IBCD Sermon Weekly

Today is Palm Sunday where we celebrate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. It is a homecoming of a sort. Many of us have experienced “homecomings” and it can sometimes be great, but sometimes bittersweet. Today we will look at Jacob’s homecoming and Jesus’ homecoming. Genesis 33:4 4 But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept. Matthew 21:9...

Today we continue the life of Jacob. So far, he has not been a model of good behavior! Today we look at a famous story of a dream he had of angels ascending and descending and what this means to us today. Genesis 28:16-17 16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it." 17 He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none...

Today we are looking at how Jacob stole the blessing of the firstborn from his brother Esau. Again, we are reminded that God works through sin and imperfection to bring about redemption and holiness. The blessing stolen from Esau eventually led to the blessing of Christ in our lives. Genesis 27:36 36 Esau said, "Isn't he rightly named Jacob? He has deceived me these two times: He took my birthrigh...

Today we are beginning a sermon series on the life of Jacob. Jacob, like many of the “heroes” of the Bible is a very flawed character. However, God uses him and, in the process, transforms his life and makes him the leader of the family from which the Savior of the world would come. Genesis 25:25-26 25 The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Es...

One of the things I have struggled with in my life of being a follower of Christ is being able to communicate to people the importance of the gospel message in a way which they could hear and really understand. The reason for this difficulty is not that I do not know what to say, but rather I find people are very guarded when the topic of faith comes up. So how can we effectively communicate about...

Today we are looking at the place of Baptism in one’s obedience to following Christ. I want those of you who are part of the family of IBCD who have not taken this step, often because of your church background in state churches which teach the practice of infant baptism, that I love you and am not attacking you. However, it is both my duty and privilege to share with you why I think it is an impor...

Today we are looking at "Care". In doing this we are going to ask a few questions. One is, "Who is supposed to do the "caring" within the church body?" and "How is this supposed to take place?" “Care” is one of the areas which is easy to talk about but hard to do. To say we should care for others is simple. To care for others effectively is very difficult. The main reason is because we are all dif...

When Jesus was on the cross, He had many concerns. But His concerns were not about His own pain and suffering; instead, He was focused on others. One of them was Mary, His mother. This reveals a lot about His character. Ruth 1:16 16 For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.

Today we are continuing our journey through the 5 C’s with Connect. We are called to be in fellowship with Christ and one another. Through this we have the power to overcome the enemy, rejoice in community and live lives which give God glory. Romans 12:4-5 4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form o...

Today we are beginning our journey for the 5 C’s which are the purposes of the church. The C for today is “Celebrate” which is describing our purpose to worship God.

As we kick off the new year, we are going to be taking a walk through the “5 C’s” which make up the purposes of the church. But before we get there, this week we are looking at our Mission and Vision as a church. Matthew 28:18-20 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the...

As we come out of the Christmas season, we are going to look at what it is God gives us and how we are to respond. John 3:16 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Today we are finishing our series on the life of Mary. At the end we are going to be looking back at the beginning, but with a little different perspective than we normally consider when looking at the birth story of Jesus the Christ. Luke 2:19-20 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they...

When Jesus was on the cross, He had many concerns. But His concerns were not about His own pain and suffering; instead, He was focused on others. One of them was Mary, His mother. This reveals a lot about His character. John 19:26–27 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, you...

Mary learned that even though she had a unique and special relationship with Jesus, her place in his kingdom was made possible in the same way it was going to be made possible for everyone else. Mary teaches us that while we might all have a uniquely defined relationship with Jesus, what he expects from all of us is the same. Mark 3:35 35 Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother...

Like most mothers, Mary undoubtedly loved her son passionately and without condition. However, as we read about Mary and her relationship with Jesus, we see that she, at times, struggled with separating the boy she raised and nurtured from the man who was her Savior. What we see in the scripture is an unfolding of who Jesus really is, a revealing of his true nature, as Mary walked the journey of f...

Without Mary the depth and context of much of Jesus’ ministry, especially in relationship to the temple, is lost. In a way, Mary does what every disciple should, she points us to Jesus and has us go on an unexpectedly deep journey with him. A journey where, in the end, we come into the presence of our Lord. Luke 2:48-49 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "So...

Today we are going to be looking at what the Gospel of Matthew has to say about Mary. Most of what we know about Joseph is from Matthew’s Gospel. Let’s look! Matthew 1:20 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

In Luke, Mary is portrayed as a kind of proto disciple. She displays the characteristics of someone who will be given the title of “disciple” before any of “the twelve” were ever chosen. So, what can we learn about discipleship from Mary? Luke 2:34-35 "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of...

Today we are looking at the life of Mary. We are only looking at what is said about her in the Bible, which is plenty. Mary is often thought of as passive but the way she is presented in the Bible is not as a passive person, but rather an obedient person. This obedience required Mary to be brave, to have faith, and be willing to walk a difficult road for the sake of God’s kingdom. Luke 1:38 38 "I...

We are soon going to have a sermon series on the life of Mary. Today we are going to look into a story which is only found in Luke which concerns a cousin of Mary’s, and that is Elizabeth and her husband Zachariah.

The book of Joel ends with God’s judgment. In the ‘valley of decision’, God will pay back each person what they deserve based on their life. The only way that we can protect ourselves from that is to seek refuge in God’s stronghold through trusting in Jesus Christ. Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.

Last week we looked at the fact God will do what it takes to get our attention when sin is in our lives. Today we are going to look at what God wants us to do – repent. Joel 2:13 13 Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.

Do you think it is outside the loving, parental, character of God to inflict pain on a “child” who is being disobedient? How you answer this question will say a lot about being able to see affliction as judgement and God trying to get your attention when there is unrepentant sin in your life. What does the Bible say? Joel 1:13 13 Put on sackcloth, O priests, and mourn; wail, you who minister befor...

Sunday Sermon by Gary Arnold Mark 4:1-9 1 And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. 2 Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching: 3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some...