Sermons on Relationships (Page 4)
The Hunger for Peace
No one wants to live feeling depleted and empty. We all want to live out of a place of abundance, satisfaction and peace. We hunger to feel like our lives are on the right track and that everything is ‘right’. The biblical word for this is peace, which Scripture tells us is ultimately found in God through Jesus Christ. Key passages: John 14:25-31; 16:33; 20:19-20; Luke 1:68-79; Isaiah 52:7; Romans 10:15; 12:18; Matthew 5:9; James 3:18 Sermon OutlinE “Peace I leave…
The Hunger for Love
All of us want to feel loved, and like we belong somewhere with someone. We want this within intimate relationships and within a sense of finding community. We will explore this hunger for love as it relates to human love and divine love. Key Passage: John 4:1-43 Sermon OutlinE “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep…
Prince of Peace
This weekend we will explore what it means that Isaiah speaks about the Messiah as “the Prince of peace” and that Jesus says that He bestows peace upon His disciples after the resurrection. Passages: Isaiah 9:6; John 14:27; Matthew 11:28-30; Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:14-18 SERMON OUTLINE “And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6b) Messiah as the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) Jesus as the Messiah Who Brings Another Kind of Peace (Luke…
Prayer of Repentance: David
David’s adultery with Bathsheba leads to a rebuke from the prophet Nathan. David, this ‘man after God’s own heart,’suddenly finds his life crashing down because of his sin. We can learn from David’s prayer of repentance how we also might turn to God in prayer when we sin. Key Passages: 2 Samuel 12:15-23; Psalm 51 Sermon OutlinE “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my…
Blessing and Rescue
Joseph’s story ends in Genesis 47-50 with his family together, his relationships restored, and the hope of a future for himself and God’s people. Our stories are stories of blessing for us and for others, but find their deepest meaning in the story of God’s blessing intended for all the peoples of earth. Sermon Outline You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. (Joseph’s words…
Reconciliation
After a series tensions, Joseph is overcome by emotion and reveals himself to his brothers. Joseph and his brothers experience a reconciliation of relationship with one another and their father. How might our suffering lead into life, healing and reconciliation? Text: Genesis 45:1-46:34 Sermon Outline He said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!” (Genesis 45:4) The Story in Summary Joseph reveals his identity to his brothers (45:1-15) The brothers return to Jacob with good news…
Open Wounds
The climax of Joseph’s story in Genesis 42-44 is his encounter with his brothers in their hour of need. Walking into their lost brother’s world, the brothers do not recognize Joseph. It is only after a series of challenges that they realize what is happening. How do we deal with our wounds, particularly when past hurts are opened by those who inflicted them? Sermon Outline “As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be…
Caught
In Genesis 39:1-20, Joseph works as a slave in the household of an Egyptian official, Potiphar, whose wife accuses him of misusing her after Joseph rebuffs her entreaties. Joseph is wrongly imprisoned because of the false accusation. How do we respond to temptation? And what do we do with wrongful accusations? Sermon Outline “The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.” (Genesis 39:2) Joseph Caught by Potiphar (39:1-6a) From…
Descending
Joseph’s story begins in Genesis 37:1-36 with dreams, parental favoritism, and family tensions. His father’s favorite son, Joseph, quickly finds his disagreements with his brothers boiling over into his faked murder and sale into slavery. What do you do when everyone seems to turn against you? Sermon Outline “But his brothers saw Joseph in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.” (Genesis 37:17-18) God’s Blessing Descends to Humanity (37:1-4) Abraham & Sarah → Isaac &…
God of the Little Ones
SERMON OUTLINE “Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’” (Matthew 19:14) The Triune God, the Mission of God and Jesus’ Incarnation The Triune God Who Sends and Gives Jesus shows God’s Character and Activity Jesus, His Followers and Children (Matthew 19:13-15; 18:5-6) “Let the little children come…” “Do not hinder them…” “The kingdom belongs to these…” The touch of Jesus Living with God…
The New Moses
Building from Jesus’ great Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:17-49) we begin to understand that Jesus comes in the tradition of the great teachers of Israel, even becoming a new Moses. He answers the questions of the religious leaders and pushes them into territory they do not understand from Luke 20. SERMON OUTLINE He said to them, “Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” (Luke 20:25) Pharisees vs. Jesus Showdown (Luke 20:20-26) Pharisees…
Visitation
In Luke 1:26-56, Mary is visited by an angel and invited into God’s plans and favor. She is “highly favored” and responds to God’s invitation with ideal yielding of any disciple to their master: “may your word to me be fulfilled.” Mary and Elizabeth meet and their children leap in anticipation. Mary rejoices with the famous Magnificat, praising God for remembering and visiting His people. SERMON OUTLINE “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to…