Nlcc Walnut Grove

Our hope in Jesus means we dont wonder whether God will keep His promises; we only wonder when.

In the final message of our Freedom series we explore Step 12 which is an encouragement to turn our focus away from ourself and towards others. St. Thomas Aquinas said: 'to love is to will the good of the other", and we now take the freedom we have received and we comfort others as they walk through addiction. The Apostle John said- 'we love because He first loved us.' Filled with the love of God we seek to love one another.

Step 11 on the journey to freedom is to grow in our dependence upon God through prayer. In prayer we don't fight temptation by trying not to sin- we fight temptation by loving Jesus and being loved by the Father. The love of God, experienced in prayer, has a powerful healing to it. We come to find that our hunger and thirst is satisfied only in Him- and this is how we are set free.

Rick Hicks - Watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omhDfE7jq2M File Downloads: https://nlcc.ca/df_media/W1siZiIsIjIwMjUvMTEvMjIvMTgvNDMvNTcvOTEwOTVhYzQtMjc1Yi00YWRkLThkZTctY2U1YTZhMDdiZDI4LzIwMjUxMTA5X0ZyZWVkb21f5Lit5paHLnBkZiJdXQ/20251109_Freedom_%E4%B8%AD%E6%96%87.pdf?sha=30ef9c3501e6d28a https://nlcc.ca/df_media/W1siZiIsIjIwMjUvMTEvMjIvMTgvNDMvNTgvMmUyMjg1NDUtNjViNy00NDQ3LWJiZWQtYjM1ZDJmMDc3YzFkLzIwMjUxMTA5X0ZyZWVkb21fRXNwYcOxb2wucGRmIl1d/20251109_Freedom_Espa%C3%B1ol.pdf?sha=7763b7e66bcdbfdd

Step 9 on the journey to freedom is to make amends to anyone we have hurt or wronged. In Matthew 5, Jesus says there is an urgency to this- and that he longs for us to practice reconciliation more than practicing our worship in the temple in Jerusalem (Matthew 5). Our addictions, our habits and our sins are the tip of the iceberg. Some of what might be the sources of our problems are the broken relationships we have. We cannot move forward in freedom until we make amends and apologize for where we have hurt others.

Step 8 on the journey to freedom is to make a list of all persons we have harmed, and become willing to make amends to them all. Our addictions, our habits and our sins are the tip of the iceberg. What lies beneath the symptom is the source of our problems. Some of what might be the source of our problems are the broken relationships we have. We cannot move forward in freedom until we make amends and apologize for where we have hurt others.

Watch at: https://youtu.be/E_25KLF6MA8

Step 5 on the journey to freedom is to admit to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. To confess our sin is to walk in the light. Shame thrives in the darkness and we hope to bring our sins out of the dark and into the healing light of the love of God- as we confess our sins to one another.

Step 4 on the journey to freedom is to have an encounter with the truth- to make a 'searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves'.The alcohol, the pornography, the lying, the overeating, the compulsive spending, the gambling and the phone addiction- these are the tip of the iceberg. The reason we go to these things to self-medicate is because we have some unhealed stuff deep within us. This week we explore how to bring these unhealed places within us into the open to be healed by the light and love of God.

Step 3 on the journey to freedom is to surrender- to come to a place in life where we echo the words of the tax collector in the temple: 'God, have mercy on me a sinner'. We are likely to trust our own wisdom and path in a trial or amidst temptation- but freedom will come when we surrender our will to the God who has the power to set us free.

Watch at: https://youtu.be/vXqoImfsDvE File Downloads: https://dq5pwpg1q8ru0.cloudfront.net/2025/09/26/07/59/23/b3dd143a-052c-4bd3-8d33-a8cd956eb17b/20250921_Freedom_%E4%B8%AD%E6%96%87.pdf https://dq5pwpg1q8ru0.cloudfront.net/2025/09/26/07/54/43/896e2608-9bd8-4ddd-8475-11396cf0f692/20250921_Freedom_Espa%C3%B1ol.pdf

Watch at: https://youtu.be/UrQkDrgytrk File Downloads: https://dq5pwpg1q8ru0.cloudfront.net/2025/09/19/16/49/37/b1b3e1c2-56db-40fe-a66d-083ec70c4fbb/20250914_Freedom_%E4%B8%AD%E6%96%87.pdf https://dq5pwpg1q8ru0.cloudfront.net/2025/09/19/16/49/40/e6afbb28-83ae-4e7f-aeed-8af9afaff16e/20250914_Freedom_Espa%C3%B1ol.pdf

We begin our new series with the story of the Rich Younger Ruler and his need for freedom. In this sermon we discover that vulnerability, honesty, and surrender are the keys to healing, as Jesusthe Good Doctorlovingly exposes what keeps us stuck and invites us into new life. Though the path is not easy, surrendering everything to Him leads to the joy of a heart set free.

Tom Allen - Watch at: https://youtu.be/oLPeXSUobD4

At the close of his letter, Paul gives some final instructions to the Colossians that address their conduct towards those outside the church. He tells them to pray earnestly, to act wisely, and to share Gods plan of salvation graciously with all. The grace we have received through Christ is meant to be shared!

In this sermon we focus on the issue of slavery. Colossians 3-4 shows that while Paul did not call for the immediate abolition of slavery, his vision of equality in Christ and his instructions to masters and slaves planted seeds that ultimately fuelled the abolition movement led by Christians throughout history. Today- this passage challenges us to think about better ways to be employees and employers as we follow Jesus.

Watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHS1h39L3CY

Watch at: https://youtu.be/lrGX2M_Cl6E File Downloads: https://dq5pwpg1q8ru0.cloudfront.net/2025/08/09/15/24/39/17bb0418-097e-4303-ab74-524222602c49/20250803_Colossians_%E4%B8%AD%E6%96%87.pdf https://dq5pwpg1q8ru0.cloudfront.net/2025/08/09/15/24/35/6f274520-f54c-424f-9830-49be0e88c7cf/20250803_Colossians_Espa%C3%B1ol.pdf

In this sermon we focus on what it means to be thankful- and how thankfulness inspires a life of obedience to Jesus. It is in thankful worship where we recall the love of God, the grace of Jesus, and the fellowship of the Spirit. Worship is where our hearts are recalibrated and where we are inspired to live a life for Jesus.

Today we will hear Pauls passion for the church to love one another. Paul cares about the individual- but he believes that the transformation of Jesus in our life should lead to a community of love for one another. His desire of the church is that we live out 7 virtues that display the love of Jesus: Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and love.