SERMON SUMMARY We are in a series of messages where we are studying some of the hard sayings of Jesus. And it doesn’t get any easier this week, as we look at Matthew 5:38-42. Jesus begins by saying, “You have heard that it was said,” and then he quotes an Old Testament law from the…
SERMON SUMMARY Today, we begin a new series of messages examining the hard sayings of Jesus, starting with Jesus’ teachings on forgiveness. In Matthew 6, the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father…
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 Christmas is widely known as the “most wonderful time of the year” and the “happiest season of all.” We are told again and again that it’s a season of joy, family bonding, and making memories that will last a lifetime. But we live in a fallen world and many things aren’t what they…
SERMON SUMMARY A month ago we began a six-part series which explores an event 500 years ago that recaptured the heart of Christianity. Over the centuries, Christianity had drifted into all kinds of error and abuses. The way of salvation had become hard to find because of false teaching. So a brave Catholic monk named…
SERMON SUMMARY Over the centuries, Christianity got off-course. What started out as a shockingly simple story of God’s “search and rescue mission” of sinful humanity became an elaborate maze of man-made rules and regulations. Five hundred years ago a reformation of Christianity began. At the time, individuals such as you and I were not allowed…
SERMON SUMMARY Paul has previously given Pastor Timothy instructions about the treatment of widows and church leaders. In the opening verses of Chapter 6, he turns his attention to how slaves should relate to their masters. Paul’s chief concern in addressing the issue of slavery in the Roman Empire was that God be glorified and…
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 The central tenant of Christianity is incredible the claim that Jesus of Nazareth was raised from the dead three days after being crucified. But even if it did happen—does it matter? After all, if it did happen, it happened over two thousand years ago! I’m convinced that Jesus’ resurrection speaks to our present…
SERMON SUMMARY There is a good deal of historical evidence surrounding the resurrection of Jesus. In fact, there are mountains of evidence, but today we are going to look at a special subset of that evidence called the Minimal Facts. The Minimal Facts approach consists of only those facts that are strongly evidenced and agreed…
