Saints Peter and Paul Sermons

This is the first sermon in a series called Gifted For Good based in the latter chapters of 1 Corinthians. Over the next few weeks we will be seeing that all of the gifts that God gives to us are for the good of our neighbors.  In this first sermon, we are introduced to the concept of Christian freedom. In Christ, we have many freedoms, but what are these freedoms for? Not just for our own persona...

At the end of chapter 2 of Luke - the Christmas Story flashes forward to an episode from the young boy-Jesus' life. He is 12 years old and headed to the Temple in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. But, during the trip, Jesus is lost! Can you imagine how Mother Mary felt? She was entrusted with the caretaking of the Savior of the world...and He slipped through her grasp! Her salvation - gon...

In the ongoing Christmas narrative (yes, the Christmas season continues!) -- we see four characters who are "waiting." In Luke 2:22-39: Mary, Joseph, Simeon, and Anna are all waiting for something...from a significant Jewish ritual to the "consolation of Israel." So...what are you waiting for? What are your overarching hopes in your life? What are they hinging on? In this sermo...

This final sermon of our Advent series "Foretold," looks at the birth of John the Baptist, and Zechariah's exclamation of praise for the deliverance that God is bringing through Jesus in Luke 1:57-80. Yet, prior to that, John must come to prepare the way for the Lord. Are you prepared to meet Jesus?  He's coming for you. To deliver you out of darkness and the shadow of death an...

In this week's sermon, our focus is on the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. This is an incredible interactions. The young, unmarried girl who has miraculously conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. And the old, barren woman who has miraculously conceived with her husband by the power of the Holy Spirit.  These two are relatives, and Mary goes from Nazareth on a 4 day journey to the hill c...

In Luke, chapter 2, when Jesus' birth is announced by angels to the shepherds, the angels declare: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" But when the angel Gabriel announces Jesus birth to Mary, the announcement looks different: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." Peace a...

For this first Sunday in Advent, we turn our attention to Luke chapter 1. Luke chapter 1 is often overlooked as we jump straight into the Christmas narrative in Luke chapter 2. But, that's often how it goes with Christmas, isn't it? We rush right ahead. As soon as the Halloween decorations are down at Walmart, the Christmas ones are up. We're too quick to jump ahead to fulfillment,...

In Revelation - the apostle John gives us a glimpse of what's coming - at the end of all things. Yes, there is an ending. Not just to the Scriptural Narrative, but to the world as we know it. And then, something new. As Semisonic once penned: "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." But we're not thrust into an endless cycle of rebirth and recreation. W...

In the Scriptural narrative, Jesus death and resurrection is the climax of the story. It's everything that everyone had been waiting and hoping for. But...there's still more to the recorded story of history after the climax. This sermon focuses on the words of the Scriptures that take place after the ascension of Jesus into heaven. The New Testament is filled with the people of God livin...

Everything in the story has been pointing to this movement. It's all about Jesus. Every page of the Old Testament has been gearing up for His arrival. Jesus is the one who fulfills everything that every person in the Old Testament was incapable of doing.  In this sermon, Pastor Aaron walks through the Bible to demonstrate that Jesus is the perfect prophet, priest, and king. 

David is one of the most central figures - not only in the Bible - but in history. His biography is longer than any other from ancient history. Statues of David can be found from Venice, Italy to Washington D.C. More stories from his life are recounted in Scripture than that of Abraham or Moses. In the New Testament - one of David's Psalms (110) - is quoted more than any other passage from th...

Moses is one of the most well known characters in the Bible. Multiple episodes from his life feature prominently in children's Bibles and Sunday School lessons. His story is covered in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. But, the events of his life end up becoming themes that carry on throughout the Old and New Testaments, and even meet us today.  In this sermon, Pastor...

In Genesis 12, God comes down. No, this is not the "incarnation." This is not the virgin birth of Jesus. But it sets a certain pattern (which Jesus will ultimately fulfill!) - of God partnering with humanity to achieve His goals. God meets with a man named Abram, calling him from his homeland, and thrusting him into a quest for the salvation of all mankind. Sound epic? It is. And it&apos...

The 2nd major movement with the Scripture is the fall into sin.  In our first sermon, we established that God is the creator of all things. We discussed that what we believe about our beginnings affects our every day reality.  In this 2nd movement of Scripture, we looked at the origins of where sin and all its horrible effects come from. Because, what we believe about the origins of sin also affec...

This is the first sermon in a series called "Movements of Scripture." In this series, we will be focusing on 8 major movements that happen within the Bible. The goal of focusing on these movements is that we will have placeholders throughout the story of the Bible so that as we open up the Bible and read it we will have a better understanding of where we are.  In this first sermon we beg...

The word "politics" comes from the Greek word "polis" which means "city." It's the term that describes how we go about tending to shared, civilian life: how we govern and are governed, what laws order our life together, and what programs & systems are put in place towards the welfare of humanity. With this definition in mind, it is clear: Jesus was political....

Being in relationships with other people is part and parcel to what it means to be humans. And yet, from the very beginning, in the first relationship between Adam and Eve, sin broke it. That same sin also broke the perfect relationship that God created between himself and those same humans.  Every one of us have broken and strained relationships with other people. But, is that the way that it has...

Do you feel like life is too busy? Do you find your schedule overwhelming? Do you notice yourself being scattered or unable to sit still for periods without a device? For many of us, are lives are overly complex. We've got too many commitments, too much to do, and not enough time. But what if that wasn't the case? What if we have just the amount of time we need to live a fulfilling life?...

This sermon is the first in a new sermon series called "Peace."  Pastor Aaron teaches us based on Matthew 6 that Jesus is after our hearts when it comes to our finances. "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  He also walks us through the Biblical history of what a tithe is.  We had a bit of a technical difficulty in our sound quality this week. Our apologies...

John says two incredible things in his final chapter of his first letter (1 John). He says: 1) The commandments of God are not burdensome. 2) He says that everyone who is "born of God" overcomes "the world." These two things should strike anyone (whether Christian or non-Christian). Are not the commandments of God an incredibly burdensome thing? Isn't Jesus' vision of...

For John, you cannot experience the "love of God" without the "grace of God." They are intertwined and inseparable. But what does it mean to experience God's grace? In 1 John, chapter 3 - we get a glimpse of John's experience of grace as the truths he is telling become real. Listen as Pastor Kevin elaborates on John's experience of "grace" and how (thro...

In 1 John 2:15-17, John tells us very clearly that we cannot love the world and love the Father. To love one is to forsake the other. But, we still live in this world. So, how ought we relate to this broken world in which we live as Christian people? In this sermon, Pastor Aaron walks through different world philosophies that have tried to answer this question. And then he provides us with a Bibli...

In 1 John 2:1-14, John says that love is not a new command. He's right. It's in the Mosaic Law. It's what Jesus says is the great command. John is telling us once again, that love is the way of the Christian's life. It has to be.  Because He first loved us, we also ought to love one another. We can't claim to know Jesus and walk in a direction that is opposite to him.  In...

In the modern world, people recoil at the thought of a "God of wrath." We think it's irreconcilable with a "God of love." How can a God who loves the world - judge it? Isn't it a sin to judge? However - the Bible (emphatically) tells us that God IS a God of wrath. Of judgment. Of justice. Even Jesus demonstrates it - in His own life and ministry. How can God be BOTH a...

Did you know there are different "kinds" of prayers? Some prayers take the form of "Adoration." Others, "Petitionary." Still others, "Confession." But the Lord's Prayer takes on them all. In this final sermon of the "Teach Us to Pray" series, Pastor Kevin looks at the final two petitions of the Lord's Prayer which show us a final kind of...