Sermons on Reign/Lordship
Hope Fulfilled | 1 Thessalonians 4:13 – 5:11
Mark Pender encourages us with this message about hope from 1 Thessalonians. Discussion Questions Paul uses a literary technique of contrasts in this section. Some examples – Light contrast Dark, Sober contrast Drunk, Asleep contrast Awake. Is Salvation the contrast of wrath (v9)? Martin L King Jr said “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” How did Paul model this? In what ways have you seen others model this? We’re not the church in Thessalonica, but how…
A Mighty Powerful Ministry | Luke 5:17-26
Pastor Ron continues his series on Jesus’ pastoral ministry with a look at His power that goes beyond physical healing. Watch Here Discussion Questions 1. How might there be more evidence of the “power of the Lord” in our lives? (consult: Ephesians 3:16, 6:10 and 2Timothy 3:1-5) 2. How important is forgiveness of our sins to us? What evidence is there of its importance in our lives?
Jesus’ Achievements | Hebrews 2:5-18
Pastor Ron shared this message reminding us of Jesus’ achievements and how that relates to our faith journey. Discussion Questions 1. What are some signs of drifting? 2. What does “being careful” look like for you? 3. How does Jesus help us in our suffering?
God’s Glory Before Us | Psalm 29
Pastor Ron reminds us of God’s glory and how we can glorify God in his first sermon at Cornerstone. Watch Here Discussion Questions 1. Share any instance when you appreciated the Glory of God this past week. 2. Can you cite an instance when God has given you strength and peace as you recognized His glory in a storm of your life? (refer to John 16:33) 3. How are John 1:14 and Luke 8:22-24 related to the lessons of Psalm…
Lord of the Storm | Mark 4:35-41
This Rembrandt painting is called “Christ in the Storm on the Lake of Galilee.” It depicts Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee. While most of the painting is black and dark grays and blues, you can see golden-light and light blue skies in the distance. Two thieves disguised as police officers broke into the Isabella Steward Gardner Museum in Boston and stole it in 1990. If you know where it is, let the FBI know. Jesus has…
Part 10. A Flourishing Future | Revelation 21:1-6; 22:1-5
I grew up in a mountain town in Colorado called Estes Park. Estes is famous for being the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. One of the tallest mountains in Colorado is right outside of town, a 14-thousand-footer named Long’s Peak(14,259 feet). But growing up in Estes, I never climbed Long’s Peak. We heard all the horror stories of people falling, getting stuck, and dying, and I didn’t want to risk it. And then I moved away to sea-level and…
Part 7. “I” – Image of God (Imago Dei) | Mark 12:13-17
I want to start today’s sermon with a quiz. By a show of hands, I want you to guess whether the following portion of tweets are about a sports team or politics. These are actual selections from tweets: His biggest win yet. Let’s hear it for your [blank] champion[1] Sports or politics? “Let’s hear it for your 2021 #NASCAR Cup Series champion. . . ” Sports! Heads, we win. Tails, you cheated. Give me a break man.[2] Sports or politics?…
Part 6. “R” – Reign of Christ | Romans 13:1-7 & Philippians 3:20-21
I loved going to Awana club every week when I was a kid. If you’re not familiar with this part of the Christian subculture, Awana is a weekly after-school program where once a week, kids gathered at church to eat snacks, play games, memorize Bible verses, and sing worship songs. And I loved it! One week when I thought I wasn’t going to get to go, I had a major meltdown. I memorized so many verses I got my Sparky…
Ode to a Donkey | Matthew 21:1-11 (Jesus’ Triumphal Entry)
Today is Palm Sunday, the day the church celebrates Jesus’ triumphant entry into the city of Jerusalem, only to be crucified by the end of the week. There’s one character in the story of Jesus’ ride into town that has just captured my imagination. This character shares the spotlight with Jesus, but I don’t think we give him or her enough time. Can you guess who I’m talking about?… The donkey! I was reading a book for my Doctorate of…
An Upside-Down Church | Acts 17:1-9
My wife and I watched the Broadway Musical Hamilton last summer on Disney+. All the songs are brilliant, but I was reminded of one of them as I thought about today’s sermon. Have you heard the one about the battle of Yorktown? Washington is trying to defeat General Cornwallis, and he sends Lafayette and Alexander Hamilton to capture two key positions. In the musical, as they’re going into battle, they sing about what they’re trying to accomplish. They’re trying to…
Bridges to Multiethnic Reconciliation | Acts 10:34-11:18
Last week I talked about Barriers to Multiethnic Reconciliation (i.e., personal & systemic racism, group pressure and personal vulnerability). This week I want to talk about how we can overcome those barriers by building bridges, so my sermon title this week is Bridges to Multiethnic Reconciliation. My big idea is this… Be bridge builders in a world of walls. In March 1965 several of Martin Luther King Junior’s associates, one of them Representative John Lewis who died this past summer,…
The Least Likely Disciple | Acts 9:1-19a
Who is the least likely person you know who would ever become a Christian? Take a moment and think of them. Is it a family member, a friend, a coworker? Is it because they’re apathetic to Christianity? Or is it because they’re totally against Christianity? Maybe they identify as an atheist, or Buddhist, Muslim, or even Jewish. All you know, is they’ll never follow Jesus… Nabeel fit the description of someone who would never follow Jesus. His parents were from…
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