House Church Sermons

We have great hope as we look into the future as revealed in the Scriptures. The world tells us of disasters that will destroy the world if we don't change how we get new energy sources. Pollution will kill us all or the planet is going to overheat....or freeze. While recognizing God's call to stewardship, Christians also see all the "bad news" as the pains of childbirth. Somet...

Paul uses personification speaking of the creation waiting for when God brings all things to an glorious newness. The Bible is mainly focused on how sin affected mankind and God's answer to our brokeness. But there are passages such as this which gives us a glimpse into the future regarding the "new earth" that God will bring about.

The words, "not worth comparing" come from a Greek word that gives the visual idea of a balance scale. Paul places this world's suffering on one side of the balance scale and on the other side he places our future glory and what we end up with is a broken balance scale. We try to see glory to come in this lesson so that we can see our present sufferings in the proper perspective.

Part of discovering the reality that is in Christ is learning what it means to be a child of God. We are born anew but we are also adopted into God's family. How does the Holy Spirit witness with our spirit that we are children of God. We discover this and more in this lesson.

We are called sons of God. We are adopted into God's family. This should cause us to respond both in our minds and hearts as we understand what this means to us.

Many times people will take a phrase such as "led by the Spirit" and interpret this apart from the context. Here Paul is directly applying the previous verse with being led by the Spirit. In addition we find that being sons and daughters of God is shown as we are led by God's Spirit.

We are under obligation, Romans 8:12 says. That word means, "debtor" We are debtors. To whom or to what do we owe a debt? Didn't Christ pay for all the debt of my sins? We explore the debt that we still owe as Christians in this lesson.

As Christians we are "of the Spirit". This reality is a spiritual place = we are In Christ, In Spirit. It is a life where we no longer center ourselves around Self but around God and his Spirit.

Three words that we assume we understand but perhaps we don't in "street English" Those words are "flesh" (or "sinful nature"), Spirit and mind. I attempt to define these words in a way that can be understood without getting into theological explanations....common English.

This lesson covers Romans 8:3,4 and we see what God has done in Christ as far as condemnation and righteousness. This passage centers around what God has done, how he did it and what he did.

We examine the first two verses of Romans 8 in this lesson. The beauty of living with no condemnation and the emphaisis that this is how we live in our present life is an encouragement from God.

We are living paradoxes. The wonderful opening of chapter 8 in which we find that there is "no condemnation" has to be understood in the context of a disconcerting sentence. The sentence prior to the opening of chapter 8 tells us that even though we are a living paradox - Christians who know God's way, we are also people of human weaknesses. God is showing us that he understands and...

To better understand chapter 8 of Romans we must place it in its context. The chapter begins with "therefore." This is a linking word and so the question is, "What is it linking us to?" Some think chapter 7:25, others believe it links back to chater 5 or as far back as chapter 3. I believe it is linking us back to the theme of the book found in 1:17 - the righteous will live by...

John 15 speaks about relationships.15:1-11 – Our relationship with Christ is one of remaining.• 15;12-17 – Our relationship with one another is one of loving• 15;18-25 – Our relationship with the world is antagonistic• 15:26, 27 – Our relationship with the Spirit is co-testifying.

The primary function of the branch (a Christian) is to remain or abide in Christ. This is the normal Christian life. When that occurs then there will be fruit. What is fruit in the Christian life? We will discover this in this lesson.

Where should our focus be? Our thoughts are going to be dominated by something. This passage calls us to live Christ-focused, God-centered and Spirit-directed lives.

We end our series in Romans 6 with a constrast between how the dimension of this world and the dimension of Grace plays out. One side is focused on you "paycheck". You can "get what you deserve" in this dimension. The other side celebrates your birthday with a gift from God.

Freedom is something we cry for - but free from right living? Paul shows that there was a time when you could be free from God's way of right living but what that looks like is slavery to Sin - in a sense, "enjoying" death. But Life is what God gives us - call it "slavery" to God but it is true Life.

Paul begins in what seems to me an apologetice voice; "I'm sorry that I have to use this type of illustration" Slavery is not something we desire but it helps us see the change that God made in us when we were "buried with him in baptism into death." What does it means to be a "Slave to impurity" or a "Slave of righteousness"?

Trying to understand "WHERE" we live in Christ is an important but difficult concept. Paul speaks in these verses using the analogy of slavery. God has transferred us from slavery to sin to slavery of righteousness. We explore that topic in these verses.

God has given us new life and this new life is in a new place. We live in the heavenly realms, we live in a new dimension called Grace. Our journey in this new life is an exploration of how God is calling us to live.

Paul equates living under law in the same catagory as having Sin as our master. But we are people who are comfortable with law and living under law. We want to know the rules, the 7 ways to master life or the 10 ways to live. Then God transfers us into a completely new dimension - the dimension of Grace. It is like Edwin Abbots book, "Flatland" where a 2 dimensional creature came in cont...

What should my life look like when I live in grace? Paul answers that question with four simple imperatives. But even though these are simple instructions, applying them takes thought and personal application.

Keeping our eyes in the proper direction is essential to a fulfilled new life in Christ. One direction we look is to our future resurrection. This lesson helps us see what that means and how to live it out. Paul re-centers us in Romans 6:9,10 when he brings us back to Christ. 6:11 is an application of these verses.