Solid Rock Church Sermons

In the final sermon in the ‘All In’ series, we looked at how making a commitment is the first step of putting our faith into action. Making a generous commitment is an individual decision guided by faith and joy in God’s economic principles of reaping according to what you sow. Making an ‘All In’ commitment means trusting God will provide beyond what you need in order that you may abound in every good work. What is the difference between making a commitment based upon faith rather your own strength? What is something that we can begin to sacrifice in our life in order to make an ‘All In’ commitment?

In the sermon this past Sunday, we learned how the grace of God fuels all-in generosity. When a person truly encounters the generosity of God, it compels them to willingly and eagerly give sacrificially of themselves regardless of their circumstances. When we willingly surrender our hearts 100% to God and His promises, we are able see generosity as an opportunity to sow seeds in God’s Kingdom that will produce eternal fruit for others. How does God’s grace motivate us to give generously? Since generosity is not a dollar amount, but instead a Christ-like condition of the heart, what are some practical things you can begin doing in your own life to be more generous?

In the sermon this past Sunday, we continued our discussion on what it looks like to live with all-in faith. We learned that living with all-in faith means trusting in Jesus and letting go of what we can do. Trusting in ourselves is rooted in what seems possible or attainable. All-in faith requires trusting Jesus to lead you beyond what seems possible and letting go of trusting in anything we can do! Why is faith without trust not real faith? What do you feel like is holding you back from trusting God by being generous with what He has given you?

On the second Sunday in the “All In” series, we looked at the first of two sermons on what it looks like to live with all-in faith. We learned that living with all-infaith means abandoning your faith in anything other than Jesus as the only way to attain eternal life in God’ s Kingdom. All-in faith means believing that eternal life in God’ s Kingdom is better than anything else, compelling us to give up everything to follow Jesus. In the passage about the rich young ruler, what was he relying on in order to inherit eternal life? As a follower of Jesus why should we be willing to forsake all treasures on earth for eternal life and God’ s Kingdom?

In the opening sermon for the 'All In’ series, we discussed what it truly looks like to follow Jesus all-in. In Luke 9, Jesus tells His followers that we have to be willing to die to ourselves in order to live for Him. This type of dying means surrendering selfish ambitions and desires and allowing God to replace those with His ambitions and desires for you. A life that is all-in for Jesus requires loving God and others by sacrificially and generously giving of ourselves. How does God’s love for us affect us in giving generously and sacrificially? What is a next step of faith for you as your pursue an ‘All In’ life for Jesus?

In the sermon this past Sunday, we read in Acts 11 as Luke retold the story of the Gentiles coming to faith in Jesus and receiving the Holy Spirit. This passage encourages us to take a closer look at the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. It’s only through the Holy Spirit’s work in us that we are able to see the desperation of our sin and the hope that Jesus provides. As the Holy Spirit magnifies the work of Christ, we are drawn into a faith-relationship with Jesus and our hearts are made new. When a person comes to faith in Jesus, there is an immediate work of the Holy Spirit in that person’s life. However, much of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives comes after the moment of salvation as He empowers us for ministry and continues the slow, life-long work of reorienting our hearts towards becoming more like Jesus. In what ways have you experienced the work of the Holy Spirit in your life? How has the Holy Spirit gifted you for the work of ministry?

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at how Acts 10 is a significant turning point in the redemption story of God’s people. Long ago, God had promised to work through Israel in a way that would reach far beyond the borders of Israel. Though the Gospel had spread outside of Jerusalem, the church was still primarily focused on sharing the good news of Jesus with the Jews. In Acts 10, God gives a vision to Peter, and we begin to clearly see God’s mission to save the nations become a vivid reality. What does it mean to you that God loves you and has called into a relationship with him despite your unworthiness? How does Jesus’s resurrection impact your life practically on a daily basis?

In the sermon this past Sunday we looked at the miraculous work that God was doing through the unstoppable church in Acts. As we saw in Peter’s example in Acts 9, the unstoppable church operates in complete faith that God can do anything and heal anyone. In everything we ask of God, we must also submit every desire and plan to God’s good and perfect will. God is not on the hook to do anything and everything we ask of Him. When God chooses to perform miraculous work through the unstoppable church, He does so to display His glory and goodness and draw hearts to himself. What does it mean to pray in faith verses praying without faith? What is the main point of God’s miraculous work around us?

In the sermon this past Sunday we looked at the power of God to save the most unlikely people through the most unlikely people. When God saves a person, it doesn’t mean that they are no longer tempted to sin or that they will have an easy life. Salvation means that the person is now new on the inside and has a new mission in life. The ‘Unstoppable Church’ is a group of unlikely people who have trusted in Jesus and are now living for Him by engaging in the mission despite how dangerous or impossible it may seem, believing that He will keep His promise and His church will prevail.

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at the Gospel-appointed meeting in Acts 8 between Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch in which we have this beautiful insight into how the Holy Spirit worked in both Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch's life. Philip is lead by the Holy Spirit to "rise and go" and live out the mission and meet the Ethiopian Eunuch who is seeking the Truth of Scripture; and in obedience, Philip shared the Good News about Jesus!Have you heard the Good News about Jesus? If you are seeking peace and hope, it is found in the person of Jesus Christ. We would love to tell more about Him! Are you sensitive to the moving of the Holy Spirit? Are you prepared to answer the calling and share the Gospel in a God appointed meeting? We would love to help you live out the mission!

In the final sermon of the Real Tree of Christmas series this past Sunday, we looked at the Tree of Life. As the story of the Bible unfolds, we find that the Tree of Life has great significance. The Tree of Life represents eternal life in the Garden of Eden. After Adam and Eve sinned, they were banished from the Garden of Eden in order to keep them from eating from the Tree of Life. Through the prophets Daniel and Ezekiel, we read about a future tree that will be a place for the nations to gather and find life. In the final chapter of the Bible, we encounter the Tree of Life once again. In the prophetic image of heaven in Revelation 22:1-5, we find the Tree of Life in middle of the New Jerusalem, giving life unending to the people of God and serving as a source of healing for the nations.

In the sermon this past Sunday, we continued the Real Tree of Christmas series by looking at the Tree of Suffering. Over 600 years before Jesus was born in the manger, God spoke through the prophet Isaiah, describing the Messiah as a tree that would suffer on behalf of God’s people. In Isaiah 53, we read that the tree of suffering would enter our world in complete vulnerability, from the most unlikely source; He would be born as a baby from earthly parents. Setting aside His majesty, Jesus became human like us in order that we might have healing and redemption. Baby Jesus was also the victorious Savior who would suffer and die in our place to provide victory over sin and death for us. How does Jesus’s willingness to enter our world in vulnerability and humility encourage you in your relationship with Him? How does it impact your affection for Jesus to know that He endured suffering in order to provide peace and healing in your life?

In the sermon his past Sunday we continued the Advent series, The Real Tree of Christmas, by looking at the Tree of Promise. In Genesis 12, God makes a promise to Abraham, that through his family tree God will bless all other family trees. The Gospel of Matthew opens the nativity story with a genealogy that introduces Jesus as the promised descendent of David and Abraham. Through faith in Jesus, God promises to bless the nations by undoing the curse of sin and death. What does it mean that God has sent Jesus to rescue you? Can you think of a time where you were required to follow God and trust Him based on faith alone?

This week we started our journey toward Christmas with our Advent sermon series, looking at how the Bible uses trees to bring about the full meaning of Christmas. On Sunday, we looked at the fall of the family tree of humanity in Genesis 2 and 3. In these chapters, we see how God’s laws are always for our good and how Satan twists the words of God to tempt man into disobedience. At the moment of the first sin, God announces that the curse of sin and death will impact the family tree of Adam and Eve. This curse not only sets the stage of human history for the birth of a Savior, but it also prepares our hearts to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas: eternal life through faith in Jesus.

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at the movement of the Gospel from Jerusalem to Samaria. Fueled by severe persecution, the church members from Jerusalem began to disperse throughout the region of Judea and Samaria. In Acts 8, we followed the story of Philip as he took the Gospel message to the Samaritans. Here, Philip encountered a dark and demonic culture steeped in magic. Through Philip’s proclamation of the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus, many Samaritans became believers. The Holy Spirit was imparted to these believers after Peter and John arrived, drawing a significant distinction between the power of man through the magic of Simon and the power of God through the message of Philip.

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at the biblical topic of adoption. In Galatians 4, we see that adoption is the central theme of the good news of the Gospel. All that we have in Christ is a means to the end of being adopted into God’s family. God initiated our adoption at His costly expense and extended the free gift of son-ship to us by faith. As image bearers, God has called His people to reflect His character and heart to the world through caring for orphans. What does it mean to you that God has made a choice to adopt you and give you the gift of son-ship/daughter-ship? In what ways has God challenged you to get involved in caring for the orphans in our world as a reflection of the way God has cared for you?

In the sermon this past Sunday we looked at Acts 6 and 7, where we see the first martyr of the church. Steven, who was selected to serve the church as a deacon in Acts 6, was a man full of the Holy Spirit, of good reputation and full of wisdom. Just after being selected to serve, he is arrested while talking about Jesus in the streets of Jerusalem. After being falsely accused and questioned, Steven stands before his accusers and preaches that Jesus is the Christ. In his final moments on Earth, he encounters Jesus in a very intimate way. Steven serves as a beautiful and tangible example of what it means to trust in Christ alone in life and in death. Do you feel like you are equipped to give a sufficient answer for what you believe and why you believe it? If you truly trust Jesus with your life and death, how should that impact the way that you live?

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at the inward mission of the church in Acts 6:1-7. In this part of the early church narrative, we see church growth cause the workload of ministry to increase and personal barriers emerge. In response to these challenges, the church is driven by the Gospel and empowered by the Holy Spirit to overcome personal barriers in order to love one another well. Through this example, we see that when the spiritual leaders of the church faithfully and humbly equip the members to serve in ministry, the Holy Spirit causes the church to flourish and the community to be significantly impacted for God’s glory. What are some of the personal barriers that prevent you from loving others well (i.e. business, selfishness, prejudice, stress, etc.)? What spiritual gifts have you been given by the Holy Spirit to serve in the local church?

In the sermon this past Sunday we continued the Acts sermon series by looking at the contrast between someone who engages in ministry as a response to encountering the grace of Jesus versus someone who is involved in ministry for their own glory. Through comparing the example of Barnabas to that of Ananias and Sapphira, we see that giving to God is never really about money. As Jesus taught in Matthew 6 and Matthew 19, our grip on our possessions is an indicator of where our hearts truly are. When a person comes to believe and trust in the great grace of Jesus, there is an inevitable response to freely abandon their trust in possessions in exchange for trust in the Lord; loosening their grip on possessions to hold tighter to their commitments to one another. However when we engage in ministry for our own glory, as Ananias did, we inevitably make ministry about us by manipulating the truth to make ourselves look better and lead others astray. Have you come to the place in your journey where you have encountered

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at what happened to Peter and John after the religious leaders caught wind of the miracle they performed at the temple. After being confronted, Peter and John were arrested and interrogated. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter spoke with boldness and refused to give into the pressure of the religious leaders. After being threatened and released, the church met together and prayed for God to make them bolder. Our hope is to become a church that lives with boldness in our community as we follow the example of the early church and pray, “Sovereign God, make us bold!”How can you take a stand for Jesus in your life this week? In what ways can you step outside of our comfort zone for Jesus this week?