How can I find peace, contentment, and joy?

Text: Philippians 4:4-19 NLT

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The Main Points (click to tweet):

• Peace and contentment lead toward joy.
• As long as you focus your life on earthly things, contentment will be fleeting and joy will be out of your grasp.
• It is the person and work of Jesus Christ who enables you to have peace and contentment and joy.
  • You begin to walk toward a contented life as you submit to Jesus as God and King, as you serve him who died to save you, and as you trust him whose grace and power is sufficient to meet all your needs.
  • Essentially, Focus your life on Jesus!

Action Step:

• Take one thing you think will result in you finding happiness, surrender it to God, and submit your life to Jesus.

Let Justice Roll: The Freedom to Care

The stats are in: there are a whole lot of people struggling in Pincher Creek--and in every community! People are struggling financially, they are struggling to balance making a living and caring for their children, and are struggling to deal with their grief at the loss of loved ones. Yet, while they are in need of our care, what are we busying ourselves with instead?

Some of us are one of those stats: we need to know Jesus cares deeply about us.

Some of us are just stressed out thinking about how to get ahead or next big thing or secure for future: Jesus offers a better way.

Others of us feel like there’s nothing we can do: but Jesus will give you what you need to make a difference.

Read: Amos 6:1-8, 12 (NLT)

Israel was looking down on the other nations’ failures and they thought they were better than them; the Israelites were pursuing lavish living, even as nation was corroding under them; the Israelites placed their trust in wealth, in size, and in fortresses. We may be tempted to look down on them for all of this, but if you really look at yourself and at our culture, you may see more of this attitude and behaviour in you than you care to admit!

When your trust is in material things, it’s all you can do to keep them. When your trust is in Jesus, you’re freed to pursue godly righteousness and justice.

Jesus’ death and resurrection did what you can never do for yourself.
Jesus’ death and resurrection brings a perfect hope greater than all your failures
Jesus’ death and resurrection begins to change your desires
Jesus’ death and resurrection provides you with the ability to pursue righteousness and justice.

Action Steps:

• Put your trust in Jesus
•  Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how your lifestyle is contributing to injustice and poverty and what you can do instead to fight for justice.

“May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships so that you may live deep within your heart.  May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.  May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.  And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in the world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done to bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.  Amen.”

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Faux Pas: The Socially Acceptable Class of Sinning. Message #1, Materialism

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Pastor Stephen returns from vacation with a brand-new series about the sins that we don't always consider sins. This week, he challenges us on the sin of materialism.

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