Solid Rock Church Sermons

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at how the Gospel rescues us from our fears and anxieties. In Philippians 4:4-9, we were reminded that our battles with anxiety and fear are common struggles among Christ followers. The Apostle Paul calls Christians to combat anxiety through worship, prayer and living in Christian community. We set our attention and affections on Jesus by recalibrating our hearts to worship, through reading His Word and meditating on His flawless character and infinite attributes. When we turn our hearts away from the objects of our anxiety, and toward God, we encounter His greatness. In seeing the greatness of God, the objects of our anxieties and fears begin to decrease. Additionally, when we press into the community of Christ, through transparency and serving one another, we dispel the lies behind our fears and experience the life-transforming grace of Jesus reflected through His church.

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at the miraculous work of God in redemption. 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 says that God chose us in our weakness in order to redeem us by working in us and through us for His glory. He takes what is weak, makes it strong and then uses it to save the world. This is the essence of our redemption: God redeems us, not because of how lovable we are or how much potential we have, but in order to display His power as the Great Redeemer. God chose us, not based on what we have to offer Him, but based on what He has to offer us. Through Christ we have personally witnessed the greatest miracle of all: God’s miraculous power and work of redemption in our lives!

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at how the finished work of Jesus is enough to earn God’s approval for us and secure our calling in ministry. In 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8, Paul reminded the church that this was the basis for his encouragement and confidence to share the Gospel boldly in the midst of much persecution. This is also why Paul didn’t give in to the temptation to become a people pleaser or seek to find his value and worth in the applause of man. Paul understood that Jesus already did enough to earn our approval and secure our calling. We need not be shackled by what others think of us or motivated by the expectations and opinions of others in order to gain their applause and approval. Instead, we can live as people who have already been approved as God’s children and representatives, entrusted with the Gospel in order to live boldly for God’s glory.

This past Sunday, we looked at how sin and shame can impact our lives. Through the story of the Exodus, God reveals how the sin of Israel and the sin of the Pharaoh brought shame upon the people of Israel. Just like the people of Israel, shame tries to identify us as worthless and unacceptable, and pushes us far from people and the presence of God. However, God shows Himself to be faithful to claim us as His own and make us new creations through the work of the cross. Although the cross is one of the greatest instruments of humiliation and shame, Christ conquered our enemies of sin and death and traded our shame for the righteousness of God.

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at how the Gospel produces hope in our suffering. In Romans 5, Paul reminds us of the justification that we have through our faith in Jesus and how that justification brings us peace with God and access into God’s presence. Additionally, our faith in Jesus has secured for us God’s forgiveness for our sins and eternal adoption as God’s children. All of this gives us hope not in the circumstances of this life but, rather, in a hope that is founded in the life to come. Through Romans 8, we were reminded that all suffering is painful but our hope isn’t based on a temporary end to our pain. Our hope has to be found in something that is beyond what happens to us today. True hope can only be found in the eternal end of pain and suffering, which is offered to us through believing the Gospel and placing our trust in Jesus.

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at how God’s abounding grace works in our lives to eradicate sin and transform us into the image of Jesus. In Romans 6, Paul give us two primary commands in our battle against sin: consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to Christ and present ourselves near to God rather than near to sin. Paul says that when we obey the command to consider our identity and our worth according to the Gospel, we are empowered to draw near to God rather than drawing near to sin. When we walk in nearness to sin, we will give in and obey it’s desires. However, when we walk in nearness to God, by setting our affections on Him, we will walk in obedience to God and sin will no longer have dominion over our lives.

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at how the Gospel calls us to walk in transparency with God and each other. In 1 John 1, the Apostle John admonishes the church to understand that our confession of sin is what opens the door to true fellowship. John says that if we claim to have no sin in our lives, we are essentially calling God a liar and declaring that we have no need for the Gospel. To live as though there is no sin in our lives is to live in disbelief of the Gospel. This is why it is ludicrous to claim to be a Christian while, at the same time, living in self- righteousness. God calls his Church to wholeheartedly believe the Gospel and to walk in authentic transparency with God and one another.

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at how God’s power is perfected in us in the midst of our weakness. In 2 Corinthians 12, we saw how the Gospel leads us to boast in our weakness rather than hiding or pretending to be something we are not. The Apostle Paul writes to the church in Corinth, encouraging them from his own experience, that God takes the things that Satan uses to harass us and uses them to humble us and, ultimately, make us stronger.  Paul's conclusion is that if Christ's power is made perfect in our weakness, then we would rather boast in our weakness rather than try to hide it.  Through Paul’s example, God is showing us how to embrace our weakness in humility and transparency and allow His power to meet us in our weakness.    

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at the humble confession of the Apostle Paul to Timothy, when Paul openly declared himself the “chief of sinners.” Through looking at Paul’s confession, we were reminded that Jesus didn’t come to rescue people who think they have it together. Jesus came to save sinners. In contrast with what much of the Church today believes, the sign of true spiritual maturity isn’t the absence of repentance; it’s the growing presence of Christ-exalting, Gospel-saturated repentance as believers become more and more aware of the daily need for the Gospel. At Solid Rock, we desire to become a church where Gospel- transparency is part of our DNA. This means that we are open with one another about our struggles because we are walking in covenant relationship with one another, creating a context where our identities aren’t in jeopardy by being honest about our weakness. Ultimately, we desire to become a church that is honest about our struggles

For our Mother’s Day sermon this past Sunday, we looked at Sarah’s response to God’s promise in Genesis 18 and 21. Through her example, we see a beautiful picture of what it looks like to be a woman after God’s own heart. Through her lack of faith, God turned Sarah’s self-doubt and fear into faith in God’s power to do what seemed impossible. Being a woman after God’s own heart means that your identity is rooted in what God alone thinks of you and what God alone has promised you. Being a woman after God’s own heart means that your life is rooted in God’s promises as you trust Him to do the impossible in your life and through your life. God desires to free women from the shackles of shame, the burden of legalism and the lie that, unless they have it all together, they have no value. God promises to take the ashes of failure and turn them into beauty. God promises to take the discarded and broken shards of self-image, which women often have from living in

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at the Bible’s Gospel Story conclusion in Revelation 21 and 22. In this passage, God reminds us that He is the author of the story and the Bible is ultimately about His redemption plan to rescue the nations from sin and death and restore all things to the condition they were originally created to be at the beginning of the story: “Very good.” What makes this good news for us is that Jesus has done all of the work and made the ultimate payment on our behalf in order that God’s redemption would come to us for free. The Gospel Story calls us to trust and believe that the payment Jesus made on the cross was enough forus.AtthemomentwehearandbelievetheGospel,oursalvationispaidforinfull. The Gospel Story ends with the glorious reminder that God has invited us, who are unworthy and have nothing to give for payment, to receive what He is offering for free and have complete and eternal satisfaction. What aspects of this life are you tempted to trust

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked again at the final restoration that God promised. Revelation 19 begins with the mighty sound of the nations gathering together in the great wedding hall, where Jesus will claim the Church as His bride. In this passage, we see a beautiful picture of our worship and community being fully and finally restored. Jesus rides into the wedding hall, at just the right time, to rescue his bride from the villain. Jesus is no longer postured to endure the injustices of His enemies with great patience; Instead, He unleashes His righteous anger, bringing His enemies to an end. This the moment in God’s story when the preeminence of Christ is made known in the heavens and on the earth, as sin and death are brought to an end. Jesus secured our victory over sin and death at His resurrection, but this is the moment when the whole universe will know, without wavering and without doubt, that He truly is the King of Kings.

In the sermon this past Sunday, we were reminded that we are God’s children and, therefore, we are saints because of the finished work of Christ on the cross. The Holy Spirit reminds us who we are in Christ during our journey through sanctification, as we become more like Him every day. Paul reminds us that, since we are children of God, we are awaiting our inheritance of glorification as heirs with Christ. At the revealing of the sons of God, creation will be set free from its bondage to corruption and the saints will become fully and finally like Jesus. Whatever hope and blessing, forgiveness and confidence we have in this life through our faith in Jesus, all pale in comparison to the new glorified body we will receive on the day when we finally and fully behold the glory of Christ. What are some past achievements or events in your life in which you placed hope but, in the end, didn’t deliver what you had hoped for? (i.e. job, marriage, children, retirement, etc.) How does the promise of fut

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at the second part of God’s re-creation work in our lives. Last week, our focus was on the work that God has done to restore everything that was lost in the Fall. Our focus this week is on how our efforts fit into the amazing work that God is doing in us. Fueled by the love of Christ, we are compelled to put our old selves to death and walk in the new life that we have in Him. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we have been set free to pursue holiness and righteousness; fueled and anchored in the grace of Jesus and the victory He has already won on our behalf.

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at the impact that the resurrection of Christ has on our lives. God has restored everything that was lost in the Fall. Through faith in Christ, we are re-created as image bearers and stirred once again to worship the one true God. In Christ, every barrier that kept us from dwelling in genuine fellowship with one another has been put to death, allowing us to dwell in abiding and transparent community with one another. And in Christ, our mission to multiply and become a kingdom of image bearers of the Most High God has been restored, as He entrusts to us the message of reconciliation as His ambassadors on earth. How is your relationship with Christ challenging you to step deeper into Christian community? In what ways can you be more engaged in the mission of God to share the message He has entrusted to you and to live as His ambassador in your everyday life?

In the sermon this past Sunday, we continued looking at God’s great Rescue. We recognized that the resurrection of Jesus is the greatest singular moment in the Gospel Story. Jesus came to do what no person in the Old Testament had been able to accomplish. All of man’s attempts to save himself fell short. The sacrifices in the temple weren’t enough. The pursuit of a high standard of morality was never enough. Jesus did what no man or woman can do; He lived his life in perfect obedience and fulfilled the demands of the law, then He died and resurrected from the grave to overcome sin and death for us. The resurrection of Jesus is the climax of the Gospel Story of the Bible. This is also the climax of your story. Jesus’ resurrection is the decisive moment when the war for your soul was won.

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at the part of the Gospel Story where the rescue begins to takes place. The first four books in the New Testament, referred to as the Gospels, contain the story of God’s Son stepping down from His throne and into our world to become flesh and live a perfect life of obedience to the Law of God in order to rescue us. Through faith in Jesus alone, His perfect obedience becomes our perfect obedience. Everything that is required of us to enter Heaven was accomplished through Jesus and He gives it to us as a gift to be received by grace alone. When we place our trust and our faith in Jesus, our sins are forgiven and He makes us righteous.

In the sermon this past Sunday, we continued our journey through the Gospel Story by looking at one of the primary themes in the Old Testament. From Genesis 12 through the book of Malachi, we see God making and reiterating his promise to rescue mankind from sin and death. Through every small story in the Old Testament, we see a perpetual cycle of man’s struggle with sin and God’s promise to rescue. At the end of the Old Testament, the Gospel Story leaves creation with the lingering promise that God will rescue mankind and make all things new again. This is the same promise we cling to today as we look to Jesus, the hero of the Gospel story who fulfilled all that God promised.

In the sermon this past Sunday, we continued our journey through the Gospel story. We looked at the fall of humanity and the impact that sin had on our God-designed purpose for worship, community and mission. Through believing the lie of the serpent, Adam and Eve sinned by engaging in self-worship, the root of all sin. Once our worship was distorted, our community and our mission followed. Self-worship leads to self- centered community. When we are engaged in self-worship, we only engage in community as long as it’s comfortable and we perceive it to be beneficial. Self-worship also distorts our mission. When we are engaged in self-worship, we only engage in mission that makes us feel better about ourselves and we only help those who we perceive are in need. Am I willing to fully engage in relationships in the church that aren’t easy or comfortable? Is there a part of the mission that God has called me to get involved in that I have been resistant to or completely avoided?

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at the beginning of God’s Gospel story. The story began with the account of how and why the universe was created. In this narrative, we see that the first man and woman were created with the primary purpose of reflecting God’s image in the created world. God was building for Himself a Kingdom of image bearers, through multiplication and living in community. Even though this plan became distorted through sin, God sent His son, Jesus, to rescue what was lost because of our sin. He redeemed our ability to dwell in deep and abiding community, thereby restoring our mission to multiply, in order to expand His Kingdom.