Redemption Bible Church Sermon Audio: Recent Episodes
Redemption Bible Church
Blessings Upon God's People Robin Philip Sermon NotesSermon Series: Blessings Upon BlessingsSermon Title: Blessings Upon God’s PeoplePassage: Numbers 6:22-27Preacher: Robin PhilipWhat Is Blessing?Blessing is God imparting His favor, giving of Himself, making us conduits of His grace, goodness, and glory.What is Spiritual Blessings?Spiritual blessings are God-given realities that come through the Spirit of God and transform our relationship with God.How do blessings work?God provides His blessings as we abandon our own security and follow Him in faith.What does it mean to bless the Lord?Blessing God means to intentionally and joyfully respond to God’s grace from the deepest place within us.God’s Blesses His People With 1. His Protection (v24) 2. His Presence (v25) 3. His Peace (v26) 4. His Name (v27)
Blessings in Trials and Temptations David Bronsveld Sermon NotesSermon Series: Blessings Upon BlessingsSermon Title: Blessings in Trials and Temptations Passage: James 1:12-17Preacher: David BronsveldWhat Is Blessing?Blessing is God imparting His favor, giving of Himself, making us conduits of His grace, goodness, and glory.=Blessings in Trials and Temptations 1. God gives us everything we need to faithfully endure the challenges of this life 2. As we endure, God promised us eternal life with Him forever.
What God Gives Us in Trials? Hope — God is with us and in control. * Comfort — God sees, hears, and understands our suffering. * Courage — God is with us as we obey Him, through opposition. * Strength — Trials may shake us, but they cannot break us. * Wisdom — God gives wisdom generously when we ask. * Peace* — Christ has overcome; our trials are not the end.
What God Gives Us to Overcome Temptation? The Holy Spirit — Teaches, reminds, and transforms us * God's Word — Gives us wisdom, truth, and examples * The Fruit of the Spirit — Produces Christlike character * The Church — To encourage, sharpen, and pray for one another * Prayer* — Direct access to God for strength, wisdom, and help
The Blessing of Knowing God Alvin Thomas Sermon NotesSermon Series: Blessings Upon BlessingsSermon Title: The Blessing of Knowing GodPassage: 2 Peter 1:3-11Preacher: Alvin ThomasWhat Is Blessing?Blessing is God imparting His favor, giving of Himself, making us conduits of His grace, goodness, and glory.
Experiencing the Transformative Goodness of God Ben Barney Sermon NotesSermon Series: Blessings Upon BlessingsSermon Title: Blessed to Bless: Experiencing the Transformative Goodness of GodPassage: Genesis 12:1-3Preacher: Ben BarneyWhat Is Blessing?Blessing is God imparting His favor, giving of Himself, making us conduits of His grace, goodness, and glory.Blessed to Bless1. God provides as we surrender to His leading by faith 2. God promises to transform us to be like Him 3. God protects His people as we entrust our entire lives to Him
Every Spiritual Blessing Robin Philip Sermon NotesSermon Series: Blessings Upon Blessings
Sermon Title: Every Spiritual Blessing
Passage: Ephesians 1:3-10
Preacher: Robin Philip
What Is Blessing?* Blessing is God imparting His favor, giving of Himself, making us conduits of His grace, goodness, and glory.
What Is Spiritual Blessings?* Spiritual blessings are God-given realities that come through the Spirit of God and transform our relationship with God.
1. The Spiritual Blessing of the Past (v4–6)2. The Spiritual Blessing of the Present (v7–8)3. The Spiritual Blessing of the Future (v9–10)
Bless the Lord Robin Philip Sermon NotesSermon Series: Blessings Upon Blessings
Sermon Title: Bless the Lord
Passage: Psalm 103
Preacher: Robin Philip
What Is Blessing?Blessing is God imparting His favor, giving of Himself, making us conduits of His grace, goodness, and glory.
To bless the Lord means to intentionally and joyfully respond to God’s grace from the deepest place within us.
1. The Command to Bless (v1–2)
2. The Reasons to Bless (v3–19)
3. The Worthiness of God to Be Blessed (v20–22)
Our Story, Our Mission Ashley Herr Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: Our Story, Our Mission
Passage: Acts 28:30-31
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Sermon Slides 1. Jerusalem (Ch 1-7)
Stories of Jerusalem:
- Ch 1: The Ascension
- Ch 2: Pentecost
- Ch 3-4: Peter & John Arrested
- Ch 5: Peter Arrested Again
- Ch 6-7: Stoning of Stephen
As a result of the church’s faithfulness to the mission Jesus had given them, the church began growing in:
- Number
- Faith
- Boldness
- Unity
- Generosity
- Love
What step can you take today in pursuit of your own spiritual growth, to help us grow as a church?
2. Judea and Samaria (Ch 8-12)
Stories of Judea and Samaria:
- Ch 8: Philip’s Story
- Ch 9: Saul’s Story
- Ch 10: Peter & Cornelius
- Ch 11: Church in Antioch
- Ch 12: Peter Arrested Yet Again
As a result of the church’s faithfulness to the mission Jesus had given them, the church continued to grow:
- Geographically - beyond Jerusalem
- Ethnically and Culturally - beyond the Jewish people
What step can you take today to protect the unity of your church?
3. Ends of the Earth (Ch 13-20)
Stories of The Ends of the Earth:
- Ch 13-14: 1st Missionary Journey (Galatia)
- Ch 15: Jerusalem Council
- Ch 16-18: 2nd Missionary Journey (Macedonia, Greece)
- Ch 19-20: 3rd Missionary Journey (Ephesus)
Paul’s Letters
- 1st Missionary Journey: Galatians (Antioch)
- 2nd Missionary Journey: 1-2 Thessalonians (Corinth)
- 3rd Missionary Journey: 1 Corinthians (Ephesus), 2 Corinthians (Macedonia), Romans (Corinth)
- 1st Imprisonment in Rome: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon
- 4th Missionary Journey: 1 Timothy, Titus
- 2nd Imprisonment in Rome: 2 Timothy
4. The Beginning of the End, Part 1 (Ch 21-28)
Stories of The Beginning of the End, Part 1:
- Ch 21-22: Trial before the Mob
- Ch 23: Trial before the Sanhedrin
- Ch 24: Trial before Felix
- Ch 25: Trial before Festus
- Ch 26: Trial before King Agrippa
- Ch 27-28: Journey to Rome
What step can you take today to actively participate in the mission of your church?
Reflection
We would like to invite you to consider becoming an active participant in our story, as a church, and an active member in our mission, by taking your next step, whatever that may be:
- Renewing your membership, something we are asking all members to do on an annual basis at the end of each summer as we head into the fall
- Pursuing membership by committing to this church as your church home and these people as your church family
Because here is what the church can look like when we are contributing to our story and our mission: Acts 2:42-47
Membership Commitment Membership Application
The Mission Continues Ashley Herr Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: The Mission Continues
Passage: Acts 28:1-28
Preacher: Ashley Herr
The Mission Continues as We Continue:
1. Contributing To the Mission (v3)
We ask our members to commit to participating in the mission of our church by:
- Helping more people in my life know Jesus and grow to be more like Jesus
- Creating an environment where guests experience the love of Christ
- Developing formative friendships that foster a shared life together
- Utilizing my talents and spiritual gifts to serve the common good and build up the church
- Giving of my finances sacrificially, cheerfully, and regularly
- Praying for the health, growth, and well-being of my church, its leaders, its members, and the communities we serve
What step can you take today - not tomorrow, next week, or when life slows down - to actively participate in the mission of your church?
Membership Commitment 2. Seeking the Good of Others (v8-9)
- Loving in Deed - seeing the needs of others, feeling compassion for those in need, and showing God’s love by meeting those needs
- Loving in Truth - sharing the truth of who God is, who we are, and how God created and called us to live
3. Encouraging One Another (v15)
- Encouraging each other with our words
- Encouraging each other with our presence
Who can you encourage this week with your words or your presence?
4. Pointing People to Jesus (v23)
- Helping them know Jesus by inviting them
- Helping them grow to be more like Jesus by investing in them
Who will you invite this week to join you at something here at Redemption this month? What will you invite them to?
5. Pursuing Jesus (v26-27)
Reflection
Pray God would open your:
- Ears to hear Him speaking
- Eyes to see Him working
- Minds to know His truth
- Hearts to receive His love
Weathering the Storms of Life Ashley Herr Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: Weathering the Storms of Life
Passage: Acts 27
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Four Steps to Weathering the Storms of Life:
1. Listen To the Wisdom of Others (v10)
2. Trust in God (v21-25)
3. Remain United (v31)
- United in our trust in God
- United in our obedience to God
4. Strengthen Yourself (v33-34)
- Recovering from past storms through regular rhythms of rest - sleep each night, sabbath each week
- Preparing for upcoming storms by putting on the whole armor of God
Reflection
- Remember that living under God’s protection brings us peace (Psalm 46:1-3)
- Remember that living in God’s presence brings us peace (Psalm 46:4-7)
- Remember that living by God’s power brings us peace (Psalm 46:8-9)
Sharing Your Story Ashley Herr Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: Sharing Your Story
Passage: Acts 25-26
Preacher: Ashley Herr
1. Share the story of your life before Jesus (v9-11)
What was your life like before you knew Jesus and began faithfully following Jesus? How would you tell that part of your story?
2. Share the story of your encounter with Jesus (v12-18)
When you encounter Jesus, he
- Calls you by name (“Saul, Saul”)
- Confronts your sin (“Why are you persecuting me?”
- Corrects the course of your life (“It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”)
- Commissions you (“Rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen.”)
When did you first encounter Jesus? Where did he find you? How would share this part of your story?
3. Share the story of your life with Jesus (v19-23)
How is your life different with Jesus? How has he transformed your life? If someone were to ask you this, what is one thing, one difference in your life Hesus has had that only he could have made?
Reflection
- Prepare your story
- Practice sharing your story
- Pray - for opportunities to share your story, for the courage to share your story, for those you share your story with
Sermon NotesSermon Series: Family Ministry
Sermon Title: Celebration Sunday
Passage: Luke 24:36-49
Preacher: Robin Philip
What Is the Gospel? Ashley Herr Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: What Is the Gospel?
Passage: Acts 24:22-27
Preacher: Ashley Herr
1. The Gospel is the good news of what God has done for you
2. The Gospel is the good news of what God is doing in you
3. The Gospel is the good news of what God is going to do
Reflection
- Ephesians 2:1-10
The Hope of the Resurrection Ashley Herr Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: The Hope of the Resurrection
Passage: Acts 22:30-24:21
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Standing Trial Before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem (22:30-23:35)
Paul defends his:
- Character (v1)
- Obedience to God (v5)
- Hope in the Resurrection (v6)
Three views on our eternal existence:
- Sadducees: none as there is no resurrection
- Pharisees: a physically embodied eternal existence after the resurrection
- Pagan Gentiles: a spiritually embodied eternal existence
Standing Trial Before the Roman Governor Felix in Caesarea (24:1-21)
Three charges brought against Paul (v5-6)
- Stirring up riots (seditions)
- Ringleader of the Way
- Attempting to profane the temple (sacrilegious)
Paul defends against these false charges
- Denied stirring up riots, as he came to Jerusalem to worship (v10-13)
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Denied that the Way is a heretical sect, but a continuation of all God had said and done (v14-16)
- I worship who you worship
- I believe what you believe
- I hope in what you hope (well, at least the Pharisees)
- Denied attempting to profane the Temple, having come to purify himself (v17-18)
The Hope of the Resurrection is that:
- All that is promised will be fulfilled
- All who are united in Christ will be resurrected
- All that is evil will be eradicated
- All that is broken will be restored
Reflection
- 1 Peter 1:3-7
Devoted to Christ Robin Philip Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: Devoted to Christ
Passage: Acts 21:27 - 22:29
Preacher: Robin Philip
1.Falsely Accused and Seized (21:27–36)
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Paul is not suffering because he did wrong. He is suffering because he was devoted to Christ.
- Paul isn’t against the Jewish people, or the law, or the temple, he was proclaiming there is someone greater than all of those things, proclaiming their fulfillment in Christ.
- “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Matthew 16:24-25
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When you decide to follow Jesus, from that day forward, you welcome opposition, criticism, and being misunderstood.
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Expect to be misunderstood if you follow Christ—because Christ was misunderstood.
- Expect to be criticized—because Jesus was criticized.
- Expect faithfulness to cost you something real—because it cost Jesus everything.
- When obedience to Christ costs you something real, what will you hold onto?
2. Bold Witness in the Chaos (21:37–22:21)
-
This is what we see in Paul’s testimony:
- His past (22:1–5): zealous, religious, opposed to Jesus
- His encounter with Christ (22:6–11): undeniable, transforming
- His calling (22:12–21): sent by God to proclaim Christ
- Does your life today look like you’ve been commissioned by Jesus?
3. Delivered Through Providence (22:22–29)
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God’s providence is not ultimately found in favorable circumstances. Because one day every earthly protection runs out. One day every system fails. One day every life ends. So where is our true providence? In Jesus Christ.
- What if God does not spare your comfort?
- What if he does not spare your reputation?
- What if he does not spare your life?
- Will Christ still be enough?
Faithful to the End Ashley Herr Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: Faithful to the End
Passage: Acts 21:1-26
Preacher: Ashley Herr
1. Faithful to the Way of Jesus (v1-14)
- Regardless of where it may lead you
2. Faithful to the Gospel of Jesus (v15-21)
- Regardless of who may oppose you
3. Faithful to the Mission of Jesus (v22-26)
- Regardless of what it may cost you
Reflection
- What will do when God calls you to do something you don’t want do, or the Spirit leads you somewhere you don’t want to go?
- Will you align your desires to God’s, or try to make God’s desires align with yours?
- Will you lay down your rights for the good of another, in hopes of pointing them to Jesus - or will you protect your rights at all cost, trying to prove you were right?
- Whenever God calls, we are to answer, faithful to the mission of Jesus, regardless of what it may cost you
- Whatever God wills, we are to obey, faithful to the gospel of Jesus, regardless of who may oppose you
- Wherever the Spirit leads, we are to follow, faithful to the way of Jesus, regardless of where it leads
An Example to Follow Ashley Herr Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: An Example to Follow
Passage: Acts 20
Preacher: Ashley Herr
1. Paul Looks to His Past (v18-21, 33-35)
- Reminding them of the cost he paid (v19)
- Reminding them of his commitment to them (v20-21)
- Reminding them of his character (v33-35)
2. Paul Looks to His Future (v22-25)
3. Paul Looks at Himself (v26-27)
4. Paul Looks at Them (v28-31)
- What: Pay careful attention to yourself - Why: So you can pay careful attention to the flock (v28)
- What: Be alert - Why: Because of the danger that surrounds you (v29-31)
5. Paul Looks at God (v32)
Reflection
While these words were spoken to those who were elders of a local church, they apply to all of us as followers of Christ to some degree, as we are all in ministry - called to ministry to one another - sharing the good news with others, serving others. How can you become a more committed member of your local church?
- 1) Are you committed to participating in the mission of your church?
- 2) Are you committed to protecting the unity of your church?
- 3) Are you committed to pursuing your own spiritual growth and formation?
Exposing Our Idols Ashley Herr Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: Exposing Our Idols
Passage: Acts 19:11-41
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Exposing Our Idols of:
- Success (v11-16)
- Security (v23-27)
- Allegiance (v27-28)
- Acceptance (v29-41)
Responding (v17-20):
- Removing your idols by
- Reorienting your heart and
- Redirecting your worship to God
Correcting Misunderstandings Ashley Herr NOTE: Due to technical issues, there is no audio for the second half of the sermon.
Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: Correcting Misunderstandings
Passage: Acts 18:23-19:10
Preacher: Ashley Herr
1 The Story of Apollos (18:23-28)
Provide feedback:
- Privately
- Personally
- Positively
- Purposefully
- Precisely
2 The Story of the Disciples of John the Baptist (19:1-7)
3 The Story of the Synagogue (19:8-10)
Because He Lives (Easter Sunday) Ashley Herr Sermon NotesSermon Series: Because of Jesus - Holy Week 2026
Sermon Title: Because He Lives (Easter Sunday)
Passage: 1 Corinthians 15:12-28
Preacher: Ashley Herr
A Misunderstanding of the Resurrection (v12)
Ramifications of Believing There Is No Resurrection of the Dead (v13-19)
- Jesus was not resurrected from the dead (v13)
- The gospel is a lie (v14-15)
- You remain enslaved to sin (v16-17)
- Death is the end (v18)
- We are without hope (v19)
Results of the Resurrection (v20-28)
- Because he lives, all that is promised will be fulfilled (v20)
- Because he lives, all those in Christ will be resurrected (v20-23)
- Because he lives, all that is evil will be eradicated (v24-26)
- Because he lives, all that is broken will be restored (v27-28)
Reflection
- The question is not if Jesus was raised from the dead or if he will return, but: Do you believe?
- Do you believe all that is promised will be fulfilled?
- Do you believe all those in Christ will be resurrected?
- Do you believe that all evil will be eradicated?
- Do you believe all that is broken will be restored?
Because He Died (Good Friday) Ashley Herr Sermon NotesSermon Series: Because of Jesus - Holy Week 2026
Sermon Title: Because He Died (Good Friday)
Passage: Romans 5:6-11
Preacher: Ashley Herr
The Reason - Why Jesus Died (v6-7)
- Jesus died because we were sinners, in need of being saved
- Jesus died because we were weak, unable to save ourselves
The Result - What His Death Accomplished (v8-9)
- Because Jesus died, we are justified by God
- Because Jesus died, we are reconciled to God
The Response (v11)
Because He Came (Palm Sunday) Robin Philip Sermon NotesSermon Series: Because of Jesus
Sermon Title: Because He Came
Passage: Luke 19:28-42
Preacher: Robin Philip
Jesus Came to Save :
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Because He Came as True Peace (v28–36)
- Jesus reveals something about His identity—His holiness.
- Jesus reveals His kingship through humility.
- Jesus reveals His sovereign authority.
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When Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a colt, He is not merely saying, “I come to bring peace.”
- But by the way He comes—holy, humble, and as the Messiah
- He is declaring something even greater: “I am your peace.”
- Ephesians 2:14-17
- Because He Came as Promised King (v37-40)
- This is the moment that Palm Sunday brings, Jesus brings you in a moment of confrontation not just for the disciples, not only for the Pharisees, not only for the crowd—but for us.
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Either you hail him as King, or you dismiss Him as King.
- Either He is on the throne or you are on the throne.
- Either He is worthy of your life, or He is nothing more than a man riding into a city on a colt.
- Because He Came with a Weeping Heart (v41–42)
- Jesus sees what they cannot: He sees their rejection. He sees the coming judgment. He sees the consequences of missing the very Messiah they had long awaited.
- Jesus does not respond with anger—He responds with grief. Because this is the heart of God. (Ezekiel 18:23)
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The King rides in, knowing full well that the same crowd that cries, “Blessed is the King,” will soon cry, “Crucify Him.
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” The King knows all of this…
- And still…He rides forward (to the cross)
Reflection
- Are you seeing Jesus as your peace, or are you chasing moments of peace?
- Is your life evident of Jesus’ kingship?
- Is Jesus your Peace? Is Jesus your King? Is Jesus your Savior?
- Does your life, the way that you are living, clearly and loudly answer these questions?
God's Got This! Ashley Herr Sermon NotesSermon Series: Joel - From Repentance to Restoration
Sermon Title: God’s Got This
Passage: Joel 3
Preacher: Ashley Herr
1. The REASON of God’s Judgement (v1-8)
Detain the Guilty (v1-2a)
Gather the Evidence (v2b-3)
- Crimes against God’s Creation, His Land
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Crimes against God’s Children, His People
- Guilty of scattering His people, oppressing and inflicting violence against them
- Guilty of enslaving His people, devaluing human life created in the image of God
Question the Defendants (v4)
Read the Charges (v5-6)
Announce the Sentence (v7-8)
2. The RESULt of God’s Judgement on His Enemies (v9-15)
3. The RESULT of God’s Judgement on His People (v16-21)
God’s Eternal Protection (v16,17b)
God’s Eternal Presence (v17a)
God’s Eternal Provision (v18)
God’s Eternal Promises (v19-21)
Reflection
- 1) What is it that you are afraid of, lurking in the darkness?
- 2) What is the injustice that has you raging inside, either because of what is happening that never should have happened, or because of what hasn’t happened that should have happened?
Read Psalm 46, reminded of God’s fierce protection, intimate presence, and abundant provision in your life - trusting God to fight your battles, knowing God’s got this!
And It Shall Come to Pass Ashley Herr Sermon NotesSermon Series: Joel - From Repentance to Restoration
Sermon Title: And It Shall Come to Pass
Passage: Joel 2:28-32
Preacher: Ashley Herr
1. I Will Pour Out My Spirit (2:28-29)
2. I Will Perform Signs (2:30-31)
3. I Will Provide Salvation (2:32)
Reflection
I Will Restore Ashley Herr Sermon NotesSermon Series: Joel - From Repentance to Restoration
Sermon Title: I Will Restore
Passage: Joel 2:18-27
Preacher: Ashley Herr
1. The Promise of Restoration (2:18-20)
God’s promise of restoration includes:
- Provision
- Protection
God’s promise of restoration brings with it a sense of:
- Assurance
- Abundance
2. The Response to Restoration (2:21-23)
- All of God’s creation is called to respond (v21-22)
- All of God’s children are called to respond (v23)
3. The Result of Restoration (2:24-27)
God will restore:
- the things that were lost (v24)
- the time that was lost (v25)
As a result, you will:
- be satisfied (v26)
- praise the name of the LorD (v26)
- know God is with you and for you (v27)
Reflection
Reflect on the following questions as you read Psalm 126:
- What are you hoping God will restore?
- How will you live until that day comes?
Return to the LORD Ashley Herr Sermon NotesSermon Series: Joel - From Repentance to Restoration
Sermon Title: Return to the LORD
Passage: Joel 2:1-17
Preacher: Ashley Herr
1. Recognizing Sin (v1-11)
2. Respond to Sin (v12-17)
Cry Out to the LORD Ashley Herr Sermon NotesSermon Series: Joel - From Repentance to Restoration
Sermon Title: Cry Out to the LORD
Passage: Joel 1
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Is It Worth It? Acts 18:1-22 Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: Is It Worth It?
Passage: Acts 18:1-22
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Paul in Athens Robin Philip Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: Paul in Athens
Passage: Acts 17:16-34
Preacher: Robin Philip
A Provoked & Burdened Spirit (17:16-21)
God stirs your spirit, He unsettles your comfort
- Luke uses the word where we get the English word paroxysm; this was a righteous grief and burden.
- Paul’s provocation (Romans 1:25) does not lead to anger, withdrawal, or numbness. It leads to conviction
Reflect on the following?
- When was the last time lostness truly broke our hearts?
- When was the last time we looked at your city with compassion instead of irritation?
Proclamation of the Living God (17:22–29)
He exposes their deepest problem: misdirected worship = they were worshiping in ignorance; an idol, not God.
- “They have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.” Romans 10:2
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Every person longs for meaning, purpose, hope. That is why all people worship.
- That is why people chase success, relationships, pleasure, money, and power over Jesus - it is misdirected worship.
- “An idol is anything more important to you than God. Anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God. Anything you seek to give you what only God can give. Anything that is so central and essential to your life that, should you lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living.” - Tim Keller (Counterfeit Gods - The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters.
Reflect on the following?
- What is absorbing your affection and devotion more than God?
- What are you holding onto more tightly than Jesus?
- What do you run to for comfort, identity, and peace before you seek His face?
A Pressing Call to Repentance (17:30–34)
So what is Paul inviting the people of Athens into? He is calling them to repentance just like God calls us to repentance.
- Because God demands repentance from all (v30) - Matthew 4:17; Luke 13:3; 2 Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 2:1-3; Acts 3:19
- Because God delays judgment in mercy (v310 = 2 Peter 3:9; Romans 2:4
- Because God declares a Day of judgment (v31) - Matthew 12:36; 2 Peter 3:10
- Because God designates a Judge in Christ (v31) - Acts 10:42; John 5:22; Romans 3:10
A Tale of Two Cities Ashley Herr Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: A Tale of Two Cities
Passage: Acts 17:1-15
Preacher: Ashley Herr
The Tale of Thessalonica (17:1-9)
Opening their eyes to the words of Scripture
- the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 53:3-7)
- king David (Psalm 22)
- the prophet Zechariah (Zechariah 12:10)
- the Psalmist (Psalm 118:22, 16:10)
- the prophet Hosea (Hosea 6:2)
Consider the following questions from their accusations:
- How has Jesus disrupted your life?
- Does your life look any different from the world around you?
- Who is your king, lord over your life?
The Tale of Berea (17:10-15)
This week we are reading through 1 Thessalonians as part of our New Testament reading. If you would like a commentary to aid you in your study of Scripture, please reach out to Pastor Ashley
Reflection
- Read through Luke 24:44-49 and ask yourself the following question: What word or phrase is the Spirit drawing me to in this passage?
- Read through Luke 24:44-49 a second time and ask yourself the following question: What is God saying to me through this passage about who He is, what He has done, or what He has promised to do?
- Read through Luke 24:44-49 a third time and ask yourself the following question: How is God inviting me to respond to what He has said to me in this passage? What is He asking me to believe for myself? What is He asking me to share with others? And with whom?
Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: God’s Sovereignty, Our Responsibility
Passage: Acts 16:6-40
Preacher: Ashley Herr
1. God is sovereign over the WHERE (16:6-10)
Our responsibility is to be obedient to the Spirit’s leading
Discernment requires:
- Beginning with PRAYER
- Truth of SCRIPTURE
- Wisdom of OTHERS
- Ending with PRAYER
2. God is sovereign over the WHO (16:11-15)
Our responsibility is to share the good news with others, because “We Share + God Saves”
That is both humbling and encouraging, knowing that God can do this to anyone and through anyone
3. God is sovereign over the WHEN (16:16-40)
Our responsibility is to remain faithful to the mission at all times
He’s also sovereign over the HOW, and the how is Jesus, as the gospel of Jesus Christ:
- Attracts (v14), drawing you to Jesus, opening your heart, God having taken the initiative
- Rescues you (v18), freeing you from the chains of sin that enslave you
- Disrupts your life (v19), softening your heart, transforming your desires
- Ultimately saves you (v31), Jesus doing for you what you could never or would never do
Strengthening Our Faith Ashley Herr Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: Strengthening Our Faith
Passage: Acts 15:30-16:5
Preacher: Ashley Herr
1. You need others investing in you (15:30-35)
2. You need others coming alongside you (15:36-41)
3. You need to invest in others (16:1-5)
Remember that the most effective discipleship happens in the mundane of the day-to-day.
Reflection
- Who will I ask to invest in me?
- Who will I ask to come alongside me?
- Who will I invest in?
The Story of the Jerusalem Council Ashley Herr Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: The Story of the Jerusalem Council
Passage: Acts 15:1-32
Preacher: Ashley Herr
1. Reaction (v1-5)
2. Reminder (v6-12)
3. Request (v13-29)
4. Response (v30-32)
Reflection
What burdens are you bearing that God never asked you to bear? How are these creating a barrier to your own spiritual growth? Read Ephesians 2:11-22 as you reflect on these questions.
No File David Bronsveld Sermon NotesSermon Series: Stand Alone
Title: Aligning Our Lives to God’s Will
Passage: James 4:13-17
Preacher: David Bronsveld
God is Faithful in the Waiting Ashley Herr Sermon NotesSermon Series: Advent - In the Waiting
Sermon Title: God in the Waiting
Passage: Luke 1:5-25
Preacher: Ashley herr
1. Matthew States His Claim (v1a)
Jesus is the Christ
2. Matthew Supports His Claim (v1)
Jesus is the Christ because he is the promised son of David (2 Samuel 7:12-16), son of Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3, 22:17-18)
3. Matthew Validates His Claim (v2-17)
Thereby showing us:
- God is faithful to fulfill His promises in spite of your unfaithfulness
- God is faithful to fulfill His promises through you
- God is faithful to fulfill His promises to you
God has promised:
- He will never leave you or forsake you
- Nothing will separate you from the love of God
- Sin and death no longer have a hold on you
- Jesus will return!
Reflection
Rather than dwelling on unmet promises God did not make, reflect on these promises God has made by reading them in Scripture:
- Hebrews 13:5, Matthew 28:20
- Romans 8:38-39
- Romans 6
- Revelation 21:1-6
Encountering God in the Waiting Ashley Herr Sermon NotesSermon Series: Advent - In the Waiting
Sermon Title: Encountering God in the Waiting
Passage: Luke 1:5-25
Preacher: Ashley herr
1. Waiting on God (v5-7)
- Waiting on God tests your trust in God, revealing if you truly trust Him
- Waiting on God tests your obedience to God, revealing if your faithfulness is in response to Him, or dependant on a response from Him
2. Encountering God (v8-17)
Encountering God in the waiting reveals that:
- God is working
- God is listening
- God is faithful
- God is present
3. Responding to God (v18-25)
Waiting is:
- Active
- Patient
- Open-ended
Waiting requires:
- Trust
- Hope
- Faith
Reflection
What if what you’re waiting to come, to happen, or to end never happens?
- Will you still trust God?
- Will you still remain obedient to God?
- Will God still be enough for you?
Assurance in the Waiting Robin Philip Sermon NotesSermon Series: Advent - In the Waiting
Sermon Title: Assurance in the Waiting
Passage: Isaiah 40
Preacher: Robin Philip
1. God Assures Us With His Promised Word (v.1–11)
Where in your life are you leaning on things that wither like grass, instead of anchoring yourself in the unshakable promises of God’s Word in Christ?
2. God Assures Us With His Matchless Greatness (v.12–26)
- The Sovereign Creator (v.12)
- The Perfectly Wise One (v.13-14)
- The Almighty Over the Nations (v.15)
- The Incomparable One (v.18-20,25)
- The Creator Revealed in Creation (v.21-22)
- The One Who Names the Stars (v.26)
Waiting crushes us when God seems small. So stop making God small. Where in your waiting have you lost perspective of God’s greatness?
3. God Assures Us With His Renewing Strength (v.27–31)
Trusting God in the Waiting Ashley Herr Sermon NotesSermon Series: Advent - In the Waiting
Sermon Title: Trusting God in the Waiting
Passage: 1 Samuel 1:1-20
Preacher: Ashley Herr
The Problem (v1-2)
The Pain (v4-8)
The Prayer (v9-16)
Three Postures of Prayer:
- Pray Humbly (v11)
- Pray Intimately (v12-14)
- Pray Honestly (v15-16)
A Church That Endures Ashley Herr Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: A Church That Endures
Passage: Acts 14:21-23
Preacher: Ashley Herr
A Church That Endures…
- Continues in the faith
- Expects Suffering
- Appoints Elders
- Prays Together
- Fasts
- Trusts in the Lord
Finding Common Ground Ashley Herr Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: Finding Common Ground
Passage: Acts 14:8-28
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Two ways to find common ground:
1. Show God’s Love (v8-15a)
What Paul Did (v8-10)
- SEE the needs around you
- FEEL compassion for those in need
- Show God’s love by MEETING their needs
How They Reacted (v11-13)
How Paul Responded (v14-15a)
2. Share of God’s Goodness (v15b-28)
What Paul Said (v15b-17)
How They Reacted (v18-19)
How Paul Responded (v20-28)
- He continued the mission God had given him (v20-25)
- He celebrated all God had done through him (v26-28)
Reflection
- HOW will you show God’s love to those in your life, who are in need, loving your neighbor as yourself?
- WHO will you tell of God’s goodness?
Faithful to the Mission Robin Philip Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: Faithful to the Mission
Passage: Acts 14:1-7
Preacher: Robin Philip
Spoke in Such a Way (v.1)
- Faithfulness is not ultimately measured by visible results, but by obedience—especially obedience in how we share the gospel.
-
What does it mean to “speak in such a way”?
-
They relied on the Holy Spirit, (not their eloquence)
-
Acts 4:31 — And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
- They reasoned from the Scriptures
-
Acts 17:2–3 — And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”
- They spoke with boldness out of necessity
-
Acts 13:46 — It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles
- They persuaded hearts and minds
-
Acts 18:4 — “And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.”
-
-
Persevering Despite Rising Opposition (v.2–3)
- Faithfulness is not proven in the moment of enthusiasm, but in the moments of endurance.
- God’s response to their perseverance wasn’t removing the opposition, but adding His Power to sustain them.
Expecting Division as Part of Gospel Ministry (v.4)
- The gospel unites believers — but at the same time exposes unbelief, confronts pride, and brings hidden darkness into the light (John 3:19–20).
- Light doesn’t just attract — it also reveals and divides
Exercising Wisdom to Stay or Go (v.5–7)
- Faithfulness is not just about how long you stay—it’s about obedience to God’s direction, whether He says stay or go.
- “Is the mission of Christ the lens through which I make every other decision?”
- “Am I willing to go where the gospel is needed, even if it costs me?”
A Word of Encouragement Ashley Herr Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: A Word of Encouragement
Passage: Acts 13:13-52
Preacher: Ashley Herr
The Promise of a People (13:17-20a)The Promise of a Savior (13:20b-25)The Promise of Salvation (13:26-41)Two Responses (13:42-52)Reflection How will you respond to this message of salvation?*
Led by the Spirit Ashley Herr Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: Led by the Spirit
Passage: Acts 12:25-13:12
Preacher: Ashley Herr
The People: Antioch (12:25-13:3)1. Gifted by the Spirit (12:25-13:1) 2. United by the Spirit (13:1) 3. Led by the Spirit (13:2-3)
The Person: Saul (13:4-12)1. Sent by the Spirit (13:4) 2. Led by the Spirit (13:5-8) 3. Filled with the Spirit (13:9-12)
Reflection
Peter's Deliverance Robin Philip Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: Peter’s Deliverance
Passage: Acts 12:1-24
Preacher: Robin Philip
1. The Church Under Pressure (vv. 1–5) The expansion of God’s kingdom provokes hostility and opposition from the world (v1-3). * The Herods of the world hold the sword, but the church holds prayer - in the kingdom of God, prayer is the greater power (v5). * The church’s power comes from prayer.*
+ This kind of prayer is born from desperation — not only circumstantial desperation but spiritual desperation.
+ **Spiritual desperation is not a condition of circumstance; it is a posture of faith.**
+ **Desperation awakens dependence.**
2. The Power of God’s Deliverance (vv. 6–11) Dependence welcomes deliverance. * Peter’s deliverance points us to the greater deliverance of the cross and the resurrection — where Jesus broke the chains of sin. * God does for us what we could never do for ourselves. He still delivers. * And just like Peter in Acts 12:11 — “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me”* — we can say the same today.
+ We can look at our lives and say, *“The Lord rescued me.”*
3. The Declaration of God’s Deliverance (vv. 12–17) Deliverance compels declaration.* * When Peter shares his story of deliverance, the church doesn’t just witness a miracle — they witness a message * Acts 12 holds a high tension we can’t ignore. Peter is set free… but James is executed.
+ The same God who opened Peter’s prison door also opened heaven’s door for James.
+ Deliverance looked different for each of them, yet God’s hand was in both.
+ **When we can’t answer the “why,” we cling to the *Who.***
4. The Triumph of God’s Justice (vv. 18–24)* We serve a God who is loving, patient, and abounding in mercy — but let us never mistake His patience for weakness. * Our God is not fragile, and He will not be mocked. * Justice is His alone, and no evil escapes His sight. * God is kind but he’s not weak, He is gracious and he is holy holy holy and that should create a sense of healthy fear of God in our lives.
Reflection: How dependent are you on God in this season of life?*
+ Why does your prayer life look the way it does?
+ What is the loudest thing your life declares?
+ Where have you replaced dependence on Him with confidence in yourself
-
Confess the ways you’ve misplaced your trust — turn to His strength.
- Turn from self-sufficiency to surrender
- Turn from pride to prayer
- Turn from control to trust.
Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: One Church
Passage: Acts 11:19-30
Preacher: Ashley Herr
1. We are One Church united in One Mission (v19-21)* The what: witnesses of all we have seen, and heard, and know to be true of Jesus * The where: our Jerusalem, our Judea and Samaria, to the ends of the earth * The who: YOU! * The how: by the power of the Holy Spirit within you
2. We are One Church united as One Team (v22-30)* Sometimes we receive help from others (v22-26) * Sometimes we send help to others (v27-30)
Reflection: Pray for churches in our neighborhood: Trinity United Methodist Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Martha & Mary, Golf Road Baptist Church, Armenian Evangelical Church, St Paul Lutheran Church, St Raymond Catholic Church, Community Presbyterian Church, The Bridge, St John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church, Chicago Mar Thoma Church * Pray for churches in our network: Casa de Oracion (Round Lake), CrossPoint Church (Ingleside), Fierce Church (Grayslake), Meadowland Church (Johnsburg), New Hope (Round Lake), Northbridge Church (Antioch), The Orchard Church (McHenry), Redemption (Belvedere) - Learn more about Converge (our network) and Converge MidAmerca (our district) * Pray for churches in our world: those we support (Elise Lex Deux Rives), those that are being persecuted (OpenDoors.org*)
Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: Peter’s Story
Passage: Acts 9:32-11:18
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Two Miraculous Healings (9:32-43)Two Divine Visions (10:1-17a)Two Interesting Visits (10:17b-33)Two Rhetorical Questions (10:34-11:18)Reflection:* Reflect on: what salvation is and who it is for - what salvation does and who brings it about - by reading Ephesians 2
Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: Embracing Your Enemy
Passage: Acts 9:10-19,26-27
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Identifying Your Enemy (v10-16)* WHO is your enemy? * WHY do you view them as your enemy? What makes them your enemy?
Embrace Your Enemy by Praying for Them (v17-19)Embrace Your Enemy by Forgiving for Them (v26-27)1. Forgive your enemy because Jesus commands us to forgive 2. Forgive your enemy because forgiveness releases you of their hold over you 3. Forgive your enemy because forgiveness is a required step toward reconciliation 4. Forgive your enemy because you are an enemy who has been forgiven
Reflection1. How will you respond? What will you do? Will you embrace your enemy by praying for them, forgiving them? Or will you continue to remain enslaved in your self-made prison of anger and resentment? What step of faithful obedience to the words of Jesus is God calling you to take to embrace your enemy? Read Romans 12:14-21. 2. Why will you embrace your enemy? Read Romans 5:6-11
Sermon Footnotes “An enemy is someone we have defined as being against us in contrast to someone who is for us. Many of us have a strange need to divide the world up into people who are for us and those who are against us. Even more strange is that our identity is often dependent on having enemies. We don’t exist without an enemy. We define ourselves by what we are opposed to. We define the enemy and the enemy is there to define us.” - Henry Nouwen, Following Jesus, p64 * “Hating the enemy costs us. We often allow the enemy to have power over us…Feelings of hatred, rejection, jealousy, and resentment enslave us in our self-made prison of fear.” - Henry Nouwen, Following Jesus, p66,67 * “In the New Testament our enemies are those who harbor hostility against us, not those against whom we cherish hostility, for Jesus refuses to reckon with such a possibility.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Cost of Discipleship, p147-148 * “Through the medium of prayer we go to our enemy, stand by his side, and plead for him to God.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Cost of Discipleship*, p149
Recommended Reading:
- Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer - specifically Chapter 13. The Enemy
- Escaping Enemy Mode: How Our Brains Unite or Divide Us by Jim Wilder and Ray Woolridge
- Following Jesus by Henri Nouwen - specifically Chapter 3. The Challenge: Love Your Enemies
- Forgive by Tim Keller
Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: Saul’s Story
Passage: Acts 9:1-31
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Saul’s Story:
- Includes a Past (v1-2)
- Interrupted by a Transformation (v3-8)
- Involves Transformation (v9-19)
- Ignites Purpose (v20-30)
- Introduces Peace (v31)
Your story is no different!
Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: When God Opens a Door
Passage: Acts 8:26-40
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: Including the Excluded
Passage: Acts 8:1-25
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Sermon NotesSermon Title: Love Your Neighbor
Passage: Luke 10:25-37
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Scene 1: The Trap (v25-28)Scene 2: The Escape (v29)Scene 3: The Parable (v30-35)Why we pass by on the other side:
- Assume
- Helpless
- Afraid
- Exhausted
- Inconvenient
- Undeserved
The Samaritan sacrificed his:
- Safety
- Time
- Money
- Pride
Scene 4: The Question (v36-37)Jesus is teaching us in this parable:
1. WHO our neighbor is2. HOW to love our neighbor* by seeing the needs around you - physical, financial, emotional, relational, and spiritual needs * by feeling compassion for those in need - listening to the story, learning their perspective, loving them in whatever situation they are in * by taking action to love those in need
3. WHY we love our neighborWe love because the God who is love first loved us! (1 John 4:8,19)
ReflectionReflect on what Jesus is calling us as his followers to both DO and BE - to love your neighbor as your self and to be a neighbor who shows mercy
- WHO is God calling you to love?
- HOW is God calling you to love?
- Remember WHY we love!
Sermon NotesSermon Series: True & Complete Joy
Sermon Title: Lasting Joy
Passage: John 16:16-24
Preacher: Robin Philip
Tracing the Journey of Lasting Joy
- Anticipated Joy (v.16-19)
- Joy Born Through Sorrow (v.20-22)
- Joy Made Full in Victory (v23-24)
Sermon NotesSermon Series: True & Complete Joy
Sermon Title: Enduring in Joy
Passage: Hebrews 12:1-3
Preacher: Ben Barney
Three Realities that Require a Response:
- The Challenge Requiring Endurance (v.1)
- The Champion in Our Focus (v.2)
- The Choice We Face (v.3)
Sermon NotesSermon Series: True & Complete Joy
Sermon Title: The Fullness of Joy
Passage: Psalm 16
Preacher: Robin Philip
- Joy is Dependent on God (vv. 1–2)
- Joy is Directed by Delight (vv. 3–4)
- Joy is Deepened by Contentment (vv. 5–6)
- Joy is Determined by His Presence (vv. 7–8)
- Joy is Discovered in Jesus Christ (vv. 9–11)
Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: Stephen’s Story
Passage: Acts 6:8-8:2
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: How can I help?
Passage: Acts 6:1-7
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: The Cost of Obedience
Passage: Acts 5:12-42
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: Radical Generosity
Passage: Acts 4:32-5:11
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: Praying for Boldness
Passage: Acts 4:5-31
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: In the Name of Jesus
Passage: Acts 3:1-4:4
Preacher: Robin Philip
I want to be baptized!
Audio Block Double-click here to upload or link to a .mp3. Learn more Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: A Spirit-Led Church
Passage: Acts 2:42-47
Preacher: Ashley Herr
I want to be baptized!
Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: The Story of Pentecost - Part 2
Passage: Acts 2:22-41
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Peter’s Sermon (v22-36)1. The Incarnation (v22) 2. The Crucifixion (v23) 3. The Resurrection (v24-32) 4. The Ascension (v33-35) 5. The Big Idea (v36)
Uses familiar imagery from the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures:
- wind describing the Spirit of God (Genesis 1, Ezekiel 37)
- fire describing the presence of God (Exodus 3, 13, 19, 40)
1. The Spirit empowers us, to fulfill the mission Christ has given us
The Crowd Reacts (vv37-40)1. Recognize the severity of your sin (v37) 2. Respond to your sin (v38a)
* Repent
* Be Baptized
-
Receive God’s Grace (v38-40)
- Forgiveness of Sins
- The Gift of the Holy Spirit
The Result (v41)Reflection1. Allow the Spirit to stir, revealing your sin, shining a light on what remains hidden in the dark 2. Recognize the severity of your sin - against God and against others - and the damage it has caused 3. Repent of your sin, turning from sin, turning to Jesus, and trusting in Jesus 4. Receive God’s grace and His forgiveness 5. Don’t just respond in faith through repentance, but also in obedience through baptism! If haven’t been baptized and you’re ready, please let us know! We’ll fill it up for this coming Sunday!!
I want to be baptized!
Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: The Story of Pentecost - Part 1
Passage: Acts 2:1-21
Preacher: Ashley Herr
The Spirit Comes (v1-4)Uses familiar imagery from the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures:
- wind describing the Spirit of God (Genesis 1, Ezekiel 37)
- fire describing the presence of God (Exodus 3, 13, 19, 40)
1. The Spirit empowers us, to fulfill the mission Christ has given us
The Crowd Reacts (v5-13)2. The Spirit unites us
Peter Responds (v14-21)3. The Spirit overcomes what divides us
- True with regard to gender (v17b)
- True with regard to age (v17c)
- True with regard to social class or caste (v18)
Reflection1. A Prayer of Reflection: Why am I so reluctant to the leading of the Holy Spirit? 2. A Prayer of Petition: Help me to be more reliant on the leading of the Holy Spirit!
Sermon Footnotes “God has come to them, on them, with them.“ - Willie James Jennings (Acts from The Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible series, p28) * “Imagine peoples in many places, in many conquered sites, in many tongues all being told that their languages are secondary, tertiary, and inferior to the supreme languages of the enlightened peoples. Make way for Latin, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, and English. These are the languages God speaks.“ - Willie James Jennings (Acts from The Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible series, p30) * “to speak a language is to speak a people. Speaking announces familiarity, connection, and relationality.“ - Willie James Jennings (Acts from The Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible series, p28) * “This new world order begins with collapse. God shakes foundations, especially ones that wrongly claim divine imprint.“ - Willie James Jennings (Acts* from The Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible series, p35)
Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: Devoted to Prayer
Passage: Acts 1:12-26
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Devoted to Prayer (v12-14)A church devoted to prayer prays:
- Passionately
- Dependantly
- Expectantly
- Persistently
- Regularly
- Collectively
- Privately
We are growing in our devotion to prayer by:
- Don’t just say you’ll pray; stop and pray
- 9:30AM prayer in the lobby on Sundays
- Sharing prayer requests in the Info Card
- Offering prayer after service
- First Wednesday prayer in the Upper Room
- Praying over the prayer requests shared by guests of The Pantry
Discerning God’s Will (v15-26)Discerning God’s will requires
- Scripture
- Wisdom
- Prayer
Next StepsWe’re devoting the month of May to being devoted to prayer by:
- Join us for 9:30AM prayer in the lobby each Sunday in May
- Share a prayer request with the elders each Sunday in May
- Ask someone how you can pray for them, then stop and pray for them, each week in the month of May. We’re praying that we would be able to pray for 500 people this month. Text us the name of the person you prayed with to us at (312) 548-1139 so we can be praying as well!
- Join us for First Wednesday prayer this Wednesday, May 7th, at 7PM in the Upper Room
Bible Reading Plan* Monday: Luke 6 - The Sermon on the Plain * Tuesday: Luke 7 - Stories of Healing * Wednesday: Luke 8 - Stories revealing Jesus is Lord * Thursday: Luke 9 - The Transfiguration * Friday: Luke 10 - Jesus Sends Out the 72 * Saturday: Acts 2:1-21 - Pentecost Part 1
Sermon Footnotes “Discernment, in a most general sense, is the capacity to recognize and respond to the presence and the activity of God…it requires us to move beyond reliance on human thinking and strategizing to a place of deep listening and response to the Spirit of God.” - Ruth Haley Barton (Pursuing God’s Will Together*, p10,11)
Sermon NotesSermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission
Sermon Title: The Story of the Ascension
Passage: Acts 1:1-12
Preacher: Ashley Herr
The Story of Acts (v1-2)The Story of the Ascension (v3-12)This story raises two questions:
- Where is Jesus? - Followed by: Where is heaven? How do you get there? How far away is it?
- What is Jesus doing?
Why is the story of the ascension so overlooked and under appreciated? (taken from The Ascension of Christ by Patrick Schreiner)
- The Bible speaks little of it
- It seems like a bad plan
- The implications are unclear
- The event is abnormal
- The resurrection subsumes the ascension
Their Anticipation (v3-5)
Jesus spent the 40 days:
- Reassuring them (v3) of what had taken place by: presenting himself alive to them, proving he was alive, and opening their minds to understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:45)
- Preparing them (v3) for what was about to take place by: teaching them about the kingdom of God and how to live as citizens of that kingdom while living in the fallen kingdom of Rome
- Ordering them (v4-5) to sit tight until it had taken place
Their Question (v6)
Their Mission (v7)
Jesus corrects their misunderstanding of
- When the kingdom will come
- Power within the kingdom
- Their role in the kingdom
His Ascension (v9)
Their Response (v10-12)
- worshiping him (Luke 24:52-53)
- obeying him
The gospel ceases to be good news without the story of the ascension
-
The Bible speaks of it extensively (references from sermon noted below)
- Jesus: John 6:62, John 16:5,7
- Paul: Ephesians 4:8-10, 1 Timothy 3:16, Colossians 3:1
- Peter: 1 Peter 3:22
- The Author of Hebrews: Hebrews 4:14, 6:19, 9:24, 12:2
- It was an incredible plan
- The implications are becoming more clear (John 7:39, 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, Ephesians 5:23)
- The event is abnormal
- The ascension was a critical turning point
Reflection* Read the words of Jesus in John 14:18-29 and reflect on the reality of Christ’s spiritual presence with you * Read the word of Paul in Romans 8:31-39 and reflect on the reality of Christ’s physical presence with the Father
Bible Reading Plan* Monday: Luke 1 - The Announcement * Tuesday: Luke 2 - The Birth of Jesus * Wednesday: Luke 3 - The Baptism of Jesus * Thursday: Luke 4 - The Temptation of Jesus * Friday: Luke 5 - Jesus Calls His Disciples * Saturday: Acts 1:12-26 - Devoted to Prayer
Sermon Footnotes “Five reasons the ascension is neglected” - Patrick Schreiner (The Ascension of Christ, p2-6) * “(The gospel) is spread by witness, not by soldiers, through a gospel of peace, not a declaration of war, and by the works of the Spirit, not by force of arms, political intrigue, or revolutionary violence.” - John Stott (The Message of Acts, p22) * “The ascension must be thought of as an ascension beyond all our notions of space and time, and therefore as something that cannot ultimately be expressed in categories of space and time.” - Thomas Torrance (Atonement: The Person and Work of Christ, p286 - taken from The Ascension of Christ by Patrick Schriner, p32) * “We now know, however, that space is such that heaven is not merely upward from the earth, and it also seems likely that the difference between earth and heaven is not merely geographic. One cannot get to God simply by traveling sufficiently far and fast in a space vehicle of some kind. God is in a different dimension of reality” - Millard Erickson (Christian Theology, p710) * “As we find in many passages of the New Testament, Jesus is not far away; he is in heaven, and heaven is not a place in the sky, but rather God's dimension of what we think of as ordinary reality. This is an essential feature of biblical cosmology, and the failure to grasp it leaves many Christians puzzled about how to put together the biblical picture of eschatology. The point is that Jesus is presently in God's dimension, that is, heaven; however, heaven is not a place in our space-time continuum, but a different sphere of reality that overlaps and interlocks with our sphere in numerous though mysterious ways. It is as though there were a great invisible curtain hanging across a room, disguising another space that can be integrated with our space; one day the curtain will be pulled back, the two spaces or spheres will be joined forever, and Jesus himself will be the central figure.” - NT Wright (Surprised by Scripture*, p96-97)
Sermon NotesSermon Series: I AM
Sermon Title: I Am the True Vine
Passage: John 15:1
Preacher: Ashley Herr
A. HOW do we bear fruit? (v2-6)1. By being pruned by God (v2-3) - God cleansing you, calling out to you, guiding you 2. By abiding in Jesus (v4-6) - abiding in his love (v7), in his word (v9), with his people - as his Spirit abides in you
B. WHAT does this fruit look like? (v7-17)1. Your selfless desires - fruit you can hear through your prayers
* Prayers formed by the words of Jesus (v7)
* Prayers asked in the name of Jesus (v16)
- Your faithful obedience - fruit you can see through the way you live
- Your sacrificial love - fruit you can see through the way you love
C. WHY do we bear fruit?1. To bring God glory (v8) 2. To bring you joy (v11)
Reflection Picture this beautiful image Jesus gives of who you are, your sense of identity, as a branch - “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. You are the branches” * Hear your sense of belonging, as Jesus invites you to abide in him, picturing this image of where you are, as a branch connected to the true vine - “Abide in me, and I in you. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. You did not choose me, but I chose you.” * Notice how you are not the only branch connected to the vine, but surrounded by other branches connected to the same vine, all receiving the same strength and nourishment form the same vine, all abiding in his same love, his same word, with his people, as his same Spirit abides in you. * Hear our sense of purpose Jesus gives to you as a branch, this picture of why you exist, which is to bear fruit, much fruit, fruit that brings glory to God - “I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” * Only by embracing our sense identity as a branch and our sense belonging in Christ are we able to live out our purpose of bearing fruit - “As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.*” * We not only bear fruit by abiding in Jesus, but also by being pruned by God, allowing Him to remove those aspects of your life that distract your attention and draw your affection away from Him, preventing you from bearing much fruit. What is that for you? What is it that God needs to prune from you life? * As the Spirit begins to stir, bringing this to mind, picture God cutting that off and laying it in your hand. As you look at that clipping, what are you going to do with this? Will you continue to hold on it, or will you lay it down, giving it up to God?
Sermon NotesSermon Series: I AM
Sermon Title: I Am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life
Passage: John 14:6
Preacher: Ashley Herr
1. Believe in what Jesus is doing and all he will do (v2-3)2. Believe in what Jesus has done and where he is leading (v4-11)Believe in where Jesus is leading because he is the Way
Believe in where Jesus is leading because he is the Truth
- having revealed truth through his coming
- having proclaimed truth through his words
- having embodied truth through the way he lived
Believe in where Jesus is leading because he is the Life
The way of Jesus is a way of
- Obedience
- Service
- Love
- Self-sacrifice
ReflectionWhen you feel lost and alone, shaken to your core - when you encounter an unexpected left turn and find self on an unforeseen bumpy gravel road - when things aren’t going the way you had hoped - will you still believe in Jesus? Believing in what he is doing and all he has promised to do? Believing in where he is leading, by continuing to faithfully follow his way, the only way that leads to life, in obedience to his words, words that are true?
Read the words of Jesus from this passage, followed by this meditation from Thomas a Kempis, allowing the spirit of truth to stir, reassuring your doubts and strengthening your belief. Believing in what Jesus is doing, all promised to do upon his return. Believing in what Jesus has done for you, where he is leading you.
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me…I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
“Without the way there is no going; without the truth there is no knowing; without the life there is no living. I am the way that you must follow; the truth that you must believe; the life you must hope for. I am the inviolable way - the infallible truth - the endless life. I am the narrow way - the sovereign truth - the true, blessed, eternal life. If you abide in My way you will know the Truth - and the Truth will make you free - and you will attain life everlasting.” So “believe in God; believe also in me”
Sermon NotesSermon Series: I AM
Sermon Title: I Am the Good Shepherd
Passage: John 10:11
Preacher: Robin Philip
Sermon NotesSermon Series: I AM
Sermon Title: I Am the Resurrection and the Life
Passage: John 11:25-26
Preacher: Ashley Herr
1. We Misunderstand Jesus’ Mission (v1-16)2. We Question Jesus’ Love (v17-32) 3. We Doubt Jesus’ Power (v33-44)ReflectionAs you read the words of Jesus in John 11:25-26, allow the Spirit to stir as you acknowledge your own disappointment like Martha and your own sense of despair like Mary - your frustrations and unmet expectations of Jesus - questioning his love, doubting his power - revealing how you have misunderstood who Jesus is and why he came - and ask yourself, “Do I believe?”
Sermon NotesSermon Series: I AM
Sermon Title: I Am the Door of the Sheep
Passage: John 10:7
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Jesus is offering (v9): 1. Salvation - If anyone enters by me, they will be saved 2. Freedom - If anyone enters by me, they will go in and out 3. Protection 4. Community 5. Protection 6. Provision - If anyone enters by me, they will find pasture
ReflectionAs you read the words of Jesus in John 10:7-10, allowing the Spirit to stir, as yourself:
- What is it you are longing for most in your life? Is it something Jesus has promised?
- What is keeping you from stepping all the way through the door? Not one for in, one foot out
- What step are you taking today?
Further Study Read John 8 * Read the relevant Old Testament passages that bring about a fuller meaning of this passages*
+ Psalm 23 - The Lord Is My Shepherd
+ Psalm 100 - His Steadfast Love Endures Forever
+ Ezekiel 34 - Prophecy Against the Shepherds of Israel
+ 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 - Pray for Us
+ 1 Peter 5:1-11 - Shepherd the Flock of God
Sermon NotesSermon Series: I AM
Sermon Title: I Am the Light of the World
Passage: John 8:12
Preacher: Ashley Herr
1. What does it mean that Jesus is the light of the world? (v12) To understand the significance of the statement Jesus is making about himself, we need to understand: the WEHN of the story, the WHERE of the story, and the WHAT* of the metaphor of light * Light in general: comforts us, protects, and guides us * Light in the Old Testament: conveys God’s presence and glory
2. What does it look like to follow Jesus? (v13-58)Followers of Jesus:
- KNOW the identity of Jesus (v13-20)
- BELIEVE in the saving work of Jesus (v21-30
- ABIDE in the words of Jesus (v31-38) - GET IN THE WORD, SO THE WORD GETS IN YOU!
- LOVE the way of Jesus (v39-47)
- OBEY the words of Jesus (v48-58)
ReflectionAs you read the words of Jesus in John 8:12-58, allowing the Spirit to stir, revealing who Jesus is, ask yourself: What is the next right step Jesus is inviting me tot take to more faithfully follow him, growing to be more like him, trusting him?
- Knowing who he truly is, by investing more time in this most treasured relationship?
- Believing in why he came, to forgive you of your sin, free you from the power of sin?
- Abiding in the words of Jesus, getting in the word, so the word gets in you?
- Loving the way of Jesus, setting down whatever is preventing you from picking up your cross?
- Obeying the words of Jesus, living them out and putting them into practice, formed by the Word?
Further Study Read John 8 * Read the relevant Old Testament passages that bring about a fuller meaning of this passages*
+ Genesis 1 - The Creation of the World
+ Exodus 3 - The Burning Bush
+ Exodus 13:17-22 - Pillars of Cloud and Fire
+ Leviticus 23:33-43 - The Feast of Booths
+ Isaiah 9:1-7 - For to Us a Child Is Born
Sermon NotesSermon Series: I AM
Sermon Title: I Am the Bread of Life
Passage: John 6:35
Preacher: Ashley Herr
We Misunderstand WHO Jesus Is (v1-21)We Misunderstand WHAT Jesus Offers (v2-71)The Bread Jesus is offering:
- Is Himself
- Brings about life
- Is available to anyone who desires it
- Satisfies your deepest spiritual longings
ReflectionAs you read the words of Jesus in John 6:25-65, feast on his words and allow the Spirit to stir:
-
-
Confronting your own misunderstandings of Jesus, asking yourself
-
How have I misunderstood who Jesus is?
- How have I misunderstood what Jesus offers?
-
- Correcting the image you’ve drawn of Jesus and the unmet expectations you have of Jesus
-
Further Study Read John 6 * Read the relevant Old Testament passages that bring about a fuller meaning of this passages*
+ Exodus 3 - The Burning Bush
+ Exodus 16 - Bread from Heaven
+ Deuteronomy 18:15-22 - A New Prophet like Moses
Sermon Footnotes* “Jesus has come ‘to proclaim liberty to the captives,’ but he will not become the mascot for a people’s movement of liberation.” - Leslie Newbigin (The Light has Come, p75) * “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on a level with teh man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a mandman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. he did not intend to.” - C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity, p52)
Sermon NotesSermon Series: Seeking Wisdom
Sermon Title: Source of Wisdom
Passage: Proverbs 8
Preacher: Robin Philip
Sermon NotesSermon Title: Responding to the Mercies of God
Passage: Romans 12:1-2
Preacher: Alvin Thomas
Sermon NotesSermon Series: Psalms of Advent
Sermon Title: A Psalm of Joy
Passage: Psalm 4
Preacher: Robin Philip
Sermon NotesSermon Series: Psalms of Advent
Sermon Title: A Psalm of Peace
Passage: Psalm 85
Preacher: Robin Philip
Sermon NotesSermon Series: Psalms of Advent
Sermon Title: A Psalm of Love
Passage: Psalm 89
Preacher: Robin Philip
Sermon NotesSermon Series: Psalms of Advent
Sermon Title: A Psalm of Hope
Passage: Psalm 2
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Historical Lens* Act 1: A Rebellion Against God (v1-3) * Act 2: God’s Response (v4-6) * Act 3: God’s Promise (v7-9) * Act 4: God’s Warning (v10-12)
Christological LensEschatological Lens* Advent serves as a reminder that the One who has come will come again
Reflection* What is it you hope Jesus will do upon his return? * What is it that leads you to ask God, “Why?” and cry out to God, “How long?”
Sermon Footnotes The church’s liturgical calendar is “the attempt to live the Jesus life over and over again all the years of our lives…The liturgical year is the process of slow, sure immersion in the life of Christ that, in the end, claims us, too, as heralds of that life ourselves.” - Joan Chittister (The Liturgical Year: The Spiraling Adventure of the Spiritual Life, pXVI, 13) * “We begin our Christian year in waiting. We do not begin with our own frenetic effort or energy. We do not begin with the merriment of Christmas or the triumphs of Easter. We do not begin with the work of the church or the mandate of the Great Commission. Instead, we begin in a place of yearning. We wait for our king to come.” - Tish Harrison Warren (Advent: The Season of Hope, p3-4) * “In Advent, we don’t pretend, as I once thought, that we are in the darkness before the birth of Christ. Rather, we take a good hard look at the darkness we are in now, facing and defining it honestly, so that we will understand with utmost clarity that our great and only hope is in Jesus’s final victorious coming.” - (Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ*, p58)
Sermon NotesSermon Series: How to Live, How to Love
Sermon Title: Another Reminder to Love
Passage: 1 John 4:7-12
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Sermon NotesSermon Series: How to Live, How to Love
Sermon Title: Discerning What is True
Passage: 1 John 4:1-6
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Sermon NotesSermon Series: How to Live, How to Love
Sermon Title: Approaching God With Assurance
Passage: 1 John 3:19-24
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Sermon NotesSermon Title: Jesus Prays for the Church
Passage: John 17:20-26
Preacher: Robin Philip
Sermon NotesSermon Series: How to Live, How to Love
Sermon Title: Love Like Jesus
Passage: 1 John 3:11-19a
Preacher: Ashley Herr
A Reminder to Love (v11)Why all these reminders to love?
- Loving others is hard sometimes, really hard
- We’re quick to forget
- The words and way of Jesus is counter to our culture
An Example of What Love is Not (v12-15)Love is NOT:
- Murder (v12)
- Hate (v15)
- Greed (v17)
- Apathy (v17)
An Example of What Love Is (v16-19a)Reflection* Reflect on how you have failed to love like Jesus, who you have failed to love, and why * Repent of your failure to love * Receive God’s love * Respond to God’s love
Sermon NotesSermon Series: How to Live, How to Love
Sermon Title: A Family Resemblance
Passage: 1 John 2:28-3:10
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Sermon NotesSermon Series: How to Live, How to Love
Sermon Title: The Danger of Deception
Passage: 1 John 2:18-27
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Sermon NotesSermon Series: How to Live, How to Love
Sermon Title: Living in a World That Opposes God
Passage: 1 John 2:15-17
Preacher: Ashley Herr
The What: The Command to not love the world (v15a)What we know that is far more clear and far less confusing about how God views the world:
- God created the world (Genesis 1:1-10)
- God created the things in the world (Genesis 1:11-25)
- God created all the people of the world (Genesis 1:26-31)
- God called us to care for the world (Genesis 1:28-30)
- God dis not turn His back on the world (Genesis 3:14-15)
- God has not disowned the world (Psalm 24:1-2)
- God did not leave the world (Exodus 3:7-8, 13:21-22; 1 Kings 8:10-11; John 1:1-18; Matthew 1:23, 28:20: Acts 1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 3:16)
- God still very much loves the world (John 3:16)
- God sent His Son to save the world (John 3:17)
- God is redeeming the world (2 Corinthians 5:19, Hebrews 1:2-4)
- God will restore the world (Rev 21:1-5)
What we know that is far more clear and far less confusing about how we are to view the world:
- We are to live in the world (Isaiah 49:6; Matthew 5:14-16)
- We are to love all the people living in the world (John 13:34; Matt 22:39, 5:44)
We are not to love those things that fail to love what God loves
The Why: The reason why we are not to love the world (v15b-16)* The object of our love, where it is directed (v15b) * The source of our love, where it originates (v16)
The Why: The result of loving the world (v17)ReflectionAs you read this passage, ask yourself: What do I love that opposes God by failing to love what God loves, by failing to care for what God has created?
Do not love the world or the things in the world that oppose God by failing to love what God loves. If anyone loves the world - supporting and lifting up that which opposes God - standing behind and giving your allegiance to that which fails to love what God loves - then the love of the Father is not in them. For all that is in the world that opposes God - the desires of the flesh - the desires of the eyes - the pride in one’s possessions - none of that originates from the Father, but is from the world, the source of this mis-guided love. And all that opposes God in the world is passing away, along with its desires for things that go against God’s desires - but whoever does the will of God - desiring what He desires, loving what He loves - will abide in His presence forever.
Sermon Footnotes “God does not make junk, and he does not junk what he has made.” - Al Wolters (Creation Regained, p49) * “The experience of twentieth-century dictatorships has shown that it is possible for some Christians to live and work in a shockingly unjust society, closing their eyes to all kinds of evil and indeed perhaps participating in that evil at least by default, concerned only with their own compartmentalized life of piety, closed off from everything else on the face of the earth. Clearly, such a poor excuse for religion actually contributes to blindness and moral insensitivity” - Thomas Merton (Life and Holiness*, p20)
Sermon NotesSermon Series: How to Live, How to Love
Sermon Title: A Note of Encouragement
Passage: 1 John 2:12-14
Preacher: Ashley Herr
To the Church (v12,13c)* You are born of God * You belong to God * You are loved by God
To the Seasoned Veterans (v13a,14a)* My encouragement for you: THANK YOU! * My prayer for you: continue pursuing Jesus and finish well
To the Newcomers (v13b,14b)* You feel victorious - because you’ve overcome the evil one * You feel strong - because the word of God abides in you
+ We are people of the Word, formed by Scripture
+ We are people of prayer, led by the Spirit
Sermon Footnotes “All Christians, mature and immature, have come to know (egnōkate) God. But their knowledge of him ripens with the years.” - John Stott (The Letters of John: An Introduction and Commentary, p101) * “I am sometimes asked…whether at my age I have any ambitions left. I always reply: “Yes, my overriding ambition is (and, I trust, will be until I die) that I may become a little bit more like Christ.” - John Stott (The Contemporary Christian, p146 - quote taken from A Fellowship of Differents*, p204 by Scot McKnight)
Sermon NotesSermon Series: How to Live, How to Love
Sermon Title: Evaluating the Evidence
Passage: 1 John 2:3-11
Preacher: Ashley Herr
3 steps to help us evaluate the evidence:
1. WHAT we do: Those who know him obey the words of Jesus (v3-5a)2. HOW we do what we do: Those who abide in him walk in the way of Jesus (v5b-6)3. WHY we do what we do: Those who live in his light love like Jesus (v7-11)The command to love is new in that
- It has been expanded in terms of who we are commanded to love
- It has been extended in terms of how far we are commanded to love
Reflection1. What in my life am I not trusting Jesus with - failing to obey what he says or where he leads? As you read 1 John 2:3-5a, repent of your sin and disobedience. 2. How have I laid down my cross, rather than my life - choosing the easy path over the way of Jesus? As you read 1 John 2:5b-6, return to Jesus as you hear the voice of the Good Shepherd calling out to you 3. How have I limited who I am called to love and the extent to which I am called to love in order to love like Jesus? As you read 1 John 7-11, receive the love of Jesus, feeling his presence.
Sermon Footnotes “Every summons of Christ leads to death.” - translation of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s line provided by Scot McKnight (A Fellowship of Differents, p201) * “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer (The Cost of Discipleship, p89) * “We have defined the ‘one another’ so tightly that it means only ‘love the people who reinforce your own sense of who you are'.” - N.T. Wright (John from the NT Wright for Everyone Bible Study Guide*, p95-96)
Sermon NotesSermon Series: How to Live, How to Love
Sermon Title: Barriers to Intimacy
Passage: 1 John 1:5-2:2
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Who God Is (1:5)* God as light is good (Genesis 1), safe (Psalm 27), present (Exodus 3, 13), and holy (Psalm 104)
Responding to Who God Is (1:6-2:2)1st Claim (1:6-7)* Living in the darkness involves: embracing sin and hiding sin
Dangers of the Darkness
- Sin separates you from God and others
- Sin leads you out of the light and into the darkness
- Shame keeps you hiding sin in the darkness
We hide, terrified of the vulnerability that the intimacy we desire requires
- We hide what we’ve done
- We hide what’s been done to us
- We hide our suffering
- We hide our thoughts and desires
- We hide who we are
2nd Claim (1:8-9)We deceive ourselves by
- Hiding our sin
- Ignoring our sin
- Excusing our sin
- Justifying our sin
- Redefining our sin
- Tolerating our sin
- Embracing our sin
3rd Claim (1:10-2:2)Reflection* Father, help us to see the ways we’ve hidden our sin from you * Father, help us to bring our sin out of the darkness and into the light * Father, help us create a culture of vulnerability where others feel safe stepping out of the darkness * Father, help us take a step of courage this week in sharing with someone else
Sermon Footnotes “Sin demands to have a man by himself. It withdraws him from the community. The more isolated a person is, the more destructive will be the power of sin over him, and the more deeply he becomes involved in it, the more disastrous is his isolation. Sin wants to remain unknown. It shuns the light. In the darkness of the unexpressed it poisons the whole being of a person.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Life Together, p112) * “We recognize early and often that shame tends to be self-reinforcing. When we experience shame, we tend to turn away from others because the prospect of being seen or known by another carries the anticipation of shame being intensified or reactivated. However, the very act of turning away, while temporarily protecting and relieving us from our feeling (and the gaze of the "other"), ironically simultaneously reinforces the very shame we are attempting to avoid. Notably, we do not necessarily realize this to be happening - we’re just trying to survive the moment. But indeed this dance between hiding and feeling shame itself becomes a tightening of the noose. We feel shame, and then feel shame for feeling shame. It begets itself.” - Curt Thompson (The Soul of Shame: Retelling the Stories We Believe About Ourselves*, p31)
Sermon NotesSermon Series: How to Live, How to Love
Sermon Title: What Unites Us
Passage: 1 John 1:1-4
Preacher: Ashley Herr
We are united in our shared belief in who Jesus is (v1-2)We are united in our shared participation in what Jesus provides (v3-4)Reflection Reflect on our shared belief in who Jesus is, why he came, and what he accomplished (v1-2) * Reflect on our shared participation in the fellowship Jesus provides (v3) by asking: What step is the Spirit leading me to take in following Jesus together with others? * Reflect on our shared participation in the joy Jesus provides (v4) by asking: Who is the Spirit leading me to reach out to and invite into this fellowship?*
Sermon Footnotes “Only in Jesus Christ are we one, only through him are we bound together…Our community with one another consists solely in what Christ has done to both of us…The more genuine and the deeper our community becomes, the more will everything else between us recede, the more clearly and purely will Jesus Christ and his work become the one and only thing that is vital between us.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Life Together, p24,25,26) * “Today: feast of St. Thomas the Apostle. During a dialogue homily, two of the monks remarked in different ways that although Thomas did not believe in the resurrection of the Lord, he kept faithful to the community of the apostles. In that community the Lord appeared to him and strengthened his faith. I find this a very profound and consoling thought. In times of doubt or unbelief, the community can "carry you along," so to speak; it can even offer on your behalf what you yourself overlook, and can be the context in which you may recognize the Lord again.” - Henri Nouwen (The Genes Diary: Report from A Trappist Monastery, p56) * “Christian brotherhood is not an ideal which we must realize; it is rather a reality created by God in Christ in which we may participate.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Life Together*, p30)
Recommended Reading
- A Fellowship of Differents by Scot McKnight
- The Church of Us vs. Them: Freedom from a Faith That Feeds on Making Enemies by David Fitch
- Exclusion and Embrace by Miroslav Volf
- The Genes Diary: Report from A Trappist Monastery by Henri Nouwen
- Jesus and the Powers by NT Wright and Michael Bird
- Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Sermon NotesSermon Series: The Kingdom Has Come (Matthew 11-13)
Sermon Title: A Prophet Without Honor - Seeing Jesus Truly
Passage: Matthew 13:53-58
Preacher: Robin Philip
Sermon NotesSermon Series: The Kingdom Has Come (Matthew 11-13)
Sermon Title: The Kingdom of Incomparable Value
Passage: Matthew 13:44-52
Preacher: Timothy Wiggins
Big Idea: Since the kingdom of heaven is of incomparable value, we should be prepared to give up everything for it and share its treasure with others.
Three Realities of the Kingdom of Heaven
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The kingdom of heaven is of greater value than anything in this world (v44-46).
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What is the kingdom of heaven?
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The kingdom of heaven is the place where God rules and accomplishes his will.
- Why is the kingdom of heaven so valuable?
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Because in the kingdom of heaven the tired and weary will have everlasting rest.
- Because in the kingdom of heaven the law will not be used preferentially to aid the powerful at the expense of the hungry and needy.
- Because in the kingdom of heaven all people are invited in.
- Because in the kingdom of heaven every citizen is like privileged family to the king.
- The kingdom of heaven is filled with the righteous, who rightly value the kingdom (v47-50).
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How do we rightly value the kingdom of heaven?
- “[Trying to grow the church without true discipleship] is a particular problem in America, where Christians cannot imagine how being a Christian might put them in tension with the American way of life. This is as true for Christians on the left as it is for Christians on the right. Both mistakenly assume, often in quite similar ways, that freedom is a necessary condition for discipleship. Accordingly, I do not think it a radical suggestion that this parable rightly helps us read the situation of the church in America as Jesus’s judgment on that church. The church in America simply is not a soil capable of growing deep roots. It may seem odd that wealth makes it impossible to grow the word. Wealth, we assume, should create the power necessary to do much good. But wealth stills the imagination because we are not forced, as the disciples of Jesus were forced, to be an alternative to the world that only necessity can create. Possessed by possessions, we desire to act in the world, often on behalf of the poor, without having to lose our possessions” (Stanley Hauerwas, Matthew, Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2006), 130).
- We need to call our greed what it is, learn to deny ourselves, and together work to become the alternative community of Jesus that generously gives so every person has everything they need.
- The kingdom of heaven has its treasure shared by disciples of Jesus (v51-53).
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“The 'new' things are the extraordinary, brand-new visions that the kingdom of heaven is bringing. [Whereas] the 'old' things are the wisdom of the centuries, particularly the ancient stories and hopes of Israel. The gospel [Jesus] brings--and the gospel that Matthew is concerned to tell us about--consists in bringing the two together, rooting the new deep within the old, and allowing the old to come to fresh and exciting expression in the new” (N.T. Wright, Matthew For Everyone).
-
Response Questions
- What does Jesus want us to value?
- How might we live in a way that allows us to better value what he wants us to?
Sermon NotesSermon Series: The Kingdom Has Come (Matthew 11-13)
Sermon Title: The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast
Passage: Matthew 13:31-35
Preacher: Robin Philip
Why did Jesus tell parables? * He told parables to announce the arrival of God’s kingdom, and to provide people with an opportunity to respond to him—either in faith and obedience or rejection and disobedience.
What is the Kingdom of Heaven about?* The Kingdom of Heaven is ultimately about God's grand future, realized through His Son, Jesus Christ, in which He will gather His people, enact judgment, and reign eternally in the renewed world.
Observations and RelationshipObservations of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast:
- Smallness of the Agents
- Growing Impact (of the Agents)
- Alive, Not Dead
- Deposition to Flourish
- Action Taken of the Agents
- Degree of Exaggeration
Observations in Relation to the Kingdom of Heaven:
- The Beginning of the Kingdom was of humbleness.
- The Growing of the Kingdom is measured in transformation.
- The Activity of the Kingdom is alive, though unseen at times.
- The Disposition of the Kingdom reflects the values of God.
- The Inauguration of the Kingdom was by King Jesus.
- The Reward of the Kingdom is beyond comparison.
Responding to the Parables:1. Embrace the Kingdom now by living out its truths in submission to King Jesus. 2. Trust in God's timing and pace for His Kingdom's transformation.
Reflection1. How can you embrace the Kingdom now by living out its truths in submission to King Jesus. 2. In what areas do you need to trust in God's timing and pace for His transformative work?
Sermon NotesSermon Series: The Kingdom Has Come (Matthew 11-13)
Sermon Title: Waiting for the Harvest
Passage: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43a
Preacher: David B
Sermon NotesSermon Series: The Kingdom Has Come (Matthew 11-13)
Sermon Title: The One Who Hears
Passage: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
Preacher: Robin Philip
Sermon NotesSermon Series: The Kingdom Has Come (Matthew 11-13)
Sermon Title: The Family of Christ
Passage: Matthew 12:46-50
Preacher: Robin Philip
Sermon NotesSermon Series: The Kingdom Has Come (Matthew 11-13)
Sermon Title: Responding in Repentance
Passage: Matthew 12:38-45
Preacher: Robin Philip
Sermon NotesSermon Series: The Kingdom Has Come (Matthew 11-13)
Sermon Title: What Are We Known By?
Passage: Matthew 12:22-37
Preacher: George Carrera III
Sermon NotesSermon Series: The Kingdom Has Come (Matthew 11-13)
Sermon Title: Responding to Challenged Beliefs
Passage: Matthew 12:1-21
Big Idea: In challenging some of the religious beliefs of his day, Jesus revealed both who he is and what he cares about, and he now invites us to share his priorities.
Preacher: Timothy Wiggins
Sermon NotesSermon Series: The Kingdom Has Come (Matthew 11-13)
Sermon Title: An Invitation to Rest
Passage: Matthew 11:25-30
Big Idea: Those who recognize their need for rest will find relief in Jesus.
Preacher: Alvin Thomas
Sermon NotesSermon Series: The Kingdom Has Come (Matthew 11-13)
Sermon Title: Responding to Jesus
Passage: Matthew 11:16-24
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Responding to Jesus (v16-17)* How have you refused to dance for joy in the presence of Jesus? * How have you refused to mourn in the presence of brokenness?
Expectations of Jesus (v18-19)* How have you rejected the way of Jesus by going your own way, because his way is too restrictive? * How have you rejected the way of Jesus by refusing to love those Jesus has called us to love, because his way is too accepting?
Warning From Jesus (v20-24)
Sermon NotesSermon Series: The Kingdom Has Come (Matthew 11-13)
Sermon Title: The Promised Messiah
Passage: Matthew 11:1-15
Preacher: Ashley Herr
A Question of Doubt (v2-3)Reassuring John’s Faith (v4-6)* Jesus reassures John’s faith by showing Himself as as the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, who pointed toward the promised Messiah * Isaiah references: Isaiah 26:19, 29:18-19, 35:5-6
A Reminder of John’s Importance (v7-15)* Jesus reminds the crowd of John’s importance by showing him as the fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy, preparing the way for the promised Messiah * MalachiI references: Malachi 3:1, 4:5-6
Reflection1. Honestly share your doubts with Jesus, as John did, reading v2-3 2. Sit with Jesus, listening to the words of Jesus, reading v4-6
Sermon NotesSermon Series: Family Ministry
Sermon Title: Celebration Sunday
Passage: Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Preacher: Ashley Herr
Our Mission* Helping people know Jesus and grow to be like Jesus (Matthew 28)
Our Method* Pointing people to Jesus by loving them like Jesus (Matthew 22) - that’s how we help people know * Faithfully following the way of Jesus in obedience to the words of Jesus (John 14) - that’s how we grow
A Reminder of Who God Is (v4)Four Responses to Who God Is (v5-9)1. Love God (v5) 2. Treasure God’s Word (v6) 3. Share God’s Word (v7) 4. Live Out God’s Word (v8-9)
Reflection1. Read the passage in your primary translation and ask, “What word or phrase is the Spirit drawing me to in this passage?” 2. Read the passage in another translation and ask, “What is God saying to me through this passage about who He is, what He has done, and all He has promised to do? 3. Read the passage in The Message and ask, “How is God inviting me to respond to what He has said in this passage?” How will I respond to who God is - loving Him, treasuring His Word, sharing His Word, and living out His Word?
Sermon NotesSermon Series: Encountering the Risen Jesus
Sermon Title: Knowing the Trinity
Passage: 2 Corinthians 1:20-22
Preacher: Robin Philip
God Our Father (v20a)
Jesus our Mediator (v20b-21)
The Spirit Our Guarantee (v22)
The Trinity matters because it tells us who God is.
- The Trinity is important because it tells us who God is; this is the revelation of God
- The Trinity matters because the Triune God is revealed in Scriptures
- The Trinity matters because The Triune God plays a role in our salvation.
- The Trinity matters because the Triune God reveals our mission.
- The Trinity matters because the Triune God represents love because the Trinity is love.
Sermon Footnotes* “Because the Christian God is not a lonely God, but rather a communion of three persons, faith leads human beings into the divine communion. One cannot, however, have a self-enclosed communion with the Triune God- a "foursome," as it were-- for the Christian God is not a private deity. Communion with this God is at once also communion with those others who have entrusted themselves in faith to the same God. Hence one and the same act of faith places a person into a new relationship both with God and with all others who stand in communion with God.”
―Miroslav Volf, After Our Likeness: The Church as the Image of the Trinity (Sacra Doctrina: Christian Theology for a Postmodern Age
Sermon NotesSermon Series: Encountering the Risen Jesus
Sermon Title: Pentecost
Passage: Acts 2:1-21
Preacher: Ashley Herr
The Spirit Comes (v1-4)Uses familiar imagery from the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures:
- wind describing the Spirit of God (Genesis 1, Ezekiel 37)
- fire describing the presence of God (Exodus 3, 13, 19, 40)
1. The Spirit empowers us, to fulfill the mission Christ has given us
The Crowd Reacts (v5-13)2. The Spirit unites us
Peter Responds (v14-21)3. The Spirit overcomes what divides us
- True with regard to gender (v17b)
- True with regard to age (v17c)
- True with regard to social class or caste (v18)
Reflection1. A Prayer of Reflection: Why am I so reluctant to the leading of the Holy Spirit? 2. A Prayer of Petition: Help me to be more reliant on the leading of the Holy Spirit!
Sermon Footnotes “God has come to them, on them, with them.“ - Willie James Jennings (Acts from The Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible series, p28) * “Imagine peoples in many places, in many conquered sites, in many tongues all being told that their languages are secondary, tertiary, and inferior to the supreme languages of the enlightened peoples. Make way for Latin, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, and English. These are the languages God speaks.“ - Willie James Jennings (Acts from The Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible series, p30) * “to speak a language is to speak a people. Speaking announces familiarity, connection, and relationality.“ - Willie James Jennings (Acts from The Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible series, p28) * “This new world order begins with collapse. God shakes foundations, especially ones that wrongly claim divine imprint.“ - Willie James Jennings (Acts* from The Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible series, p35)
Recommended Reading:
- Acts (from the Belief: A Theological Commentary on Acts series) by Willie James Jennings
- Pentecost (from the Fullness of Time series) by Emilio Alvarez
- He Who Gives Life by Graham Cole
- The Holy Spirit (from the Contours of Christian Theology series) by Sinclair Ferguson
- The Liturgical Year: The Spiraling Adventure of the Spiritual Life by Joan Chittister
- I Believe: Exploring the Apostles’ Creed by Alister McGrath
- Ancient-Future Time: Forming Spirituality through the Christian Year by Robert Weber
Sermon NotesSermon Series: Encountering the Risen Jesus
Sermon Title: The Ascension
Passage: Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:1-13
Preacher: Ashley Herr
IntroductionTwo questions: Where is Jesus? What is Jesus currently doing?
5+1 reasons why the ascension is neglected
- The Bible speaks little of it
- It seems like a bad plan
- The implications are unclear
- The event is abnormal
- The resurrection subsumes the ascension
- The liturgical calendar is often overlooked
Their Question (Luke 24:50a, Acts 1:1-8)Jesus corrects their misunderstanding of:
- when the kingdom of God will come
- power in the kingdom of God
- their role in the kingdom of God
His Ascension (Luke 24:50b-51, Acts 1:9)Their Response (Luke 24:52-53, Acts 1:10-13)
They responded by:
- worshiping Jesus - recognizing who he is, remembering what he had said
- obeying Jesus
CloseSeeing the significance of the ascension
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The Bible speaks of it extensively (references from sermon noted below)
- Jesus: John 6:62, John 16:5,7
- Paul: Ephesians 4:8-10, 1 Timothy 3:16, Colossians 3:1
- Peter: 1 Peter 3:22
- The Author of Hebrews: Hebrews 4:14, 6:19, 9:24, 12:2
- It was an incredible plan
- The implications are becoming more clear (John 7:39, 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, Ephesians 5:23)
- The event is abnormal
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The ascension was a critical turning point
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Apostles Creed
- The Second Helvetic Confession
- New City Catechism: Question 49, Question 51
Reflection1. Reflect on Christ’s presence, here with us, through his Spirit (John 14:18-20, 26-29) 2. Reflect on Christ’s presence in heaven, with the Father (Romans 8:31-39)
Sermon Footnotes “Five reasons the ascension is neglected” - Patrick Schreiner (The Ascension of Christ, p2-6) * “It is the nature of liturgical spirituality itself - the attempt to live the Jesus life over and over again all the years of our lives - that is the essence of this book.” - Joan Chittister (The Liturgical Year, p-xvi) * “The liturgical year is the process of slow, sure immersion in the life of Christ that, in the end, claims us, too, as heralds of that life ourselves.” - Joan Chittister (The Liturgical Year, p13) * “In every age, the liturgical year exists to immerse its world in the current as well as the eternal meanings of the Christian life. Then, after years of repeating the messages of the feasts and probing their meanings for our own lives, we come to a point where we look back over the decades and realize that little by little the slow drip, drip, drip of the Christian ideal has insinuated itself into the deeper parts of our psyches.” - Joan Chittister (The Liturgical Year, p11-12) * “The ascension must be thought of as an ascension beyond all our notions of space and time, and therefore as something that cannot ultimately be expressed in categories of space and time.” - Thomas Torrance (Atonement: The Person and Work of Christ, p286 - taken from The Ascension of Christ by Patrick Schriner, p32) * “We now know, however, that space is such that heaven is not merely upward from the earth, and it also seems likely that the difference between earth and heaven is not merely geographic. One cannot get to God simply by traveling sufficiently far and fast in a space vehicle of some kind. God is in a different dimension of reality” - Millard Erickson (Christian Theology, p710) * “As we find in many passages of the New Testament, Jesus is not far away; he is in heaven, and heaven is not a place in the sky, but rather God's dimension of what we think of as ordinary reality. This is an essential feature of biblical cosmology, and the failure to grasp it leaves many Christians puzzled about how to put together the biblical picture of eschatology. The point is that Jesus is presently in God's dimension, that is, heaven; however, heaven is not a place in our space-time continuum, but a different sphere of reality that overlaps and interlocks with our sphere in numerous though mysterious ways. It is as though there were a great invisible curtain hanging across a room, disguising another space that can be integrated with our space; one day the curtain will be pulled back, the two spaces or spheres will be joined forever, and Jesus himself will be the central figure.” - NT Wright (Surprised by Scripture*, p96-97)
Recommended Reading:
- The Liturgical Year: The Spiraling Adventure of the Spiritual Life by Joan Chittister
- Christian Theology by Millard Erickson
- I Believe: Exploring the Apostles’ Creed by Alister McGrath
- Exalted Above the Heavens: The Risen and Ascended Christ by Peter Orr
- The Ascension of Christ: Recovering a Neglected Doctrine by Patrick Schreiner
- Ancient-Future Time: Forming Spirituality through the Christian Year by Robert Weber
- Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church by NT Wright
- Surprised by Scripture: Engaging Contemporary Issues by NT Wright
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Encountering the Risen Jesus
Sermon Title: Responding to an Encounter With Jesus
Passage: Luke 24:33-49
Sharing the Good News (v33-35)
1st Question: What do we learn from the travelers?
- We learn that we know the single greatest story ever told: the story of the resurrection, that Jesus is alive!
- We learn that we should be running to share the story with others
- We learn that we should start by sharing with those we already know
- We learn that we should share our own personal story
- We learn that sometimes we share the story with those who already know
Jesus Appears to Them (v36-37)
Jesus Reassures Them (v38-46)
- Jesus reassures them with physical evidence, revealing himself as the living word of God (v39-43)
- Jesus reassures them with Scriptural evidence, revealing himself in the written word of God (v44-46)
2nd Question: What do we learn about Jesus?
- We learn that we can trust Jesus when he says “Pease to you!”
- We learn that we can encounter Jesus in the pages of Scripture
Jesus Commissions Them (v47-48)
- They were sent to share the story with others, as witnesses of all these things
- They were sent to proclaim a message of good news to others - one of hope, not of shame - one of acceptance, not of rejection
- They were sent to tell the story to others, all others
Jesus Empowers Them (v49)
3rd Question: What do we learn from Jesus?
- We learn that we are sent on the same mission
- We learn that we are empowered by the same Spirit
Reflection
- Ask God to bring to mind someone you know who is far from Him - someone who doesn’t know Jesus, someone who wants nothing to do with Jesus, someone who has fallen way from Jesus.
- Ask God to give you 1) a heart to share with them, 2) an opportunity to share with them, and 3) the courage to share with them.
SERMON FOOTNOTES “Only when we offer the good news of Jesus Christ as that which has touched and transformed our lives does it become meaningful and interesting to others.” - Mark Teasdale (Evangelism for Non-Evangelists*, p3)
Recommended Reading:
- Life Together in Christ: Experiencing Transformation in Community by Ruth Haley Barton (based on the story of the road to Emmaus)
- Evangelism as Exiles: Life on Mission as Strangers in Our Own Land by Elliot Clark
- The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert Coleman
- With Burning Hearts: A Meditation on the Eucharistic Life by Henri Nouwen (reflection on the the story of the road to Emmaus)
- Evangelism for Non-Evangelists: Sharing the Gospel Authentically by Mark Teasdale
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Encountering the Risen Jesus
Sermon Title: Encountering Deeper Intimacy With Jesus
Passage: Luke 24:28-32
1. An Invitation Extended (v28-29a)
1st Question: What do we learn from the travelers?
- We learn that we must allow our lives to be interrupted by Jesus in order to deepen our intimacy w/ Jesus.
2. An Invitation Accepted (v29b-30)
2nd Question: What do we learn about Jesus?
- We learn that Jesus always accepts the invitation to deeper intimacy.
3. Intimacy Experienced (v31-32)
3rd Question: What do we learn from Jesus?
- We learn that Jesus always initiates the interruptions that lead to deeper intimacy
Reflection: Spiritual Practice of Examen
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Examen Guide SERMON FOOTNOTES “Only with an invitation to ‘come and stay with me’ can in interesting encounter develop into a transforming relationship.” - Henri Nouwen (With Burning Hearts, p57) * “Discernment is an increasing capacity to recognize and respond to the presence of Christ - in ordinary moments and also in the larger decisions of our lives.” - Ruth Haley Barton (Life Together in Christ, p138) * Discernment is “finding God in all things, so that we might love and serve God in all (things).” - St Ignatius of Loyola (from Life Together in Christ* by Ruth Haley Barton, p137) * “Discernment requires us to move beyond our reliance on (our own) cognition and intellectual hard work to a place of deep listening and response to the Spirit of God within us and among us.” - Ruth Haley Barton (Discerning God’s Will Together: Discovering a Process of Leadership Discernment)
Recommended Reading:
- Surrender to Love: Discovering the Heart of Christian Spirituality by David Benner
- Life Together in Christ: Experiencing Transformation in Community by Ruth Haley Barton (based on the story of the road to Emmaus)
- Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life by Henri Nouwen
- With Burning Hearts: A Meditation on the Eucharistic Life by Henri Nouwen (reflection on the the story of the road to Emmaus)
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Encountering the Risen Jesus
Sermon Title: Encountering the Way of Jesus
Passage: Luke 24:25-27
1. Jesus Confronts Their Misunderstanding (v25)
1st Question: What do we learn from the travelers?
- We learn that familiarity with Jesus is not the same as intimacy with Jesus. Proximity to Jesus does not guarantee obedience to his words, faithfulness to his way, or being formed into his image.
2. Jesus Challenges Their Understanding (v26)
3. Jesus Corrects Their Misunderstanding (v27)
2nd Question: What do we learn about Jesus?
- That he is the fulfillment of promise
3rd Question: What do we learn from Jesus?
- We learn what this journey we are following Jesus on looks like
Reflection
- Read Luke 24:25-27 and ask yourself, “How have I misunderstood Jesus?” How have I misunderstood who he is, what I hoped he would do, when I hoped he would do it, and the way I hoped he would do it? How have I been foolish in not recognizing his presence, only seeing what I want to see? How have I been slow of heart, not believing his words, only hearing what I want to hear?
- Read Luke 9:23-24 and ask yourself, “How have I misunderstood the way of Jesus?” How have I misunderstood the journey he is leading me on? Thinking he’s taking me somewhere other than where I want to go. What is holding you back from being all in, prevenient you from entering the narrow gate? What are you holding on to, that is preventing you from picking up your cross and faithfully following the way of Jesus?
SERMON FOOTNOTES “You have been staring at an obstacle not willing to consider that the obstacle was put there to show you the right path.” - Henri Nouwen (With Burning Hearts, p42) * “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die…If we refuse to take up our cross and submit to suffering and rejection at the hands of (others), we forfeit our fellowship with Christ and have ceased to follow him…Discipleship (following Jesus, being formed into his image) means allegiance to the suffering Christ, and it is therefore not at all surprising that Christians should be called upon to suffer.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Cost of Discipleship*, p89,91,91)
Recommended Reading:
- The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation by M. Robert Mulholland Jr.
- Life Together in Christ: Experiencing Transformation in Community by Ruth Haley Barton (based on the story of the road to Emmaus)
- With Burning Hearts: A Meditation on the Eucharistic Life by Henri Nouwen (reflection on the the story of the road to Emmaus)
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Encountering the Risen Jesus
Sermon Title: Encountering Jesus in our Disappointment
Passage: Luke 24:17-24
First Question (v17-18)
1st Question: What do we learn from the travelers? When we’re angry, it’s easy to take our anger out on others
- Straining our relationships
- Perpetuating a cycle of anger
Follow-up Question (v19-24)
2nd Question: What do we learn about Jesus? That he is so incredibly patient
3rd Question: What do we learn from Jesus? How to patiently listen to others
Incarnational Listening:
- is not about you
- is fully present
- asks questions - good questions and follow-up questions
- waits patiently
- embraces silence
- remains attentive to God
SERMON FOOTNOTES Displacement: the transfer of feelings or behavior from their original object to another person” - [VerwellMind] - [PsychologyToday] * “Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person, they are almost indistinguishable” - David Augsburger (Caring Enough to Hear and Be Heard - quote taken from Emotionally Healthy Discipleship, p149 by Peter Scazzero) * “Ask me not where I live or what I like to eat...ask me what I think I am living for, in detail, and ask me what I think is keeping me from living fully for the thing I want to live for.” - Thomas Merton (My Argument with the Gestapo - quote taken from Life Together in Christ, p74 by Ruth Haley Barton) * “Christians, especially ministers, so often think they must always contribute something when they are in the company of others, that this is the one service they have to render. They forget that listening can be a greater service than speaking. Many people are looking for an ear that will listen. They do not find it among Christians, because these Christians are talking where they should be listening. But he who can no longer listen to his brother will soon no longer be listening to God either.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Life Together* p97-98)
Recommended Reading:
- Emotionally Healthy Discipleship by Peter Scazzero
- Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero
- The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality by Ronald Rotheiser
- Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation by M. Robert Mulholland Jr.
- Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- Life Together in Christ: Experiencing Transformation in Community by Ruth Haley Barton (based on the story of the road to Emmaus)
- With Burning Hearts: A Meditation on the Eucharistic Life by Henri Nouwen (reflection on the the story of the road to Emmaus)
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Encountering the Risen Jesus
Sermon Title: Encountering the Presence of Jesus
Passage: Luke 24:13-16
The Journey (v13-14)
1st Question: What do we learn from the travelers? That our journey of spiritual formation requires:
- Our Togetherness
- Our Openness - with ourselves, with others, with God
The Encounter (v15-16)
2nd Question: What do we learn about Jesus? That he has drawn near and is always present.
We encounter the presence of Jesus:
- By creating space for an encounter
- By gathering with his people
- By reading the words of Scripture
3rd Question: What do we learn from Jesus? How to lover others who are unable to see him, through the power of our:
- Presence with them
- Prayers for them
- Patience as we wait with them
SERMON FOOTNOTES “Spiritual formation is a process of being formed int the image of Christ for the sake of others.” - Robert Mulholland Jr (Invitation to a Journey, p16) * "Spiritual transformation is the process by which Christ is formed in us - for the glory of God, for the abundance of our own lives, and for the sake of others; it results in an increasing capacity to discern and do the will of God.” - Ruth Haley Barton (Life Together in Christ, p11-12) * “Only in Jesus Christ are we one, only through him are we bound together…Our community with one another consists solely in what Christ has done…The more genuine and the deeper our community becomes, the more will everything else between us recede, the more clearly and purely will Jesus Christ and his work become the only thing that is vital between us.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Life Together, p24,25,26) * “To grieve is to allow our losses to tear apart feelings of security and safety and lead us to the painful truth of our brokenness. Our grief makes us experience the abyss of our own life in which noting is settled, clear, or obvious, but everything constantly shifting and changing.” - Henri Nouwen (With Burning Hearts, p27-28) * “So spiritual formation is not something that we do to ourselves or for ourselves, but something we allow God to do in us and for us as we yield ourselves to the work of God’s transforming grace.” - Robert Mulholland Jr (Invitation to a Journey, p38) * “Sometimes I consider myself there as a stone before a carver, where of he is to make a statue; presenting myself thus before God, I desire Him to form His perfect image in my soul, and make me entirely like Himself.” - Brother Lawrence (Practicing the Presence of God*, p36)
Recommended Reading:
- The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality by Ronald Rotheiser
- Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation by M. Robert Mulholland Jr.
- Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- Life Together in Christ: Experiencing Transformation in Community by Ruth Haley Barton (based on the story of the road to Emmaus)
- Opening to God: Lectio Divina and Life as Prayer by David Benner
- The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
- With Burning Hearts: A Meditation on the Eucharistic Life by Henri Nouwen (reflection on the the story of the road to Emmaus)
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Encountering the Risen Jesus
Sermon Title: Encountering the Empty Tomb
Passage: Luke 24:1-12
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Liturgy of Lament
Sermon Title: Pursuing Hope
Sermon Text: Lamentations 4:17-5:22
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Liturgy of Lament
Sermon Title: Ramifications of Sin
Sermon Text: Lamentations 4:1-16
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Liturgy of Lament
Sermon Title: Turning to Truth
Sermon Text: Lamentations 3
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: The Measure of Maturity
Sermon Title: Thirsting for God’s Presence
Sermon Text: Psalm 63
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: For the Good of One Another
Sermon Title: Living for the Good of One Another
Sermon Text: Philippians 4:10-23
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: For the Good of One Another
Sermon Title: Formed for the Good of One Another
Sermon Text: Philippians 4:8-9
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: For the Good of One Another
Sermon Title: Pursuing Peace for the Good of One Another
Sermon Text: Philippians 4:2-7
The Cause of Conflict (v2-3)Conflict is often caused by a difference in:
- information
- priorities
- perspectives
- values
- resources
The Pursuit of Peace (v4-7)When we view peace as the absence of conflict:
-
We avoid conflict by pretending it doesn’t exist
- We pretend by failing to address conflict
- We pretend by covering up conflict
- We pretend by rejecting the presence of conflict
-
We avoid conflict by preventing it from occurring
-
We prevent conflict passively by trying to appease everyone
- We prevent conflict aggressively threatening conflict
Three things to consider in our pursuit of peace as the presence of shalom
- What we remind ourselves: who God is, what God has done, all God has promised to do (v4)
- What we show others: a posture of humility (v5a)
- What we say to God: making our requests known (v5b-6)
ReflectionWe prayed the following collect together in our pursuit of peace:
A Prayer for Joy in God’s Creation
O heavenly Father, who has filled the world with beauty: Open our eyes to behold your gracious hand in all your works; that, rejoicing in your whole creation, we may learn to serve you with gladness; for the sake of him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.
A Prayer for the Reign of Christ
Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
A Prayer for Times of Conflict
O God, you have bound us together in a common life. Help us, in the midst of our struggles for justice and truth, to confront one another without hatred or bitterness, and to work together with mutual forbearance and respect; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer for the Unity of the Church
Almighty and most gracious Heavenly Father, we pray for your Church, the body of Christ. Fill it with all truth, with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us from godly union; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Savior. Amen.
A Prayer for Justice and Peace
Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart, that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer for the Answering of Prayer
Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things both in heaven and on earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of your people, made with a heart of gratitude, and in our time grant us your peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: For the Good of One Another
Sermon Title: Pursuing Jesus for the Good of One Another
Sermon Text: Philippians 3:12-4:1
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: For the Good of One Another
Sermon Title: Knowing Jesus for the Good of One Another
Sermon Text: Philippians 3:1-11
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: For the Good of One Another
Sermon Title: Examples of Living for the Good of One Another
Sermon Text: Philippians 2:19-30
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: For the Good of One Another
Sermon Title: Obedience for the Good of One Another
Sermon Text: Philippians 2:12-18
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: For the Good of One Another
Sermon Title: Humility for the Good of One Another
Sermon Text: Philippians 2:1-11
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: For the Good of One Another
Sermon Title: Together for the Good of One Another
Sermon Text: Philippians 1:27-30
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: For the Good of One Another
Sermon Title: Suffering for the Good of One Another
Sermon Text: Philippians 1:12-26
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: For the Good of One Another
Sermon Title: Encouragement for the Good of One Another
Sermon Text: Philippians 1:1-11
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Distinctives
Sermon Title: Spiritual Formation
Sermon Text: 2 Corinthians 3
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Distinctives
Sermon Title: Vulnerability
Sermon Text: 1 John 1:5-2:2
God is Light (v5)
- The light is good (Genesis 1:1-4) and safe (Psalm 27:1)
- The light represents God’s presence (Exodus 3, Exodus 13) and holiness (Psalm 104:1-2)
First Claim (v6-7)
Three warnings of the danger of darkness
- Sin separates you from God and each other
- Sin leads you out of the light and into the darkness
- Shame keeps you hiding in the darkness
Second Claim (v8-9)
We deceive ourselves into thinking the darkness is safe and good by:
- Hiding our sin
- Ignoring our sin
- Excusing our sin
- Justifying our sin
- Redefining our sin
- Tolerating our sin
- Embracing our sin
Third Claim (1:10-2:2)
How we can create a culture of vulnerability together
- Initiate vulnerability
- Invite vulnerability
- Be caring, not curious
- Be quick to listen, slow to speak, slower to suggest
- Show up so you can follow-up
- Receive what is shared in confidentiality
My prayer for us as a church
- Help us see the ways we have hidden our sin from God, others, and ourselves
- Help us bring our sin out of the darkness and in to the light
- Help us create a culture of vulnerability
- Help us take a step of courage this week by sharing with someone
SERMON FOOTNOTES* “Sin demands to have a man by himself. It withdraws him from the community. The more isolated a person is, the more destructive will be the power of sin over him, and the more deeply he becomes involved in it, the more disastrous is his isolation. Sin wants to remain unknown. It shuns the light. In the darkness of the unexpressed it poisons the whole being of a person.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together (1954, p112) * “We recognize early and often that shame tends to be self-reinforcing. When we experience shame, we tend to turn away from others because the prospect of being seen or known by another carries the anticipation of shame being intensified or reactivated. However, the very act of turning away, while temporarily protecting and relieving us from our feeling (and the gaze of the ‘other’), ironically simultaneously reinforces the very shame we are attempting to avoid. Notably, we do not necessarily realize this to be happening - we’re just trying to survive the moment. But indeed this dance between hiding and feeling shame itself becomes a tightening of the noose. We feel shame, and then feel shame for feeling shame. It begets itself.” - Curt Thompson, The Soul of Shame: Retelling the Stories We Believe About Ourselves (2015, p31)
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Distinctives
Sermon Title: Hospitality
Sermon Text: 1 Peter 4:7-11
Hebrews 10:19-25 (NOTE: Due to technical issues the introduction to the sermon is not included in this week's podcast)
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Signs & Wonders
Sermon Title: Healing the Gentile, Woman, & Many
Sermon Text: Matthew 8:5-17
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Signs & Wonders
Sermon Title: Healing a Leper
Sermon Text: Matthew 8:1-4
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: The Resurrection (Alive in Christ)
Sermon Title: Responding To the Resurrection
Sermon Text: 1 Corinthians 15:50-58
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: The Resurrection (Alive in Christ)
Sermon Title: Understanding the Resurrection
Sermon Text: 1 Corinthians 15:35-49
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: The Resurrection (Alive in Christ)
Sermon Title: The Reality of the Resurrection
Sermon Text: 1 Corinthians 15:12-34
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: The Resurrection (Alive in Christ)
Sermon Title: Easter
Sermon Text: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Seeing Into the Heart of God - Lent in Hosea
Sermon Title: Hosea’s Sermon: Faithful to God
Series Big Idea: The more we come to see the depth of our sin, the more we come to see the extent of God’s love
Sermon Text: Hosea 11:12-14:9
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Seeing Into the Heart of God - Lent in Hosea
Sermon Title: Hosea’s Sermon: Loving God
Series Big Idea: The more we come to see the depth of our sin, the more we come to see the extent of God’s love
Sermon Text: Hosea 6:4-11:11
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Seeing Into the Heart of God - Lent in Hosea
Sermon Title: Hosea’s Sermon: Knowing God
Series Big Idea: The more we come to see the depth of our sin, the more we come to see the extent of God’s love
Sermon Text: Hosea 4:1-6:3
Opening Argument (4:1-3)
Israel invited with three charges (4:1):
- No faithfulness to God
- No steadfast love of God
- No knowledge of God
First Charge: No Knowledge of God (4:4-8) - Old Testament Reference: 1 Kings 13:33-34
The Impact of Sin (4:9-19)
- Communal Impact of Sin (4:9-13a)
- Generational Impact of Sin (4:13b-14) - Old Testament Reference: Deuteronomy 6:4-12, Judges 2:10
- Relational Impact of Sin (4:15-19)
The Consequences of Sin (5:1-14)
- Sin leads you away from freedom and into slavery (5:3b-4)
- Sin leads you away from God and into danger (5:5-7)
- Sin leads you away from peace and into conflict (5:8-11) - Old Testament Reference: 2 Kings 16
- Sin leads you away from stability and into destruction (5:12-14)
The Good News of Hosea (5:15-6:3) - Old Testament Reference: Deuteronomy 30:1-3, 1 Kings 8:46-53
SERMON FOOTNOTES “Dear Eric, Sunday morning and you’re getting ready to lead your congregation in worship - present them to God, present God to them.” - Eugene Peterson, Letters to a Young Pastor: Timothy Conversations Between Father and Son (p6) * “God is neither a ‘what’ nor a ‘thing’ but a pure ‘Who.’ He is the ‘Thou’ before whom our inmost ‘I’ springs into awareness.” - Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation* (p13)
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Seeing Into the Heart of God - Lent in Hosea
Sermon Title: Hosea’s Story: His Love
Series Big Idea: The more we come to see the depth of our sin, the more we come to see the extent of God’s love
Sermon Text: Hosea 3
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Seeing Into the Heart of God - Lent in Hosea
Sermon Title: Hosea’s Story: His Wife
Series Big Idea: The more we come to see the depth of our sin, the more we come to see the extent of God’s love
Sermon Text: Hosea 2:2-23
Israel’s Path to Destruction (v2-5)* Unrepentant sin shames (v3a) * Unrepentant sin separates (v3b) * Unrepentant sin severs (v3c) * Unrepentant sin spreads (v34)
God’s Intervention (v6-15)* 1st Step: God disrupts our lives (v6-7) * 2nd Step: God disciplines our sin (v8-13) * 3rd Step: God draws us back to Him (v14-15)
The Good News of Hosea (v16-23)God promises four realities that will exist in that day
- 1st Promise: In that day, God will restore His relationship with His people (v16-17)
- 2nd Promise: In that day, God will restore His covenant with His people (v18-20)
- 3rd Promise: In that day, God will restore all His creation for His people (v21-22a)
- 4th Promise: In that day, God will restore us as His people (v22b-23)
SERMON FOOTNOTES We are experiencing an “inaugurated eschatology” as God “has already begun that ultimate, final work of new creation” - NT Wright, “Jesus is Coming - Plant a Tree*” from Surprised by Scripture (p94)
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Seeing Into the Heart of God - Lent in Hosea
Sermon Title: Hosea’s Story: His Family
Series Big Idea: The more we come to see the depth of our sin, the more we come to see the extent of God’s love
Sermon Text: Hosea 1:1-2:1
The Prophet (1:1)
The Message (1:2a)
The Meaning (1:2b)
The Family (1:3-9)
The Good News (1:10-2:1)
SERMON FOOTNOTES “Lent is a quieting of the soul and a lessening of distractions so we can again hear the voice of God.” - Esau McCauley, Lent: The Season of Repentance and Renewal from the Fullness of Time Series (p72) * “A season dedicated to repentance and renewal should not lead us to despair; it should cause us to praise God for his grace.” - Esau McCauley, Lent: The Season of Repentance and Renewal* from the Fullness of Time Series (p3) * “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent’, he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” - Martin Luther, the first of his 95 Thesis posted on October 31, 1517.
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Spiritual Rhythms of the Psalms
Sermon Title: Daily Office
Sermon Text: Psalm 4-5
Spiritual Practice of the Daily OfficeSitSit in silence for 1 minute before God
Read Read Psalm 5 in the morning
Read Psalm 4 in the evening
PrayAsk God to lead you this morning
Thank God for peace this evening
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Spiritual Rhythms of the Psalms
Sermon Title: Silence & Solitude
Sermon Text: Psalm 46
1. Living under God’s protection brings us peace (v1-3)
2. Living in God’s presence brings us peace (v4-7)
3. Living by God’s power brings us peace (v8-9)
Spiritual Practice of Silence & Solitude1. Prepare for this time of silence with God.
- Grab your phone, a journal, and a pencil.
- Find a quiet, comfortable spot.
- Set a timer on your phone for 10 minutes so you don’t have to think about when your time is up.
- Take three deep breaths in - inhaling and exhaling slowly.
- As thoughts enter your mind: acknowledge the thought (don’t fight it), jot down the thought (just a couple of words in your journal), release the thought, and then return to God.
2. Pray over your time - marking your entrance into this time with God, positioning yourself before God, opening yourself to God, praying this prayer “Gather me to be with you” by Ted Loder in his book Guerrillas of Grace:
O God, gather me now to be with you as you are with me.
Soothe my tiredness; quiet my fretfulness;
curb my aimlessness; relieve my compulsiveness;
let me be easy for a moment.
O Lord, release me from the fears and guilts which grip me so tightly;
from the expectations and opinions which I so tightly grip,
that I may be open to receiving what you give,
to risking something genuinely new,
to learning something refreshingly different.
O God, gather me to be with you as you are with me. Amen.
3. Read Psalm 46, reminding yourself that living in Christ under God’s protection, in God’s presence, and by God’s power brings peace.
4. Sit in the stillness and silence of this refuge with God - be still and know that He is God - aware of His presence - don’t rush anything, don’t force anything - you are simply sitting with God and spending time with God - breathing and being. As you sit, pay attention to your inner being - your thoughts and emotions - feel them, name them, express them - and share them with God. Ask yourself what lies you are hearing and believing and how they are robbing you of the peace you find in GOd. How are these lies contradicting God’s Word? Then release your cares and worries and fears to God.
5. Thank God for this time together when the alarm goes off!
SERMON FOOTNOTES “The farther I run away from the place where God dwells, the less I am able to hear the voice that calls me the Beloved, and the less I hear that voice, the more entailed I become in the manipulations and power games of the world.” - Henri Nouwen, The Return of the Prodigal Son (p46-47) * Story of Mother Theresa taken from The Deeply Formed Life* by Rich Villodas
Additional Resources
- Invitation to Solitude and Silence: Experiencing God’s Transforming Presence by Ruth haley Barton
- Chapter 2 of Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton
- The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Spiritual Rhythms of the Psalms
Sermon Title: Scripture
Sermon Text: Psalm 119:97-104
Spiritual Rhythms guide us in regular participation in the deepening of our awareness of God and our affection for God.
A. What God’s Word Is (v97)B. What spending time in God’s Word does (v98-104)1. Spending time with God in His Word changes the way we THINK - gaining both wisdom and understanding (v98-100)
- by memorizing God’s Word (v98)
- by meditating on God’s Word (v99)
-
by living out God’s Word (v100)
-
Spending time with God in His Word changes the way we LIVE - guiding our lives (v101-102)
-
Spending time with God in His Word changes the way we VIEW SCRIPTURE (v103-104)
Putting This Into PracticeREAD Paul’s letter to the Philippians in it's entirety, preferably with a reader’s edition (without chapter and verse markings). You can download either the ESV translation or The Message here:
ESV MESSAGE If you would like to listen to a reading of Philippians 2 as you read, try one of these:
- Dwell: [Website] -[Apple App Store]
- Bible.is: [Website]-[Apple App Store]
- Bible Study Tools: [Website]
MEMORIZE the Christ Hymn in Philippians 2:5-11, memorizing one additional verse each day over the course of the week, as we did in service together memorizing verse 5.
MEDITATE on the Christ Hymn, using our version of the ancient practice of Lectio Divina consisting of 5 steps
- OPENING - Open yourself to God, positioning your body, preparing your heart, and praying this simple breath prayer of young Samuel from 1 Samuel 3: “Here I am, Lord - speak to me - I am ready to listen.”
- LISTENING - Read the passage the first time, asking yourself, “What word or phrase is the Spirit drawing me to in this passage?” Then spend the next minute in silence with that word, savoring that phrase for the next minute, listening as the Spirit continues leading.
- REFLECTING - Read the passage a second time, asking yourself, “What is God saying to me through this passage about who He is, what He has done, or what He has promised to do?” Then spend the next minute in silence as the Spirit continues stirring.
- RESPONDING - Read the passage a third time, asking yourself, “How is God inviting me to respond to what He has said in this passage?” Then spend the next minute in silence as the Spirit reveals a step of faithfulness and obedience in living this out.
- THANKING - Close your time in prayer, thanking God for this time, for His Word, for His presence with you, and His love for you.
SERMON FOOTNOTES “The Bible is unique among books because it is written from God's point of view...That claim could not be made if it were not for one conviction: that God has truly revealed himself in his Word.” - Fleming Rutledge, Means of Grace (p53) * “[E]xegesis is an act of love. It loves the one who speaks the words enough to want to get the words right. It respects the words enough to use every means we have to get the words right. Exegesis is loving God enough to stop and listen carefully to what he says.” - Eugene Peterson, Eat This Book (p97) * Spiritual reading is a type of “reading that enters our souls as food enters our stomachs, spreads through our blood, and becomes holiness and love and wisdom.” - Eugene Peterson, Eat This Book (p99) * “A simple act of obedience will open up our lives to this text far more quickly than any number of Bible studies and dictionaries and concordances.” - Eugene Peterson, Eat This Book (p71) * “Reading is an immense gift, but only if the words are assimilated, taken into the soul - eaten, chewed, gnawed, received in unhurried delight.” (p11) - “Christians don’t simply learn or study or use Scripture; we assimilate it, take it into our lives in such a way that it gets metabolized into acts of love.” (p18) - Eugene Peterson, Eat This Book*: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading
Additional Resources
- The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible by Scot McKnight
- Chapters 1-2 of The Deeply Formed Life by Rich VIllodas
- Chapter 9 of Invitation to a Journey by Robert Mulholland
- The Message by Eugene Peterson
- Chapter 3 of Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Spiritual Rhythms of the Psalms
Sermon Title: Sabbath
Sermon Text: Psalm 92
Spiritual Rhythms (or spiritual practices or disciplines) guide us in regular participation in the deepening of our awareness of God and our affection for God
The Reason for Sabbath (v1-5)1. Delighting in who God is (v1-3) 2. Delighting in what God has done (v4-5)
The Result of Sabbath (v6-15)1. The result of rejecting the gift of Sabbath (v6-7) 2. The result of receiving the gift of Sabbath (v8-15)
Delighting in Sabbath1. Sabbath is a gift 2. Sabbath is a choice 3. Sabbath is counter cultural 4. Sabbath is not your day off 5. Sabbath is not just about restricting, but also about pursuing 6. Sabbath is unique to you 7. Sabbath is not just about you 8. Sabbath requires intentionality
WHAT are you going to and not do?
HOW are you going to do it?
WHEN are you going to Sabbath?
WHERE are you going to Sabbath?
WHO are you going to Sabbath with?
WHY are you going to Sabbath? 9. Sabbath stirs anticipation 10. Sabbath results in reflection
HOW did you delight in God?
What did you enjoy most?
What worked well and how will you incorporate next time?
What did not work well and how will you adjust next time?
Reflecting on Psalm 921. Delight in who God is (v1-3) 2. Delight in what God has done (v4-5) 3. Delight in this incredible gift of Sabbath given to us by God (v12-15)
SERMON FOOTNOTES “Sabbath is the most precious present mankind has received from the treasure house of God.” - Abraham Heschel, The Sabbath (p18) * “It is only when we slow down our lives that we can catch up to God.” - NT Wright, taken from The Deeply Formed Life by Rich Villodas (p7) * “[T]he heart of Sabbath is that we cease our work so that we can rest and delight in God and God’s good gifts.” - Ruth Haley Barton, Sacred Rhythms (p139) * “[T]he rest of the week must be lived in such a way as to make sabbath possible.” - Ruth Haley Barton, Sacred Rhythms* (p134)
Additional Resources
- Sabbath by Dan Allender
- Sabbath as Resistance: Saying NO to the Culture of NOW by Walter Brueggeman
- Sabbath Keeping by Lynne Baab
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Spiritual Rhythms of the Psalms
Sermon Title: Worship
Sermon Text: Psalm 66
Spiritual Rhythms (or spiritual practices or disciplines) guide us in regular participation in the deepening of our awareness of God and affection for God
Three reminders of who God is and what that reveals of our relationship with God:1st Reminder: God is omniscient, knowing everything about me (v1-6)
- because God is omniscient, knowing everything about me: I am known by God
2nd Reminder: God is omnipresent, being everywhere with me (v7-12)
- because God is omnipresent, being everywhere with me: I am not alone
3rd Reminder: God is omnificent, having created me (v13-16)
- because God is omnificent, having created me: I am loved by God
Putting this Psalm into practice through the spiritual practice of ExamenDownload this Guide to Examen, and pray this out each evening, making this spiritual practice a daily rhythm in your life.
Examen Guide SERMON FOOTNOTES Link to New York Times article* citing the two studies referenced in today’s introduction, written by John Leland, published April 20, 2022.
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Spiritual Rhythms of the Psalms
Sermon Title: Worship
Sermon Text: Psalm 66
Spiritual Rhythms (or spiritual practices or disciplines) guide us in regular participation in the deepening of our awareness of God and affection for God
WHAT
The psalmist corrects our misunderstanding of WHAT worship is (v1-4)
- Worship is a response to who God is and what God has done
WHO
The Psalmist corrects our misunderstanding of WHO we worship, by showing us the OBJECT of our worship (v1-4)
WHY
The Psalmist corrects our misunderstanding of WHY we worship, by showing us the CONTENT of our worship
- Who God is (v1-4)
- What God has done (v5-12)
We remembered all God has done in and through our church over the past year:
- The Way: 14 people began a 3-year journey of spiritual growth and formation this past January and 21 are beginning their journey this January.
- Redemption Youth: We brought Pastor Tim on full time this fall as we began Redemption Youth, helping our youth see God’s faithfulness to fulfill His promises to His people in the covenants of the Old Testament this past fall and seeing who Jesus is in the gospel of John this upcoming spring.
- The Pantry: Over 100 of us, including our kids, have served at The Pantry so far, meeting the physical needs of those in our community, by handing out over 30,000 diapers, over 600 packs of wipes, and plenty more including strollers, car seats, toys, clothes, and even an Iron Man costume in December for one lucky trick or treater!
- Hands & Feet: We contributed over $56,000 to our Hands and Feet fund (which we contribute at least 5% of our giving to each month) with over $12,000 going to support local organizations such as LSSI’s therapeutic foster care program and Journey’s emergency hotel program, over $7,000 in benevolence for our church family, $3,000 in missions and seminary scholarships, and we cleared the lists of 4 teachers this fall.
- Helping Churches Thrive: We contributed over $114,000 to our Helping Churches Thrive fund (which we contribute at least 10% of our giving to each month) with $25,000 going to our friends at Formation Church in Salt Lake City, $10,000 to Redemption Church in Belvedere for a down payment on their new home, $10,000 to Converge church plants, $2,000 to a church in Ukraine, $18,000 to our four monthly partners including David Pater in Toulouse, France, and $10,000 to our one-time partners including Tim Beavis with Carey International.
- Our Church Home: We continue to make this building our home with the addition of our lobby and co-working space, updates to our kids space including the Rec Room remodel, the Bible timeline in the Bigs/Elementary room, and laying carpet throughout the basement later this month. AND…don’t forget about the incredible story of our parking lot repair!
- Our Church Family: We continue to make this a place to belong by focusing on the health of our family, which led to the creation of The Way, gathering for prayer in the lobby every Sunday at 9:30AM, and continuing to make this a safe place for hurting people to heal, encounter Jesus, and join us in faithfully following the way of Jesus together.
HOW
The Psalmist corrects our misunderstanding of HOW we worship, by showing us the POSTURE of our worship
- A posture of gratitude (v13-15)
- A posture of joy (v1-4)
- A posture of openness (v16-20)
YOUR NEXT STEP
Arrive by 9:30AM each Sunday for the remainder of this series to:
- Prepare your heart for worship
- Pray with us at 9:30AM in the lobby
- Meet someone new to you
- WORSHIP!
SERMON FOOTNOTES “Sometimes I consider myself there as a stone before a carver, whereof he is to make a statue; presenting myself thus before GOd, I desire Him to form His perfect image in my soul, and make me entirely like Himself.” Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God (p36) * Each Sunday morning I begin preparing for worship through a time of silence, prayer, and reading a sermon as God word is preached to me. I recently finished reading through Eugene Peterson’s sermons in As Kingfishers Catch Fire. At the start of Advent, myself and a few others from the first group of The Way began reading through a collection of sermons by Fleming Rutledge in her book Means of Grace, which traces the liturgical calendar. This morning I began reading through a collection of Deitrich Bonhoeffer’s sermons in The Collected Sermons of Dietrich Bonhoeffer*.
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Good News of Great Joy
Sermon Title: Finding Jesus
Sermon Text: Luke 2:41-52
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Good News of Great Joy
Sermon Title: A Story of Good News
Sermon Text: Luke 2:1-21
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Good News of Great Joy
Sermon Title: Preparing for Good News
Sermon Text: Luke 1:57-80
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Good News of Great Joy
Sermon Title: Rejoicing in Good News
Sermon Text: Luke 1:39-56
1) We rejoice in the gift of Christ’s presence among us (v39-45)
2) We rejoice in the gift of Christ’s fulfillment of promise for us (v46-56)
SERMON FOOTNOTES This morning we read from the Chalcedonian Definition, written in the 4th Ecumenical Counsel of Chalcedon in AD451, as translated in the appendix of The Thrill of Orthodoxy: Rediscovering the Adventure of Christian Faith* by Trevin Wax.
We, then, following the holy fathers, all with one consent, teach men to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and the same perfect in manhood, the same truly God and truly man, of a reasonable soul and body; consubstantial with the Father according to the Godhead, and the same consubstantial with us according to the Manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin; begotten before all ages from the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter days the same, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, the God-bearer, according to the Manhood; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son and only begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the prophets from the beginning have declared concerning him, and the Lord Jesus Christ himself has taught us, and the Creed of the holy Fathers has handed down to us. * “No one who holds power dares to come near the manger; King Herod also did not dare. For here thrones begin to sway, the powerful fall down, and those who are high are brought low, because God is here with the lowly.” - sermon preached by Dietrich Bonhoeffer in London on the third Sunday of Advent on December 17, 1933. Taken from The Collected Sermons of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (p119-120). * “Probably the most powerful statement of God’s work to destroy evil social structures is in the New Testament - in Mary’s Magnificat.” - Ronald Sider, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger: Moving from Affluence to Generosity (p116).
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Good News of Great Joy
Sermon Title: Announcing the Good News
Sermon Text: Luke 1:26-38
1) Gabriel’s Announcement (v26-34)To the world, Mary was an unknown girl from an unknown village, but not to God
- God knew Mary, looking on her with favor
- God was with Mary, sending His messenger to her
What would make this child unlike any other ever born would be his:
- Divinity - as the Son of the Most High
- Royalty - sitting on the throne of his ancestral father David
- Authority - reigning over the house of Judah forever
2) Gabriel’s Answer (v35)God would do this as:
- His presence will come upon her
- His power will overshadow her
3) Gabriel’s Assurance (v36-37)Our faith in what God has promised to do is founded on what God has already done
4) Mary’s Acceptance (v38)We wait for Christ’s promised return by:
- Waiting with hope
- Waiting with anticipation and expectation
- Waiting in faithful obedience
SERMON FOOTNOTES*
SERMON NOTESSermon Series: Good News of Great Joy
Sermon Title: Waiting for Good News
Sermon Text: Luke 1:5-25
The Church liturgical calendar is a lived remembrance of the life of Christ by the body of Christ.
1st Scene: Our Waiting on God (v5-7)By entering into Zechariah and Elizabeth’s story of waiting, we learn more about our own story of waiting:
- Waiting reveals what you most desire of God
- Waiting tests your obedience to God
- Waiting teaches you to trust God
2nd Scene: God in Our Waiting (v8-17)By entering into Israel’s story of waiting, we see God in our waiting:
- God is working
- God is present
- God is listening
- God is faithful
3rd Scene: Our Responding to God (v18-25)By entering into this story of waiting, we see what waiting is
- Waiting is active
- Waiting is patient
- Waiting is open-ended
Open ended waiting requires:
- Hope
- Faith
- Trust
The good news of great joy as we wait this Advent season is that everything we need is found in Jesus.
Reflection* What are you waiting on God to do? What is that thing you are praying for? * As you reflect on your waiting on God, ask yourself: What is God revealing to me and teaching me as I wait? How is God testing my obedience to Him as I wait? * As you reflect on God in your waiting, ask yourself: Where do I see God working and how do I sense God’s presence in my life?
SERMON FOOTNOTES The liturgical calendar is “the attempt to live the Jesus life over and over again all the years of our lives…The liturgical year is the process of slow, sure immersion in the life of Christ that, in the end, claims us, too, as heralds of that life ourselves.” - Joan Chittister, The Liturgical Year: The Spiraling Adventure of the Spiritual Life (pXVI, 13) * “The word ‘patience’ implies the willingness to stay where we are and live the situation out to the full in the belief that something hidden there will manifest itself to us. Patient living means to live actively in the present and wait there. Impatient people expect the real thing to happen somewhere else, and therefore they want to get away from the present situation and go elsewhere. For them the moment is empty. But patient people dare to stay where they are.” - Henri Nouwen, The Path of Waiting from Finding My Way Home* (p99)
Big Idea: The church has been called out of the darkness to be set apart for the glory of God.
Big Idea: Followers of Jesus give of themselves for the good of others and the glory of God.
We gather together to remind ourselves and proclaim to the world God’s gift of salvation.
The Son of God identified with sinners, so that sinners might be loved like the Son of God.
The Son of God identified with sinners, so that sinners might be loved like the Son of God.
Faith Tested By FireBig Idea: Your faith in God is made visible through your obedience to God.
Responding Faithfully in ExileBig Idea: The way you respond to God reveals what you believe to be true about God.
Big Idea: God’s unwavering faithfulness to you enables you to live faithfully in exile.
Living Faithfully in ExileBig Idea: God’s unwavering faithfulness to you enables you to live faithfully in exile.
Who Then is This?Big Idea: Jesus is the divine son of God who came to be known and save his people
How have we spoken against you?Big Idea: Those who faithfully seek God will find a God who is faithful.
Big Idea: Disciples of Jesus are willing to die to self for the sake of following Jesus.
Follow After MeBig Idea: Disciples of Jesus are willing to die to self for the sake of following Jesus.