another sermon preached from this particular verse of scripture. Doesn’t seem all that powerful, does it? But when you realize who “they” are, when you see what “they” did, and the circumstances in which they did it, you’ll begin to understand: The Power of Irrational ObedienceLooking at the verse in context, this passage is about the famous “feeding of the 5000.” One of the most well-known miracles of Jesus. This story is included in all 4 gospels. It’s the only miracle of Jesus besides the resurrection that is told in all 4 gospels (Which should tell us something about its significance).

When Jesus left the splendor of heaven to walk the earth in human form, he had two primary motives. The first was to show us the image of God. As God in the flesh, he came to reveal God’s love, character, compassion, and nature. Second, he came to show us what it looks like to be human in a way that honors God.  The second part is very relevant for the church today, showing us what it means to be human. Jesus came to show us the nature of God, and He came to show us how to be human.  We have a phrase in English that most use (or hear used) so often I don’t think we realize how odd the term is. We’re so familiar with it that we don’t think about it. We just say it. The phrase is “Pay Attention.” Have you ever thought about that phrase? We talk about “paying” attention to people or “paying” attention to details, or “paying” attention to the things of God. Paying for something means a transaction is taking place. When you “pay” for something, you exchange some form of currency for something of value. Your attent