http://bible.com/events/608342
April 28
More Than Me: More Hope

John 10:10 (The Message)  
We are living in between two tensions:
The wonder of ME….
-I am a miracle of God
-I am created with gifts, talents & abilities
-I am created in the image of God
The problem of ME…
-Sin separates me from God
-Sin prevents me from experiencing God’s best for my life today

“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” Augustine

Romans 5:1-5 (NIV)
Peace with God….
-The opposite of justification is condemnation
-Condemnation is what we deserved because of sin
-Justification means we are made righteous

Access to God…
-We used to depend on what we can do for ourselves
-Now we depend on what God can do for us

Hope of the glory of God….
-Things I place my hope in…
Who I Am (My abilities)
What I Do (My accomplishments)
My People (My relationships)
My Stuff (My finances, possessions, etc)
-The reality: ME has no real capacity to hope
Our hope is not founded in me
Our hope is founded in God’s Glory

Peace with God – takes care of the past
Access to God – addresses the present
Hope of the glory of God – speaks to the future

Romans 5:3-4

Suffering
-Suffering seems contradictory to hope, but suffering is actually a gateway to HOPE
-“Hope itself is like a star – not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity.” -Charles Spurgeon

Perseverance
-When you are willing to endure, resistance builds strength

Character
-Through suffering something beautiful is produced
-“Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted” Matthew 5:4

Hope
-Hope is the product of something else – it doesn’t appear out of nowhere.
Suffering
Perseverance
Character
Hope

Romans 5:5 
The Hope of ME can fail
The Hope of God cannot fail

http://bible.com/events/605161
The wonder….ME
I am miracle
I am created by God and made in His Image

The problem….ME
There is something broken within us. 
In our human-ness and in our frailty: There is a wrestling, there is an emptiness, & there is a brokenness within. 

Ultimately this life is about more than ME….more than what I can accomplish on my own.  

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:1-3 

The problem of ME is really the problem of SIN.
-acts of sin
-nature of sin

‭‭John‬ ‭10:10‬ ‭‬‬

Jesus isn’t speaking of simply being alive, but what FILLS our life

o Symptoms of a taste of death
▪ constant worry, fear, anxiety)
▪ we can’t be ourselves….we have to hide
▪ we lack true joy

Ephesians 2:4-5

In His mercy, He does not give us what we do deserve, and in His grace He gives us what we do not deserve.  

This life is possible when we recognize it’s beyond ME, it’s only found in Christ

More Than Me begins with a prayer…
1. “I can’t do it” (It’s more than Me, more than what I can do on my own)
2. “God, you can do it” (God is capable…He CAN fill us with real life now and for eternity) 
3. “I turn from DEATH” (the taste of death I am currently experiencing…the worry, shame, fear…I REPENT and turn from that life)
4. “God, fill me with your LIFE” (Only God can bring me true life)

http://bible.com/events/600832
Let’s share the following for ‘show notes’ for this week.

1. This Friday night at 7:00pm, we’re a having a Good Friday worship service. We hope you’ll join us this week as we reflect on the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made for us.
2. On Saturday at 2pm, our children’s ministry is hosting an Easter Egg Hunt. We are still accepting candy donations for the eggs in the foyer or just outside of Kid’s City. You can register online for the egg hunt and we recommend you do so. abeaconofhope.churchcenter.com/registrations
3. On Easter Sunday, we will have one additional worship service at 7:30am. All of our other service times will stay the same. If you have been thinking about serving at HFCN, Easter Sunday is about the best day we can think of to start. Let us know and we’ll work with you to find the right spot for you. Thank you!
cotnaz.org
abeaconofhope.churchcenter.com/giving
abeaconofhope.churchcenter.com/registrations
info@cotnaz.org. 540.434.1092

The Uncomfortable Jesus: The Adulterous Woman

John 8:1-11
Consider the woman….
She would be forever branded by the worst thing she ever did: “the adulterous woman”
She was guilty and everyone, including her, knows it. And yet….Jesus loves her.  

Consider the religious leaders…
-An authority issue
They saw their role as authorities in the law, standing watch, investigating, watching, ready to pounce with unforgiving punishment.
Any authority which is solely concerned with punishment is a wrong authority.  
-An attitude issue
They didn’t see a person, but rather a thing. To them, the woman had no name, no story, no feelings.
The love of Jesus compels us to see people first…In spite of their past, and no matter what they’ve done.

A GOSPEL OF GRACE AND TRUTH  ‭‭John‬ ‭1:14‬ ‭
GOSPEL OF GRACE
Jesus is not dismissing sin, He is withholding judgement.  
Jesus is always interested NOT in what you have been, but in what you CAN BE.
It’s not that the past doesn’t matter, but just as you have had a past, you HAVE a future.

GOSPEL OF TRUTH
Jesus didn’t pretend that what she did was okay.  
Jesus simply said, “go and sin no more.”
He is speaking a vision over her life that she didn’t even know was possible.

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭103:10-12‬ ‭
All are welcome to the table as Jesus says “Go and leave your life of sin”

This series continues to challenge us in a big way, as we look at some very difficult teaching by our Lord and Savior, Jesus.  Let’s grow together. Thank you for joining us in the journey as we look more closely at our wee little friend, Zacchaeus.
http://bible.com/events/591245