Be Quick to Listen, Slow to Speak, Slow to Anger

September 27, 2020

James 1:19-27; 3:1-12; 1 Peter 3:8-17 — We shall be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. Active listening to understand and learn from others is an act of love. We can only make progress, learn, understand, have empathy, and love others when we listen. Jesus calls us to get into the difficult and messy relationships with people who are not like us, do not think like us. That’s is how we are the salt and the light of the world. We shall love by listening. That’s what our Lord did, for us and for the others.

This is part of our sermon series, Love Never Fails, Love Conquers All. The story used in the sermon was adapted from The Shadows of the Neanderthal: Illuminating the Beliefs That Limit Our Organizations by David Hutchens. This sermon is also based on and made use of the following books: Cho, Eugene, Thou Shalt Not Be a Jerk: A Christian's Guide to Engaging Politics, David C Cook; Sauls, Scott, Jesus Outside the Lines: A Way Forward for Those Who Are Tired of Taking Sides, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.; and Bauman, Stephan, Break Open the Sky: Saving Our Faith from a Culture of Fear, Multnomah.

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People of Truth Seek And Live Out Truth

September 20, 2020

Jeremiah 23:16-39; 2 Peter 1:12–2:3; 2 Timothy 3:14–4:5 — God’s people are people of God’s Word and therefore people of truth. As people of truth, we cannot participate in creating and propagating lies of any kind. This is God’s creation, God’s history, God’s world, and we are living the kingdom life as kingdom people. Thus, truth involves all truth in all areas of life. We cannot claim God’s Truth and then follow and live lies in our daily lives. We must seek truth and live out truth. We must do the hard work to seek and know the truth. We must be truthful and live truthfully rooted in, informed by, and guided by God’s Truth.

This is part of our sermon series, Love Never Fails, Love Conquers All.

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Where Is God’s Word?

September 6, 2020

2 Kings 22-23 — When we are not rooted in God’s Word, we will be tossed and blown about by every wave and wind. When we do not know and live out the truth of God’s Word, we will not have wisdom and discernment. We will not be able to test the spirits. We will fail to be a people of truth. To engage and overcome this raging storm we must rediscover, relearn, and put into practice God’s Word. To live as God’s kingdom people we must allow the light of God’s Word to shine into our lives and guide our ways.

This is part of our sermon series, Love Never Fails, Love Conquers All.

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Fear Not, Love Never Fails, Anything Is Possible

August 30, 2020

Matthew 8:23-27; Jeremiah 5 — This is the introduction to our new sermon series, Love Never Fails, Love Conquers All. How should we engage in politics, culture, and society? How should we respond to the challenges and issues facing us? How should we respond to this storm of fear, anger, anxiety, and hatred that is raging around us? Fear not, have faith, trust God because love never fails. Nothing is impossible with God. God’s people are at a crossroads. We have a choice to make. This series aims to bring us to repentance, to love unconditionally, to be strong and courageous to be different. To help us in the midst of this storm and these times to experience joy unspeakable, faith unshakable, love unstoppable, and know that nothing is impossible. We are made not to just survive but to thrive.

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Live Out Grace

August 16, 2020

Gen 2:8-12; 33:1-11; 50:15-21; 2 Sam 12:1-14; Lk 7:36-50; 15:11-32; 19:1-10; Acts 5:1-11 — Living in grace and living out grace requires repentance, love, and speaking the truth in love. We welcome people as they are but then we help them to encounter Jesus and experience his grace. All together we help one another to grow in Christlikeness, to live in grace and live out grace.

This is last sermon in our sermon series entitled, Living In Grace, Living Out Grace, based on the book, Safe: Creating a Culture of Grace in a Climate of Shame, by Nick Stumbo.

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"I Call You"

August 9, 2020

Genesis 1:26-28; 2:15; Exodus 31:1-6; 1 Chronicles 29:11-12; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Ephesians 2:8-10; 4:1 —Why are we doing what we are doing? God says, “I call you.” This is the grace of calling. God created and saved us for a purpose. We are called to live and work for God’s kingdom and glory. We are called to live in and live out our identity, Christ in me. We do what we do because God called us to do it. His call qualifies us.

This is part of our sermon series entitled, Living In Grace, Living Out Grace, based on the book, Safe: Creating a Culture of Grace in a Climate of Shame, by Nick Stumbo.

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Nothing, Everything (2)

August 2, 2020

2 Samuel 9:1-13; Luke 7:36-50 (Part 2) —We deserve nothing, but our Heavenly Father gave us everything. He calls us to give everything to the person before us who deserve nothing. We are channels of God’s grace. We become a culture of grace, live out grace, by taking these steps.

This is part of our sermon series entitled, Living In Grace, Living Out Grace, based on the book, Safe: Creating a Culture of Grace in a Climate of Shame, by Nick Stumbo. For this sermon, I must give credit to Stumbo’s Chapter 6. It is based mostly on his contents as I could not explain it better than he did.

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