"Featured" Tagged Sermons (Page 12)
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Why We’re Here: Breaking Bread
This is the third of a four-part series called “Why We’re Here.” I’m aiming to help us as a church think introspectively about some practical reasons why God put us here. To do this, we’re considering Luke’s description of the earliest Christians. The third thing Luke writes that these Christians were devoted to is “the breaking of bread.” Sometimes that expression means the Lord’s Supper, and it may very well have that meaning here. But sometimes it refers to normal…
Why We’re Here: Sharing
We live in a world where many people—especially younger adults—are turning away from organized religion. They still believe in God, but for different reasons they no longer see the need to be a part of a church—a local, visible community of people who are following Jesus. In this world, we in the church need to ask ourselves: Why are we here? Why should Christians be involved in a local church? Why did God put us here? This was the second…
Becoming Disciples
It’s important for churches to ask themselves the question in the sermon title: Why are we here? And it’s important for members of churches to ask themselves a similar question: Why am I a member of this church? What is God doing through this church and through me for us to experience a mutual blessing? Luke’s description of the earliest Christians is exhilarating: these men and women had found what they had been searching for their whole lives–the promised Messiah,…
And change the world
As you know, our theme this year has been “Love God. Love People. Change the World.” This Sunday we turn our attention to the last of those three descriptions of what we are called to do: Change the World. Few would disagree with the fact that the world is messed up in so many ways. Our country is struggling: raging political rivalries, persistent racial tension, widespread addictions, increasing immorality. But of course this is not a new development; the world…
Walking with Abraham: God’s Test
In so many ways Abraham’s life has always been moving here. It’s been 40+ years since God first appeared to him, making him the promise about a land, a nation, and a blessing. It’s been 15+ years since the promised son Isaac was born, and Abraham and Sarah have certainly been thinking about the future. All of their hopes were bound up in this young man. Or so it seemed. And now this. God asks the unthinkable. A human sacrifice?…
Walking with Abraham: Are You Serious?
It had been almost a quarter of a century since God promised Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation. Now he’s 99 years old, and (one would think) he’s pretty much given up hope. What 99-year-old man and 89-year-old woman are able to bring a child into the world? But of course God’s timetable is different from ours, and for reasons only he knows he decides now is the time for the long-awaited promised son to…
The Ups and Downs of Faith
What do we do when we face unfulfilled dreams? When life doesn’t turn out the way we want? When God doesn’t seem to be doing the things that he said he would? Sometimes we “help” God. We do his work for him to “encourage” him to do what he said he would. The problem is—that rarely turns out well. But we can probably relate to Sarai’s frustration, can’t we? She was older and the chances of her conceiving a child…
Walking with Abraham: Faith, Not Sight
Broadly speaking, we look at the world in two ways: by sight and by faith. Looking by sight is viewing the world around us in an unspiritual way–the way most of the world looks at things. So we make decisions based on what makes us most comfortable, what’s the easiest, what will bring the most immediate and greatest pleasures, etc. Looking by faith is looking at the world through a spiritual lens. We look beneath the surface to the true…
Walking with Abraham: A Wrong Turn South
It’s a good thing that we don’t always get what we deserve, isn’t it? And it’s a good thing that God’s carrying out his plan doesn’t depend on our doing what we’re supposed to do. Here’s a true statement that should bring us joy: God is faithful . . . even when we aren’t. In the first part of Genesis 12 God called Abraham and promised to use him to make a huge difference in the world, with the culminating…
Love Your Enemies
It’s hard to love people who make us angry, isn’t it? And the people with whom we disagree on very fundamental things, like God, morality, and good and evil. And people who have hurt us or our families, or who make life difficult for us at work or school. Or people who talk about us behind our backs. The list could go on, I suppose. Jesus says to love even them. Especially them. Part of what makes us different from…