Sermons on Church (Page 5)

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)…

Family in Christ

To close out our 2020 MissionsFest, we heard from our good friend, Dr. David Kasali of Congo Initiative and Université Chrétienne Bilingue du Congo. Dr. Kasali is continuing our theme of We’re Family by looking at the Biblical call found in 1 John and Romans 12.

Worship and the Final Word

A series of final exhortations – or words – mark the conclusion of the letter that began with attention to the Final Word that is Jesus. Hebrews 13:1-22 SERMON OUTLINE “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) Worship that Responds to God (Hebrews 12:28-29) gratitude awe Worship and Right Love (Hebrews 13:1-6) love of others love in marriage love of money Worship and Right Doctrine (Hebrews 13:7-9) the foundational leaders and doctrine not deviating into…

New Promise

Jesus’ high priesthood supersedes any other high priesthood, making His new promises greater than any other covenant before. Hebrews 7:26-8:13 SERMON OUTLINE “But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.” (Hebrews 8:6) Who Is Jesus? (Hebrews 7:26-28) Jesus is the High Priest who meets our needs (7:26a) He is holy, blameless, and…

Unlike Any Other

Jesus is a priest like Melchizedek because of His perfection and transcendence. Jesus “is able to save completely those who come to God through him” (7:25). Hebrews 7:1-25 SERMON OUTLINE “Because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” (Hebrews 7:24-25) Who is Melchizedek? (Hebrews 7:1-10) Biblical background on Melchizedek (Genesis 14) Melchizedek in Hebrews 7: King of…

Jesus the High Priest

The uniqueness of the high priest within the Jewish religious system is even more uniquely filled once for all by Jesus the High Priest, who both enters into human experience and draws us beyond that to God through His perfect obedience. Hebrews 4:14-5:10 SERMON OUTLINE “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.” (Hebrews 4:14) What is a High Priest? for…

The Eternal Priest

Psalm 110 offers one of the most unique descriptions of the Messiah who would come as both king and priest. Referencing the story of Abraham’s encounter with Melchizedek, ruler of Salem (Genesis 14:18–20), this psalm tells us that the Messiah will be an eternal priestly king like this mysterious figure.  SERMON OUTLINE “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.’” (Psalm 110:4) An Oracle of God: The Victorious…

Truly Community

This week, we continue in the series “Roots” by exploring what it means to be God’s Community, the Church. Pastor Matt uses Acts 2:42, 46, and 4:32 as an example of how we should format our lives within the body of the church. The early believers, it says, were “one in heart and mind” (Acts 4:32). There was an essential unity within this group of believers, which we refer to with the word ‘community’ today. This theme recurs throughout the…