Sermons by Jonathan Romig (Page 11)

Sermons by Jonathan Romig (Page 11)

Peace That Lasts | Proverbs 3:13-35

Do you sleep well at night? No? Anxious? Worrying over something or someone? We all need peace. We need a peace that lasts. Proverbs connects wisdom with peace, but also something else… the tree of life.

A Wise Future | Proverbs 3:1-12

Last week we celebrated our high-school graduates Caleb, George, and Mackenna. When I surprised them by asking for one things we could pray for them George asked for prayer that it would all “end well.” Now we weren’t exactly sure what that meant—the end of college, the end of life? But I think he meant successfully wrap up the end of this stage of his life and smoothly transition into the next stage, college. I remember one of the things…

The Benefits of Wisdom | Proverbs 2:1-22

Have you ever had someone try to sell you something? What’s the typical pattern a salesperson uses? First, they tell you all the amazing benefits of their service or product. “Our miracle product… …will lower cholesterol…” …will help you burn fat and lose weight…” …will keep your information safe and secure…” …will give you better gas mileage…” …will make you happy and content…” And then once you’re convinced they show you the price tag… “For only four payments of $999.99…”…

Two Paths | Proverbs 1:8-33

Have you ever taken a wrong turn? In today’s world if you have a smart phone wrong turns should be less and less common. If you have Google or Apple Maps or Waze you should never miss a turn, and yet sometimes we still do. When I get to the place my GPS says to turn it’s not as clear as my phone says it should be. The off-ramps merge into two lanes going generally the same direction and you…

Why Proverbs? | Proverbs 1:1-7

If you had to choose one proverb to live your life by, what would it be? Would it be? “If you want something done right, do it yourself.” Maybe you’re all about individual responsibility and high quality work. Or how about?   “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” That’s the golden rule, right? That seems like a pretty good proverb to live by. Or maybe you’ve heard this one? “Good things come to those who…

We Gather to Scatter | Hebrews 10:24-25

Now you might have noticed when you walked in today the camera crew taking some footage. That’s because earlier Doreen and I filmed our interviews with Chris Lake from the Vere Institute. You know Chris from when he preached on frontline ministry here at Cornerstone last November. The session we are helping Chris film is about sustaining a whole-life vision in a church over the long haul. In other words, how can we encourage and equip each other to honor…

Aging | Ecclesiastes 12:1-8

Today I’m continuing to reflect on what I’m learning at the Gordon-Conwell Ockenga Fellows retreats. Last time I talked about death and dying, but today I want to talk about aging, about growing old. Now obviously I have more years than some of you and less than others. So I’ll do the best I can to teach what the Bible has to say about aging. I’m also going to share some of what others who know better than I have…

Four Responses to the Resurrection | Luke 24:36-53

In 2009 the retired minister of the First Unitarian Church of Portland Oregon, Marilyn Sewell, interviewed one of the most famous atheists of her day, Christopher Hitchens. Unitarians do not believe in the Trinity or that anyone goes to hell but that God is love and all go to heaven. They are considered theologically liberal while a church like Cornerstone is much more theologically conservative. We believe in the Trinity and that you must trust in Christ Jesus in order…

The Road to Emmaus: When You Can’t See Jesus | Luke 24:13-35

Have you ever had that experience when you can’t see something and it’s right in front of you? This week I needed to give Elijah his milk and I knew Monica had put some in the fridge but I couldn’t find it. When I opened the fridge it wasn’t there and when I moved some of the food and other items it wasn’t there either. So I called Monica and I asked her if she had put the milk in…

The Great Exchange | Luke 22:63-23:25

We live in a culture based on exchange and trade. We all do it from a young age till we’re elderly. You learn this system when you’re just starting out.  As an infant your parents reward good behavior with a smile or maybe a treat or your favorite toy. A few years in you learn that you can trade your toys for other kids toys. Like I’ll give you this cool-shaped rock if you’ll give me your Nintendo. Sometimes it…

The Perils of Denying Jesus | Luke 22:47-62; John 21:15-19

Jesus can turn the worst of deniers into the best of disciples. Let’s think about denial for a moment. Denial means “to declare that something is untrue.” We tend to think of denial as a bad thing. I recently watched the Netflix Documentary Behind The Curve. There is a growing movement of people who believe the earth is flat. They believe the earth is not a round globe but a flat disk surrounded by a barrier of ice. Some believe…

A Good and Faithful Death | Psalm 90

Tonight we are going to talk about death. At the Ockenga Fellows Retreat last week we discussed “Science, Technology, and Healthcare.” I’m going to cover technology in May but tonight I want to discuss how to die well. By show of hands, who here thought about death this week, either your death or that of a loved one, family member, or friend? A lot of us thought about death this week. Our culture doesn’t like to talk about death but…