Abundant Life Sermons

Spirit-filled leaders bring calm and clarity in times of chaos. But what does leading through the storms of life look like? Acts 27 tells the story of a ship carrying Paul and other prisoners to Italy. Along the way, the ship was caught in a hurricane-force storm. It was the Apostle Paul, who was not a trained sailor, who brought calm and clarity to the ship. How? He believed in God and encouraged...

The world is full of “almost” Christians. But what does that mean? And what keeps someone from fully surrendering to Jesus? In Acts 28, we read how King Agrippa was “almost” a Christian. He understood Jewish culture. He knew the prophecies recorded in Jewish scripture. He acknowledged the logic of Paul’s argument and couldn’t counter it. Yet Agrippa couldn’t surrender to Jesus. Why? There were 4 t...

Spirit-filled leaders live in fear of God, not in fear of man. This is a biblical leadership principle many of us in the Church need to understand for today. But how do we apply this principle? KNOW THIS… To the degree you fear God, you will fear no man. When you apply this biblical leadership principle, you… Will not fear being “canceled.” You will not be controlled by people’s opinions. Join Pas...

Spirit-filled leaders ask these questions… WHO is Jesus? WHAT does He want me to do? WHEN does He want me to do it? Spirit-filled leaders have been changed and prepared to lead because they had an encounter with Jesus. Acts 9 describes Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. Jesus informs him that his persecuting efforts were futile, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads” (Act...

Spirit-filled leaders live for an eternal mission. Acts 1:8 says, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” HOW DOES JESUS USE SPIRIT-FILLED LEADERS? To seek and save those who are lost. The Spirit of God sends the person of God to share the good news of the Son of...

What does it take to be a strong spiritual leader? Spirit-filled leaders don’t save their lives. They lay down their lives for Christ. Their focus is on Christ and others. They, like Stephen in the book of Acts, aren’t concerned about living for now. They are on a mission of multiplication for the Kindom to come. In other words, to God, the greatest tragedy is not the life laid down but the life l...

Do you want to know how to multiply yourself as a leader? Spirit-led leaders don’t merely minister to people; they minister through people. They encourage teamwork so that God’s Word and mission are fulfilled. HEALTHY CHURCHES HAVE HEALTHY LEADERS What does a healthy church look like? In a healthy church, every member is a minister. There are no spectators, only participators. In the average Ameri...

It’s the Spirit of God that supernaturally empowers every born-again child of God to be a powerful witness for the Son of God. Biblical leaders are filled with the Spirit and led by the Spirit. God promised to give us His Spirit so we could be powerful witnesses of His Son. The book of Acts is a historical record of the acts of the Apostles and the early Church fulfilling the Acts 1:8 mandate. WHA...

What are the 3 characteristics of Spirit-led leaders? Using the book of Acts as our guide, we will explore biblical leadership principles that helped the first-century church lead well to impact their communities and families for Jesus. Use these principles to lead well and leave a lasting legacy, making a great impact on those around you. THE FIRST-CENTURY CHURCH WAS A MOVEMENT MARKED BY… The fir...

The song “Oh, Holy Night” helps us remember the night of Jesus’ birth. The lyrics guide us through how… Jesus taught us to love His law is love and His gospel is peace He breaks chains of slavery He makes all oppression cease “OH, HOLY NIGHT” LYRICS… Truly He taught us to love one another His law is love and His gospel is peace Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother And in His name all...

“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” dates back more than a thousand years to the Monastic movement and reflects the prophecy written in Isaiah 7:14. “O COME, O COME, EMMANUEL” LYRICS… “O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appears. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.” “O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free thine own from S...

“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” was written in 1739 by John Wesley as a musical celebration of Luke 2:8-14. “HARK! THE HERALD ANGELS SING” LYRICS… “Hark! the herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the newborn King: peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!’ Joyful, all ye nations, rise, join the triumph of the skies; with angelic hosts proclaim, ‘Christ is born in Bethlehem!’” “Hail the he...

“Joy to the World” was written in 1719 as a musical interpretation of Psalm 98, a prophecy about the coming King. “JOY TO THE WORLD” LYRICS… “Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns. Let all their songs employ. While field and floods, rocks, hills, and plains, repeat the sounding joy…” “He rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove. The glories of His righteousness, and wonders o...

 How to Be Made Whole from Anxiety Luke 17:11-19 Luke 17:11-14, Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselv...

In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus taught what makes the gospel irresistible is God’s compassion for all people. Those that others find reprehensible God finds irresistible. There is no price too high that God would not pay for any of us. We matter to God. We are priceless to Him! THE CHARACTERS IN THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN… A Certain Man “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to...

What does planting the kingdom of God look like today? Jeremiah 29:5-7 tells us… “Build houses and dwell in them, plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city where I have caused...

God is on the move and doing something new! Abundant Life Church Houses are multiplying the movement of God by gathering in small groups to… Worship together Grow spiritually Find biblical community Live missionally God always intended His temple to be a light to the nations. In the Old Testament, it was a BUILDING, but in the New Testament, it’s a BODY! First Corinthians 3:16 says, “Do you not kn...

Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth…” (Matthew 5:13-16) What did He mean? Who was He talking to? What does it look like to be the salt of the earth? In Scripture, salt symbolizes the truth of God’s Word. We are to be “salty” with the truth of the gospel. Salt… Preserves Fights infections Makes people thirsty To be the salt of the earth means that… By the power of God, we—the Church—are to b...

How do you position yourself to see God do the impossible? You see Jesus’ invitation to be a part of it as irresistible. THE SAMARITAN WOMAN In John 4:3-7, Jesus sat beside Jacob’s well, tired and thirsty. He asked the woman, “Will you please give me a drink?” Jesus’ invitation to engage in a conversation with the Samaritan would have gone against cultural norms. However, He saw an opportunity. He...

Jesus found the church in Philadelphia in Revelation irresistible for 4 reasons… REASON 1. THEY FOCUSED ON ETERNITY Revelation 3:7-8 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens…” THE CHURCH TODAY THAT JESUS FINDS IRRESISTIBLE has a faith that is risky...

As parents who want to empower and equip according to the Bible in today’s culture, we must know how to develop children spiritually. DEVELOPMENT AND DISCIPLESHIP Developing children spiritually starts with discipling them. Discipleship is not the transfer of knowledge. It’s the transfer of life! God intends for faith to be passed on to the next generation in the home. He’s given parents the prima...

You might not naturally allow God to change you in difficult circumstances, but there is a great blessing when you do. He wants you to receive peace in the midst of pain. Jesus said that He gives you peace, but not as the world gives. “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”—John 14:27 Often...

Suffering is never pleasant, but it does come with a promise. In fact, it comes with a number of promises. WHAT ARE THE PROMISES? They can be found in 2 Corinthians 1:2-11. God is the God of comfort and compassion. He wants us to know how to wield the weapons of spiritual warfare He gives us during suffering so we can embrace more of who He is and the promises released during suffering. GOD’S PROM...

God’s pathway to becoming spiritually mature and more Christ-like is through suffering—in other words, “No pain, no gain.” BIBLE VERSE 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 says, “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three...

What are the marks of following Jesus authentically? The Apostle Paul tells us in Galatians 6:17: “From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks [scars] of the Lord Jesus.” The Apostle Paul is teaching that authentic faith in Jesus will leave scars. The scars in our lives are to be visible to a watching world, allowing us to share the message of Jesus’ bearing scars for our si...