Concord United Sermons

I am statement: I am the light of the world. We are taught from an early age to be afraid of the dark.  There are scary things there. As we grow up, we realize that darkness is more than the physical darkness of the night; it also includes the darkness of our souls. Jesus as light in the darkness is evident from the beginning and in his interactions with a blind man. Jesus steps into darkness and...

I am statement: I am the light of the world. We are taught from an early age to be afraid of the dark.  There are scary things there. As we grow up, we realize that darkness is more than the physical darkness of the night; it also includes the darkness of our souls. Jesus as light in the darkness is evident from the beginning and in his interactions with a blind man. Jesus steps into darkness and...

I am statement: I am the bread of life. There seems to be a desire that seems unfilled in our lives, the need for more. There never seems to be enough. There is not enough time, money, status, or approval. The truth is that the world will never be able to provide enough for us.  Just as the Israelites sought provision in the wilderness, we too seek provision. The truth is that Jesus is our provisi...

I am statement: I am the bread of life. There seems to be a desire that seems unfilled in our lives, the need for more. There never seems to be enough. There is not enough time, money, status, or approval. The truth is that the world will never be able to provide enough for us.  Just as the Israelites sought provision in the wilderness, we too seek provision. The truth is that Jesus is our provisi...

Truly generous hearts produce generosity with our time and talents often displayed through acts of service. Stephen was chosen to help lead a feeding ministry for the early church because he was a man of faith. He selflessly shared food and the Gospel – even to the point of giving up his life to do so. In the Old Testament, Queen Esther used her time and talent for influencing the king to save the...

Truly generous hearts produce generosity with our time and talents often displayed through acts of service. Stephen was chosen to help lead a feeding ministry for the early church because he was a man of faith. He selflessly shared food and the Gospel – even to the point of giving up his life to do so. In the Old Testament, Queen Esther used her time and talent for influencing the king to save the...

Cultivating generous giving requires us to understand our resources as having been entrusted to us by God. We are stewards – not owners – of our resources with the responsibility of using our resources to glorifying God (tithe), help those who have been mistreated, and share the Gospel with those who will come after us. The widow is an example of someone committed to glorifying God (tithing) accor...

Cultivating generous giving requires us to understand our resources as having been entrusted to us by God. We are stewards – not owners – of our resources with the responsibility of using our resources to glorifying God (tithe), help those who have been mistreated, and share the Gospel with those who will come after us. The widow is an example of someone committed to glorifying God (tithing) accor...

Jesus teaches that generous hearts produce generous actions and stingy hearts produce stingy actions. The first step to cultivating a generous heart is to develop a generous spirit. Generous of spirit develops when you begin to treat others better than they deserve because you recognize God treats infinitely better than you deserve. Paul and Jonah are good examples of our options for how to respon...

Jesus teaches that generous hearts produce generous actions and stingy hearts produce stingy actions. The first step to cultivating a generous heart is to develop a generous spirit. Generous of spirit develops when you begin to treat others better than they deserve because you recognize God treats infinitely better than you deserve. Paul and Jonah are good examples of our options for how to respon...

God created us to worship and placed a deep desire for worship in our hearts. Worship is defined by the New Testament as the “work of the people.” Our work for which we were created is to give glory to God. Through following God’s instructions for our communal worship – which include Bible teaching, songs of praise, and expressions of gratitude – we learn how to worship God with our whole lives. S...

God created us to worship and placed a deep desire for worship in our hearts. Worship is defined by the New Testament as the “work of the people.” Our work for which we were created is to give glory to God. Through following God’s instructions for our communal worship – which include Bible teaching, songs of praise, and expressions of gratitude – we learn how to worship God with our whole lives. S...

David was no stranger to grief. His own son, Absalom tried to overthrow him. In the ensuing battles, one of David’s generals kills Absalom against David’s wishes. While David celebrates the restored kingdom, he also mourns his son. At the end of his life, David chooses Solomon to succeed him as king. His final advice to Solomon is to walk in God’s ways. In these instances, we once again see David’...

David was no stranger to grief. His own son, Absalom tried to overthrow him. In the ensuing battles, one of David’s generals kills Absalom against David’s wishes. While David celebrates the restored kingdom, he also mourns his son. At the end of his life, David chooses Solomon to succeed him as king. His final advice to Solomon is to walk in God’s ways. In these instances, we once again see David’...

After leading Israel to unprecedented prosperity and power, David allows a spirit of entitlement to overpower him. He chooses not to go out with his army, but to stay back in the comfort of Jerusalem. While there, he has an affair with Bathsheba, the wife of his soldier, Uriah. When he learns Bathsheba is pregnant from their escapade and finds no other way to cover it up, he ensures Uriah is kille...

After leading Israel to unprecedented prosperity and power, David allows a spirit of entitlement to overpower him. He chooses not to go out with his army, but to stay back in the comfort of Jerusalem. While there, he has an affair with Bathsheba, the wife of his soldier, Uriah. When he learns Bathsheba is pregnant from their escapade and finds no other way to cover it up, he ensures Uriah is kille...

David follows God’s instructions to bring the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. In the procession, David dances in worship before the Lord so passionately that he embarrasses his wife, Michel. With his example, David shows us two keys to authentic worship: worship based on God’s directions not our preferences (by bringing the ark back according to God’s instructions) and fully expressing ourselves...

David follows God’s instructions to bring the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. In the procession, David dances in worship before the Lord so passionately that he embarrasses his wife, Michel. With his example, David shows us two keys to authentic worship: worship based on God’s directions not our preferences (by bringing the ark back according to God’s instructions) and fully expressing ourselves...

David’s friendship with Jonathan allows him to escape Saul’s assignation attempts. His faithfulness to his men even when fatigued by the difficulty exile in the wilderness demonstrates he is a trustworthy leader. And his faithfulness to God prevents him from assassinating Saul – even when Saul was seeking his life. Through David’s life we seek that faithfulness to God requires of us faithfulness i...

David’s friendship with Jonathan allows him to escape Saul’s assignation attempts. His faithfulness to his men even when fatigued by the difficulty exile in the wilderness demonstrates he is a trustworthy leader. And his faithfulness to God prevents him from assassinating Saul – even when Saul was seeking his life. Through David’s life we seek that faithfulness to God requires of us faithfulness i...

David was chosen by God for kingship even though he was the youngest child in his family in a culture that valued older children. As a young man, he demonstrated remarkable faithfulness to God’s call to lead the people of Israel – even to the point of being willing to take on the giant Goliath to defend their honor. David’s early life forces us all to ask the question: Are we willing to walk the p...

David was chosen by God for kingship even though he was the youngest child in his family in a culture that valued older children. As a young man, he demonstrated remarkable faithfulness to God’s call to lead the people of Israel – even to the point of being willing to take on the giant Goliath to defend their honor. David’s early life forces us all to ask the question: Are we willing to walk the p...

Matthew 11:28-30 NRSV

Matthew 11:28-30 NRSV

: Jesus promised those who followed him that they would know the truth and the truth would set them free. Today, several common lies about God threaten to corrupt the Church. These lies include: The Prosperity Gospel – Jesus came to make your successful. Rather than the truth that Jesus came to make you faithful. Moral Therapeutic Deism – God is primarily your therapist who seeks to provide you wi...