Sunday Sermons

Chapter 11 in Hear Me Now is on the mark of dying and documents the little deaths Pastor Jerry died as he became more and more like Christ. This sermon brings Jerry’s dependence on Christ through prayer into clear focus. Jerry has been retired for six years after thirty-five years as the Grace senior pastor. Interim Pastor Mike Matheson reads the scripture and then humorously and fondly introduces...

Message from Pastor Mike Matheson on October 22, 2017

Message from Pastor Mike Matheson on October 15, 2017

Message from Pastor Mike Matheson on October 8, 2017

Message from Pastor Chris Amundson on October 1, 2017

Pastor Jerry answers some questions in this sermon on praise. (See Chapter 10 in Hear Me Now for how praising God was one mark of Jerry’s life.) “Can we really trust God’s sovereignty and see his glory in difficulties, in hurtful relationships, and in life-altering events? Can Christ be exalted in life and in death?” Pastor Jerry answers these questions with a resounding “yes” and backs up his “ye...

Being very open and vulnerable with the congregation was an important part of Pastor Jerry’s shepherding (see Chapter 7 in Hear Me Now). He shared his hardships and his joys. And one of his greatest joys was being a grandpa. The congregation got used to him regularly showing pictures of his grandkids. Very unapologetically, he also instituted the recognition of grandparents on Grandparent’s Day! T...

Chapter 7 in Hear Me Now is about the mark of shepherding. One of the main ways Pastor Jerry shepherded Grace church was to preach about key truths he was learning as he followed Jesus, the Good Shepherd. In this sermon Pastor Jerry shares his desire to be known as a man and pastor who was “full of grace and truth.” His key vision for Grace Church was that it would be a church “full of grace and t...

This Easter sermon is a classic example of how often Pastor Jerry said “hear me” or “hear me now” while preaching. It is also a notable example of his use of an object to illustrate his main idea (see Chapter 4 of Hear Me Now). Everyone at church this Sunday received a small white flag when they entered the sanctuary. Jerry used it to illustrate the main idea of his sermon: surrender. After he det...

Chapter 6 in Hear Me Now is on humility. Weakness humbles us; it pushes us to the end of ourselves. Weakness can be physical, emotional, or just an overwhelming circumstance or task that God has allowed. In this sermon, Pastor Jerry shares his weaknesses and some things he was learning including how to stop thinking like the world, how to embrace weaknesses, and how to experience God’s power in we...

Chapter 8 in Hear Me Now details the mark of leadership and is full of stories about how Pastor Jerry trained and sent out ordinary people to lead in the cause of Christ. At the beginning of this sermon, Jerry briefly talks about two associate pastors who were preaching more frequently. Besides equipping these young leaders and providing preaching opportunities, Pastor Jerry also showed them how t...

After a funny introduction based on football, Pastor Jerry switches to the serious subject of deception, false teaching, and the many ways Scripture is twisted in our world today. He explained how the Israelites were easily deceived by their neighbors, the Gibeonites, and how we can be easily deceived too. He provides examples of deception in our culture and how to uphold the absolute truth of God...

This message begins a small, varied set of Pastor Jerry’s sermons that were preached over thirty years. (Some of these old cassette tapes recordings are not perfect, but the message is nevertheless clear.) Each message points to the extraordinary nature of God. This sermon is part of a series titled “Journey With Jesus.” It was preached after a trip Pastor Jerry and his wife, Jane, made to Israel...

Pastor Jerry loved to preach at Easter. He called it the “Super Bowl for Christians.” This sermon continues to illustrate Jerry’s impactful preaching and teaching and his masterful use of easily remembered key phrases, words, and objects (see Chapter 4 in Hear Me Now). The key word in this sermon was door: the open door of the empty tomb, the closed door of your life, and opening your life to the...

Chapter 4 in Hear Me Now shows how phrases, words, and even objects Pastor Jerry used when preaching and teaching greatly influenced and stuck with people. This sermon “Omnipotent God” is part of a Christmas series on the “Names of God” and is about the unlimited power of God for all the demands of our lives: power to save us, power to strengthen us, and power to expel fear. Jerry illustrated how...

In chapter 2 of Hear Me Now, author Karen Sytsma documented how Pastor Jerry led a very ordered life. There was never any question about his priorities: they were God, family, and church. Every spring between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, Pastor Jerry preached a series on the family. This very practical sermon—from the series “Fortify the Family”—describes how to build your marriage by receiving...

Honoring God is the first principle in a sermon series entitled “Thriving on Chaos” and correlates to Chapter 10 in Hear Me Now on the mark of praise. “We are called as Samuel was to a life given over wholly to the Lord,” Pastor Jerry said. He emphasized that no matter what, we can have confidence that as we honor God and do the right thing, God will honor us and, more importantly, he will honor h...