Covenant City Church Sermons

1. We experience grace 2. We find our spiritual home

1. The reality of temptations (v1-2) 2. The nature of temptations (v3-9) 3. The victory over temptations (v 4, 7, 10)

1. Forgetful of God’s grace 2. Resentful of God’s world 3. Victimized by God’s discipline 4. Dismissive of God’s heart

1. What that means 2. How long it lasts 3. What it looks like 4. Who it represents

1. We must beware of false expectations about the Kingdom of God 2. Because we will see the evidence of the Holy Spirit in the Kingdom of God 3. Therefore we must get on board with God’s Kingdom vision

1. God’s desire: cross cultural reconciliation 2. Our problem: elevating tradition over God’s Word 3. God’s solution: an ego crushing Gospel 4. God’s pace: faster than our preference

God’s Kingdom spreading: 1. It’s benefits 2. It’s ultimate benefit 3. Who we’re meant to share with

1. Strengthened to evangelize 2. Suspicion on all sides 3. Solidarity from the saints

1. A missing curse 2. A hidden gift 3. A covered sinner

1. A kind of joy, that only weariness can produce 2. A Divine pursuit, that only loss can generate

1. No sinner too far 2. No Christian too small 3. No flaw too great

1. The persecution of the righteous 2. The presence of Christ 3. The plan of God

1. The responsibility of a minister 2. The inclusivity of the gospel 3. Jesus is the head of the church

1. Expect a lot of irony 2. Be prepared for a lot of diversity 3. Endure much confusion 4. Exercise tons of self-restraint

We can respond to sin with grace when: 1. We see the supremacy of the risen Christ 2. We empathize with the merciful heart of Christ 3. We have hope in the unstoppable purposes of Christ

1. Identify primarily with the people of Christ 2. See the real reason why people reject Christ 3. Posses overwhelming peace in Christ

1. The Cross of Christ offends sinful man 2. But the Gospel cannot be stopped by man 3. So we must obey God rather than man

1. Understand the necessity of our involvement 2. Trust in the sufficiency of God’s power 3. Remember the One who mediates on our behalf

1. The subjects of hypocrisy (v1-2) 2. The seriousness of hypocrisy (v3-9)

1.  It was based on love, not guilt 
 2. It was done to vivify the Gospel, not manipulate God
 3. It was active, not passive
 4. It was organized, not sporadic
 5. They had someone leading the way

To receive the power of the Holy Spirit: 1. Plant our Identity in who God is 2. Interpret reality in light of what God said 3. Arrange our agenda according to what God is doing

To be faithful witnesses for Christ, we should: 1. Expect to encounter opposition (v1-3) 2. Be filled with the Spirit (v5-10) 3. Proclaim that Jesus is the only way of salvation (v11-12)

1. Informing: how they’ve misunderstood who Jesus is 2. Rebuking: why they’ve misunderstood who Jesus is 3. Showing: who the Old Testaments claims Jesus is 4. Surprising: what’ll happen when they believe in who Jesus is

A healthy church is made-up of Christians who are: 1. Devoted to the Lord (v42) 2. Devoted to caring for others (v44-45) 3. Devoted to evangelism (v46-47)

3 things that are necessary for a person to be saved: 1. We must hear the Gospel with conviction (v37) 2. We must repent and obey (v38) 3. We must respond to God’s call (v39-41)