Sermons – Cherrydale Baptist Church

Discipling is…striving together, with God’s power, to keep our hearts aflame with God, until we all reach maturity.

Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to help us, to validate us as family, and to guarantee our eternal life.

John’s Gospel introduces Jesus as the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us. In the first few verses, we learn that, by entering the human race, God personally and permanently restored light to the world.

Hold fast to Jesus; ruler over creation and victor over sin. That’s the purpose of this early hymn that Paul writes or quotes for the Colossian church. He wants to remind them of Jesus’ authority over creation and over the wages of sin and death. Therefore, they should hold fast to Jesus no matter the storm and no matter the distracting blessings.

What Paul does in Philippians 2 is unfold Jesus’ heart that impacts his service and actions. And he uses a hymn to do it. What we have this morning is a gripping song that tells the wonder of Christ. But then he reveals a great reversal that the Father ensures leads to the worship of the entire creation. And so the big ask of us is this: Imitate Jesus’s example and worship Him as the h...

When painful storms descend in a fallen world there’s only one sure Anchor. One person who decisively dealt with the problem of sin that broke creation. One person who’s promised to make all new. One person who is able to save to the uttermost, all those who draw near to God through Him. That’s what we’re celebrating at Advent: The coming of Son into His creation to deal wi...

Enter Jesus Christ with a reminder of God’s design and vision for marriage and singleness. Marriage and singleness are both held up in the New Testament as unique, legitimate paths for Christians. But at the center of marriage and singleness is not the individual. It’s not even the couple. It is God and His love for sinners. In Matthew 19, Jesus holds up a vision for marriage, divorce,...

Churches follow Jesus to search for and restore wandering sheep. Responding to sin and searching for sinners in local churches is going to be a challenge until Jesus returns. But Jesus gives us a road map. If last week described ‘why’ we should search for wandering sheep then this week describes ‘how’ we search for wandering sheep. This is about a rescue mission.

What humbles us? A clear-eyed look at our problem with sin and the judgment we deserve. And an astounding view of God’s abundant, merciful love. Christ died for us while we were still enemies. In short, God’s grace makes the church humble. And a humble church resists sin and restores sinners.

Although Jesus calls us to follow after Him on a path that can lead to suffering, the cost of following can feel too high. Jesus, therefore, teaches his disciples how the benefits of self-denying faith in Him far outweigh the costs.

Hold fast through every stormy trial, self-denial, and cross-bearing with your eyes on Jesus, the King of Glory. He will return ushering us into His kingdom of everlasting peace and righteousness.

Jesus, the Christ and the Son of the Living God, will lay His life down bearing the sins of His own and then He will take His life up again. And then Jesus calls all of us to follow Him. But all the self-denial and cross-bearing is worth it because Jesus is the greatest treasure. And that fact helps us hold fast to our confession, steward the keys, bear our crosses, and wait for our reward.

In this passage, Jesus responds in very different ways to different types of inadequate responses to Him. Those with hearts opposed to faith, hearts of little faith, and hearts of growing faith see how Jesus would respond to them.

Against the backdrop of Jewish rejection of Jesus, Jesus brings the disciples out of the land of Israel. And we see the faith of a Gentile woman, the wonder of a Gentile crowd, and the provision of a great Savior.

In these 20 verses, Jesus directs us to the need for inward transformation not outward conformity. He urges us to treasure the commands of God sincerely from the heart. Not to make a show of religion. He invites us to draw our hearts near to Him. To be changed by Him as we behold Him. To see our grip on sin loosen as we walk with Him. To feel our hearts long for obedience as we delight in Him.

These miracles increase the faith of the disciples as they contemplate a life of rejection in the world that God has transferred them out of but left them in. If Jesus is King of Creation and food, water, wind, and sickness all submit to Him, then He can carry His people through this world and into glory.

Jesus’s people will be rejected by the world but never abandoned by our King. Rejected? Yes. Abandoned? Never. And so, we can sound the triumph in the middle of rejection. We can tell our souls to rise up and continue proclaiming the glories of our King. And the treasure we’ve found.

As Jesus concludes this series of parables, he teaches that the kingdom of heaven is more valuable than anything we could own or lose, and that the kingdom will bring judgment that is unavoidable apart from Him. He also teaches that His disciples have treasure to share with others.

The life of Christians is lived alongside the presence of sin–inside us and around us. But that won’t always be true. At the end of the age, sin will be removed from creation and we who belong to Jesus will shine like the sun in the Father’s kingdom!

Rejection of God leads to pain in this life and judgment in the next. While belief in God provides a Refuge in this life and everlasting joy in the next. Marvel at the transformation Jesus makes possible.

Jesus plunders Hell to rescue us. He alone can rescue us from sin’s grip, Satan’s power, death’s sting, and God’s judgment. Put all your hope–all of it–in Him.