Lashburn Community Church Sermons: Recent Episodes
None
As we've been goingthrough the last few chapters of the book of Acts, it seems like the apostlePaul has been heading to Rome for quite some time. Finally, as we get tochapter 27 today, we see him actually start the journey to Rome. But it was ajourney that was fraught with difficulties. It brought on a crisis, if youwill. So much so that the lives of Paul and all his travelling companions werein grave danger. But through it all, Paul's faith rose to the top, as heencouraged and reassured all he was with. His role in this chapter isexemplary. The title of the sermon is Acts 27:1-44. The title of the sermon isFaith In Times Of Crisis.
We are getting backto our sermon series through the book of Acts today, after being away from itfor three Sundays. Chapter 26, where we come to today, records the ApostlePaul, being held in custody in Caesarea, make his defense before King Agrippa.We were introduced to him in chapter 25. In this chapter, Paul gives quite aneloquent defense of himself as he tells his story to King Agrippa. In doing so,there are some good truths that come out for all of us about sharing the gospelwith others. That is what we want to look at today. The title of the sermon isSome Pointers In Sharing The Gospel. The Scripture reading is Acts 26:1-32.
Itis great to have Seth Briggs, the Executive Director of Manitou Lake BibleCamp, with us this morning. We have been a supporting church of this Camp formany years, and it has been a good thing over the years of not only beinginvolved in ministering to kids through our Camp, but in also having our Campminister to us through playing a part in discipling our kids and teens. Seth ishere this morning to tell us about the Ministry of our Camp - where we are at,where we are going, and to encourage us regarding our involvement this summer.And he will also along with that bring us a message from God's Word.
It makes all thedifference in the world! The fact that Jesus rose from the dead is the biggestgame changer this world has ever seen or will ever see. This one event inhistory, when rightly understood, moves us from despair to hope, from feelingall is out of control to realizing that everything is under control, and fromwondering "what is the point of anything," to understanding that wehave a great reason and mission to live for! That is why the resurrection ofJesus Christ is such a big deal! That is why we celebrate it every year! Whenyou understand what it all means, it makes all the difference in the world. Thetitle of the sermon this morning is The Meaning Of Easter. The Scripturereading is Luke 24:1-53.
It is the one eventin the Gospels where Jesus went "off script," if you like. UsuallyJesus shied away from attention. When people got a bit too exuberant about Him,He would withdraw and disappear. It seems He was reluctant to draw attention toHimself. There were even occasions when, after he had performed a healing forsomeone, He instructed that person to "not tell anyone." His time hadnot come. Until this occasion we are looking at today- Palm Sunday. On thisoccasion Jesus deliberately put Himself in front of the crowd, accepting andencouraging their adulation and worship. His time had come. He presentedHimself to the people as their King. That is the significance of Palm Sunday,and it demands a response from us. The title of the sermon is Responding ToJesus. The Scripture reading is Luke 19:28-44.
We all make decisions all the time - from little choices as to which clothes we put on in the morning, what and where to eat, whether or not to pick up a coffee before we head out - to much bigger choices that have far reaching effects. And then there are key decisions, that will affect pretty much the rest of our lives. Likely, for most people, there are only a handful of these decisions that need to be made in the course of a lifetime. The thing is, sometimes we don't recognize them as being key decisions till we look back years later. We need to be aware of their significance. The passage we come to today in Acts contains one of those key decisions made by the Apostle Paul. The title of the sermon is The Key Decisions We Make. The Scripture reading is Acts 25:1-12
We saw last weekthat many times God moves and works behind the scenes, underneath the surface.That can be frustrating for us, because it feels like He isn't doing anything.And that leads us to what the next passage in Acts speaks to - and that is "waiting."While God does His work behind the scenes, we are in the position of waiting.But times of waiting are not wasted, or of no value. They are in fact part ofGod's overall plan, and these times are often used by Him to accomplish thingsin us and through us that play into God's overall plan, even though that isdifficult for us to see. The title of the message this morning is Times OfWaiting. The Scripture reading is Acts 24:1-27.
God is in control.As Christians, we all know that, at least in our minds. The Bible says it, andwe have been taught it. That means that God has a plan for this world, and forHis people, and He is moving His plan along. We often don't see that, and thatis why to us it seems like things are very much out of control. But likely mostof the time, God's plan is being worked out underneath the surface, workingthrough circumstances and events and people, in ways that we can't see until welook back. But God's plan is moving along. The title of the sermon is Ways GodMoves His Plan Along. The Scripture reading is Acts 25:1- 35.
When it comes rightdown to it, it is all about Jesus. When it comes to the big picture of God'splan for the ages, it is all centered around Jesus. Ever since sin entered intothe world, God's plan to redeem the world, and the people of the world, has allcentered around Jesus. That is the gospel message. "Gospel" means"good news." Jesus is the "good news" of God's plan ofredemption for each individual, and for the whole world. Jesus is key to itall, is central to it all. We need to understand that. The title of the sermontoday is It's All About Jesus. The Scripture reading is Acts 22:1-30.
Knowing the truth,understanding the truth, and living according to the truth. That is importantfor pretty much every area of life. No matter what you are dealing with, thetruth is important. From having a relationship with the God of the universe, tohaving a relationship with each other, to doing the work we do to make aliving, the truth is important. That is what we see in the passage in Acts thatwe come to today. And it covers the area of dealing with the sovereignty ofGod, to the area of false assumptions that are mistaken for truth. Kind of somerandom lessons about truth. The title of the sermon is Living By A GoodUnderstanding Of Truth. The Scripture reading is Acts 21:15-40.
As you can see, ourWorship Service this morning is geared around Communion. The Communion Serviceis something we do, in obedience to the command of Jesus, to re-focus ourattention on the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. It was and is this sacrificethat opened the door for the penalty for our sins to be paid for, and for us tobe forgiven and cleansed. It was this sacrifice that satisfied the demands ofGod's justice, and allowed Him to offer forgiveness. The word that describesall of this is "propitiation." That is what we want to unpack inpreparation for partaking of the Communion elements this morning. And that isthe title of the sermon - Propitiation. The Scripture reading is Mark 15:22-38.
We come to the 20thchapter of the book of Acts this morning, in our sermon series through thisbook. This chapter includes a section that records the Apostle Paul addressingthe elders of the church at Ephesus, which is what I would like to focus on thismorning. This is applicable, I think, for us as we head into our own churchAnnual Meeting. Part of what happens at the Annual Meeting is us as a churchelecting leaders, including elders. This is a position that care needs to betaken to put the right people in place. So what Paul says here to theseEphesian elders, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is applicable to ustoday. The title of the sermon is The Responsibility Of Elders. The Scripturereading is Acts 20:17-38.
Inour sermon series on the book of Acts, we have been seeing how the Apostle Paulwent to various Gentile cities of the Roman Empire, in the area around theMediterranean Sea, to bring the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ to theGentile world. Although in each city he would always start in the Jewishsynagogue, invariably he would end up focussing on the Gentile people. In eachcity, there were many - not a majority, but many - people who responded andbecame Christians. That had an effect on those cities. In the long run, it wasa positive effect, obviously, but in the short term it did cause some upheavaland disruption. That will likely always be the case. And that is something weneed to realize, and take into consideration. The title of the sermon today isThe Fall-Out Of Effective Evangelism. The Scripture reading is Acts 19:21- 41.
We as Christianshave our "marching orders" from our Savior, Jesus. The last thing Hetold us before He left this earth is to go and tell everyone about Him - andwhat He did to provide salvation for all mankind. We need to obey that command.But as we've seen before, when all is said and done, the advancement of God'sKingdom is something He is in charge of. He directs where His disciples go andHe opens hearts to the gospel message. It is His project, and He in in charge.We see that again today in the next passage in Acts that we come to. While wehave our role to play, there is a divine nature to evangelism that is totallyoutside of and beyond us as humans. And that is the title of the sermon- - TheDivine Nature Of Evangelism. The Scripture reading is Acts 19:1-20.
The passage we cometo today in our series through the book of Acts introduces us to a man namedApollos. Apollos is a guy who "stood out from the crowd," if youlike. Despite his Greek name, he was a Jew, being born into a Jewish familythat had moved to Alexandria a generation or more prior to his birth. Heobviously had a keen interest in the Old Testament Scriptures, and had studiedthem and new them. When he heard about Jesus, he very quickly saw theconnection, and embraced it. He was a remarkable man, who is an example for allof us. The title of the sermon this morning is Example Of Apollos - Strong inThe Scriptures. The Scripture reading is Acts 18:23-28.
We took a break fromthe book of Acts for the Christmas season, but we are getting back to it thismorning. The recurring theme is about sharing the gospel message, and advancingthe Kingdom of God. We are in the section that records the events of the apostlePaul bringing the message to the Gentile world, and in so doing, he left ussome good examples regarding spreading the gospel message. But when all is saidand done, the fact is that Jesus Christ is in fact directing the whole processThat is what comes out in the passage we are looking at today. The title of thesermon is Who Is In Charge? The Scripture reading is Acts 18:1-22.
The sermon today isa continuation of last week. The focus for these two weeks is to capture thesignificance of Christmas - why the birth of Jesus is such a big deal. Thereason, of course, is that Jesus is our Savior - the Savior we so desperatelyneed, the Savior that gives us our only hope of getting out of the mess we arein. Last week we looked at Genesis 3, and saw why we need a Savior. Today wewant to look at the Savior God provided for us. The title of the sermon isEnter The Savior. The Scripture reading is John 1:1-18.
We willbe taking a break from our series on Acts for the Christmas Season. The sermontoday and the sermon next Sunday will kind of go together. I trust that thesetwo sermons will help us understand the huge significance of the birth ofJesus. They won't be warm, fuzzy, feel-good sermons (few of my sermons are),but when we grasp the deep, profound meaning of the birth of Jesus to you and Ipersonally, it I believe help us celebrate Christmas much better, and in a muchmore meaningful way. The title of today's sermon is Setting The Stage For TheSavior. The Scripture reading is Genesis 3:1-24.
We'veseen a pattern emerge in how the Apostle Paul presented the gospel to thepeople of a Gentile city, as he made his missionary journeys to the Gentilecountries. He started in the Jewish Synagogue, presenting Jesus as the Messiahthat they the Jews were waiting for. Then, when they rejected that notion, hefocussed more on preaching the gospel to the Gentiles. The approach isdifferent when dealing with people who are Biblically uneducated than it is forpeople who have a background in the teachings of the Bible and have someknowledge of the One True God. In the passage we come to today, we see Pauladdress a Gentile audience who have no prior knowledge of the one true God, orof the Bible. How he addressed them is very informative for us in sharing thegospel with those in our world who are Biblically uneducated. The title of thesermon is Sharing the Gospel With The Biblically Uneducated. The Scripturereading is Acts 17:16-34.
We aregetting back to our series through the book of Acts this morning. The passagewe come to today records the events of Paul and Silas and their companionsbringing the gospel to the city of Thessalonica. We looked at his passage acouple of years ago as an introduction to our sermon series on Thessalonians.In sharing the gospel, there are usually a number of things that come into playin that process of both telling the story of Jesus, and people responding tothat gospel message. This passage kind of brings those things into focus. Thetitle of the sermon is The Dynamics Involved In Sharing The Gospel. TheScripture reading is Acts 17:1-14.
In Pastor Glenn's absence this morning, it is great to have Scott Crawford come and share God's Word with us. He is a former Pastor of the EFCC Church in Cut Knife, and also a former missionary to the Ukraine, also with the EFCCM. As he shares the message from the Word of God that God has given him, may we all be open to what God will be saying to us through him. The title of his sermon is The Transforming Power Of God's Word. The Scripture reading is 2 Peter 1:1-11.
In our study of the book of Acts, we've seen a couple of times already the need for Godly wisdom in navigating the culture of the society around us, and the issues that brings up, as we seek to share the gospel with others. The passage we come to today again speaks to that issue. In particular, the area of the rights our society has given us, and when to appeal to those rights, and when to let it go, and how to navigate that. The title of the sermon is Wisdom And Rights. The Scripture reading is Acts 16:35-40.
We keep reminding ourselves of it again and again. Jesus' last command given to His disciples before He physically left this earth - "Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations..." The book of Acts is the story of the disciples doing that. Particularly, the section we are in right now in our study of Acts is about Paul and Silas travelling through a part of the Roman Empire, doing that. The thing is, all Christians are disciples of Jesus. Thus Jesus' command is for all of us. The passage we come to today records some interesting things that Paul and Silas encountered in this Paul's second missionary journey. As they dealt with those circumstances, they left some good tips for us on sharing the gospel message with others. The title of the sermon is Some Tips On Sharing The Gospel. The Scripture reading is Acts 16:11-34.
Christianity is about faith. It begins by believing in God and what He has revealed to us in the Scriptures, and then because of that belief, placing your faith in Jesus and what He has done to provide the way of salvation from the penalty for our sins. Some kind of feel that faith is a mental and perhaps emotional thing, and is separate from practical day to day life. But faith, if it is real, has a great effect on how we live our lives, in most every aspect of our lives. In our study of Acts, we come today to a section that records the activities of Paul and Silas as they started what we call Paul's second missionary journey. In those activities, we see some good examples of faith affecting practical life. The title of the sermon is The Practice Of Wisdom And Guidance. The Scripture reading is Acts 16:1-10.
We have come to one of my favorite Worship Services of the year - our Thanksgiving Worship Service. When we focus on how great God is, and how He has reached out to us with grace and love, and how He has blessed so much above and beyond anything we deserve, we realize just how grateful we need to be. And when we take the time to think about that, and express that gratitude to God, it changes our perspective and our attitude. It makes us much more positive about life, and it keeps us on track in the direction of our lives. Then, as that happens, it makes us able to live out our faith among the unbelievers in our lives. So being thankful is vital in our lives, and Thanksgiving is a time when we deliberately focus our thoughts and attitudes on these truths. The title of the sermon is Reasons To Be Thankful To God. The Scripture reading is Psalm 136:1-26.
We live in a fallen world. All of us, because of sin, have that deep seated sin nature within us. It affects our thinking, and it affects our emotions. Because of that, there will be occasions where even Godly, mature Christians, will disagree with each other. The passage we come to today in our journey through the book of Acts records this happening between two of the main characters of the book of Acts - Paul and Barnabas. It wasn't pleasant, and it led to a separation. But there are some things from this passage that we can glean that will help us deal with that when it happens to us. The title of the sermon is Dealing with Disagreements. The Scripture reading is Acts 15:36-41.
We will be getting back to our study of the book of Acts this morning. We come today to chapter 15, which gives us the account of a very significant issue that came to the fore with the conversion of a lot of Gentiles. It was an issue that threatened to divide the church, as there were people on both sides of the issue with very strong convictions. A decision had to be made. This decision would decide the direction of the Church from this time on. Acts 15 records the process of how that decision was made, and in recording this process, we are given some good teaching on how to properly make significant decisions in the church. The title of the sermon is Decision Making In The Church Of Jesus Christ. The Scripture reading is Acts 15:1-35.
The thing is, having a close relationship with God affects every area of life for the better. Not that it makes life more problem free, but it gives us the where-with-all to be able to cope with things much better. In our sermons on some selected Psalms over the summer, we have been focusing on our personal relationship with God, and why it is important. Today, we want to look at dealing with stress in our lives, and how again it is having that close relationship with God that will help us do that, as we look at Psalm 4. The title of the sermon is Coping With Stress. The Scripture reading is Psalm 4:1-8.
In our looking at some selected Psalms during the summer, we come today to Psalm 27. It is a Psalm that is a strange mix of fear and confidence that I find interesting. Although they seem contradictory, and in some ways are, I realized that this isn't really that unusual to everyday life for us as well. We often, as we work through the circumstances that come up in life, experience fear about the situation, and then we move to a confidence that it will turn out okay, as we pray it through. That is what is going on with David as he writes this Psalm, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And there is much for us to learn from this Psalm about our relationship with God, and how that applies in the circumstances that come up in our lives. The title of the sermon is Fear And Confidence. The Scripture reading is Psalm 27:1-14.
Our study of some selected Psalms during the Sunday of summer (at least the Sundays that I have been here) are about us relating to God. We have seen how great God is, and how far above us He is, and yet He longs for and has made it possible for us to have a relationship with Him. But because He is God, that relationship must be on His terms. Today we will see that there is great blessing for us if we do relate with Him on His terms. His terms are always the best for us personally. The title of the sermon is The Blessings Of Godliness. The Scripture reading is Psalm1:1-6.
As I mentioned last Sunday, for the remaining Sundays of Summer we will be in the book of Psalms for the sermons. The focus will be growing in our relationship with God. Last week we saw that God is Omniscient - that He is all-knowing, and what that means as we relate to Him. This week, we will add to that the fact that mankind, and as individuals, have inherent value. The fact that God is who He is figures largely into that truth. Understanding this will help us greatly in our personal relationship with God. The title of the sermon is Your Inherent Value. The Scripture reading is Psalm 8:1-9
During the remaining Sundays of summer, we will be looking at some selected Psalms in these Worship Services, as we have often done previously in the summer time. We won't be going in any orderly fashion through the Psalms - rather we will be kind of jumping back and forth. The Psalms are geared to our personal relationship with God, and it is good to go there often. Today, we will be covering the subject of God's omniscience - the fact that God is all-knowing - and how that truth applies to us in our personal relationship with Him. The title of the sermon is How God's Omniscience Applies To Us. The Scripture reading is Psalm 139:1-24.
Vacation time is upon us. Many of us at some time over the next couple of months will be taking some time to get away for a bit. That is good - it is always good to get away for a time to just relax and rejuvenate. But in the long haul, does just getting away to do nothing much of anything really rejuvenate and restore us? From my personal experience, and my study of the issue and of the Word of God, it seems to me that there needs to be a purpose to the vacation. That purpose is more of a mindset than anything else. That purpose is what I would like to look at this morning. The title of the sermon is Camping With A Purpose. The Scripture reading is Leviticus 23:33-44.
In the physical world, it is one thing to birth a baby; it is another thing to feed and nurture and take care of that baby till it grows up. There are definitely similarities in the spiritual world. It is one thing to share the gospel message with someone and lead him/her to place their faith in Jesus; it is another thing to feed and nurture that new Christian so he/she can reach maturity in their faith. All of that is included in what we call "discipleship." And Jesus called us to make disciples. The passage we come to today in our study of the book of Acts speaks to this subject. The title of the sermon is Some Things Necessary For Discipleship. The Scripture reading is Acts 14:21-28.
In our series through the book of Acts, the section we are presently in all seems a bit "same old same old" as you read it. Paul and his companions go to a city, preach the gospel in the Jewish synagogue, some believe, but some become hostile, Paul and his companions take the gospel message to the Gentiles, many believe, the opposition and persecution increase, and they are forced out of town. That scenario repeats itself over and over in this section of Acts. But through it all, the gospel remains central, and is never compromised. The reason for that is because of the nature of the gospel message. That is kind of what comes out of the passage we are looking at today. The title of the sermon is Understanding The Nature Of The Gospel. The Scripture reading is Acts 14:1-20.
It is a joy and a privilege to have our new Prairie District Superintendent, Trevor Brawdy, with us for our Worship Service this morning! As he speaks the message God has laid on his heart to bring to us this, may we all have open minds to receive and accept God's Word to us. The title of his sermon is Abiding Love, and the Scripture reading is John 15:1-17.
Last Sunday in our journey through Acts, we looked some important aspects in spreading the gospel as we went through chapter 13:1-12. We are kind of still talking about the same thing as we move on today to the rest of chapter 13. Because this book records the story of how the gospel message initially spread, that will be the overarching theme for much of the rest of the book. In vs. 13 and following in this chapter, we see Paul and Barnabas continue on in this their first missionary journey, bringing the gospel message to the city of Pisidian Antioch (not to be confused with the Antioch in Syria where they came from). In looking how Paul shared the gospel message here, we see some lessons in sharing the gospel. The title of the sermon is What Is Important In Sharing The Gospel. The Scripture reading is Acts 13:42-52.
We saw last week in Acts 12 that Jesus is in charge of and in control of the spread of the gospel. Today, as we move into chapter 13, we will see that kind of continue. Chapter 13 begins a new focus of the book of Acts - that being to focus almost exclusively on how the gospel message spread to the Gentile world. And it was spread quite effectively, with the result of Christianity gaining a foothold throughout the Roman Empire. The passage we are looking at today tells us how it got started, and gives us some good teaching on what is important in the spread of the gospel. The title of the sermon is Important Aspects In Spreading The Gospel. The Scripture reading is Acts 13:1-12.
In our journey through the book of Acts, we've seen in the past couple of sermons how Jesus directed His Apostles, through the Holy Spirit, to include the Gentiles in their work of bringing the Gospel to all people. This was a huge change of mindset for the Apostles, and all Jewish Christians- especially to recognize that God was accepting them on the basis of their faith in Jesus alone, without the need for them to become Jewish proselytes. In the passage we come to today, we see this continuation of the gospel being brought to the Gentiles, but along with that, we see an emphasis put on teaching the Gentile converts, and getting them grounded in the gospel. And that is the title of the sermon - Grounded Disciples. The Scripture reading is Acts 11:19-30.
Last week we saw how Jesus orchestrated some events to demonstrate to the Apostles, specifically Peter, that they need to get serious about bringing the gospel to the Gentiles, as we looked at Acts 10. And angelic messenger sent to a Gentile named Cornelius and a vision given to Peter resulted in Peter preaching the gospel to a group of Gentiles, and then observing them receive the Holy Spirit as they responded to the gospel and placed their faith in Jesus. But it took a while to convince the other apostles and Christian leaders that this was right. But they came around when they realized that this was of God. In so doing, they left an example for us about understanding what God is up to and getting in tune with that. And that is the title of the sermon this morning - Being In Tune With What God Is Doing. The Scripture reading is Acts 11:1-18.
In our study of the book of Acts, it has been interesting to read and study how Jesus birthed His church, and as we go through it, how He is getting it established. As we will see in our passage for today, there are some things that Jesus intended for His church to be and do, which the apostles had to wrap their minds around. One of those things is just who is to be included in Jesus' church, and what is necessary for a person to be included. It took some time and convincing for the apostles to understand what Jesus was and is up to, and then to come to the place where they were okay with that. The title of today's sermon is The Universal Nature Of The Gospel Message. The Scripture reading is Acts 10:24-48.
We are returning to our series through the book of Acts this morning. The passage we come to sees the focus shift from Saul (later to become known as Paul), back to Peter. During this time of Saul's conversion and subsequent preaching of the Gospel, Peter was also active in spreading the gospel. Today we will see two instances of Peter coming across people with physical ailments, and God doing amazing miracles of healing through Peter. The passage lends itself to thinking about this subject of miracles, and the Biblical teaching about them. The title of the sermon is The Miracles God Performs. The Scripture reading is Acts 9:32-43.
He is risen! He is risen indeed! If there is ever anything worth celebrating, it is the resurrection of Jesus! It is His resurrection that changed everything for us as humans. We were all lost in our sins, and headed for an eternity in hell because that is the penalty for our sins that we deserve to pay. And we could do nothing about it. But God could, and did. Jesus, God come in the flesh, died in our place to pay the penalty for our sins, and then rose from the dead to seal the victory over sin and death. If Jesus had just died and not risen from the dead, His death would be of no effect. It would have shown that He was just a man, like everyone else. But He DID rise from the dead, showing Him victorious! And we celebrate. The title of the sermon is Why We Celebrate The Resurrection. The Scripture reading is 1 Corinthians 15:20-28.
We are very quickly coming upon the Easter season. Next Sunday is Palm Sunday, followed by Good Friday, and then Easter Sunday. We will be taking a break from our series through the book of Acts for this Easter season, and focus on the death and resurrection of our Savior. Today, we will focus kind of on the preparations to get us into the mindset of a season of celebration. Easter should be, for us as Christians, the biggest celebration of the year - but often isn't. What can we do to get our mindset into making Easter a great celebration? That is what the sermon this morning is about. The title of the sermon is The Easter Celebration Mindset. The Scripture reading is Acts 2:22-36.
In most areas of life, there are some things that are just downright important. They are basic, foundational things that just need to be there if there is going to be any kind of success at all. This is especially true in Christianity being a good disciple of Jesus, and being an effective fellow Christian to our brothers and sisters in Christ, especially your church family. As we are following the story of the conversion of Saul, and his start as a Christian, we come today to a passage which brings out some important, basic, fundamental things that need to be there for all Christians and for every body of believers. The title of the sermon is Important Things Necessary In Our Christian Lives. The Scripture reading is Acts 9:23-31.
Some have called it one of the most pivotal moments in the growth and spread of Christianity, affecting the history of the entire world. That is the conversion of a zealous Pharisee named Saul to Christianity. Looking back on it, we can see the truth of that claim. That conversion is recorded for us in the passage of Acts that we come to today in our series through the book of Acts. It is a remarkable story of the fiercest persecutor of Christians being converted to Christianity, and the remarkable events that brought it about. And there are things we can learn from the story of Saul's conversion. The title of the sermon is Lessons From Saul's Conversion. The Scripture reading is Acts 9:1-22.
The persecution scattered the Christians, and with that the Christians spread the gospel. That is the story of Acts 8. The chapter focusses on the ministry of one man to tell this story - Philip. Last week, in the first half of the chapter, we saw his ministry in the city of Samaria. This week, as we look at the second half of this chapter, we see his ministry to an individual. This individual may well have influenced an entire country for Jesus Christ. Philip talking to this individual was a God directed thing, and it carries with it some good examples for us. The title of the sermon is Effective Evangelism. The Scripture reading is Acts 8:26-40.
The persecution is intensifying - that is what we've been seeing as we work our way through the book of Acts. We saw a new line being crossed last week, as we looked at chapter 7, and the stoning to death of Stephen. Stoned to death for teaching that Jesus rose from the dead, and that salvation is through Jesus, and Him alone. The intent of the enemies of Christianity was to wipe out Christianity, but in fact it had the opposite effect. This marked the beginning of the spread of Christianity to places outside of Jerusalem. As Christianity spreads, however, it creates a dynamic that is not without pitfalls that we need to be aware of. The title of the sermon is Keeping The Spread Of The Gospel Grounded. The Scripture reading is Acts 8:1-25.
Last week we were kind of left hanging as we finished Acts 6 in our series through the book of Acts. We saw persecution against these new Christians intensify, and spread beyond the Apostles to other leaders in this new church, namely Stephen. We saw him arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin, and the accusations made. And that is where we left off. Today, as we move on to chapter 7, we will see Stephen's defense, and the result of that, which is Stephen becoming the first Christian martyr. And as always, there are truths in this chapter for us. The title of the sermon is Lessons From The Martyrdom Of Stephen. The Scripture reading is Acts 7:51-60.
A recurring theme running through the book of Acts is the persecution of the Christians - first coming from the Jewish leaders, and then later on from the Roman authorities. As the book goes on, the persecution intensifies. We've looked at this persecution theme a couple of times already, and today we are talking about it again. Persecution, as we've seen, is something that we as Christians should expect to happen, and that we need to learn to live with. We are in the middle of seeing these early Christians go through the process of learning to live with persecution as it intensifies. And they leave us some good examples in doing that. The title of today's sermon is Remaining Steadfast As Persecution Intensifies. The Scripture reading is Acts 6:8-15
We have been seeing with interest (at least I hope it is with interest) the beginnings of Christianity and the beginnings of the first Church in our study of the book of Acts. Through the first five chapters, we've seen thousands of people respond to the preaching of the Apostles and accept Christ as Savior, we've seen persecution start to come on these new believers, and start to get more intense, we've seen some internal problems with sin come to light, and be dealt with. As we go on to the first part of chapter 6 this morning, we see some inevitable logistical issues arise, and how these first Christians dealt with it, under the leadership of the Apostles. Although this first church is yet to be formally organized, we see the beginnings here of the necessity of a division of labor and responsibility in the Church. The Title of the sermon is Necessary Labor Divisions. The Scripture Reading is Acts 6:1-7.
A couple of weeks ago, as we looked at the last half of Acts 4, we saw that persecution against us as Christians is something that we should expect, and is something that we need to learn to live with. Jesus told us that it will happen, the Apostles wrote that we should expect it as they wrote the books of the New Testament we call the "Epistles" - written to the various churches of that time. So persecution should be expected, and we should not be surprised when it comes. It is something we need to live with. As we move on today to the second half of Acts 5, we see the passage continue on in this theme. And this theme will come up again and again as we go through Acts. This passage for today, though, adds something. It gives us some teaching in the area of how to do it. The title of the sermon is Understanding How To Live With Persecution. The Scripture reading is Acts 5:17-42.
In our last two sermons of our series through the book of Acts, the theme has been responding to and dealing with persecution. People opposed to the message of Jesus Christ were making things difficult for the Apostles and the new Christians. Today, as we move into Acts 5, we will see another obstacle that had to be dealt with. This one is different; whereas chapter 4 was about dealing with problems that came from the outside, (and they will continue to be a problem), the first part of chapter 5 deals with a problem that came from the inside. Despite all that these new Christians are seeing and experiencing of the power of the Holy Spirit in their own lives and in the lives of those around them, sinful choices are always only one decision away. The title of the sermon is The Necessity Of Dealing With The Sin Among Us. The Scripture reading is Acts 5:1-16.
We are getting back to our series through the book of Acts today. When we left off for the Christmas Season, we finished chapter three, which records the miraculous healing at the temple of a man lame from birth, followed by Peter preaching to the crowd who gathered to see it. His sermon focussed on the resurrected Jesus as the Messiah, to whom all should repent and turn to as their Savior. Many did, increasing the number of believers in Jerusalem to over 5000. Today as we move on to chapter four, we see the persecution against the apostles and these new Christians start, and it comes from the Jewish religious leaders. The title of the sermon this morning is Responding To Persecution. The Scripture reading is Acts 4:1-22.
There is an old Southern Gospel song called "The Ground is Level at Calvary." The message of that song is that all humans need to come to Jesus for Salvation, and that all humans come on the same terms. We are all sinners, needing the grace that only Jesus can give. Only Jesus can give it, because He is the only one who could die on the cross in our place and pay the penalty for our sin. So we all must come equally - sinners needing grace - and accept Jesus' offer of salvation. We all come to the cross on the same level. The Communion service brings us face to face with the cross, and the fact that we all come on the same level - sinners needing the grace of God. The Scripture reading is John 13:3-10.
The beginning of a New Year is often a time when people kind of take stock of their lives, and make an attempt to get themselves back on track in areas where they have been slipping. Or maybe make some changes in their lives they know they need to make, but just haven't done it yet. The New Year just seems to be a good time to do that. Maybe it isn't a bad idea for a church to do that as well. We never have to wait till the New Year to make needed changes, but the New Year is upon us, and I would like us to remind ourselves this morning what Jesus intended His church to be about. What are the essentials that need to be there? The title of the sermon is Refocusing On The Essentials. The Scripture reading is Acts 2:37-47.
It isn't a typical passage of Scripture we would look at during the Christmas Season. It isn't a typical sermon that you would hear during the Christmas Season. But the truth we want to look at this morning is important to consider as we are in the middle of preparing for Christmas. It is important that, as Christians, our celebrations of Christmas be God honoring in every way, and that they work to move us to contemplate the awesomeness of the incarnation, as we looked at last week. They should move us to take the time to take delight in this great work of God, and just rest in His love and acceptance of us. The title of the sermon is Resting In The Work Of God. The Scripture reading is Matthew 11:25-30.
It is hard to say, theologically speaking, which is a more awesome work of God: the Incarnation, or the Resurrection. Both are just an awesome, miraculous, profound outpouring of the power of God on this earth, for the people of this earth. At Christmas, we focus on the Incarnation - God become human, born as an infant. We focus on it every year at this time, and it always carries with it a sense of amazement and wonder. At least it should, if we are at all in tune with what God has done for us. But, like everything else, when you do something over and over again for a period of many years, it has the danger of becoming "old." And then the danger is we take the profoundness of it for granted. That is something we need to guard against. The title of the sermon is Don't Lose The Wonder. The Scripture reading is John 1:1-18.
The portion of Scripture that we come to today in our study of the book of Acts is Acts 3. This chapter records a miracle that occurred, and a sermon that was preached because of it. As we look at this chapter, and put it together with what we've seen in the first 2 chapters, there is a trend line that is starting to emerge. That is this: In God starting this new era of His working in this world, that being through the Holy Spirit as He indwells all believers, the focus is very much on Jesus. It was Jesus' death and resurrection and ascension that brought his new era (the Church age) into being, and we see in the book of Acts the trend line that the focus is always on Jesus. The title of the sermon is It Is All About Jesus. The Scripture reading is Acts 3:1-26
Last Sunday, as we looked at the much awaited coming of the Holy Spirit recorded in Acts 2:1-36, we saw just a remarkable event that changed Jesus disciples, and amazed and bewildered those who observed. They heard the sound, and then they heard the disciples speaking in foreign languages that they had never learned, speaking about the mighty works of God. And then they heard Peter explain what it was, and how it was consistent with what the Scriptures foretold, and how it is all about Jesus, the Messiah. The rest of Acts 2 tells us how the crowd responded to all of that - the coming of the Holy Spirit, and the preaching of God's Word. And that response of the people gives us some teaching on how everyone should respond to the Holy Spirit's coming. The title of the sermon is Responding To The Holy Spirit's Coming. The Scripture reading is Acts 2:37-47.
In our series through the book of Acts that we just started three Sunday's ago, we've seen the disciples of Jesus obey Jesus' command to stay in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit comes. And we've seen them waiting, spending their time in prayer, and staying in tune with the Scriptures. It was a period of about 10 days of waiting. Acts 2, which we want to look at the first part of today, records the event of the coming of the Holy Spirit. This coming would mark the beginning of the a new role for the Holy Spirit in relating to us as humans - specifically, us as Christians. We need to come to an understanding of this new role. The title of the sermon is The Beginning Of The Holy Spirit's New Role. The Scripture reading is Acts 2:1-36.
We are embarking on a series through the book of Acts. In many ways, Acts is a book of transition, as it records the transition of Jesus doing His work in physical form while He was here on earth, to Him doing His work through the Holy Spirit working in His disciples, being physically absent from this earth. We started this series last Sunday, and the next passage, which we come to today, is kind of about that transition, and how Jesus' disciples, now called apostles, handled that transition. The lessons here are very much applicable to us today in the transitions we as a church in our world are facing. The title of the sermon is Handling Transitions. The Scripture reading is Acts 1:12-26.
Jesus has given us as Christians - His disciples - a job to do. We've all heard that many times. He has given us the job of bring the gospel to others. It is a job that is a joint effort between us and Jesus. We need to do the physical going and loving and telling. But there is a supernatural element to this job, and that is something only God can do. That is His part. He does that through the Holy Spirit, who empowers and guides us as His disciples, and convicts the hearts and minds of those we share the gospel with. It is important to understand this partnership. If we try to do our job, and forget about or ignore the Holy Spirit and His role in this, we will ultimately fail. The title of the sermon is The Importance Of Depending On The Holy Spirit. The Scripture reading is Acts 1:1-11.
38 pretty direct commands in the pages of Scripture that we as the people of God "give thanks..." Another 30 that aren't direct commands, out carry with it implication that we should "give thanks..." Being thankful people is something that God commands of us. It is important that we live our lives with that attitude and mindset of gratitude and thanksgiving. Why is that? Why does God consider that so important? As we celebrate Thanksgiving as a church family this Sunday, this is what Psalm 136:3-4we want to come to an understanding of. The Scripture reading is Psalm 100.
Christians over the centuries have found themselves having to deal with many different things going on in the society around them. Depending on the location, there have been various cultural influences, there have been false teachings, there have been persecutions, there have been different societal issues like disease, poverty, war and its effects, etc. Through it all, Christians have had to deal with all of these outside realities, and still continue on being the Christians and the Church that Jesus wants them to be. The issue for the Thessalonian Christians was persecution, and some false teaching regarding the end times. The passage we come to today in 2 Thessalonians talks about remaining steadfast and growing, no matter what the outside forces are. And the teachings are just as true for us today. The title of the sermon is Steadily Advancing The Gospel. The Scripture reading is 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5.
As mentioned last Sunday, this book of 2 Thessalonians that we are working our way through was written to correct a false report this church had received, and put to rest some great alarm that it caused. It had to do with Jesus return, and the false report was that the Apostle Paul had written some kind of letter saying that the Day of the Lord was already here. In correcting that misinformation, Paul gives us some good teaching on what the truth is concerning the end times. Chapter 2, which we are looking at today, is the meat of that teaching in this book. The title of the sermon is A Glimpse Into The End Times. The Scripture reading is 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17.
We will be beginning this morning a series through the book of 2 Thessalonians. You will remember we finished 1 Thessalonians back in June. During the summer we focused on Psalm 119, but now that summer is over and most are back to everyone being in our normal routines, we will be starting in 2 Thessalonians. It is in many ways a continuation of 1 Thessalonians - this second letter written to clear up a misunderstanding, and to give some more teaching regarding the return of Jesus Christ. But the letter starts with an expression of thanks and commendation to this church, for their steadfastness and growth in spite of persecution. The title of the sermon is Understanding Persecution. The Scripture reading is 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12.
The Communion service - that time when we deliberately choose to remember Jesus' sacrifice of His body and shedding of His blood to purchase our salvation - is by extension a great pouring out of gratitude on our part for His grace. None of us in any way deserve this, or have done anything to earn even a measure of it. We as Christians all come to the Communion table on the same level - just as sinners who have received grace upon grace. As we approach this Table this morning we want to focus on God's grace towards us, and just be grateful. The Scripture reading is 2 Samuel 9:1-13.
The occasion of a Child Dedication is a good time to look into the Word of God and see what it says about parenting and raising children. The Child Dedication ceremony is more about the parents than it is about the child being dedicated. And the Bible does give us some good teaching on being the kind of parents we need to be to raise our children to know and love God. This teaching comes in the form of both commands and examples. We are looking this morning at an example given in the O.T. about a set of parents who, although imperfect, did some important things right. The title of the sermon is Giving Your Children The Right Start. The Scripture reading is 1 Samuel 1:1-28.
The section of Psalm 119 that we are looking at today puts together two concepts that on the surface some would find contradictory. Those two concepts are the fact that on the one hand God has and does deal well with us, according to the promises of His Word, and is good to us; and on the other hand, trials and afflictions come into our lives, that we could argue are not good, and seemingly against our understanding of His promises. As we read this section, we see that the contradiction is only superficial, and in fact when you think a bit deeper, the two go together very well. The title of the sermon is How God And Affliction Work Together. The Scripture reading is Psalm 119:65-72.
Because I was away at Camp all last week, I'm re-doing an old sermon this Sunday. It is from Psalm 90. I've done a couple of sermons from Psalm 90, but I don't think I've done this one here in Lashburn. Psalm 90 is likely the oldest Psalm we have in the book of Psalms. It was written by Moses, likely close to the end of the Israelite's 40 year wanderings in the wilderness before they entered the Promised Land. Moses was struck with the brevity of life in contrast to our eternal, holy and just God. And thus, he prays for wisdom for the time he had. The title of the sermon is The Facts Of Life. The Scripture reading is Psalm 90.
Our summer mini-series on selected passages from Psalm 119 is all about God's Word - how we should study it and meditate on it, what it does for us, and how it helps us in all areas of life. The passage we come to today speaks of how God's Word can keep us on the right path, even when we are going through times of affliction. The Psalmist shares with us some of the things he did and put into practice that kept him true to God's Word and to steadfast living during times of affliction. These are good examples for all to follow. The title of the sermon is Steadfast Godliness In Spite Of Affliction. The Scripture reading is Psalm 119:49-56.
We are getting back this morning to our little mini-series in some selected passages of Psalm 119. The passage we are wanting to look at today speaks of having a love for God's Word. That is interesting. Do we love the Bible? Do we love reading it? Do we love studying it? All of us as Christians would agree that we should read and study it, but do we love doing that? Do we love the teachings of the Bible, and what the Bible has to say? If you are like me, those questions give us pause, and perhaps makes us feel a bit uncomfortable, because our honest answer may not be a resounding "yes." This passage speaks to why we should love God's Word. The title of the sermon is A Deep, Healthy Love For The Bible. The Scripture reading is Psalm 119:41-48.
It is great to have Rev. Ross Plews with us again to bring God's Word to us this morning. We trust that as he speaks, we would all have open minds and hearts to hear what God is saying to us in our own lives. And God bless you, Rev. Plews, as you speak what God has laid on your heart.
It is great to have Rev. Tom Gerbrandt with us this morning to a message from God's Word. As he shares what God has laid on his bring heart, may we all have open minds and hearts to hear what God is saying to us through him. God bless you, Tom, as you bring God's Word.
We as a church are privileged to have great elders who have a good grasp of God's Word, and are able to expound it to us. It is great to have Brad Rempel bring His Word to us this morning. May we have open hearts and minds to what God is saying to us, and be fed by the preaching of His Word. God bless you Brad as you share it. Scripture Reading is from Psalms 37:1-7
We are privileged to have God's servant, Rev. Ross Plews, with us this morning. As he brings God's Word to us, may we have open hearts and minds to what God is saying to each one of us personally. God bless you, Rev. Plews, as you speak. Matthew 6:24-34
As we've seen, Psalm 119 is all about the Word of God. It not only talks about appreciating it, and the importance of learning it, and the absolute life-changing wisdom that comes through it; it also speaks to how it applies to the different circumstances that come into our lives. Life is a mix of good and bad, of joyous times and of sad and grievous times. Psalm 119 teaches us how God's Word is there for us in all of these times. The eight-verse stanza of this Psalm we want to look at this morning speaks about grief, and how God's Word speaks to us in times of grief. The title of the sermon is simply God's Word In Times Of Grief. The Scripture reading is Psalm 119:25-32.
God's Word, the Bible, is an amazing book! And the reason it is amazing is that it is inspired by God Himself. It is at the same time both simple enough to understand the basic teachings, and yet so deep and so profound that a lifetime of study would not be enough to get it all. Psalm 119, which we are looking at during the Sundays of summer that I am here, is a Psalm that brings this out. It also shows how God's Word applies to all areas of life. Today, we see how it applies to the area of personal purity. The Scripture reading is Psalm 119:9-16.
It is Father's Day today, and so I would like to focus this morning on what God's Word has to say about fathers and fatherhood in general, and about what God's Word has to say to fathers directly. We are living in a society where the home that God designed is under attack more and more, and that is seen in attacks on motherhood and fatherhood in general. But both are vital to God's design of the family and of a society. So, like we did on Mother's Day, I would like look at God's Word on this subject, with the focus this morning being on fatherhood and God's Word to fathers. The Scripture reading is Ephesians 5:33-6:4.
One of the essentials of growing in our maturity as Christians is the Word of God. Reading it, coming to an understanding of what it means and how it applies to us, and then of course living it out. The key to living the Christian life is to get to know Jesus and have a deep relationship with Him. But the only way we can do that is through the Bible. So we need a high regard and deep appreciation for it. The longest chapter in the Bible - Psalm 119 - is all about the Word of God. It is about what it means to us and what it does for it, and what our desire for it should be. The title of today's sermon is Appreciating God's Word - The Bible. The Scripture reading is Psalm 119:1-8.
That God is sovereign is something that all of us as Christians know - at least in theory. We know it is taught in the Bible, and is one of the fundamental doctrines in the Word of God. But, do we understand all that it means, and all that it implies? Do we understand the effect this fact should have on our lives, and our response to the circumstances of our lives? Those are the things the writer of Psalm 46 (the Sons of Korah) are addressing in Psalm 46, where we want to look today. The title of the sermon is Gods Sovereignty - My Life. The Scripture reading is Psalm46:1-11.
We come today to the end of our study of 1 Thessalonians. This last passage in the book that we are looking at today is kind of a "wrap up" for this letter. In this "wrap up," the apostle Paul chooses, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to give this church some final instructions or reminders about how to conduct life within their church family. They were a group of young Christians, whom Paul had to leave within a short time of establishing this church, and Paul wanted to make sure that they conducted themselves in a manner that would be pleasing to Jesus Christ. In so doing, Paul gave some good teachings that apply to all of us as Christians for all time. The title of the sermon is Church Family Life. The Scripture reading is 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28.
So when is Jesus coming back? That always seems to come up in any discussion or study of Jesus' return. Last week we looked at the event that has been dubbed "The Rapture" - that event when Jesus returns to gather all Christians, dead and alive, to Himself for all eternity. It is a great encouragement to know that this will happen, but it inevitably brings up the question, "When will this happen?" As we come to chapter 5 of our study through 1 Thessalonians, we see Paul anticipate this question. He does not give us any date or even any timeline, but he does give some good teaching as to how we should live our lives in light of the sure knowledge of Jesus' return. The Scripture reading is from 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11.
It becomes obvious upon studying the New Testament that the apostles, in bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to their world, always included in that the teaching that Jesus was coming back to receive those who have placed their faith in Him - Christians - to Himself. And it becomes obvious that they taught that this could happen at any moment, so we need to be ready. The new Christians making up the church at Thessalonica had some questions, though. Some of their church family had passed away already, and Jesus still hadn't returned. What was going to happen to them when Jesus did come back? Paul, in writing this letter to this church answered that question. And in so doing, he gives us all some good teaching on the return of Jesus, and the tremendous hope and comfort that knowledge gives us. The title of the sermon is The Hope Of Jesus Return. The Scripture reading is 1 Thessalonians 4:13-19.
It is a command that is well over 3000 years old. And it is just as relevant for us today as it ever was. We've looked at this Biblical command, over the past many years, at least twice a year. The command is right there in the 10 commandments: Honor your father and your mother...". Every year we look at it on Mother's Day, and then again on Father's day. This Sunday, however, we aren't going to focus so much on how to honor our mothers; rather, we will focus on what God's message to mothers is, so that mothers can better understand the honor that God places on them. My prayer is that all mothers here this morning will be encourage and honored by God's word to them. The title of the sermon is God's Message To Mothers. The Scripture reading is Proverbs 31:26-31.
Being a Christian is a lot more than a mental belief in Jesus. It is more than going through the motions of "praying the prayer." It starts with a mental belief in the facts of Jesus being God come as a human, and His death and resurrection. But then it must go to the heart, where we make the choice to repent of our sin, and place our faith in Jesus as our Savior, and to put Him in control of our lives. When we do that, it changes us and affects how we live in all areas of our lives. That is a process that continues through the rest of our lives here on earth. A common question is, "What should be some of the differences between a Christian and a non Christian?" We are given some answers in the passage in 1 Thessalonians we come to today. The title of the sermon is Some Instructions On Everyday Christian Living. The Scripture reading is 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12.
It is great to have Seth Briggs, director of Manitou Lake Bible Camp, with us for our Worship Service this morning! It is always one of our church's favorite Sundays of the year! Let's open our hearts to hear what God is doing through the ministries of our Camp, and also what God is saying to each one of us this morning, through His servant, Seth Briggs.
It is a given that as Christians we will face suffering. We are told that throughout the New Testament. And given that we will face suffering, the Bible teaches that it can and should have a positive result in us. God can use that suffering to accomplish what He wants to accomplish in us - that of conforming us to the image of Jesus Christ. Suffering will come, so we need to allow it to produce in us what God want it to produce. That is where our passage for today takes us. The title of the sermon is What Suffering Should Produce. The Scripture reading is 1 Thessalonians 3:1-13.
The events that we celebrated last weekend - the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ - are the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Starting within weeks after these events, this gospel was preached by Jesus' disciples, now called apostles, to all – starting in Jerusalem, and then branching out from there. Jesus is God come as a human, He lived, died, and rose from the dead, paying for the sin of mankind, and offering eternal salvation to all who place their faith in Him. This is the gospel Paul preached to the people of the Greek city of Thessalonica, and some of them accepted. But this is more than just events to be believed - accepting the Gospel has far-reaching effects. The title of the sermon is It Is The Gospel Truth - Now What? The Scripture reading is 1 Thessalonians 2:13-20.
The bigger the victory, the bigger the celebration. And this world has never seen a bigger victory than the resurrection of Jesus Christ! Easter Sunday is the biggest celebration on the Christian calendar, and it should be the biggest celebration for the entire world. Jesus, God come as a human, the only perfect Person to ever live, died to pay the penalty for the sin of the world, and then rose from the dead to win the victory over sin and death. We've looked at it from many angles over the evidence that is there to prove it really happened, to the mission it now years; from gives us, to the implications it holds for us. Today, I would like to kind of wrap it all together in the story of Peter from Good Friday to Easter Sunday. Because Peter's story is in reality the story of each one of us. The title of the sermon is Celebrating The Resurrection. The Scripture reading is 1 Corinthians 15:1-20
The story of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the Sunday before He was crucified - commonly known as "Palm Sunday," - is a significant event in the ministry of Jesus while He was on earth. All four Gospel writers record it, so they obviously all, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, deemed it important enough to record for us. It is the one time when Jesus allowed Himself to be seen as He really was - a King. And not only a King, but The King. The significance of this event has implications that are important also for us today. The title of the sermon is Jesus As King. The Scripture reading is John 12:12-18.
One thing that our Savior Jesus has called all of us as Christians to do is to share the gospel with others, point others to Jesus, and in so doing work with Him in advancing the Kingdom of God on this earth. The gospel is a wondrous truth for all humanity, and needs to be shared. In the first few chapters of 1 Thessalonians, the apostle Paul recounts how he and Silas preached the gospel to the people of Thessalonica, which they had accepted. In so doing, Paul brings out some important truths about sharing the gospel. The title of the sermon this morning is On Presenting The Gospel. The Scripture reading is 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12.
Last Sunday we started a series of the letters of Paul to the church at Thessalonica. But we started the series in Acts 17, where we looked at the starting of this church. We saw the story of how a segment of Thessalonica responded to the gospel message, and placed their faith in Jesus as their Savior. Today, we will get into 1 Thessalonians, where Paul commends those young Christians for their true, sincere conversions. In so doing, he brings to light what a true conversion to Jesus Christ looks like and plays out. The title of the sermon is The Marks Of True Conversion. The Scripture reading is 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10.
We are about to embark on a sermon series through the books of First and Second Thessalonians. But to better understand what Paul is writing to the Christians in Thessalonica, we will first look at what went on when the church there was started, and how it came about. So the first sermon is this series is from Acts 17, where we are given the story of the planting of this church. It is an interesting story, and it is the story of Paul and Silas staying on message, despite the obstacles that came up. And that s the title of today's sermon - Staying On Message. The Scripture reading is Acts 17:1-10.
Prayer is at the same time one of the simplest things there is, and also one of the most profound, and one of the hardest things there is for us as Christians. I know of very few Christians who would not admit that they struggle with prayer on many occasions in their lives. Many of the Psalms in our Bibles are prayers - just a Godly person pouring out his heart to God, seeking to come to terms with what is going on in his life. Because they are inspired by the Holy Spirit, however, they contain good teaching on the subject of prayer, that we as Christians would do well to learn from. The title of today's sermon is Becoming A Person Of Prayer. The Scripture reading is Psalm 86.
One of the great things about the Psalms is that they deal with the deep issues of life, and the deep questions of life. Common among those questions is one each of us has likely heard voiced by Christians and non Christians alike. Maybe even you yourself have wondered about it. "Why is there so much injustice in this world?” That question has been asked for thousands of years. It is a question that is dealt with in the Psalms, and is the subject of the Psalm we want to look at today. The title of the sermon is Dealing with Injustice. The Scripture reading is Psalm 94.
Perspective is huge. It so drastically affects our response, both inwardly and outwardly, to any situation. Given the same set of circumstances, one can see reason to react with fear and suspicion and/or anger, or one can see reason to respond with confidence and joy. It all depends on your perspective. So it is vital that we view life with the right perspective, because a wrong perspective can lead one to some very bad choices. That is what the Psalmist Asaph found out. The title of the sermon is An Eternal Perspective On Life. The Scripture reading is Psalm 73.
Oppression is defined as "prolonged unjust treatment or control." It obviously can come in different ways, and from different sources. And it has always been something people have suffered under, right from the time of the entrance of sin into the world till today. Many of the Psalms deal with this subject of oppression, and the experience of going through it. Many in our world today are feeling oppressed by different things, most common perhaps is the government guidelines we are under. In Psalm 56, the Psalmist David shares his experience with oppression, and how he worked through it. That is the Psalm we are looking at today. The title of the sermon is When Faced With Oppression. The Scripture reading is Psalm 56.
I have decided that for the next 5 or so Sundays to look at some selected Psalms in the sermons. Given the crazy world we are living in, and the polarized reaction to that of many people in our society, I think we need to bring our focus back where it belongs - our God, and having faith in our God. Many of the Psalms speak to that. Today, we will be looking at Psalm 2. In this Psalm, the Psalmist is looking around at the nations of his time and their anti-God rhetoric, and writes this in response. It is a good Psalm to remind us that indeed God is in control. The title of the sermon is Our God Is In Control. The Scripture reading is Psalm 2:1 12.
We have come to the end of our series through the book of Genesis. The book closes with the burial of Jacob, the last words of Joseph to his brothers, and then with the death of Joseph. In Joseph's final words that are recorded for us in this chapter, there are some great examples of faith that he leaves with us more specifically, examples of where to place our faith - that we would do well to look at. The title of the sermon is Faith - But In What? The Scripture reading is Genesis 50:1 26.
The message that comes out of our passage for today (Genesis 49) is really a continuation of what we heard last week. We will see today Jacob giving his final words to his sons – it is a final blessing, and more than that, it is a divinely inspired word of prophecy concerning the future of these son's family line. The message for us that comes out of it concerns family legacy, and the things that direct a family legacy for good or for bad. The Scripture reading is Genesis 49:1-27
We are coming to the end of our series through Genesis - 3 chapters left, in fact. These last chapters consist pretty much of last words; Jacob's last words, and Joseph's last words. Today, we will be looking at Jacob's last words to his son Joseph, and Joseph's sons. They are words of blessing. A Father's blessing to his children was very important in ancient Israel. It is almost unheard of in our time, and I wonder if we are missing something important. The title of the sermon is A Father's Blessing. The Scripture reading is Genesis 48:1-22.
As we begin a new year, my mind always goes to the thought that time is moving forward, and we are getting closer and closer to the time of Christ's return. We don't know when that will be, we just know that the time has been set by our Heavenly Father, and with each passing year we are getting closer to that time. The Bible tells us some things about what it will be like as we near the end, and it also tells us how we should respond to that knowledge. And that is what I'd like to look at this morning as we start a New Year. The Scripture reading is 2 Peter 3:1-18.
This will be a very different Christmas for all of us - very much smaller and simpler. Perhaps that is a good thing. We for sure can make it a good thing. We have much more time to simply ponder the great work of God in the incarnation, and the great work God might be doing, even behind the scenes, in our lives right now. But, our hearts need to be in the right place to see it and accept it. The sermon this morning is about preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus, by coming to at least a measure of understanding about how God works. The Scripture reading is Luke 1:26-38
We will be leaving our series through the book of Genesis for a few weeks to focus on the Christmas season. This is going to be a very interesting Christmas, with all the Covid guidelines. Likely none of us will be able to celebrate the way we usually do. We will be forced to do things differently, and likely do things much more simply. It won't feel the same - but maybe that isn't a bad thing. Maybe making our celebrations much more simple is more in line with Biblical teaching than the way we've been doing it. The Scripture reading is Luke 2:1-20.
As we've been going through the story of Joseph in this last part of our series through the book of Genesis, we've seen not only tremendous change in Joseph's brothers, but also a change and a maturity in Joseph as time goes on. The passage we come to today focuses on Joseph and how he deals with his family, now that they are all in Egypt, and also how he deals with the nation in leading them through the remaining years of the famine. What comes out of this chapter, when all is digested, is a man who is a considerate provider. The Scripture reading is Genesis 47:1-31.
Our journey through the book of Genesis brings us today to chapter 46. This chapter, while part of the story of Joseph and his brothers, focusses more on Jacob, the father, than on Joseph and his brothers. It is about the move of all of Jacob's family to Egypt, and specifically about God's leading in that. The lessons for us from this chapter are about God leading His people. The Scripture reading is Genesis 46:1-7, 28-34.
For the past few Sundays, Joseph and his brothers have been kind of a "case study" for us on the subject of restoring a broken relationship, and reconciling. It is a powerful story included in the book of Genesis of the process of restoring a fractured relationship, and is also illustrative of God reconciling with us. We've seen so far God bringing us face to face with our sin so we have to deal with it, and then the tests that come to show if our repentance is genuine, and then the proofs that show repentance is genuine. So that brings us to the last part, which is genuine forgiveness. The Scripture reading is Genesis 45:1-28.
When there has been an estrangement between people, there needs to be restoration and reconciliation. In our study of the book of Genesis, the story of Joseph and his brothers working through the restoration process of healing their broken relationship is a great example of what is necessary for restoration. And it is a great illustration of what is necessary for us to be reconciled to God. We are covering this story of restoration in 4 sermons. Last wee we looked at the tests of repentance. This week, as we go on, we see the proof of repentance. The Scripture reading is Genesis 44:18-34.
In our study of the book of Genesis, we are in the section that describes the reconciliation between Joseph and his estranged brothers. It is a very moving story, and it is also a story that is a great picture of what restoration and reconciliation all entails. God is a God Who is all about restoration and reconciliation - both of Himself and us, and also of us with each other, when their has been an estrangement. We are looking at this restoration in four parts. We've already seen the first part - facing up to the sin. Today, we will be looking at the second part. The title of the sermon is Restoration - Tests Of Repentance. The Scripture reading is Genesis 43:26 - 44:17.
When we deliberately focus on being thankful, as we are doing today, we inevitably start thinking of the things in our lives that we are thankful for. That is good, because there is much in all of our lives to be thankful for. But what if all of that was stripped away, like Job, for example. Could we be thankful then? As we think that through, we realize that even in that case, we would still be living in God's grace, which is still much more than what we deserve. We could still be grateful for that. That is what we want to look at this morning. The Scripture reading is Isaiah 6:1-7.
Because we are human, and are born with a sin nature, we mess up. One of the most damaging areas we mess up in is in the area of relationships. When those are damaged, it affects so much of the other areas in our lives. The good news is that with God, there is a way, and it is possible, to restore relationships. In our study through Genesis, we are moving into first part of the section that describes the restoration of the relationship between Joseph and his brothers. The Scripture reading is Genesis 42:1-38.
The will of God is something that many Christians wrestle with from time to time - seeking to understand where God is leading them, what God wants them to do, etc. We think we all know the basics of God's will; He wants all people to place their faith in Jesus and follow Him, and He wants all who do to become conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. But beyond that, what about specific directions for my personal path in life? The chapter we come to today in Genesis, in the life of Joseph, speaks to that. The Scripture reading is Genesis 41:1-57.
Consistent dependability is something all of us find desirable - in our vehicles, in our machinery, in our household utilities, in our institutions, and most importantly, in the people we have relationships with. And perhaps, mostly, we find it desirable in ourselves, and hope to grow stronger in that area. That is also a Godly trait. People with a Christ-like character are people who consistently act in a Christ-like manner, no matter what the circumstance. Like Joseph, in the passage of Genesis we come to today. The Scripture reading is Genesis 40:1-23.
A question that will likely come to everyone eventually, especially to us as Christians, is "Why do bad things happen to good people?" You try to do what is right, and things just go wrong. The chapter we come to today in the life of Joseph, as we go through Genesis, speaks to this. In this chapter, Joseph does everything right, but everything goes wrong. How do we come to terms with that? The Scripture reading is Genesis 39:1-23.
Chapter 38 of Genesis is a side-story to the story of Joseph, which we started last week. But it is an important side story. The events recorded in this chapter are not positive or nice; actually a bit more on the lurid side. But they do give the background of how some very important future events unfolded. It is a story of several acts of sin, and yet how God took these events, redeemed them, and brought good out of them. The Scripture reading is from Genesis 38:1-7, 24-30.
We come today in our journey through the book of Genesis to the last section of the book, which focuses on Joseph. And just like chapters 12-25 became in effect a study of the life of Abraham, and chapters 27-35 became in effect a study of the life of Jacob, so too chapters 37-50 will become a study of the life of Joseph (chapter 38 bring the exception). But Joseph's growing up years were not great. His family had issues, as we've seen, which made life difficult for Joseph in his teen years. The Scripture reading is from Genesis 37:1-36.
In our study through the book of Genesis, we are going to be looking at the second half of Genesis 35, and all of Genesis 36 this morning. This passage covers some significant historical events, and marks the end of the focus being on Jacob. It is tempting to wonder why passages like this are recorded in the Bible for us today. But it shows that God works in and through human history, and as such it does contain lessons for us. The Scripture reading is Genesis 35:16-29.