Sermons from 2023 (Page 4)
I am the Gate/Door
Exploring the seven “I am” statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John, this Easter season we want to encounter Jesus again for the first time. Drawing upon the Gospel context and Old Testament history, we want to step more deeply into what Jesus was saying then and what it means for our life with God today.
I am the Light of the World
Exploring the seven “I am” statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John, this Easter season we want to encounter Jesus again for the first time. Drawing upon the Gospel context and Old Testament history, we want to step more deeply into what Jesus was saying then and what it means for our life with God today. (John 6:26-36) Sermon Outline “Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will…
I am the Bread of Life
Exploring the seven “I am” statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John, this Easter season we want to encounter Jesus again for the first time. Drawing upon the Gospel context and Old Testament history, we want to step more deeply into what Jesus was saying then and what it means for our life with God today. (John 6:26-36) Sermon Outline Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever…
I am the Resurrection and the Life
Exploring the seven “I am” statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John, this Easter season we want to encounter Jesus again for the first time. Drawing upon the Gospel context and Old Testament history, we want to step more deeply into what Jesus was saying then and what it means for our life with God today. (John 11:25) Sermon Outline “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live,…
Confusion Among the Nations: The Tower of Babel
This message will focus primarily on the story of the Tower of Babel and how it sets the stage for the confusion of the nations and separation of peoples based in the vain pride of humanity. The message will point toward God’s intervention in Abraham and through that toward the need for Christ. (Genesis 11:1-32) Sermon Outline “Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” (Genesis 11:7) The God-displacing Efforts of Disordered…
Faltering at the Finish Line: After the Flood
This message explores Noah’s inglorious end and the expanding table of nations in Genesis 10. What does this tell us about who we are? (Genesis 9:18-10:32) Sermon Outline “Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard.” (Genesis 9:20) A New Beginning and the Table of Nations (9:18-19; 10:1-32) A new beginning in light of God’s covenant blessing (9:18-19) God works with the generations and all peoples Noah’s Vineyard (9:20-21) Noah is the new man of the soil,…
Healing for the Earth: The Flood, Part 2
This message will pick up with the second half of the flood story all the way through God’s covenant with Noah marked by the rainbow. Some attention here to the Noahic Covenant and Christological connections with it. (Genesis 8:1-9:17; 1 Peter 3:19-22) Sermon Outline “But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and He sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.” (Genesis 8:1) “He remembers His…
The Need for Cleansing: The Flood, Part 1
This message will explore God’s need to cleanse the earth and the importance of Noah and his family for this work. The story of the building of the ark, the gathering of the animals, and the downpour upon the earth will receive focus here. How do we still need cleansing? (Genesis 6:9-8:1) Sermon Outline “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on…
The Expansion of Evil: Before the Flood
This passage is one we might be apt to skip over because we’re not sure what to say about these stories of people. But there’s a reminder here that over time humanity expands, grows, and spreads to different places. This message will bring focus to the curious text about the Nephilim and the continual expansion of evil over this time which troubles God’s heart (6:6). (Genesis 4:17-6:8) Sermon Outline “The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race…
The Power of Anger: Cain & Abel
This message will explore the human tendency toward jealousy and anger. Working in Jesus’ teaching on the Sermon on the Mount about anger and murder will help us from seeing Cain and Abel as an episode of terror removed from us. (Genesis 4:1-17; Matthew 5:21-26) Sermon Outline “Now Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let’s go out to the field.’ While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.” (Genesis 4:8) The Turn Toward the…
The Fall, Part 2
This week will explore the series of “curses” placed upon humanity and creation as a result of the Fall into sin. The nature of sin, separation from God, judgment, and death are vital here. This message should also explore the Christological implications of the curse and the future looking nature of this portion of Genesis. (Genesis 3:14-24) Sermon Outline “So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.”…
The Fall, Part 1
This week will turn the corner into chapter 3 with attention to the story of the Fall, original innocence and the entrance of sin, the nature of evil and where it came from, shame and guilt, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Connect with the discussion of the two trees of Genesis 2 and verse 25 about shame and vulnerability before God. (Genesis 3:1-13) Sermon Outline “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the…