Immanuel Fellowship Church: Recent Episodes
Immanuel Fellowship Church
Sermon audio from the weekend gathering at Immanuel Fellowship Church. Hear our pastor's dig into God's word as we seek to know Jesus as he really is. The gospel changes lives and the gospel is good news for all people.
Pastor delivered an invigorating sermon centered around the concepts of faith, hope, and love towards everyone in our lives. He emphasized that as long as others are engaging and open to us, there's still hope. Underscoring Jesus's message of inclusivity, he insisted that everyone is welcome to His table, urging us not to let fear, doubt, or past experiences deter us from inviting others.Pastor also addressed those feeling spiritually drained or experiencing a disconnect with Christ, encouraging them to approach Jesus in their time of need. His refreshing perspective rejects ideas of self-repair or deservingness for His help; instead, he insists that Jesus loves us as we are and yearns to shower us with compassion and mercy.Referencing the Gospel of Matthew, Pastor accentuated that Jesus's table is open to everyone, irrespective of who they are or their past actions. He added that Jesus's love and compassion is borderless, desiring to satisfy our needs and fill us with His grace and mercy. He urged all of us not only to accept our place at the table but also to extend an invitation to others.Pastor concluded his sermon by emphasizing the universality of the Gospel, irrespective of any racial, cultural, or background differences. His powerful closing message was a call to action, asking everyone to boldly step forward and spread Jesus's message, secure in the knowledge that our God welcomes everyone to His table of love and grace.
In this sermon, Pastor Sam explores the Canaanite woman's story in Matthew 15, emphasizing how unexpected heroes play vital roles in grand narratives. He highlights the importance of faith in Jesus for redemption, not earthly status or abilities, using examples from popular culture like The Lord of the Rings. The sermon discusses the woman's persistence in seeking Jesus's help despite initial rejection, showing how faith transcends background and social standing. Pastor concludes by emphasizing the equality of all in need of Jesus, encouraging reflection on individual faith journeys and trusting in Christ for salvation and transformation.
Pastor Sam's sermon delves into the concept of defilement and the brokenness of the human heart, using personal anecdotes and biblical teachings. By referencing Matthew 15:10-20, he highlights Jesus' emphasis on the heart over external rituals. The sermon underscores the universal potential for evil in all individuals, while also pointing to Jesus as the source of redemption and grace. Pastor Sam concludes with a call to rely on the gospel for forgiveness and renewal, emphasizing the transformative power of Jesus' love.
Pastor Sam stresses Jesus' crucial role in our lives, urging all - believers and non-believers alike - to prioritize Him above all else. Reflecting on his sabbatical, he underscores the significance of Christ, emphasizing the need to tear down barriers between our hearts and Jesus. Drawing from Isaiah, he discusses God's holiness, the importance of repentance, and the assurance of His forgiveness. The sermon concludes with an invitation to experience the joy and peace found in Christ, emphasizing the gospel's transformative power for daily living and growth in God's kingdom.
The sermon addressed the problem of pain and suffering, using the stories of Job and a blind man to explore the reasons behind human suffering. Acknowledging the common tendency to blame others for suffering, the speaker emphasized that suffering is a part of living in a fallen world. They discussed the Christian worldview of God's involvement in human suffering and the hope that believers have in the midst of trials. The sermon concluded with a prayer affirming God's sovereignty over suffering and His ultimate plan to overcome sin and restore creation.
Pastor Jim's sermon on "How can I live at peace with those who hurt me?" emphasizes genuine love, detesting evil, and showing deep devotion to one another. He addresses the challenges of loving difficult people by promoting hospitality, blessing persecutors, and empathizing with others. Pastor Jim also discusses patience in affliction, reliance on God's promises, and the importance of seeking harmony and peace. Finally, he advises against seeking revenge and encourages overcoming evil with good, all while highlighting the role of love in fostering peaceful relationships.
In the sermon "Can God Use me to Make a Difference," Pastor Jesse explores how God can use ordinary individuals to impact the world through surrender, transformation, and utilizing spiritual gifts. He challenges believers to live sacrificially, embrace their unique gifts, and actively serve within the church to advance God's kingdom. The sermon underscores the importance of understanding one's purpose, committing to serving others, and finding fulfillment in God's mission. Ultimately, Pastor Jesse encourages the audience to engage in serving teams, use their gifts for the benefit of others, and reflect on Christ's sacrificial love through communion.
In Pastor Craig's sermon "Asking for a Friend," he delves into the topic of life after death, emphasizing the importance of confessing Jesus as Lord and believing in his resurrection for salvation. He explains that this deep confession and belief changes us at the core and gives us hope for the future. Pastor Craig also addresses the innate human yearning for something more, suggesting that it is a design by God to seek meaning and purpose in Him. He concludes by urging the congregation to reflect on their beliefs, embrace the gospel truth, and share their faith openly with others.
Pastor Craig explores God's plan for our broken world through a sermon based on Romans 8, emphasizing hope and glory in Christ. He highlights the journey of redemption from Genesis to Revelation, where believers are integral to God's promise of restoration through Jesus. The sermon touches on the groaning of hope by the Holy Spirit and the eager anticipation of creation for the revealing of God's children. Pastor Craig encourages intimacy with Jesus, engagement with the church, and embracing God's multifaceted wisdom in participating in his plan of redemption.
Bruce Keller delves into the topic of suffering and God's plan in the sermon "Does God Have a Plan for Our Suffering?" from the "Asking For a Friend" series. He discusses how suffering can lead to a deeper relationship with God, emphasizing that it serves a purpose despite being a universal experience. Drawing from Romans 5, he highlights the benefits of justification through faith, including peace with God and proximity to His glory. Ultimately, the sermon challenges believers to view suffering as an opportunity for growth and intimacy with God, leading to confident peace and hope amidst adversity.
Pastor Jim begins a sermon series on the book of Romans, addressing questions about righteousness, suffering, God's plan, security in God's love, life after death, making a difference, and finding peace. He contrasts buffet-style spirituality with Bible-based beliefs at Emmanuel Fellowship Church, emphasizing the biblical narrative of God's redemption plan from Genesis to Revelation. The sermon explains sin's origins with Adam and Eve, its consequences, and God's promise of a Messiah for redemption fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Pastor Jim stresses salvation through faith in Jesus, highlighting God's grace, Jesus' sacrifice, and redemption available through him for a right standing with God.
Looking to Jesus banishes our fear and empowers us to join him in great kingdom things. What Jesus has called you to, you can accomplish in him. Keep the faith and keep your eyes on Jesus
Jesus’ ministry will be like Isaiah’s - it won’t be for everyone (even most), but for those to whom it is given… it will more than makeup for the lack
You don’t have to miss Jesus. He has made his word freely available to us and his work accomplished on our behalf is freely available.
Followers of Jesus invest what they’ve been given into the kingdom and trust God for the results
How we use our money is one the most immediate and simple ways we can put our lives on a kingdom trajectory
Jesus’ birth is a sacrificial act of love that points us to the gospel work Jesus accomplished on our behalf
God turns on its head the human perceptions of significance based on human strength, appearance, wisdom, knowledge – human skill, talent, creativity, and charisma, and their own attempts to earn righteousness.
Mary’s story is inspiring, but what do we do with it? Is the moral here to just be like Mary? I mean that is the temptation. Her faith and bravery in this text are beautiful and we should all hope to love and follow God like she does, but to make this text about Mary is to miss the point. Because Mary’s faith isn’t a picture of how awesome she is. Its a picture of how gracious God is. Even our ability to trust him in faith is a gift given to us by our gracious God.
Jesus called, empowered, and sent his closest followers as direct emmesaries of his ministry. They represent him and extend his ministry to more people in need of the kingdom. This is our call! The gospel grace we receive is not to terminate on us. If Christ is pouring into us, he should be pouring out of us.
Prayer is the way forward. Nothing we desire to accomplish as a church will happen apart from God. He is the Lord. He is the worker. We get to ask the Lord of the Harvest to work and jump in with him as he does it.
We are in the second week of our series on prayer. I believe that Sam, who is leading out on our church-wide focus on prayer, and the rest of the pastors believe this is a timely series for several reasons. Prayer is vital to our connecting in relationship with God. Knowing him. Going deeper with him, understanding his will for our lives.
When we pray we are approaching the Holy God of all of reality. He is to be honored and revered
Our friend Pastor Evan Skelton preaches on Actst 14:1-28 and the freedom and security that comes from faith in God rather than fragile man-centered systems.
Jesus, God of the universe, had compassion on you, a sinner. The proper response is to join him in the work of serving the lost, loving the lost, and inviting the lost to come to know Jesus.
Jesus loves sinners in a scandalous way that the religious establishment of the day could not understand.
The gospel is for sinners - Jesus is for sinners - There is grace for sinners!
Jesus is a messiah worth following and he is worth the cost to follow because he is the real messiah. This world distracts and looks like the solution, but its really all about Jesus. He’s the only hope and he’s the only power that fuels real mission in the suffering of this world .
Its easy to hear Jesus (ie hear the gospel, engage christian life) and just enjoy it for a while. Jesus’ words are encouraging and challenging, but to hear them and do nothing besides hear them is destructive. - Jesus is not like other teachers - he speaks with authority. His teaching represents reality not opinion. He is not like your most recent social media self-help influencer. He is God. His words matter and you ignore them at your own peril.
This text is one of the ultimate rebukes of churchianity - it looks fine and it feels solid, but the second real trial and real suffering show up… it disintigrates. Religion cannot stand up to the trials and real suffering of life in this curese world. It is only Jesus Christ who makes a way for real thriving and salvation in this life.
Jesus is underscoring our desperate need as we live out kingdom living during his teaching. Living according to this teaching of Jesus is impossible!
We need grace, cleansing, and we need help, but from where? Where do we turn in the midst of the difficulties in our lives? How do we square the tension we often experience in our hearts while searching for the peace of Christ we are promised?
That brings us to our passage today where Jesus answers that unspoken but very real question.
In V1 Jesus gives us the summary of what this whole section is telling us. And it comes down to a couple of key points. The life of the kingdom involves living righteously. He says to be careful that when we live righteously, we’re not doing it for the crowd. For those who are watching us. If you do, says Jesus, God won’t reward you.
After taking a 3-week rest stop, in Sam’s awesome series on The Glory of God, we are back on the road again in our journey through the Gospel of Matthew, and we begin right in the middle of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.
Enjoying the glory of God will keep us assured in the midst of trial and difficulty. It is the only real motivator for the Christian life.
Only the love and movement of God can bridge the gap between his holiness/glory and our sin. This is such a joy, we can do naught, but give God our joyful yes.
The Lord is glorious. This glory has weight, it is greater than us, we were made for it, and we can be a part of it.
The Church of Jesus is the hand and feet of Jesus destroying the kingdom of the curse and establishing the Kingdom of God on this earth. This happens externally (disciple-making) and internally (discipleship).
The church is God’s plan for redemption in this time and age. What an amazing privilege.
God promisses that you will have trouble in this life, but you can take heart and not be overcome with despair because he has overcome the world – remember you have the promise of heaven. In your trials, in the darkest of times of life, God has not abandoned you and is always at work even when you cannot see it.
That your God can work all things – even the worst of things you’re experiencing for your good and his glory. With God your sorrows are not wasted.
Jesus is coming back and heaven will be forever! This is the hope of the gospel! Not just forgiveness now, but intimacy and connection forever!
- What is the Kingdom of God? It is God’s authoritative reign his way. That is, it is God’s redeemed people living in perfect unity with him within his redeemed creation. Kingdom is merely an analogy because our Lord is like no earthly king. This is why the scripture uses so many similies for the kingdom.
Jesus, the God-man, through his perfect, sinless life – through his death, burial, and resurrection fulfilled all of the requirements of the Law – requirements we could never fulfill. And he did this for us that through our faith in him it would be as if we fulfilled the requirements of the law ourselves.
God is so good and wants good for his creation, why does he need to make promises and covenants? Gen 3 is the why.
The Hallelujah Psalms close out the Book of Psalms.
This tells us that praise of the LORD is not so much about our life experience and circumstances but is about our faith - is about the object of our faith - in the unchanging character and nature of God.
Jesus is for you. Jesus is the ultimate expression of the present working protection of the Lord - he stepped into the mess of this cursed world and he saved us from Satan, sin, and death.
When God gives his children a revelation of the unbelievers eternal destiny compared to the believers, one;s heart is moved with compassion to be a witness. To remind fellow believers all that we have in Christ. To share with those who don’t believe the truth of God’s loving plan of redemption.
The gospel is the only hope of this text - only the present loving ministry of the Spirit can enable us to walk in real joy and repentance -
There is no shame in confession. God meets us in our confession with forgiveness and blessing.
We tend to think that waiting on God means to shut everything down until the LORD does something to change things. And there will be times in our lives when God wants us to pull away – to retreat – to remove distraction – to quiet ourselves down so we can hear his voice – to wait on him through prayer – wait for a word of guidance – to hear words of comfort, encouragement, and hope.
But waiting on God, in its essence, means to trust Him, by continuing to live our lives by faith as the storm continues to rage all around us.
Central to all of our preaching, one theme, one thread that runs through God’s story from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22 is God’s plan of redemption as seen through his Son, Jesus Christ. Psalm 8 points to Jesus & the gospel.
You were made for a life in love with and connected to your creator. Seek that kind of life and you’ll experience the blessing and provision of God as well as the life you were built for.
Being a follower of Christ means you deny yourself and give of yourself to others. There is no room for individual faith, no room for selfishness, no room for self at all. We have died to ourselves and now live for others.
The day to day lived experience of the Christian life is simply relational connection to Jesus. Because of who he is and what he has done, our connection to him allows us to experience our salvation, grow in holiness, and join with him in his mission.
The Gospel is the absolute center of the Christian life. You never grow beyond it or graduation past it. Followers of Jesus must not forget the gospel of Jesus
As Jesus pours into you, he pours out of you - Our vision as a church is the simple idea that Jesus is the truly satisfying ‘cold drink of water’ of the human heart and it is only by turning to him again and again over and above the ‘drinks’ of the world that a person can be so fulfilled as to truly reach out and love and serve others beneficially.
Pastor Jim teaches from Acts 27:1-44 and asks, "How can we find peace, rest, and joy through the knowledge of God’s sovereignty while in the midst of turbulent waters - and still stay focused on Christ’s mission?"
The gospel is so very very good that whoever experiences it will want that good for everyone. Followers of Jesus want salvation for all peoples - period. The gospel is that good. Paul’s final words to Agrippa show the heart of the witness to Christ - we want everyone to have what we have - the gospel is so good it supercedes human lines in such a way that follower of Jesus desire the good of Jesus for literally everyone - enemies included.
God is in control. We can trust Him and seek Him and participate with Him in the work even when things are difficult.
The big challenge of this text is that Paul had a clear understanding of his call and what his next steps of obedience were to be while still in Ephesus. (19:21) He was to go to Jerusalem and then go to Rome yet here he is in a prison in Caesarea - and the text tells us he’s trapped here for TWO years. Talk about God changing his plans. Yet, in this tragic situation, Paul gets the unique chance to preach the gospel to Felix and his wife for literal years, not his plan, but obviously God’s plan and Paul rolls with it.
God’s sovereign hand over our lives, our world and how his timing is always perfect. What we see is the continuous unfolding of God’s story of redemption of which our lives are a part.We are called to enter into the messy lives of others. This is our mission.Two reassuring gifts from God as we live for his purposes. One: Confidence he gives us in the midst of trials. Second: Confidence we have in the resurrection - both His and ours.
James and the elders responded to Paul’s report and the gift from the churches by praising God. Yet they also urged Paul to join with four Jewish Christians who were fulfilling their Nazirite vows and to pay for their required offerings. In effect, they were saying to Paul, “We can accept this gift from the churches and so identify ourselves openly with your Gentile mission, if you will join with these men and identify yourself openly with the nation.
The offices of the church were given as a gift to the church to help it live in fellowship with Jesus and grow in holiness.
This text is really at its core about the community we find in the midst of the mission. Paul is on this urgent trip and its taking him through all these churches he’s helped plant and all these people whom he desperately loves and we see just this amazing sacrificial community that has built up around the kingdom work.
The gospel of Jesus opposes Idolatry.
- There is a two fold challenge to this text - what is the idolatry that you need to reject for the sake of the kingdom? Does your life, your faith, does it rub this world the wrong way?
- Its both interesting and important that it isn’t Paul specifically that is causing the stir here in Ephesis - it is the Christians - the movement of the gospel in all of these people.
Pastor Jim challenges us to live fully for the kingdom and to seize the divine purpose God gives us.
Taking a break from our series in Acts, Pastor Sam preaches a stand alone sermon from the book of John.
Through the Gospel we find unity and can work together for the common goal of making disciples who make disciples.
God calls us to repentance - the call to repentance is a gift. David and Bathsheeba may have likely never even considered the relative sinfulness of the whole affair - But God saw it and called for repentance and judgement.
This whole book is about redemption, but specifically what we see is how God joyfull includes outsiders who seek him in faith. Ruth had no part of Israel, but just like Abraham to Lot and Jesus to Us, God saw her and joyfully included her in his family and she is a grandmother to Jesus himself
Real faith always results in tangible action. - Israel is responding to their faith in God by following Joshua and crossing the Jordan. They have a faith in God their parents did not and they act upon it. Rahab is miraculously a microcosm of this principle - even though she is a sexually immoral gentile caananite, she has faith in the Lord and takes tremendous risk to act upon that faith.
Pastor Jim kicks off our Advent series with a message focussing on Tamar and how God is the Redeemer and Hope of the world.
Jesus made a way for you to hear the gospel. He came to you on your level. We can do the same when we deliver the gospel to the world in need. Meeting people in their context with honor, respect, love, and the truth of the Gospel. We can do this trusting the results to God.
God has spoken through his word. Followers of him must allow the word to form us and change us rather than imposing our own values upon the word and upon God.
The Age of the Church is God doing a new thing in the world - all peoples, all tribes, all tongues - everyone can have access to salvation, God, and the Kingdom. This turns peoples and cultures on their heads. It creates tensions, problems, and persecutions. This was true in Acts and its true for us today because we’re living the same story.
Pastor Sam walks through chapters 1-12 qnd showes us how we are a part of the same story as Jesus and his apostles.
The leper was a captive of both sin and the law. He was experiencing the effects of the curse of sin in his illness and the law had left him literally isolated and alone. Jesus steps into his mess and frees him from his illness and frees him from the prison the law has made for him. This is an amazing picture of Romans 6-8 and Jesus setting us free from the power of sin, death, and the law.
Matthew has taken this famous healing story of Jesus and put it in a different place than the earlier Mark places it in the narrative. This is because Matthew wants us to see this aspect of Jesus’ ministry in connection with what surrounds it (the sermon on the mount) and the other authority narratives.
The kingdom of God is upside down. It inverts the expectation of everything in this world. Luke uses this scene to exemplify the truth of the accusation made against Paul and company - these people are turning the world upside down - the kingdom of God is wrecking the systems and ideas of this world.
The Lord is calling all kinds of people unto himself. His missionaries must go to great lengths at great sacrifice that all might be brought in. The gospel is for everyone. God’s desire is for all people to find life in his gospel and he is working in the world to draw all peoples unto himself.
The Spirit of God guides his church and guides his mission. We can trust him, risk for him, and follow him for the sake of the kingdom.
Conflict and disagreement, even passionate conflict, are not a basis for division. The gospel means we can be diverse and joyfully unified around the kingdom of God. We must strive for unity even in the midst of conviction, disagreement, conflict, and diversity.
We are all saved by the grace of God through faith. This should create holiness and unity.
The gospel work is hard and unpredictable, but oh so worth it. God is the one doing the work and he will see it through when we walk forward in obedience.
The preached word will have its effect through the Holy Spirit. To the saved it will be a fragrance of life, to the perishing the stench of death. We are to be a people of perseverance in gospel mission, knowing that results could be divisive and violent (uncomfortable at best), and that the Holy Spirit will show up to both empower us and work in the lives of people. The gospel is ALWAYS good news to us. It compels us to persevere when mission is hard.
In Jesus, there is forgiveness from sins and freedom that the law can’t give. Freedom from a false identity and freedom from the tyranny of our own efforts.
The Jews were tempted to find their identity in their place as God’s chosen people rather than in the God who did the choosing. This is why they get jealous and angry when gentiles are excited about their inclusion in the gospel. If their identity was more in their God than their special place they would have rejoiced at more coming to Christ.
This whole story is insane, but it follows Paul for the rest of his life - people who found identity in religion, separation, and authority get their whole identity attacked when God shows up with real freedom in something new.
This story highlights how little we bring to the equation with God. We are sinners who are plagued by sin, but Jesus offers real freedom and salvation in spite of our present and continued life of death. In Jesus, there is forgiveness from sins and freedom that the law can’t give. The best we bring to the table is sin and death, but Jesus forgives anyway.
This text shows us the power of word and Spirit. God’s word and the power of his spirit work in tandem to move his kingdom forward. Power without the word of God is demonic and helpful for no one. The word spoken without the Spirit can be wielded like a weapon to hurt rather than convict. Its God’s word and God’s power, but it is manifested through man’s faithful particpation in what God is doing.
The life of Jesus is a life of proclaiming the gospel message. We gather and proclaim it regularly to each other afresh and we scatter and proclaim it to a world in desparate need.
Pastor Jesse preaches on Acts 12:1-24. God is sovereign over life and death, and His mission and glory will proceed and win even in the face of evil. Life is not guaranteed but what is guaranteed is eternal life in Him.
Pastor Evan Skelton from Bayless Baptist Church preaches on Hebrews chapter 10 and the new and living way we have opened to the Father through Christ, and how we can cling to that hope in the face of doubt and opposition.
In this passage we are beginning to conclude this section where the gospel spreads beyond Jerusalem to the Gentiles into the next section “A wild fire” where the gospel spreads to Cyprus and Southern GalatiaHere we see the reintroduction of Paul and the shift it Acts from the ministry of Peter to the ministry of Paul.
The church was more concerned with the move of the spirit and the salvation of the lost than they were with their cultural theological convictions. Thus a believer who is looking to join God in drawing the outsider inside will have to:
1) Love the outsider more than we love our cultural convictions. The Church was able to celebrate God’s saving gentiles even though it made them uncomfortable both theologically and culturally
2) Address conflict with patience and grace. We have to address hurt/upset insiders with grace that points beyond us to God and his work.
Pastor Sam Teaches in chapter 10:1-48. This is one of the most important and clarifying gospel proclamation passages in Acts. Anyone can be in God’s kingdom! He will save any who seek him! God is calling a diversity of people unto himself. He shows no partiality.
In this passage Pastor Jesse highlights the power of the Holy Spirit over death, the continuing thrust of the gospel moving forward by Jesus' plan, and the importance in God's eyes of Benevolence and Hospitality.
Jesus has made you holy before God by his work, but we are still to fight for holy living in this life. Because of the Spirit we can be successful in this battle!
The holiness of Jesus is transmissive. It overpowers our profanity and makes us holy rather than our uncleanliness spreading.
What is holiness? What does it mean that God is holy and how does that affect our relationship with Him? Pastor Sam takes us through Isaiah 6 to find answers.
Pastor Sam preaches through Luke 19:28, the story of Jesus entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.
Pastor Jim Donahue of West Countu Bible Church teaches from the book of Acts chapter 9:19-31 and the cost of following Christ.
Pastor Mike Byrd of Faith Community Bible Church leads us throught the story of Paul's conversion in Acts 9:1-19
Simon loved the gifts and power of God rather than the person of God. Do we love Jesus or just the benefits he brings us?
The gospel does not terminate in jerusalem. God uses even persecution to advance his plan and spread the invitation to those in need. The suffering of the church is used by God to bless those in need of him.
God has been preaching the same message since the beginning. Only those with hard hearts miss it. Do not be stiff necked! Do not miss the glorious invitation of our God to life and freedom
The forces of this world oppose the kingdom, but they cannot overcome the present power of the Spirit. Trust the Spirit of God more than the forces of this world. If you are in Christ, the Spirit of God is on your side! He is for us! And he is capable!
The church will encounter internal tension and conflict, that provides pastoral care opportunities. This does not terminate on us however, it must result in the continuation of disciple making. The Word of God is critical to the sanctification and care for the church and in disciple making.
To love Christ is to love others above yourself. This is a foundational truth of the community of the church. Jesus loved us with this sort of love. We get to continue his love to each other.