Saints Peter and Paul Sermons

Have you ever felt frustrated with the lack of growth in your spiritual life? Does your walk with Jesus feel like 1 step forward, and 2 steps backwards? Do you find yourself pushing and pushing to get closer to God - only to feel burnt out and tired instead of experiencing the "rest" Jesus talked about (Matt 11:28)? What if our notions of spiritual growth were wrong? What if we've b...

In 1 Corinthians 2, the Apostle Paul contrasts Godly wisdom with the wisdom of the world. He demonstrates that when speaking to people about Jesus, we can be weak and rely on the strength of Jesus Christ.  In the sermon, Pastor Aaron gives practical examples of how to witness to others by tapping into the wisdom of God.

"For the word of the cross is folly..." That statement might not hit us as hard as it hit in the 1st Century. After all, crosses are everywhere. On T-shirts and buildings, on necklaces worn around the neck or tattoo'd onto arms...the cross - folly or not - has made its mark on the world. But its message still runs against the grain of our human intuition. Especially when we think ab...

In a fractured world, unity is an upside down idea. Sure, the world talks about unity, but it really has no idea how to lead us into it.  In this week's sermon, Pastor Aaron opens the Scriptures for us to 1 Corinthians chapter 1, where Paul addresses the church in Corinth over their divisions about who their favorite Christian leader was.  Paul encourages them to find true unity by following...

This week we begin a new sermon series called "Upside Down Kingdom" based on the first few chapters of 1 Corinthians.  In these 6 weeks, we will learn how the Kingdom of God is Upside Down. It's a different reality. We see the world in a whole different way when we're part of God's Kingdom.  In this first week, Pastor Aaron preaches on, probably, the MOST upside down thing...

This week, Pastor Kevin gave Pastor Aaron a gift during the sermon. It was a baby onesie. Why?  Well... listen to this sermon to find out what a onesie has to do with our walk with Jesus Christ.

Christianity doesn't fit you. If that sounds offensive, it's meant to be (but not in a nasty way!). It's inspired by the obscure (and dare I say offensive) things both Jesus and Paul said in the Scriptures. Things like: "Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it" (John 12:25) or "Do you not know that all of us who have been...

In this final week of our Advent sermon series "Be Still," Pastor Aaron shares with us a message about the fulfillment of Psalm 46 in the peace that Christ brings into the world.  You've likely heard a thing or two about peace, but the Biblical concept of peace is much more beautiful and grandiose than you could ever imagine. Pastor Aaron shares with us the meaning of the word &quot...

This week, Pastor Aaron preached on verses 8-11 of Psalm 46 where we encounter the words "Be still and know that I am God."  Perhaps you've heard these words before or seen them posted on Christian artwork. But, what do they really mean? Is it a call to kick back and relax, or is there more to it than that?  When, taken in context, we see that these words come from the mouth of God...

In the opening of Psalm 46, the Psalmist describes the chaos of this world in vivid, watery language. But in verses 4-7 we see a dramatic shift. The waters that were once "roaring and foaming" are now "gladdening"! How has the Psalmist been able to turn these "lemons" into "lemonade"? And how can we? The reality is we will all face troubles in this life. How...

This sermon is the first in a series we're called "Be Still" based on Psalm 46. This sermon series is being preached during Advent 2022 at Saints Peter and Paul in Houghton, MI.  This first sermon covers Psalm 46:1-3 and focuses on the simple, yet encouraging reality that God is our refuge and strength an very present help in trouble. 

In this final sermon in our Thank You sermon series, based on Philippians, we turn to Philippians chapter 4. Here, the Apostle Paul wraps up his letter by thanking the church for their financial gift that they sent to Paul.  Paul is thankful for the church. It is through their love, support, and encouragement that Paul see's the fruit of the Gospel coming to life. Because of that, Paul is fil...

Humans are highly influential (and influenced!) creatures. Why do millions of young (and old) people imitate TikTok dances? Why do people adopt dialects and idioms when they live in particular parts of the country? Why do we dress the way we do? In large part - because we're IMITATORS! We do it all the time. But who are you imitating? And why? What was the outcome of the life of the person yo...

This is a sermon on the first chapter of Philippians from our sermon series titled "Thank you."  Pastor Aaron opens up Paul's letter to the church at Philippi as we see Paul give God thanks for the joy he has in Jesus.  What gives you joy? Do you have people that support you in your walk in faith? In what ways can you show your gratitude to them?

In this final sermon in our "Good Words" sermon series, Pastor Aaron preaches on the Good Word "Sent."  God is a sending God. He sent His Son Jesus Christ into the world to save the world. After Jesus death and resurrection, Jesus sent his disciples (and us) with the commission to go and make more and more disciples.  We are sent.  This is a good word. 

Our Good Word for this day is Victory. Jesus is victorious over all the powers and principalities of the world. Through his death and resurrection, we have the victory over sin, death, and the devil.  In this sermon, Pastor Aaron proclaims to us this reality and what it means to be part of Jesus' winning team.

The God of Israel is a HOLY God. He is "set apart" - especially from death (He created Life after all!). So when Jesus, the One who came preaching about the Kingdom of God, encountered a leper - someone with a flesh-destroying disease (in Matthew 8) - the crowds were in shock. What would this God do? What would happen if God interacted with this man's uncleanness? In this sermon - P...

Pastor Aaron shares a message on the Biblical concept of marriage. Marriage is an image used all throughout the Bible to describe the kind of relationship God has with us. Christian marriages are also supposed to reflect this same kind of dynamic between husband and wife.  Listen to this sermon and be encouraged by God's perfect love for us sinners.

In Romans 8, the Apostle Paul says something incredibly powerful: "For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”' (Romans 8:15). In this one sentence, we see: 1) the problem of Sin 2) the power of the Spirit and 3) the practical way we can access this power. In this sermon, Pasto...

This week, we learn that "Property" is a good word.  The Bible uses the image of property to describe who we are as God's people. In this sermon, Pastor Aaron reminds us that we are God's property, and because we are God's property, this is a good things for us.  Today's Key verse is 1 Peter 2:9, "For you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a people for his ow...

Jesus finishes His opening statements (the Beatitudes) to His kickoff sermon (the Sermon on the Mount) by saying "those who are persecuted...are blessed." Really Jesus? Blessed? Once again, we're struck by Jesus subversive ideas. But, it's Jesus, so there's gotta be something here. In this sermon, Pastor Kevin speaks towards the inevitability of persecution within the Chri...

In this opening sermon for our series entitled "Good Words," Pastor Aaron shares about the good Biblical word "Life."  Life is what God originally created for us, and life is what God has prepared for us in eternity. In this life now, we have the opportunity to live life in the newness that Jesus has provided for us. 

God is a peacemaker. He has made peace with us by the blood of the cross. You have peace with God. That's why Jesus says, "When you are my children, you too will be peacemakers. Blessed are the peacemakers."  So, are you?  Do you live life making peace or making pieces? Do you put the best construction on everything, or always look for the negative? Do you speak well about your neig...

Do you see God in your life? Do you see Him working? Do you feel His presence? Sometimes in life - we don't. Let's face it. Sometimes, life feels too broken, to painful. And when we hear Jesus words: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" - we're not sure if we belong to Jesus' category of: pure in heart. But God comes into our mess. He is faithful to...