Sermon Archive (Page 8)

Sermon Archive (Page 8)

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Part 5. “U” – Understanding & Wisdom | Proverbs 8:15-17 & James 3:13-18

I’m a low-level sci-fi nerd. One of my favorite action movies is the Matrix. The Matrix is a movie about everyone being stuck in a computer-generated world and having to break free to the real post-apocalyptic world outside. In the Matrix Trilogy, there’s a scene where Neo, the hero of the movie played by Keanu Reeves, gets stuck in a subway station. This subway station is where people and programs secretly travel between the real world and the computer-generated world,…

Part 4. “O” – Other Peoples’ Good | Genesis 1:28; Jeremiah 29:4-7; Acts 2:42-47

We are now in our fourth week, third word, of our sermon series, Faith & Flourishing in Politics. F stands for “Faith, Not Fear.” L is “Love God & Neighbor,” and today we’re on O, “Other Peoples’ Good.” A British game show in the late 2000s tested whether people would put other peoples’ good before their own. The show was called Golden Balls, which was named after golden balls the size of tennis balls that had money from £10 to…

Part 3. “L” – Love God & Neighbor (even political enemies) | Matthew 22:35-40

Tom is leaning into his computer screen as his fingers slam down on his keyboard. His brow is furrowed, and he can feel his blood pressure rising. “I can’t believe Sam believes this junk,” he mutters as he forcefully types his response to Sam’s most recent Facebook post. Sam had posted another biased, misinformed poorly-written article, and he is about to unequivocally show him the error of his ways. Tom has been watching Sam for months now post article after…

Part 2. “F” – Faith, Not Fear | Matthew 5-7 (Sermon on the Mount)

Did you know that deep in the recesses of our brain is a grape-sized cluster of cells called the amygdala? Our amygdala is a little like the emergency response center of our brain. It is constantly searching for danger, and when it identifies it, it sounds the alarm. Our blood pressure rises, our heartbeat goes up, we go on high alert and get ready for action. The amygdala “activates the fight-or-flight response.”[1] Turn a corner and find a snarling dog;…

Part 1. A Vision of Flourishing | Genesis 1-3 (Faith & Politics Sermon Series)

If you were to describe our nation’s political landscape, how would you depict it? Would you describe amber waves of grain and a fruited plain like America the Beautiful sings? Or maybe more likely, you would describe a barren desert with a tumbleweed blowing by, a snake slithering under a rock, and a lone cactus. I imagine most of us today feel politics are more like a desert than a field of wheat. But what if, as you were looking…

Life with God | John 15:1-8 (Jesus is the Vine, the Tree of Life)

The actual sermon on Sunday, September 26th, came out much differently than the one written below. Please watch the video of the service here to see how the Spirit moved. This summer I started reading (and am still reading) a book by Skye Jethani called With. In With Skye talks about the four different ways people generally relate to God (pp. 6-7, 169-170): Life Under God — You may relate to God this way if you feel like you never…

The Resurrection Promise | 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

It seems like in the last couple years many of us have lost ones we loved—parents, siblings, friends, to covid, to cancer, to sickness of all kinds. As I’ve been thinking about my dad’s death, and those of you who have lost someone, I wanted to preach a message that could encourage us, and remind us of some of the resurrection hope God has given believers.  But I also recognize that as I preach this, me sharing my personal story…

Paul R. Romig Memorial Service Message | Romans 12:1-2 & Galatians 2:20

Six months ago, my dad updated his testimony, the story of how he came to faith in Jesus Christ. Dad did this as part of becoming an Elder at Rocky, but I think one of the reasons God led him to update his testimony was to help me retell his testimony today. It seems so providential. Today I want to tell you my dad’s story with some of his favorite Scripture passages and a couple of personal memories. I hope…

Open The Eyes of My Heart | Mark 9:21-24

Time of prayer, worship, and hearing a message from Mark Pender on: Mark 9:21-24 (ESV) 21 And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” 24…

Rest While You Wait | John 11:1-7

Continuing our series on Rest, Renewal, and Grace, Mark Pender encouraged us to rest and trust in God as we wait on Him. Mark preached on John 11:1-7. Please click here if video does not open above.

Finding my Identity as a Child of God | John 1:12-13

Today I want to share a passage I was meditating on during sabbatical. I started reading the gospel of John and for a while, I got caught up on these two verses. John 1:12-13 (ESV) But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. These verses…