Sermons
Sermon Topics l Sermon Archives
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Sermon Topics: Sept. 10, 2006 - Sept. 2, 2007
All sermons are in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format. To open and read .pdf files, you need Adobe Acrobat Reader, available here for free download. (Opens in new window)
Becoming Disciples of Jesus
Fall 2006 through August 2007
Synopsis:
We will follow the part headings in Greg Ogden’s Discipleship Essentials as we move through the sermon series. Discipleship Essentials is divided into four parts:
Part One: Growing Up in Christ (Sept 10 - Nov 19)
Part Two: Understanding the Message of Christ (Nov 26 - Mar 4)
Part Three: Becoming Like Christ (Mar 11 - June 17)
Part Four: Serving Christ (June 24 - Aug 26)
Experiences in Kenya: Sep 2
Each of these four parts contains chapters. These part headings will appear after each successive Sunday date along with the chapter title. The texts from each chapter constitute two consecutive preaching Sundays. For example, Sept 10 and 17 are under Part One: Growing Up in Christ, in chapter one Making Disciples, with the preaching texts Matt 28:16-20 and Luke 9:1-6.
Part One: Growing Up in ChristSept 10 | Sept 17 | Sept 24 | Oct 1 | Oct 8 | Oct 15
Oct 22 | Oct 29 | Nov 5 | Nov 12 | Nov 19
September 10 - Growing Up in Christ: Making Disciples
Text: Matt 28:16-20
Sermon: Making Disciples of All Nations
Sermon Text: 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations"
Focus:
After his death and resurrection, Jesus appears to his disciples one last time. They are waiting to hear how he will instruct them. He tells them very clearly that they have a job on earth. Their job is to make disciples, that is, to recruit life-long learners of Jesus.
September 10 Sermon Outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 30MB
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[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part One: Growing Up in Christ']
[Back to 'Becoming Disciples of Jesus']
September 17 - Growing Up in Christ: Making Disciples
Text: Luke 9:1-6
Sermon: Calling Disciples
Sermon Text: 9:1 "Then Jesus called the twelve together"
Focus:
After his death and resurrection, Jesus appears to his disciples one last time. They are waiting to hear how he will instruct them. He tells them very clearly that they have a job on earth. Their job is to make disciples, that is, to recruit life-long learners of Jesus.
September 17 Sermon Outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 20MB
(Click link to play. RIGHT-click link to save file, choose "Save target as")
[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part One: Growing Up in Christ']
[Back to 'Becoming Disciples of Jesus']
September 24 - Growing Up in Christ: Being a Disciple
Text: Luke 9:18-27
Sermon: Being a Disciple
Sermon Text: 9:23 “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves”
Focus:
Being a disciple, a life-long learner, implies learning not lessons but a person. A disciple of Jesus learns Jesus. As we follow Jesus’ way in the world, the way of denial and service, we become disciples.
September 24 Sermon Outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 20MB
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[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part One: Growing Up in Christ']
[Back to 'Becoming Disciples of Jesus']
October 1 - Growing Up in Christ: Being a Disciple
Text: Luke 5:1-11
Sermon: Discipleship Means Obedience
Sermon Text: 5:4 “Put out into deeper water and let down your nets”
Focus:
Jesus tells a weary Peter to put out into deeper water for a catch. Even though he is weary, Peter obeys and catches many fish. As a result Jesus tells him he will catch not fish but people from now on. Discipleship begins when we, like Peter, obey Jesus.
No Sermon Outline available.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 13MB
(Click link to play. RIGHT-click link to save file, choose "Save target as")
[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part One: Growing Up in Christ']
[Back to 'Becoming Disciples of Jesus']
October 8 - Growing Up in Christ: Quiet Time
Rev. Emily McColl
Text: Psalm 1
Sermon: Rooted in God’s Word
Sermon Text: 1:3 “They are like trees planted by streams of water”
Focus:
A successful life grows from being rooted in God’s Word, the Scriptures. The psalmist contrasts the wicked, who are autonomous, seeking their own authority, with the righteous, those who seek the Lord through the pages of Scripture.
October 8 Sermon in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 17MB
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[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part One: Growing Up in Christ']
[Back to 'Becoming Disciples of Jesus']
October 15 - Growing Up in Christ: Quiet Time
Rev. Tom Cramer
Text: John 15:1-11
Sermon: Rooted in God’s Living Word
Sermon Text: 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches”
Focus:
Spending time in God’s Word is not just reading an ancient text, it is spending time with Jesus. As we read and seek Jesus in prayer we find productive and fruitful lives.
October 15 Sermon in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 17MB
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[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part One: Growing Up in Christ']
[Back to 'Becoming Disciples of Jesus']
October 22 - Growing Up in Christ: Bible Study
Text: 2 Tim 3:10-17
Sermon: A Scripted Life
Sermon Text: 3:16 “All Scripture is inspired by God”
Focus:
Paul instructs Timothy that his (Paul’s) life has been lived under the authority of Jesus Christ. As a result, Timothy should live the same kind of life, under the authority of Jesus Christ understood through the pages of Scripture. All disciples of Jesus are “scripted,” meaning those who live by the Word of God.
October 22 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 20MB
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[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part One: Growing Up in Christ']
[Back to 'Becoming Disciples of Jesus']
October 29 - Growing Up in Christ: Prayer
Text: Matt 6:5-13
Sermon: Pray This Way
Sermon Text: 6:9 “Pray then this way”
Focus:
Jesus’ disciples come to him and ask how to pray. He gives them a model prayer, which Christians have prayed together for 2,000 years. We still use the Lord’s Prayer to order our responses to God through Jesus Christ.
October 29 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 20MB
(Click link to play. RIGHT-click link to save file, choose "Save target as")
[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part One: Growing Up in Christ']
[Back to 'Becoming Disciples of Jesus']
Nov 5 - Growing Up in Christ: Prayer
Text: Luke 11:5-13
Sermon: Ask the Father
Sermon Text: 11:9 “So I say to you, ask and it will be given to you.”
Focus:
Jesus teaches his disciples that prayer is asking a loving Father to respond. Our attitude towards prayer is directly related to our attitude towards the one to whom we pray.
November 5 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 17MB
(Click link to play. RIGHT-click link to save file, choose "Save target as")
[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part One: Growing Up in Christ']
[Back to 'Becoming Disciples of Jesus']
Nov 12 - Growing Up in Christ: Worship
Text: Rev 4:1-2, 6-11
Sermon: Worship is Worth-ship
Sermon Text: 4:11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power”
Focus:
From a worship scene in heaven we learn that our worship is what we honor, what we hold most dear. The question for disciples is not whether we worship but what we worship. When we worship the Lord and God our lives are set in order.
November 12 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 28MB
(Click link to play. RIGHT-click link to save file, choose "Save target as")
[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part One: Growing Up in Christ']
[Back to 'Becoming Disciples of Jesus']
Nov 19 - Growing Up in Christ: Worship
Rev. Emily McColl
Text: Rev 5:6-12
Sermon: Jesus is Worthy
Sermon Text: 5:12 “Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered”
Focus:
The central focus of our worship is Jesus Christ, the slain lamb, whom God put forth to take away our sins. As we worship Jesus we begin to understand the scroll of our lives.
November 19 Sermon in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 20MB
[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part One: Growing Up in Christ']
[Back to 'Becoming Disciples of Jesus']
Part Two: Understanding the Message of Christ
Nov 26 | Dec 3 (Advent) | Dec 10 (Advent) | Dec 17 (Advent)
Dec 24 [morning] (Advent) | Dec 24 [evening] (Christmas Eve)
Dec 31 | Jan 7 | Jan 14 | Jan 21 | Jan 28
Feb 4 | Feb 11 | Feb 18 | Feb 25 | Mar 4
Nov 26 - Understanding the Message of Christ: The Three-Person God
Text: Deut 6:1-9 and 2Cor 13:14
Sermon: God is Three in One
Sermon Text: 2Cor 13:14 “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you”
Focus:
The Bible teaches that there is one God, whom we encounter through the names Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These names are more than a metaphor, they are the relational God of the Bible, who invites us into a saving and healing family.
November 26 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 23MB
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[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part Two: Understanding the Message of Christ']
[Back to 'Becoming Disciples of Jesus']
Dec 3 (Advent) - Understanding the Message of Christ: The Three-Person God
Text: John 8:48-59
Sermon: Jesus is God
Sermon Text: John 8:58 “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am”
Focus:
In an encounter with Jews, Jesus identifies himself with the God of the Bible. He and the God of Abraham are one and the same. This causes controversy. It still causes controversy today, because the claim is an exclusivist claim.
December 3 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 13MB
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[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part Two: Understanding the Message of Christ']
[Back to 'Becoming Disciples of Jesus']
Dec 10 (Advent) - Understanding the Message of Christ: Made in God's Image
Rev. Tom Cramer
Text: Gen 1:26-31
Sermon: We’re Supposed to Look Like God
Sermon Text: Gen 1:26 “Let us make humankind in our image”
Focus:
The Bible teaches that human beings are to bear the image of God in the world. Much as ancient ambassadors bore the image of their king to other lands, we are to bear the image of God to other people.
December 10 Sermon in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 17MB
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[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part Two: Understanding the Message of Christ']
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Dec 17 (Advent) - Understanding the Message of Christ: Made in God’s Image
Text: Gen 2:18-25
Sermon: A Man and a Woman in Marriage
Sermon Text: Gen 2:24 “Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh”
Focus:
Marriage between a man and a woman is not just a covenant for mutual support, it is the coming together of opposites to become one flesh. Marriage is thus God’s basic building block for human community.
December 17 Sermon in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 24MB
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[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part Two: Understanding the Message of Christ']
[Back to 'Becoming Disciples of Jesus']
Dec 24 [morning] (Advent)
Text: John 1:1-14
Sermon: God Becomes One of Us
Sermon Text: 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and lived among us”
Focus:
The good news of Christmas is that the eternal God, creator of heavens and earth, become one of us that we might know him. God is no longer just out there; God is present to us in Jesus Christ.
December 24 morning Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 17MB
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[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part Two: Understanding the Message of Christ']
[Back to 'Becoming Disciples of Jesus']
Dec 24 [evening] (Christmas Eve)
Text: John 1:15-18
Sermon: Jesus Makes God Known to Us
Sermon Text: 1:18 “It is God the Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known”
Focus:
As we get to know Jesus, we get to know God. Christmas celebrates that God became a human being. We thus get to know God the same way we get to know other human beings; we begin a relationship with him.
No Sermon Outline available.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 13MB
(Click link to play. RIGHT-click link to save file, choose "Save target as")
[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part Two: Understanding the Message of Christ']
[Back to 'Becoming Disciples of Jesus']
Dec 31 - Understanding the Message of Christ: Sin
Text: Gen 3:1-13
Sermon: What is Sin?
Sermon Text: 3:4 “And you will be like God, knowing good and evil”
Focus:
Sin is the choice we make to go beyond our role as God’s creatures. We choose to become like God instead of becoming God’s creatures. When we do this we wreak havoc on ourselves, our relations, and on the earth itself.
December 31 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 24 MB
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[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part Two: Understanding the Message of Christ']
[Back to 'Becoming Disciples of Jesus']
Jan 7
Text: Luke 24:44-49
Sermon: Jesus in Our Heart, Scripture in Our Hand, Feet Out the Door
Sermon Text:24:45 "He opened their minds to understand the scriptures.”
January 7 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 22MB
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[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part Two: Understanding the Message of Christ']
[Back to 'Becoming Disciples of Jesus']
Jan 14 - Understanding the Message of Christ: Grace
Rev. Tom Cramer
Text: Rom 5:6-11
Sermon: Christ’s Death Trumps Our Death
Sermon Text: 5:8 “While we were still sinners Christ died for us”
Focus:
We chose death when we chose to go against the life-giving God. But God’s choice for us in the death of Jesus Christ is stronger than our choice against God. Even before we chose to turn back to God, God has chosen to turn to us.
January 14 Sermon in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 19MB
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[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part Two: Understanding the Message of Christ']
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Jan 21 - Understanding the Message of Christ: Grace
Text: Luke 15:11-24
Sermon: The Waiting Father
Sermon Text: 15:20 “But while he was still far off, his Father saw him and was filled with compassion”
Focus:
In a story about two sons, Jesus explains that God loves us even before we decide to turn back to him. It is in fact the love of God the Father that turns us back towards home.
January 21 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 19MB
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[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part Two: Understanding the Message of Christ']
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Jan 28 - Understanding the Message of Christ: Redemption
Text: Isaiah 53:1-6
Sermon: Jesus Christ Died for Us
Sermon Text:53:5 “He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities”
Focus:
The prophet Isaiah speaks of an unknown exilic person who takes upon himself the burden of Israel’s sin in order to bring about redemption. New Testament writers saw this prophetic text fulfilled in Jesus Christ when he took upon himself our sins that we might be redeemed.
January 28 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 19MB
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[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part Two: Understanding the Message of Christ']
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Feb 4 - Understanding the Message of Christ: Redemption
Text: 1Cor 15:1-8
Sermon: Jesus Christ Rose for Us
Sermon Text: 15:4 “And that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures”
Focus:
The death of Jesus Christ is only one-half of redemption. God shows his endorsement of Jesus when he raises him from the dead. Everything that Jesus did and said is now ultimately important, especially our redemption.
February 4 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 22MB
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[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part Two: Understanding the Message of Christ']
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Feb 11 - Understanding the Message of Christ: Justification
Text: Eph 2:1-10
Sermon: We Are God’s Good Work
Sermon Text: 2:10 “For we are what he has made us”
Focus:
Justification is the work God did in Jesus Christ to re-create us as new people. Where we chose death, God chose life for us in Jesus Christ. We may now live that new life in trust, which is itself a gift of God.
February 11 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 23MB
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[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part Two: Understanding the Message of Christ']
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Feb 18 - Understanding the Message of Christ: Justification
Text: Rom 3:21-31
Sermon: Justification Means Right Relationships
Sermon Text: 3:21 “But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been disclosed”
Focus:
God’s righteous, which means right relationships, comes to us as we trust in Jesus Christ. God restores our relationship with him, and in turn our relationship with other people. He justifies, meaning returns to right, all the messed-up relationships of our lives.
February 18 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 26MB
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[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part Two: Understanding the Message of Christ']
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Feb 25 - Understanding the Message of Christ: Adoption
Text: Rom 8:12-17
Sermon: Getting a New Family
Sermon Text: Rom 8:14 “For all that are lead by the Spirit are children of God”
Focus:
In restoring our relationships, God brings us into a new family, the family of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As we experience this new family we learn how to live in whole and unbroken relationships.
February 25 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 23MB
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[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part Two: Understanding the Message of Christ']
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March 4 - Understanding the Message of Christ: Adoption
Text: Gal 3:23-29
Sermon: Baptized Into a New Family
Sermon Text: 3:27 “As many of you as were baptized into Christ”
Focus:
The ceremony of entry into the new family of God is baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. When we come through the waters of baptism, we find we are no longer Jew nor Greek, slave or free, male nor female, but one family. The old distinctions, which drove us apart, no longer apply.
March 4 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 17MB
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[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part Two: Understanding the Message of Christ']
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Part Three: Becoming Like Christ
Mar 11 | Mar 18 | Mar 25 | April 1 (Palm Sunday) | April 8 (Easter)
April 15 | April 22 | April 29 | May 6 | May 13 (Mother's Day)
May 20 | May 27 (Pentecost) | June 3 | June 10 | June 17 (Father's Day)
March 11 - Becoming Like Christ: Filled with the Holy Spirit
Text: Eph 5:1-20
Sermon: Filled with the Spirit
Sermon Text: 5:18 “Do not get drunk with wine . . . but be filled with the Spirit”
Focus:
God’s Spirit gave life to all creatures in creation. But we chose against God’s Spirit in sin. In redemption God’s Spirit gives new life that we may become through redemption what we were originally meant to be.
March 11 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 22MB
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March 18 - Becoming Like Christ: Filled with the Holy Spirit
Text: John 16:5-15
Sermon: Guided by the Spirit
Sermon Text: 16:13 “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth”
Focus:
The Holy Spirit comes from Jesus to us to be the presence of God among us. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to guide, protect, and assure all disciples of Jesus that Jesus is actually present among us.
March 18 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 22MB
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[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part Three: Becoming Like Christ']
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March 25 - Becoming Like Christ: Fruit of the Spirit
Text: Gal 5:16-21
Sermon: Spoiled Fruit
Sermon Text: 5:19 “Now the works of the flesh are obvious”
Focus:
God’s Spirit guides into a specific lifestyle, which the Bible calls the fruit of the Spirit. Opposed to a fruit-filled life is a lifestyle which the Bible calls a life of the flesh. A life of the flesh is like spoiled fruit. We see what it should be, but taste and see what it has become.
March 25 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 25MB
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[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part Three: Becoming Like Christ']
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April 1 - Palm Sunday
Text: Mark 11:1-10
Sermon: The Passion Parable
Sermon Text: 11:7 “Then they brought the colt to Jesus . . . and he sat on it”
Focus:
Jesus uses well-known symbolism to signal what he is doing by entering Jerusalem via the Mount of Olives. Jesus is the Messiah returning to Jerusalem to fight the battle for the Kingdom of God.
April 1 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 19MB
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[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part Three: Becoming Like Christ']
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April 8 - Easter Sunday
Text: Mark 16:1-8
Sermon: No One Understands the Good News
Sermon Text: 16:8 “And they said nothing to anyone for they were afraid”
Focus:
As much as Jesus talked about it, the resurrection comes as a surprise to the disciples. The women come to the tomb to hear the good news, and run away afraid, unable to comprehend what they have seen and heard.
April 8 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 19MB
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[Back to Top] [Back to 'Part Three: Becoming Like Christ']
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April 15 - Becoming Like Christ: Fruit of the Holy Spirit
Text: Gal 5:22-26
Sermon: Good Fruit
Sermon Text: 5:22 “By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is . . .”
Focus:
A life of the flesh is like spoiled fruit. Everyone hates spoiled fruit. A life guided by the Holy Spirit is like fresh fruit. Everyone loves fresh fruit.
April 15 Sermon in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 22MB
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April 22 - Becoming Like Christ: Trust
Text: Proverbs 3:5-6
Sermon: What is Faith?
Sermon Text: 3:5 “Do not rely on your own insight”
Focus:
Faith is not intellectual assent, it is trusting a person. The Bible asks us to trust in the faithfulness of God. This is the essence of biblical faith.
April 22 Sermon in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 22MB
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April 29 - Becoming Like Christ: Trust
Text: Hebrews 11:1-7
Sermon: How Does Faith Work?
Sermon Text: 11:2 “Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval”
Focus:
Faith works when real people in real circumstances lean not on their own understanding but upon a faithful God. Hebrews recites a litany of faithful people who trusted in God rather than their own resources.
April 29 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 28MB
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May 6 - Becoming Like Christ: Love
Text: John 13:1-11, 34-35
Sermon: Love as Jesus Did
Sermon Text: 13:34 “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another”
Focus:
In an upper room following supper, Jesus picks up a towel and basin in order to wash the disciples’ feet. He uses this symbolic action to teach them to love others as he has loved them. This is the model for all disciples, to love as Jesus loved.
May 6 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 23MB
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May 13 - Becoming Like Christ: Love (Mother’s Day)
John 17:20-26
Sermon: Love is Unity
Sermon Text: 17:21 “That they all may be one”
Focus:
Jesus teaches that the model for love is the unity of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As God is a relationship of love, so we are to be a relationship of love.
May 13 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 24MB
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May 20 - Becoming Like Christ: Justice
Text: Isaiah 58:1-9
Sermon: Fasting for the Poor
Sermon Text: 58:6 “Is this not the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice?”
Focus:
The LORD teaches through Isaiah that our worship is not a Sunday experience but an attitude towards life, which works itself out in the way we treat others. What we do on Sunday has effects during the week.
May 20 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 26MB
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May 27 - Pentecost
Text: Acts 2:1-16
Sermon: Filled with the Spirit
Sermon Text: 2:12 “What does this all mean?”
Focus:
Before Jesus was raised, he promised that he would send the Holy Spirit to guide us. When the Spirit comes at Pentecost, people are perplexed not knowing how to interpret the experience. Peter rises to tell the crowds that God is pouring out his Spirit upon all flesh.
May 27 Sermon in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 19MB
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June 3 - Becoming Like Christ: Justice
Text: Matt 25:31-46
Sermon: Where is Jesus?
Sermon Text: 25:44 “When was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty?”
Focus:
Jesus tells the parable of the sheep and the goats to illustrate that both those attending to the needs of others, and those who do not, are unaware that as they minister to other people, they are ministering to Jesus.
June 3 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 25MB
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June 10 - Becoming Like Christ: Witness
Text: Acts 1:1-11
Sermon: Am I a Martyr?
Sermon Text: 1:8 “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”
Focus:
Jesus tells the gathered disciples before he ascends to the Father that they have a job on earth. Disciples are to be witnesses, marturos in Greek, in their communities and to the ends of the earth.
June 10 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 25MB
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June 17 - Becoming Like Christ: Witness (Father’s Day)
Text: John 4:1-15
Sermon: A Witness at the Well
Sermon Text: 4:9 “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?”
Focus:
Jesus in the encounter with a Samaritan woman illustrates how to witness. He engages a woman in a conversation about her life and points her to where she is searching.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 18MB
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June 24 | July 1 | July 8 | July 15 | July 22 | July 29
Aug 5 | Aug 5 | Aug 12 | Aug 19 | Aug 26
June 24 - Serving Christ: The Church
Text: 1 Cor 12:1-11
Sermon: The One Spirit Forms the Church
Sermon Text: 12:11 “All these are activated by one and the same Spirit”
Focus:
The Spirit of Jesus Christ forms the church, which is Jesus’ body on earth. Although the body has many parts, many gifts and persons, there is one Spirit which holds the church together.
June 24 Sermon in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 17MB
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July 1 - Serving Christ: The Church (Fourth of July Weekend)
Text: 1 Cor 12:12-27
Sermon: One Body with Many Parts
Sermon Text: 12:27 “Now you all are the body of Christ and individually members of it”
Focus:
Although the church is one due to the one Spirit of Jesus Christ, the church manifests its unity when we use our individual gifts to further the Kingdom of God. We together as we use our gifts make the one church of Jesus Christ.
July 1 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 24MB
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July 8 - Serving Christ: Ministry Gifts
Text: Eph 4:7-16
Sermon: Just What is My Ministry Gift?
Sermon Text: 4:11 “The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets”
Focus:
We express the one gift of God in Jesus Christ as we equip people for the work of ministry. From one gift to many gifted persons; this is the flow of gifts in the church.
July 8 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 26MB
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July 15 - Serving Christ: Ministry Gifts
Text: Rom 12:1-8
Sermon: Grace Gifts for All: Change for a Purpose
Sermon Text: 12:6 “We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us”
Focus:
Each of us has been given grace to use our particular gifts in the church. There are no people whom God has not graced with gifts. Thus the church needs all people to use their gifts for the glory of God.
July 15 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 31MB
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July 22 - Serving Christ: Spiritual Warfare
Text: Eph 6:10-12
Sermon: Where’s the Battle?
Sermon Text: 6:12 “For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh”
Focus:
Whenever the church follows Jesus it runs into trouble. The tendency is to blame and fight with each other. Paul tells us that our struggle is far greater than with each other. We are part of a cosmic struggle, which God has already won in Jesus Christ.
July 22 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 20MB
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July 29 - Serving Christ: Spiritual Warfare
Text: Eph 6:13-20
Sermon: How to Fight the Battle
Sermon Text: 6:13 “Therefore, take up the whole armor of God”
Focus:
If the battle is not against blood and flesh, that is, against each other, then we must use different weapons than we would normally use. God gifts us both a strategy and tactics for fighting the enemies arrayed against the church.
July 29 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 33MB
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August 5 - Serving Christ: Walking in Obedience
Text: Eph 4:17-24
Sermon: Becoming New People, Part One
Sermon Text: 4:17 “You must no longer live as the Gentiles live”
Focus:
In Jesus Christ we together have become new people. We are called to reject our old attitudes and behaviors in order that we might become our new selves.
August 5 Sermon in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 22MB
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August 12 - Serving Christ: Walking in Obedience
Text: Eph 4:25-32
Sermon: Becoming New People, Part Two
Sermon Text: 4:25 “So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak truth to our neighbor”
Focus:
In becoming new persons, we reject our old selves and at the same time embrace our new selves. The joy is that the Holy Spirit invigorates us, giving us strength to do this.
August 12 Sermon in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 19MB
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August 19 - Serving Christ: Sharing the Wealth
Text: 2 Tim 2:1-7
Sermon: Passing on the Faith
Sermon Text: 2:2 “What you have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people”
Focus:
Someone once said that the Christian faith is only one generation away from extinction. God has chosen to communicate the gospel not from on high to each person individually, but from person to person, from story to story. This is our job to pass on the faith to faithful persons.
August 19 Sermon in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 24MB
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Aug 26 - Serving Christ: Sharing the Wealth
Text: 1 Thess 2:1-12
Sermon: How We Pass on the Faith
Sermon Text: 2:8 “So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves”
Focus:
Passing on the faith is not handing out a tract or preaching and leaving, it is sharing our lives with other people so that they may see Jesus in us. The Word of God became flesh and dwelled among us. This is the mode of gospel proclamation; we become flesh among other people.
August 26 Sermon outline in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 29MB
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Sep 2 - Experiences in Kenya
Text: Matthew 5:14
Sermon: Light of the World
Sermon Text: 2:8 “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid.”
No Sermon Outline available.
Audio file of sermon, mp3 format, 29MB
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