Mountain Christian Church | Sermons

Force of Habit | Lust

We were all created for love. But what happens when that human desire for connection and acceptance goes unmet? How does it so easily distort our sexuality and drive us to dark places? What should we do with these fantasies and temptations- Even if it's just in our minds?
 
Lust. Porn, one night stands, wandering eyes... Our culture says that this is normal.
"Get what's yours- It's not hurting anyone!"
But we are called to another standard that holds love as the highest truth. Lust changes the way that we view people and causes us to be “ruler” over others... that's not love. Love is giving, lust is taking. Love honors the other person, lust diminishes the person and turns them into an “object."
We are called to be people that LIVE DIFFERENTLY, to love and to serve others. Together, there is hope to escape lust's grip as a force of habit.

Force of Habit | Unhealthy Escapes

When you’re feeling bad, sad or mad where do you turn? Life is hard. In the middle of the stress, difficulty, and trauma we tend to look for some kind of relief… we look for an escape. And occasionally we all need some of relief. We all need a break. Jesus did too. Escapes start innocently enough and they seem to promise to make it all be OK, but they never actually provide the relief that we’re looking for… but we keep trying, and then they escalate. When you need relief, Jesus says come to me. When you’re stressed out, Jesus says come to me. Will you let Jesus be enough?

Force of Habit | Anger

When anger wins… we do things we regret. We silo ourselves. Nothing good happens when anger wins. We can feel anger, but we CAN’T let it win. 
You don’t need to be handcuffed by your anger, but counseling without submission to Christ, will not truly transform us. We need to fully surrender EVERYTHING to Jesus.
Jesus can heal and change us from the inside out as we surrender our spirit of “flesh” to the Spirit of God. Are you ready to break and replace the bad habits that are holding you back from God’s best? 

Force of Habit | Pride

We are what we repeatedly do. Habits shape us. They form our future. It may not seem like a big deal if we have a habit of biting our nails or licking our lips, as annoying as that can be. But outbursts of anger, incessant worrying, lusting at pornography, patterns of lying, running to unhealthy escapes or working so much it messes with your health and relationships -- that’s something else. These and other bad habits can unravel our joy, damage relationships, and block us from God. Jesus invites us to a beautiful life free of destructive habits. But first we have to be willing to go deep. Learning to look beneath the surface of the symptoms to the root cause of our bad habits unlocks the key to change. Jesus can heal and change us from the inside out as we surrender our spirit of “flesh” to the Spirit of God. Are you ready to break and replace the bad habits that are holding you back from God’s best?
 
This series will look at a different habit each week, and identify ways it may be a bad habit in us that is stealing our life and needs to be replaced. Then we will turn to scripture to see how the Lord can graciously help us replace the habit with something better.

Stand | Stand at Work

What does God’s word say about work? How should Christians think of their jobs? What is our VOCATION and how does it differ from our OCCUPATION? 
Let’s lay out a quick overview of a theology of work, productivity, retirement, and service of God -- so that we know how to STAND at Work.

Stand | Stand Strong

 
As a Christ follower you see a future with Jesus. And that future with Jesus should shape your life right now as you are reading this. It should create something in you that transforms you, renews you—the way that you think and the way that you act in this life. You’re not just waiting to punch your ticket to heaven, you’re looking for tangible ways to bring heaven to Earth—at your workplace, in your neighborhood, to your school and among your friends. You’ll have this energetic holiness you can’t help but show to people, and when you do, there will be opposition and persecution. And while the opposition may be strong… the love of Christ is stronger. If you’re going to walk with Christ you have to get your faith strong so when the opposition comes you can STAND STRONG.

Stand | Stand Firm

How do you react when suffering comes? Maybe you're going through a struggle right now. Maybe you've prayed that God would take it away but it's still with you. Peter says sometimes God takes those things away, sometimes He helps you get over it, or around it, and sometimes He just takes you right through it.Peter wants to help us see we have to STAND FIRM. Life's not always easy, it's a call to perseverance. In his letter in 1 Peter, he is trying to help his readers suffer well. To continue to live well and walk with Christ, who also suffered, and find encouragement in that.When others are running for cover from the storm, you are called to STAND FIRM, just like Jesus did. Sometimes we have to stand under it in order to get through it.

Stand | Stand Together

When we think about the church and the life that Jesus has called us to inevitably it is against the grain and it causes us to stand out. But when we’re unified and we’re doing it with others like us it not only has a great impact but it is a reflection of what unity looks like to the world.
For today's message, Mountain welcomes Joshua Symonette, former NFL Safety for the Washington Football Team and Teaching Paster at National Community Church in Washington, D.C., to share a message on unity. Joshua and his family are planting a new church, Hope Baltimore, launching September 2021. Check out more details about Hope Baltimore at WeAreHopeBaltimore.com.

Stand | Stand Out

Peter. The most famous among all those that Jesus invited to follow him when he was on earth. He was the most noted, the most quoted. He lived with a certain intensity. Ultimately it was his boldness that, through the Spirit, was the catalyst for the Jesus movement taking off and just exploding all over the world. If there’s anyone who should be coaching up other Jesus followers, if there’s anyone who has the authority to teach or who knows what it means and what it takes to carry on the legacy of what’s come before, it’s Peter. Do you feel like an Olympian? Probably not athletically. But in any other sense, do you feel dominant--like you’re crushing it in life, or some area of life? Are you among the elite in school, or your career? Are you succeeding in relationships, friendships? Exceeding expectations as a parent or a spouse? Scoring high marks for thoughtfulness and patience and understanding and promise-keeping? Many people are. But many people probably not. All of that was just about you as an individual. But as a group of people who are part of this ‘Jesus movement’, the Church, a community and movement of people that collectively shares a calling from Jesus - as the Father has sent me, so I’m sending you all, Jesus said. So the question is: Do we feel like we’re succeeding in what we’ve been sent to do?

An M.O. Like MO | The Moses School of Leadership

When looking at the life of Moses, many relevant and practical lessons in leadership emerge. Moses models a leadership that is defined by following the Lord's way, but he certainly learned on the job!From trusting God to provide, to planning for succession. From to handling complaints and criticism, to sharing the load. From simply doing things the right way, to this overarching theme of being a person who fights to be led by God in all of it. Whether we are leading ourselves or others, we can all learn something from the Moses School of Leadership.