Sawgrass Community Church's Sermon Archive: Recent Episodes
Sawgrass Community Church
We can look and act like Christians but only someone who has been with Jesus can truly be different from the world. Maybe we shouldn't ask ourselves that question, maybe we should ask others if we behave as if we have been with Jesus.
We have lost the original intent of the word awesome. Have we also lost the impact of awe and wonder in our lives? True restoration is tied to our awe and wonder of God. We can take a look at the early church to see the impact of awe and wonder on our spiritual journey.
Worldly restoration is bringing something back to its original condition. Biblical restoration makes things better than the original. When God works, it is always better than we could imagine!
We all have regrets. We are human and we all make mistakes but do we need to fear our mistakes and our regrets? If we leave our regrets in the hands of Satan, then yes, we do need to fear them, but Jesus calls us to release our regrets and our mistakes into His hands for full restoration! We can look at Peter's experience to discover Jesus' plan for restoration through our regrets.
Who doesn't want to be successful? The problem is, whose idea of success are we using to define us?
Job reminds us how our pain and suffering in this world are related to the goodness of God and what He sees in us.
Do you fear saying yes to God because the cost might be too high? We look to the story of Esther and realize that no cost is higher than God's ability to redeem.
One of our fears is that we are never enough. But what is at the root of our fear of never being enough- could it be our lack of being in control?
Are we so comfortable and safe inside our own truth bubbles that we can't see real truth even when it is right before our eyes? It happened to King David and several others throughout Scripture. They could teach us about the danger of fearing truth.
What if our disappointments are really God's appointments for something better? We look at Joseph's life to learn how to move through disappointments with purpose towards a hope-filled future.
The Bible is full of verses telling us not to fear, so why do we have fear at all? We go back to the Garden of Eden to discover that fear has a purpose in our lives.
The Book of Judges is a wild ride full of ups and downs and twists and turns, but how does it matter for us today? It matters because we are on the same roller coaster ride as Israel was all those years ago.
The power of the local church and its body of believers is not found in its finances; it’s not found in vision statements or ministry plans; it’s not found in buildings, in pastors, or programs, or anything else that comes from the hand of man. Our only true power is found in the power of prayer.
Paul challenges the Roman church to accept one another as Christ has accepted them. It is a step towards unity and loving like Jesus loved.
Trying times are a part of life, but the Apostle Paul has a message to encourage us and strengthens us to stand firm in the most trying of circumstances.- Pastor Kristen
One thing we learn from Paul's prayers is that relationships matter. The question we need to ask ourselves is- Are we building walls or building bridges? Paul gives us a model to follow in building bridges.
Paul's prayer for the Colossians is that they may be filled with the knowledge of God's will. What a life of meaning and purpose we could live if we allowed ourselves to be filled with the knowledge of God's will!- Pastor Kristen
Paul's prayer is that we would understand how high, how deep, how wide, how long is the love of Christ for us. Only then can we experience the power of God's love. As RC Sproul says, "It is the difference between professing God's love and possessing God's love." So do you profess or possess God's love?- Pastor Kristen
We often pray to get things from God but what if our prayers were about becoming more like Jesus. When we open the eyes of our hearts to God, we make ourselves willing vessels of His transformation in our hearts and souls.- Pastor Kristen
Paul understood the power of prayer in the lives of believers. As we kick off our When We Pray series, we too must have a right understanding and view of prayer.- Pastor Kristen
Jesus sums up the Beatitudes with two words- salt and light. Are we truly being the salt and light in the world that Jesus describes in the Beatitudes?- Pastor Kristen
There isn't a more Christ-like sentiment in all of the Bible than the call for followers of Jesus to love their enemies. It goes against everything that the world tells us to do.-Pastor Jay
Racism is evil. As followers of Christ, we are called to action to speak out against it and reject injustice at every turn. We can do better!
Too often, we find ourselves to be peace loving individuals not peacemaking individuals. Jesus calls us to be peacemakers, so what does peacemaking look like?
Pastor Debbie teaches that God sees and hears our hearts not the external pieces that the world sees. Do we treat others with the same approach or do we hear and see only what is on the outside? The condition of our own heart makes all the difference in how we approach others and how we spread Contagious Joy!
Biblical mercy goes deeper than an emotional reaction. Mercy demands action. It is the difference between being called a Christian and living the life of a Christian.
In our continuing study on the Beatitudes and our pursuit of Contagious Joy, Pastor Jay challenges us to ask ourselves if we are being filled up with the right stuff!
Our modern translation of the word meek is negative, implying weakness and spineless attitudes and behaviors. But nothing could be farther from what Jesus intended when He spoke of the meek inheriting the earth.- Pastor Kristen
What are we mourning in our lives? Are we mourning the right things or the inconsequential things? Pastor Debbie shares with us, the mourning that leads to joy!
What does it mean to be poor in spirit? We tend to think of poverty in strictly monetary terms but poverty and lacking touches all areas of our lives, not just the financial pieces. But only when we recognize our areas of lacking and poverty can we truly find our identity and our security in God. When we believe and strive to be self-sufficient in all things, we miss the gift of God's joy.
Jesus' first words to His disciples after His resurrection, were "Peace be with you." Jesus had overcome death, what was left for them to fear?- Pastor Kristen
*This audio includes "Via Dolorosa" sung by Pastor Debbie, and closes with "Ain't No Grave" sung by a member of our praise team, Bridget Grubb.
Times of crisis can reveal to us in what or whom we have placed our faith. We look at the criminals crucified with Jesus to help us determine where our own faith lies.-Pastor Kristen
In this installment of our You Matter series, we look at how our fear can hide God from our sight. When we actively look for God in our circumstances, we feed our faith and give it power over our fear!- Pastor Kristen
We have begun adding worship music before and after our sermon recordings in order to adjust to our new way of doing things due to Covid-19. In this episode, Pastor Debbie discusses how God works through all things in our lives, even the things we don't understand.- Pastor Kristen
We often overlook the overwhelming grace and love of God in this story. As the father reminds both sons that they matter greatly, only one accepts the gift of mercy and grace. Which son are you?- Pastor Jay
The Lord reminds us that our bad decisions don't define us and that He has a rescue plan. Sometimes we need to be rescued and sometimes God uses us to rescue others. - Pastor Kristen
God has written the greatest love story ever. In tonight's love story, we dig deeper in the story of Hosea and Gomer. It is a story that reminds us of God's faithfulness, love and mercy in contrast to our faithlessness. God sees us as He created us to be, not how we see ourselves or even how others see us. His view of us is all that matters and He says- You Matter!- Pastor Kristen
We celebrate so many things in life. Are we continually celebrating the life and hope we have in Jesus Christ? Praising the Lord at all times leads to an overflowing of the Spirit that is unstoppable in pouring into others!- Pastor Debbie
We all serve someone or something. The question we need to ask ourselves- Who or what are we serving? - Pastor Kristen *The original recording file got corrupted so this extra recording was uploaded. Although the quality is still good it isn't great.
If we want to be filled with the Holy Spirit to overflowing, we must give God supreme authority over every aspect of our lives, and every corner of our heart. Paul challenges us to examine ourselves; that includes the dark nooks where our biases, prejudices and judgements hide.- Pastor Kristen
Following Jesus demands sacrifice. Sacrifice is defined by its personal cost. Sacrifice is not about giving from our excess or our leftovers.- Pastor Debbie
Biblical worship is more than just attending a church service and expecting the Holy Spirit to show up. Biblical worship requires a renewing of our minds such that we become living sacrifices bringing glory to God in all things.- Pastor Kristen
The Words of God are foolishness to those without the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit works as our translator, communicating God's Word to us in ways that we will understand. The Holy Spirit brings God's Word from being merely head knowledge to being a resource and a power for a life transformation -Pastor Jay
Jesus models how we can be filled with the Spirit through prayer and fasting. These disciplines bring us to a place of humility in seeking after the face of God.- Pastor Kristen
If we want to impact the world, we have to allow the Holy Spirit to have His impact in us first. What we see as impossible is always possible with God if we let Him reign in our hearts!
There is much preparation, expectation and anticipation in the days and weeks leading up to Christmas and yet it is over in the blink of an eye. What are we to do after Christmas? Mary gives us an example to follow.*- Pastor Kristen
*There is reference to a triangle diagram that has 'you' and 'God' on the bottom corners with 'life' in the pinnacle. The implication is that we too often run headstrong into life and only seek God in the crisis moments. But if we spend time in the presence of God submitting to His Lordship and authority over our lives then the challenges and trials become moments of victory in God's glory.
The wonder of Christmas can be found in the why of Christmas. The why of Christmas is found in the fulfillment of a promise.- Pastor Jay
Names mean something! Of all the names God could have picked for the Savior, why Jesus? What is special about that name? - Pastor Kristen
Jesus' entrance into our messy world should fill us with wonder! How many kings would step down from their throne to be born in a manger?- Pastor Debbie
Do you remember what Christmas was like when you were a child? Everything around you filled you with awe and wonder. The sights and the sounds of the season caused so much excitement! Well, Christmas is meant to stir wonder in us that transforms the way we see the world. Join us on an advent journey to rediscover the wonder of Christmas. This week, we look at the wonder of the star.-Pastor Kristen
Paul challenges us to view thankfulness as a lifestyle because Jesus is enough!- Pastor Kristen
James finishes his game plan on Christian living with both a warning and a call to action.- Pastor Kristen
James wants us to understand the power of our prayers to help us get in the game and live out our faith!- Pastor Debbie
There are many things that we don't know about Joseph, but God tells us just what we need to know about Joseph in His Word.- Pastor Kristen
Too often we find ourselves thinking we are in control of our fate, but the reality is that only God has that control. James challenges us with a very pointed question as we look to discover, "What is Our Life?"- Pastor Kristen
James tackles the issue of pride with some harsh words, but he also tells us how to avoid the pitfall of pride in our lives.If you think that pride isn't an issue for you, then you probably should hear what James has to say!-Pastor Kristen
Too often, we approach life from our own wisdom which leads us into trouble. James teaches us that God offers us His wisdom for life and getting in the game!- Pastor Debbie
Taming the tongue is one of the greatest challenges in our faith, but James has a lot to say about it!-Pastor Jay
We all have biases and make judgements of others; it’s time we make a change- Pastor Kristen
Being a Christian is more than just knowing Bible verses. It is about doing not just knowing. -Pastor Kristen
If we could begin to see the Hand of God in all things, we might just change our perspective on our trials.-Pastor Kristen
From our Ask Anything questions, we address the vision of Sawgrass Community Church and the Great Commission.- Pastor Debbie
The original intent of work was not for punishment or hardship; it was all about worship until sin entered the world and perverted our concept of work. We need to learn to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen. Only then will our concept of work be transformed.-Pastor Kristen
The Christian life is a journey through different seasons of faith. Paul reminds us that those seasons are crucial for our growth.-Pastor Kristen
Paul warns us of the dangers when we continue to walk by the flesh instead of by the Spirit.-Pastor Kristen
We like to talk about kindness but how are we at actually being kind to others?- Pastor Kristen
How does the fruit of self control look when it is growing in our lives? We may not like the answer!- Pastor Jay
Dr. Mark and Kathy Fulton gave us an update on the work God is doing through their ministry in Haiti. They also reminded us that we are all missionaries- called right where we are to spread the love of Jesus!
Jesus was the most powerful man in the universe, yet He treated others with gentleness, not judgement and condemnation. We can do no less than represent Him to the world with His gentle touch.- Pastor Kristen
Patience or our lack of patience is present in every day of our lives; how are we doing at being patient in an impatient world?- Pastor Kristen
We don’t discard the law but look to it as a sign of our need for Jesus.- Pastor Debbie
Living the Christian life can be hard and challenging, but it doesn't have to be. Paul calls our attention to the power source for Christian living that makes all the difference!- Pastor Kristen
Paul writes to the churches in Galatia to remind them of the real Gospel and dispel the notion that Jesus plus anything else is still the Gospel. On the contrary, Jesus + anything= nothing.- Pastor Kristen
What is a God sighting? We take a deeper look at how we can find God in our day to day activities.- Pastor Debbie
Is Jesus calling your name? Listen carefully!- Pastor Kristen
*This service was held outside in a local park. In the recording, you may hear the wind at times.
Many things around us would have us believe that they have the answer to whatever you need; but in reality the cross in the only answer!- Pastor Kristen
Jesus was not just the babe in the manger. He was the suffering servant who came for us! - Pastor Kristen
Jesus met people right where they were at. We can do nothing less then love people right where they are at, in order for them to see the forgiveness and grace that Jesus offers everyone. - Pastor Debbie
Are we keeping the same company that Jesus would keep or are we thinking we are too good? - Pastor Kristen
Do you believe and follow the One Jesus claimed to be or are do you believe and follow a Jesus of your own making?- Pastor Kristen
In Habakkuk chapter one we looked at how he embraced God even though he didn't understand what God was doing. In chapter 2, we look at what embracing God looks like in our lives, by observing what Habakkuk did.- Pastor Kristen
What do we do when the chaos and confusion around us, challenges what we believe about God?- Pastor Kristen
Story after story in scripture proves to us that God listens to our cries and praises. But are we listening to God?- Pastor Kristen
Persistent prayer calls us to self examination of our desires and our motives while deepening our faith and knowledge of our Lord. Jesus calls us to keep praying and never give up!- Pastor Kristen
With every ending we find a new beginning; sometimes it just requires a new perspective.- Pastor Debbie
Simeon never gave up hope in God's promises of a Messiah. During a lifetime of waiting, God was preparing him for a divine appointment. In the moments of our own lives where we feel that God is silent, could it be that He is preparing us for the next chapter in our story? - Pastor Kristen
The angels declared the Savior's birth with a message of peace on earth. It has been over 2000 years; where is our peace on earth?- Pastor Kristen
Mary's song shows strength and courage that can only come from her trust in God. Her trust in God becomes the foundation of her song of praise.- Pastor Debbie
Zechariah 's song of praise reveals the purpose of God's plan and the fulfillment of the long awaited promise.- Pastor Kristen
David models behavior that will help us thrive in the wilderness, not just survive.- Pastor Kristen
Every day there are many paths before us. But only one path leads to life. Which path are you on? What is your destination?- Pastor Kristen
Emotions are a necessary part of life but trouble arises when we allow emotions to guide us. Emotions are designed to gauge our hearts not guide our truth.
Friendship is a necessity in the life of a follower of Christ. We would be wise to listen to the advice of Proverbs in being a friend and building Godly, healthy friendships.
At the start of every day is a path. On that path is a woman named Folly and a woman named Wisdom. Both are inviting us over. Whose invitation do we accept?
Proverbs 6 gives us dire warnings about decisions in our lives that could lead down bad paths to destructive outcomes. Living a life of wisdom involves first dealing with liabilities, laziness, and lying.
Words have the power to heal or hurt. As followers of Christ, we must THINK about how we use our words.
We face nearly 100 decisions every day- some big but mostly small. When we make a bad decision, we usually attribute it to bad or lack of information. What we need to understand is that our problem is not usually informational, it's relational!
God's plans are usually unexpected and almost always looked at as insurmountable, immovable mountains, but that is usually the best place to be!
We worry when we let what if questions take over our thoughts. But what if we re-framed our circumstances with God at the center. Would our what if questions change from negative to positive and relieve us of worry?
Paul's last words about Demas give us a warning about quitting. His advice to Timothy tells us how to avoid quitting and instead, hear the voice of the Lord saying, "Don't quit!"
Life is full of disappointments. If they are unavoidable, then what should we do with them? What if we let our disappointments make us desperate for Jesus?
In this uncertain world, people are looking for answers, direction and a path to follow. As followers of Christ, we have the opportunity to lead others down the path to Jesus. If we aren't following Jesus, we may be leading others to a dead end.
Are we living a life of gratitude in thankfulness to Jesus who met us at the border or are we enjoying the blessings of God without thanking Him with our lives?
Do we really want to get well? Or are our "I can'ts" really our "I won'ts"? Are you ready to be changed or are you comfortable in your crippledness?
What does our surprise over answered prayer suggest about our relationship with God? Are we putting God in a box or expecting God to be God?
Like Bezalel, God chooses us for a task, and is willing to fill us with His Spirit and empower us for that task when we surrender our will to His.
We can't bargain with God. Eternal life and His Holy Spirit are gifts, available to all.
We all need encouragement. It gives us strength and hope when we feel weak and hopeless. Epaphroditus gives us an example of encouragement in his obedience to God's call and the needs of the brethren.
Jesus told us in Luke's gospel to "remember Lot's wife" so we should take heed in the message of her story and stop looking back.
The elder and younger brothers in the Prodigal Son parable are more than just brothers in the same family. They are brothers in character as well, squandering what their father has given them. But only one understands how truly lost he is. Which one do we most resemble in our own attitudes?
Lydia is a character of strength and courage who responds to the Gospel and immediately ministers to Paul and Silas. This little known character of the Bible becomes one of the foundational supports for the Philippian church!
We can learn much from the relationship between Jethro and Moses. They give an example of the importance of relationships.
Temptation can come in many forms and draw our attention away from Jesus. Temptation has a way of grabbing hold of us. We must learn to run from temptation and not flirt with it like Balaam did.
Abigail displays the Godly characteristics of a peace maker as she diffuses a difficult situation between ill-tempered Nabal and an angry distracted David. We could learn a lot from Abigail in her display of wisdom, discernment, and humility.
A few short verses describes the courage of Benaiah. His lion chasing story is one that we can learn much from in our pursuit of a holy Christ filled life.
We don't like death, yet we cling to it and allow it to skew our perspective of the world and ourselves. If we can learn to give up death and look to how Jesus has conquered death, we will see that He never leaves us at the tomb. He meets us where we are at, bringing life, hope and a purpose filled future!
We strive for affirmation from the world and chase after it. We need to remember that God's affection and affirmation is not only enough but eternal!
If we are to love in ways that matter as followers of Christ, we must remember to give up any sense of superiority that we believe we have over others. Jesus was the only one that could claim a moral high ground yet He gave it up to meet people right where they were at!
Grudges keep us imprisoned and rob us of our joy. When we learn to forgive, we set ourselves free!
We are deceived into thinking that we actually have control over most things. Why then is it so hard to give up something that we never really have?
Sometimes our greatest disappointments and discouragements are because of our own expectations. What if we gave up our expectations and trusted God with the outcomes?
In this season of Lent, what if we focused on things that God would want us to give up rather than on the things we want to give up. We serve a God who can bring dry bones to life. Surely we can have hope in Him!
In order to truly love our neighbor as ourself, we must develop a spirit of generosity. A generous spirit is evidence of the work of Christ in us in all circumstances as Paul points out to us with the example of the Macedonian church.
Despite our networked world, we remain one of the loneliest generations. If we want to love our neighbors as ourself, we must recognize loneliness and help others to feel welcomed.
Do we realize how quick we are to make negative judgements of others or do we offer them the mercy we have received from our Heavenly Father?
God is always stepping into the ordinary and making an extraordinary difference in the world
When we recognize that God's thoughts are higher than our thoughts as are His ways higher than our ways, we will begin to see the miracles in His methods.
The Old Testament reveals the character of God in fragments. There was not one single revelation in the Old Testament that fully revealed the character of God, but in Jesus, God is fully revealed in all His glory.
God's timing is always perfect. He is never early nor late, but always right on time. We look at God's perfect timing in Jesus' birth to help us find the miracles in our own moments each and every day.
Our lives are full of choices and things we commit to. As Joshua challenged the Israelites to decide who they would serve, he also challenges us to choose who we will serve today- the things of the world or the eternal things of God.
When we listen to others, we must always put it against the truth of God's Word. Caleb knew that who he listened to made all the difference in how he approached life!
In this world, we will have trouble and Joshua teaches us how to be strong in the battles.
In order to experience the blessing, we must go through the pain of spiritual circumcision, and until that takes place, we aren’t ready for the blessing. But after the pain comes healing and a new encounter with God.
In addition to being strong and courageous and having faith to belief, we must also have a heart that follows God. In the good times and in the challenging times, who do you follow?
Rahab's story is our story. It is a reminder that nobody is beyond God's reach and God can use whomever He chooses to fulfill His purposes in the Kingdom. Be strong and courageous!
The story of Joshua presents us with several lessons for our own journey of faith. In the first chapter, we learn that our strength and courage come through our obedience to the Lord.
A week after Hurricane Irma had passed through our area, we felt it was important to address the lessons and the blessings that God has for us in both the meteorological and metaphorical storms in our lives.
During this message, a homeless man, named Robert, walked down the center aisle of the church, sat in the front row, and began talking to us. You can hear him speaking throughout the second half of the message as some of our staff sat with him to minister to his needs. It was an extraordinary illustration of Love in Ways That Matter that only God could have orchestrated!
Too often, the busyness of life causes us to recycle the negative and anxious thoughts in our mind, making our problems seem bigger than they really are. God beckons us to be still in His presence and know that He is in control.
The Lord is our Jehovah Rophe, the One who heals. However, in our text this morning, He doesn't actually heal anyone, at least in the way we think of healing. What was God referring to when He called Himself, Jehovah Rophe?
There is no better description of God than Holy, Holy, Holy. What does God's holiness mean for us in our relationship with Him?
God wants a relationship with us. He wants us to know Him and trust Him as He reveals Himself through His many names in scripture. This morning we start with the name He gives Himself- I am.
We close out our Rethink Life series, studying Colossians 3:18-4:6 with a focus on our role as a Christ follower in our family, our workplace, and in the world.
Do we find hope in our own expectation of who we want Jesus to be or in who He claims Himself to be?
When Jesus bids us, to cast aside our idols and says, "Come, Follow Me," How do we respond?
Our text begins with evil plotting and finishes with an act of betrayal, both actions that lead to hopelessness. This woman's act of worship, placed in between these stories of malice and betrayal, highlights the hope we have in Christ.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus teaches us the importance of prayer on our Journey Towards Hope.
The world surrounds us with temptations to distract us from our Journey Towards Hope. We can learn from Jesus' temptations in the desert to see how to handle our own temptations.
To make an impact, we have to be courageous enough to say Yes to the Lord and join Him in His work.
A look at the Good Samaritan story to see how we can have an impact when we show compassion.
In recognition the Church of God Freedom Sunday and the Trafficklight Project, we had a guest speaker, Yoi Reyes, share how we can love in a way that matters and make a difference for those scarred by human trafficking.