This month we continue our set of sermon series using the Gospel of Matthew. We will be In The Vineyard with Jesus. We’ll look at the stewardship of what our God has given us. In this first week, we’ll consider our use of time. It’s a valuable commodity in our fast-paced society. How can we make time for our God and what he thinks is important?
“One holy name she blesses, Partakes one holy food, And to one hope she presses, With ev’ry grace endued…” What does it look like to forgive someone? That might be an easy question, until the hurt hits close to home. This Sunday we’ll consider Jesus command to forgive. We have the perfect example in Jesus. More importantly we have the perfect motivation when we look at how he forgave us.
“Though with a scornful wonder The world sees her oppressed, By schisms rent asunder, By heresies distressed…” We continue our sermon series under the theme One Foundation. We’ll see that our God protects the church from enemies inside and out! There are plenty of problems in the church. How can we work through those? We’ll look and see God’s plan for taking care of trouble on the inside this Sunday.
“The church shall never perish, her dear Lord to defend…” The struggle is real. That isn’t the cry from a clueless middle schooler; it’s the groan of the Christian church. Jesus defends us from struggles everyday. From an outsiders perspective the church doesn’t look unified at all. But the Holy Christian Church is safe behind the almighty power of our Lord. We have all that we need in the word of God.
“The Church shall never perish. Her dear Lord, to defend, To guide, sustain, and cherish, Is with her to the end.” We continue our series One Foundation on Sunday under the theme: The Church Will Stand Forever. It might not look that way, but this is the promise from our God. He can’t break his promise to the church or to you personally. Join us as we see how great God’s love is for his people.
Can you imagine what was going through Peter’s head as a wave is about to swamp him… as he’s walking on the water?! This is a disaster waiting to happen. In spite of all that, Jesus doesn’t let him down. This morning we close out our series – The Extraordinary Ordinary Life of a Christian.
How does God supply the needs of a whole world everyday? How can there be that much food for everyone? In our lesson from Matthew 14 we’ll see that Jesus called on the disciples to trust in him by giving them a situation they could not handle. This week we continue our series on the Extraordinary Ordinary Life of a Christian.
“Oh, what of that? …and what of that?!” The sower sows his seed. With a wanton disregard for the safety of the word he casts it like a sower in an ancient field. Some of the seed falls on rocks, some among weeds, some on the path, and some on fertile soil. This Sunday we’ll look at Jesus’ famous Parable of the Sower. We’ll see how this impacts our life and how we are planted by God’s word.
Get your rest! That’s good advice for mental health, letting your body recover, disease prevention, weight loss, and -yes- spiritual health. Spiritual rest can’t be found under Egyptian cotton sheets and a down pillow. Spiritual health can only be found in Jesus. We continue our series on the Extraordinary Ordinary Life of a Christian: Find Rest in Jesus.
The life of a Christian can be ordinary, but don’t let the world fool you. This Sunday we begin a new sermon series – The Extraordinary Ordinary Life of a Christian. In this first message from the Gospel of Matthew we’ll see how a Christian loves God above all things. That isn’t flashy. You won’t make the papers for bearing your cross. At the end of it all, God promises a reward.
Witnessing for Christ isn’t always easy. Jesus warns his disciples that a servant isn’t above his master. We know how Jesus was treated; should we expect to be treated any different? This Sunday we’ll look at the persecution of the church and how God has preserved his faithful through the ages. Christ is our King.
When (Jesus) saw the crowds, he had compassion on them. What was the problem? They were like sheep without a shepherd. What was the solution? Send out the shepherds. Jesus send his disciples to serve God’s people with the word. The dual focus this Sunday is on helping hurting people with the gospel of forgiveness in Jesus and sending people to do that work. We continue our sermon series Witnesses for Christ under the theme: Witness through Compassion.
The call of Matthew is powerful example of mercy from our Lord. Matthew didn’t fit the description of a model Jew. He wasn’t a logical choice, according to the logic of that time. Most people wanted to stay away from tax collectors and sinners. Jesus went out of his way to minister to those who need mercy. This Sunday we saw how we can Witness to Those Who Need Mercy.
There isn’t a Christian alive who can adequately explain the Trinity. The word Trinity isn’t found on the pages of Scripture. The truth of our 3-in-1 God is clearly taught in the Bible from start to finish. This Sunday we will focus on the Trinity. We’ll see how it can help us confess our faith in our amazing God and how it can help us spot false teaching a mile away.
The harvest festival of Pentecost was not a new concept to God’s people. Every year they would come in from the fields with their first fruits and offer them to God. This was a statement of thanks and a statement of faith. Thanks for the harvest that they already had and a statement of faith that God would continue to give them more as the harvest continued. That festival marked the birth of the New Testament church. What a harvest it has been! God continues the harvest of souls for his kingdom through you and me.
What do you do when your plans fall through? We’ve been asking this question all Easter! By the grace of God he opens our hearts to hear his words. This Sunday we celebrate the coronation of our king! It’s Ascension Sunday. We will join our voices to the disciples in praise.
How to live – that is the question. I have to ask you – have you ever seen death? Our society is quarantined off from death for the most part. Death is something that happens in the hospital or maybe in a hospice setting. Because of Easter life is more certain!
This Sunday we’ll answer the question, “What do we do when our hearts are troubled?” The takes takes us to the night that Jesus was betrayed. That might seem like quite the jump, but his words of comfort to his disciples are all the more sure now that we live in the reality of Easter. He lives!
Do sheep listen? I don’t know much about sheep, but nine months into dog ownership and I can tell you that they don’t always listen. In fact, I’m convinced that my dog hears what I’m saying, comprehends what I want, but he still refuses to do what I say simply because he is unwilling. I’m told that sheep don’t always listen either, but before I start in on a rant on white woolly animals, I should confess my own selective hearing issues. Yes, I don’t listen at times too.