Sermons on Christian Living
The Restoration Principle
With the sermon this morning, we will continue a discussion that began indirectly a couple of weeks ago. when we started studying Ephesians chapter four. In that text, Paul said, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:4-5) There is one Body, the Church. And yet, when we look out at the world, we see many people professing to follow Christ, who believe and practice drastically different things. We’re going to address this observation today, and take a look at what we’re calling: “The Restoration Principle.”
Vision
Last week we talked about unity in the family of God. Paul said that there is one body, the Church, and we’re all a part of this body. However, this does not negate our individual responsibility and individual relationships with God. Let’s ask the question, “what’s my part?” as we continue looking at this passage in Ephesians 4. We will soon see that everyone has a God-given part to play.
What We’re Worth
Have you ever felt worthless? Have you ever felt like you don’t deserve to be loved by God? That may be true, but it doesn’t mean you’re not valuable in His eyes. Romans 5:8 says this: “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Let’s examine how valuable we truly are in God’s eyes.
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit Of…
Two questions: First, do you have struggles in life? The answer is obviously yes. Secondly, do you have Jesus? Hebrews 13:5 says, “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” Simply put, if we have Jesus, we have everything we need.
Son of Shame
Life is full of ups and downs. As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “God sends rain to the righteous and the unrighteous.” No matter what your background, sometimes you will receive blessings and sometimes you’ll receive pain. How do you feel toward God during both moments? Do you feel shame when things get tough? Does your opinion on Him change based on the how blessed you are?
The Thief on the Cross
Today our lesson and our worship will focus on the heart of our faith: The cross of Jesus. The Bible makes it clear that we are all sinners and can never achieve righteousness on our own. Only by God’s grace can we be saved. And at the heart of that salvation is our faith, our trusting in the saving work of Jesus on the cross. At the Cross, Jesus was flanked by two other men. One was a thief; a sinner and a criminal. However, it was he who believed. Let’s find out more about why that is.
The Mountain of God
It’s a place that people travel from all over the world to just to get a glimpse. It’s the place that God revealed Himself to a lone shepherd, an emancipated people, and a terrified prophet. It’s been given many names: Horeb, and more famously, Sinai. In Scripture, it’s also called the Mountain of God. What’s so special about this mysterious place? What can we learn from it?
Godly Relationships: Husbands
Last week, Richard began a series in Ephesians about relationships and the household of God. We spoke on Mothers last week. Now, let’s turn our attention to marriage and speak about husbands. Husbands have a specific role they are called to fulfill by God. Let’s talk about that role and the consequences of turning away from His design.
A Mother’s Love
On a day set aside to honor our mothers, we thank God for all the Christian women in our lives who have encouraged us by their faithful example. We are reminded that in the church, we truly are family. We all are blessed with mothers, sisters, and daughters. As the Paul wrote to the young evangelist Timothy, “Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father. Treat younger men like brothers, older women like mothers, younger women like sisters, in all purity.” Today as we thank the Lord for our mother’s love, above all we praise God for His abounding love that welcomes us into His eternal family.
The Greatest Commands
In our culture, the word, “love” is used a lot, seemingly by people who don’t know what it truly means. Love is not a feeling. It’s not something that you fall into. True love, “Agape love” is a choice to consider the needs of someone else as more important than your own. God is the one who shows us what true love is. Romans 5:8 says this: “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
