Solid Rock Church Sermons

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked out how God leads his children through seasons of darkness as a loving Father. We looked at the redemption story of Israel and their journey through the darkness and suffering of slavery. Every redemption story begins with an epic struggle of despair and hopelessness. Being a child of God doesn’t infer an absence of darkness, but rather it promises the presence of God’s light in the midst of a dark and fallen world. From Israel’s example, we learned that in the midst of suffering, God proclaims to us: I hear your cry for help, I remember who you are and the promises I have made, I see your suffering and darkness, I know what you are going through, I will rescue you, I will redeem you from this darkness according to my plan and timing, and I will give you an eternal life of glory with me because you are mine. In the midst of the darkness we are to press into the presence of the Father, knowing that the journey through the darkness refines who we are a

In the first sermon of the new sermon series, we looked at the reality that every life is telling a story. With our choices and actions, we all write stories with our lives where we are the main character, and the storylines are driven by our own ambitions. In the stories we write, most often our failures are the hidden truths all throughout our story that we attempt to disguise as the failure of others or caused by “situations”. The heartbeat of the Redemption Stories sermon series is that Jesus wants to write a better story with our lives than we can write ourselves. In Ephesians 1:7-10, the Apostle Paul reminds us that redemption is only found in Jesus and no matter how hard we work, how well we perform or how much faith we have, the redemption of Jesus is always based on the riches of His grace. When we completely trust in Jesus, we turn over the authorship of our lives and become part of Jesus’s epic redemption story. Have you come to the place in life where you have surrendered your ro

As we continued the A Church on Mission sermon series we looked at the identity markers of a church on mission. In Acts 11-13, the church of Antioch was a pivotal place for the advancement of the Gospel beyond the Jews to reach the gentiles. It was in Antioch that the followers of Jesus were first called “Christians”. They took the commission of Jesus to heart by sharing the Gospel and teaching all that Jesus commanded to all people. In their example, we see a deep dependency on God in prayer and a deep commitment to raise up leaders and send out missionaries to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth for the glory of God. Are you committed to growing as a disciple of Jesus through studying the Bible in fellowship with other believers? Who are the people in your life whom you feel like God is calling you to share the Gospel with?

In the sermon series this past Sunday, we looked at discipling women of Kingdom. In the Apostle Paul’s letter to Titus, he instructs Titus to set up the discipleship process within the church. He reminds Titus that women of the Kingdom are to live in a manner that reflects the sacred nature of being created in the image of God. Paul commissions Titus to release the spiritually mature women of the Kingdom to train the younger women in the faith on how to navigate life in a way that leads them to be more like Jesus in their homes, their church and their community.

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at the God-given design and calling on the men of God’s Kingdom. As the Apostle Paul lays out the structure of discipleship within the Church for Titus, we see that all men are called to the character of Christ described in the qualifications of the Elders. The role of Elder is not an elite role in the church for the special few. But instead, the role of the Elder is something that all Christian men should aspire to. Paul clearly calls Titus, along with the other qualified men in the Church, to engage in discipling the younger men in the Church as potential and future Elders, calling them towards leadership.

In the sermon this past Sunday, we continued to look at our inward Mission as a Church: to invest and engage in making disciples of the next generation. Whether you have children in your home or not, every believer is mandated to engage the next generation and lead them towards spiritual maturity. There is a significant difference between conforming our children into our image verses participating in the work of the Holy Spirit to conform our children into the image of Jesus. In Titus 2, Paul reminds us that only the grace of God can cause us to be more like Jesus. God’s grace conforms our inward identity by satisfying our deepest need and filling our hearts with a gratitude that convinces us to let go of the things of this world and pursue Jesus-likeness.

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at the second part of our internal mission as a church: to love one another. In 1 John 3, we were challenged by the truth that the way we love one another greatly impacts the Mission we are on and is a primary identity marker for the Church. Jesus told us that we will be known by the world as his disciples by how well we love one another. In contrast to the pop culture perspective on love, the Bible defines and measures love by willing sacrifice. Love is the willful choice to lay your life down for someone else. This means laying down our agendas, our preferences, our pet peeves, our to-do lists and even our own comfort. Before we can truly love one another, we must have hearts that are open to the needs of others and be ready for action.    Are you willing to love the people in your life who require more from you? What action step(s) can you take this week to engage in loving others?

In the sermon this past Sunday, we continued the A Church on Mission sermon series, looking at God’s design for believers to serve the local church. God has filled every believer with His Spirit, distributing supernatural gifts that enable us to do ministry beyond our natural abilities. According to 1 Corinthians 12, everyone who knows and loves Jesus is filled with the Holy Spirit and has a spiritual gift with which to do ministry for the good of the church. A healthy church consists of believers with diverse roles serving in unique harmony, reflecting a singular mission.   What spiritual gift have you been given? What are you passionate about? Where is the greatest need in your church?

In the Easter sermon this past Sunday, we looked at how the resurrection of Jesus truly displays the amazing grace of God.  In John 10, Jesus declares to His followers that He is the Good Shepherd because, unlike the other religious leaders and systems of their day, Jesus was truly going to stand between His people and death. In the same way that a shepherd places himself between danger and his flock, Jesus says that He will protect His sheep from the wolves by laying His life down and taking it back up again.  What an amazing thought… Jesus willingly and intentionally laid His life down and picked it back up in order to save undeserving people.  This is the essence of grace, giving something good to recipients who didn’t ask for it, don’t deserve it and could never pay it back. We see in the death and resurrection of Jesus, the most vivid depiction of God’s amazing grace.  

As we continued our sermon series A Church on Mission this past Sunday, we looked at the role of prayer in our church ministries and daily lives.  In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches us that prayer isn’t about manipulating God to do what we want, but rather prayer is a time to submit our wants and desires to God in worship. As we pursue a daily prayer life, we are pursuing contentment in what God provides for us.  Through prayer, we receive forgiveness and remind ourselves to be ambassadors for God’s forgiveness to the people around us. Prayer is also a powerful tool in pursuing holiness and becoming more like Jesus.

When we hear “build” and “church,” we typically think of church buildings. This past Sunday, we looked at what it means to truly build the church. In 1 Corinthians 3, we were reminded that the Church is made up of people, not buildings. The mission of Jesus is to build a prevailing church on Earth through His disciples. His disciples do the faithful work of the farmer, but only Jesus can cause hearts to change and the Church to grow. The only reason we are considering building bigger buildings at Solid Rock is so that we can become a beacon of hope to this community and become a more significant launching pad for missionaries globally, sending our people out into the darkness of this world with the light of hope we have in Jesus. As a church in this community, Jesus has commissioned us to plant seeds in the lives of the people around us by investing and inviting them into a relationship with Him. Who are some of the people whom God has used in your life to lead you to salvation and spi

As we continued the sermon series A Church on Mission this past Sunday, we looked at the topic of financial giving. In 2 Corinthians 9, Paul reminds the church that there is a deep connection between sowing financially and reaping financially. We learned that God calls Christians to give regularly to the work He is doing through the local church from the joy in their hearts. God promises to take care of the needs of all who trust in Him. God also promises that when you sow generously, you will reap generously so that you can give beyond your tithe as an offering to the work He is doing globally. Giving is not a matter of doing; it is a matter of being who you were created to be. You were created by a generous God to bear His image in the world. Giving generously reflects God’s character and magnifies God’s glory. Do you consider yourself someone who gives sparingly or generously? What obstacles keep you from making a commitment in your heart to give more generously to the work God is doing through

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at the identity and nature of the local church. In the Bible, the Church is never a place or a building; the Church is always a people who follow Jesus together and live on mission in their community.  In Acts 2, we observed that the Church is the gathering of those have heard and believed the Gospel. As we saw in the Jerusalem Church of Acts 2, the nature of the Church is devotion to Jesus and each other.  Jesus accomplishes His mission on Earth through a fully devoted church that exhibits a lifestyle of community and sacrificial living.

As we continued the sermon series, A Church on Mission, we looked at the topic of worship from a biblical perspective. This week we focused on the expression of worship, corporately, through the songs that we sing.  In Psalm 150, we observed that when we gather together in corporate worship, we are stepping into a God-ordained time where we boast in the Lord. In order for our singing to be considered true biblical worship, our lyrics must boast about what God has done and/or who God is.  In the last six verses of the Psalms, God gives 13 commands for His people to engage in corporate worship through singing. The Psalms end with the final command for everything that has breath to participate in corporate worship.

As we continued the Church on Mission sermon series this past Sunday, we shifted our focus to the topic of worship. We concluded that the Bible teaches that we were created to worship God in every aspect of our life, but because of sin, our hearts are prone to worship the idols of creation, rather than the Creator. Idol-worship occurs when we pursue the passions of our flesh and carry out of the desires of our body and mind.  When we turn to Jesus in true repentance of our idol-worship, He removes our sins, transfers our identity, reconciles our relationship to God and makes us fully alive to worship Him.  We are created to worship God alone by finding our happiness in Him as the sole object of our heart’s deepest desires.

This past Sunday, we launched a new sermon series entitled A Church on Mission, in which we looked at the clear and singular mission that Jesus gave His church in Matthew 28:16-20. In His final address before His ascension back to Heaven, Jesus instructed His disciples to make more disciples and multiply God’s Kingdom on Earth. The Church today is the fruit of that mission. We carry the torch of the same mission: to walk with Jesus, living for His mission in our everyday lives. We are a church on mission!   What does it mean to be on mission? What priority should the Mission of Jesus have in your everyday life? What should it look like to live your life on mission for Jesus?

In the final sermon in the Revelation series this past Sunday, we celebrated the final appearance of God’s Eternal Kingdom. All who have trusted in Jesus will become the holy city of God, adorned in beauty and splendor as a bride who is ready for her groom.  As the kingdom of man gives way to the Kingdom of God, Jesus will put death to death and restore eternal and abundant life, making all things new according to the riches of His grace. As the glory of God fills His Eternal Kingdom, the saints will enter into a better Eden and enjoy the eternal presence of God forever.   

As we continued the Revelation series this past Sunday, we looked at Revelation 20:11-15.  In this final scene of judgment, we see the created world exposed to the revealed majestic presence of the Holy God seated on His throne.  At this moment in human history, all the people who have ever dwelled on earth will be divided according to what they have done with Jesus. Those who have trusted in Jesus will be judged by whether or not their names are written the Lamb’s Book of Life. Those who have trusted in themselves, rather than Jesus, will be judged according to their deeds. After the dead have been judged, the final enemy of Jesus, death itself, will be put to death. This is the beginning of the Eternal Kingdom of God, giving way to the New Eden.

As we continued the Revelation sermon series this past Sunday, we looked in Revelation 20:1-10 where God displayed His sovereign power and authority over Satan by seizing, binding, throwing, shutting and sealing Satan in order to restrain him from deceiving the nations for a period of time known as the Millennium Reign of Christ. Despite different views on the literal or symbolic use of “1000 years,” we rest assured that those who place their faith and trust in Jesus will be resurrected into eternal life.  At the Final Battle in human history, we see that the saints of God will be finally vindicated and the enemies of God will be finally defeated.

In the sermon this past Sunday we made it to the exciting part of the story where the victorious king returns to make war against his enemies and rescue his bride. In Revelation 19 we saw that, at the return of Jesus, the saints will unite with one thunderous voice to worship Him as their King and stand before Him in righteousness and purity.  While the saints enjoy the fulfillment of all that has been promised, His enemies will also reap what has been sown. At His return, Jesus will establish an eternal divide between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan forever.