Sermons on The Gospel (Page 5)
Jesus, King of Angels
Exploring the wonder that Jesus became a little lower than the angels to bring many to glory, while also now having greater glory than both the angels and humanity. Hebrews 1:5-14 SERMON OUTLINE “For to which of the angels did God ever say, ‘You are my Son; today I have become your Father’?” (Hebrews 1:5a) The Son, Greater than the Angels in Relationship to the Father (Hebrews 1:5-6) Psalm 2:7 – enthroned as Son 2 Samuel 7:14 – the promised…
Jesus, the Final Word
Hebrews 1:1-4. Considering the preeminence of Jesus compared to the earlier revelation of God SERMON OUTLINE “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.” (Hebrews 1:1-2) Introducing Hebrews The God Who Speaks (Hebrews 1:1) To the ancestors/fathers Through the prophets At many times In various ways The Contrast (Hebrews 1:1-2) “at many times” – “in these last…
Restoration and Embodied Sexuality
This message explores the fourth and final chapter of this series with restoration in Jesus Christ. Jesus the Messiah has brought redemption to us through His death, and now His resurrected body is ushering in a new “Now But Not-Yet” kingdom. Pastor Matt discusses how Christ’s resurrection has raised us with new resurrection bodies. In these bodies, we will see the ultimate restoration of all things by God at the end of human history, including in our love, sexuality, and…
Redemption and Embodied Sexuality
This message explores the third chapter with redemption in Jesus Christ. Jesus the eternal Son enters into the fallen cosmos in a real body as Messiah to redeem us, including our love, sexuality, and bodies. Encountering true love of God through Christ helps us find God’s presence, provision, truth, grace, acceptance, and freedom. When we see Jesus’ encounter with people throughout His ministry we see the dignity of redemption for real people with real challenges in real bodies. This redemption…
Fall and Embodied Sexuality
This message explores the ways in which all of creation has been impacted by the Fall into sin, including our bodies, love, the chance for a more-thoughtful engagement with the questions of singleness and what it means to live for God’s glory in the body as a single Christian. This message will address topics such as: do you need to be married to be fulfilled or ‘complete’?, how do you deal with singleness after divorce or the death of a…
Creation and Embodied Sexuality
The series continues by looking at the first chapter: Creation. We are made in the image of God. Our bodies are part of our resemblance of God and they are good. Our sexuality reflects God in nature and is intended for God’s glory being seen upon earth, both in our being made for ‘the other’ (relational) and relating to others (intimacy). This leads us into an engagement with the very nature of God as relational and intimate within the Trinity.…
A Crash Course in the Gospel
This week, Pastor Matt examines Ephesians 2:1-10. and contrasts receiving bad news with receiving the good news of the Gospel. Ephesians 2:1-10 SERMON OUTLINE “But because of his great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions.” (Ephesians 2:4-5) Bad News: Walking Dead (Ephesians 2:1-3) “dead in your transgressions and sins” (v 1) “the ways of this world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air”…
The Good News of New Beginnings
After Jesus’ resurrection, John offer a series of encounters that Jesus has with real people. Each of these encounters sheds light on the way in which Jesus’ resurrection is good news: God’s presence in loss (Mary), God’s peace in fear (disciples in the upper room), God’s guidance in confusion (Thomas), and God’s restoration in failure (Peter). Key Passage: John 20:11-21:25 SERMON OUTLINE “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and…
Savior
This weekend we will explore what it means that Jesus is Savior. What do we need to be saved from and how does Jesus do that? Text: John 4:42; Acts 4:12; 16:31; 1 Timothy 1:15; 2 Timothy 1:9-11. SERMON OUTLINE “But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the…
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…
The Gate
What does Jesus mean when He says that He is “…the gate for the sheep…whoever enters through me will be saved” (John 10:7,9). SERMON OUTLINE “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.” (John 10:9) Context—John 9 The Thieves and Robbers News vs. Good News The Gate and The Shepherd Reflection Points DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Read John 10:7-10 again. What are your first impressions? Read John 9 for context. Each person is wrestling with how to respond to…
I Am Made Uniquely.
Every person has a unique fingerprint that identifies us distinctly from other people. The Scripture tells us that each one of us was made uniquely by the hand of God. Some of us love how we are made, while others hate how we are made. The majority of us find ourselves somewhere in-between: liking some aspects and disliking other aspects of ourselves. How do we understand the unique shaping of our lives by the hand of God, before our birth…