Series Thesis: Life is painful. Sometimes we make choices that hurt us. At other times, people around us inflict pain upon us by their choices. Pain accompanies the growths and the declines of life. We hurt our mothers when they give birth to us and we hurt our children when they stand beside our caskets. Pain is a mystery and pain is a science. Christianity does not deny the transforming capacity of pain. Through ten biblical examples of pain, we will learn a new appreciation for God’s ability to help us work through pain.
Recommended Reading:
Where is God When It Hurts? - Philip Yancy Disappointment With God - Philip Yancy The Problem of Pain - C.S. Lewis
October 19, 2008 The Pain of Sin: Adam and Eve’s Story
Genesis 3
Sin introduces pain into paradise. Some pain, but not all pain originated in wrong thinking, feeling and choosing. The sin is forgiven, but the pain of sin remains.
October 26, 2008 The Pain of Deception: Judah and Tamar’s Story
Genesis 38
When people deceive each other they cause unavoidable pain to others and themselves.
November 2, 2008 The Pain of Foolish Commitment: Jephthah’s Story
Judges 12
Many commitments include and expectation of pain. Foolish commitment causes unexpected and unnecessary pain. Foolish commitments cause pain that remains until the commitment is over.
November 9, 2008 The Pain of Pride: Absalom’s Story
2 Samuel 15-18
“Pride goes before the fall.” The fall causes pain. Pride hurts everyone it touches. Pride will never be completely defeated, so the pain it causes will continue.
November 16, 2008 The Pain of Not Knowing: Job’s Story
Job 3: 20-26
Pain without context or meaning degenerates to despair. The solution to the pain of not knowing is context. Context reduces the pain.
November 23, 2008 The Pain of Oppression: Naboth’s Story
1 Kings 21
Thesis – The oppressor causes pain to the oppressed but God will requite the oppressor with justice. Justice relieves this pain.
November 30, 2008 The Pain of Loss: Jeremiah’s Lament
Lamentations 1: 12-16
An inescapable pain in life accompanies the loss of people and things we love. Relationships soften this pain.
December 7, 2008 The Pain of Death: Paul’s Insight
1 Corinthians 15: 50-58
Conception and birth create a new life with joy and pain. Death completes a life in joy’s pain.
December 14, 2008 The Pain of Disappointment: Peter and Christ’s Story
Luke 22: 31-34 & 54-62
Often the greatest pain we feel comes from self-inflicted wounds like disappointment. But God uses it for His higher purpose.
December 21, 2008 The Pain of the Cross: Christ’s Story
Hebrews 12: 1-3
God embraces the experience of pain to take upon Himself the greatest pain. Those who reject Christ suffer eternal pain.
Sermon Thesis: As good Christian citizens we participate in the election of our leaders. We support, pray for, and submit to elected officials for two biblical reasons:
Whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God.
It is necessary to be in subjection for conscience sake.
Our loyalty to Christian citizenship must always surpass our loyalty to political parties, economic preferences, and social ideologies.
Sermon Thesis:
Prayer unites love of life and respect for almighty God. Prayer transforms the heart and mind and invites the awesome attention of the Lord. Psalm 34: 11-18
Series Thesis: In an epoch of doubt and skepticism the life of Abraham offers faith answers that even challenge atheists like Bertrand Russell. Learn the nature and the lifestyle of faith by following Abraham’s experience with God. This series will address some of the problems raised by Bertrand Russell’s book, Why I Am Not a Christian.
Recommended Reading:Romans 4:18-21. Also John Ortberg's book, If You Want to Walk on Water You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat.
August 17, 2008 Sermon One: The Evidence of Hope
Romans 4:18
Faith exists and thrives in a climate of hope. Without hope, faith declines into disappointment and skepticism.
August 24, 2008 Sermon Two: The Evidence of Facts
Romans 4:19
Faith does not ignore or deny facts. Faith confronts the realities of life. Faith triumphs over the obstacles of reality to inspire fully lived lives.
August 31, 2008 Sermon Three: The Evidence of Consistency
Romans 4:20
Moments of faith or events of faith create their own spiritual energy but the real Christian life requires a consistent day-by-day faith in the sovereignty of God and the grace of God.
September 7, 2008 Sermon Four: The Evidence of Growing Stronger
Romans 4:20
The more faith God required of Abraham the stronger his faith grew. The trials of our faith either strengthen us or cause us to quit. God acts as the personal trainer of our faith.
September 14, 2008 Sermon Five: The Evidence of Glorifying God
Romans 4:20
The exercise of faith deserves honor; the power of faith deserves glory, but the honor and glory of faith focus upon the God in whom we trust not upon us as the ones who only trust in God’s wisdom and power.
September 21, 2008 Sermon Six: The Evidence of Divine Persuasion
Romans 4:21
The power of persuasion belongs to the Lord. He speaks persuasively through His promises. Faith honors the veracity of God.
Series Thesis: After a life-time of living a Christian life, John shares his experience of the Divine Nature. The book, 1 John, written in simple terms demands a depth of thought and meditation equal to the most profound theology ever written. If you sense any Christian maturity, this short letter shows how to continue to grow into your full Christian potential. To get the most from this series, we recommend reading the Biblical Text, 1 John.
Other Recommended Reading: God is Closer Than You Think by John Ortberg
Sermon One: (7//6/2008) "Experiencing God" (mp3)
1 John 1; 1-7. John explained his personal experience of the Divine. Four experience verbs: “heard”, “seen”, “looked at”, and “touched” reveal how John experienced the Divine. John summarized his fellowship with God by writing: “God is Light”
Division – “Going out”
Lying
Denying
Leading Astray
Our defense against this spirit is:
Unity – “Belonging”
Truth
Acknowledging
An anointing
Sermon Four:(7//27/2008) "A Great Family" (mp3)
1 John 3: 1-10. The greatest thing that ever happens or the worst thing that ever happens begins in your family experience. “The children of the devil” live under the tyranny of sin. “The children of God” live under the freedom of doing right.
Series Thesis: Our church tag-line is: “Real People – Real Faith.” Moses modeled these realities. We will study epochs in Moses’ life to learn how to be real people and to live by real faith.
Sermon One: (4/13/2008) - "Real Adult Influence" (mp3)
Exodus 2 & Hebrews 11:23-26. The Lord filled Moses’ parents with the faith to defy Pharaoh. He also filled Pharaoh’s daughter with the love to raise Moses. Finally, the Lord gave Moses the faith to reject Egypt and embrace Midian. Children need parents and adults of faith.
Sermon Two: (4/20/2008) - "Real Life Vision" (mp3)
Exodus 3. The Lord captured Moses’ attention through his curiosity. The Lord revealed himself to Moses and showed him the vision of his life’s work.
Sermon Three: (4/27/2008) - "Real Conflict" (mp3)
Exodus 4 – 11. In God’s plan, the conflict between Moses and Pharaoh escalated until Pharaoh surrendered. Life for Israel got worse before it got better. For the Pharaoh and the Egyptians things went from good to bad to worse.
Sermon Four: (5/4/2008) - "Real Sacrifice" (mp3)
Exodus 12. Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt after a supper that defined God’s redeeming purpose. Christ identified with Passover and offered Himself as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world. Passover illustrates the heart of God.
Sermon Five: (5/11/2008) - "Real Visionary Community" (mp3)
Psalm 111. A healthy church has a vision that incorporates the six qualities found in Psalm 111; Gratitude, High Standard of Excellence, International Ministry, High Expectations, Redemption, and Wisdom.
Sermon Six: (5/18/2008) - "Real Results" (mp3)
Exodus 19, 20 & 32 – 34. The Lord met Moses on Mount Sinai and gave him the law to create a new covenant culture. Aaron led Israel in the foolish worship of an idol. God judged the apostasy but blessed Moses with a sight of His goodness.
Sermon Seven: (5/25/2008) - "Real Leadership" (mp3)
Numbers 16 & 17. 250 men organized a rebellion against Moses’ leadership. The Lord supported Moses and the rebellion ended tragically. God takes leadership seriously.
Sermon Eight: (6/1/2008) - "Real Accountability" (mp3)
Numbers 20: 1-13. Moses tragically failed as a leader. His failure originated in a lack of trust and expressed itself in dishonoring God publicly. God takes leadership seriously.
Sermon Nine: (6/8/2008) - "Real Danger of Doubt" (mp3)
Numbers 13. Moses selected twelve spies, one from each tribe. They explored different territories in the Promise Land. Ten discouraged people with their hopelessness. Two encouraged people to try. God responded to the people’s pessimism and gave them what they believed instead of what He desired.
Sermon Eleven: (6/22/2008) - "A Real Holy Man" (mp3)
Deuteronomy 34. No other prophet equaled Moses in the Old Testament. The cause of his uniqueness was: He new the Lord face to face; he did the signs God asked him to do; and he performed awesome deeds.
Sermon Twelve: (6/29/2008) - "Real Humility" (mp3)
Numbers 12. Moses lived a larger than life adventure. But Scriptures inform us that he remained a very humble man. Moses proves that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Sermon Thesis: Matthew 21:21-22. Jesus Christ connected prevailing prayer to two conditions of the soul. In prayer skepticism leads to failure while belief leads to miraculous living. Recommended Reading: Prayer Treasury by Richard Foster.
Series Thesis: There are seven basic qualities that enrich, empower, and inspire a good life. If you desire to live well, consider these qualities and test yourself with them.
Stop Worrying
Learn to Trust
Delight in Sinless Pleasures
Make Commitments
Practice Patience
Enjoy
Refrain from What is Bad
Recommended Reading: The Life You Always Wanted by John Ortberg and 9 Things You Simply Must Do by H. Cloud.
Sermon One (02/17/2008) - "Stop Worrying" (mp3)
Psalm 37:1, 7 & 8. Worry is negative planning. It burns energy and troubles the soul. Christianity teaches that God cares and we can confront worry with faith, planning, and healthy friends.
Sermon Two (02/24/2008) - "Trust" (mp3)
Psalm 37: 3 & 5. Skepticism, cynicism and apathy defraud you of the life that God promises. Trust builds the soul, strong relationships, and permits us to create a noble future.
Sermon Three (03/02/2008) - "Delight" (mp3)
Psalm 37:4. Delight is a choice we make in life. We learn what brings us sinless pleasure and schedule it into our lives. Delight, from the Latin word meaning: “that which allures.”
Sermon Four (03/09/2008) - "Commit" (mp3)
Psalm 37:5. The uncommitted life never accomplishes its full potential.
Levels of Commitment:
1. To God
2. To your gifts, talents, and passions
3. To your core values
4. To your family
5. To your friends
6. To your country
Sermon Five (03/16/2008) - "Patience" (mp3)
Psalm 37:7. The quality of life is not determined by a full schedule or a frantic pace. Every great achievement has moments of quiet waiting. Patience inspires while mindless activity exhausts. Your belief in the goodness of God increases your profit from being still.
Sermon Six (03/23/2008) - "Enjoy" (mp3)
Psalm 37:11. Joy is fruit of the spirit, a Christian virtue, and another one of God’s genius ideas. To live without joy undermines the Divine idea and misrepresents God. No one can teach you to enjoy yourself. We are each responsible to learn the ways of joy.
Sermon Seven (03/30/2008) - "Refrain" (mp3)
Psalm 37:8. Some thoughts, behaviors, and relationships are toxic to the soul. Learning to refrain saves us from soul suicide.
Aids to Refraining:
1. The Holy Spirit
2. Truth
3. Accountability
4. Refocus
5. New Habits
Sermon Thesis: 2 Timothy 1:3-7; The kingdom of heaven thrives as one generation passes
the truth of Jesus Christ to next. The Apostle Paul models this as he encourages, invests in, and disciples young Timothy. In our world most of us are so focused on our own spiritual journeys and lives that we don't invest into other, upcoming men and women of God. This is a tragedy! The Apostle Paul challenges all of us to consider what legacy we are living. Will the kingdom of heaven be better after our life?
Series Thesis: The Money Map is a seven destination plan to life in financial freedom. These seven destinations show us a life-time plan to live free from economic tyranny and encourage us to create eternal net worth. Recommended Reading: Your Money Map by Howard Dayton.
Sermon One (01/13/2008) - "Why Debt Free?" (mp3)
Proverbs 13:4. Culture teaches a lie that creates a permanently indebted middle class. Your debt enriches someone else and impoverishes you. This is not wise.
Sermon Three (01/27/2008) - "Why Save?" (mp3)
Proverbs 21:5. When interest begins to work in your favor and you pay cash for even large purchases, you live a better quality of life. Compound interest will make you wealthy.
Sermon Thesis: Matthew 22: 34-40; Christ offered His vision for our church in two easy to understand commandments. Although the concepts are easy to understand, they are very difficult to live. Recommended Reading: Your Church Has a Fantastic Future by Robert Schueller.
Series Thesis: In every life a pattern of weakness, persistent errors, and compulsive sin becomes evident by our late teen years. The pattern holds some lives in the prison of the problem. Other lives learn to walk out of the pattern and live free in Christ. This series shows Christ’s answers to "prison problems."
Sermon One (11/04/2007) - "The Prison Problem" (mp3)
Matthew 11:2 & 3. Why doesn’t Christ rescue me from the prison of my problem? I do Christian things, but remain in the problem prison; why?
Sermon Six (12/16/2007) - "Christ’s Good News Solution" (mp3)
Matthew 11: 4 & 5. Christ rescues us from the prison problem with the good new of enrichment for our poverty. The good news is, the poor can depend upon the riches of divine grace.
Series Thesis: Marriage originated in the heart of God His wonderful idea was for every man and woman to have a life partner and intimate friend. Perhaps the most damaging effect of original sin was the collapse of God’s good idea. Marriage degenerated from partnership to conflict and from friendship to enmity. But, through Jesus Christ redemption makes it possible for us to pursue God’s original idea in marriage. These four sermons offer biblical advice and hope for our marriages.
Sermon One (10/07/ 2007) - " When a Man Loves a Woman" (mp3)
Genesis 29: 14-30. Jacob loved Rachel. He worked for her and favored her above other women. Jacob loved Rachel even though their life together had ups and downs.
Sermon Three (10/21/2007) - "A Cheating Spouse" (mp3)
2 Samuel 11: 1-26. David and Bathsheba cheated on their spouses. They hurt their spouses, each other, and themselves. In many ways they never recovered.
Sermon Four (10/28/2007) - "A Great Team" (mp3)
Acts 18: 1-4 & 18-28. Aquilla and Priscilla loved each other and worked as a team in business, in ministry and as disciplers of Apollos, a future Christian champion. When husbands and wives team up, God does special things.
Series Thesis: If we are not diligent, our prayer life grows stale and boring. We lose a sense of freshness as we repeat well worn prayer lists. The Psalmist offers us a fresh start in prayer. If we follow his model we may move to a new level in our spiritual development.
Sermon One (9/02/2007) - “A Prayer for Divine Instruction” (mp3)
Psalm 119:33 - Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.
Instead of starting prayer by telling God what we need, we start fresh by asking God to teach us. Perhaps through divine instruction our sense of need might change.
Sermon Two (9/16/2007) - “A Prayer for Spiritual Understanding” (mp3)
Psalm 119:34 - Give me understanding, that I may keep Your law and observe it with my whole heart.
The ability to obey God begins with a heart that understands the goodness of God’s law. A fresh start in prayer for understanding precedes whole-hearted obedience to God out of a passionate desire to realize all our God-given potential.
Sermon Three (9/23/2007) - “A Prayer for a Change of Heart” (mp3)
Psalm 119:36 - Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!
For our hearts and minds to turn consistently toward God’s testimonies, we must have a change. The natural inclination of our hearts is selfish and greedy for what we can get for ourselves. A fresh start in prayer confronts this selfishness and seeks God’s testimonies in its place.
Sermon Four (9/30/2007) - “A Prayer for Affirmation” (mp3)
Psalm 119:38 - Confirm to Your servant Your promise, that You may be feared.
A reverent respect of God as God begins in our prayer lives. God made promises in the Scriptures and we can ask Him to affirm these promises in our lives. God made promises in the good work He has begun in our lives and we can ask Him to affirm this good work until it is complete.
The Gift of Pain: October 19 - December 21, 2008
