SERMON videos

Posts tagged Samuel Mills

Do You Want To Be Set Free?

Do You Want To Be Set Free?

We have come to a point in Joseph’s story when he meets his brothers for the first time after being abandoned and sold away into slavery. This encounter highlights two struggles we all face that require liberation: first is deception and the second is self-deception. Joseph's part in this meeting reflects a life living in deception, as he was intentionally pretending not to know his brothers; thereby, instigating a plot to test them. His brothers, on the other hand, reveal a life living in self-deception. They had abandoned and sold their brother Joseph, lied about it to their father, and buried their sin deep in their minds to be forgotten. They carried on with life like Joseph never existed until—as we will see—the truth is revealed and exposes the deception and self-deception of both parties. I would like to explore the important question: “do you want to be set free?”; a freedom from deception and self-deception.

SermonsSamuel MillsFebruary 14, 2021Samuel Mills, Self-Deception, Deception, Joseph, FreedomComment

What is Your Purpose In Life?

What is Your Purpose In Life?

At the age of 17, Joseph didn’t know what his future would be and what he would accomplish in life. Actually, most people struggle with three basic issues in life. The first is identity: “Who am I?” The second is importance: “Do I matter?” And the third is impact: “What is my purpose in life?” It’s unfortunate that so many people go through life having no idea why they are here or what God has purposed for them. We were born by His purpose and for His purpose. The search for the purpose of life has puzzled people for thousands of years. That’s because we typically begin at the wrong starting point—ourselves.

SermonsSamuel MillsJanuary 10, 2021Samuel Mills, What is my Purpose?, Created for a Purpose, Purpose, IdentityComment

The Wonder of God's Guidance

The Wonder of God's Guidance

The star of Bethlehem shone when Christ was born. In the darkest nights, Christ’s love still shines the brightest. Have you ever wondered who the Wise Men were who followed this star? How many were there? Were they really kings? Did they really ride camels? Why did they come to Bethlehem? Most of our ideas about this fascinating group come from our Christmas cards. God did not reveal Himself to the kings, priests, and religious or political figures in Israel. Instead, He reached beyond the borders of His covenanted people to pagan people. It is the wonder of God’s guidance that He reached and directed this priestly tribe to the king. Through their journey to Bethlehem, we learn seven important lessons that can help us as we venture into 2021 depending on God’s guidance.

SermonsSamuel MillsDecember 27, 2020Samuel Mills, Guidance, Magi, The Wonder of God's GuidanceComment

When Do I Pray?

When Do I Pray?

We all idealize prayer. We know that it should be a huge part of our relationship with God. We know that prayer is the way we communicate with God, but why do we struggle so much with actually praying? If prayer is as essential to our relationship with God as communication is to our personal relationships, why don’t we do more of it? Prayer is one of the hardest, if not the hardest, disciplines of the Christian life. I want to explore the question, “When do I pray?” There are three conditions that precipitate a need to pray and they are: circumstantially, consistently, and constantly. In our communication and conversation with God, we have the ability to talk to Him anywhere and anytime about anything. We have a loving God eagerly waiting for us to call out to Him.

SermonsSamuel MillsNovember 1, 2020Prayer, Samuel Mills, Christian Disciplines, God's Voice, Hearing GodComment

Loving God With All Your Mind

Loving God With All Your Mind

We are going to explore Jesus’ command to love God with all our minds through the lens of our knowledge, imagination, memory, and reason. These four components of our mind, if devoted to God and utilized appropriately will help us to “go all-in” with our minds. What does it mean to love God with all your mind? I think everything begins in our minds. What starts in our minds translates into our attitude and actions. What is in our minds controls what we do, how we do things, and the direction of our lives. When it comes to God let’s consider this: Everything begins in the mind. What is in the mind captures the heart. What captures the heart results in worship. What results in worship results in mission.

SermonsSamuel MillsSeptember 27, 2020Samuel Mills, Sermons, Loving God, Mind, Love, God Love, Loving God with your mind Comment

The Greatest Future

The Greatest Future

As we approach a new year and a new decade, it may be with excitement or trepidation. What will happen in 2020? Will things get better or worse? What is in store for my future?

Through Jesus, God has promised all those who trust in Him that they will ultimately experience the greatest future. We will explore "3 don'ts" and "3 dos" for a prosperous future.

God is our Way Maker, Promise Keeper and Light in the midst of darkness.

SermonsSamuel MillsDecember 29, 2019Samuel Mills, The Bridge, Markham, Toronto, Future, Joshua, 2020, Step of faith, JesusComment

The Greatest Promise

The Greatest Promise

Have you ever made a promise only to break it? Were you ever promised anything by a loved one only to be disappointed? Our society functions on the basis of promises exchanged between people and institutions.

The Christmas story is actually part of God’s greatest promise that He has made towards humanity. It is important to connect the dots to understand how the birth of Jesus is the fulfillment of a promise God made to deal with humanity’s greatest threat. Join us as we explore God’s Word and find comfort and confidence in God’s promises to deal with the challenges we face.

SermonsSamuel MillsDecember 15, 2019Samuel Mills, The Bridge, Christmas, Promise, Existance, Life, Future, Death, Jesus, Markham, Toronto, GospelComment

Who is the Church?

Who is the Church?

What is the purpose of the church? What is the church to do and be?

According to one survey, when asked “Why does the church exist?”, 89% of church-goers said, “The church’s purpose is to take care of my family’s and my needs.” Is this a healthy view of the church’s purpose? We must ask ourselves, "why do I attend church?"

There are three questions to consider when understanding the role of the church: Who is the church? How should the church function? What should the church do?

The answers to these questions are found in three vital words: identity, community and cause.

SermonsSamuel MillsNovember 3, 2019Samuel Mills, The Bridge, Who is the church?, Church, Identity, Community, Cause, Sermon, Toronto, MarkhamComment

Where are you God?

Where are you God?

At times in our lives, it may appear that God is absent, distant or unresponsive. We struggle to find God, hear from God, or feel his presence. Initially, we may assume that God is angry with us because of some failure in our life and that he does not want to interact with us.

Psalm 13 is an honest prayer from David describing his struggle to find God. He asks God, “Will you forget me forever?” “How long will you hide your face from me?”, and urgently requests God to respond to him.

Have you felt abandon by God? Has his silence made you question his existence or love for you? Do you ever feel like your prayers are a waste of time?

We will explore the critical topic of unanswered prayer.

SermonsSamuel MillsAugust 25, 2019Samuel Mills, The Bridge, Psalm 13, Where are you God?, Prayer, Voice of God, Pain, Suffering, Distance, DistractionsComment

Why is Life Unfair?

Why is Life Unfair?

Have you ever wondered why bad things happen to good people or why good things happen to bad people? We may ask questions like, “Why is life unfair?” or “Is God unfair?”.

Psalm 73 was written by a man named Asaph who struggled with his faith in God when he saw the prosperity of the wicked. More people have stepped away from God because of their inability to reconcile a good and loving God with pain, suffering, and injustice.

Our Psalm series is intended to provide us with hope, rest, and peace, but it is hard to experience them if inside we are burning with anger, resentment, and vengeance for some wrong that was done to us by someone.

We explore Asaph’s struggle with injustice and bewilderment as to why good things happen to bad people.

SermonsSamuel MillsJuly 28, 2019Samuel Mills, The Bridge, Psalm 73, Asaph, Why God?, Life is Unfair, Injustice, Justice, why bad things happen to good people, why good things happen to bad people, suffering, PainComment

What is Worship?

What is Worship?

We often think that worship is essentially singing or playing music to glorify God. This is just one aspect of worship. There are two sides to worship, first, the inner essence, and second, the external expression. Jesus rebuked the people who only worship God with their lips and not with their hearts (Matthew 15:8-9). Performing many external expressions of worship or doing many good works without movement in our hearts toward God is not worship.

Worship begins with the right mental understanding of his nature. This understanding moves our heart to value God supremely. Worship is designed to put the supreme worth of God on display. Once we grasp the true nature of God and value his worth, this becomes visible in the world through the acts of our mouth through praise and acts of love with the body.

SermonsSamuel MillsJuly 7, 2019Samuel Mills, The Bridge, Worship, Jesus, What is Worship?, Right Thinking, Music, Singing, Toronto, Markham, Psalm 87, Zion, Sons of KorahComment

Why Smart People Make Stupid Mistakes

Why Smart People Make Stupid Mistakes

Have you ever made a decision and then days, months or years later, you look back and say, “What was I thinking?” Was it a temporary lapse of sanity?

Have you ever wondered why smart people make stupid decisions? Decisions we make in life take only a few minutes or even a few seconds, but can have a lasting impact on our lives. The quality of your decisions today will determine the quality of your life tomorrow.

We will explore such questions as, ‘Why do smart people make stupid mistakes?’ and ‘Can God fix our mistakes?’

Negative Thought Patterns

Negative Thought Patterns

Science and Faith have concluded that unhealthy thinking patterns generally contribute to mental health conditions. Negative thought patterns can play a significant role in causing and worsening depression and anxiety. It is estimated that we think 10 thoughts per second and average around 50,000 to 70,000 thoughts per day. That is a lot of thoughts!

Most of these thoughts are about what went wrong, what is wrong and what may possibly go wrong in the future. Our minds are consistently filled with negativity. These negative thought patterns form in our minds as strongholds and they become hard to break.

God promises that his truth is stronger than any lie. In order to destroy these negative thought patterns we are to first find them, free ourselves from them, focus on what is true and then continually feed ourselves with more truth.

SermonsSamuel MillsJune 9, 2019Samuel Mills, The Bridge, Toronto, Bible, Strongholds, Negative thought patterns, Thinking, Thoughts, Mind, Markham, Canada, The Entrenched Mind, Negative Thought Patterns, Cognitive DefusionComment

A Family on Mission

A Family on Mission

Psalm 128 is a poetic passage that outlines the impact an individual, married couple, child, family and church can have if they choose to take God seriously and live on mission. The passage is a progressive journey through the function of the family and how working together as a family can influence our society and world.

There are many challenges facing marriage and parenting. There are internal pains and external pressures that are affecting how we do life. This Sunday we want to explore how an individual who takes God seriously can impact their family and how their families can impact our world.

SermonsSamuel MillsMay 12, 2019Sermon, Samuel Mills, Psalm 128, Marriage, Family, Husband, Wife, Children, Millennial, GenerationComment

The Call of Surrender

The Call of Surrender

Palm Sunday is a day we traditionally mark the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem. It was an event of great insight, great misunderstanding and great hope. He rode in as a king, but not the king the people expected. Rejection, suffering, isolation and death were in Jesus’ horizon. There was a call of surrender on His life to give Himself for the salvation of humanity. So how would He fulfill this call?

Jesus had to surrender to the call of surrender. It was not easy for Him. His life teaches us that as we prepare for crisis events in our lives, surrender is the pathway to victory.

Jesus invites us to a call to deny ourselves and take up our crosses and to follow Him (Mark 8:34). Jesus surrendered to save and we are to surrender to serve. In what areas are we struggling to surrender? Why is it so hard to surrender?

SermonsSamuel MillsApril 14, 2019Samuel Mills, The Bridge, Toronto, Palm Sunday, Easter, Jesus, Surrender, The Call, ResurrectionComment

Relationships That Reward

Relationships That Reward

God created us as relational beings designed to empower, encourage and enhance others. Very often, we struggle in our key relationships, which results in painful emotional turmoil. In Colossians 3:18–25, Paul addresses three key relationships that we all are involved in at some point of our lives. We can find ourselves in at least one of these three: marriage, parenting, and/or employment.

Paul proposes a solution as to how to create and maintain healthy relationships. He presents Christ as our model, communication as our method and charity as our means and motive.

My prayer is that Jesus would be our example as we interact with others in love through our actions, attitude and words.

SermonsSamuel MillsMarch 31, 2019Samuel Mills, The Bridge, Sermon, Relationships, Marriage, Parenting, Work, Work Life Balance, Expectations, Husband, Wife, parenting, father, mother, childrenComment

This is the Gospel

This is the Gospel

When someone says, I have some good news and bad news to share with you, which do you prefer to hear first? Studies have shown that most people prefer to hear the bad news first, then the good news because it will leave them with a positive attitude. The young church in Colossae became the target of heretical attacks. Epaphras (a leader of the church) traveled to Rome to update Paul, who was in prison, about the condition of the church. In response, Paul wrote a letter of encouragement providing them with an understanding of the gospel.

So what is the gospel? How is the gospel to impact our lives, churches, communities and the world? Very often we view the gospel as a set of imperatives when it is really a narrative of God’s story of good news for humanity found in the person of Jesus. Humanity has experienced the bad news of fear, isolation and hopelessness. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God has announced the good news of His provision of forgiveness—a family and a future.

SermonsSamuel MillsMarch 10, 2019Samuel Mills, The Bridge, Toronto, Gospel, Good News, Cross, Resurrection, Death, Colossians, Bible, Jesus, Bad News, Roman Empire, Hopelessness, Family, Faith, FutureComment

Vocational Health

Vocational Health

Do you dread Monday mornings? Do you constantly hit the snooze button to avoid getting up for work? Very often when I ask someone about their job, they reply with hesitation, discontentment or frustration. According to a Gallup poll, 85% of workers worldwide admit to hating their jobs when surveyed anonymously. In Canada, 47% of employees aren’t happy with their jobs.

Their discontentment may stem from having a difficult boss, uncooperative co-workers, not enough pay, a challenging work environment, a lack of fulfilment and a host of many other reasons. An average person may work in 8-10 jobs within 2-3 different careers in their lifetime.

Why is there such high turnover? It may have to do with our vocational health. Chronic stress, burnout, feeling overworked, no time with the family, and no rest affects our overall health. Vocational health means experiencing our work as a follower of Jesus with a healthy balance between home life and work life. Being healthy does not mean our current job is the best or only thing God wants us to do, or that we love 100% of everything we do in our job, or even experience “success” or financial reward.

SermonsSamuel MillsJanuary 27, 2019Samuel Mills, The Bridge, Toronto, Vocational Health, Jobs, Unemployment, Stress, Burnout, Work Life Balance, Work, Careers, Boss, VocationComment

Hope That Restores

Hope That Restores

Isaiah 7 details the story of King Ahaz facing an impending invasion by neighbouring enemies. He feels frightened, overwhelmed and hopeless. Through Isaiah the prophet, God asks him to request a sign as a proof that he will support and protect Ahaz from defeat. Instead of replying with a sign, Ahaz seeks protection by creating unhealthy and unapproved alliances with other nations. Yet God gives an unusual sign, “The virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.” How does this sign impact Ahaz?

This unusual sign spoken hundreds of years earlier points to the birth of Jesus. We celebrate this Christmas season because of Immanuel, God with us. Through this important sign we will learn two vital truths that will help us understand how hope restores God’s presence, provision, promises and purpose for our lives. When life seems broken and hopeless, we must hold to the belief and hope thatGod is with us and restores us.

SermonsSamuel MillsDecember 16, 2018Samuel Mills, The Bridge, Toronto, Hope, Restores, Isaiah 7, King Ahaz, Virgin Birth, Jesus, Christmas, Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, NativityComment

Created For A Purpose

Created For A Purpose

Many people struggle with three basic questions in life: Who am I? Do I matter? What is my purpose in life? As a result, we may go through life restless, having no idea and wondering why we are here or what God has purposed for us.

People generally will live out their lives in one of these three ways. First, through survival they seek just to exist. They may live without purpose, focus and hope. Second, through success they find happiness, wealth and fame. Finally, through significance they find God’s true purpose and make an impact through their lives in their world. God desires that we live our lives with significance.

SermonsSamuel MillsNovember 11, 2018Samuel Mills, The Bridge, Toronto, Purpose, Created for a Purpose, Success, Happiness, Focus, hope, Survival, Who Am I?, Do I Matter?, What is my Purpose?Comment