Solid Rock Church Sermons

In the second sermon of the Galatians series this past Sunday, we looked at the impact that the Gospel has on the relationships we have with others. Because we have been invited into a community, the way we live out our faith in Jesus always has an affect on the community of Christ. In the same way that our faith removes the barrier between God and us, it also removes all barriers between those within the community of Christ, including those who we don’t like, those who are different from us and those who have offended us. In Christ, the church is more than a gathering place for friends, we are adopted into the same family and we share in the same inheritance from God.   Have you ever stopped to consider the ways in which your life affects other people in the church? Do you see yourself as someone who inspires or discourages others to pursue Jesus? Do you believe that Jesus has removed all barriers from between you and others?

In the Letters to the Church series, we started our journey through the book of Galatians this past Sunday. Pastor Jason pointed out how Paul boldly opened his letter to the churches in Galatia by reminding them that there is no other Gospel. The power of the Gospel lies within the Gospel without being modified or added to. As it is, The Gospel has the power to transform the worst of humanity into the perfect image of Jesus. Rather than conforming people into a religious mold, the Gospel finds us where we are, delivers us from darkness to light, transforms us from guilty to innocent and conforms us into the image of Jesus. Do you see Christianity as conformity into a religious mold or a process of transformation into the image of Jesus? Are you pursuing a faith-journey with Jesus with the goal of becoming more like him?

In the sermon this past Sunday, Pastor Jasonconcluded the series on Romans in Romans 12:1-2. While this isn’t the last chapter of Romans, we were able to see Paul’s shift in chapter 12 to begin drawing life application from the theology of chapters 1-11. This last section of his letter begins with a clear call to live as “blank checks” before God out of the mercy we have received by presenting our lives as living, holy and acceptable sacrifices to God. As we engage in a lifestyle of faith and worship, our minds will be renewed so that we can know and embrace the will of God.   When it comes to your relationship with God, is your obedience driven by the joy you have in his mercy or by a fear of not being accepted? Have you truly come to the point in your faith-journey where you have willingly laid your life down on the table as a blank check before God?

In the sermon this past Sunday, Pastor Jason broke down Romans 10 for us to see the simplicity of God’s plan for salvation. Rather a complex system of religious rules, our salvation is the process of hearing, believing and confessing. While the culture we live in bombards us with a trendy version of wisdom, true salvation is based on believing the wisdom of the Gospel.   Have you truly come to the place in your journey where you trust the wisdom of the Gospel over the wisdom of the world?Do you look for opportunities to share the Gospel with the people that God places in your life?

In the sermon this past Sunday, Pastor Jason walked us through our relationship with God as a loving Father. In Romans 8, we were reminded that God is a loving Father who has set us free from condemnation of our sin, who leads us towards a life of peace, who reminds us of our adoption, who helps us in our times of suffering and weakness, who fights on our behalf to secure our identity and protect us from all accusations, all condemnation and any attempt to separate us from His love. As his children, we are to strive to follow His lead and live according to His wisdom. Do you see God as a loving Father who leads you or a ruling dictator who demands obedience? Do you believe that God’s desire is to lead you away from what harms you and towards what is good for you? Do you see God as a valiant warrior who fights on your behalf to protect and secure your identity as his child?

As we continue in the Letters to the Church sermon series this past Sunday, Pastor Jason preached on the Bible’s instruction for battling sin from Romans 6. In this chapter of Romans, Paul begins with reminding the church what Christ has already done for them and then commands the church to remember this Truth as the starting point for battling sin. By trusting in Christ’s death and resurrection, Christians are now dead to the control of sin and it’s no longer a matter of being mastered by sin. For the Christian, it is a matter of your willful submission. In our struggle with sin, the Bible instructs us to not forget who we already are and to stop presenting ourselves willfully as slaves to sin. Instead, we are to remember who we are in Christ and present ourselves to God.   Do you ever feel like you are losing the battle with a specific sin? Do you struggle to believe that the riches of God’s grace are more abundant than the

In the sermon this past Sunday, Pastor Jason walked us through Romans 4, discussing where we find hope beyond life's difficult circumstances.  From Abraham’s example, we learned that faith is not the absence of dealing with reality.  Rather, faith is walking with an unwavering hope in the midst of uncertain reality.  As we considered the examples of Abraham, Elijah, Job and Jonah, we saw that walking in faith includes struggling with doubt while ultimately clinging to the promises of God.  We walk in faith by placing our hope in the future promises of God as we live in the struggles of today.  In Romans 4:18-5:5, Paul reminded us that God’s love for us is more powerful than our suffering and He leads us to hope in the midst of despair.  In what ways are you struggling to believe God today?  Is your struggle to believe connected to a struggle that you are experiencing or have walked through in your past?  Are you willing to lay down the identify of

In his sermon this past Sunday, Pastor Jason walked us through the biblical truths found in Romans 4. In this text, Paul reminds the church that God is not impressed with our work for him or the status of our position. We don’t have to come from a religious family or grow up in the church culture to impress God. We don’t have to change our wardrobe or hide our tattoos to keep God from being embarrassed of us. We can have what Abraham has by believing in Jesus. While the Law leaves us desperate and broken by further exposing our unrighteousness, the finished work of Christ on the cross completely satisfies all that God requires of us to make us righteous. The good news of the Gospel is that Christ has met all of God’s requirements and expectations for us. Christ has paid our debt for sin and earned God’s favor on our behalf. In Christ we have a secure position in God’s family! In what ways are you still trying to impress God with your work for him? In what ways are you pursuing a

Pastor Jason began our journey through Romans this past Sunday.  In Romans 1 & 2, the Apostle Paul boldly proclaims the Gospel as the only true source of grace and peace.  The unrighteousness of man’s heart leaves the human soul in a desperate and weary state.  There is nothing that man can look to in God’s creation and nothing in man's pursuit of morality that can provide true peace.  It is only the perfect righteousness that God provides in the grace of Christ that can give peace to the restless and weary soul.  In what ways do you find yourself looking for peace in the circumstances and people of your life? Do you ever find yourself striving to be good in order to find peace?   “28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29 ESV). 

Pastor Jason wrapped up 1 & 2 Corinthians this past Sunday with a sermon on biblical stewardship and generosity.  After laying a biblical foundation for money and possessions, we looked at 14 key principles to biblical stewardship and generosity from 1 Corinthians 16, 2 Corinthians 8 and 9. We learned that biblical stewardship leads to God’s provision and God’s provision leads to generosity, and generosity leads to God’s glory.    How is God challenging you and your family to pursue biblical stewardship?  In what ways would biblical stewardship free you up to be more generous?

In the sermon this past Sunday, Pastor Jason preached on reconciliation. In 2 Corinthians 5, the Apostle Paul lays a beautiful foundation for reconciliation by reminding the church that reconciliation is based on seeing our offenses from an eternal perspective, approaching these offenses by faith with a desire to please Jesus. Without these principles, true reconciliation is impossible. We realized that God’s reconciliation is much bigger than our offenses. In the greatest act of reconciliation, God exchanged the wrath that we deserved, for the righteousness of Christ. Our reconciliation to God should affect our relationships with one another. Because of the exchange of our sin for the righteousness of Christ, we are to extend the same exchange to those who have offended us. When we extend the grace of God freely towards others, the same way God freely extended his grace towards us, we become ambassadors for Christ and a tangible expression of the Gospel. Have you received the reconciliation that God is

This past Sunday, Pastor Jason preached on the Light of the Gospel from 2 Corinthians 3 & 4.  Far too often, the church teaches that being the light simply means to be kind or moral.   The Apostle Paul confronts this perspective by helping the church to understand that being the light in the world means sharing the only thing that unveils truth and delivers people form darkness into light: the Gospel.  Christians should be kind and pursue holiness, but these things alone won’t set people free from darkness. Only the Gospel of Christ can set people free and offer the hope of eternal life.  This is why the church must stand as a beacon in the midst of culture in order: to help people find their way to the truth and help guide believers through the dark and difficult journey of living in a fallen world.  It is the role of the church to press back against the darkness and be a place of safe harbor for the broken hearted, the lonely, the despaired and the suffering.  Ar

In the sermon this past Sunday, Pastor Jason preached on spiritual gifts from 1 Corinthians 12.  Before discussing biblical instructions for spiritual gifts, the Apostle Paul first lays a gospel-foundation.  He reminded us that understanding spiritual gifts begins with a personal relationship with Jesus and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our life.  We learned that ALL believers have been given spiritual gifts and empowered by God to serve the church.  Because God disperses spiritual gifts as He determines, engaging in using our spiritual gifts requires submission to God’s will.  Spiritual gifts are given to individual believers to be brought together by the Holy Spirit to work together as ONE body.  When the members of the body are using their gifts together to serve the church, it leads the church towards spiritual maturity.  Pastor Jason used the parts of a clock to illustrate how, as members of the church, we come together to function with one purpose.  We

Before our taking Communion as a church this past Sunday, Pastor Jason preached through 1 Corinthians 11:17-29.  In this text, the Apostle Paul pointed out a major issue of division among the Corinthians believers during Communion.  Instead of taking the Lord’s Supper as a community devoted to Christ and each other, some of the people were showing up early and eating and drinking way too much, leaving nothing for the other believers.  Paul tells the church that when they gather together with division, it is for the “worse.”  Pastor Jason reminded us of the explicit “one another” commands of the New Testament that should be exhibited when the church gathers, especially for Communion.  We were challenged to examine ourselves before taking Communion:  Have I spent time in my relationship with God (word and prayer)? Am I ready to take Communion today with a grateful heart?  Is there any unconfessed sin in my life that I need to deal with before I ta

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at how the Gospel confronts the entitlement-attitude of the current generation.  We were challenged to consider the areas of our own life where we operate in entitlement rather than surrender.  In 1 Corinthians 8 and 9, the Apostle Paul uses personal examples from his own life to show how he has surrendered his rights for the sake of the Gospel.  The community of Christ is distinguished from other communities by a willingness to lay down personal rights for the sake of the Gospel.  Even though all things are permissible, not all things are beneficial.  Paul calls the church to become “All things to all people” by laying down personal rights and preferences in order to avoid creating obstacles for unbelievers and stumbling blocks for fellow Christians.  Surrendering your rights does not mean that won’t have joy.   Surrendering your rights means that you are forfeiting the knock-off

In the sermon this past Sunday, Pastor Jason walked us through an overview of the discipleship process in 1 Corinthians 3.  Discipleship is the process of learning and observing all that Jesus has commanded.  Believers do this by meeting regularly with a mature believer over a period of time; learning how to deny the desires of the flesh, die to selfish ambitions, and shift obedience from self to Jesus.  Discipleship helps us look less like ourselves and more like Christ everyday.  From Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth, we are challenged in that disciple-making is more than giving someone your opinion, it is a participation with God in the eternal work he is doing inside the life of a believer.  Paul compared our lives to structures being built that will be tested and even though God is the one doing the work, we are called to participate in his work as “skilled builders.”  Every layer that is bui

This past Sunday Pastor Jason led us through 1 Corinthians 2 to see that the church as been given the responsibility and entrusted with the rich, life-giving message of God’s word to lead people through life’s difficulties towards an eternal relationship with God.  It’s the role of the church to invite the world into a life of hope and joy that is found along the path, paved with the wisdom of God’s Word.  We were challenged and reminded that the the power of biblical counsel isn’t contingent on intellectual words or persuasive speech, but on the supernatural work of God by faith.  In his letter to the Corinth church, Paul explains that true wisdom is revealed by the Spirit of God.  Only the Holy Spirit can search the depths of our situations and hidden places in our hearts to reveal what is truly broken and interpret and apply God’s truth.  God has positioned and called the church to stand as a beac

As we continue our journey through the Letters to the Church sermon series, Pastor Jason preached 1 Corinthians 1.  We observed Apostle Paul going after the division that was beginning to emerge in the Corinth church over loyalty to certain individuals over others.  We discussed how most church division stems from placing personal preferences over and above biblical conviction.  As Paul addressed the points of division in the Corinth church, he calls the church to unity.  He reminds the church of who they are in Christ and to stand on the Gospel.  He also reminds them that God didn’t save them because they were wise, noble or powerful.  God saves and uses the weak to advance his kingdom.  Therefore, no one has any room to exalt self or personal preferences above the good of the church.  The Gospel calls us to a unity in Christ (fellowship) that leaves no room for us to exalt our opinions or personal convictions above our loyalty to Jesus. When we let go

This past Sunday Pastor Jason wrapped up 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus by focusing on a “good conscience.” Because of our struggle with sin, every person is subject to a guilty conscience and the world offers 3 options for ridding ourselves of a guilty conscience: 1) hide our sin and pretend it didn’t happen, 2) shift the blame to someone else, or 3) change God’s moral law.   In 1 Timothy 1:5, Paul charged the church to walk in love that comes from a good conscience. We looked at Paul’s sinful past where he “ravaged" the church of Jesus by dragging men and women form their homes to be put to death. If anyone had a guilty conscience to overcome, it was Paul. He even calls himself the worst sinner (1 Timothy 1:15-16). From Paul’s own example, we see that walking in a good conscience can only come from being cleansed and set free by the mercy and grace found in the Gospel. God’s mercy redirected the punishment we deserved onto Jesus and His grace gives us wh

For Mother’s Day this past Sunday, Jason challenged moms to see the significance of their role in imparting sincere faith to their children.  In 2 Timothy 1:5, Paul reminded Timothy that his sincere faith dwelt first in his grandmother and mother.  The Bible defines faith as the conviction of things that are true combined with a deep level of trust and value.  Christian faith isn’t simply wishful thinking or positive thinking, but it’s exemplified by genuinely standing on the truth of scripture in the midst of life’s difficulties.   Our faith is ignited and sustained by growing in our knowledge of Jesus through the Bible.  By rooting our lives in the scriptures, we avoid becoming shipwrecked or swerving from the faith.   Is your faith based more on what you want in life or in the promises of the Bible?  Does your life exemplify a faith that looks like something that you are convicted is true?  Is it obvious to outsiders that your faith is somethi