Christ Pres - Sermons

Scripture Reference: Psalm 73 Does doubting mean lack of faith? Does doubting mean immaturity? What does a follower of Jesus do with their doubts? Psalm 73 gives us a window into the doubt of a Psalmist named Asaph. Surely this means the Christian life has a place for doubt, and that doubting can actually lead us to a deeper relationship with Jesus and others.

Scripture Reference: Psalm 87 For most of us, when we start to feel the aching sense of loneliness that seems to characterize more and more of modern life, we turn inward to our problems or even our marriages and families for hope. But Psalm 87 introduces us to a different source of joy, the Church. Sermon Points: Affection Expressed Alienation Overcome Adoption Secured Fountains Accessed

Scripture Reference:  Psalm 88 Psalm 88 is unique in that it doesn’t have a happy ending. In most other Psalms, the writer finds God’s hand in everything they’re experiencing. But what if you’ve tried that, but there’s still no answer? Here we find amazing insights into the pain of depression. Sermon Points: Depression and Experience Depression and Disconnection Depre...

Scripture Reference: Hebrews 4:14-16 Sermon Points: Holding Fast Drawing Near

Scripture Reference: Psalm 8 Though our culture looks inward to our feelings or our accomplishments to search for an identity, David sings to a majestic Lord and discovers his purpose and significance in light of Him. Psalm 8 poetically reveals what the rest of Scripture teaches, that we will only find our purpose and identity as we look outside ourselves to the Lord and how He made us and redeems...

Scripture Reference: Psalm 63 CS Lewis is an expert on the deep longing of the soul (what he called “Joy”) and how important it is to understanding the human condition. But David has found the ultimate fountain of joy in God, and investigating it opens up all kinds of doors to our humanity. Sermon Points: The Occasion for Joy The Emotion of Joy The Cultivation of Joy

Scripture Reference: Acts 1:1-11 Acts 1:1-11 examines the church’s role in God’s mission. It explores how Jesus’ ascension marks the continuation of His work through His people and warns against the dangers of mission drift. This message calls believers to remain focused on the gospel and to joyfully embrace their role as witnesses to the ends of the earth.

Scripture Reference: Psalm 51 It’s been argued that there is no sensation that haunts a human being more than the pervasive (and often unnamed) sense of guilt inside us. Psalm 51 walks us through exactly how King David, on the heels of a massive moral failure, navigated his way to God’s grace. Sermon Points: The Occasion of Guilt The Mischief of Guilt The Nature of Guilt The Healing of...

Scripture Reference: Psalm 3 David is afraid as his son Absalom has enacted a coup and is trying to hunt him down. As David prays, we see how he seeks the help of others and trusts the Lord, and thereby gives us a roadmap for our fears. Sermon Points: Fear Defined (vv. 1-2) Fear That Leads to Wisdom (vv. 3-8)

Scripture Reference: Psalm 13 One of the most striking features of the book of Psalms, for careful readers, is how realistic they are. Psalm 13 doesn’t shy away from full acknowledgement of the tragedy of human pain and sorrow. But how do God’s people keep from being consumed by it? Sermon Points: Own the Sadness (vs. 1-2) Establish the Truth (vs. 3-4) Start the Healing (vs. 5-6)

Scripture Reference: Psalm 19 Psalm 19 is a pretty famous Psalm because it celebrates the universal joy of finding wonder in our daily lives. But we often miss the point, so David leads us not only to find true joy in God’s word, but in the Living Word, the One the Psalm points us to… Jesus. Sermon Points: The Emotion of Wonder The Limitations of Wonder The Focus of Wonder

Scripture Reference: Psalm 2 Psalm 1 and 2 have been called the opening pillars of entrance into the world of the Psalms . Psalm 2 is a overarching look at the central problem and solution of humanity. If we are going to dig deeply to understand our own lives before God, we must come face to face with both the gracious, sovereign, and just reign of King Jesus and our ultimately futile resistance t...

Scripture Reference: Psalm 1 Psalm 1 and 2 have been called the opening pillars of entrance into the world of the Psalms. Psalm 1 is the powerfully clarifying contrast between two ways of living life: a life of blessing OR the life of a scoffer. It begs us to look for THE Blessed One to come. Sermon Points: The Blessed and the Scoffer The Tree and the Chaff  

Scripture Reference: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 When it comes to pain and loss in this life, Christians can put their hope in the second coming of the Lord and we must be diligent to keep that day on our hearts and minds as we live in this broken world. Sermon Points: Hoping in the Day of the Lord Preparing for the Day of the Lord

Scripture Reference: Matthew 6:11, Leviticus 23:37-43, Matthew 6:16-18 The New Year typically brings renewed goals!  The Scriptures give us numerous practices that help form us individually and communally into the likeness of Jesus.  What would it look like for our practices around food this year to point us to what God is doing and shape us into the likeness of Jesus.  Scripture points us to the...

Scripture Reference: Isaiah 40:1-11 Sermon Points: Words of Payment Words of Provision Words of Proclamation

Scripture Reference: Luke 2:8-20 When the angels appear to the shepherds in the countryside fields outside Bethlehem, they do so because they are finally being granted permission to sing about what they LOVE to contemplate: the scope of the Christian Gospel. Can we learn what the angels learn so we can sing like they? Sermon Points: The Angels The Shepherds The Mother

Scripture Reference: Revelation 19:1-9, 21:1-8, 22:14-21 Revelation gives us an astounding picture of what Christians are looking forward to at King Jesus return. John sees that Jesus return brings everlasting life and joy as He makes all things new! Could St. Augustine be right when he said, “In God’s home, there is an everlasting party?” Sermon Points: Your future self says “Come&#82...

Scripture Reference: Revelation 20 We don’t like to hear the ending of books before we’re read them, but Christian need to know their own “ending” so that we don’t give in to despair. So much has been written in Rev. 20 and so much disagreement about what it teaches, but perhaps the message is simpler than we know? Sermon Points: A Snapshot of History A Thousand Year...

Scripture Reference: Revelation 19:1-9 The surprising culmination of John’s vision of Jesus’ dealing with his people culminates in the great Wedding Supper of the Lamb, where Jesus will take his Bride to himself. Turns out, the whole of Scripture can be summed up in this story: the Husband-Heart of God pursing his people. Sermon Points: The Wedding Event The Wedding Story The Wedding B...

Scripture Reference: Revelation 17 John unpacks a second, albeit disturbing, image in Rev. 17-18 of a disgusting Prostitute who has corrupted the nations of the world. Far more than just a sexual image, John is talking about whoredom in the very seats of the powerful, and what God has in store for those in bed with her. Sermon Points: The Identity of the Prostitute The Character of the Prostitute...

Scripture Reference: Revelation 16 In the third and final recapitulation of seven-fold judgements that God’s people will have to face, we see God putting an end to all excuses, and, by implication, all mercy. All that’s left is punishment. How does a Christian view the ultimate end of evil and how does it inform how we live today? Sermon Points: The Perspectives on the End The Inevitab...

Scripture Reference: Revelation 12:17-14:5 The dragon calls forth two beasts to assist him in waging war against followers of Jesus. These two beastly images paint a vivid picture of world history. The church must know that Satan will try to conquer the church through intimidation and false teaching. However, the good news of the complete salvation of the Slain Lamb means His people will endure. S...

Scripture Reference: Revelation 12 How do you account for the outrageous evil that we’ve seen inflicted on the church in the last 100 years of human history? Revelation 12’s answer is that it is due to the rage of the Devil, the mighty dragon. But the chapter includes the powerful ways in which God’d people ultimately prevail. Sermon Points: THAT the Devil is Working WHY the Devi...

Scripture Reference: Romans 4:1-8 Sermon Points: Abraham Was Not Justified by Works Abraham Received Justification by Faith God Is the One Who Justifies Abraham