Current Sermons can now be viewed on our YouTube Channel in the video section.
I am a Bride
Throughout the Bible, the language of marriage is used to describe the relationship between God and His people. In the Old Testament, the nation of Israel was metaphorically identified as God’s bride or wife (Isaiah 54:6; Jeremiah 2:2; 3:20; Ezekiel 16:8). In the New Testament, the church is metaphorically referred to as Christ’s bride or wife (Romans 7:1-4; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:22-27; Revelation 19:7). What impact should our identity as Christ’s bride have on the way we live? Sermon…
I am a Friend
It may be difficult for us to wrap our minds around the concept that we can be called “Friends of God.” That description may sound a little too casual or irreverent. But that is exactly the title Jesus gave to us in John 15:14 when He said, “You are my friends if you do what I command you.” In fact, Jesus supplemented our identity as God’s “servants” with our identity as God’s “friends” (John 15:15). Based on our identity as…
I am a Witness
Just before His ascension Jesus told His disciples that “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). A witness is an individual who can testify on behalf of another. For the Apostles such an identity made since because they witnessed the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. But how does such an identity apply to us? Can we serve as a witness for Christ if we…
I am a Servant
The identity of a servant was the most prevalent identity adopted by the New Testament authors (Romans 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:1; James 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; Jude 1:1; Revelation 1:1). In fact, Paul and Peter prioritized the title of “servant” above the title of “apostle!” Since servanthood was so prominent among first century Christians it should be no surprise that throughout the New Testament Christians are routinely identified as “servants” (Romans 6:22; 1 Peter 2:16). Why should we embrace…
I am an Alien
In 1 Peter 2:11-12, Peter wrote, “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.” The author of Hebrews identified the heroes of faith as “strangers and exiles on the earth” (Hebrews 11:13). Why was this identity attributed to God’s elect, what do we learn about God’s expectation for His people from this identity, and how does it impact how we relate to the world around us? Sermon Handout 1…
I am a Priest
Peter indicated that Christians “are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for [God’s] own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). In similar fashion, John said that Jesus “made [the church] a kingdom, priests to his God and Father” (Revelation 1:6). Both utilized an identity God stated of His people in Exodus 19:5-6. How did we receive the identity of…
I am a Child
Throughout the New Testament, God is consistently referred to as “Father” (Matthew 5:48; 6:1-15; 7:11; John 4:23; 14:2-3; 1 Corinthians 8:5-6; Galatians 1:3-4; Ephesians 4:6; Colossians 3:17), and we are consistently referred to as “children,” “sons,” and “heirs” (Matthew 18:3-4; John 1:12-13; Romans 8:14-17; Galatians 3:24-29; 4:1-7; Ephesians 1:3-5; 5:1; Philippians 2:14-15; Hebrews 12:5-11; 1 Peter 1:14-19; 1 John 3:1-3, 9-10). What bearing should these identities have on our relationship with God? Sermon Handout 1 JOHN 3:1-3 See what kind of…
Identity Crisis
Who am I? It’s an important question because it’s a question about identity. In fact, psychologists have theorized that we all experience an identity crisis during our adolescent years that determines our understanding of who we are for the rest of our lives. But the identity we adopt during our adolescent years is not nearly as important as the identity we adopt during our rebirth into Christ. God has a specific list of identities He intends for His people to…
Greater Than Death
The Greek term from which we get the word “gospel” means “good news.” What constitutes the “good news”? Paul indicated that the “gospel” he preached consisted of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, but he seemed to give greater importance to the resurrection by spending more time talking about it (1 Corinthians 15:1-8; Acts 13:32-33). Why? Because the resurrection is the primary source of good news since the good news is that Jesus is alive! Sermon Handout 1 CORINTHIANS…
Greater Than Me
Jesus made it very clear that in order for someone to be his disciple he or she must be willing to “deny himself [or herself]” (Matthew 16:24). Why? Because if God is the Greater Than then I must be willing to confess that I am not. This might be the most difficult greater than status of God for us to accept because it requires us to acknowledge that the world does not revolve around us. And this might also be…
Greater Than My Future
According to Isaiah 46:9-10, God is the only One who is able to “[declare] the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done.” Thus, God is the only One who is greater than the future, and how we approach the future demonstrates whether or not we believe this. If you believe that God is greater than the future then you have the mentality of a “so what-er,” but if you believe that God is not greater…
Greater Than My Past
The past can be filled with great memories, but the past can also be filled with burdensome baggage. As one preacher said, “Few types of bondage are greater than the prison of the past.” We may be bound by a wound that was inflicted on us by another person that we cannot forgive, or we may be bound by a wound that we inflicted on someone else and cannot forget. Either way, “the past has the capacity to incarcerate the…