Solid Rock Church Sermons

In the Easter sermon this past Sunday, we looked at the resurrection of Jesus and its impact on our lives today. In order to understand the fullness of the resurrection, we must understand it within the context of the whole story of the Bible.  The resurrection was a real moment in time that dramatically impacted all other moments in time.  Reaching backwards to the beginning of human history and reaching forward to the end of human history, the resurrection of Jesus is God’s glorious victory over death, fulfilling our deepest need by defeating our greatest enemy. By faith, Jesus’s victory over death becomes our victory, impacting every area of our lives that has been affected by the curse of sin and death. 

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at the details surrounding the return of Jesus.  There are few topics more debated in Christianity than the timing and series of events surrounding His return.  Our focus in this sermon was less on the areas of debate and more centralized on the indisputable biblical Truths concerning the return of our Savior.   The Bible paints a clear picture about the nature of His return: there will be subtle and clear hints in the world, it will be impossible to miss, everyone will be caught off guard on some level and He will return victoriously.  At His return, Jesus will accomplish several keys tasks according to the will of God.  The climax of these events is when Jesus will strike the final blow to Satan, binding him and permanently removing his influence over humanity, bringing to an end the reign of sin and death.  Until He comes, the Bible calls us to wait patiently and eagerly, directing our hope to the return of our victorious King.

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at biblical mandate for Christian living.  The Bible calls us to pursue a lifestyle that reflects God’s character in the fallen world around us.  When we first become a Christian by believing in Jesus, we begin our spiritual journey as a spiritual infant. Through a growing knowledge of Jesus, combined with hard work and human effort, God causes us to grow into a mature reflection of His image, effectively and fruitfully living the mission He has called us to.  Do you find yourself driven to obey God out of gratitude for His grace or an attempt to create your own positive self-image or self-righteousness? How has the grace of Jesus shaped the way you love God and others?

This past Sunday, we took a look at the ordinance of communion as a part of our Unity of Faith sermon series.  We began by looking at how communion originated from the Old Testament Passover meal.  On the night before Jesus was arrested and crucified, He revealed to His disciples that the Passover Meal, celebrated by Israel for 1500 years, was really pointing forward to how God planned to fulfill His promise through Jesus’s death and resurrection.   Through Jesus’s sacrifice, God was keeping His promise to rescue us from our burdens, deliver us from our slavery to sin, redeem us and adopt us into His family.  Jesus commissioned the church to regularly celebrate communion as an act of worship as a tangible and symbolic reminder of the death of Jesus on our behalf.   Communion is intended to stir our hearts to remember God’s love for His people and His faithfulness to keep his promises.   

This past Sunday, we took a look at the ordinance of baptism as a part of our Unity of Faith sermon series.  We began by looking at how baptism originated with Jesus and how He commissioned the church to continue baptism for all believers as expression of their faith. We learned that baptism is not the point of salvation, but instead, it is an outward symbol of the transformation that has already taken place inside the life of a Christian. Baptism symbolizes that a believer has confessed their sins to Jesus, and He has forgiven all of their sins and cleansed them from all unrighteousness.  Those who are baptized are declaring that their former life has been buried with Christ and that they have been raised to walk in a new life.   Have you come to the place in you journey where you have trusted in Jesus and Jesus alone for your salvation? Have you followed Jesus’s instruction by being baptized as an outward symbol of your inward faith?

As we continued the Unity of Faith this past Sunday, we looked at the identity and role of the church according to Jesus.  In Matthew 16:13-20, we looked at Jesus’s statement, “on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” In this short, but enlightening statement, Jesus reveals that his church will be a people who gather together, unified by faith in who He is. As His people, He calls the church to grow into His image together as a community and sets the course of the church on an offensive mission to defeat the gates of hell and set the prisoners of sin and death free by proclaiming the Gospel.   Have you come to the place in your life where you have truly believed that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God? How has God used the community of the church to change your life? Are you committed to the mission of the church to share the Gospel with those who don’t know Jesus?

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at the foundational truth about human nature. We saw that through Adam’s disobedience in the Garden, sin and death entered the world and spread to all of mankind. Because of Adam’s sin, the glorious image of God was exchanged for the image of betrayal, and human nature was permanently bent towards sin. In Romans 5, the Apostle Paul compares the magnitude of Adam’s betrayal to the magnitude of the Jesus’s rescue. When we behold the extent that Jesus went to, experiencing humility, shame, suffering and death, we see the desperation of our sinful human nature. Because we are born into a desperate situation, we need a dramatic rescue.

In the Unity of Faith sermon series this past Sunday, we looked at the purpose of the Bible. We learned from the Psalms that God intends for the Bible to be read, and His words are to be treasured more than anything else on earth. God gave us the Bible to give us direction in life’s decisions by illuminating the path of righteousness. We also learned that, even though the Bible was written by human authors, the words of the Bible are inspired and superintended by the Holy Spirit. By faith, we believe that the Bible is the complete and infallible revelation of God’s will for redemption.   Do you value the Bible more than the treasures of this world? What areas of your life bear evidence that you believe and trust the Bible?

As we continued the Unity of Faith series this past Sunday, we looked at the work of the Holy Spirit. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit of God is active throughout all of human history, creating the universe, supernaturally filling men and women in the Old Testament to accomplish God’s purposes in redemption and now He transforms the lives of those who believe the Gospel to become more like Jesus. How do we know when the Spirit of God is speaking? Can you see the evidence of the Holy Spirit working in your life?

In the sermon this past Sunday, we took a close look at the distinct work of God the Son. We saw how God’s redemption plan unfolded through Jesus from the time he left his throne to be born on earth until he returned to his glorious position at the...

As we started the new Unity of Faith series this past Sunday, we began with the foundational question, “Who is God?” While there is no way to answer that question in one sermon, we observed how God has chosen to reveal himself through the Bible as a God of three persons from the same source. This foundational truth lays the foundation for all Christian theology and establishes the essence of our unity of faith. While looking at this truth, we discovered something about ourselves as well. In the same way that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit exist in permanent loving relationship, we were also created to reflect this. Our unity matters because we were created to live in harmonious community, bound by a permanent, loving relationship with God and His people.

As we started the new Unity of Faith series this past Sunday, we began with the foundational question, “Who is God?” While there is no way to answer that question in one sermon, we observed how God has chosen to reveal himself through the Bible as a God of three persons from the same source. This foundational truth lays the foundation for all Christian theology and establishes the essence of our unity of faith.   While looking at this truth, we discovered something about ourselves as well. In the same way that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit exist in permanent loving relationship, we were also created to reflect this. Our unity matters because we were created to live in harmonious community, bound by a permanent, loving relationship with God and His people.

In the sermon this past Sunday, we were challenged to consider the balance between working hard for Jesus and resting in the work that Jesus has done on our behalf. In Philippians 3:1-11, the Apostle Paul challenged us to loosen our grip on the things we possess here in this life, including our own achievements, and to rejoice in the Lord because he has achieved secured our eternal position with God in heaven.  Can you, like Paul, consider the most valuable things on earth as nothing compared to your relationship with Jesus? What step(s) can you take to loosen your grip on the things you possess in this world and tighten your grip on your relationship with Jesus?

As we continued in the Philippians sermon series this past Sunday, we looked at what it takes to walk in complete joy. In Philippians 2:1-18, the Apostle Paul used the example of Jesus to show us that complete joy is found in Christian community. Complete joy is found in living counter-intuitively to human nature, by emptying ourselves to live self-sacrificially for others and humbling ourselves to walk in obedience to Christ. In Christ, we find our fullest sense of joy when we walk in obedience to Christ by living for others. Do you struggle to live for the interests of others? What are some areas that you need to be more open to engage in the community of Christ?

As we continued in our series through the book of Philippians, The Apostle Paul uses his own life as an example to call Christians to rejoice in the things that matter most in life. Rather than fixating and grumbling about things we don’t like in this temporary life, he calls us to focus on things that last like the eternity of others, biblical truths, unity in the church, our own salvation and the mission of Christ.   Do you consider things that are eternal as more valuable than the temporary things in your life that bring you joy? How do you think you would react if the temporary things that bring you joy were suddenly taken away and all that remained were the eternal blessings you have in Christ?

In the second sermon from Philippians, Paul shifts our focus from what God has done in our livescorporately to what He is doing in our lives individually. Paul begins this section by reminding the Philippians Christians that God is faithful to finish the work he began in us when he saved us. Even though our sins have been forgiven and our eternity is secure at the moment of salvation, God continues to cultivate our hearts by expanding our capacity to love, learn and live in pursuit of holiness and righteousness. We rejoice because God is doing these things in our lives day by day as we fall more deeply in love with Jesus and each other.   Are you able to see how God is working in your life to grow you towards spiritual maturity? What are some ways that you can participate in God’s work in your life?

We began our journey through Philippians this past Sunday by looking at ten reasons we have as Christians to rejoice corporately and individually. Rejoicing is a significant theme in Paul’s letter to the Philippians church and Paul begins his letter by pointing out that Christians belong to the koinonia. This one Greek word implies that the Christian community shares in a common grace, a common love, and a common sacrifice for a common mission.   How is fellowship in the church different from fellowship outside of the church? When you think about all that Christ has done in your life, what do you consider the greatest gift that he has given you?

In the sermon on Galatians 5 this past Sunday, we took a deep look at the freedom we have as Christians. The Apostle Paul begins this sect ion of his letter by reminding us that in Christ, we have been set free to walk in unrestricted harmony with God and His people. We learned that walking in freedom requires submitting to the Holy Spirit’s lead in our life and walking in rhythm with the truths of the Gospel.   Are there areas in your life that God is calling you to stand in freedom rather than returning to slavery? Do you feel like you are walk in unrestricted harmony with God and His people?