"2021" Tagged Sermons

“The Difference the Resurrection Makes”

Just as you can’t take apples out of apple pie and still have apple pie, you can’t take the resurrection out of the Christian faith and still have the Christian faith. The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is essential to true Christian faith. Like modern liberal churches, some in the church of Corinth claimed that resurrection was impossible, even as they tried to hold to the Christian faith. Our passage today shows that the resurrection is an essential conviction of the faith, and it is something we must receive, embrace, and live in light of. Why does the resurrection matter?

“Above and Beyond All Measure”

Ephesians 3:14-21 (ESV) Prayer for Spiritual Strength 14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you,…

“Finding Satisfaction in Christ”

An Evangelism Explosion presentation pictures a person bobbing in the middle of an ocean after they’ve been tossed from their boat in the midst of a storm. A Coast Guard vessel arrives as the person is going down for the third time, and a sailor throws a lifeline connected to a life preserver. Do you hang on to the wreckage, or do you let go and grab hold of the invitation to be saved? Jesus is the only Savior, for this life and the next. Are you hungering and thirsting for Him and for His righteousness?

“The Power of the Gospel”

If we are going to effectively solve our problems, we have to get to the source. Just bouncing from symptom to symptom will not solve problems; we need to get at the root. For the last 9 months, we have been looking at the problems in the church at Corinth. Today we start on the final problem: their misunderstandings of the gospel, particularly the resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:12). What if this problem was behind all of the rest? Today we will see how the gospel is the power for living, and the power behind solving our problems. What is the gospel?

“The Power of Our Words”

Words have an enormous power to affect our lives. Negative or false words wound the spirit and mislead. Positive words of truth of love have the power to build in courage and love. Words matter. Our Christian walk and testimony must be built upon the Word of God. What happens when the use of words is replaced by experiences? This was happening in the church in Corinth as the ministry of intelligible words was being replaced by the unintelligible experience of speaking in tongues (1 Corinthians 14:1-2). In this passage, we learn how understandable words are necessary for making disciples and confronting the conscience.

“How God Makes Two Groups of People (Jews and Gentiles) Into One”

Ephesians 2:11-22 (ESV) One in Christ 11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without…

“Love Is the Goal”

Who is the most loving person you know? What is it that makes them so loving? The church in Corinth was divided and disrupted by people who thought they had it all. They were missing something very important–love. Because God is love (1 John 4:8), our Christian faith is best demonstrated in the way we love. Love is the goal, not supernatural experiences, not our own comfort, or increasing our own glory. What is the value of
love?

“The Body of Christ”

We go to the doctor because our personal well-being depends on each part of our body being healthy. If just one part of our body is unhealthy, or missing, it affects everything else. It’s the same thing in the church. In fact, the church is described as a “body”, made up of many parts (1 Corinthians 12:12-14). Each one of us is a part of the whole, and we need to be concerned about the whole of the body, and not just our own life. As an interconnected body, we must care for each member as critical for the health of the whole. A healthy body needs the involvement of all the parts. Our passage can be compared to a doctor’s visit where the physician checks the health of our body. How do we have a healthy church?