Mirror Mirror – Easter Sunday – March 27 2016
What do you see when you look into a mirror? Anger, hatred, addiction, lust, failure... what do you see? Each of us, if we are being honest, would like to have our past failures or regrets covered and paid for, and a bright future ahead of us. When it comes to our personal and spiritual lives, this is often the case. During this message, Pastor Anton speaks on the reality of 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) which says, "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" Our past has been paid for through the precious sacrifice of Jesus, and we have a glorious hope for our future in Him. But a gift cannot be earned, it must be received. We encourage you to listen to this message and download the notes as you follow along. At FOCUS, our primary desire is for you to know and understand the truth of God's Word, and walk in it. We hope that you and your family have a wonderful Easter this year! WatchNotesDownloadDateTitle
- Mar 27, 2016Mirror Mirror – Easter Sunday – March 27 2016
Mirror Mirror – Easter Sunday – March 27 2016What do you see when you look into a mirror? Anger, hatred, addiction, lust, failure... what do you see? Each of us, if we are being honest, would like to have our past failures or regrets covered and paid for, and a bright future ahead of us. When it comes to our personal and spiritual lives, this is often the case. During this message, Pastor Anton speaks on the reality of 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) which says, "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" Our past has been paid for through the precious sacrifice of Jesus, and we have a glorious hope for our future in Him. But a gift cannot be earned, it must be received. We encourage you to listen to this message and download the notes as you follow along. At FOCUS, our primary desire is for you to know and understand the truth of God's Word, and walk in it. We hope that you and your family have a wonderful Easter this year!
- Mar 25, 2016Good Friday – Mark 15:33-47
Good Friday – Mark 15:33-47
Have you ever described a food as "good"? In a conversation, have you ever explained someone as being a "good" person to someone else? We often call people, places, vehicles, even pets as being "good"... but what does it mean to call Good Friday "good"? We encourage you to download the teaching notes and journey along with Pastor Anton as he teaches on Mark's account of the death and burial of Jesus. We hope and trust that you will be encouraged and challenged in your walk with Him. - Mar 20, 2016Palm Sunday – Christ as the Coming King – Luke 19:28-44
Palm Sunday – Christ as the Coming King – Luke 19:28-44
Have you ever had a "Red Carpet" experience? A time in your life when you and possibly others with you were honored in a special way?When we consider the arrival of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem, we quickly gather from the Gospels that Jesus was received as a coming king! Yet the expectations of those gathered in Jerusalem at the time were not met by Jesus. Jesus had come as a humble servant to fulfill the will of the Father in Heaven. He had come to bring about an eternal victory, not a temporal one over the Romans. We encourage you to download the teaching notes from this message by Pastor Anton, and learn with us as we journey through the account of the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. - Mar 13, 2016Love Revolution – Story of Gomer/Hosea Chapters 1 &14 – Our Position in Christ Jesus
Love Revolution – Story of Gomer/Hosea Chapters 1 &14 – Our Position in Christ Jesus
Have you ever considered what it must have been like for Hosea the prophet's wife Gomer? I can only imagine that she had feelings of guilt and shame because she was a woman with a title and a history. And although she might have "married up" as some would say, I am sure that she must have quested Hosea's genuine love for her at times. "Could he really ever truly love me?" "Did he only marry me because God commanded him?" "Will he leave me because I am not good enough?"These are just a few of the questions that Gomer would have asked herself. Yet how often do we ask the same things of the Heavenly Father's love for us! One pastor says it this way, "our Past always has a way of working it's way into our Present." How true for each and everyone of us! We hope that you will take the time to download the lesson notes and following along as Pastor Anton journeys through the book of Hosea as seen through the eyes of Gomer. God had such a beautiful redemption story for Gomer, and He has a story of redemption for you too! - Mar 6, 2016Love Revolution – Hosea 1:2-2:1 – Run TO God
Love Revolution – Hosea 1:2-2:1 – Run TO GodHave you ever been pursued by someone or something? Maybe by a mean neighborhood dog like that of the movie The Sandlot... Or maybe it was an officer of Law Enforcement due to you making a poor choice while driving. Being pursued by someone or something can feel overwhelming and scary at times. This is how some view God. They view Him as one who is "out to get them" for all the wrongs that they have committed. They are essentially Running FROM God because they are worried about Him catching up to them and judging them for their selfish actions and choices.
On the other end of the spectrum, some are in the mindset that they need to Run FOR God. This too is a faulty way of viewing the One True God of the universe. They believe that through their actions, they can serve God in such a way that He will love them more. It is a way of "making up for all the past mistakes." Yet the Word of God tells us that even our very best actions are like fitly rags before the Almighty creator and sustainer of the World.So what is the correct way we should be viewing God? We are to Run TO Him! He is a loving heavenly Father, and His desire is to have you in right relationship with Him. He is the only one who is able to forgive you for the wrongs (what the Bible calls sin) you and I have committed. Download the notes to this week's sermon, and follow along as Pastor Anton shares about these truths from the story of Hosea the prophet. We hope and trust you will be encouraged.
- Feb 27, 2016Love Revolution – The Lord’s Prayer (Part 2) Matthew 6:5-15
Love Revolution – The Lord’s Prayer (Part 2) Matthew 6:5-15How familiar are you with the Lord's Prayer? Do you have it memorized? Do you ever say it in church out loud or privately when praying to God? Many proclaimed Christ followers, especially those here in the State of Kentucky where our church is located, have this prayer memorized. And if they don't have it fully memorized, they could at least give you the basic components of the prayer. Yet the question for each of us is this, are we modeling our own prayers after it? For example, are we truly asking the Lord to bless us with what we need for the day... and not secretly getting upset when that is "all that He does" for us? So many of us have asked for the Lord to bless us with the NEEDS that we have for that day... and the coming week... and the following month, and the next year. Before long, we are asking the Lord to give us a perfect life with little to no difficulty. In this week's teaching, Pastor Anton expounds on the Lord's Prayer, and asks us to consider whether or not we really mean what we are saying when we speak those words. We invite you to download this week's teaching notes, and follow along with this week's teaching. We hope and trust that you will be encouraged.
- Feb 21, 2016Love Revolution – The Lord’s Prayer (Part 1) – Matthew 6:5-13
Love Revolution – The Lord’s Prayer (Part 1) – Matthew 6:5-13When do you pray? When you are stressed out, in trouble, in the morning, or in the evening? Where do you pray? Primarily in a church building, while you are riding in the car, when you are at home in a room by yourself, or at the dinner table with your family? Consider with me when and where you do most of your praying. Jesus gave the Disciples and those gathered near to Him on the shoreline of Galilee several words of instruction when it came to prayer. In Matthew 6:5-8 there are some strong warnings against some of the practices of the religious leaders of that day when it came to where and how they were praying. But hearing these warnings given by Jesus should also cause us to evaluate whether or not we might be doing some of the very same things. When it comes to prayer, each and everyone of us has room to grow in our communication with God. We hope that in this week's teaching you will be encouraged and challenged to take your next step in your prayer life.
- Feb 14, 2016Love Revolution – Valentine’s Day – John 13:1-17
Love Revolution – Valentine’s Day – John 13:1-17What are some of your biggest pet peeves? Do you dislike slow internet, slow drivers, slow fast-food, or maybe all of the above? What grinds you personally? Valentine's Day is a dedicated day of the year when we often try and focus on our spouse if we have one, taking dedicated time and energy to show them how much we love and appreciate them. The reality is however that we are desperately in love with one person, and that person in YOU. In this teaching, Pastor Anton expounds Jesus' teaching and example found in John 13:1-17. When we consider just how different Jesus' teachings are from that of the world in which we live, we are faced with a crucial decision... will we surrender to God, and serve others to achieve spiritual growth? Or will we simply continue to love "me" and place our own desires first in our lives? We hope and trust that you will be encouraged by this teaching.