First Christian Union - Sermons

This is our final message covering the parables of Jesus. In it, John speaks to us about the parable Jesus tells in response to His disciples asking Him to teach them to pray in Luke 11:1-13. We'll discover that our prayers should be intense and persistent like a friend at midnight knocking on your door seeking help.

John brings us a message from another parable of Jesus found in Matthew 20:1-16 where Jesus takes the opportunity to help us understand that the Kingdom of Heaven is based upon the generosity and grace of God rather than on our own merit. There's nothing we can do to earn our salvation but simply receive the generous gift of grace.

Our message today comes from Jesus' parable of the prodigal son found in Luke 15:11-32. In it we will learn that there is a commonality for men in that they often wander from where God desires them to be and when they come to their senses, God is always looking for them in order to reconcile the relationship that one that is good.

In today's message, John brings us to Jesus' response to the Pharisees when the notice He is eating with tax collectors and sinners. In it, Jesus tells one parable with three stories, the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. This message will cover the first two stories which will teach us of the value of one individual life.

Life is full of contrasts and in our parable from Luke 16:19-31 that John brings today we'll discover a major contrast that Jesus points out concerning how men live, die, and face eternity. There is a difference which we should be fully aware of when it comes to life after death for those who are followers of Jesus and those who are not.

Our message from John today comes from Luke 12:13-21 where Jesus tells a parable about a foolish man who thinks that he can store up for himself his treasures when the truth is, his life is demanded of him that very night. We ought not be self-indulgent, rather generous with the blessings that God has given us.

Our message is brought to us by John as he explores another parable of Jesus. This parable is found in Matthew 15:14-30 where Jesus speaks to us about using the gifts we've been given to bring glory to the Father. Through effort, excellence, and endurance we can find satisfaction in doing what God has called us to do.

John brings another parable of Jesus to our worship service. This parable is of the Wedding Feast which Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven to in Matthew 22:1-14. In it we discover that to reject the invitation to the celebration is a dangerous thing and to come unprepared and not dressed in the righteousness of Christ will not allow you access either.

Today, John brings us another parable of Jesus. This parable comes from Mark 13:32-37 and speaks to us about being a servant prepared for the return of his master. As Christian, we need to be awake and ready for Christ to come at any time.

In our message today, John brings to us another parable of Jesus. The Parable of the Ten Virgins found in Matthew 25:1-13 confirms, once again, that Jesus' return in imminent, but at an hour we do not know. As Jesus uses the illustration of a marriage we are encouraged to be ready at any time.

Our message today comes from the Parable of the Net found in Matthew 13:47-50 where Jesus describes the Kingdom of Heaven like a dragnet which gathers in all variety of fish which will be sorted out once pulled ashore. At that moment there will be a separation of the good from the bad fish in which the bad will be thrown away and destroyed. Similarly, at the end of Age when the Day of Judgment arr...

Our message today comes from Jesse Frame as he speaks to us about the Parable of the Weeds found in Matthew 13:24-30. We discover in this parable that good and bad will have to live together until the harvest season when Christ will have his angels separate those that are evil from those that are His.

Our messages focuses on Jesus' Parable in Matthew 24:32-35 concerning the budding fig tree in explanation of the rest of Jesus' discourse on the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. In it we find that we need to be prepared for the return of Christ which can come at any moment.

As Jesus is coming to His final week before the cross, He has a lot yet to say and in the Parable of the Tenants in Mark 12:1-12, He speaks to the moment at hand where the Jews have rejected the prophets before Him and are now preparing to kill Him as the Son of the owner of the vineyard. But there's still something that they are prepared for, the retribution of the owner through bringing the...

Our parable today comes from Luke 10:25-37 where Jesus is once again confronted with a question by an expert in the Law as a test. In His response the parable of the Good Samaritan is presented. In answering the question, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus turns the conversation around and makes us wonder, "What kind of a neighbor am I?"

While our parable in today's message is one of the briefest that Jesus ever spoke, the reason behind it packs a powerful lesson on who Christ is and how we respond to Him.

Our message today is from Rusty Hedger from Ozark Christian College. He is carrying on in our series of the Parables of Jesus and will be speaking from Luke 18:1-8. We learn that God desires consistency in our lives and in our approach to Him for our needs.

Our message today comes from Luke 14 where Jesus has been invited to dinner at the house of a Pharisee. In His interaction with them, He discusses some expectations for those who want to have a relationship with Him.

In our message today, John discusses with us Jesus' Parable of the Mustard Seed in which Jesus explains how the Kingdom of Heaven is like a tiny mustard seed which begins seemingly small and insignificant and yet the end result is that it is large enough to impact and change the world so that all can be blessed through it.

In our message today, John speaks to us about the Parable of the Sower found in Matthew 13. In it, Jesus tells his disciples about the seed, which is the Word of God, and who it is sown into the life of anyone and everyone. The result of that seed being planted is determined by the type of soil that it lands upon, which is the heart of man. The Word of God is life-changing to those whose hearts ar...

In our parable today from Luke 18:9-14, John brings to us message about how we approach God in prayer and in life. We can either be like the Pharisee who sees that he is righteous and wonderful or like the Tax Collector who is humbled because he knows he's a sinner. If we want justification, we should come to Christ in humility.

In this message John presents the parable of the two sons. In it, Jesus is comparing those who are obedient to the will of the Father and those who aren't. Jesus is confronted by the chief priest and the elders in the temple of Jerusalem as to His authority, and He turns the table on them and shows them how they aren't follow God, but the tax collector and prostitutes are believing in Him...

As we continue exploring the parables of Jesus, John brings us a message from Matthew 18:21-35 where Jesus talks about how we are to maintain a forgiving spirit as we deal with those who have wronged us.

Our message today, brought by John, takes us to a dialogue Jesus had with His disciples following a confrontation with the Pharisees about not them not washing their hands before eating. Jesus responds by telling his disciples that it's not about what goes into the body that makes a man unclean, but what comes out of it from the desires of the heat.

Today, we begin a new sermon series covering the parables of Jesus. In our message this morning, John takes a look at the purpose behind this new way of teaching that Jesus begins using (parable) and how we can understand and use them in changing our lives.