Sermon from December 30

Simeon and Anna

Luke 2: 21 - 40

1. Jewish families understood that their children belonged to God. The redemption sacrifice was paid in blood.
2. Simeon was righteous and devout. He was waiting on God to fulfill his promises, and he was full of the Holy Spirit.
3. Simeon realized that God's promise was for all people, young and old.
4. Simeon said the history of the world rested on the child he was holding -- and that knowing him comes at a cost.
5. Anna got to see Jesus because she fasted and prayed and spent much time in God's house.

Sermon from December 23

Advent - Joy

Luke 2: 1 - 20

1. Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds are celebrities now, but they were ordinary people at that time. (Though they were chosen and righteous. We may be ordinary today, but we are chosen of God and He will use us if we are righteous.)
2. Mary and Joseph were poor and lived in an ordinary town.
3. They were in Bethlehem because an enemy government forced them to go there.
4. The shepherds were not even allowed to go to church because they were so low in society.
5. But God's good news brings joy to all people.
6. The blood that ran through the veins of that infant was shed for all of mankind.

Sermon from December 9

Advent Week Two - Peace

Isaiah 53: 1 - 12

1. This looks like it was written after Jesus' death and resurrection. It is astonishing that it was written more than 700 years before Jesus was born.
2. This passage (along with the Gospels) is all we need to prove the Bible is true, God is real, and Jesus is the Messiah.
3. Peaces always comes at a price. The price for our peace with God was Jesus' suffering, rejection and bloodshed.
4. Now we know how costly the peace we enjoy really was.
5. If we are going to be like Jesus, we must remember he was familiar with suffering.
6. Jesus is glorified now, but it was God's will to crush him.
7. In this chapter we see how much God loves us.

Sermon from December 2

Advent - Prophecy and Hope

Micah 5: 1 - 15

1. Micah lived when Isaiah did, about 700 years before Christ.
2. Here he tells us where Jesus would be born. The messiah would be born of a woman.
3. Jesus’ birth would come after a time of persecution and humiliation.
4. Jesus will unite believers into God’s Kingdom.
5. He will be a shepherd who brings us peace and security.
6. The Kingdom of God will spread throughout the world and no one can stop it.
7. Eventually God will conquer his enemies, and end idolatry and sin.

Sermon from November 25

I Can Do All Things

Philippians 4: 8 - 20

1. It does matter what we fill our minds with. The adage is true: garbage in, garbage out.
2. Paul found the secret to being content in every circumstance. Here's the secret: We have fabulous treasure when we have Christ. Philippians 3: 7 - 10
3. We can do all things through Christ. He is the source of our strength.
4. Paul was thankful that the church had helped him with his daily needs. The church was Christ in the skin when it took care of him.
5. Giving to help someone is our way to give a gift to God himself.
6. God will take care of our needs. He owns everything and loves us like precious children.

Sermon from November 18

Rejoice and Be Thankful

Philippians 4: 1 - 9

1. Arguing with each other can keep us from being the effective church God has called us to be. When two oxen are under the same yoke, they must pull in the same direction. Matthew 11: 28 - 30
2. To rejoice means to be full of joy and let everyone know it.
3. We receive joy from working together in God's Kingdom. We rejoice because we realize how good God is to us.
4. Instead of worrying in doubt, we should rest in the peace of God, knowing he loves us and has everything under his control.
5. When we pray, it should stop us from worrying, God will give us peace.
6. It is good for us to remember to thank God for taking care of us.

Sermon from November 11

Pray and Don't Give Up

Luke 18: 1 - 8

1. The only reason we would keep asking God is if we believed he was going to answer.
2. In other words, not giving up proves we have faith.
3. When we continue to ask God to answer prayer, we are continuing to depend on him and not taking matters into our own hands.
4. When we feel our prayers are not being answered we should add fasting to our prayers.
5. This humbles us before God and shows him that we are serious.
6. Hunger pains remind us to pray and allow us to sacrifice, identifying with Christ.

Sermon from October 28

The Five Purposes of the Church

Matthew 28: 16 - 20

1. The fifth purpose of the church is evangelism.
2. Every living organism must reproduce itself or it will not survive.
3. Jesus left us with the job of continuing and expanding the Kingdom of God. There is no plan B. We are the only way the gospel will be spread. 2 Corinthians 4: 7
4. As a healthy apple tree cannot help but produce apples, a growing Christian cannot help but produce other Christians. Matthew 7: 17 - 20
5. If we have the Holy Spirit living in us, we will find a way to witness to those in our circle of influence. Acts 4: 19 - 20
6. Even if we fulfill the other purposes of the church we will fail if we are not concerned about evangelism.

Sermon from October 21

The Five Purposes of the Church

Colossians 3: 12 - 17


1. The fourth purpose of the church is discipleship.
2. This means teaching. Paul also adds admonish, which means to gently point someone in the right direction.
3. The early church devoted itself to the apostles’ teaching. Acts 2: 42
4. A disciple is a learner. We haven’t arrived, but we are running toward the goal.
5. Discipleship is important because the more scripture we know, the more we can defeat temptation, and the more we can love and live for Jesus in full obedience.
6. God’s Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Psalm 119:105

Sermon from Oct 14

The Five Purposes of the Church

John 4: 13 - 26

1. Another purpose of the church is to provide a place to worship together.
2. Worship in these verses means "bending a knee".
3. Jesus said it is not where we worship, but how and whom.
4. How: In spirit. This means we transcend our earthly existence and worship God with all we are. We give Him our very best. We give our love, loyalty, obedience and devotion.
5. Whom: The one true God, revealed in the person of Jesus. Not everyone who is spiritual will enter the Kingdom of God, but only those who belong to Jesus. Matthew 7: 21
6. When we worship together, we honor God and encourage each other.

Sermon from Oct 7

The Five Purposes of the Church

Acts 2: 42 - 47

1. The second purpose of the church is fellowship.
2. The first thing we know about the early church was they met together for food and fellowship every day.
3. We will be like the people that we spend our time with.
4. When we fellowship together, we see how other believers handle adversity.
5. We can share our needs and pray for one another when we get to know each other.
6. A lump of coal cannot stay warm if it is removed from the fire.
7. The result of fellowship in Acts 2 was many people being saved.

Sermon from September 30

The Five Purposes of the Church

Matthew 25: 31 - 46

1. One of the purposes of the church is ministry.
2. Because the church is the body of Christ, we must continue what be began.
3. We do not earn salvation by doing good, but the righteous will do good.
4. Jesus gives specific examples of what we must be about as a church:
5. Feed the hungry and thirsty.
6. Being kind to strangers, to the point of welcoming them into our space.
7. Providing clothing to those in need.
8. Visiting the sick and those in prison.

The purposes are: ministry, fellowship, worship, evangelism and discipleship.

Sermon from September 23

The Temptations of Christ

Matthew 4: 1 - 11

1. Temptation 1: To be our own god.
a. Instead of trusting God, we take matters into our own hands.
2. Temptation 2: To test our God.
a. To ask God to protect us, then behave foolishly, forcing God to intervene.
3. Temptation 3: To worship another god.
a. To get our fulfillment from the world and not from God. To worship or create any idol, including materialism.

How do we defeat these temptations?
1. Know the scripture.
2. Know how much God loves us.
3. Understand that our purpose is to walk with God.

Sermon from September 16

Joseph: A Man of Dreams

Genesis 45: 1 - 11

1. God uses all circumstances for his ultimate purposes.
2. God's ultimate purpose is to save us and make us like Christ. (Romans 8: 28 - 30)
3. Joseph was treated horribly by his brothers, deceitfully by Potiphar's wife, and unfairly by Potiphar. God allowed it.
4. Joseph was forgotten by the cupbearer for two years. But God did not forget him.
5. Joseph suffered for about 15 years, but he ruled over Egypt for 80 years.
6. Joseph had to suffer, but it saved his entire family.
Genesis 50: 19, 20

Sermon from September 9

I preached this sermon because I got a visit from the Jehovah's Witnesses last Saturday morning. These were the arguments I used to show them that Jesus is not an archangel, but God in the flesh. This is my listening guide from the sermon.

The Ancient of Days

Mark 2: 1 - 12

1. Only God can forgive sins. Jesus is clearly claiming to be God.
2. Jesus said he was I Am (John 8:58) (See Exodus 3: 14)
3. John said Jesus was God (John 1:1)
4. Paul said nothing was created that Jesus didn't create. (Colossians 1: 15 - 17) This also means that Jesus was not created - He is the creator.
5. Jesus accepted worship (Matthew14:33)
6. The Son of Man is the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:13) Jesus referred to himself this way 83 times in the Gospels.
7. Stephen prayed to Jesus. (Acts 7:59) Jews know you are only to pray to God.
8. Why does it matter what we believe about this? First, we do not want to call Jesus a liar. Second, this shows the true penalty for sin and the price God paid for it.

Sermon from September 2

The Temptation to Look Down

Galatians 2: 11 - 21

1. It is difficult, even for Christians, to stop looking down on others.
2. It makes us feel better about ourselves to think of others as sinners or wrong.
3. Legalistic people tend to think of themselves as more righteous than others.
4. Paul says God's Law shows us that we are sinners too.
5. Following the Law cannot save us; only faith in Christ could ever do that.
6. Placing our faith in Christ means we trade our old lives for the new one He gives.
7. When someone demands that you be perfect, he is saying the Jesus' death means nothing.
Romans 6: 1 - 4

Sermon from August 26

The Newness of Christ

Matthew 9: 14 - 17

1. While we wait for Jesus' return, this is the time for fasting and praying.
2. New wine expands as it ferments.
3. Jesus doesn't try to patch up your life. Instead he gives you a new one.
----------------------------2 Corinthians 5:17
4. Our challenge is to keep our faith new every day.
5. His mercies are new every morning. Lamentations 3: 22 - 24
6. Aesop said "familiarity breeds contempt".
7. We must never become so comfortable with God that we fail to fear him.

Sermon from August 19

The Incredible Walk of Faith

Matthew 14: 22 - 33

1. Don't be afraid when Jesus comes walking into your storm.
2. Don't let anything you've learned stop you from coming to Jesus. Romans 3:4
3. It's better to be out in the danger with Jesus, than in a safe spot without him.
4. When you walk on the water you better keep your eyes fixed on Jesus at all times! Hebrews 12:2
5. If you look around you, your faith will begin to leave you.
6. When Jesus accepted the disciples' worship, he claimed to be God.

Sermon from August 12

Ecclesiastes 12

The Conclusion of the Matter

1. What a waste to wait until the end of your life to begin a relationship with God.
2. Too many people live for themselves, intent on giving God their leftovers. Put God first when you are young and strong.
3. It's never too late to accept Christ, but every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before.
4. The conclusion of the matter is to fear God and obey his commandments. This is why we were created.
5. Life is not always fair, but enjoy the good gifts from God and know that he will bring every deed to judgment. (Nothing is hidden from him.)

Sermon From August 5

Ecclesiastes 11: 1 - 10

1. The Net Bible says, "Send your grain overseas, for after many days you will get a return. Divide your merchandise among seven or even eight investments, for you do not know what calamity may happen on earth."
2. If we wait until conditions are perfect, we'll never go into business.
3. In business, it is a good idea to diversify. Today, this means go to college and learn more than one skill.
4. Don't forget to secure your eternity.
5. Enjoy every day of your life, but know that God will judge your decisions and that youth is fleeting.

Sermon from July 29

Ecclesiastes 8: 1 - 17


1. God tells us to submit to those in authority over us and to obey the government. Titus 3:1
2. There is a proper protocol for dealing with those God has entrusted to watch over us.
3. With privilege comes resonsibility.
4. Wickedness is like a trap. It will not let us go once it possesses us. John 8:34
5. Punishment is a deterrent against crime.
6. Even if there were no heaven, it would still be better to live for God.
7. We may as well recognize that life isn’t always fair. But one day, God will even the score.

Sermon from July 22

Here is the listening guide from yesterday. I'm continuing my summer poetry series on Ecclesiastes.

Ecclesiastes 7: 8 - 22

1. Seeing a project through takes hard work and patience, but is is worth it.
2. We should be quick to listen, but slow to speak and slow to become angry. It is difficult to live a righteous life if we are consumed with anger. James 1: 19, 20
3. The idea that the "old days" were better may be more an illusion than reality. Build on the past, plan for the future, but live for today. Matthew 6:34
4. God is in control in good times and bad, and uses every circumstance for our own good. Romans 8:28
5. Don't be so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good. Luke 10:31. God does not want us to sin, but we should realize we are capable of it.
6. In life, we should always seek a balance. But this doesn't mean be lukewarm. Revelation 3:15

Sermon from July 15

Ecclesiastes 5: 1 - 7

1. Come to church with with an open mind, ready to listen and ready to learn.

2. Jesus said to count the cost before deciding to commit to him. Luke 14: 25 - 34

3. It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it.

4. "God is in heaven..." The idea is that a peasant may only speak to a king if he is invited. God is much higher than we are and our respect for Him must reflect that.

5. It is our mouth that often leads us into sin. James 3: 1 - 6

6. We do well to stand in awe of God; to be still and know that He is God. Psalm 46:10

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I want to discuss something I've seen concerning point number 4. I've heard worship leaders say, "God, we invite you into our presence today." That's backward! A peasant doesn't invite the king into his presence, he is thrilled to be invited into the king's presence.

Sermon from July 1

Ecclesiastes 4: 1 - 12

1. Throughout history, the rich have ruled over the poor and have often oppressed them.

Proverbs 22:7

2. We must stand up for the innocent. If we do not, Solomon says life isn't worth living. Proverbs 18: 5

3. It is wise to find a balance between work and rest; between your job and your family.

4. God created us to be connected to each other.

5. How sad the person who has no one to watch his back and stand beside him.

6. Pulling together multiplies our strength.

Sermon from June 24

Here is the listening guide from yesterday:

Ecclesiastes 3

1. God is a God of order, not chaos. We are wise if we act appropriately for the situation.

2. God laid a "burden" of work on us in the curse. Genesis 3: 17 - 19.

3. We can imagine eternity, but we can't quite comprehend it.

4. The only true justice belongs to God himself. He will make all things right.

5. Life after death is only a hope. There's no way to know this outside of faith.

6. Our lot is to enjoy the time we are given. The only way to do this is through reverence for God. (vs. 14)

Sermon from June 17

Ecclesiastes 2

1. What's Wrong With Solomon:

a. He seems spoiled and selfish.

b. His work made the world a better place, but he gets no satisfaction from that.

c. He is disappointed with how his children turned out.

d. He isn't sure about life after death.

2. What's Right With Solomon:

a. He understands that satisfaction is a gift from God.

b. He knows that those who please God are rewarded with success and happiness.

c. He knows that sinners will not long keep their wealth. Matthew 6: 19 - 24

Sermon from June 10

Here is the listening guide from my sermon Sunday. I've begun a summer poetry book series on Ecclesiastes:

Ecclesiastes 1

1. Ecclesiastes means preacher, and this is Solomon's sermon about the meaning of life.

2. "Meaningless" and "Vanity" can be translated smoke. In other words, life is short and we are dust in the wind. (vs. 14)

3. Life is an endless cycle and we cannot change that. (vs. 4 - 7) and nothing is truly new to us. (vs. 10 - 11).

4. We are never satisfied, no matter how much we have. (vs. 8).

5. Even knowledge and wisdom do not satisfy us. (vs. 13 - 18).

6. James Dean said, "The only greatness a man can achieve is immortality." 1 Corinthians 15:19

Sermon from June 3rd

Here is the listening guide from yesterday's sermon. I preached this by candlelight because the electricity went out just before church began.

Humble and Victorious

1 Peter 5: 1 - 11

1. Elders should lead by example; not greedy, but eager to serve others.
2. Young people should submit to the authority of older Christians. All of us should be humble toward one another. This means we put others first.

3. True humility involves casting our cares on God.

4. We have an enemy and he is out to get us. He wants to destroy our lives, control our minds, and make us ineffective. 2 Corinthians 10: 3 - 5

5. We defeat Satan with God's power -- by resisting his lies and standing firm in the faith.

Sermon From May 27

Sunday was Pentecost. Here is the listening guide for my sermon.

Acts 2: 1 - 21
1. God’s first purpose for the church is to share the gospel to the world with his power. Matthew 28:19
2. No other nation has spread the gospel like America. With great blessing comes great responsibility.
3. Even when they hear the news, some will not believe it. John 12:37
4. God pours his Spirit on all believers and everyone can be a witness. Galatians 3:28
5. God will demonstrate his power through his creation.
6. The promise is salvation to all who ask. Joel 2:32, Romans 10:13

Einstein's God?

Albert Einstein was a genius, no doubt about it. His Theory of Relativity seems to have been inspired, and one of my favorite quotes is from him: "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." That's good stuff. But I must disagree with his view of God. He said he believed in Spinoza's God, who reveals himself in the harmony of nature, but does not concern himself with the fate and doings of mankind. How sad if this were true.

Baruch Spinoza was a seventeenth century philosopher who proposed basically that God IS nature. Einstein couldn't help but see God's handiwork in this wonderful universe. He also said he could clearly see that Jesus was a real, living person in the pages of the gospels. But he came up short in his faith and that's a tragedy.

The Bible teaches that God is concerned about every aspect of our lives. He meets us at our point of need and lavishes his love upon us. He hears our prayers, sings over us like a loving parent, and cares about all of our issues, large and small. He disciplines us like a good father and offers each of us the privilege of believing in him and turning that belief into good works.

Einstein was brilliant, but he was only half right: Yes, God reveals himself in the universe, but he also cares about each and every one of us. That may be the biggest miracle of all.

We Serve a Risen Savior!

Easter Sunday is the day we Christians celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. But did he really rise again? If he didn't, then he was a liar – or a madman. If he didn't rise again, then our faith is useless and there is no life after death. The whole Bible is a lie, in fact, if Jesus didn't rise again.
So, is there any real evidence that the resurrection of Jesus actually happened – or is it just a myth? I want to share some of the solid evidence that Jesus’ resurrection really did happen:
Ÿ First, the reliability of the Scriptures. Did you know that we have more than five thousand manuscripts of the Greek New Testament? That is a huge amount. Some manuscripts date to within 100 years of the autographs (the original writings) and all agree with each other. (Yes, there are minor differences, but there are so many copies available we can look at them and get a very accurate picture of what the New Testament writers said.) What this means is that the Bible is extremely reliable as an historical document.
Ÿ Second, we have writings of historians outside the Bible that corroborate the stories within it. These historians, like Pliny the Younger, Ptolemy, Tacitus and Josephus, not only mention kings, governors, dates and places found in the Bible, they also mention the disciples and Jesus himself.
Ÿ Third, the empty tomb. The Gospel writers all mention that the tomb was empty Easter Sunday morning. If there had been a body there, the Romans or Jewish leaders could have shown it and that would have ended Christianity right then and there. Remember, the tomb was well guarded. Also, in the Bible, women saw the empty tomb first – that would never happen in Jewish fiction of that day, so it must have been true!
Ÿ Fourth, Paul wrote in First Corinthians that 500 different people saw Jesus after his resurrection. Paul wrote this about twenty years after the resurrection and points out that most of them were still alive and could verify what they saw. No one disputes the validity and historicity of Paul or First Corinthians, and 500 people do not have the same hallucination.
Ÿ Fifth, why would the early Christians have celebrated Communion and Baptism if Jesus had remained dead? History teaches that the Christians began celebrating The Lord’s Supper within twenty years of Jesus’ resurrection. Communion commemorates the sacrificial death of Jesus by celebrating the blood he shed and how his body was broken. Why would they do this if Jesus’ death had been meaningless? This would be like a John F. Kennedy fan club celebrating his death instead of his life and legacy. Further, the early Christians changed the meaning of baptism from a Jewish cleansing ritual to mean “buried with Christ and raised to life with him.” (Romans 6:4).
Ÿ Sixth, why would the disciples die for a lie? We see in the Gospels that they were basically cowards. Why did these timid lambs suddenly change into the lions of the faith? Yes, people die for what they believe is true, but people do not die for what they know is NOT true. History says all of the disciples died for their faith except John.
Ÿ Seventh, the emergence and growth of the church. The church started with a small rag tag group of mostly poor people who were murdered and persecuted for their belief. Within two hundred years, it conquered Rome. We name our dogs Nero and Caesar and our children John and Paul. Thousands of churches and changed lives stand as a testament to the resurrection.
Ÿ Eighth, the conversion of skeptics. Scores of non-believers, including Jesus’ own brothers, Paul and atheists, have put their faith in Christ after seeing him alive or examining the evidence.
Ÿ Finally, the ongoing encounters with Jesus today. Millions of us throughout history have had a conversion experience. We know Jesus is alive because we have felt, known and experienced him.
This is the good news: that God came to earth, redeemed us and can be experienced by us. This Sunday morning, remember, we don’t celebrate the good life of a dead man, we celebrate the resurrection of a living Savior who made us, loves us, and wants to know us. Happy Easter from my family to yours.