Living in the Shadow of the Resurrection – The Night They Arrested God – 1 of 4 SERMON SUMMARY Jesus’ sufferings begin with his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane and conclude with his crucifixion. In between we read of his arrest and the six trials that he endured. Just before all this Jesus shared…
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 Today we wrap up our series, “Jesus Outside The Lines”. In week one, we looked at how a proper understanding of grace causes us to view the world around us not as morally inferior or unenlightened, but as people who, like us, are candidates for God’s grace. The next week we talked about…
SERMON SUMMARY John 1:1, 14 recounts the Christmas story in two verses. God became man and dwelt among us. Theologians call this the incarnation of Christ. The word “incarnate” means “in the flesh.” Jesus is God in the flesh! The doctrine of incarnation distinguishes the Christian faith from any other religion. In no other religion…
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 Many of us have lost loved ones to death—family members, friends, members of our church family. And understandably, we grieve that loss. Grief and death go together. But as Christians, our grief should be tempered, because if our loved one died in faith, the Bible assures us that we will see him or…
SERMON SUMMARY October 31st, just a few weeks away, marks the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, the event that sparked a “reboot” of Christianity. The first, most foundational of those truths is “Sola Scriptura”—Scripture alone is our source of truth. The second question the Reformers addressed was, “What does God reveal in his Word…
SERMON SUMMARY For many people, a vacation aboard a sailboat, tucked away in some quiet cove, is a dream come true. But cruises don’t always have storybook endings. Shipwreck always is a possibility. Likewise, according to 1 Timothy 1:19, if we’re not careful, our faith can become “shipwrecked”. We all know someone who used to…
SERMON SUMMARY The Bible sometimes uses sports analogies to describe the Christian life (Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 9:24- 27). The Christian life is compared to a race—not a sprint, but a marathon where great endurance is required. God wants us Christians to get off the sidelines and into the game (Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Peter 4:10).…
SERMON SUMMARY 1. Our lives are shaped by our expectations. Shaped by the Old Testament, the disciples expected God quickly to bring in a physical, national kingdom of Israel with a victorious, messianic ruler who would squash all Gentile opposition. The disciples expected and wanted one thing, but Jesus had something else in mind. False…
