Element Christian Church

This sermon explores Jesus’ response to the Pharisees and scribes who criticized Him for eating with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus answers with three parables: the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Prodigal Son. The focus is primarily on the parable of the Prodigal Son. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE

Zacchaeus was despised by his community, yet Jesus sought him out and initiated relationship. This visible act of grace precedes any visible change in Zacchaeus’ behavior, highlighting a crucial aspect of the Gospel: God’s acceptance is not a reward for our righteousness, but the very power that enables our transformation. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE

Parables are (very broadly), “a fictitious narrative that would generally refer to something that might naturally occur, by which spiritual and moral matters might be conveyed.” There is no end to the speculation that centers on the parable that Jesus tells today. People get caught up in various theories, asking, “Is it really a parable or a true story? Is Jesus trying to tell us what the afterlife looks like? Is this a commentary about wealth and poverty being reversed in the future life?” This is not a parable (primarily) about riches and poverty, though there are many things in Luke 16 that can relate to how we see our money and stuff. There is more going on and we must take a step back and look at the picture language and ultimately Jesus’ own work in the world. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE

Jesus didn’t teach in parables because He couldn’t figure out a better way to preach. These narrative form illustrations and stories have been used by rabbis for ages. The Jews called storytelling used to illustrate a message AGGADAH; it was creating word pictures to bring a deeper understanding of God and the world. Aggadah, to the Hebrews, were known as parables to the Greeks. Even a short statement by Jesus [“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin…” (Luke 12:27)] was considered Aggadah. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE

As Paul brings his first letter to Timothy to a close, he reminds Timothy that this life will feel like—and is—a battle. We are not to run after our own glorification, but to flee those things and pursue righteousness. Paul wants Timothy to see the difference between a Gospel culture and a religious culture. While we have peace with God because of the Gospel, our lives are currently in the midst of a battle. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE

Money (wealth) is one of the hardest things for most people to get their heads and hearts around. Greed is insidious, and we often don’t notice when it gains control over our lives. Jesus will even remind us to “watch out” in regard to money, because he knows of our blindness. 1 Tim 6:6-10 seems to address people who don’t have a lot of money yet want it, and 1 Tim 6:17-19 seems to be for people who do have a lot of money and still think they need more. Money, by either its absence or presence, can poison our life—not because money in itself is good or bad, but because of our focus upon it. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE

Today Paul moves into how we live and honor one another in the body of Jesus. A proper doctrine—set of beliefs—honors those around us. Defining honor, in how Paul discusses, it would simply mean: ascribing worth through action. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE

When it comes to correct doctrine and Biblical reasoning, it is important to understand that we (humankind) brought sin into the world and through the Gospel, God—who made the world in the first place—is remaking it through Jesus. We are never called to abandon our humanity, but rather to celebrate its rescue, redemption, and remaking. Today we can easily forget humanity has brought a fallenness to the world. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE

1 Tim 3:16 is a short poem that is full of doctrine. It captures the richness of early Christianity in the way it challenged both the popular ‘mysteries’ and the rule of Caesar. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE

We believe that God has taught us through the Scriptures (continually), through His Spirit (presently), and that the proclamation of the Good News will go on for eternity. What we believe is important, because it will affect how we live every moment of our lives. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE

Paul writes what he does in 1 Timothy because he understands what the Bible says about sin and grace. Only the Gospel deals with us—as we are—and leads us to grace at the same time. Because of Jesus, we can acknowledge our sin and yet not be destroyed by it. Paul tells Timothy to continue to contend and celebrate the Gospel. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE

Doctrine is about what God has handed down to us—ultimately pointing to the good news of what Jesus did and is continuing to do. Proper doctrine will translate into how we live our lives, how we interact with others, how we worship God, and how we pray. Prayer is more than asking for things, but today we want to look at what we should be asking for: Healthy churches will pray for the advancement of the Gospel. God’s desires should be our prayers. We learn God’s desires by looking at the Scripture, understanding correct doctrine, and abiding in Jesus. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE

In the first part of Paul’s letter, he doesn’t talk about all the details of false teaching, but the implications of it for the Church. False teaching always undermines the true Gospel. Jesus + anything is not the Gospel. The Gosfeedpel is that Jesus’ sacrifice is sufficient. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE

Paul ends all his talk about the armor of God by focusing us on prayer. He ends with “finally” as he winds up his letter and reminds us of how to walk in God’s strength. This is a reminder that our strength comes from God, as He is able to do more than we could ever ask or imagine. The armor we wear is God’s armor and not our own. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE

Last week in Ephesians, we explored spiritual warfare and what it means to be strong “in the Lord.” Some people think that it takes a lot of faith to believe in the spiritual realm, but not believing in it requires just as much faith. Christianity is not superstitious in that there are demons behind every problem; many of our issues are self-caused (due to our sinfulness). WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE

As Paul rounds out the book of Ephesians, he ends with the word “finally.” He has one more thing of vital importance he wants to tell the Ephesians (and by extension, us): Eph 6:10-11 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE

In the later parts of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul shows us what trusting and following Jesus practically looks like in various relational scenarios. Paul takes most of his words from the previous weeks and moves them into the real world. As we explore these things and gain more clarity, our lives begin to change as a deeper understanding of God dawns on us. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE

Today in Ephesians we walk through some verses that people often read out of context. When we do not read the Scriptures in context, it leads to many misunderstandings of the text. Looking more closely, we can find great encouragement and wisdom in Paul’s words. Today we will talk about husbands, wives, and the word submission. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE

One of the main ideas throughout Paul’s words is that we want to honor God before a world of people who dishonor Him. This goes with Paul’s words today in Ephesians 5:16: making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. We know we live in a world where the majority of people live in darkness; one of the reasons we live for God in outward expressions of faith is that we want to live in a way others can see the light of God in the midst of the darkness. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE

Today in Ephesians, Paul reminds us that as great as our salvation is, it doesn’t stop at the moment of our conversion. We are told to put off the old self and put on the new, to continually be renewed and transformed through the work of the Holy Spirit. Throughout chapters 4-6, Paul will show us what it looks like to live this way. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE