preach-itSermon Archive

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October 2022

Fear Not

When she was told that her starving, peasant subjects had no bread to eat, Marie Antoinette infamously quipped, “Let them eat cake.” This quote is commonly cited as proof that she was oblivious to the plight of the common people and was blithely indifferent to their troubles. I wonder, is it possible that someone might think that God is saying something similarly cavalier and blithely indifferent when He commands His people to “fear not.”

I can just imagine someone thinking,




The Love of A One-Another People

“… and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, 13 so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.”

How can we talk about growing as a disciple of Jesus or becoming a one-another people without talking about love? Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35) Colossians 3:14




September 2022

The Challenges of Being A One-Another People

Colossians 3:12-17 is one of those portions of the Bible that speaks to us in a real-life, pragmatic way about the challenges that we will face in trying to become a one-another people, but it also speaks to the beauty that makes facing those challenges worth it. Give this short portion of scripture a read. While you’re at it, you might also read Ephesians 5:15-21. These two portions of scripture, although written to two different churches, were both written by the Apostle Paul. They are strikingly similar and there are some valuable insights to be gleaned by comparing and contrasting these two passages.



Hold Fast

Fellow Christian, you have been called to a life of striving. Living for Jesus in the midst of a fallen world means that all of your movement toward Christ and Christlikeness will be opposed strongly by a powerful current running in the opposite direction. Even now, the prevailing current of the culture and our own sin-nature is pulling strongly at our hearts and minds. There is a strong downward pull to these days that we are living in.

Hebrews 10:24-25, sits squarely in the midst of a




Outdo

Romans 12:10
 
The first sentence of this verse contains two different Greek words for love. Love (philostorgos) one another with brotherly affection (philadelphia). What does it mean to philostorgos one another with philadelphia? And how do these Greek words for love differ from “agape,” that Greek word that we commonly associate with the sacrificial love that Jesus demonstrated on the cross?
 
The second sentence of this verse says



Confess Your Sins

James 5:16 says, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

When it comes to our struggles with sin, lonely defeats will one day bring lonely victories, and God is not glorified in a lonely, hidden victory. “Why would the victory be hidden,” you might ask. Because, for someone who has hidden their defeats, telling of a victory would be a tacit confession to the “s




August 2022

Build and Encourage

1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” The one-another commands in this verse are to encourage and build up, but that instantly begs a follow up question, doesn’t it? Encourage toward what? Should a person be encouraged in every behavior and attitude? Clearly, not. And who builds anything without some kind of blueprint? What exactly are we striving to construct when we build one another up? The objective this Sunda



An Introduction to One Another

“One another” is such a common phrase in the Bible that it would be easy to skip right by it without pausing to dwell on its significance. For example, In the Bible we are told to Love OA, Be Devoted to OA, Honor OA, Live in Harmony with OA, Accept OA, Look out for OA, Greet OA with a holy kiss, Serve OA, Carry OA’s burdens, Bear with OA, Be Kind to OA, Be compassionate to OA, Forgive OA, Teach OA, Admonish OA, Encourage OA, Build OA Up, Spur OA on toward love and good deeds, Meet with OA



The Pearl of Great Value

Those of us who have found Jesus and who have put our trust in Him for salvation know what a treasure He is. We have found in Him a hope that will not fail. There is a shining excellence that hangs around all of His promises. We have found a better and an abiding possession in him and this allows us to hold onto things in this life with a loose grip. In Him, we have found a forever home and a life full of purpose and meaning. We find that we can even approach death with a light heart. Those



July 2022

How Did I Get Here

Listen in as we hear what the Lord has laid upon the heart of one of our Deacons, Tim Tarr.






 
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