b1Naz Sermons: Recent Episodes
First Church of the Nazarene
A Formula Managed God can be Manipulated or controlled. If God is all loving, all-powerful, and good, why doesn’t He intervene? Job 20-26
Mud is for sitting, not slinging. Are you willing to sit in the mud to process your difficulties? Are you willing to sit with someone else to help them process? Job 15-19.
Don’t Avoid the Void. Job suffered greatly and invited his friends into his sorrow, but they chose easy answers instead of processing the difficult. Job 3-7.
Even when Chaos Terrorizes, God is in Control. Why did Job suffering? Will he bless God or curse God?
Does God have your heart? God wants your heart more than He wants your money, but if He doesn’t have your money, He probably doesn’t have your heart.
Serving becomes Sacred when done in Jesus’ Name. Why and how are followers of Jesus to serve? How are followers of Jesus to serve?
Jesus calls us together. We are better together. A Lone Believer Survives; a United Church Thrives.
God can take the ordinary and transform it into extraordinary. How have you encountered God’s grace in your life?
Jesus is not a Path to Salvation…He is Salvation. There is a moment I was not saved by Jesus and then a moment I became saved. But Jesus does not want to stop at covering our sin. He wants to cleans us. Acts 16 & Acts 2.
A transactional life says, “I’ll handle it.” A transformed life says, “We need each other.” What does it mean to belong to Jesus and to each other? We are called to serve one another in love. How is that lived out among us? Are you willing to lean into being part of the Body of Christ?
Has Jesus defeated your Sin or has your Sin defeated You? How are you getting closer to Jesus? Are you living in the freedom that Jesus offers? Romans 6:1-11 & 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.
What are you carrying? Have you given it to Jesus? To Redeem your Baggage, you must First Give it to Jesus. Luke 18:18-30
Jesus calls us to serve. Serving can be self-serving or it can serve Jesus…but it can’t do both. Do you serve others with joyful humility? Mark 10:35-45 & Matthew 5:13-16.
There is a difference between Good Things and God Things. Do you allow the Holy Spirit to bring to light the difference? Matthew 16:21-28.
Our Desires Dictate and Determine Discipleship. Have you giving your desires to Jesus for Him to shape them or do you allow your desires to shape you? Psalm 37:4 & Luke 10:38-42
Jesus calls us to follow Him now. We must not allow other desires and priorities to prevent us from obediently following Jesus. Luke 9:51-62.
Do you love Jesus enough to give Him everything? Is there anything you are holding back? You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6:19-24
Satan Divides and Conquers; Jesus Unifies and Redeems. How do we discern who is for us and who is against us? The Gospel message makes us a people. We are called to come together as the people who confess Jesus as Lord to allow Jesus to do His redemption and transformative work in our lives. When we do, we experience the beauty of the church.
The hostility within us is often because we have held something back from Jesus. Are you receiving the power Jesus wants to give you? Do you fully love Jesus?
God created us to worship, but Money and Time Reveal your God. What do you worship? And how can you make sure you only worship Jesus? Deuteronomy 18:9-14 & Matthew 22:35-40.
What happens when we attempt to fulfill desires without Jesus? Our bodies are the temple of God because the Holy Spirit lives inside us, and we are made to bring glory to God…not ourselves. Matthew 5:27-30 & 1 Corinthians 6:12-20.
You are either controlled by desires or conformed by the Spirit. Does your life honor Jesus or are you holding onto things in this world? Human Solutions do not solve Spiritual Problems. Ephesians 5:15-20 & Romans 12:1-2
How do you conceal the sin in your life? Only through the power of Jesus can selfishness, jealousy, and envy be eradicated.
Jesus is the Prince of Peace, but what does that mean? In our world, peace is achieved by defeating others. Jesus doesn’t bring peace by violence. He bore violence to bring us peace. Luke 7:36-50 & 19:41-44 & Matthew 10:34
Jesus welcomes all to come to him…regardless of clout or credentials. Jesus is the Father you’ve always needed from Luke 18:15-17.
Advent calls us to wait, receive, and trust. The Almighty God Overcomes Relative Problems from Mark 4:35-41
If Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor, how is that displayed in your life? In Mark 1:21-28, Jesus has solutions that transforms the world’s complications.
Jesus calls us to a new life, and He lived that life as an example for us. John 13 shows Jesus’ example of service by washing His disciples feet.
Jesus provide that which lasts eternally and gives us eternal significance. Everything in this world will eventually pass away, but Jesus will not. John 6:26-42.
Jesus calls us to be born again, but what does that mean (John 3:1-21). Human actions and efforts will produce human results. Jesus invites us to a new life that is possible only though the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus came to restore the broken. We search for truth, but the Truth (Jesus) is already here. If Jesus is real in your life, how has He changed you from John 1:1-5, 14-18.
The Trickle from the Temple Transforms the Tainted. What started out as a small flow of water became transformative because it came from God in Ezekiel 47:1-12.
Obedience Overcomes Every Obstacle. God calls us to be obedient, and He will take care of the results. This frees us to know that success is not the goal. We must not allow fears from preventing us from following Jesus. Courage is acting despite fear from Judges 6:27,37,39; 7:2-8.
Eliminate Every Excuse. We all have them, but God has chosen you and is sending you. Gideon’s story (Judges 6) shows us that God is with us and is sending us for His purposes.
Jesus calls us to community and solitude. When I do the deep work of spending time in solitude with Jesus, the Holy Spirit prepares me for the community Jesus calls us to in the Church…Romans 12:1-5.
God’s victory is only possible with God’s resources. God has given us everything we need to win, and we fight from victory from Ephesians 6:10-24.
How does your life honor Jesus? How can your life honor Jesus more? We are called to honor Jesus in all circumstances. In Ephesians 6:1-9, Paul challenges us to honor Jesus in all circumstances.
Mutual Submission has no Suspicion. In Ephesians 5, Paul tells wives to submit to their husbands and husbands to love their wives by laying their lives down for them.
Paul tells us to walk in the light and expose the darkness. This is a difficult and high calling that is only possible through the power of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:1-20
Don’t let darkness dim the light. Jesus calls us to a new life. Are you allowing things in your old life to influence your life with Jesus? What work does Jesus still need to do in your life? Ephesians 4:17-32.
Jesus calls us to unity, not uniformity. Uniformity is about suppressing who I am to please others while Unity is about surrendering to the Holy Spirit and following Jesus.
Limitless: The limit of Jesus’ power in your life is dependent upon you. Do you believe in the limitless of Jesus? Ephesians 3:14-21
The Churches comes together to receive redemption from Jesus which empowers us to experience redemption as a community. All followers of Jesus are called to make Him known in this world. We can do this through plain faith that reveals the divine mystery from Ephesians 3:1-13.
Now is the time. God doesn’t need your talents, abilities, or resources. God simply requires your obedience. What is the next step God is calling you to take?
Are you living or dying in Jesus? This is not about seeking an adrenaline thrill. It is about being spiritually alive in Jesus.
Ephesians 6:12 tells us about the spiritual battle we face. Jesus has won. We can win if we take Jesus into the battle, but we lose if we try to do it on our own strength. Scripture, prayer, and fasting are key practices to prepare us for the battle.
Why is it important that we come together to grow in Jesus? How are you growing in Jesus? Who are you investing in? Who is investing in you?
What has God done throughout your life? What steps have you taken to follow Jesus? What is the next step Jesus is calling you to take?
The Church is the Bride of Christ. How does that reality impact the Church? What does it look like to invite Jesus into our relationships to be shaped by Him?
Is the Holy Spirit working in your life? Is the Holy Spirit growing in your life? What does it look like for you to grow closer to Jesus?
How has Jesus called you to serve others? Everyone is called by Jesus to serve. There are no exceptions because Jesus came to serve…not to be served.
How do you deal with the sin in your life? We all have sin. Jesus wants to take that sin and destroy it. The only thing Jesus requires is that you come to him.
What do I do when I face sufferings? They can be God ordained, personally inflicted, or caused unjustly. How do I process my difficulties in ways that honor Jesus from Lamentations 3?
What are the lies that try to creep into your life? Revelation 2:1-7 calls us to remember our first love. How can you fall more in love with Jesus?
Mary shows us that God is Omniscient, and we are called to be Obedient. Knowing God's plan is not what we are called to do. We are called to trust God in Luke 1:26-38.
Fear Not...What is the scope of salvation and how does that drive your actions in Jesus? The calling of Joesph shows us that sometimes, God calls us to do things that do not make sense from a worldly perspective in Matthew 1:18-25.
We all have things that can cause fear. Does your belief in Jesus overpower your fears? We find the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth Luke 1:5-25, 57-66 where God fulfills His purposes through them by bringing John the Baptist.
Are you obligated to the sinful nature or to the Spirit? Where is your allegiance. The sinful nature brings death, but the Spirit brings life and peace. Only in Jesus can we find peace from Romans 8:1-14.
Sin seeks to scam from Romans 7:7-25. We all have struggles, and Paul shows us how to be vulnerable. What struggles do you have in your life?
Where is your allegiance? We are no longer slaves to sin because Jesus has set us free in Romans 6. Do you attend Jesus things or are you united to Jesus?
You can’t outpace grace from Romans 5. What does it look like for you to receive and give more grace?
Teamwork makes the Dreamwork! Being faithful at the responsibility God has given me is crucial, and it is also crucial for me to trust that you will be faithful at the responsibility God has given you too. God has different tasks for different people to accomplish His purposes in Exodus 17:8-16.
Following a list of rules will never save anyone…otherwise Jesus died for nothing. What does it look like to die to your life of sin and life for Jesus from Galatians 2:15-21.
We are simultaneously a saint and sinner. We are righteous and unrighteous. Romans 5;1-11 shows us how Jesus makes us right with God and calls us to a new life.
Rest is in Reliance not Removal. What is rest? What does it look like to experience the rest of Jesus from Matthew 11:28-30?
God is both Immanent and Transcendent which means nothing is too big and nothing is too small for God. He is big enough to handle the biggest things and cares enough to handle the small things. Ephesians 4:4-6.
Why is it important to live both Grace and Truth? What happens if we don't? How does Jesus show us Grace and Truth? Psalm 85:8-13
What does it mean to not covet? Covet speaks to the importance of attitudes and thoughts...not just actions.
What does it mean to not steal? Commandment 8 says, “You must not steal.” What would it look like to live with the Kingdom generosity Jesus calls us to have? If Jesus calls us to a heart change, what does it look like to do more than avoid breaking the law?
What does it mean to follow commandment 7 to not commit adultery? What does Jesus' calling against Lust in Matthew 5 mean in this conversation?
The heart of the sixth commandment. How Jesus unpacks the heart of the commandment to not murder.
Commandment 5 is to honor your father and mother. How is that counter-cultural, and why is it crucial to devote yourself wholeheartedly to God's commandments?
Speaking God's Name Claims God's Power. The Third Commandment tells us not to misuse God's name. What does it look like to misuse God's name, and how can we use God's name for His Glory?
Is your allegiance to God artificial or absolute? What does it mean to have no idols? If God asked you to give something up, would you?
Confronting adversity from Exodus 17 with Moses' hands being supported by Aaron and Hur while Joshua fought the Amalekites. Do you confront adversity like a cow or a bison?
Mutual Commitment to Jesus Transforms our Personal Imperfections. What does it look like to be the Church? We are imperfect people, but through Jesus, we can be transformed into His beautiful Church.
If you say prayer is important, do your actions reflect that? Prayer is exhausting and rejuvenating; the alternative is just exhausting.
What is Jesus doing in your life right now? Have you received Jesus? How are you seeking Jesus?
Pentecost: How God meets us where we are. God invades when we obey. Pentecost celebrates the giving of the Holy Spirit, and God's timing is perfect in Acts 2:1-12.
Ascension: Jesus ascended to Heaven ending His earthly ministry so the Holy Spirit could come in Luke 24:50-53 and Acts 1:6-11
What does it mean to wait in Jesus' presence? Jesus provides clarification to His disciples to be a sent people to deliver the message that Jesus is alive. Jesus doesn't call the equipped. Jesus equips the called. Luke 24:44-49 and Acts 1:1-5.
What is the evidence of Jesus? What is the evidence of Jesus in your life? Luke 24:35-43
If Jesus was raise, we will be raised. We must encounter the empty tomb and the risen Savior. Luke 24:1-12.
The power Jesus used to overcome temptation is the same power available to us today. Luke 4:1-13
The Incarnation shows God wants to redeem us, but it's only Good News if we believe in Jesus from Luke 2:1-20.
What does it look like to get ready for Jesus? Getting ready is half the fun. Luke 1:26-38
Following Jesus is not to be lived in isolation from Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 and Mark 9:17-29
Where are you with Jesus? Salvaiton cannot be bought or earned but it will cost you everything. Matthew 2:1-12
Investigate for Jesus with Imagination. The goal is not to have Jesus figured out but to figure out that Jesus is worth pursuing. Luke 2:8-20
How do you respond to Jesus? You can't encounter Jesus and remain the same. Luke 1:39-45
The right belief in Jesus brings relief. 1 John 5:1-12 speaks to the importance of belief, obedience, and love.
Distorting Jesus Distorts Everything. Reflections from 1 John 2:18-29 on July 16, 2023.
Are you a pebble or are you a pig? In all circumstances, we praise Jesus because praise opens prison doors.
Jay Clover, Andrew Oldfield, Matt Vail, and Jeff Alexander share insights from King David.
Neglecting God’s Word has tangible consequences. Reading God’s Word is both a private and community endeavor.
What does it mean to believe in Jesus? You are either shaped by Jesus or shaped by something else.
The Good News Calls for Decision. In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus tells the story about the Rich Man and Lazarus.
In Acts 9, Peter heals Aeneas and brings Dorcas back to life. Nothing can stop us from fulfilling God's call in our lives.
Live to Obey...Don't Obey to Live. Sermon from 1 Kings 17...Elijah and the widow of Zarephath
You can dwell in bitterness, or you can dwell in God, but you can't do both. In order to be free from bitterness, you have to leave it as the Israelites did in Exodus 15.
We conclude the series on the Fruits of the Spirit this week, concluding with self-control.
We continue in the series on the "Fruits of the Spirit". This week we look at Faithfulness.
We resume the series on the "Fruits of the Spirit". This week we look at the fruit of patience.
Steve and Amanda Pettit share about their work as the directors of Rescue Hill in Arlington, TX that combats human trafficking.
Pastor Jeff continues the series on the Fruit of the Spirit. This week he speaks on Peace.
Special Guest, Pastor Mike Palmer, joins us today. He reminds us to be present and use the moments God gives us.
We are reaching the end of the "Against the Grain" series. These last weeks, we are looking at the life of Sampson in the book of Judges.
This week we break from the "Against the Grain" series and hear from Lori Miller. Lori shares her story of transformation.
We jump back into the series, "Against the Grain," going through the book of Judges. Today we are in the seventh chapter, looking again at Gideon.
We begin a new series, "Against the Grain" looking through the book of Judges. Join us on this journey.
Pastor Jeff starts a new series this week on sin and the temptations that come with it.
Pastor Jeff wraps up the sermon series, "The Objective Meaning of the Crucifixion" and we celebrate the rising of our Saviour this Easter weekend!
The focus today is the whip and the nails as we continue through "The Objective Meaning of the Crucifixion" series.
Today we look at the cup and the bread in the series, "The Objective Meaning of the Crucifixion."
We continue our journey through the Lenten Season with "The Objective Meaning of the Crucifixion" series.
Today, we focus on the robe.
Pastor Jeff continues his series, "The Objective Meaning of the Crucifixion."
Today, he focuses on the crown.
Join us as we journey through the Lenten Season.
Pastor Jeff begins a new sermon series, "The Objective Meaning of the Crucifixion."
Today, he focuses on the cross.
Special Guest Speakers, Phil and Denise Anderson join us this morning.
Phil is the Executive director of Cactus Nazarene Ministry Center, while Denise volunteers and serves as a Department of Justice representative for the Immigration center.
Thank you for joining us in hearing about their journey and work for the Lord.
Pastor Jeff continues his series, "Begin with the End." The scripture focus today is Matthew 24:36-51.
Pastor Jeff continues his series, "Begin with the End," and focuses on the Tribulation. He reminds us "don't panic at the signs, trust in the promise."
Objective Meaning of Christmas: 12 Days of Christmas
"Jesus' Gift Breaks Sin's Sentence"
Objective Meaning of Christmas: Bethlehem
"The House of Bread produced the Bread of Life"
Objective Meaning of Christmas: Star
The light Attracts, Alters, and Assigns (elemental change)