In this sermon from Pastor Jeff Smith, Pastor Smith addresses the reality of God’s love for children, admonishing us to become like children in order to follow Him. He preaches from Matthew 18:1-20, admonishing us to love as God loves.
Stuck Like Glue | Jeremiah 15:15-21; Romans 12:9-21; Matthew 16:21-28
In Romans 12, Paul gives Christians a tough task: to not return evil for evil, but to cling to/hold fast to/GLUE to what is good. In this sermon we dig deeper at why it is that we’re called to live this way, while seeing how there’s good news in there for us as well. Pastor Josh Gremminger preaches on clinging to what is good based on Jeremiah 15:15-21; Romans 12:9-21; Matthew 16:21-28.
You Gotta Know So You Can Throw at the Foe | Matthew 16:13-20
Faith in the Face of Adversity | Isaiah 56:1, 6-8; Romans 11:1-2a, 13-15, 28-32; Matthew 15:21-28.
In this sermon on faith and adversity, Pastor Josh takes us through Isaiah 56:1, 6-8; Romans 11:1-2a, 13-15, 28-32; and Matthew 15:21-28. An unlikely woman comes and makes a request of Jesus in Matthew 15. There is no reason for her to expect Jesus to grant her request, but her faith persists even when it seems unlikely he will. We discuss the tension of having faith that believes God CAN (grant our request), but that still trusts in God even if he doesn’t.
If You’re Going To Walk On Water…You Have To Get Out Of The Boat! | Romans 10:5-17 and Matthew 14:22-33
A Little Goes A Long Way | Isaiah 55:1-5; Romans 9:1-5 (6-13); Matthew 14:13-21
When Jesus fed the 5,000, he did it with 2 fish, and 5 loaves of bread. God made a little bit go a long way. In fact, he has done that many times throughout the pages of scripture, and even does that still today in our lives. He even makes what we give for his sake, even if it’s just a little, go a lot farther than we could have imagined.
The Power of Positive Negativity | Deuteronomy 7:6-9; Romans 8:28-39; Matthew 13:44-52.
“Thistles, Weeds, and You” | Romans 8:18-27, Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
That Strange, Wasteful Sower | Isaiah 55:10-13, Romans 8:12-17, and Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
How Much Good Could a Woodchuck Do If a Woodchuck Could Do Good? | Zechariah 9:9-12; Romans 7:14-25a; Matthew 11:25-30
Faith of our Fathers | Romans 4:13-25 and John 8:31-42
When Life Gets Tough, Is Jesus Enough? | Jeremiah 20:7-13, Romans 6:12-23, Matthew 10:5a, 21-33
“Now Therefore” | Exodus 19:2-8 and Matthew 9:35-10:8
“Dr. Jesus” | Hosea 5:15-6:6 and Matthew 9:9-13
Jesus came to save sinners. You are a sinner. Your neighbor is a sinner. Your pastor is a sinner. Everyone in the world is a sinner. Even the people you dislike need to hear God’s word of forgiveness. In this sermon based on Matthew 9:9-13, we will look at how Jesus humbles us, showing us we are no better than anyone else, and how we also have been given the same forgiveness as everyone else.
The Holy Trinity: A Mystery That Matters I Genesis 1:1-2:4a, Acts 2:14a, 22-36, Matthew 28:16-20.
The Triune nature of God is a doctrine unique to Christianity. There is nothing like it in any other religion. It is essential to Christianity for several reasons, not the least of which is that Scripture reveals that there is one God while simultaneously referring to each of the three members of the Trinity as God. Our God is a relational God, eternally existing in relationship with Himself. Pastor Smith teaches us about the Trinity in Genesis 1:1-2:4a, Acts 2:14a, 22-36, and Matthew 28:16-20. While the doctrine of the Trinity is not fully understandable to us and is thus a mystery, it is rational and true.
Moses’ Prayer For Pentecost | Numbers 11:24-30 and Acts 2:1-21
Giving Goals | Acts 1:12-26, 1 Peter 4:12-19; 5:6-11, John 17:1-11
As we read through the book of Acts during this Easter season, we see God putting people into positions to give of their time, talents, and treasures to support the work of His kingdom. We will reflect upon people like Matthias, the newly-elected twelfth apostle, who may feel overwhelmed at the prospect of serving in a new way. How do we feel when God puts it on our hearts to give of ourselves to do His work and serve others? What stands in our way? What would help us take the first step?
Jesus Juke | Acts 17:16-31, 1 Peter 3:13-22, John 14:15-21
“Jesus Juke” is based on Acts 17:16-31, 1 Peter 3:13-22, John 14:15-21. As Paul arrives in Athens (Acts 17), he sees it is filled with idols. Rather than condemning them or abruptly shifting the conversation to Jesus, he uses it as a bridge to talk about what he’s observed and heard there in Athens. We learn from Paul to not “Jesus juke” a conversation, but rather, make real connections to Jesus.
Joining Jesus on His Mission| Isaiah 49:5-6; Ephesians 2:8-10; Mark 1:14-18.
What Does the Kingdom of God Look Like? | Acts 2:14a, 36-41 and Luke 24:13-35
As we continue our focus on how we can “join Jesus on His mission,” we reflect this week on how the mission of Jesus is to bring His kingdom into this world. But what does the kingdom look like? For those who follow Jesus already, it will look like Christian community, hearing God’s Word, the fruit of the Spirit being evident, etc. But for those who don’t follow Jesus, the kingdom of God will usually look like human need. How does Jesus respond to the needs of humans who are not in a faith relationship with Him? How can we join Jesus in what He is already doing in their lives?