Sermons by Pastor Matt Erickson (Page 15)
The Voice of One Calling Out
This week explores John the Baptist as a prophetic voice calling out for repentance and change in a challenging time for Israel. Radical elements call for revolutionary overthrow of Rome. John calls for a radical revolution of the human heart. SERMON OUTLINE “In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’” (Matthew 3:1-2) John the Baptist (Matthew 3:1-4) Repentance The kingdom of heaven The voice…
Refugee Messiah
With echoes of Moses’ journey and the Exodus, Jesus’ earthly parents flee from the wrath of Herod the Great to Egypt, returning only after an angelic visitation tells them it is safe. They return not to Bethlehem but to Nazareth. Matthew 2:13-23 SERMON OUTLINE “So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the…
The Way of Jesus and the Way of Herod
An exploration of the contrasting kingship of Jesus and Herod with attention to how both of them present a “way” of life that is starkly different in its rule, tone, and outcomes. Matthew 1:20-25; 2:3, 12 SERMON OUTLINE “When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under.” (Matthew 2:16) A Conversation about Ways What…
Mary
Looking at the birth of Jesus through the eyes and experience of Mary. Matthew 1:18-25 SERMON OUTLINE “’The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’).” (Matthew 1:23) The Obedience of Mary Her place in the genealogy Contrast with Eve The Role of the Holy Spirit God is fully holy and Mary is honored Parallel with Genesis Dignity of the body in the incarnation Mary the Virgin Mother…
Joseph
Looking at the birth of Jesus through the eyes and experience of Joseph. Matthew 1:18-25 SERMON OUTLINE “An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.’” (Matthew 1:20) Joseph the Upright (Matthew 1:18-19) righteous – “faithful to the law” merciful Joseph the Dreamer (Matthew 1:20-23) dreams of Joseph (1:20-21; 2:13;…
Men of Faith and the Exile
A word about the genealogy of Jesus and why it is important. This week will give attention to three man in Jesus’ line—Abraham, David, and Josiah—with some discussion of the exile. Matthew 1:1-17, esp. 1:2, 6, 11-12 SERMON OUTLINE “This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1) The Genealogy of Jesus Matthew’s structure: 3 groupings of 14 generation Differences between Matthew and Luke Matthew’s goal in the genealogy: to show…
Arriving One: The Final Destination of the Church
This final week will talk about the glorious unity of the church at the end of human history that does not diminish the visible uniqueness of “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language.” How does this vision shape our unity now and encourage us toward unity then? SERMON OUTLINE “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and…
Praying One: Learning to Pray for Unity from Jesus’ Prayer
The night before He went to the Cross, Jesus prayed that His followers “may be one as we are one” (John 17:11). If Jesus prayed for this, we can guarantee that it will not be accomplished apart from prayer. We will look at Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John 17 to learn how prayer is vital for unity. John 17:1-26 SERMON OUTLINE “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their…
Becoming One: the developing unity of the church as the community of Christ
We are one because of Jesus, but we are becoming one through Jesus. In Philippians Paul calls a community in tension, where divisions exist, toward unity by using their advantage to serve one another and move toward unity of mind and heart. This week will explore doctrinal and identity unity, equality of status and standing in Christ, and diversity of gifting and personality in the church. Ephesians 4:1-6; Philippians 2:1-11; 4:1-3; 1 Corinthians 11:18-19; 12 SERMON OUTLINE “In your relationships…
Made One: the positional unity of the church in Jesus Christ
The Gospel of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:1-10) leads to the fundamental unity of the church as one new humanity (Ephesians 2:11-20). We are one because of Jesus. This is woven into the doctrinal realities of our faith (Ephesians 4:1-6) and the lived experience of the church as the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12). Ephesians 2:11-20; 4:1-6; 1 Corinthians 12 SERMON OUTLINE “His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and…
God is One: Monotheism and the Triune God
This message will explore the unity of God as Trinity, which is at the heart of our faith and any understanding of unity. Subthemes will include the distinctive persons of the Trinity, how this fits within the overall oneness of God, how God’s three-in-one existence is found in Scripture, and what this means for any discussion of unity. SERMON OUTLINE “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” (Deuteronomy 6:4) God is One (Exodus 20:2-3; Deuteronomy 6:4-5)…
Faith-Full Public Engagement
What does our faith mean in relation to the wide variety of publicly debated concerns in our society, like abortion, marriage, healthcare, economic models, and more? We will begin to construct a biblical framework for thoughtful Christian engagement with these various concerns. We also plan to consider what it means to live together and converse with one another as God’s people, even when we may not see everything from the same perspective as we engage in the public sphere. SERMON OUTLINE…