Sermons from 2020

Messiah, Magi, and the Nations

One of the promises about the Messiah was that the nations would stream toward him. This vividly happens in the story of the magi, or wise men, who came to visit Jesus, setting of the wild fury of Herod Antipas. Matthew 2:1-12 SERMON OUTLINE “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” (Matthew…

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;…

Women of Faith

This week will give attention to notable women in Jesus’ line—Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba—with some discussion of redemption. Matthew 1:1-17, esp. 1:3, 5-6 SERMON OUTLINE The Point The Gospel, the story of the Bible, and the story of Jesus is for everyone. Tamar (Genesis 38:6-30) Canaanite Widow “Unredeemed” Rahab (Joshua 2:1-7) Amorite Harlot “Unclean” Ruth (Book of Ruth) Moabite Widow “Unredeemed” Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:2, 3; 12:24; 1 Kings 1:11-31, 2:13-19) Canaanite Victim “Unclean” The Point The Gospel, the story…

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)…

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.