Waterbrooke Christian Church

This Sunday's message is called, "He Will Hold Me Fast". In Luke 22:31-46, we encounter Jesus' excruciating struggle in prayer on the Mount of Olives for both himself and for the disciples. This is one of those passages where we see not only the importance of prayer in resisting temptation but the remarkable encouragement that Christ prays for His disciples effectually when the disciples fail at prayer miserably. Prayer is hard. In multiple ways, we often struggle to pray and if we were able to pray in our own strength, we would definitely fail and fall into sin. Praise God that Jesus never fails to pray for us. As the children's song reminds us, "We are weak, but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me." This Sunday, we are going to come together and be encouraged that the reason we can struggle on in prayer is because Christ is interceding for us from a position of strength. Are you struggling to pray? You aren't alone. All believers struggle, but take heart...Christ is pleading on your behalf. Every Christian n

This Sunday, we studied Luke 22:24-30. Our sermon is entitled “Humble Leadership.” Often, when things go wrong in our families, our businesses, and our churches, our temptation is to try to quickly right the ship. Many, if not all of us, are fixers. Often, the need to fix things come out of fear or out of pride. Spouses can quickly look at each other and say, “I told you!” Pride easily enters our relationships when problems arise. For Jesus’ disciples, it appears the wheels are coming off the mission. They have just learned that Judas would betray Jesus. Jesus is speaking about becoming the Passover Lamb who will die. Now, the disciples kick into action arguing about who should be leading this thing. Jesus lovingly and graciously corrects their fleshly responses by teaching and modeling to them how leadership in the kingdom works. Jesus leads by example. We don’t need fearful or prideful autocrats. We need humble leaders. When our lives get messy, humble leadership is kingdom leadership. Let’s  listen to Je

Waterbrooke Family, Our message from Acts 11:19-30, is entitled "What the World Most Needs". God is at work through the gospel of Jesus Christ to establish the church, even in a world in crisis. That is nothing new. From the beginning of the church in the book of Acts, God has used His Word to produce fruit in the lives of people who respond to the gospel with repentance and faith. As a result, the need is to strengthen churches and their leaders to continue the advance of the gospel in the world. In Acts 11:19-30, Luke tells the story of the founding of the church in Antioch, which then becomes the launching place for missions work in the first century. Today, we are called to join this great mission for the spread of the glory of Jesus Christ among all peoples. In Christ, Duane Tweeten, Guest Speaker Duane Tweeten serves as the President of Training Leaders International. Duane joined TLI in 2012, serving in a variety of roles in the organization. Prior to joining TLI, he served for seventeen years in pas

This Sunday’s message is from Luke 22:7-23. It’s called “A New Covenant for a New Community.” Jesus says to his disciples that he has “earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” What is interesting is that Jesus is very enthusiastic about having the meal with His disciples even though the Passover meal is pointing towards his death as God’s Passover Lamb. It reminds us of Hebrews 12:2 which reads “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and is seated at the right hand of God.” Jesus simultaneously despises the shame of the cross and joyfully embraces the vision of the cross. This Sunday, we are going to consider and participate in the Lord’s Supper. Since the earliest times, the church has celebrated the Lord’s Supper as one of the foundational identifying features of a true church of Jesus Christ. Let’s come together and see why this mattered so much to Jesus and why it matters so much to u

This past Sunday was Easter Sunday!   Praise God we will be gathering as a Waterbrooke family to celebrate the triumph of our Lord Jesus Christ over sin and death as He rose victorious from the grave! Our sermon title is "The Power of the Resurrection". We will be studying Philippians 3:7-10 and seeing why the apostle Paul was overjoyed as he wrote this letter even while in prison for Christ.  Paul repeatedly urges the Philippian Christians in this letter to rejoice in the Lord. Why? It is because the resurrection is not just a fact but it is a force for freedom in the life of the Christian. Jesus’ resurrection completely frees us from some of the things that leave us joyless because of guilt and shame, fear and disappointment. The Philippian Christians were faced with opposition from the religious forces and the political forces that surrounded them. Yet Paul, who knew both of those pressures in his past and in the present, was free! He was freed by Christ to live for Christ without fear of man or fear of f

In Luke 22:1-6, there is a rapid coalescing of corrupt and evil forces that conspire to crucify Jesus. Luke wants us to remember and to rejoice that evil never triumphs over the saving purposes of God. In fact, God has ordained at this Passover festival, He would hand over his Passover Lamb for the sins of the world.  This Sunday’s message was called "Sovereignty Over Subversion". This Sunday is Palm Sunday and you and I are meant to rejoice that no one is merely taking Jesus’ life from Him. He is offering Himself up of his own free will for you and I. The freest person in his passage is Jesus because no one is controlling His destiny except His heavenly Father. Knowing what Jesus has done for us in going to the cross this Easter is meant to make us the freest and happiest people on earth. We are no longer under the dominion of sin and Satan. We have a Savior who has conquered all the forces that conspire against us, internal and external. And, in the words of the apostle Paul, “If God is for us, who can be

This Sunday’s message was called “When Your World Suddenly Crumbles”. Our passage is from Luke 21:20-38. There are a handful of moments that stand out in my life as a pastor when I can picture exactly where I was when everything shifted in my or someone else’s world. This would be true for you, I am sure, as well. A phone call and then, everything stops. You move from a routine world where you are almost mindlessly running through your daily routines to a strange foggy surreal world that is disorienting, confusing, and often, deeply painful.    Amazingly, just when Jesus is about to suffer the excruciation and humiliation of the cross, He looks at the people of Jerusalem and says “Your world is about to be rocked more than you ever imagined.” What a Savior! He is fully aware of others and gives life-giving words at the hardest moment of His life. Maybe this is what some of you need to hear right now? What do you do when your world suddenly crumbles? Or else, it could be that your world is in a sweet rhythm, a

This week starts Mission Week and our message is called Global Missions: Building the Kingdom of God When All Other Kingdoms are Crumbling. In Luke 21:5-19, Jesus begins to prepare his disciples for a time of kingdom turbulence. Recently, I flew on a flight that had terrible turbulence to the point that the plane was damaged on landing. We weren’t prepared for that and it was a relief to be safely on the ground in Nashville. In this passage, Jesus warns that there are rough times ahead for the nation of Israel and for Jesus’ disciples, but it is in that chaos and crumbling that God is building His kingdom. This text is a great passage of Scripture for the times in which we live. As we commit ourselves again as a church to global missions, it is encouraging to know that Christ will build His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. The times are turbulent but our mission is clear. Will you pray with our Missions Team that God will expand and strengthen Waterbrooke’s impact for Christ among th

This Sunday’s message was from Luke 20:27-21:4 is entitled, “The Resurrection Changes Everything.” Jesus continues to be bombarded by the religious establishment who are seeking to change public opinion against him. They recognize that He poses a threat to their place and position in Israel. That is a fact, because Jesus has come to fulfill all that the Old Covenant had promised. Jesus is the better Solomon. He is building a better temple. He is establishing a new Israel and an eternal Jerusalem. He is a better and more lasting priesthood. Those clinging to power find his words and ministry very threatening. He brings big change and it is desperately needed by those who grieve and suffer. He has come to make everything better especially for those languishing in sorrow and brokenness. Jesus has come to rescue the outcast, the poor, the widow, and the orphan. Are you grieving and struggling behind the scenes of life? Do you feel the pain of death and the sorrows of lives shattered by sin and death? Here’s good

Last week, Pastor John looked at the passage where Jesus’ authority was questioned (Luke 20:1-18). The question he helped us wrestle with is this: Do we want Jesus!? There is no question more important. While anyone who wants Christ can have him, we are both: distracted by the world and religion and so away from Jesus. And also, if we are honest, we too often find Jesus to be inconvenient. Christians and Not-yet-Christians, my primary goal is to show you Jesus in his marvelous integrity, the Image of the only God! I want you to delight in Jesus, our righteousness, who defeats hypocrisy! He goes alone into battle, seemingly unarmed against a powerful enemy who outnumbers him. Yet in battle he is the victor! He does not crush them with coercive power, but instead by wisdom and integrity. This is our leader. Or if you are a Not-Yet-Christian, I tell you Jesus is a leader you want to follow! He shows courage and wisdom. He is the warrior-prince you have been looking for. A true leader, image of the very God, wo

Waterbrooke Family, Things are heating up in the gospel of Luke! This weekend we picked up where we left off from last weekend. Our sermon text for Sunday is Luke 20:1-18 and the title of the sermon is "Disruptive Authority: When Jesus Invades Religious Systems." This passage of scripture is both disruptive and incredibly hopeful at the same time. The religious leaders hate Jesus' authority, and Jesus isn't backing down. This begs the question that we must ask ourselves, "Are we willing for Jesus to exercise his absolute authority in our lives, even if that means that everything changes?" Are we willing to let go of control over our lives, to stop playing religious games and begin to build our whole lives upon Jesus? This is the only appropriate response to the good news of the gospel. This message is disruptive in that when we follow Jesus, everything changes. It's hopeful that following Jesus is the most secure and sure foundation we could ever build our lives on. He is faithful and will bring us safely h

Jesus set his face to journey toward Jerusalem. He is going to the city in order to seek and save the lost by dying at Calvary. That is the trajectory of Luke’s Gospel. Last week, we saw Jesus coming down the Mount of Olives riding on a donkey.   The people celebrate him as the King of Israel. And now, the moment has come. Jesus finally enters Jerusalem. But celebration turns into lamentation. When Jesus sees the city, he bursts into tears. The city is consumed with war and corruption. The temple is profaned by ritualism, discrimination, and idolatry. And Israel’s religious leaders are consumed with power and pride. As a result, Jesus predicts the city’s near-future destruction because they are blind to the things that make for peace and because they reject Jesus as their King of Peace.   How did it come to this? Israel was supposed to be a beacon of peace and light before the Lord and among all the nations. But any serious reader of the Bible knows that Israel fails the Lord by turning after idols again and

Last weekend we continued our series in the gospel of Luke and will be walking through Luke 19:28-40. We have reached a turning point in Luke's gospel as Jesus now, at last, approaches Jerusalem. The sermon title for this weekend is "The King who has Come: An Unexpected Way to Victory".  Jesus has been set on going to Jerusalem where he will be rejected, mocked, shamed and ultimately crucified. This is the mission of God. This is God's way of gaining victory. This is how Jesus is establishing his kingdom of peace in the middle of a world that is full of hostility and violence. While Jesus was crucified and enthroned as king 2,000 years ago, his mission remains. He is still seeking and saving the lost and His methods haven't changed. The big question for us this weekend is, "What does it mean for us to follow this kind of King in our world today?" Looking forward to worshiping with you! In Christ, John Hall, Pastor of Student and Young Adult Ministries

This Sunday’s sermon, from Luke 19:11-27, was called “The King and His Strange Kingdom.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote “A king who dies on the cross must be the king of a rather strange kingdom.” The kingdom of heaven is indeed a rather strange kingdom. The King reigns from a cross. His subjects rule by sacrificially serving others. The challenge that we face every day as believers is this – will we advance God’s kingdom in this world by taking the role of a servant? The only way that we can actually do this in our lives is to see that the greatest joy of Jesus is to be the King who lovingly and perpetually serves. Even now, Jesus reigns over all by serving His subjects with love and grace and mercy.  As we will you pray along with me, that we would welcome the opportunity to advance the kingdom of God on earth as those who humbly serve? What a counter-cultural concept to all the ego and selfishness of this world! It is possible because Jesus only lives to make it possible. Do you need prayer or would like

This week’s sermon was called “The Other Rich Ruler.” In Luke 19:1-10, we see something remarkable: a rich man entering the kingdom of God. Zacchaeus is very rich. In the previous passage, Jesus said these words: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Jesus’ disciples are filled with despair in chapter 18 when the rich young ruler goes away very sad because he can’t give up his wealth. They ask, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus replies “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” Zacchaeus is a miracle at every level. So are we, if we are in Christ. As we come to take communion this Sunday, let’s give thanks that in Christ, and in Christ alone, it is possible for sinners to enter the kingdom of God. This ought to cause us to rejoice and to celebrate the miracle of our salvation. It also ought to put fuel on the fire for our mission to bring others to know the forgiveness of God in Jesus. Do you believe that what is impossible with

This week we returned to the subject of prayer in Luke 18:31-43. We have seen the prayer of the tenacious widow at the beginning of his chapter who cried for justice. We have seen the humble prayer of the tax collector who cried out “God, have mercy on me, a sinner!”. Now, we see the blind man who is pleading with Jesus for eyes to see. He pleads “Lord, let me recover my sight.”  What we are going to see is that spiritual sight is different than physical sight.  In this passage, there is a direct contrast between those who could see with their eyes but were blind to the wonder of who Jesus was and why He had come and this blind man who could not see with his eyes but who clearly knew who Jesus was.  Our sermon this week is called "Lord, Let Me Recover My Sight" and there is no doubt that this is what God wants us to be praying. Ask yourself how different your life, your priorities and your joy would be if you could see Jesus clearly as He really is for us in the gospel. Waterbrooke let’s pray this together t

This Sunday, we looked at the story of the rich ruler in Luke 18:18-30. It is a powerful passage to study because Jesus intends to bring us to terms with our great need for His saving hand and Jesus' incredible love in coming to save us. I have called the sermon "How Good is Our God?" What we often think is that God's goodness is shown to us by how blessed we are with success, wealth, health, power, influence, and recognition. We say to one another, "Isn't God good?" when things go well in our lives. What Jesus teaches is that the markers that we look to in order to feel affirmed by God are often the very things that we ought to fear most. What if the signs of God's favor and love are not the things that make us feel good about ourselves but rather the things that make us feel desperate for Jesus? Let's come and look at the goodness of God as revealed in the story of the rich ruler and pray that God might show us the glory of His goodness in and through Jesus Christ this Sunday.   How good is God? Looking fo

This Sunday was New Year's Eve. Often the symbolic picture of the new year is a baby. The past year goes out like an old man. The new year begins like a baby. That is fitting for the text this week in Luke 18:15-17 where Jesus tells his disciples, "Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." Entering the new year, it should be our ambition to make sure we enter the Kingdom of God. This passage is one of the best ways to think about how we go about entering and advancing the kingdom of God. We really hope you can join us for worship as you learn one of the simplest and most powerful ways to think about how to live your life as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Our sermon is called "Entering the Kingdom Like a Child". Jesus says - this is an absolute must!   We have a new website!  Check it out at www.waterbrooke.church

Merry Christmas Waterbrooke friends, Christmas can feel acutely lonely for many of us. However, the truest truth of every Christian's life is this: God never forsakes His children.  Have a blessed day with your friends and family and know you are never alone in Jesus who loves and cares for you. Waterbrooke Church

This week our sermon, from Luke 18:9-14, is called Pray Humbly. Jesus recognized that we have a tendency to fall into two ditches in our spiritual lives.  On the one hand, we can give into religious despair. We doubt that God actually cares about the needs of His people or He would have answered the way we expected. Jesus calls us to be bold and determined by faith in our praying. He wants us to be indefatigable prayer warriors who believe in the power and promise of God to bring His kingdom to its fulfillment at the day of Jesus Christ. The other ditch that we can slide into is that of religious pride or self-righteousness. We become confident in ourselves, not realizing that it is not our prayers but God's mercy that is the ground of our hope. Most of us have to recognize that we have to battle those two dangers - spiritual discouragement and spiritual pride. In this passage, Jesus gives us a helpful diagnostic tool for discovering spiritual pride and motivating us to humble and faith-filled prayer. Would