Bible Teaching

The Bible, as the inspired and literal Word of God, is the ultimate authority - the owner's manual to faith and life. Holy, infallible and relevant, the Bible speaks truth and power into our daily lives.

At NorthRidge Fellowship you'll find straight talk, straight from God's Word. Our Sunday sermons and weekly Bible classes are culturally relevant, true to God's teaching and delivered in language meaningful to everyone, whether you are just beginning to explore the Bible or you're a long-time student of the scripture.

Living Free - Matthew 5:3-12

Are you living free today? I think most of us would say, "Hey, I'm an American! Of course I am free.", but are you really? What do you mean by that? For most people freedom means, "I can do what I want when I want." or the corollary "Nobody can tell me what to do." That is an inadequate definition. That kind of freedom has destroyed countless marriages, messed up this world on a daily basis and mired millions of people in addictions and compulsive behaviors. That kind of freedom ultimately enslaves because it seeks to twist the world around it around itself. Eventually it builds a cage.

I love watching the birds fly. I have been stopped dead in my tracks by an eagle soaring majestically or a large flock of sparrows swooping and darting in amazing unison. They look so free as they fly, but they are only free in so much as they obey certain laws of physics…laws God made.

The same is true for us. God made you to be free. You were created to soar, but only as you live in sync with your Maker. That is the rub isn't it? We do not naturally live in sync with Him and the world system is not in sync. Freedom from God leads to slavery to sin. Submission to God leads to freedom.

I used to have a bird that would not come out of its cage. It felt better in there. It was all it had ever known. We all are like that bird. Jesus came to free us. He wants to show you what freedom is. He wants to show you your cage and lead you out. In him is the power to overcome big things like the addictions and compulsive behaviors that are destroying you and those around you. In him is the power to release you from a cage that self-righteousness keeps you from seeing.

For the next several weeks we are going to learn from Jesus how to be free. Join us as we enter his kingdom where people are truly free.

Sermon Topics

February 12 - The Cage

Freedom is a relative term. You might think you are free even if you are not. It depends on if you can see your cage. Most people think of sin as freedom and obedience to God as slavery. It's ironic because the opposite is actually true. Addictions and compulsive behaviors are a prison that is evident to all but there are other cages more subtle that hold us back. The first step to freedom is to see your cage and mourn it. Join us this week as Jesus opens the door and calls us out in to freedom.

February 19 - Boot Camp

The new life means a new life-style. Old habits die hard. In the military they send you to boot camp to break down the old and build the new. The new life requires an absolute faith and trust in your new leader. Nothing less that total submission will do. The training is rigorous. At first it seems so limiting but it is the path to freedom. Join us this week as Jesus shows us how to find our real strength.

February 26 - New Desires

For those that mourn the cage and have submitted their strength and will to Jesus new desires are beginning to rise up with in them. These must be cultivated. Jesus called it a "hunger and thirst for righteousness". Righteousness is an action word. Here is Jesus is calling us to be as passionate in pursuing the new life that leads to freedom as we used to be in pursuing the old one that had enslaved us. There is no middle ground. Join us as Jesus calls us to pursue desires that that will lead to deep satisfaction.

March 4 - Bury the Past

It's time…up to this point the path freedom has been pretty much a you and Jesus thing. Now it's time to start dealing with your relationships. This is a critical step. Unforgiveness is a maximum security prison that many call home. Jesus would like to tear it down and bury it. He has shown us mercy now he wants us to share it. Join us as Jesus leads out of the bondage of unforgiveness into the freedom of mercy.

March 11 - A Poser No More

Something strange happens when you let Jesus set you free. Honesty happens. For the first time righteous behavior will spring from the inside out. Instead of being put on for show it will just be you being you. This is what makes freedom free. Jesus calls it being pure in heart. It's not a state of sinless perfection. That doesn't happen until heaven. But it is a state of honesty with yourself, God and others that are on the journey. Join us as Jesus shows us how to make his freedom solid in our lives.

March 18 - Relationships Matter

Broken relationships are bondage. Those who live free are peacemakers. They put into practice the teaching of the Apostle Paul, "As far as it is up to you live at peace with all." This requires an ongoing maintenance of short accounts with other people. There is a commitment to honest, healthy and life-giving relationships with others. Join us as Jesus lays out the way of the peacemaker.

March 25 - Freedom isn't Free

If you think living in freedom is going to be easy, think again. There are many forces that oppose it, forces within and without. There is a certain vigilance and willingness to face opposition that will be required of you. Righteousness speaks loudly. Jesus calls you a city on a hill that can't be hidden or ignored. In fact, you are now an agent of freedom. The relationship that started as he led you out of the cage is the same one that will make you strong to overcome. Join us as Jesus teaches us how to live free even when opposed.

Sermon Archive

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