Friends Church Sermons

We have been talking about rediscovering the work of the Holy Spirit in the church this third person of the Trinity – the God who seems to be all but forgotten in the church of the 21st century. We’ve talked about 3 important words Parakletos (comforter) and Dunamis (Power), Metamorphoō (transform). Today we look at one last word in this series – the word is Charisma – means gifts.

Hmm. “Filled up to all the fullness of God”, sounds nice doesn’t it, but what does it mean and how does it happen? Paul prays for the church in Ephesus where he pastored for 3 years. He prays for something profound to happen in their midst, and it starts with one thing… “Being strengthened with Power through His Spirit in the inner man…” That is the idea I want us to think about over the next several weeks, it’s time for the evangelical church to rethink the Holy Spirits role in our lives and our churches.

In an age when the church is becoming increasingly irrelevant to the daily life of people, when the message of the church seems to increasingly fall on deaf ears, and when the truth is mocked as meaningless and unattainable, Jesus speaks to us these words; “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” He tells us a parable about a Sower and His seed. It’s a parable that holds tremendous truth for the church today and I want to share with you over the next couple of weeks about seeds that survive. This week I want to take a look at the Sower and His seed - then I want to talk with you about being better ground.

Pastor Matt shares about what it would be like if we lived looking daily for Jesus return.

Our Lay Minister of Outreach shares the testimony of his life and the people who made a difference.

The idea of commitment in the world today has become muddled. We live in a society of easy, cheap, and disposable. The idea of working hard for something that is worthwhile has given way to short cuts and instant gratification. We have learned to expect great results and abundant rewards with minimal effort – but in the area of relationships it’s left us hurting.

Easter morning started cold and cruel with the lingering pain of the cross. The trauma of watching the agonizing death of a friend, confidant, teacher, and mentor fresh in the minds of all those who had witnessed it. The grieving of lost friendship and even worse lost hope still filled the hearts of those who had called Jesus Lord. Easter dawned cold and cruel with a stone rolled securely into place separating a group of women from their goal.

Sunday morning dawned. Light rising from the shadows of the deepest darkness the world has ever known. The third day of the epic climax of God’s redemption of man. Two guards – roman soldiers in full array – armor, shields, weapons and attitude are set to guard the tomb. A seal is placed on the stone – all Roman authority lie in the keeping of that seal. The seal bore the mark of the greatest empire in the world and to break it meant death. All means had been set in place to assure that what was placed behind that stone stayed behind that stone. It’s kind of funny if you think about it. Guarding a tomb.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Have you ever given that passage much thought? What does it mean to love the Lord your God with all your heart? Maybe a better question is “do we?” Over the next few weeks I want to talk with you a bit about falling in love again for the first time. Falling in love with God heart, soul, mind and strength.

The church in Jerusalem was growing. Amazing things were happening at the hands of the disciples of Christ. For a while there was excitement and unity, sharing and love, power and God’s presence. And all the people said the Amen – it is enough, this is wonderful, this is fantastic, great is Thy Faithfulness O God – right? The truth is that at this moment when growth and impact was at its greatest is when the trouble began. Luke writes simply – “A complaint arose…”

Abraham Lincoln in his Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1863 said this: We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us. His proclamation sounds resoundingly like that of the psalmist doesn’t it? We have forgotten God. We have grumbled about His provision. We have convinced ourselves that we are who we are because of our own industry. We have tested God by asking in our hearts “Is the Lord among us or not?

So how does this God idea we are wrestling with begin to interact with life to change it for the better? How does this faith idea make my life better – more fulfilling? My first answer is that faith is at the core of Hope – Hope is the core of peace and – Peace is the core of abundant living.

I have been thinking a lot lately about the idea of faith. What is this mysterious thing that changes life in the world around us? Where does one find it? What does it really mean? Can a man lose it or squander it in some way? What does faith do and how does it do it?

The sad truth for many people today is that they are drifting through life. Simply reacting to the things that happen to them with no real plan for where they want to be. They have set their marriages, families, jobs, and futures on a deadly course of drifting through life. This morning I want you to look at a man who took control of his life; his name is Bartimaeus and he lived in Jericho.

Truth be told for most of us faith is an afterthought of life. It’s something to be turned to in times of trouble. It’s something to be practiced in ceremonies that make us feel better about the world and ourselves, but faith that is real interacts with the fabric of daily living.

Men I want to get real with you this morning about the call of God on your life – about the greatest stewardship entrusted into your hands – being a Man.

How do our family relationships work to worship God.

In moments when our fears and failures overwhelm us, in moments when our lives seem too small, when our ability to cope is at its end nothing else is enough to make it ok. In a living savior a living Jesus we find radical transformation – only a living Savior takes these frightened, broken, lost men and turns them into the body of Christ.

How are we to take seriously Jesus direction to “wash each others feet?” What does it mean to become servants in a world full of masters?

Each one of us deals with limitations, Personal, Spiritual, Emotional, and Family limitations that affect our ability to invest in the world around us. Because we have limitations we need desperately to begin to make better choices about our lives. If we are going to overcome the weariness of the world we need to learn balance in our schedules.