The church of Christ on McDermott Road

Summer Series 2024 – Lesson 5

The apostles are Jesus’ deputies, appointed to teach, instruct, and discipline followers of Jesus in “the way.” Therefore, being loyal to Jesus requires Christians to listen and follow the teachings of the apostles. What does it look like today to be committed to these teachings? (Scripture: Acts 2:42-47)

Summer Series 2024 – Lesson 4

Sometimes a destitute person or family loses valuable property, freedom or even their place in the family and an inheritance.  The Law provided in Leviticus 25:25, an expectation for the nearest relative of such a person or family to redeem or restore what was lost.  This person was known as a Kinsmen Redeemer.  As humans, […]

Summer Series 2024 – Lesson 3

Finally, throughout the Scriptures we are invited to see God as our Father. Not only because he brought us life, but because he loves and cares for us. When we pray, we shouldn’t pray like strangers or even like slaves, but like sons and daughters who are convinced of their fathers love and devotion to them. Again, this […]

Summer Series 2024 – Lesson 2

Similar to our lesson on “God as obedient son,” this is not a metaphor, but a living reality because of the incarnation of Christ. Jesus became an older brother, not just to James, Jude, and others, but to all of his disciples. As our older brother, he acts as our kinsman redeemer, rescuing us and caring for us, […]

Summer Series 2024 – Lesson 1

A disciple is seeking to have each aspect of his or her life emulate Jesus. The journey towards Christlikeness is an expression of grace-filled intentionality. The goal of this lesson is to explore how our understanding of grace shapes our daily habits. (Scripture: Matthew 25:31-46)

Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, God used the metaphor of marriage as a lens through which Israel could understand his loving commitment to them. Marriage also helped explain how God felt when Israel was unfaithful to the covenant he made with them. Hosea was a devoted husband, who was married to Gomer, a prostitute and disloyal wife. Their marriage was […]

Sonship is not just a metaphor God uses to reveal himself to us; he actually became a son to human parents. In his role as Mary and Joseph’s child, we can see what the faithfulness of God looks like when it is embodied in a son. This faithfulness and loyalty that not only obeys parents, but honors them, […]

Jerusalem accused God of forgetting her. When we are struggling, it is easy to think God no longer thinks about us or loves us. However, God replies by relating himself to a mother who has nursed her children. God says that a mother is more likely to forget her child than he is to forget his people. First, […]

Mission Sunday (Scripture: Acts 4:1-4)

One of the themes in Colossians is that everything we do should be done, “in the name of the Lord.” In other words, everything should be done out of loyalty to King Jesus. This includes how we live when no one is watching. When there are no parents, policemen, bosses, spouses, or anyone to hold […]

Finally, we will conclude this series with the truth of what Jesus will do, he will come again. When he does, the fulfillment of all of God’s promises will be complete. All of the hidden truths that Christians believe now will become manifest to everyone. The whole world will finally bow their knees to him and confess that […]

(Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10) Sermon by Zach Roddenberry, High School Minister

In many ways, this sixth truth is the one around which all the other truths revolve, Jesus is Lord. You could also say he is the Christ, Messiah, or God’s anointed King. In other words, Jesus is the fully divine and fully human, who is worthy to rule and reign over God’s creation. A person cannot be […]

On Easter Sunday, we will explore the fifth truth that Jesus did not remain dead. He did not remain in the grave. Our faithful God raised Jesus from the dead. Which was not only a victory for him, but for all of his people. The resurrection of Jesus is a foretaste of what God will do for all […]

This fourth truth may seem incidental, but it is quite significant. For three days, the son of God was dead and buried. He not only became human, not only became a servant, not only died a horrific death, but was buried in a grave like every one else. He lowered himself, humbled himself, to the lowest possible human […]

The third truth is not just about who Jesus is, but about what he did. Jesus suffered and died as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. His sacrificial death was the once-for-all sacrifice that was able to free all humanity from Satan’s hold on them. By offering himself on our behalf, he redeems, adopts, justifies, and sanctifies us. […]

The second truth of the series is the truth of the incarnation, Jesus came in the flesh. He became fully human. He is not God, pretending to be human. He was not wearing a human costume. He became fully human. It is also important to understand that Jesus didn’t abandon his humanity when he ascended to the heavenly […]

This first truth is expressed in several different ways, Jesus is the word, which is God, he is sent from the Father, he shared the Father’s glory from the beginning, he possesses equality with God, all the fullness of God dwells in him bodily. In other words, Jesus is God. Sadly, a recent survey revealed that 43% of […]

If the kingdom—God’s uncontested rule and reign—can be received now, who can receive it and how is it received? How do we enter into God’s rule and reign? Once again, the answers Jesus gives are surprising. Jesus said we must receive the kingdom of God like a child. What does this comparison teach about the character of kingdom […]

At different times, both the Pharisees and the disciples of Jesus asked him about the timing of God’s kingdom. When will God rule and reign over the earth without rival or rebel? After all, Jesus taught his disciples to pray, “Your kingdom come, you will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” So, people wanted to […]