Reach Church - Everett

It's #SERMONTHROWBACK Sunday! // Back in 2020, our church studied the Gospel of John. The entire book is incredible, but there's no doubt that chapter 15 left a mark on us.As we kick-off a new year, we thought it would be beneficial to revisit one of our favorite sermons from "The Abiding Life" series. To build on where we've been and even grow further, we need to remain in his love.

Christmas is a reminder of God's incredible love that was made abundantly clear to us through Jesus. Listen as Pastor Sean explores Luke 2:1-20 and reminds us of the hope we have in the Gospel at Christmastime. *Note: There were audio issues with this week's recording, so we apologize in advance for the poor quality.

This Sunday, we closed our series "Light + Life." We looked at three things the author of 1 John is passionate about, and learned that we, as believers, should be just as passionate about them as John was.

God saw humanity stumbling around in the dark, trying to figure out life on our own, and yet offered his Son as the light who would lead us home. He promises that those who walk with him, who follow him, who allow him to illuminate their path and their purpose - that those people will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

Most of us are consumed with the thought that we aren't enough and don't have enough. Even knowing Jesus paid it all for us, we can't see our worth. Instead of living with a scarcity mindset, Jesus, in his human appearance, modeled an abundant life of self-emptying love. The only way Jesus promised that we'll find life is by giving it.

This week, Pastor Sean preaches from John 6 - the feeding of the 5000. This miracle reveals that Jesus not only has the key to abundance, but he IS the abundant leader we should follow.

This week, we concluded our series on the Book of Daniel. The first half of the book documents a man named Daniel and his friends - stories of faithfulness to God in the midst of a culture that stands in direct opposition to him. The second half of the book is filled with visions and prophecies about the future - both things coming during and just after Daniel’s lifetime, as well as prophecies that are yet to come to pass in our lifetimes.

This week, we dive into Daniel 9 where we learn several lessons on how to approach God in prayer.

Your current circumstances don't have the final say. Society's current voices don't have the final say. God has the final say. Learn how Daniel was reminded of this lesson through another wild and crazy vision!

You may not hold the future in your own hands, but God does. The future according to Daniel's vision in Daniel 7 tells us that all the oppression, sin, and temptation to abandon ship on your faith will one day come to an end when Jesus returns to make all things new. His judgement will be swift and complete for those who have stood in opposition to God, but his mercy will be experienced richly by those who have trusted him over every other alternative.

There is a real and present temptation in the church at this moment in history to live for ourselves and disregard the things God says are true and valuable. Will you stay faithful even when you're tempted not to? Do you believe God can deliver you from the evils of this fallen world?

In a godless society, our call as Christians is not to waver in what we believe, but to stay true to our convictions and to stay faithful to God. Unfortunately, not everyone has done this successfully. Not only have we seen people we have been in community with walk away from the church or even their faith, we’ve sadly also seen an uptick in the stories of pastors and ministry leaders who have fallen from their positions of leadership, for various reasons. Rather than getting bitter, how can we learn to do it better?

Daniel’s prophetic visions offer hope that God will bring all nations under his rule. Daniel’s visions are packed with apocalyptic imagery, offering hope to Israelites living in exile under Babylonian rule. Daniel remains faithful to the God of Israel, while maintaining influence in the surrounding culture of Babylon. His visions offer guidance for faithfulness and hope of a future where evil hearts and rulers will one day come under the authority of the one true God. Daniel’s visions also introduce us to the "Son of Man," a Messiah figure who will come to restore Israel to their God and bring about a new Jerusalem. Throughout the Gospel accounts, Jesus uses this title to refer to himself, activating the prophetic hyperlinks of the Hebrew Scriptures and pointing to his identity as the long awaited Jewish Messiah. What does it look like to be faithful in the midst of exile? The book of Daniel offers a surprising and relevant answer. This incredible work of apocalyptic literature offers a glimpse of God’s pl

God is sovereign over all kingdoms and he is gracious to confront us in our pride.

When we go through trials (external circumstances that come against us) we are being given opportunities to let our faith be strengthened into something more resolute. Oswald Chambers said, “Faith by its very nature must be tested and tried. And the real trial of faith is not that we find it difficult to trust God, but that God’s character must be proven as trustworthy in our own minds.” If we don’t get this down, then trials will consistently feel like times where God is abandoning us rather than walking with us in the fire.

We exist in a world that is run by corrupt human leaders. For millennia, we have seen the rise and fall of great kingdoms and national superpowers. Yet, this is our hope that we find in Daniel 2: the true God of heaven, the one who establishes and removes earthly kingdoms, wants his people to know that all human kingdoms will ultimately be replaced with his everlasting Kingdom!

We’re called to live a life of conviction in a culture of compromise. That message isn’t just for us. It was true for the people to whom the book of Daniel was originally written. Today, we focus in on Daniel 1.

Often during transitional seasons, what gets neglected is our spiritual lives, and yet, there’s nothing more important than our spiritual health! God strengthens us through His Word and through His Spirit. This week, we focus in on being strengthened by the Holy Spirit.

With Fall rhythms kicking into gear, it’s easy to get consumed by school schedules, work projects, even recommitting to that gym membership! But what about our souls? How can we tend to what matters most? One of the most transformative practices Christians can maintain is a healthy rhythm of reading scripture. God's Word is a gift, one we should never take for granted! Without it, we lack the wisdom and knowledge we need and greatly benefit from if we endeavor to grow stronger in our relationship with God.

When we look at the life of Jesus, we see he took time to notice people, he saw them, he paid attention, and he had compassion. How might you slow down enough to notice people God has placed before you and to genuinely listen to them?