Christ Pres - Sermons

Scripture Reference: Ephesians 3:14-21 What do you think the Apostle Paul would pray if you could hear him offer a prayer for you? The end of Ephesians 3 is just that. What he gives us, therefore, is the idealized version of how every Christian should live their lives, especially as it pertains to how love transforms our “inner world.” Sermon Points: Have Strength Know Love Be FullBowi...

Scripture Reference: Ephesians 3:1-13 Add the wonder of Paul’s description of the church in God’s eternal plan together with the immensity of the blessings afforded to those “in Christ,” and Paul realizes that he has something that people need to know. The first half of Ephesians 3 is highly instructive of an evangelism that isn’t packaged but full of joy. Sermon Poin...

Scripture Reference: Ephesians 2:11-22 Sermon Points: Hostility Remembered (vv. 11-12, 14) Hostility Killed (vv. 13-16) Hostility Transformed (vv. 17-22)

Scripture Reference: Ephesians 2:1-10 Having set out that heaven and earth will be reunited through God’s work through the church, Paul turns to how the world will be healed in YOU, a Christian. Turns out, he has to animate the “bad news” of the Gospel before we can really understand the “good news” of his grace, to be in union with Christ! Sermon Points: Man is Dead...

Scripture Reference: Ephesians 1:15-23 As the apostle Paul writes his letter to the Ephesian church, he is overwhelmed with gratitude and tells them how he is praying for them. In Paul’s prayer we see the unlocking of a mystery. What is most needed in all of our lives is NOT necessarily a chance in circumstances. No, what is most needed is to have the eyes of our heart enlightened so that we...

Scripture Reference: Ephesians 1:4,5,11 Watch lovers speak to each other and invariably the talk turns to other-worldly themes. We instinctively know that we were made to be loved outside of time. Paul is excited to say that a huge blessing of being “in Christ” is the knowledge that it was true before we were ever born. Sermon Points: The Doctrine The Objections The Blessings

Scripture Reference: Ephesians 1:3-14 The more overwhelming the site you’re describing, the more words you’ll throw at it to try to sum it up to those who’ll listen. Paul sits down to contemplate the blessings God’s people have in Christ and what follows is a litany of keywords about the Christian’s spiritual status in one long run-on sentence of pure joy. Sermon Poin...

Scripture Reference: Ephesians 1:1-3 Keywords give us the ability to be “found” online if we know what we’re searching for. In a Christian’s quest to build the church, Paul provides a host of power-packed terminology to guide his favorite church plant in Ephesus towards becoming complete in Christ by being united to his church and looking for blessing. Sermon Points: The Ut...

Scripture Reference: 2 Timothy 3:10-17 We live in a day where even having a talk about “truth” is incredibly confusing. We have attempted to build a society on the shifting ground of our feelings. But a community that lives by the revealed truth of God’s word simply functions differently. What would it look like to be a “people of the book?” Sermon Points: The Bible s...

Scripture Reference: Luke 7:18-35 When Jesus shows up in a life, he overturns all the personal identity markers that used to define his people. This means that you can find yourself in really strange places when you’re following him. How that can be is seen this Sunday in a little scene from the life of John the Baptist. Sermon Points: Surprised by Jesus Founded on Grace

Scripture Reference: James 5:13-16 If we are going to be a church that is a home, that entails being in transparent, intimate relationships with both Jesus and each other. These kind of life-giving relationships require admitting the truth about our messy selves, but a promise of healing and restoration is on the other side. Sermon Points: Connected to Jesus Connected to Jesus’ Body (The Chu...

Scripture Reference: Hebrews 13:2 God’s people have always had a special relationship with the outsider and the stranger. God says when you serve them, you’re actually serving me. Why is this the case? And how can we find ways to serve and love our communities without having to power through guilt as the only motivation to do so? Sermon Points: The Meaning of Hospitality The Practice o...

Scripture Reference: Matthew 11:27-12:14 If we are going to be the kind of church that looks and feels like Jesus, then there should be something about our body that is restful. A body of Christ removes burdens rather than heaps on burdens and shame. Jesus interaction with Pharisees on the Sabbath presses home this point, in the person of Jesus, people finally find true Sabbath rest. The One who s...

Scripture Reference: Hebrews 13:2 Every church has a concept that “centers” their activities and gives a sense of purpose and mission for their members. But a church is so complex, how do you know what God would you to make that essential to your church? This week we look into the power of the Gospel to be the power behind everything your church does. Sermon Points: A Gospel Centrality...

Scripture Reference: Luke 5:27-32 Sermon Points: Jesus’ Love Pursues Jesus’ Love Celebrates Jesus’ Love Offends

Scripture Reference: Luke 15:11-32

Scripture Reference: Isaiah 65:17-25

Scripture Reference: 2 Samuel 9:1-13 Sermon Points: The Person Covenant Kindness Embraces (vv. 1-8) The Power Covenant Kindness Exercises (vv. 9-13)

Scripture Reference: John 6:1-14, 25-51 What is our natural response when we don’t have enough patience, kindness, faith, resources, wisdom, or humility? How might our response change if we follow Jesus’ pattern? Henri Nouwen’s Life of the Beloved: “To identify the movements of the Spirit in our lives, I have found it helpful to use four words: “taken,” “blessed,” “broken,” and “given…” These word...

Scripture Reference: Psalm 23 Is there a more appropriately famous Psalm than the 23rd? For good reason God’s people have clung to it in times of distress. But when was the last time we camped out on those images and studied them in hopes of finding new joys of the Christian’s security in Christ? Sermon Points: The Sheep and the Shepherd (vv. 1–3) The Traveler and the Companion (v. 4)...

Scripture Reference: Psalm 110 A powerful instinct defines our humanity in the object of our admiration. We become like what we admire. David in Psalm 110 penned a verse that was quoted or referred to over 20x in the New Testament. What did he discover that fixated him so much? Sermon Points: The Messiah is a King The Messiah is a Priest

Scripture Reference: Psalm 32 David shows us that guilt can actually lead us to a place of joy. It sounds so upside down in today’s world, however, being honest with guilt and turning to the right place brings freedom, forgiveness and joy. Could our guilt actually be a pathway to joy? Let’s follow David. Sermon Points: Defining Guilt (vv. 1-4) Acknowledging and Confessing Guilt (v. 5)...

Scripture Reference: Psalm 137 The Psalms are capable it turns out of exposing the darkest parts of our heart, the places where we experience deep and violent thoughts of hatred. But there is a godly way to manage that emotion. And Psalm 137 provides a vivid, if not disturbing, look into that very thing. Sermon Points: Some Explanations Some Lessons Some Hope

Scripture Reference: Psalm 145 Is there anything worse than feeling down and having some terminally perky religious person tell you to “cheer up and praise the Lord?” Yet, in Psalm 145, David ends his Psalm authorship with a litany of praise to the Lord and commands us to do the same. Why? Sermon Points: The Object of Praise The Nature of Praise The Future of Praise

Scripture Reference: Psalm 16 The emotion of hope consists of having something to look forward to even in the bleakness of everyday life. But David has found the key to celebrating even in the midst of isolation and pain. Only if he can be rescued from the enslaving power of death can he know true hope. Sermon Points: The Defeat of Idols (vs. 1-6) The Delight in God (vs. 7-8) The Death of Death (v...