Sermons

Long before Jesus was born the world knew much about what he would do and who he would be. Many of this knowledge came from a prophet named Isaiah. In his book he offers important insights into the magnificence of Jesus. These sermons expound Jesus in Isaiah and declare him to be, Immanuel.

“She gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger…” With these simple words the Bible announced the birth of Jesus. Surrounding this announcement are incredible scenes with beautiful messages that transcend time and place. 2,000 years later the true value of these messages is sometimes lost. It is covered and cluttered by tradition and addition. This series is about returning to the primary purposes of Jesus’ birth narrative. It’s about reaching back in time to remember the true importance of the birth of him who we celebrate. It’s simply Christmas.

The sin of envy has become an afterthought. The word evoking images of massage therapy, cologne, or the color green more than any spiritual realities. Perhaps this is because it seems such a minor offense compared to other evils. But what if that evil is rooted in envy? And furthermore, what if envy is what stands between you and happiness? This series of sermons on envy will define it, teach why we ought to avoid it and offers a solution to get rid of it.

Have you ever wondered where God went? Perhaps in a moment of crisis it seemed that God had left you to fend for your self. Did he forget about you? Did he not care? Was he too weak? This series of sermons asserts that even when you don’t see magical marvels, inexplicable to human intuition, God may still be doing supernatural work. God maybe doing miracles – big and small.

The act of singing to God has become for many a lifeless liturgy or professional performance of praise meant only to satisfy self. This series of sermons declares that when you sing from your heart to God, he is exalted and lives our changed.

Spirituality is in. Across the American culture there are very few things as in vogue. People are flocking towards it in the 2000’s like they did Elvis in the 1950’s or hammer pants in the 1980’s. Everywhere you look you can see some form of spiritual expression. It shows up on TV, on the best sellers list, in movies, and through the ever increasing popularity of spiritual groups. Spirituality has busted out like the next Hunger Games movie or the new American Idol winner. It seems that people in search of spirituality are moving away from Christianity. The problem is not with the lack of spirituality involved in Christianity itself but rather that this spirituality has been sucked out of the church in America. Therefore, it has become uninteresting and uninviting to the people who are looking for a spiritual “fix.” This series of sermons examines the true spirituality of Christianity with the goal of showing people that Christianity offers more.

Everyone has an identity. The source of that identity is of paramount importance. Tragically, most have let what they look like, what they have, what they do, and what others say define them; they’ve allowed their identities to be stolen. Experience shows that a stolen identity is a fragile identity – blemishes, pay cuts, demotions, and mean words causing an identity crisis. In this series we are going to show you how you can reclaim your identity by finding it in Christ.

Life is full of hurt. We feel pain, struggle, fear, and failure. Despite it all, most of us hope. We hope for a better tomorrow. We hope for future success. We hope to be forgiven. We hope our lives will matter. And, we hope that death will not come too soon. But, false hope is no hope at all. The Bible declares that our greatest hopes hang on if Jesus rose.

The Palm Sunday story is well known: Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey as thousands of people lay their coats and palm branches at his feet while shouting, “Hosanna. Hosanna.” What is sometimes forgotten is the miracle that proceeded this event, a miracles that contributed greatly to the size of the crowd – Jesus raised a man named Lazarus from the dead. The miracle of resurrection has alluring power and the source of resurrection ought not be ignored.

The complexity of our world often leaves us struggling to figure out what is right and what is wrong. Making matters worse is that sometimes when we do that which culture declares right, we are left feeling as though we did wrong. This series of sermons on James presents Christian ethics according to the book and calls all who hear it to a different, better way of life.