Solid Rock Church Sermons

In this sermon, we looked at how we are called to bear the image of God in marriage. In Ephesians 5:22-31, Paul turns his attention to marriage as he calls husbands and wives to a specific role in reflecting the image of the Gospel. Wives are to submit to their husbands in a way that bears the image of the Church submitting to and honoring Christ. Husbands are to sacrificially love their wives in a way that bears the image of Christ loving His bride, the Church, by willingly laying down His life for her. Neither wives nor husbands are expected to bear this image perfectly but to strive to bear the image of God wholeheartedly as they are being transformed by God. Even in imperfect Christian marriage, the relationship between Jesus and the Church is on full display as husbands and wives pursue the Lord together.

In this sermon, we looked at Ephesians 5:1-21 to see Paul's description of what it looks like to imitate God as those who are being transformed by the Gospel. Paul uses the metaphor of walking in the light, instead of the darkness, as a picture of the transformative process for those who are in Christ. In Him, we are being transformed back into image bearers of God. In this section of Ephesians, Paul specifically addresses how our words are connected to what's in our hearts and calls the Church to be imitators of God by paying attention to and guarding our speech. Instead of speaking in a way that is shameful, foolish, or vulgar, we are to speak in a way that is kind, just, and true as we walk in the light as imitators of God.

In this sermon, we continued looking in Ephesians 4, where Paul tells the church in Ephesus to put off the old self, from before they heard the Gospel and knew the Lord, and to put on the new self, which is theirs in Christ Jesus. Beginning in verse 25, Paul gives practical advice about how to conduct ourselves as we live everyday life in Christ. When we put on this new self and truly live as His, we honor God and maintain the unity of the Spirit.

In this sermon, we looked at Paul's reminder to the Christians in Ephesus to no longer walk as their old selves before they heard the Gospel and learned about Jesus. In Ephesians 4:17-25, Paul teaches us that at the core of the old self is a darkened heart that has become calloused and can no longer feel pain, grief, guilt, or conviction. He also warns that once our hearts become darkened and calloused, we give ourselves over to moral riot. Paul reminds the Ephesians that they are no longer the same and gives them instructions to take off this old self by putting away falsehood and telling the truth about their sin and suffering. We, too, have been commanded to put off the old self and put on the new self, created in the image of God. By giving our sin and suffering a name and telling the truth, our hearts become alive and sensitive, allowing us to walk in the new self in right relationship with God and others.

In this sermon, we continued to look at the gifts of grace Jesus has given to the Church in order to build up the Church and maintain unity. Jesus has called spiritual leaders to equip the members of the Church for ministry so that they may minister to one another in truth and love. Every believer has been equipped and entrusted with a spiritual gift of grace to serve the other members of the Church. When each part is working according to God's design, the Church grows into full maturity, becoming more like Jesus individually and collectively, and God's people flourish.

In this sermon, we looked at how God has given the Church everything it needs to maintain the unity Christ provided. In Ephesians 4:7-12, Paul says that God has given leaders to the church as gifts of grace in order to equip all of the members to fulfill their calling in ministry, thereby leading the whole Church to spiritual growth and unity in Christ.

In this sermon, we looked at Ephesians 4:1-6, where Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus shifts focus. While chapters one through three focus on God's redemptive work of grace and our identity in Christ, this passage begins to focus on how we walk. This walk refers to how we live and conduct ourselves according to the wonderful mercy and calling of God. Paul calls believers to walk in a manner worthy of this calling and says we are to act in humility, gentleness, and patience with one another in order to preserve the unity we have in the Holy Spirit. The repetition of the word "one" in verses four through six emphasizes the unified identity we have as Christians in that we all share the same Spirit, hope, Lord, faith, baptism, and Father through faith in Jesus. Paul urges believers to pursue this unity in our actions toward one another.

In this sermon, we looked at Ephesians 3:14-21 when Paul tells the Ephesians that he prays for God to strengthen them spiritually and grant them understanding of Christ's love. Having already revealed the mystery of the Gospel, in which God ordained Jews and Gentiles to be co-heirs in Christ, Paul knows that this unity will require strength through the Holy Spirit and a foundation in Christ's love. As we are strengthened by the Holy Spirit and truly comprehend His love, our lives become more aligned with Christ and reflect the character of God. Only the one true God, who does far more than we could ever ask or imagine, could accomplish this in us. He alone deserves the glory.

In this sermon, we looked at Paul's insight into the mystery of the Gospel. In Ephesians 2, Paul explained that Jesus broke down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility between the Jews and the Gentiles, uniting them as one. In Ephesians 3, Paul says that the Gospel is made visible in that the Gentiles are now fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promises of God. Through God's love toward the Jews and Gentiles alike, the mystery of the Gospel is displayed in the immeasurable and unsearchable riches of God's mercy, grace, kindness, and love toward all.

In this sermon, we looked at how Jesus is the cornerstone who holds all things together. In Ephesians 2:18-22, Paul points to the Trinity as an example and reminder to the Church that we are brought together in unity as members of God's household and citizens of His Kingdom, built upon the truth of Scripture. As the members of God's household trust Jesus in faith, He gives us access to the Father through the Spirit, draws us close to Himself, and binds us to one another in Christian community. Our lives are forever bound and held together by Jesus as our cornerstone.

As we celebrate independence and freedom in our nation, it's an important time to reflect on the true, enduring freedom we have in Christ. Jesus' completed work on the cross, His resurrection, and Him imminent return provide us with eternal freedom from sin and death. However, we can be tempted to misuse this freedom, taking advantage of grace and turning to the sin we've been freed from or burdening ourselves with rules and moralism to prove our worth or even viewing our individual freedoms as the end goal. Jesus calls us to something more radical: to use our freedom in Him to humble ourselves and serve others. Rather than using our freedom for our own advantage, we are to lay down our rights in service and love for one another. Jesus Himself exemplified this ideal best by laying down His rights as God to become the perfect example of a servant. Our freedom in Christ allows us to live this way without fear, knowing that we are totally secure in our liberty in eternity with Him.

In this sermon, we looked at the powerful and practical implications of the Gospel for those who are in Christ. In Ephesians 2:11-17, Paul commands the church to remember who they used to be and the hopelessness of their state before they were in Christ. He reminds the Christians in Ephesus that they were spiritual gentiles, born into separation from God and hostility toward one another. Paul emphasizes that Jesus is our peace and only through Him are we reconciled to God and each other.

In this sermon, we looked at how the Gospel leads to a transformed life in Christ. In Ephesians 2:1-10, Paul reminds the Ephesians that we have a fallen human nature and that God, rich in mercy, love, and kindness, has redeemed us from sons of disobedience to sons of God by making us alive in Christ and adopting us into in His Kingdom. The core truths of the Gospel declare that: (1) All humans are needy and incapable of redeeming themselves, (2) God is merciful, loving, and kind, (3) When we take our neediness to God, He moves us from death to life and raises us as beloved children in His Kingdom.

In this final sermon of the Jonah series, we looked at the heart of God. In this series, we've seen how Jonah's pursuit of comfort led to disobedience and his disobedience trapped him in hopelessness. Jonah repeatedly found himself in situations where he was so desperate and without hope of saving himself that he believed death was his only escape. Through Jonah, we see how God sovereignly and miraculously works in the smallest details of our stories to invite us to repent and find mercy and salvation in Him. The story of Jonah echoes the theme of the entire Bible: "The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love."

In this sermon, we looked at how Jonah's psalm of thanksgiving in Jonah 2 declares that the miracle of salvation belongs to the Lord. Jonah begins by summarizing his experience of salvation and indicating that God is a good God who hears when His people cry out to Him for help. After reaching a place of complete desperation and despair, Jonah is finally awakened to see how the obstacles that God used to stop him from running were actually good gifts meant to lead him back to the Lord's presence. Jonah's distorted view of God had caused him to run from God instead of toward Him but, in his despair, Jonah is awakened to the true character of God. He remembers that God isn't angry and vengeful; God is slow to anger and abounding in love. We, too, can find ourselves isolated from God or even running from Him when we have a distorted view of who He is. It’s a miraculous expression of the Lord's loving kindness when He graciously stops us in our tracks to awaken our hearts to who He truly and to bring us back

In this Mother's Day sermon, we looked at God's hope for moms who are shackled by the guilt of feeling like they aren't enough. In the story of Hosea, we get a beautiful picture of how God meets all of us in our failures and inadequacies. Unlike the critical voice in our heads or the harsh judgement we feel from the world, God meets us in our failure with a gentle invitation to let Him guide us to a place where He provides everything we need and restores our relationship. When we see ourselves as an unfaithful wife, God sees us as a radiant bride. When we can't seem to get our lives together in our own strength, the Gospel reminds us that Jesus has already done the work to restore our lives and has paid the price to purchase our lives out of our failure. Through the story of Hosea, God reminds us that even when we feel unlovable and inadequate, we belong to Him and He calls us His own.

In the second sermon of our Jonah series, we looked at how God displayed His sovereign power over creation in order to display His prevailing love for sinners. In a moment of desperation in the middle of a storm, the sailors with Jonah cast lots to determine why the storm was occurring. God's sovereign hand guided the lots to fall on Jonah, revealing his disobedience in running from the Lord to be the cause of the storm. In his guilt and shame, Jonah offered himself as a sacrifice for the sailors. While the sailors didn't want Jonah to give his life and tried to save themselves, God made the storm get worse, causing Jonah to be thrown overboard before calming the waters. Jonah didn't save the sailors and the sailors didn't save themselves; God saved them. This passage reminds us of our inability to save or fix ourselves, while also reminding us that the Gospel is about Jesus dying to save us through His prevailing love.

In this sermon, we kicked off the Jonah series by looking at the power of shame and the power of God's kindness in the storm found in Jonah 1:1-6. The story of Jonah opens with God's calling for Jonah to take the message of repentance to the gentiles in Assyria. Within the first 3 verses, Jonah has already disobeyed God to protect his own comfort and run from God's presence in an attempt to avoid the shame he feels. To keep His plan of redemption on track, God caused a dangerous, life-threatening storm to come against Jonah and the pagan sailors he is traveling with. Much to our surprise, the pagan sailors are closer to believing in God's kindness than Jonah, one of His own prophets. In the severity of the storm, we see the even-greater severity of God's kindness in what He's willing to do to fulfill His plan of redemption for those He loves.

In this final sermon of the Genesis series, we looked at how the resurrection of Jesus restored all that was broken by the Fall. In Genesis 3:14-24, God tells the serpent, Adam, and Eve that, from that point onward, everything that He had created for good would now be broken. In Romans 8, Paul describes the impact of Adam and Eve's decision, connecting our individual suffering to the futility and suffering that all of creation has been experiencing since the Fall. Paul and other Biblical authors point out that in Genesis 3, God was also looking forward to the day that an offspring of Eve would step on the head of the serpent in a final decisive victory. The resurrection is the God-ordained moment that washes over the full human timeline. The resurrection reverses the impact of sin and death and cleanses those in the Old Testament who died in faith, rendering them righteous. The resurrection also sent a wave forward in time to wash over all who would hear the Gospel and believe, rendering us righteous and secu

In this sermon, we looked at how Adam and Eve's disobedience introduced brokenness into God's story and produced a need for creation to be redeemed. In Genesis 3, we find Satan masquerading as a serpent, twisting God’s truth into a lie to convince Adam and Eve that they are missing out on something good. When Adam and Eve believe the lie and disobey God, all that God had created for good becomes broken and fallen from His glory. Created for relationship, Adam and Eve are no longer able to walk in love and fellowship with God and each other; the shame of their sin drives them into hiding and emotional isolation. In His mercy and grace, God still shows up in relationship with Adam and Eve and provides loin cloths for them. While these loin cloths don't fix the problem, they point to the One who can fix the problem. These gifts reveal to us that God is gracious, slow to anger, abounding in mercy and love, and good to all; they remind us that the maker of the loin cloths is also the maker and redeemer of ou