1 Peter – Reflections on 1 Peter – 18 of 18 SERMON SUMMARY Peter’s personality—his zeal, courage, humility, tenderness, forthrightness, and yes, even his impetuousness—is revealed in the letter we call “First Peter”. Let’s begin with five observations: [1] This sounds obvious, but Peter wrote the letter. Peter, James and John formed the inner circle…
1 Peter – 1 Peter 3:21-22- 11 of 18 SERMON SUMMARY First Peter was written to persecuted Christians who were scattered throughout what is now modern day Turkey. Peter wrote to encourage them to maintain their hope in the midst of their trying circumstances. Today we learn what Christian baptism symbolizes and role in Christian…
Living in the Shadow of the Resurrection – Responding to the Resurrection – 4 of 4 SERMON SUMMARY Had there been no resurrection, we—and nearly 2 billion others around the world—would not be gathered to worship the risen Christ. And this world would be very different than it is. The Christian faith has had a…
Living in the Shadow of the Resurrection – He is Risen! – 3 of 4 SERMON SUMMARY The Christian faith is rooted in the facts of history, and Luke, the gospel-writer, is widely considered to be a master historian. He was determined to set forth an accurate account of Jesus’ life and ministry (Luke 1:1-4). Of the…
What Jesus Says to His Church – Sardis- The Dead Church – 6 of 8 SERIES STUDY GUIDE This 8-part series uses a comprehensive study guide. Download from the Save PDF button above. SERMON SUMMARY Part 6 of 8 Sermon Summary. APPLICATION / CHALLENGE If you have the Holy Spirit, if you have spiritual life,…
Faith & Work: An Uneasy Alliance – Viewing Work through the Lens of the Great Commandment – 3 of 8 SERMON SUMMARY “There is what I do on Sunday, and then there is what I do during the week. There is my private faith life, and then there is my public work life, and they…
SERMON SUMMARY Three weeks ago Pastor Lanier kicked off a new, four-part series called “Questions & Answers”. We’re shining a light on this important subject of “worldview”. In our first installment, Lanier helped us answer that foundational question, “How can we know what’s true?” Next we considered whether science has made God obsolete. If you…
SERMON SUMMARY As we continue our series on the Hard Sayings of Jesus, we come across a saying so hard that it caused many of Jesus’ followers to walk away. The passage is John 6:53-55, 66 in which Jesus speaks of his followers “eating the flesh of the Son of Man and drinking his blood.”…
SERMON SUMMARY Many of us are familiar with the story of Jesus’ birth—about his mother’s miraculous pregnancy, about his birth in a manger, about angels announcing his arrival to some shepherds (Luke 1:30-33; 2:8-15). And, of course, many of our favorite Christmas songs mention the role of angels too. Today let’s gain a better understanding…
SERMON SUMMARY The Bible is filled with accounts of the miraculous. For the Christian, miracles confirm God’s existence, his power and his message, but the secular world view allows no divine intervention. But if miracles are not possible we should all go home, forget about God, and abandon our faith. Portuguese philosopher Benedict Spinoza best…
