Sermon Series
Mother's Day: Mary, the Mother of Jesus
- Category: Holidays & Special Services
- May 10, 2015
Mothers Who Prepare Their Children to Be Spiritual Leaders.
From preachers to presidents, good leaders have often praised the value of virtuous mothers. We celebrate motherhood this week because the Bible also honors women. Jewish genealogies did not include women, yet Jesus' mother is mentioned by name in Matthew 1:16. The Bible mentions Mary because she displays several virtues that should characterize all Christians. What can we learn from her godly example?
1 Timothy Introduction, Part 2
- Category: The Pastoral Epistles: 1 Timothy
- May 3, 2015
The Personal and Corporate Integrity of the Church.
Carbon fiber is ten times as strong as steel and one third the weight. Because of these properties, the airplane industry is using it to make more lightweight, durable jets. Likewise, the church is much stronger and can move forward with much less burden when it is well-taught and holds to proper doctrine. The Christian life can be hard, but it would be much more difficult if we didn't preach a proper Gospel.
1 Timothy Introduction
- Category: The Pastoral Epistles: 1 Timothy
- April 26, 2015
The Personal and Corporate Integrity of the Church.
Corporate purity in a church comes from the personal purity of its people. In God's divine order, people will become like their leaders. Paul wrote Timothy to watch his own life and doctrine so he could lead the church of Ephesus well. When it comes to doctrine, there is no "wiggle room." Even though Paul spent the most time establishing the Ephesian church, some people there were okay with deviating slightly from biblical doctrine. A thread of falsehood can creep into the most well-taught church. We are all prone to this error in our fallen natures, but the Word of God acts like a hammer to correct both our doctrine and our practice of it.
Acts 18
- Category: The Pastoral Epistles: 1 Timothy
- April 19, 2015
Personal and Ministry Integrity: The Foundation of Spiritual Boldness.
Paul had mentored Timothy for some time now. Timothy learned boldness in spite of timidity and learned to recognize and exercise his spiritual gifting. Timothy had watched Paul endure persecution and stay true to the gospel. By Acts 18, Timothy was strengthened to be an encouragement to his own teacher when Paul needed it. God has called every believer to be a spiritual encouragement to other saints. Even mature saints get tired and sometimes think about quitting, and even new believers can encourage these mature saints.
Selections from Acts
- Category: Morning Worship Series
- April 12, 2015
Pastor Kent Hobi: Where Do We Go from Here?
After the high excitement of Easter, a natural question arises: What now? After the resurrection, what does Jesus want His church to focus on until He comes back? He has clearly laid out our mission and given us the resources to determine the specific way to fulfill it. How does the church discern God’s personal will for a local body of believers?
1 Peter 1
- Category: Holidays & Special Services
- April 5, 2015
Living Through His Life.
Many hymns tell how the truth of the resurrection affects our life today. "I serve a risen Savior," wrote Alfred Ackley in "He Lives!" Charles Wesley underscored the reality that because Christ has risen, we will also rise, in his hymn "Come, Let Us With Our Lord Arise." Those who know Christ live because of Him, and our glory is His.
By contrast, those who choose to live without God often describe the fleeting nature of human life. English poet Thomas Gray wrote the line, "The paths of glory lead but to the grave." Our glory is short-lived without Christ. God's glory is eternal, and He has wonderfully planned to share it through Jesus Christ.
Acts 16, Part 6
- Category: The Pastoral Epistles: 1 Timothy
- March 22, 2015
Learning the Development of the Church.
We continue to follow Timothy's journey as he learns how God builds His church. The normative pattern we see in the book of Acts is not churches being grown around programs or a person. God's primary way to grow a church is through people getting saved as a result of believers interacting with the unsaved. A church grown around the Bible will have the desire to plant other churches, then network together to reach even more regions in the world.
Acts 16, Part 5
- Category: The Pastoral Epistles: 1 Timothy
- March 15, 2015
Building Spiritual Confidence as We Watch the Lord Build His Church.
As Timothy accompanied Paul, Luke and Silas on their second missionary journey, he had a lot to learn. His role was an observer as he followed his spiritual leader. He saw what great things God can do through a few gifted people.
Acts 16, Part 4
- Category: The Pastoral Epistles: 1 Timothy
- March 8, 2015
Learning Boldness, Part 4.
Last week we saw how Timothy learned and adopted the gospel burden of his spiritual leader and mentor, the apostle Paul. A “gospel burden” is a believer’s natural desire to share Christ with others. God’s designed this burden to be fulfilled first through personal evangelism, then through churches reaching their local community, and finally spreading the gospel message through the world.
Acts 16, Part 3
- Category: The Pastoral Epistles: 1 Timothy
- March 1, 2015
Learning Boldness, Part 3.
A pastoral candidate was asked, “What do you have to offer our church?” His answer was only, “my weakness.” It’s an excellent answer. We only minister by God’s strength and His grace. Supernatural humility helps us overcome natural timidity. Someone once said, “Anxiety is the absence of humility, and humility is the absence of anxiety.”