Chapel Hill Bible Church - Sermons

Do you have a big decision coming up? Or even a medium sized one? For a Christian, I hope one of the biggest considerations is proceeding down the pathway God has planned for us. So, how do we discern God's will? I bet it often varies, depending on the decision and how it affects us. And, I bet some of us regret decisions and wonder if we are now on a pathway God never meant for us. This is one of...

Worse than failure as you follow God - much, much worse - is success in living apart from Him. In fact, the truth of the matter is: when you fail in the things of this world precisely because you are following God, that is ACTUALLY success. So, what do we do when there is a gap, maybe a big gap, between the promises of God and our present reality? What do we do with so much waiting around for God...

Have you ever had your heart leap and your stomach sink when you thought about the future and it occurred to you that you have no idea how to proceed with what little resources you have? That sinking feeling is anxiety. Often the next beat is our inventive ability to figure out how to proceed with our resources - the things we can see, have at our disposal, and seem to have control over. And that...

At the end of the day, what is a church ultimately for? Fill up the spiritual tank once a week? A place to get medicine for personal hurt or soul wounds? A one-stop-shop for learning and experiences that lead me closer to Jesus with excellent programs and production? A place of easy entry for non-Christians or young Christians who need the basics of faith? OK, you sense the cheekiness, but I admit...

Is it possible to have a church that has strong attendance, has a beautiful campus, has strong Biblical doctrine, is well respected in the community, has gifted and highly trained leaders, is financially stable, and has a great vision and mission and yet be totally fruitless??? Unfortunately, yes. That's why we'll look at 1 Corinthians 13 to see what actually is a church where the Gospel is the cu...

Do you want a church deep in prayer? Would you like to grow to be more like Jesus personally? What's the best way to disciple a younger believer? Why is it that every Christian is a minister of the gospel and that their Monday through Saturday is sacred? How do I parent in a godly way? Why is justice important and how do I serve justice in our broken world? What is racial equality so important? Th...

More than a discipline, prayer is a reflex of the heart renewed by the grace of Christ, a heart that sees its need before the sovereign and holy God met by a glorious Savior. At least from the human side, prayer is the life of a local church. Our own energy in prayer will grow as we apprehend the greatness of our God, our need of Christ, and the wonder of the salvation he has accomplished. Please...

My life is not my own. Say that with me: "My life is not my own." Let's say it one more time: "My life is not my own." OK. I had us do that little exercise because everyday we battle the temptation to believe our lives belong to us. We are the owners! I own my time, my talent, and my treasure. One problem. That is wrong. God is the owner. He created those things. He sustains those things. BUT He h...

The "koinonia" and the mission and the spiritual life of our church are very connected to the two sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Table.

How does the Lord use the local church to bring those to faith? Join us as we look at the early church and how certain convictions led to saving of many souls.

What would move you out of your comfort zone and energize you towards Missions?!? What will move the church out of the shallow waters of self-interest to pursue a costly ministry for the advance of Christ’s kingdom around the world? It is not an interest on Global mission and its meaning… it is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When you see what Jesus did in the Cross for you - the pain, the suffering,...

This week we take up the them of Covenanting Together. The body of Christ is called to live in an intentional, deep, durable, and covenant-level relationship with each other. The term that holds all of that together is a Biblical word Koinonia. It is found in several places but it is very prominent in Paul's letter to the Philippians. The word is a business word. It evokes a relationship that is d...

Where did the deacon office come from? What do deacons do? What's the office for? For all the practical questions surrounding deacons and their functions, we don't want to miss the glory of the gospel which they reveal: in Christ, God has served us, a people so dependent on his care. For the Christian and non-Christian alike, probing the office of deacon will take us deeper into the mystery of the...

After Jesus' ascension, the local church has been God's plan A for the building of His Kingdom and fulfillment of the Great Commission. God has entrusted leaders in the local church called "elders" for the tasks of overseeing the souls of His people and shepherding them into maturity, as they wait for the Chief Shepherd to appear and bring the Church to her eternal home with Him in glory.

We begin our summer series called "Meaningful Membership." The focus of this series is on the beauty, glory, and goodness of God's people who assemble in a particular place. I will introduce the vision and big picture of our series Sunday by defining what we mean by the church and we will look at some of the reasons this is a complicated, unclear, or distant topic for many Christians. My hope is t...

In this passage we see how Abram repents after he experiences the faithfulness of God even in the fact of Abram's faithlessness. Abram is trusting the promises of God again, so much so that when faced with another big decision - where will he live vs. where will his Nephew live - he trusts God and let's Lot have first dibs. Not only that, but when faced with another crisis of safety, Abram trusts...

You follow God. You are building altars for his name. Everything is going well. You are feeling blessed which makes altar building easy. Then... you hit a wall. A famine. Work is not going well. There are tests for following God. All of a sudden the promises of God seem fuzzy. Then crisis. You are put in a situation to use your smarts, money, time, and power to avoid a potential game-ender. Or, wh...

The three essential ingredients in the basics of the faith are covenant, discipleship, and mission. Those three ideas are introduced to us in even clearer form in our passage this week, Genesis 12:1-9. God makes a covenant (promise) with Abram. That promise is the foundation of faith and faith is the fuel of discipleship. And, once faithful disciples rest in God's promises, they joyfully go on mis...

This Sunday, we gathered with our CHBC en Español family for a bilingual service to lift up our voices collectively in two languages to honor Jesus. In addition, Martin and Jay preached from God's Word from Genesis 11.

Have you ever tried really hard, built something complicated, it took a long time and a lot of effort only to have it all crashing down? And, did you suspect that God had something to do with it coming crashing down? I have had that happen. I also confess that I initially got mad at God. I accused God of ruining my life - all that hard work, time, expectation - God, what were you thinking? Then, i...

What's in a genealogy? A lot more than just names and families. I have never been more excited to teach from a genealogy than this text! Genesis 10 sets the state for Revelation 5, the throne room of heaven where God's people from all nations worship the Lord Jesus. This text is often overshadowed by the Tower of Babel story of a rebellious people that needs to be judged, dispersed, and replaced....

Our world is intoxicated with disunity, especially among the people groups. We watch the nightly news as bombs explode, as people march in lament and anger, and we know the pain of broken relationships in our own families. How did we get here? Why does sin go after relationships and what fuels it? Our passage this week is sad, for sin enters the story right after the purifying flood. But it is als...

He is Risen! Easter is for everyone, including cynics. You would think that cynics have no place in the kingdom. Granted, they are sometimes hard people. I know. I am one of them. But God has a special place in his heart for the cynical. You see, I think folks who struggle with cynicism don't deny the fact of truth and sincerity. The dilemma is that certain people hunger for truth and sincerity so...

After a very hard week of national news, we need a hero to ride in and save the day. Thankfully, we have one... but He is not quite the hero we might write into a story if we were the author. I praise God we are not the author! This hero is Jesus, and He is in fact the Conquering King, but a Humble King - a King who would triumph by means of a cross, not an army or weapon of mass destruction. This...

Once Noah got off the ark, worshiped for a bit, he then relaxed and was not quite the man we should want to be. Yes, Noah was righteous. Yes, he obeyed God in life changing ways. Yes, God noticed Noah and favored him and his family. But, what is the full take home of this part of Genesis? Check out Genesis 8:21. Read it. It is kinda crazy. God was pleased with Noah's post-flood worship, even thoug...