Solid Rock Church Sermons

In the sermon this past Sunday, we continued the Acts sermon series by looking at how God used the people of Antioch as a launching pad to send Paul and Barnabas out as missionaries. This was a great reminder to us a church that in order to fulfill the mission that God has called us to, it will require some to go out from the church to reach unreached people around the world and some to stay put in order to reach the unreached people in our local community. Either way, every believer has been called and equipped to live out the mission of Jesus to take the Gospel to the world, starting in our own homes and neighborhoods and reaching to the ends of the earth. Who can you think of that God has placed in your life for you to point toward Jesus? How has God challenged you or shaped your calling to be involved in reaching unreached people around the world?

In the sermon this past Sunday, we finished the All In sermon series and celebrated the work that God has done and will continue to do through the Solid Rock Church family. In 2 Corinthians 9, Paul ends his plea for generosity by reminding the church that God is the actual supplier and multiplier of our resources, enabling us to be generous. He lays out 4 things that happen when God’s people engage in faith-driven generosity: (1) we will be empowered to be more generous, (2) God will receive the glory, (3) the needs of ministry will be taken care of and (4) it will increase our love for one another. As we wrap up the All In series and take the first step of faith on the All In journey as a church, we do so with eagerness and joy, fully expecting to do more than we have asked for or imagined.

In the sermon this past Sunday we looked at the role of the saints in the mission of Jesus. Admittedly, Christians have nothing significant to offer Jesus for the purpose of accomplishing His mission. If the mission of Jesus were contingent on what we could do for Him, the mission would have been wrecked on day 1. But through Acts 12, we are reminded of the role of the saints in the unstoppable mission of Jesus. Acts 12 ends with an account of Herod. In the opening, Herod displays his intentions and his power by putting James to death for his faithfulness to Jesus. However, by the end of the chapter, God has the final word of Herod by putting him to death. Through this narrative, God reminds His people that the mission of the church can’t be thwarted, even by the most powerful men on earth and those who oppose the mission of Jesus will lose in the end. However, we also see the role of the saints outlined through the recorded narrative of Peter’s arrest and miraculous release from prison. While the

In the sermon this past Sunday, we resumed the Acts sermon series by looking at what it means to live our lives in alignment with the mission of Jesus. In chapter 11, we saw that through persecution, God led his followers from Jerusalem to Antioch where they shared the hope of Jesus with the Gentiles. This was a big turning point in the story of the church. It was through the faithfulness of a few Christians in Antioch who decided to align their lives with the mission of Jesus that the Gospel finally broke through the geographic and ethnic barriers fulfilling what Jesus prophesied and commanded just before his ascension. This was an epic breakthrough for the church that began with Christ followers who were willing to align the mission of their life with the mission of Jesus. Like these early believers, we must first grasp the reality of what’s at stake in order to truly respond to the mission of Jesus and realign our lives to live on mission for Jesus daily.

In the final sermon in the ‘All In’ series, we looked at how making a commitment is the first step of putting our faith into action. Making a generous commitment is an individual decision guided by faith and joy in God’s economic principles of reaping according to what you sow. Making an ‘All In’ commitment means trusting God will provide beyond what you need in order that you may abound in every good work. What is the difference between making a commitment based upon faith rather your own strength? What is something that we can begin to sacrifice in our life in order to make an ‘All In’ commitment?

In the sermon this past Sunday, we learned how the grace of God fuels all-in generosity. When a person truly encounters the generosity of God, it compels them to willingly and eagerly give sacrificially of themselves regardless of their circumstances. When we willingly surrender our hearts 100% to God and His promises, we are able see generosity as an opportunity to sow seeds in God’s Kingdom that will produce eternal fruit for others. How does God’s grace motivate us to give generously? Since generosity is not a dollar amount, but instead a Christ-like condition of the heart, what are some practical things you can begin doing in your own life to be more generous?

In the sermon this past Sunday, we continued our discussion on what it looks like to live with all-in faith. We learned that living with all-in faith means trusting in Jesus and letting go of what we can do. Trusting in ourselves is rooted in what seems possible or attainable. All-in faith requires trusting Jesus to lead you beyond what seems possible and letting go of trusting in anything we can do! Why is faith without trust not real faith? What do you feel like is holding you back from trusting God by being generous with what He has given you?

On the second Sunday in the “All In” series, we looked at the first of two sermons on what it looks like to live with all-in faith. We learned that living with all-infaith means abandoning your faith in anything other than Jesus as the only way to attain eternal life in God’ s Kingdom. All-in faith means believing that eternal life in God’ s Kingdom is better than anything else, compelling us to give up everything to follow Jesus. In the passage about the rich young ruler, what was he relying on in order to inherit eternal life? As a follower of Jesus why should we be willing to forsake all treasures on earth for eternal life and God’ s Kingdom?

In the opening sermon for the 'All In’ series, we discussed what it truly looks like to follow Jesus all-in. In Luke 9, Jesus tells His followers that we have to be willing to die to ourselves in order to live for Him. This type of dying means surrendering selfish ambitions and desires and allowing God to replace those with His ambitions and desires for you. A life that is all-in for Jesus requires loving God and others by sacrificially and generously giving of ourselves. How does God’s love for us affect us in giving generously and sacrificially? What is a next step of faith for you as your pursue an ‘All In’ life for Jesus?

In the sermon this past Sunday, we read in Acts 11 as Luke retold the story of the Gentiles coming to faith in Jesus and receiving the Holy Spirit. This passage encourages us to take a closer look at the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. It’s only through the Holy Spirit’s work in us that we are able to see the desperation of our sin and the hope that Jesus provides. As the Holy Spirit magnifies the work of Christ, we are drawn into a faith-relationship with Jesus and our hearts are made new. When a person comes to faith in Jesus, there is an immediate work of the Holy Spirit in that person’s life. However, much of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives comes after the moment of salvation as He empowers us for ministry and continues the slow, life-long work of reorienting our hearts towards becoming more like Jesus. In what ways have you experienced the work of the Holy Spirit in your life? How has the Holy Spirit gifted you for the work of ministry?

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at how Acts 10 is a significant turning point in the redemption story of God’s people. Long ago, God had promised to work through Israel in a way that would reach far beyond the borders of Israel. Though the Gospel had spread outside of Jerusalem, the church was still primarily focused on sharing the good news of Jesus with the Jews. In Acts 10, God gives a vision to Peter, and we begin to clearly see God’s mission to save the nations become a vivid reality. What does it mean to you that God loves you and has called into a relationship with him despite your unworthiness? How does Jesus’s resurrection impact your life practically on a daily basis?

In the sermon this past Sunday we looked at the miraculous work that God was doing through the unstoppable church in Acts. As we saw in Peter’s example in Acts 9, the unstoppable church operates in complete faith that God can do anything and heal anyone. In everything we ask of God, we must also submit every desire and plan to God’s good and perfect will. God is not on the hook to do anything and everything we ask of Him. When God chooses to perform miraculous work through the unstoppable church, He does so to display His glory and goodness and draw hearts to himself. What does it mean to pray in faith verses praying without faith? What is the main point of God’s miraculous work around us?

In the sermon this past Sunday we looked at the power of God to save the most unlikely people through the most unlikely people. When God saves a person, it doesn’t mean that they are no longer tempted to sin or that they will have an easy life. Salvation means that the person is now new on the inside and has a new mission in life. The ‘Unstoppable Church’ is a group of unlikely people who have trusted in Jesus and are now living for Him by engaging in the mission despite how dangerous or impossible it may seem, believing that He will keep His promise and His church will prevail.

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at the Gospel-appointed meeting in Acts 8 between Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch in which we have this beautiful insight into how the Holy Spirit worked in both Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch's life. Philip is lead by the Holy Spirit to "rise and go" and live out the mission and meet the Ethiopian Eunuch who is seeking the Truth of Scripture; and in obedience, Philip shared the Good News about Jesus!Have you heard the Good News about Jesus? If you are seeking peace and hope, it is found in the person of Jesus Christ. We would love to tell more about Him! Are you sensitive to the moving of the Holy Spirit? Are you prepared to answer the calling and share the Gospel in a God appointed meeting? We would love to help you live out the mission!

In the final sermon of the Real Tree of Christmas series this past Sunday, we looked at the Tree of Life. As the story of the Bible unfolds, we find that the Tree of Life has great significance. The Tree of Life represents eternal life in the Garden of Eden. After Adam and Eve sinned, they were banished from the Garden of Eden in order to keep them from eating from the Tree of Life. Through the prophets Daniel and Ezekiel, we read about a future tree that will be a place for the nations to gather and find life. In the final chapter of the Bible, we encounter the Tree of Life once again. In the prophetic image of heaven in Revelation 22:1-5, we find the Tree of Life in middle of the New Jerusalem, giving life unending to the people of God and serving as a source of healing for the nations.

In the sermon this past Sunday, we continued the Real Tree of Christmas series by looking at the Tree of Suffering. Over 600 years before Jesus was born in the manger, God spoke through the prophet Isaiah, describing the Messiah as a tree that would suffer on behalf of God’s people. In Isaiah 53, we read that the tree of suffering would enter our world in complete vulnerability, from the most unlikely source; He would be born as a baby from earthly parents. Setting aside His majesty, Jesus became human like us in order that we might have healing and redemption. Baby Jesus was also the victorious Savior who would suffer and die in our place to provide victory over sin and death for us. How does Jesus’s willingness to enter our world in vulnerability and humility encourage you in your relationship with Him? How does it impact your affection for Jesus to know that He endured suffering in order to provide peace and healing in your life?

In the sermon his past Sunday we continued the Advent series, The Real Tree of Christmas, by looking at the Tree of Promise. In Genesis 12, God makes a promise to Abraham, that through his family tree God will bless all other family trees. The Gospel of Matthew opens the nativity story with a genealogy that introduces Jesus as the promised descendent of David and Abraham. Through faith in Jesus, God promises to bless the nations by undoing the curse of sin and death. What does it mean that God has sent Jesus to rescue you? Can you think of a time where you were required to follow God and trust Him based on faith alone?

This week we started our journey toward Christmas with our Advent sermon series, looking at how the Bible uses trees to bring about the full meaning of Christmas. On Sunday, we looked at the fall of the family tree of humanity in Genesis 2 and 3. In these chapters, we see how God’s laws are always for our good and how Satan twists the words of God to tempt man into disobedience. At the moment of the first sin, God announces that the curse of sin and death will impact the family tree of Adam and Eve. This curse not only sets the stage of human history for the birth of a Savior, but it also prepares our hearts to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas: eternal life through faith in Jesus.

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at the movement of the Gospel from Jerusalem to Samaria. Fueled by severe persecution, the church members from Jerusalem began to disperse throughout the region of Judea and Samaria. In Acts 8, we followed the story of Philip as he took the Gospel message to the Samaritans. Here, Philip encountered a dark and demonic culture steeped in magic. Through Philip’s proclamation of the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus, many Samaritans became believers. The Holy Spirit was imparted to these believers after Peter and John arrived, drawing a significant distinction between the power of man through the magic of Simon and the power of God through the message of Philip.

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at the biblical topic of adoption. In Galatians 4, we see that adoption is the central theme of the good news of the Gospel. All that we have in Christ is a means to the end of being adopted into God’s family. God initiated our adoption at His costly expense and extended the free gift of son-ship to us by faith. As image bearers, God has called His people to reflect His character and heart to the world through caring for orphans. What does it mean to you that God has made a choice to adopt you and give you the gift of son-ship/daughter-ship? In what ways has God challenged you to get involved in caring for the orphans in our world as a reflection of the way God has cared for you?