At The Movies - Onward
Pastor Robbie continues our At The Movies Series by diving into the great biblical truths that the animated ‘Onward’ has to offer!
We are so excited to bring you a series that we absolutely love being able to be apart of each year - the ‘At the Movies’ series seeks to bring out biblical truths through looking at Hollywood movies and seeing what great principles we can find! The movies always have a wide range of appeals - some are classic and some are very new to the big screen! Unfortunately, due to copyright concerns, we are not able to stream the service for this series; we encourage those who are comfortable to join us in-person for the Gathering - otherwise, we hope these blog posts will give you the life and truth that you desire!
This is our third week of At The Movies, where we explore some of God’s truths as they are demonstrated and illustrated in some popular films. See, movies are really like an art form that gives us a glimpse into the world around us today. It’s kinda like a stained glass view of what’s happening in our culture. And so what we’re doing, much like Jesus did with his parables, is using these relevant stories from the big screen to then understand some of God’s truths and how they apply to you and me in our lives. We’ve gotten some great insights from Lord of the Rings in week 1 about avoiding temptation traps and the value of community, we jumped into the Live-Action Aladdin last week to learn that our self-worth and our significance is found in Christ, it’s really found in the understanding that we are a child of God, which carries with more significance than we could ever need in this life. Today, we are going to look at a fun, newer movie, our one and only animated feature of the series, the new Disney-Pixar film called Onward.
Onward is set in a suburban fantasy world with two teenage elf brothers, Ian and Barley Lightfoot. It’s kinda like Lord of the Rings meets Lion King, with elements of Indiana Jones tossed in there. These two brothers go out on a quest to find a mythical stone that will allow them to spend one day with their father who passed from sickness almost 16 years before. Like any good quest, theirs is filled with magical spells, cryptic maps, seemingly impossible obstacles, and unimaginable discoveries.
As the narrator says, the residents of this once magical realm found it easier and safer to rely on technology. So over time, magic disappeared from the world and was replaced by cutting-edge technology and modern amenities like lightbulbs, smartphones, and satellite TV. I mean why spend the time and effort to cast an illumination spell when you can just flip a light switch right? Now, the elves, ogres, and cyclopses who populate this imaginary planet only learn about magic in their high school history classes. But it isn't just magic that's missing. Many of the mythical creatures throughout the movie have lost their sense of identity.
During their quest, Ian and Barley come across a fire-breathing woman with the head of a lion, wings of a dragon, and a scorpion's tail - she’s called The Manticore. But Ian and Barley quickly realize that the manticore is no longer the fierce and fearless adventurer she once was, instead, she goes by the name Corey and she runs a Chuckie-Cheese knock-off restaurant. The inhabitants of this once magical realm have forgotten where they come from, and by extension who they are. And although we don't live in a world of magic and monsters, I think people are just as prone to forgetting who we are and where we come from.
When we forget what God has done in the past, we stop relying on him in the present. Jesus gave Christians a similar command when he introduced the Lord's Supper. He said very simply in Luke 22:19, And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” Jesus gave us communion as a memorial so that we would never forget what he did for us on the cross! And by remembering what Jesus did for us, we're reminded of the lives that we are called to live for him. Like magic in the movie, a life of faith isn't easy to master, but it helps to have a good memory. I felt compelled to step outside of the outline I had put together to share this. Church, we need to stop forgetting.
Pastor Robbie continues digging into the plot of the movie saying, “Ok, back to the story and the real thread of where I aim to go today. Now, our two main characters, Ian and Barley, voiced by Andrew Garfield and Chris Pratt, could not be more different. Barley is the older brother, and he is loud and boisterous, just a big personality. He is who he is and he doesn’t care what others think. He’s an extrovert to the extreme and he loves magic or at least the idea of magic. Ian, on the other hand, is a quiet lonely dude, who seems very introverted and very afraid of the world. He never met his dad, remember I said the plot is a quest to spend one day with his father; his dad actually died before Ian was born, and we see that taking a toll on him throughout the movie. He doesn’t really have any friends, and in fact, he spends much of the movie in the conflict surrounding who he’s in community with. He tends to push his mom and brother away, while also not really making an effort for friends. He lives in isolation. Listen to me church—community is always intentional, isolation is easily accidental. We have to be intentional about community, or we’ll default to caring about nothing and nobody but ourselves.”
We see this in passages here in Acts 16, we bump into Paul getting ready to go on a second missionary journey around the Mediterranean Rim, even larger and further than the first - the quest was going to be epic! So Paul is on his journey and he meets a believer by the name of Timothy. Timothy happens to be born from a Jew and a Greek, but he is well spoken of in the community, his reputation is good and Paul sees him and decides he needs to be a part of the epic quest. you see, Paul knew something, he knew he needed people around him. He needed a community of people to accomplish what God had put in front of him. Paul had the same need that you and I have today, and that’s that we need to surround ourselves with positive people. We see in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 that Paul knew something, and Timothy learned something. Community will cost you; Community is built on sacrifice—If you’re going to be in community, it’s going to cost you something.
The community that Ian and Barley were in wasn’t perfect, but it was built on love and both benefitted and were built up. If you couldn’t tell, Ian had a list of things he wanted to do with his dad during the 24 hours, but since his dad was only legs the entire time, he couldn’t do them. But he discovered in that moment the importance of his community around him. He discovered that he had had somebody all along. I have found this to be absolutely true in my life, The most meaningful times in life are when you are meaningfully connected to God and others. Ian was lonely, he is an isolated kid, but he found meaning and a purpose in an adventure. Over the course of the adventure, he learned to value the community around him and take stock of just how good he had it and how great his people were.
Have you taken stock lately? Have you neglected your community? We’re not even talking about Missional Communities here, although you really should be in one, We’re talking about your circle. Your people. Are you connected?
SOME KEY TAKE-AWAYS
At The Movies - Onward: This movie is an exciting and enchanting film that really gives us the motivation to understand the value of community, especially when we have lost our way.
Main Scripture Passages: Luke 22:19; Acts 16; 1 Cor. 9:19-23
Stop Forgetting: When we forget what God has done in the past, we stop relying on him in the present - We have to stop forgetting church!
Community is Everything: The most meaningful times in life are when you are meaningfully connected to God and others - being connected with other people isn’t an optional thing; the Kingdom is wide and diverse, seek out those who bring you into a closer relationship with God!
If this topic piques your interest or if you would enjoy listening to this sermon in more depth, check out Legacy City’s Podcast, available here, or on Spotify and Itunes. (Sermons will not be posted from 10/4-11/1)
To keep up to date with Legacy City Church and everything that God is doing in our community, please follow us on social media:
Facebook: LegacyCityGWD
Instagram: LegacyCityGWD
Twitter: LegacyCityGWD
Join us next Sunday as we continue to meet at the Premiere Cinema 10 at 10 am!
We hope that you and your family are well—know that You Are Loved!
At The Movies - Aladdin
Pastor Robbie continues our At The Movies Series by diving into the great biblical truths that Aladdin has to offer!
We are so excited to bring you a series that we absolutely love being able to be apart of each year - the ‘At the Movies’ series seeks to bring out biblical truths through looking at Hollywood movies and seeing what great principles we can find! The movies always have a wide range of appeals - some are classic and some are very new to the big screen! Unfortunately, due to copyright concerns, we are not able to stream the service for this series; we encourage those who are comfortable to join us in-person for the Gathering - otherwise, we hope these blog posts will give you the life and truth that you desire!
Our second week of our At The Movies Series addressed the live-action version of the classic Disney hit - Aladdin! Pastor Robbie introduces the film saying, “One of the things I really love about this movie is that you notice right away that there is this common theme, this woven thread that is going to happen throughout the entire film, and it started off right at the beginning with that first clip that we watched. And it’s this common thread of self-worth and significance. You saw it right at the beginning with the kids, they are sitting on their ship and what are they doing? They are looking at another ship, a bigger ship, and they are thinking “Oh our life would be better, or our life would have more value, we’d have more worth if we had a bigger ship, a bigger ship means a better life.” And quickly, you see it in the film that there is this lie, that if we have more, or we are more, then life is more, right?
We see this more at the core of the plot of the film, “Aladdin is our main character; he is a common thief in the Arabian city of Agrabah. So one day, he is out in the market doing what he does, stealing bread and apples and other things, when he runs into the princess, but of course, he doesn’t know it’s her because she’s keeping that a secret so that she blends into the crowd. She’s doing this because she constantly has to stay in the palace because her father, the sultan, is a bit overprotective. But our hero Aladdin suns into her, and naturally like in real life, they fall in love in like 30 seconds, right? Unfortunately for Aladdin, she can only marry a prince, and there you have the big tension and struggle of the story. On the backside, a secondary plot involves a villain, his name is Jafar and he is the advisor to the sultan. But he has this unbelievable desire to be all-powerful and to rule, so basically he’s like every villain, but the only way he can do it is by getting this magical lamp that’s hidden in a cave. And the only way that he can get into the cave is that someone who is worthy, someone pure has to go in, in other words - NOT Jafar. And so he has to find the “diamond in the rough” to go in for him, and that happens to be Aladdin. So Jafar is going to use Aladdin to try to get what he wants.” We see a rogue (Aladdin) going after a disgruntled princess (Jasmine), who eventually falls in love, having to deal with a power-hungry sorcerer (Jafar) and show that even in the face of difficulties, things will work out how they are supposed to.
The dynamics between these characters and the initial motivations for their actions are what we will be focusing on here. An author named Robert McGee in his book The Search for Significance actually sets up an equation for us that illustrates what we’re talking about. He gives us this equation that self-worth = performance + others’ opinions. Now, this is a perceived truth, which we’ve talked about before. But this is a perceived truth here. Aladdin believes that to be a better person, he needs to be wealthy so that people won’t look down on him for his station; Jasmine believes her father, the Sultan, is holding her back from her potential and without that restraint, she would find the value and worth that she desires; and of course, you heard Jafar, he said being #2 is just not enough, I have to be #1, and he is driven by this idea—this notion that his self-worth will not be complete until he’s at the very top by any means necessary.
Coming from Ecclesiastes 3:9-12 we see that the author is giving us an amazing truth here. He’s telling us something that most if not all of you already know, and that is that there is something more to this life. There is something more than the 9-5, something more than the routine of life, something more than the monotonous and the mundane. He’s telling us that there’s something more today, I want you to hear that church because maybe you have forgotten it, but there is something more to this life. The author tells you why right here, because you have eternity in your heart! Eternity has no bounds—it has no limits; of course, we search for significance because we have eternity in us! We were created with a desire to search for the significant One, but along the way, we started trying to BE the significant one or marry the significant one or buy significance. These are things that just try to take the place of the significance we have in Christ, they call out to our basic human needs to be more than we perceive ourselves to be.
As the audience, we can quickly feel this tension, because Aladdin wants to be significant, he wants to be important, he wants to be somebody, so much so - that he’s willing to be used. We know it, we see where the story is going and we just want to shout at him “how do you not see it?!” But he has this drive because of performance or people’s opinions so much so, that he’s willing to compromise wisdom. And I don’t know about you, but I’ve been there. I’ve compromised wisdom. I have made selfish decisions based solely on money, or advancement, or just for kudos of others. Again, we are Aladdin.
Moving forward in the film we see a segment where Aladdin did everything right and then the monkey had to go and grab the ruby. But what’s crazy about this, is that it’s kinda like life right? We’re on a journey, we have some goals, we’re trying to reach a destination, and then what? Life happens, right? Life keeps getting in the way, maybe many of us feel that way about 2020, like we had some stuff to get done, some goals and then 2020 came out of nowhere and messed it all up.
You start off good, and then you make one decision, or someone else makes a decision, or Covid shows up, and you find yourself doing a loopty-loop, and a spiral, and a corkscrew, and you don’t know what’s going on, and you’re exhausted by the time you get to B. This is what life looks like. We’re on this journey through life, and our decisions are not going to happen in the proper progression, they are going to carry us off the path from time to time, maybe more often than not. But, here’s what I believe, I think that God gives us grace in life, and that grace can sometimes be found in some unexpected characters.
The Genie then comes on the scene; Aladdin does get his wishes. For his first wish, he asks to be a prince so he can have a shot with Princess Jasmine. But quickly we see him start to compromise some wisdom and really compromising who he is. We start to see Aladdin change. And what Aladdin is learning, and what maybe you have learned on your journey, is that our compromises become our consequences. When we consider the prodigal son in Luke 15, Things did not go as he planned, things didn’t go as he expected, he compromised and was living a certain way, and he learned something that many of us have learned or are learning, and that’s How we navigate the journey shapes our destination. He had to realize that I am where I am today because of my decisions. And here’s what I can tell you, to escape that, to not let the false beliefs drive us, to not let this fake search of self-worth dictate our futures, there is a remedy.
Sometimes, repentance or an A-Ha moment will have us turn away from the thing that we’re pursuing. And that’s what we think will happen, so that’s why we avoid repentance. But really it has us turn from something that is trying to manipulate our thoughts, our actions, our destination. I love that we get to see this moment in Aladdin.
Where are you looking for your significance? Where are you finding your self-worth? Have you had an A-Ha moment of repentance, or are you still traveling down a road of false beliefs? Your significance is not found by what you create in this life but is given by the One who created your life.
SOME KEY TAKE-AWAYS
At The Movies - Aladdin: The version we went over was the Live-Action version - if you have seen the animated but not this one, we’re sure you’ll enjoy it just as much!
Main Scripture Passages: Ecclesiastes 3:9-12; Luke 15:11-32
Our Desire for Significance: I believe that this is true because we were all created: We are created with a sense of self-worth and significance from our creator; our desire for it is natural, but often self-seeking.
Our Compromises become our Consequences: Like the old adage ‘Be careful what you wish for.’ the ways in which we compromise in our lives often point to the consequences from them.
Our Self-Worth—our Significance comes only from being a child of the most-high God: “I hope that you know that God loves you and I hope that you step into this idea of eternal self-worth because your worth in Christ comes from the fact that you are a son or daughter of God. Nothing on earth can compare to that and fill that” - Pastor Robbie
If this topic piques your interest or if you would enjoy listening to this sermon in more depth, check out Legacy City’s Podcast, available here, or on Spotify and Itunes. (Sermons will not be posted from 10/4-11/1)
To keep up to date with Legacy City Church and everything that God is doing in our community, please follow us on social media:
Facebook: LegacyCityGWD
Instagram: LegacyCityGWD
Twitter: LegacyCityGWD
Join us next Sunday as we continue to meet at the Premiere Cinema 10 at 10 am!
We hope that you and your family are well—know that You Are Loved!
At The Movies - The Lord of the Rings
Pastor Robbie begins our ‘At The Movies’ Series by diving into the great biblical truths that The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring provides!
We are so excited to bring you a series that we absolutely love being able to be apart of each year - the ‘At the Movies’ series seeks to bring out biblical truths through looking at Hollywood movies and seeing what great principles we can find! The movies always have a wide range of appeals - some are classic and some are very new to the big screen! Unfortunately, due to copyright concerns, we are not able to stream the service for this series; we encourage those who are comfortable to join us in-person for the Gathering - otherwise, we hope these blog posts will give you the life and truth that you desire!
Our first week into the series we dived into The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - a grand tale of adventure and moral dilemma surrounding the fate of the land and the temptation of great power. If you have not seen this work, we encourage you to watch it; it is quite long, however, especially if you want the full experience of all the associated movies. Regardless, over the years, there have been several debates about whether or not the series is an allegory for Christianity. Do the characters of Middle-Earth represent different Biblical people? Did Tolkien set out to captivate people with the message of salvation through a story about a Hobbit? According to Tolkien himself, the answer is no. That wasn’t what he was trying to do. Tolkien repeatedly denied that actually. He eventually relented and was quoted as saying “The Lord of the Rings is, of course, a fundamentally religious and Christian work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision.”
There are four main themes that were explored in various clips - use these to follow along as you watch the film yourself!
The Trap of Temptation
The Value of Community
The Impact of the Ordinary
The Ultimate Triumph of Good
Pastor Robbie began saying, ‘There are so many Biblical themes to be found in this film, as well as the whole saga, but for time’s sake today, we’ll just focus on four. Each week, we’ll take a different approach to the films we’ll do by the way. Some might be a shotgun spray of different themes found in the movie (like today), some might a single consistent theme that is found throughout the film, some might even be focusing on a character in the movie and what Biblical teachings could come from their role. Today: themes.
The first of these themes is The Trap of Temptation:
In The Lord of the Rings, the Ring represents evil. And everyone in the story knows this. But throughout the entire epic, even the good characters struggle with the temptation to use the power of the ring for themselves. Not even Gandalf or the Elfish princess Galadriel is exempt from the temptation of the Ring. Victory over temptation becomes difficult when sin becomes precious.
Temptation promises what you crave most, but it takes what you can’t afford. In the Word of God, James describes it like this: “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death.” (James 1:14-15)
Temptation warns you that evil is nearby, in the case of Frodo, we see that he wields a sword that lets him know when Orcs (the dangerous ones) are nearby. But how often, church, do you and I ignore the warning signs that evil is nearby? How often do we feel tempted, but we ignore that feeling or even enjoy it? Temptation is not evil in and of itself, but it signals that we’re headed for evil.
The second of these themes is The Value of Community:
One of the biggest themes, not just in this movie, but in the movies after it and the Hobbit movies that precede it, is friendship, camaraderie, community. And I would argue that this is one of the key themes in the Bible and that’s meant for us as believers.
We see that as believers we can help share the load with others; We can hold each other accountable in the face of temptation; We can give each other hope in this fallen world.
While one of us alone may not be able to withstand the weight of life, together we can prevail. The Lord brings people together that would never have even crossed paths because they each bring different things to the table that can love and support the other, we are a part of a larger body, and church whether you are introverted or extroverted, whether you are an enneagram 9 or 4, we NEED each other. If we want to run the race well and cross the finish line, we need other people to pray for us, to come alongside us, to challenge us, ultimately, to share the load. (Ecclesiastes 4:12)
The third of these themes is The Impact of the Ordinary:
In this group we have a wise and powerful Wizard, we have a hard-fisted ax-wielding dwarf, we have the handsome, mysterious swashbuckling prince, we have the graceful, swift, and noble Elf, we have a rugged, brave warrior, and then we have four little hobbits. Who would you choose to bear the ring? Frodo wouldn’t have been my first choice. But this boyish little Hobbit is the hero in the story. In fact, it’s almost a joke. I mean, how ridiculous given all the available options to give the ring to Frodo! And as the saga goes on, the heroics continue to come from the most unlikely of sources. The ‘ordinary’ are still able to do the extraordinary.
Somebody needs to hear this today, your potential does not rest in who you are, it rests in who God is. He can do incredibly more than you could ever ask or think. He’s the God who makes the impossible possible. (1 John 4:4; Phil. 4:13)
The fourth and last of these themes is The Ultimate Triumph of Good:
See, we were only meant to use the first movie today, but I had to throw this in because it’s too good not to. But in the last movie, Frodo and his companions are successful in destroying the ring. In the end, they will win; Good will triumph over evil. You know what? That’s a theme I find in my own life, too. Regardless of what difficulties I may encounter, regardless of how hopeless things may seem, I know that I’m on the winning side. I know that in the end God will prevail over all the darkness and I have an unshakable hope in an eternity spent with Him.
That is the hope for me and every other believer who has placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. In the end, we win; Good, will ultimately triumph. So no matter what junk we have to endure for this present age, there is a time coming when all of that will be swept away and we will be left standing in the presence of Almighty God. And what a day, glorious day that will be! (1 Cor. 15:16-22)
SOME KEY TAKE-AWAYS
At The Movies - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - A timeless tale of uncommon triumph and companionship; if you haven’t seen this excellent work (and all the other surrounding films, we highly recommend taking the time to watch them!
Main Scripture Passages: James 1:14-15; Ecclesiastes 4:12; 1 John 4:4; Phil. 4:13; 1 Cor. 15:16-22
The Trap of Temptation: Temptation is apart of our world, and it has some nasty consequences when given-in to; it claims to be good but is only in disguise!
The Value of Community: In light of the difficulties of temptation and the desire to do Good, being in community with other believers is incredibly important - we are to look out for one another as we seek a closer relationship with God.
The Impact of the Ordinary: We all have a part to play in this world; the role of the average person is quite literally unique—to come together in community, to seek the Good of the Kingdom of God!
The Ultimate Triumph of Good: ‘Good’ will ultimately triumph. So no matter what junk we have to endure for this present age, there is a time coming when all of that will be swept away and we will be left standing in the presence of Almighty God.
If this topic piques your interest or if you would enjoy listening to this sermon in more depth, check out Legacy City’s Podcast, available here, or on Spotify and Itunes. (Sermons will not be posted from 10/4-11/1)
To keep up to date with Legacy City Church and everything that God is doing in our community, please follow us on social media:
Facebook: LegacyCityGWD
Instagram: LegacyCityGWD
Twitter: LegacyCityGWD
Join us next Sunday as we continue to meet at the Premiere Cinema 10 at 10 am!
We hope that you and your family are well—know that You Are Loved!
At The Movies - Avengers: Endgame
Pastor Robbie concludes our At The Movies series with Avengers: Endgame!
For the last week of our At The Movies series, Pastor Robbie brought an incredible word bringing out biblical themes from the worldwide phenomenon, Avengers: Endgame! If you were not able to make it to our Gathering this past Sunday, know that we missed you! Unfortunately, due to some copyright concerns, we were not able to record sermons for this series. Be sure to continue to check back in at Legacy City’s Blog going forward - this was the last week of our series, we hate to see it go but we hope you enjoyed all of the different movies we were able to cover!
This final week of our At The Movies series we decided to cover a movie that has become the biggest box-office hit in history, bringing in a whopping 2.79 billion dollars - that’s right billion! Don’t worry though, there are not any spoilers in this message, for those of you who may not have seen it yet and were planning to. It would take 10 or more different dedicated blog posts to really sum up what has led to the events of Endgame but we’ll do our best to summarize the story for context’s sake. Ps. Robbie summed it up best by saying, '“Avengers: Endgame is set after Thanos used the Infinity Stones at the end of the last movie, Infinity War - He put all of these super-powered, super-mystical stones into his gauntlet, which gave him the power to randomly wipe out half of the population, not just on Earth but in the whole universe. They called this event The Snap, because he snapped his fingers to make it happen. So half of all life, vaporized.”
We are used to seeing our heroes win, and triumph over evil right? Well, this time it doesn’t quite go like that, we are faced with what seems like overwhelming circumstances. When we take a look at what’s going on in our own lives we can begin to feel like a failure - like nothing is going our way everywhere we turn. One of the hero-like characters that we find in much of the New Testament is Paul, but so often do we forget that he used to be Saul; as Ps. Robbie said, “In the midst of his most zealous act yet, Saul falls flat on his face. He set out on a mission to wreak havoc on the Christians hiding in Damascus and he failed.” Saul was blinded on his way to persecute the Christian in Damascus and hearing the thundering voice of Jesus address him ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ (Acts 9:4), he is left powerless! The first step in Saul/Paul’s journey shows us that Failure is for certain - we all fall short of the glory of God.
People deal with failure in their lives in very different ways, as the many characters in Avengers: Endgame do; from ‘Black Widow, she can't relax, she has to take control and try to fix what went wrong - we might term that a workaholic; the character HawkEye, He’s so angry and heartbroken and frustrated that he tries to take revenge on people who are still doing wrong in the world - like he’s trying to say if I can’t fix what went wrong, I am at least going to try to make something right.’ Just like Saul who has been blinded by the very one he sought to go and persecute, our heroes are struggling to deal with what has occurred - but there is good news! Failure is not final, and what we do in dealing with our failure matters! Saul was directed into Damascus and is brought into their Christian circle - at his lowest, Saul chose Jesus! Saul took his failures and he laid them down at the feet of Jesus. He didn’t come up with a new strategy.
Laying his life down at Jesus’ feet opened Saul, now Paul, into a whole new world of possibility - a world that Paul took to very quickly and seriously. In Acts 9:19-20 we see ‘and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” Could we name somebody that has had a bigger impact on spreading the faith? All of his greatest feats came after his failure because he let his failures push him forward. Paul experienced failure in his life, but he did not stay a failure - it was not his identity, and it doesn’t have to be yours either! Our Bible says that we are more than conquerors in Christ, we are joint-heirs! In Romans 8:28 we see that Jesus is working all things together for the good of those that love him and are called according to his purpose; your failure doesn’t have to be final! When your SIN and your failure separated you from him, Jesus said, “Whatever it takes! I’m going to get them back, even if I have to die in the process.”
What will you choose - Failure or victory in Christ?
SOME KEY TAKE-AWAYS
Avengers: Endgame - literally the most successful movie ever made, go check it out if you haven’t!
Main Scripture Passages: Acts 9:3-20; Romans 8:28; John 3:16
Failure is for Certain
Failure is Not Final - What we do with Failure Matters.
Own your Failure, don’t let your Failure own you!
Unfortunately, due to copyright concerns, we will not be able to record audio sermons for this series - but if you would like to explore what sermons we do have recorded, visit here.
To keep up to date with Legacy City Church and everything that God is doing in our community, please follow us on social media:
Facebook: LegacyCityGWD
Instagram: LegacyCityGWD
Twitter: LegacyCityGWD
Join us next Sunday for Pastor Robbie to speak on something special that God has laid on his heart!
We’re saving you a seat, and know that You Are Loved!
At The Movies - The Sandlot
Elder Adam Weyer shows us how to Conquer our ‘Beast’ from The Sandlot in Jonah 1!
This fourth week of our At The Movies series, Legacy City Church gathered together to see what biblical themes we could find in the sports and 90’s classic The Sandlot. Elder Adam Weyer brought the word this past Sunday out of Jonah 1 - we are so thankful to have such passionate and able Elders who are willing to preach the Word! If you were not able to make it to our Gathering this past Sunday, know that we missed you! Unfortunately, due to some copyright concerns, we will not be able to have recorded sermons for this series. Be sure to continue to check back in at Legacy City’s Blog going forward - next week we will be finishing the series!
If you haven’t seen The Sandlot before, the plot essentially is a coming-of-age story about a boy coming into a new environment that brings him into their group through baseball. At first, there are some growing pains about being ‘the new kid’, but the group embraces him as their own! On the field that they play baseball, the Sandlot, there is a big wooden fence that separates the kids from a junkyard with a big scary dog - the Beast. Eventually, they have to overcome their fears by going over the fence to retrieve a really valuable baseball and they’re met with very different circumstances than they ever would have thought!
The Sandlot is a fun and whimsical story, but there are a lot of really biblical themes that we see play out through some days at the Sandlot. The whole story surrounds the danger that the big wooden fence suggests - this is closed off area to the kids and all they hear are big scary growls of the Beast on the other side. El. Adam hit the ground running with the first chapter of Jonah when God prompts Jonah to go and minister to a dangerous people who have a history of being against the things of God (Jn. 1:1-3). The history of the Ninevites was Jonah’s big wooden fence - his fear overcame his faithfulness towards God and His plan for Jonah and the people of Ninevah.
Just like in The Sandlot, the story of Jonah is only getting started - the fence is meant to be acknowledged and it is meant to be conquered. It isn’t always fun or pretty to have to face, but Jonah eventually comes to embrace his calling to go and minister to the people of Ninevah; maybe your journey has felt similar to Jonah’s, I mean, he had to get thrown overboard during a storm to realize what he needed to do (Jn 1:4-17)! In the Sandlot, the kids eventually build up the courage to scale the fence and go after the baseball hit over it. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but that big bad Beast, wasn’t at all what the kids thought it to be. In our walks with God, we have to identify what our ‘Beasts’ are - we can conquer them because our faithfulness comes from a mighty and powerful God!
Where is your faithfulness towards the ‘Beast’ in your life? Are we still gazing at our big wooden fence wondering how we will ever build up the courage to scale it - or are we seeking after the faithfulness we see in Scripture of great men and women of God like Jonah? Seek the Lord in prayer, in studying His Word, and community in His Church; the powerful acts of faith we see in Scripture are meant as more than an example to us, they are testaments to God’s faithfulness towards our faithfulness!
SOME KEY TAKE-AWAYS
The Sandlot - such a great sports and 90’s classic, go check it out!
Main Scripture Passage: Jonah 1:1-17
What Beast is on the other side of your Fence? (Jonah 1:1-3)
Go, and Face the Beast! (Jonah 1:4-17)
Where is your faith in your situation?
Unfortunately, due to copyright concerns, we will not be able to record audio sermons for this series - but if you would like to explore what sermons we do have recorded, visit here.
To keep up to date with Legacy City Church and everything that God is doing in our community, please follow us on social media:
Facebook: LegacyCityGWD
Instagram: LegacyCityGWD
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Join us next Sunday when we conclude the At The Movies series with Avengers: Endgame! We have one last week, and it’s going to be awesome - We’re saving you a seat, and know that You Are Loved!
At The Movies - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Pastor Robbie covers Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone through Exodus 17!
We just finished our third week of our At The Movies series where we covered Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone! The whole Harry Potter series is a grand adventure of conflict and resolution as we walk through the years with Harry, Ron and Hermione - we were so excited to be able to go through such an impacting series to so many of us! If you were not able to make it to our Gathering this past Sunday, know that we missed you! Unfortunately, due to some copyright concerns, we will not be able to have recorded sermons for this series. Be sure to continue to check back in at Legacy City’s Blog going forward in this series!
If you’re not familiar with the plot of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (or any part of the whole - there are 7 books and 8 movies by the way!), it first and foremost is not a story that invokes ‘evil practices or demonic worship’ in any way. Harry Potter, on a core level, is a fictional story about a boy (Harry) who comes into a world of wizardry and is thrown into an epic adventure to combat evil forces that are coming against him and his friends. This first movement in the story is an introduction to the world Harry is now living in, where we see him being assimilated into a community and a particular ‘House’ that will become his ‘home away from home’. We are also introduced to the evil wizard causing tremendous problems in their world (Voldemort) who Harry is empowered to fight against.
Pastor Robbie used three different clips from this first movie that showed us some very specific points that have been true ever since the days of Moses in the book of Exodus. In Exodus 17, we see that after Moses has brought the people of Israel out of their oppression in Egypt, a truly demonic force comes against them in Amalek and his people. An epic battle ensues at Ex. 17:8 and we see something very specific from Moses concerning the battle. In Ex. 17:10-11, Moses’ hands are raised before the Lord, and while his hands are raised, the battle goes in the people of Israel’s favor! We all have different forces come against us, be that various issues in our lives or very real demonic oppression, but we can know that God’s Hand moves when we pray to him!
Now Moses is an awesome guy, someone that God chose to use for the benefit of his people, but he (like all of us) needed people surrounding him that were willing to assist and build him up. In Ex. 17:12-13, Aaron and Hur hold Moses’ hands up in the air when he grows weary from his task. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I could hold my hands up for the entirety of a military battle! I would need help, I would need to have people around me to pick me up when I need it!
Harry Potter is a gifted boy, but in his epic quest to defeat Voldemort, he needed his friends around him to help him with his task; Harry found this friendship in his assigned House at Hogwarts. When we come against various issues in our lives, things are going to be tough, things are going to seem impossible to go through - we need to have a strong ‘House’ around us to help keep us going!
SOME KEY TAKE-AWAYS
Harry Potter (the whole series) is just incredible - still totally worth watching right now!
Main Scripture Passage (Exodus 17)
You will be under attack at different points in your life, but always remember that God’s Hand moves when you pray! (Ex. 17:10-11)
‘I don't care how smart you are, how strong you are, how resolved you are, to win your battle - you need other people.’ (Ps. Robbie)
We are meant to be together in community, we were made to be in a common House together - find your Ron and Hermione!
Unfortunately, due to copyright concerns we will not be able to record audio sermons for this series - but if you would like to explore what sermons we do have recorded, visit here.
To keep up to date with Legacy City Church and everything that God is doing in our community, please follow us on social media:
Facebook: LegacyCityGWD
Instagram: LegacyCityGWD
Twitter: LegacyCityGWD
Join us next Sunday as we jump into our next installment of At the Movies! We are so excited to be back in this series - We’re saving you a seat, and know that You Are Loved!
At the Movies - The Lion King
Guest Speaker and Pastor Michael Bayne dived into The Lion King and 1 Samuel!
This past Sunday was our second installment of our At the Movies series! This past Gathering, Guest Speaker and Pastor Micheal Bayne brought to light The Lion King! If you were not able to make it to our Gathering this past Sunday, know that we missed you! Unfortunately, due to some copyright concerns, we will not be able to have recorded sermons for this series. Be sure to continue to check back in at Legacy City’s Blog going forward in this series!
The Lion King is a grand story of wonder, mistakes, betrayal, and overcoming difficult odds. It’s a story many of us know well, and it has so many scenes that have likely stuck with us long after seeing them!
Ps. Michael started his message off with such an impacting scene from The Lion King - Mufasa’s death! We can’t believe he broke our hearts so early, but the emotional fuel got us going right out of the gates! Simba idolized his father, and expected him to be around to help him come into maturity as he succeeded his father as Ruler of Pride Rock. So often in our lives when we are confronted with unexpected (and particularly painful) situations we can begin to doubt God’s path and plan for our lives. We stayed in 1 Samuel for most of the morning, and learned some very important lessons. 1 Sam. 16:1 tells us, “The LORD said to Samuel, ‘How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.’” Even though Simba could not see what his life would look like going forward, his adventure would ultimately lead him exactly where he needed to be! In our own lives, no matter what the circumstances, we know that God is always working ahead of our pain and problems with restoration and redemption.
1 Samuel 16 has a lot of different lessons that we can learn from; especially v6-7 and v11-13.
With the Lord having rejected Saul as Israel’s king (1 Sam. 15), Samuel was concerned for the people of Israel not having a king who sought after right relationship with the Lord. In 1 Sam. 16:6-7 we see Samuel believing ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him (Eliab) (v6); the Lord has other plans saying to Samuel in v7, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’ Declaring to us that God longs for different things than what we long for. Our human hearts sometimes look for the wrong things in people, but God is always looking at the core of their hearts.
Ps. Michael concluded his message by hitting on 1 Sam. 16:11-13 encouraging us with two very critical points. No matter what position we find ourselves in, just like David who would not have expected what came about in his life, God goes with us into struggle as much as he rescues us from struggle! We are God’s people, and he is with us! It doesn’t matter where you are in your life or your walk with Christ, God is in the business of using broken people to accomplish His goals for His Kingdom! Just like David, sometimes the most unlikely candidate is God’s primary choice for the job!
SOME KEY TAKE-AWAYS
The Lion King - such an incredible classic, you should totally watch it (if you haven’t already!).
God is always working ahead of your pain and problem with restoration and redemption. (1 Sam. 16:1)
God longs for different things than you long for. (1 Sam. 16:6-7)
God goes with us into struggle as much as He rescues us from struggle. (1 Sam. 16:11-13)
God chooses and uses unlikely people to make a difference in this world.
Unfortunately, due to copyright concerns we will not be able to record audio sermons for this series - but if you would like to explore what sermons we do have recorded, visit here.
To keep up to date with Legacy City Church and everything that God is doing in our community, please follow us on social media:
Facebook: LegacyCityGWD
Instagram: LegacyCityGWD
Twitter: LegacyCityGWD
Join us next Sunday as we jump into our next installment of At the Movies! We are so excited to be back in this series - We’re saving you a seat, and know that You Are Loved!
At the Movies - Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
Finding the unique value of our singular life here on Earth, as found in Jumanji!
This past Sunday was our opening week for our new series At the Movies! Throughout this series, we hope to draw out biblical ideas from popular movies that we all know and love; this past Gathering, Pastor Robbie focused on the newest version of Jumanji! If you were not able to make it to our Gathering this past Sunday, know that we missed you! Unfortunately, due to some copyright concerns, we will not be able to have recorded sermons for this series. Be sure to continue to check back in at Legacy City’s Blog going forward in this series!
For those of us who are not familiar with the plot of Jumanji, we see that ‘Four high school kids discover an old video game console and are drawn into the game's jungle setting, literally becoming the adult avatars they chose. What they discover is that you don't just play Jumanji - you must survive it. To beat the game and return to the real world, they'll have to go on the most dangerous adventure of their lives…’ - isn’t that a crazy situation?! But what is very clear, is the focus on survival we see outright; the players in the story are now in a situation where their one life is in grave danger, not just in-game, but in real life! Ps. Robbie focused heavily on this, ‘The big idea today is ONE. You have one shot at this thing called life. I’m talking about making this one life that God has blessed you with something extraordinary.’
Looking at Ephesians 4:4-7 we see, ‘There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.’ Scripture reinforces this idea that we are born and we live a single life which we will either wield for God’s glory and honor or selfishly waste for our own desires! Ps. Robbie emphasizes this with ‘So if you just get one life, why wouldn’t you make it extraordinary, make it powerful, live on point with purpose? God has blessed you with today, one day, one life, you live one decision at a time, so be smart about your life.’
We have distinct purpose in our lives as believers, you are not an accident or a mistake in the eyes of God - Scripture declares this! But often times it can be confusing with questions lingering like ‘What is God’s calling on my life?’; ‘What purpose does the Lord have for me going forward?’. We see this very clearly in Jumnaji also ‘In the movie, they were told that their goal was return a stolen gem stone to a jaguar shaped mountain in Jumanji, they had a vision for the end game, but didn’t exactly know what the journey was going to look like.’ God has a personalized vision for your life, and it all starts with a commission that Jesus himself gave to his disciples and applies to each and every one of us as believers, ‘Go and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of Lord (Matthew 28:19-20)- can it be that simple? YES! Share the good news, disciple others.’ You’ve got one life to live - Scripture tells us we are to be empowered with purpose towards the forwarding of the Gospel to a lost and dying world! There are no resets or extra lives in this game of life, make your choice and work hard at progressing forward!
SOME KEY TAKE-AWAYS
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle - its an awesome movie, go check it out!
Your life is imbued with unique purpose (Ephesians 4:4-7).
Tapping into God’s unique purpose for your life begins and ends with your trust in Him with everything in your life (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Sometimes the path God has for you isn’t as specific as we would like it, but Jesus has already given us some very important steps that should be present in all of our lives (Matthew 28:19-20).
You don’t need a platform or an ‘important position’ to make an impact for the Gospel - we are called to be servants above all!
Unfortunately, due to copyright concerns we will not be able to record audio sermons for this series - but if you would like to explore what sermons we do have recorded, visit here.
To keep up to date with Legacy City Church and everything that God is doing in our community, please follow us on social media:
Facebook: LegacyCityGWD
Instagram: LegacyCityGWD
Twitter: LegacyCityGWD
Join us next Sunday as we jump into our next installment of At the Movies! We are so excited to be back in this series - We’re saving you a seat, and know that You Are Loved!