CityLight Church

Sunday Worship 10 AM

  • Pictures
    • Baptism 24.8.2013
    • Picture Gallery 2009
      • Advent 2009
      • CityLight Thanks+Giving 2009
      • Early Days… random pics
      • Mens Breakfast: Nov 21st
      • More Dec 09′ Pics
    • Picture Gallery 2010
      • Back to Bethel 21.11.2010
      • Festival of Lights Pics 5.12.2010
      • Greece Pictures
      • Jan 10′ Media
      • Jan 10′ Pics
      • Light of My World 19.12.2010
      • Thanksgiving 2010
    • Picture Gallery 2011
      • A Good Year 2.1.2011
      • CityLight Summer Services – June 2011
      • Mission: Brazil 23.1.2011
      • Passover 2011 Pictures
    • Picture Gallery 2012
  • Cause
    • Donate: Bikes
  • Connect
    • Break Through Youth Ministry
    • Football Fellowship – Saturdays @ 9AM
    • Friday Night Home Group
    • Men’s Breakfast
    • Women’s Bible Study
  • Contact
  • Events
    • Advent Celebration 2014
    • Church in the Park
    • Nations United Worship
    • Thanksgiving 2013
  • Made For More
  • Teaching
    • Old Testament / Starý zákon
      • Genesis / 1. Mojžišova
        • “Back to Bethel” – Gen 34-36
        • “Can’t Silence My Love” Gen 39-41 13.2.2011
        • “Crossing the Line” Gen 46-47 2011.2.27
        • “Dream Big” – Gen 37 (31.1.2011)
        • “Dream Big” – The Life of Joseph, Gen 37-50
        • “Lasting Words” Gen 48-50 2011.3.6
        • “Why him?” Gen 25-27
        • 10.10.2010 “The Stories We Tell” Genesis 22
        • 17.10.2010 “Captivating” Gen. 24
        • 19.9.2010 “Dinner Date w/ God”
        • 22.8.2010 “The Soap Opera Life”
        • 26.9.2010 “Good & Terrible” – Gen 19
        • 29.8.2010 “Inside Out” Gen. 17
        • CityLight Feb 2010 Media
        • Feb 14/2 Gen 1: “In the Image of God”
        • Feb 28/2010 “Rest for your Souls” (Gen 2:1-3)
        • Gen 13 – “Overweight”
        • Gen 15 “Fear Not”
        • Gen 1: “In the Beginning” Feb 7/10
        • Gen 2 – “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made” Feb 21/10
        • Gen 20-21 Old Sin, New Grace
        • Gen 27-33 “Finding Jacob”
        • Genesis 12 – “Lost” 20.6.2010
        • Genesis 14 – “Naturally Supernatural” 4.7.2010
        • Genesis 15 “Spiritual Explosion” 17.7.2010
        • Genesis 38 “Skeletons” 6.2.2011
        • Genesis 41-45 “Rags, Riches, Restoration” 20.2.2011
      • Judges: Bringing Out the Hero in Us
      • Exodus / 2. Mojžišova
        • Exodus 15:22-27 Thirsty? >
        • “Delight” Exodus 21-24
        • “Empty” – Exodus 16 + John 6
        • “Go with the Flow” – Exodus 19 + Acts 2
        • “God Here” Exodus 25-31
        • “How is your heart?” Exodus 4-12 10.4.2011
        • “Identity Crisis” Exodus 1-3
        • “Illuminate” Exodus 33-34
        • “My Strong Song” > Exodus 14-15
        • “Pure Fear” – Exodus 19 + 20
        • “Remove+Redeem” Exodus 16:1-16 16.5.2011
        • “Wait” Exodus 24-32
        • Exodus 17-18 “My Banner”
        • Exodus 35-40 “Move Me”
        • Loving the Law – Exodus 20
        • On The Edge
      • Leviticus / 3. Mojžišova
        • Leviticus 18-20 – “Sex City”
        • Leviticus 23 “Cycles of Celebration”
        • “Be Different” Leviticus 8
        • “Called To Worship” Leviticus 2-7
        • “Calling All Pagans” Leviticus 1
        • “Clearly Seen” Leviticus 9
        • “Come Confident” Leviticus 16
        • “Life Blood” – Leviticus 17
        • ‘Freedom Feast’ Leviticus 21-23
        • 1Samuel 1-3 “Shhhhh!”
        • By the Book – Leviticus 25-27
        • Honor – Leviticus 24
        • Leviticus 1-5 & Isaiah 43:21-44:23 “Chosen”
        • Leviticus 11-15 “Mr.Clean”
        • Leviticus Series – it’s all about worship!
      • Numbers / 4. Mojžišova
        • “I Am Blessed” Numbers 6:22-27
        • Num 35 “Refuge”
        • Numbers 1-2 “Centered”
        • Numbers 30 – ‘Broken Promises’ 14.10.2012
        • Sunday 21.10.2012
        • “Of Blessings and Curses” – Numbers 21-25
      • Deuteronomy / 5. Mojžišova
        • Deut 12-26 More Than A Song
        • Deut 5-6 “If you love ME…”
        • Deut 1-4; 7-10 Remember
      • Joshua – Moving Forward!
        • Joshua 1 Move Me
        • Joshua 2 Check Out
        • Joshua 3 Cross Over
        • Joshua 5 – Cut Out
        • Joshua 10-12 Sun Stand Still
    • New Testament / Nový zákon
      • Acts – to the Ends of the Earth!
        • Acts 1:1-14 “To the Ends of the Earth”
        • Acts 1:12-26 “Waiting to be a Witness”
        • Acts 2:1-21 “Overflow”
        • Acts 2:17-39 “Spirit Poured Out”
        • Acts 2:42-47 “DNA”
        • Acts 3:1-10 “One Day”
        • Acts 3:11-26 “ReThink”
      • JESUS word.life.art – Teaching Series
        • Mk 1 “Not Alone”
        • Mk 2 “Out of the Box God”
        • Mk 4 “Kingdom of God”
        • Mk 5 “Does God Care?”
        • Mk 6 “Amazed”
        • Mk 7 “Clean?”
        • Mk 8 “Open Eyes”
        • Mk 9 “Transformed”
        • Mk 10 “Rich?”
        • Mk 11-13 “Temple Teachings”
        • Mk 14-15 “Jesus Life”
        • Easter 2013 – RISE!
    • Topical – CityLight Teaching Team
      • “A Joel Moment” 18/4/2010
      • “HOPE” 4.4.2010
      • Esther 21.3.2011 “Purim- Revealing the Mystery”
      • Hebrews 12:14-29 “Esau Syndrome” 1.10.10
      • “Conversations” – 2yrs of CityLight!
      • “God Man” – Chad Shively 8.5.2011
      • “God Names” – Chad Shively 1.5.2011
      • “Good & Pleasant” Acts 2:42
      • “Grow” 1 Samuel 1-3 13.3.2011
      • “I was blind, but now I see” – John 9
      • “Kingdom” – Alberto Melo
      • “Life for God’s Sake” Romans 12:1-2
      • “Thanksgiving Always” – 1 Thess 5:16-18
      • “Treasure” Psalm 37
      • “Vision – Living Words” Acts 2:42 / James 1:22
      • ‘BE___’
      • 15.8.2010 “The Journey Home” – Hebrews 11
      • 25.7.2010 “At His Feet”
      • 3.8.2010 “Tithe as Worship”
      • A Good Year – John 2:1-11
      • Advent #3: “Come Let US adore HIM” (Mt. 2:1-12)
      • Advent 2012
      • Advent 2015
      • Advent: 13.6.09 “Revelation as Gift”
      • Advent: 6.12.09 “Pregnant with expectation?”
      • Body & Bride
      • CityLight – April 26 : “20/20”
      • CityLight April 19 – “Remember”
      • Declare OUT! – Acts 11
      • Dynamically Driven and Devoted
      • Epiphany
      • Erik Racz
      • Erik Racz: Acts 16 – “Road to Freedom” 5.9.2010
      • Erik Razc – “PS 95” 27.12.09
      • Festival of Lights!
      • Gifted to Give (1 Cor 12)
      • Give 11.4.
      • Hebrews 12 “Strip down, Shoot straight” Jan 3/10
      • Hebrews 13 “Continue in Love” 17.1.10
      • Joel 2 “New Creation” 27.3.2011
      • Kid’s Ministry Seminar 2011
      • Life Together
      • Light of My World
      • Lighting the Way
      • LOVE IS
      • Loving the Light – Matthew 2:1-12
      • Passover 2011
      • Resurrection: Proofs & Power
      • Rise – Easter 2011
      • RISE 2012 – John 11
      • “Dynamically Driven and Devoted” (Acts 2:42-47)
      • “Shaped to Serve” (Eph 2:10)
    • Guests / Hosť
      • Saved By Fire – 25/4/2010
      • “Good God – Psalm 73” 24.7.2011
      • 12.9.2010 “Praying for the things we really need”
      • 8.8.2010 “Learning the Lesson” – Frank Gonzales
      • Greece 16.1.2011
      • Mission: Brazil 23.1.2011
      • Worried World – Pastor Oto
  • Vision

“HOPE” 4.4.2010

Jesus asked His 12 a pointed question after washing their feet – “Do you understand what I have done for you?” (Jn 13:12) It is a great question to ask ourselves as we celebrate the Resurrection together.

For the Disciples and most of Israel the reality of “what I have done” was not as vibrant in their minds as their deeply ingrained Messianic hope. Imagine that your sacred writings, poetry, songs, traditions, stories, rituals, and prayers are littered with shadows, clues, prophecies, and pictures of a coming Promise – the Messiah/Christ. And finally it looks like all the pieces to the puzzle are coming together. The fairytale is coming true… He is here!

On what we call Palm Sunday, Jesus makes His big entrance and brings God’s epic story up to a climax in the common man’s heart & mind. In Mt 21:1-10 Jesus intentionally fulfilled prophecy (Zach 9:9; Ps 118:25-27) and identifies Himself as the returning King. And the crowds love it, they understand it and they sing out the royal sound tract. This single act of fulfilled prophecy set off a week of mobs, religious skeptics, politicians, and confused followers trying to figure out “who is this?” Was God’s Big story coming true?

By the end of the week the one whom all hopes are pinned upon, the Hero, Jesus is executed as a common criminal. This is not how the story was supposed to turn out. HOPE is crushed. And the disciples become fearful, faithless, defeated & broken men.

In Luke 24 we see three reason why they couldn’t hold onto hope.

1) LK 24:1-12 Circumstance vs. Hope

The women are fully convinced that Jesus, the HERO, is dead. They come to anoint his body for burial, which in essence is to put the final nail in the coffin. With the death of the Hero, comes the death of Hope. Their circumstances, what they could see, feel, touch, overshadowed their hope. And they are challenged on this by the angles, “Why do you look for the LIVING among the dead?” (v5) There women should have come looking for the LIVING Jesus, not expecting to find a corpse. Why? “…He has risen! Just as he said…” (Mt 28:6)

What about us? Do we trust Circumstances or do we take Jesus at His word?

We are encouraged in Hebrews 11:1-2, “Now faith is being sure of what we HOPE for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.” We must hold on to Jesus word, our Hope.

2) LK 24:13-27 Circumstance vs. WORD

Here we get a nice story of Jesus relating, incognito, with two disciples on their way to the village of Emmaus. Jesus lets these broken men vent a bit before rebuking them for not believing the WORD. They the Master walks them through the Scriptures about all that is spoken about Him and what needed to happen. Do we trust Circumstances or do we take the Bible seriously?

 3) LK 24:36-45 Circumstance vs. Encounter

By this time the 11 disciples have locked themselves up in a room for fear of the authorities. Those whom Jesus has meet with are relating their new found hope to these broken men. And they simply don’t get it… “He rebuked them for their lack of faith and stubborn refusal to believe..” (Mark 16:14)

It’ not until Jesus comes and they experience Him that a faint glimmer of hope emerges out of the ashes of defeat. How did Jesus open their minds – through letting them encounter Him and imparting the Holy Spirit to them (John 20:22) [remember the promise of 1 Cor 2:10] So the question for us:

Do we trust Circumstances or do we take comfort in Encounters w/ Jesus?

What happens to us when the story doesn’t turn out as we wanted? Your story? marriage? kids? job? church? life? Do we trust our circumstances over Hope, Word, Encounters with Him?

We don’t realize that God is a better Storyteller then we are:

“No eye has seen, no ear heard, no mind conceived what God has prepared for those who love HIM” Isaiah 64:6

Hold on to Hope : Enjoy this clip from “Elizabeth: the Golden Age” where the idea of hope & resurrection is related to a journey at sea. And when hope seems dead you hold on, study your charts, and push forward. And in the end hope does keep it’s promise – Resurrection, New Life!

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