Waterbrooke Church

September 24, 2023 ”Every Spiritual Blessing” In Ephesians 1:3-14 by Pastor Kevin Dibbley

This Sunday’s message was called Every Spiritual Blessing. In Ephesians 1:3-14, the apostle Paul writes onelong run-on sentence about the incredible riches of God’s grace in the gospel. One commentator calledthis section of Scripture “a snowball tumbling down a hill, and picking up volume as it descends.” (Sorryto bring up snow in September!)
Paul praises God for the mind-blowing grace that He has shown us in Jesus Christ. For Paul, it really is undeserved. It is riches to rebels. It is lavish love completely at Christ’s expense. As Paul calls the Ephesian believers to pursue unity in gospel love for each other, he sets before them just how much God in Christ loved us when we did not love Him.
The Father chose to give us the opposite of what we deserved. This week we are just going to look at verses 3-4. There we see God made the first move towards us. God was all in for our salvation before we would have or could have moved towards Him. The reason any of us belong to God is because God chose to save us from our hell-bent sin and rebellion and granted us every spiritual blessing in Christ. Let’s come together and considerthe undeserved and stunning riches of God’s initiating grace. We are taking communion this week andcelebrating Every Spiritual Blessing in Christ. Lets worship the Triune God, Father, Son, andSpirit.  
Need Prayer?  go to www.waterbrooke.church

New Summer Series ” Longing for God” in the Psalms by Pastor Kevin Dibbley

This Sunday morning, began a new summer series in the Psalms called: Longing for God. This week’s Psalm, Psalm 80, is called Longing for God’s Smile. One of the realities in our Christian experience is that we can go through times when God seems to have turned his face away from us. God feels cold and distant.
We can misinterpret this as God forsaking us or God forgetting about us. However, Psalm 80 is a psalm inspired by God, given to His people, so we would have words to pray and sing when God seems distant and we feel cold.
We need to be reminded that the Lord never stops shepherding His people even if when it feels as if He has left us. Are you in a cold place spiritually?
Have you gone through a time when God has seemed to have hidden His face from You?
This Sunday, we gathered to seek and to celebrate the God who seeks us and let’s find the words to cry out to the Lord when we long to see His smile again. Looking forward to worshipping Christ together as we Long for God together this summer.
 
Find out more about Waterbrooke Church www.waterbrooke.church

”Hope Again” by Pastor Kevin Dibbley

We have all heard the phrase, “Seeing is believing”. This Sunday, we learned theThe opposite is true: “Believing is seeing”. In Luke 24:36-53, the resurrected Lord Jesus appears to the disciples, but their reactions are varied. They are terrified. They are troubled. They are conflicted. They don’t have categories for what they are seeing until Jesus opens up God’s Word to them. One of the biggest challenges that we all face in life is making sense out of what God is doing.
Until we can see the big story of the gospel, of the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, we will be afraid of God or we will be afraid to hope. The resurrection changed the entire narrative of the disciples’ lives. Luke’s gospel ends with a cliffhanger. The disciples are waiting and excited for the next season of life and ministry.
What is it like for you in your life right now? Does seeing what is going on around you make trusting God more difficult? Are you excited about the next season of life that God has for you? Until we see the Big Story of the Gospel, we will live in fear and uncertainty. It is seeing the unfolding purpose of God in all of Scripture that frees us from fear and hopelessness and makes us say “I can’t wait to see what God is up to next.”
This Sunday’s message was called “Hope Again”. Let’s pray that the Lord will meet us with power and show us why we ought to look forward with hope. Looking forward to worshipping Jesus with you all!
We would love to pray for you - go to www.waterbrooke.church
Coming July 2nd - Summer Series "Longing for God"
 

“The Joy of Seeing Jesus” by Pastor Kevin Dibbley

This Sunday’s message was called “The Joy of Seeing Jesus". In Luke 24:13-35, a couple of disciples are walking on the road to Emmaus and they are joined by the risen Jesus. They can’t see that it is Jesus, not because of some change in Jesus, but because of something in them. The story did not unfold according to their expectations. How has your story gone? Have you had a hard time seeing Jesus at work in the storyline of your life? That is common for many of us. We would never write the story of our lives the way that God has. We have a hard time seeing God’s hand because God isn’t fitting into our story. God is writing a great story of redemption and we find our story in that good news story. Let’s come and ask God if we could see Jesus in our lives and, especially if we are struggling to see Him, that God would help us ask the necessary questions that would free us to have hope and to have joy anew. Whose story are you living for? We are taking the Lord’s Supper this Sunday, so prepare your heart to remember His forgiving grace and be reminded of His love for sinners. Looking forward to worshiping with you.
 
To watch this on online go to www.waterbrooke.church and click Resources.  Need Prayer?  Go to our website.  We would love to pray for you.

“Remembering His Promises” by Pastor Kevin Dibbley

This Sunday’s Message was called “Remembering His Promises”. One of the marks of true saving faith is that it rises as it remembers the promises of God. In this week’s message from Luke 23:50-24:12, Luke records the burial and resurrection of Jesus from the perspective of three groups of people whose faith reflected what ours is often like – sometimes strong and sometimes shaken.
We all have seasons when our faith is challenged by heartaches and disappointments. However, the resurrection of Jesus when truly believed breathes new life and new hope into the most discouraged of disciples.
Listen and receive a fresh gift of spiritual encouragement as we see how the gospel helps us overcome our fears and our tears as disciples of Jesus. Looking forward to the baptisms as well after the second service!
Watch this and previous sermons on our website at www.waterbrooke.church

”Jesus, the Freedom Giver” by Guest Speaker Bruce Washington

The Bible tells us as believers of Jesus, we are in a battle. It says our battle is not with flesh and blood, but against rulers, authorities, cosmic powers and spiritual forces, which includes our own sin nature. Scripture also tells us that the war has already been won. This week's message is titled, "Jesus, the Freedom Giver". As we walk through Zechariah 3, the prophet lays out a beautiful picture of who we are, who God is and how He has set us free.  We have been made righteous and can live in freedom that Jesus provides. Bring your fear, guilt, shame this Sunday and give it to the One who has declared you clean!

”The King on the Cross” Luke 23:26-49

This Sunday’s message was called “The King on the Cross” and we will be studying Luke 23:26-49. In this passage, we will see that everyone is a mess except Jesus. The women, the rulers, the criminals hanging beside him are all struggling in their own way. Some are weeping. Some are mocking. Some are uttering their final words. Yet, Jesus is there graciously ministering to them all. Author Scotty Smith writes, “God’s grace is stronger than our worst sins, and his blood is deeper than our lowest days.” This is one of those passages where the proof really is in the pudding. Jesus says that He has come into the world to save sinners. When sinners are at their worst, Jesus is still shepherding. Jesus is still reaching out in grace. If you have any doubt about whether or not Jesus will love you at your worst, this text, this scene at the cross, answers all doubt. Come this Sunday as we remember our King and how He loved us from the cross. Looking forward to worshiping with you all.

”The Great Exchange” Luke 23:1-25

"The Great Exchange" Luke 23:1-25
We studied the wonderful, humbling, and healing doctrine of “penal substitutionary atonement.” In Luke 23:1-25, we are going to see Herod and Pilate, hostile enemies, become friends as they examine Jesus. This strange alignment results in Jesus being sent to the cross to die as a criminal and a wicked man named Barabbas being set free. Who would have thought in this moment of grave injustice, God would be working out something that gloriously sets us free from sin and condemnation? Our message is called “The Great Exchange” and our prayer for all of us this week is that we might rejoice and be captivated by Jesus. Jesus has come to set us free from our guilt, our shame, and condemnation. He took our sin and punishment so we could walk away free. Do you feel deeply forgiven? Do you feel truly free? We are going to be taking the Lord’s Supper together and so we want to invite you to prepare your hearts for worship and to pray that God would set many of us free from the sin, guilt, and shame through the good news of Jesus’ death in our place! 
 
Watch online as well at www.waterbrooke.church

”Jesus: Faithful Under Pressure ” Luke 22:47-71 by Pastor Kevin Dibbley

One of the common illustrations that is frequently used to describe the gospel is that of a diamond.Jewelers will display a diamond on a piece of black velvet in order that the many facets and the clarityand color of the diamond might stand out to the human eye. In Luke 22:47-71, we see the incomparablebeauty of the diamond who is Jesus Christ against the backdrop of evil and sin. This is now the darkestperiod in Jesus’ earthly ministry.
Here he faces betrayal and abandonment by his closest friends. Here he faces the hypocrisy and injustice of the religious system that simply wants him out of the way. Against the backdrop of this ugly moment, Luke wants us to see the beauty of Jesus. In fact, Luke wants us to do a couple of things. He wants us to see ourselves in the scene. We are those who have been unfaithful and disloyal to Christ. We are those who, like the high priest’s servant, have gone along with those who have failed to do what is right and good. We like Peter have been embarrassed by Jesus. We have been guilty of a failure to be just towards others even though we had no excuse.
 
If we examine the Scriptures honestly, “we all like sheep have gone astray.” Like Saul of Tarsus, we are confronted with the fact that we are guilty of persecuting Jesus. What do you do with all that sense ofguilt and shame and betrayal? What do we do when we see ourselves in the dark places of the Bible?Luke says “Look to Jesus”. In this text we see everyone around Jesus, it seems, being deeply unfaithful.But Jesus is faithful under pressure! He is faithful to God and faithful to us. Our hope when we aregrowing as Christians, confessing sin, and being honest with ourselves before God, is not in our ownfaithfulness.
It is in the faithfulness of Jesus towards us. Jesus who was faithful in Luke 22 will continueto be faithful to us to the very end. So, come this Sunday, and bring your unfaithfulness and lay it at thefeet of the One who sees you, loves you, and is committed to you to the very end. Let’s be captivated bythe beauty of Jesus again this Sunday.
Looking forward to worshipping with you!

”He Will Hold Me Fast” by Pastor Kevin Dibbley

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 needs to be reminded that Christ will never fail to uphold us in the very throne room of heaven! He will hold us fast! Looking forward to worshiping with you this Sunday at Waterbrooke.
 
Check out our resources page on www.waterbrooke.church

”Humble Leadership” Luke 22:24-30 by Pastor Kevin Dibbley

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 Jesus together again as one family in Christ. Looking forward to worshiping with you all. 
In Christ,Kevin Dibbley, Senior Pastor
 
Find out more about our church at www.waterbrooke.church

”What the World Most Needs” by Duane Tweeten, Guest Speaker

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 SpeakerDuane 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 pastoral ministry in Nebraska. Duane has a B.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies from Bethel University and an M.Div. from Bethel Theological Seminary. Duane and his wife Andrea live in Cambridge, Minnesota, and they are the parents of six children and have two grandchildren.

”A New Covenant for a New Community” by Pastor Kevin Dibbley

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 us as God’s people. Prepare your hearts to share together in the Lord’s Supper. Looking joyfully forward to being with you all in His presence.

Easter Sunday - ”The Power of the Resurrection”

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 failure. What about you? Do you have the joy of the Lord this Easter? Do you feel truly free from the pressures without and from the pressures within? Come this Easter and celebrate the Power of the Resurrection. Your life can be completely different than it's ever been because of the resurrection of Jesus. Looking forward to a great celebration together this Sunday morning!

Sovereignty Over Subversion” Luke 22:1-6 by Pastor Kevin Dibbley

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 against us?”. 
Let’s come and begin our celebration of Easter by rejoicing in Jesus’ triumph over evil at the cross. Hosanna in the Highest!

”When Your World Suddenly Crumbles” by Pastor Kevin Dibbley

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, and this doesn’t resonate now. Needless to say, we will all need these words at some moment in our lives. We all need to listen to Jesus. 
 
Either way, what we need to hear and to see this Sunday is a Savior who shepherds His sheep through all the painful moments of life even as he is headed to the most painful moment of His life. Christ truly cares for us, family! 
 
Let’s hear His life-giving words while worshiping in His presence. To submit a prayer request go to https://waterbrooke.church/prayer/

Global Missions: ”Building the Kingdom of God When All Other Kingdoms are Crumbling” by Pastor Kevin Dibbley

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 the nations? Will you ask God how you might be a part of His kingdom work personally?Looking forward to worshiping Jesus with you this Sunday! Pray with us for a fresh work of the Spirit in our midst.
In Christ,Kevin Dibbley, Senior Pastor
 
Find out more about Missions Week at Waterbrooke Church www.waterbrooke.church

The Resurrection Changes Everything” by Pastor Kevin Dibbley

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 news… Jesus has come to bring a better day, a better and more lasting life. He has come to make all things new. He sees you and He has come to free you from a life of languishing in the shadowlands. The resurrection really does change everything.
In Christ,Kevin Dibbley, Senior Pastor
 
Do you need prayer?  Go to www.waterbrooke.church and click contact.

”In Search of Integrity - for Better or Worse!” by guest speaker Dr. Rick Shenk

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, worth all you have and infinitely more. He would have us follow him to eternal life, away from hypocrisy: ours and the world’s.
In Christ,Dr. Rick Shenk
 

”Disruptive Authority: When Jesus Invades Religious Systems” by Pastor John Hall

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 home.In Christ,John Hall, Pastor for Student and Young Adult Ministries
 
Need Prayer?  Connect with us at waterbrooke.church