Abundant Life Sermons

Men and women are equal, but we are not the same. In marriage, she needs to learn his needs, and he needs to learn her needs. Meeting each other’s needs emotionally is essential to marital intimacy. Failing to recognize your spouse’s emotional needs is often the source of marital pain. Solomon recognized the Shulamite’s beauty and told her that she was the most special woman to him. Every woman longs to feel beautiful and special. It’s the most important emotional need that she looks to her husband to fulfill. A woman will fall in love and stay in love with a man who makes her feel beautiful. She longs to feel beautiful, special, cherished, and treasured. The Shulamite told Solomon he was strong and powerful. Every man longs to feel significant and receive their wife’s admiration. God created men with strength and for strength. A man will fall in love and stay in love with a woman who makes him feel strong. The way to keep love alive in a marriage is to make emotional deposits in each other’s lives. How a husband can meet his wife’s emotional needs: 1.) Love her unconditionally. 2.) Compliment her openly. 3.) Cover her affectionately. 4.) Create special memories. How a wife can meet her husband’s emotional needs: 1.) Respect him unconditionally. 2.) Encourage his conquering energy. 3.) Affirm his strengths verbally. 4.) Respond to him sexually. Men, we are the thermostats of our marriages, our wives are the thermometers! The question is not, “Will your marriage work?” it’s, “Will you work your marriage?” Join Pastor Phil Hopper as he shares practical handles on how to meet your spouse’s emotional needs in marriage.

In Song of Solomon chapter 2, Solomon and the Shulamite are moving past the fleeting feelings of infatuation and fall in love. Their story teaches us what biblical dating looks like. The Bible doesn’t say much about dating, but it says a lot about people and wisdom. Who you marry is the greatest decision outside of your relationship with Christ. Your spouse will make you or break you. Song of Solomon gives us principles for biblical dating so that you can have a love story that honors God. Three questions to ask yourself to date in a way that honors God: 1.) Am I ready to marry? This is a really important question. If you want to have a love story for God’s glory, you have to make sure you are prepared for marriage before you ever start. 2.) What’s my plan? Dating is for observation and edification. Are you headed in the same direction socially, vocationally, and theologically? Compatibility has much more to do with whether you like spending time with that person than if you’re sexually compatible. 3.) Are you and your significant other catching foxes? A fox is a threat to the success of your relationship. They can wreak havoc on the vineyard of your relationship. Foxes can be… Confusion Isolation Denial Sexual sin God wants you to have an amazing love story that is lived to His glory! He wants whatever is best for you. Join Pastor Chad Glover as he shares lessons about biblical dating from Song of Solomon. Don’t forget to click the “bell” to SUBSCRIBE to get more videos like this to grow your faith! ● Connect with us on Social Media ↴ Facebook: / abundantlifels Instagram: / abundantlifels ● Be a part of the Great Commission: https://livingproof.co/irresistible/ More information on our sermons: https://livingproof.co/sermons/ Do you want to see your life changed by Jesus? Visit our website: https://livingproof.co/ #AbundantLife #Sermon #Jesus #SongofSolomon #Biblicaldating

Everything about marriage, including the sexual relationship, pictures some aspects of our relationship with Christ. The Bible describes Christ as the Bridegroom, and we, the Church, are the bride of Christ. Song of Solomon shows us how to be patient in a relationship to receive God’s best and not awaken love before it’s time. Song of Solomon 2 shows how Solomon and the Shulamite chose patience over passion in their dating relationship. They decided it was better to be patient in a relationship and reaped the benefits of this God-honoring decision. Any sexual activity outside of a marriage between a man and a woman is a sin. God commands sex only within marriage because it goes much deeper than merely the physical—it touches the soul of the individual. Dysfunction in marriage is often related to disobedience while dating. God created sex as a way of finding intimacy on the soul level with another human being. Sexual intercourse is more than the joining together of two bodies—it’s the joining together of two souls. Sex outside of marriage can be full of intensity, but that is not the same as intimacy! We are created for intimacy, and learning how to be patient in a relationship allows us to build intimacy rather than being controlled by feelings. How to be patient in a relationship to receive God’s best and not settle for less: 1.) Repent of any sin in your life. 2.) Surrender your sexuality to God. 3.) Put “guardrails” in your life to protect you from temptation. 4.) If you are in a romantic relationship, limit physical affection. God is not trying to keep something from you—He wants to give you something better. Join Pastor Phil as he unpacks these principles for how to be patient in a relationship. Don’t forget to click the “bell” to SUBSCRIBE to get more videos like this to grow your faith! ● Connect with us on Social Media ↴ Facebook: / abundantlifels Instagram: / abundantlifels ● Connect with Pastor Phil ↴ Facebook: / philhopperkc Instagram: / philhopper_kc Web: https://livingproof.co/resources/books/ ● Be a part of the Great Commission: https://livingproof.co/irresistible/ More information on our sermons: https://livingproof.co/sermons/ Do you want to see your life changed by Jesus? Visit our website: https://livingproof.co/ #AbundantLife #Sermon #Jesus #SongofSolomon #Dating

The phrase “gift of singleness” is heard commonly throughout churches. But is singleness really a gift? What should Christian singles do while waiting and wanting to get married? Five things Christian singles should do with the gift of singleness: 1.) Grow in character qualities that are godly. Real beauty is in character qualities like integrity, fidelity, purity, and serving others selflessly. Godly character is forged from our contentment in Christ! Contentment is Christ is the building block of any successful relationship, and the gift of singleness allows people to pursue and practice it. 2.) Take care of your appearance outwardly. It’s true that God looks on the heart, but man looks on the outer appearance. You have a responsibility to take care of both! 3.) Prepare for your future financially. If you want to get married, you need to plan how you’ll provide materially for your family. 4.) Pursue marriage with integrity. While dating, you establish patterns that will either lead to dysfunction in your marriage or increase joy and intimacy. 5.) Put on a heart of humility. Apart from humility, you’re not ready to marry. People who lack humble hearts always have hard heads. Hardheaded people always have unhappy marriages. Join Pastor Phil Hopper as he shares how the Song of Solomon teaches Christians to use the gift of singleness. Don’t forget to click the “bell” to SUBSCRIBE to get more videos like this to grow your faith! ● Connect with us on Social Media ↴ Facebook: / abundantlifels Instagram: / abundantlifels ● Connect with Pastor Phil ↴ Facebook: / philhopperkc Instagram: / philhopper_kc Web: https://livingproof.co/resources/books/ ● Be a part of the Great Commission: https://livingproof.co/irresistible/ More information on our sermons: https://livingproof.co/sermons/ Do you want to see your life changed by Jesus? Visit our website: https://livingproof.co/ #AbundantLife #Sermon #Jesus #SongofSolomon #Singleness

Historically, the Song of Solomon is a love song composed by Solomon to tell the story of the love between him and his gentile bride. Theologically, the book is a picture of the love relationship between Christ and his gentile bride, the Church. The first chapter is an example of how Solomon defines the relationship between him and his bride. The book is known as the “song of songs” because Solomon believes it’s the greatest love song ever written. The song tells the story of this couple’s love and how it developed step by step from the moment they met. Within the song, we find the story of Christ’s love for His bride and how He defines the relationship with us. Solomon represents Jesus. Both Solomon and Jesus are said to be “Shepherd Kings.” Solomon’s Shulamite bride represents us. The Church is the bride of Christ! Solomon is a picture of our Jewish bridegroom, while the Shulamite represents the Church—the gentile bride of Christ. The book uses several word pictures to illustrate God’s design for sex and sexuality: Vineyard The Shulamite woman admitted to not guarding her own “vineyard,” meaning she had not kept her sexual purity. Sun-darkened skin The Shulamite carried the stigma of her sin on her skin, which was darkened from her work in the sun. As a picture of Christ, Solomon redeemed his bride from her sin, her shame, and her pain. In Christ, we are cleansed completely of our sins. It’s time to define the relationship! Jesus isn’t looking for a casual “dating” relationship—He’s looking for a bride! As the Bridegroom, Jesus has said “I DO” to you. It’s time for you to say “I DO” too! Don’t forget to click the “bell” to SUBSCRIBE to get more videos like this to grow your faith! Connect with us on Social Media ↴ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/abundantlifels/ Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/abundantlifels Connect with Pastor Phil ↴ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhilHopperKC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhopper_kc/ Web: https://livingproof.co/resources/books/ Be a part of the Great Commission: https://livingproof.co/irresistible/ More information on our sermons: https://livingproof.co/sermons/ Do you want to see your life changed by Jesus? Visit our website: https://livingproof.co/ #AbundantLife #Sermon #Jesus #SongofSolomon #Definetherelationship

God has a plan for your life, and Satan does too! Satan wants to give you death and destruction. Jesus wants to give you life and salvation. The word “abundantly” comes from the Greek “permission,” which means “exceedingly, very highly, beyond measure, more, superfluous, a quantity so great as to be considerably more than what one would expect or anticipate.” What the abundant life is NOT: It’s not the prosperity theology. It’s not easy. What the abundant life IS: A life of eternal value. A life lived with supernatural power, purpose, meaning, and mission. Through Jesus, you can have more than an average life. You can have an abundant life! He is the doorway to eternal and abundant life. Your life will be the summation of your decisions and the doors you decide to walk through. The Jesus way is the only way to an abundant life. He is the only gate and the only way because He alone died for our sins and rose again. Jesus is worth following because He gave His life so we could live. The abundant life is the obedient life. Obedience comes with a cost. It demands a cross, but it leads to life. If you do whatever Jesus says to do, you will live! Join Pastor Phil Hopper as he shares how to live the abundant life that Jesus offers as we kick off 2025! Don’t forget to click the “bell” to SUBSCRIBE to get more videos like this to grow your faith! Connect with us on Social Media ↴ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/abundantlifels/ Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/abundantlifels Connect with Pastor Phil ↴ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhilHopperKC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhopper_kc/ Web: https://livingproof.co/resources/books/ Be a part of the Great Commission: https://livingproof.co/irresistible/ More information on our sermons: https://livingproof.co/sermons/ Do you want to see your life changed by Jesus? Visit our website: https://livingproof.co/ #AbundantLife #Sermon #Jesus #Mission #Life Poll Question: How are you living an abundant life right now?

Hope in Jesus Beyond Bethlehem Description Hope is a confident expectation of what God has promised in the future. Three things to do to carry hope beyond Bethlehem: 1.) We need to trust God. You will often lose hope when you place your trust in what you see rather than what God has said. 2.) We need to obey. Just as Israel was delivered from slavery in Egypt, Jesus’ mission was to redeem humanity from sin. 3.) We need to be faithful and patient. We must be faithful to what God has called us to do and patient to wait for Him to fulfill His promises. As we look to a new year, we can confidently expect God to fulfill His promises to us. Our hope is found in Him! Don’t forget to click the “bell” to SUBSCRIBE to get more videos like this to grow your faith! ● Connect with us on Social Media ↴ Facebook: / abundantlifels Instagram: / abundantlifels ● Be a part of the Great Commission: https://livingproof.co/irresistible/ More information on our sermons: https://livingproof.co/sermons/ Do you want to see your life changed by Jesus? Visit our website: https://livingproof.co/ #AbundantLife #Sermon #Christmas #Jesus #Hope

God gave the gift of eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ. We celebrate receiving that gift at Christmas! Our world is cursed by sin and full of sadness and suffering. But Jesus came to bring hope, comfort, and peace. Jesus was God with us who came to save us! Mary is remembered for the virgin birth. She teaches us that no matter how religious or righteous we might be, EVERYONE needs a Savior! The Bible never tells us that Mary was sinless. She was still a sinner in need of a Savior, even though she was the mother of the sinless Son of God. Lessons we can learn from Mary: • Mary confessed she needed a Savior. • Mary confessed she was a sinner. Why must God’s promised Savior be born of a virgin? By bypassing man’s seed, God was bypassing man’s sin so that Jesus was born sinless. Jesus was fully human, so He could bleed and die for our sins, but He was also fully God, so His sacrifice completely atoned for all our sins. The gift of Christmas is really more about the cross than it is about the cradle. Jesus was born to die. It was on the cross that Jesus became our sin offering. The world is full of suffering, sin, sadness, and destruction because the wages of sin are death. But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The nature of any gift is that it is freely given. Have you received the gift of eternal life? Join Pastor Phil Hopper as he shares where the gift of Christmas is truly found. Don’t forget to click the “bell” to SUBSCRIBE to get more videos like this to grow your faith! ● Connect with us on Social Media ↴ Facebook: / abundantlifels Instagram: / abundantlifels ● Connect with Pastor Phil ↴ Facebook: / philhopperkc Instagram: / philhopper_kc Web: https://livingproof.co/resources/books/ ● Be a part of the Great Commission: https://livingproof.co/irresistible/ More information on our sermons: https://livingproof.co/sermons/ Do you want to see your life changed by Jesus? Visit our website: https://livingproof.co/ #AbundantLife #Sermon #Christmas #Jesus #DavidandBathsheba

The women in Jesus’ genealogy represent specific stories. Matthew’s account of this genealogy is like a family history for the Hebrews. The story of David and Bathsheba is one of the darkest and saddest stories in the Bible. King David committed adultery with Bathsheba, she conceived, and David murdered her husband Uriah to cover up his sin. Satan was at work before Bethlehem to stop the promised Seed of Genesis 3:15! From the moment God promised the “seed of the woman” would one day bruise the head of the serpent, Satan had been trying to stop the “Seed” before He could even be born. In the Davidic Covenant, God had promised King David that one day, one of his “seed” would establish his kingdom and his throne forever. Twelve generations after King David, King Jeconiah was so wicked that God cursed him, promising none of his sons would ever sit on David’s throne. Because God cursed Jeconiah’s line, (Jesus’ legal lineage) David and Bathsheba were both direct ancestors of both Mary and Joseph! Joseph through David’s son Solomon and Mary through David’s son Nathan. Because Jesus was virgin born, He was not David’s seed through His earthly father, but rather His mother! Why doesn’t Matthew mention Bathsheba by name in the genealogy of Jesus? In Christ, God no longer sees our sins and will one day give us a brand-new name! Bathsheba’s name isn’t written because God has given her a new name. God has a new name for you if you will repent of your sin and turn to Him. Join Pastor Phil Hopper as he shares how David and Bathsheba’s story gives us the hope of a new name. Don’t forget to click the “bell” to SUBSCRIBE to get more videos like this to grow your faith! ● Connect with us on Social Media ↴ Facebook:    / abundantlifels   Instagram:    / abundantlifels   ● Connect with Pastor Phil ↴ Facebook:    / philhopperkc   Instagram:    / philhopper_kc   Web: https://livingproof.co/resources/books/ ● Be a part of the Great Commission: https://livingproof.co/irresistible/ More information on our sermons: https://livingproof.co/sermons/ Do you want to see your life changed by Jesus? Visit our website: https://livingproof.co/ #AbundantLife #Sermon #Christmas #Jesus #DavidandBathsheba