First Pres Colorado Springs Sermons

Let’s get very pragmatic and down to the brass tacks! We believe this book, the Bible, is a canon of inspired literature which comes to our hands by the direct work of the Holy Spirit who inspired the original writing, protected and conveyed the texts to the church down through the ages, and opens our minds and hearts to understanding and hearing the Word of God as from God’s very voice into our l...

Overcoming apathy. Jesus comes to meet us in our chambers. He stands at the door and knocks. Do we have enough energy to get up and let him in? Or are we, like the church of Laodicea, lukewarm, neither hot nor cold? Apathy is numbing. Jesus is enlivening. It is like moving from black and white to color when Jesus enters your life. Open the door to Jesus Christ today. Speaker: Tim McConnell

Disengagement apathy. I just don’t want to get involved. We are tempted to stay disengaged even when a problem presents itself to us. “God bless you,” we say, and then we go our way. No. It’s time to step up and put skin in the game. Faith that saves is faith that works. Don’t give in to the temptation to say “Whatever. Someone else will do it.” I want to give you another “whatever.” Whatever your...

Exhaustion apathy. I would care, but I’m just so exhausted! This even happened to Elijah after his battle with the priests of Baal. Sometimes we are just too tired to care. But when we give in to the lethargy, it takes over. The angel visited Elijah telling him to rest, get some sleep, then get up and eat a little food. Keep moving. You don’t have to do everything right now. One next step. One hea...

Motivation apathy. Moses did all he could to make his people happy, but it only seemed to make things worse. When you don’t feel like anything you do will make a difference, it is very hard to get out of bed in the morning. Moses opened up to God with lament – complaining with a purpose. God responded with help. What helps you when you lose track of your purpose? Speaker: John Goodale

Compassionless apathy. We return to Jonah this week. Remember the series this May? There are few better pictures of compassionless apathy. It is hard to keep an open heart to the suffering of our common man. Your news feed flows by: NFL quarterback to divorce; cat falls in well; 3,000 die in flooding in Libya; new drug promises relief from acne. A million things demand your attention and eventuall...

The commonality of apathy. Does the Bible understand how I feel? Time and again we find that God does know and understand how we feel, and we most often find that in the Psalms. Why do I feel like this? Why should I care? The soul longs for deeper meaning and purpose. Your soul remembers a time when it was moved and full of life. Apathy and lethargy are common experiences brought on by many factor...

The appeal of apathy. Actually, there is something that makes us want to be more apathetic these days. It is a pseudo-wisdom that claims to be sophisticatedly disassociated and disengaged from the meaninglessness of life. It claims to be brave, intellectually honest, and unflinching, but it is actually nothing more than cynicism and sarcasm of the most childish sort. Solomon went deep into it in h...

The danger of apathy. What a comical picture! This sluggard is so full of lethargy he reaches into the chip bowl and falls asleep with his hand still outstretched, with not enough energy to even retrieve his hand. He rolls around on his bed like a squeaky hinge on a door, moving without getting anywhere. How do we get so stuck? Some say we are in the “meh” generation, a generation unable to find a...

From start to finish, the work of salvation belongs to the Lord. Our work is to cultivate a listening heart that is responsive to the voice and call of Jesus. Lydia’s story reminds us of how God works in the life of a listener. Speaker: Jennifer Holz

God cares about the heart not the face, the inner life not the resume. Jesus calls us to do good things in the secret places where no one sees. It is easy to give to the poor in order to gain a reputation or be rewarded by accolades. It is harder to do it in secret where only you and the Lord know. It is easy to show off our religiosity as a show of virtue, but harder to pray in private. As the sa...

One of the greatest roadblocks for non-Christians approaching Christ is the challenge of a higher sexual ethic. “Isn’t it horrible and backwards that Christians refuse to accept the simple truth that love is love?” Jesus calls us to a higher ethic of sexuality and human relationships. Believers have always stood out on this point. Could this roadblock be turned into a signpost to a better way? The...

One of the greatest roadblocks for non-Christians approaching Christ is the challenge of a higher sexual ethic. “Isn’t it horrible and backwards that Christians refuse to accept the simple truth that love is love?” Jesus calls us to a higher ethic of sexuality and human relationships. Believers have always stood out on this point. Could this roadblock be turned into a signpost to a better way? The...

I thought maybe I should title this sermon series “Salted Nuts.” The world does think we are nuts. “You believe all of history hinges on the life of one Jewish man who lived 2,000 years ago and died on a Roman cross?” Yup. “You rest your life on the Bible as though God delivered it to you when all of us know it is anachronistic, scientifically-disproved spiritual fluff?” Yeah, kinda. We do stand o...

With our roots deep in the soil of the Spirit of Christ, we are overflowing with his fullness. We are not living on the dregs, we are full of the divine life. We don’t live from a posture of lack and scarcity, but from the overflowing “more than enough” of the life of Jesus within us. The fullness within also makes us hungry for the world to be put right, for all the world to be full of the grace...

This is an odd verse. In some way or another, our sufferings contribute to the fullness of the divine life. We are connected to Christ, and even share in his sufferings. This life is a contest. We are pitted against evil forces that destroy life. As full children of God who flourish in the divine life filling us up from within, we overflow to fill up the gaps in the world. Wounds become sources of...

You cannot make too much of Jesus. It is not possible to say too much. What is Jesus but the fullness of God made manifest to us? What are we but the emptiness of sin without him? All of God’s fullness is pleased to dwell in Jesus Christ. When you put your faith in Jesus Christ, you are drawn into his fullness of life. You are connected with the source of all being, the fountain of God’s goodness...

Do you believe in the fullness of life? Can it happen to you? It has less to do with your external circumstances and more to do with the attachments of your heart. Paul has the same attachments of the heart whether he is free or in chains, comfortable or suffering. Fullness happens within. You will know streams of living water flowing from within you (John 7:38) when Jesus pours out his Holy Spiri...

The seed is the Word of God. The parable of the soil is not determinative. Jesus expects that you have the ability to change your soil, to alter the soil of your heart. How is that done? How can you soften your heart to receive the good news of Jesus and bear fruit a hundred fold? “Come to me in your weariness and distress,” says Jesus. “Take up my yoke. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. Walk a...

John 10:10 says, ‘'The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Jesus is accused of using satanic power to manipulate satanic forces. Actually, he uses divine power to destroy Satan’s purposes. Are you aware that there is a spiritual battle for your soul and the souls of your family and friends? (C S Lewis, Screwtape Letter...

Family is not always the easiest to navigate. Friends can sometimes be a burden. Jesus drew the disciples near and made family of them. Jesus suffered difficult family dynamics among his own brothers. Jesus can get in the middle of your most trying relationships. Jesus cares about our relationships with others. We can bless one another or curse one another, but with the love of Jesus within us we...

The fact that Jesus is the source and cause of our salvation and healing is actually an affront to the religious leaders. We can live with a god who tells us what to do and helps us achieve the goal, even one who defines our goals contrary to our personal desires. What we cannot tolerate is the idea that we need Jesus as our Savior. Where does true healing start? We try everything. Diet. Exercise....

Maybe this summer is the summer of sabbath for you. What is the sabbath? Why does God command it? The regular practice of the sabbath alters our lives demonstrably for the better. It honors God, serves neighbor, promotes justice, and betters the earth. But it can also be a temptation to earn God’s favor through legalism. It is neither Jesus’ intent to push us into legalistic and performative behav...

The paralyzed man was lowered before Jesus from the roof. Obviously uncomfortable, obviously lame, obviously in need of physical relief, Jesus forgave his sins. He only healed his body to prove he has authority to remove and forgive his sins. Levi needed correction, prophetic justice raining down on his head. Jesus went to his house and became his friend. He only changed his career after filling h...

Not them, Lord. Not them. Was it racism? Was it nationalism? Something in Jonah’s heart could not accept the prospect of a Ninevite brother in the family. Families must be models of acceptance and grace. We celebrate the family today. With each new generation we accept new brothers and sisters in faith in Christ. I love stories of mothers who know how to bring new family members into the fold with...