Sunday Sermons

This Advent we are looking at the very first Christmas passage in the bible: Jesus’ family tree (Matthew 1:1-17), which highlights five women, whose surprising inclusion in this tree serves to highlight God’s grace. This week we look at the story of Rahab. She was an outcast in almost every possible way. But God used her in a very surprising way (1) to build strong and courageous faith in his peop...

Sunday officially marked the beginning of the Advent season. This year, we’ll look at an unfamiliar Advent text: the genealogy (family tree) of Jesus that opens the Gospel of Matthew, which contains a very surprising element: five special women used by God to further his unfolding plan of redemption. We begin with the story of Tamar, a woman who risked her life in order to secure justice. God used...

Colossians has taught us what it looks like to be established in Christ. But a rooted and mature faith is not one that only focuses on inward growth, but turns outwardly as well. In this passage, Paul calls the Colossians to a diligence in prayer—both for the protection of their faith as well as for the further reach of the gospel (4:2-4). In this same vein, he instructs them “walk and talk” with...

Through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus we have not only been forgiven of our sins but have been given new resurrection life. Therefore, we do everything in His name (3:17). Last week we saw this applied to marriage & family (3:18-21). This week it extends to our “work” - to whatever it is that we do (3:22-4:1). We are to honor those “over us” by being obedient, hard workers, and tho...

Colossians gives us one of the clearest pictures of the supremacy of Christ in who he is and what he has done (see chapters 1-2). All throughout chapter 3 Paul has been opening our eyes to the implications of Christ’s supremacy for how we live our lives now, culminating in 3:17: we should do everything in the name of the Lord. This week Paul applies that general principle to areas where we spend m...

Throughout Colossians Paul has shown us that in Christ we have become new creations; just as Christ died and was raised to life, so we died to our old selves and have been raised to new spiritual life in the here and now (Col 1:13-14; 1:21-22; 2:13-14; 3:4-5). Last week Paul’s focus was “putting off” the old reality (3:5-11). Here in this passage Paul repeats the theme but focuses on “putting on”...

Last week (Col 3:1-4) Paul urged us to focus on Christ, with whom we have died and have been raised to new life, which Christ himself is holding securely for us in heaven until he returns. Does that mean it doesn’t matter how we live now? Absolutely not. This week (and next) Paul tells us what it looks like to live the life we have in Christ in the here and now. That requires both actively putting...

Colossians 3:1-4 reminds us in this passage of what Christ’s death and resurrection accomplished for us: (1) we died with him, (2) we have been raised with Christ, and (3) our lives are hidden with Christ in God. Since Christ has accomplished these things on our behalf, Paul is urging us to live our whole lives for him—for Christ is our life! He gives us clear instructions for (1) how to pursue ma...

There are many pitfalls that await us on the path to following Christ. In last Sunday’s text, Paul addressed specific obstacles (philosophy, empty deceit, human tradition, etc.) that take our focus away from Christ (2:6-10) while also making the case that Christ is wholly sufficient for us (2:11-15). In this Sunday’s passage (2:16-23), Paul builds upon the previous section by confronting imitation...

To establish our roots down in Christ, so we can grow up in maturity in Christ, because Christ is our life. This is the BIG IDEA of Colossians. In this week’s passage, the primary charge or instruction of the letter is given to us—walk in him. Paul provides clarity about how we are to do this, what the risk is when we’re not doing this, and (most significantly) why we are to do this. The bulk of t...

What is the goal of the Christian life? Having meditated on the person and nature of Christ, Paul shifts gears to discuss how his ministry intersects with those following Christ. That is, he states the function and purpose of his ministry—to those he knew and those he hadn’t met face to face; the purpose or goal was maturity in Christ. For us who are united with Christ, the hope is that we are “en...

The Father has moved believers from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of the beloved Son (1:13). Who is this Son? Over what does he reign? How are we impacted by our dwelling with him? Our passage this week answers these questions.

Following Paul’s greeting and thanksgiving comes his prayer for the Colossian church; this prayer is where our focus will be in this week’s passage.

This week we begin a study through Paul’s letter to the Colossians. This study will carry us through the fall up to the time of Advent.

This Sunday’s sermon is a one-off sermon built around the idea of community. Part of the intended outcome is for the congregation to see the importance of how we treat one another as we reflect the Father’s love, mercy, and forgiveness that he displays towards us.

Having completed our study through 1 Samuel, we take this Sunday to go through the entire book of 2 Samuel as it pertains to and informs our understanding of 1 Samuel.

As 1 Samuel concludes we see the inevitable outcome that was anticipated for Saul. Did his demise make him a hero?

As we near the end of 1 Samuel the contrast between David and Saul continues to sharpen. “Where do you turn in the face of destructive opposition?” David as the LORD’s anointed provides a faithful witness for how to turn to the LORD regardless of the circumstances.

Pastor Danny D’Acquisto from Redemption Church returned to bring God’s word to us this past Sunday. This sermon serves as a one week break from our study of 1 Samuel.

We return to David’s plight with Achish and his expectation for David to go out to fight with the Philistines. What will become of the LORD’s anointed as he is expected to go into battle against his own people—people that he is expected to one day lead?

The author of 1 Samuel left us with a cliffhanger at the end of chapter twenty-seven as we await to see David’s outcome with Achish and the Philistine army—would David commit treason or not? Chapter twenty-eight records Saul’s response to his own fear of the Philistines and his own unkingly behavior.

As we return to 1 Samuel we witness David and his behavior out of step with his role as the LORD’s anointed. As we see this divergent image of David when compared to the composite image previously established in this book, let’s consider what we can learn from David’s mistakes and rejoice in God’s providing us with perfect Anointed One who came to redeem us.

We are taking a one week break from our 1 Samuel series to hear from Ephesians 2:1-10.

Chapter 25 of 1st Samuel provides us with a story that finds David out of character with how we have seen him up to this point. His run-in and response to this foolish man named Nabal almost serve to derail his journey as God’s Anointed and future king of Israel. It shows us God’s providence in his using an unlikely source to avert the disaster that David was about to bring on himself.

Chapter 25 of 1st Samuel provides us with a story that finds David out of character with how we have seen him up to this point. His run-in and response to this foolish man named Nabal almost serve to derail his journey as God’s Anointed and future king of Israel. It shows us God’s providence in his using an unlikely source to avert the disaster that David was about to bring on himself.