Sermons from 2016 (Page 2)
Embodied Presence
Pastor Paul Bland of Milwaukee’s Oikos Church, kicks off the opening weekend of our 2016 Mission Fest with a message from John 1:14.
7 on Multiplication
A church that is becoming a reflection of Revelation 7:9-10 aims to establish strong and continuous leadership growth and multiplication. We will talk about 7 categories of leadership growth (using the Ministry Leadership Growth Model) and prioritize annual ministry residents and summer interns. The Apostle Paul wrote, “The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2). Sermon Outline “There before me…
7 on Mission
A church that is becoming a reflection of Revelation 7:9-10 aims to grow externally through missional engagement. We are looking at missional church planting (e.g., missional communities, people moving into targeted communities), missional multisite, and increased opportunities for field-based community work (e.g., Bread of healing, Neighborhood Learning Center). Jesus summarized the church’s mission in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea…
7 on Discipleship
A church that is becoming a reflection of Revelation 7:9-10 aims to make new disciples and grow current disciples deeper. We want to see that through increased conversions, small group participation, and triad development. “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching…
Praying With the Master
When Jesus faced arrest and crucifixion, He draws away with His disciples to pour out His anguish before the Father. In that place of anguished prayer in Luke 22:39-46, Jesus yields to the Father’s will. What does it look like for us to pray with the Master in the midst of anguish? Sermon Outline “And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” (Luke 22:44) The Noticeable Pattern of…
Praying Like a Master
When the disciples had spent enough time with Jesus, they asked Him, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). With the disciples, we need to learn from Jesus’ essential teaching on prayer in Luke 11:1-12. Sermon Outline “Lord, teach us to pray.” (Luke 11:1) The What of Prayer (Luke 11:1-4) Addressing the Father Declaring His Name and His Kingdom Requesting what we need: provision, forgiveness, endurance The How of Prayer (Luke 11:5-10) With shameless audacity By asking, seeking, knocking The…
Making Space for Prayer
Jesus is the Master of prayer, and He makes space for prayer. We see this throughout the Gospel of Luke, and it comes clearest in Luke 5:16: “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” What does Jesus’ pattern of making space for prayer teach us about our own life of prayer? Pastor Matt kicks off the first part of a long-term exploration on the Gospel of Luke with a look at Luke 5:16, 6:12a, and 9:18a. Sermon Outline “Jesus often…
Messy Ends
The book of Judges ends (Judges 17-21) with an odd assortment of stories that take a different direction than the previous stories, leaving us with the sad state of affairs of a group of people with no leader where “everyone did as they saw fit” (17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). SERMON OUTLINE “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.” (Judges 21:25) Five Things We Can Accomplish without a Leader’s Help (Judges 17-18; 19-21) Mixed-up Worship…
Samson, Nazarite of YHWH, Get in Touch with the Spirit!
Samson gets entangled with sexual sin and his own pride in a way that is both humiliating and difficult for God’s people (Judges 16:1-31). What happens when we see believers lose their standing through sin? In the end Samson achieves some level of redemption as he gives his own life to deliver God’s people from the Philistines. SERMON OUTLINE The Changeless Scene The Sorry Story The Burning Question The Sovereign Answer The Historic Sequels David Empowered to Defeat and Recruit…
Miracle Man and Revenge: Samson, Part 1
Samson (Judges 13:1-15:20) is the miraculous child given by God to bring hope to the Israelites. He is set apart and strengthened with power. Still, he operates as much on revenge as he does on God’s prompting. What happens when a deliverer does God’s work in wrong ways or mixes God’s work and wrong aims together? SERMON OUTLINE “Because he was very thirsty, he cried out to the Lord, “You have given your servant this great victory. Must I now…
The Outcast: Jephthah
Jephthah (Judges 10:6-12:7) was a gritty deliverer from a gritty background. The son of a prostitute, Jephthah was called by God and the people as deliverer almost reluctantly. Empowered by the Spirit, however, Jephthah brings a mighty victory over the Ammonites, but inflicts a terrible justice afterwards. SERMON OUTLINE What are the Israelites continuing to do? What is evil in the sight of the Lord Worshiping the gods of the people they had conquered Forsaking what God has done for them…
The Bramble King: Abimelek
Abimelek (Judges 9:1-57) follows the way in which his father, Gideon, lived the latter part of his life, setting himself up as king by murdering his brothers and oppressing the people. Abimelek’s story is in one sense the conclusion of Gideon’s story, but it also shows us what happens when a ruler walks away from God. SERMON OUTLINE “Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come and reign over us.’” (Judges 9:14 ESV) The Beginnings of the Bramble…