Sermons

This weekend we will take a look at Ephesians 2:1-10. We will see some of the themes we have been studying in Romans embedded in this passage and will be challenged to build our lives on the foundation of God's grace.

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We conclude our series on the first five commandments by looking at “honoring parents.”  This “word” from the Lord is so practical and useful to every generation.  And according to Scriptures, it keeps a nation on solid footing.  

I prepared an “I ASKED FOR IT” sermon where I can share with you what I believe is the focus and direction of ECC but also suggest your involvement. It has been interesting for me to put this on paper and I look forward to sharing it.

Last week we focused on the Father who seeks worshipers who worship Him in spirit and truth.  We found that our relationship to Him is the key.  Today we will press into what it means to call God our Father.  How do we as God’s followers imitate Him, so that we show we are His ‘really’ children?

We have been learning about the particular ministry focus of ECC.  Today we conclude that series by learning how we PRAY for ourselves and for one another as we continue to Prioritize, Prepare and Participate. 

Our society has become less spectator and more participative in many ways.  That’s a good thing.  But, it is one of those rare things that needs to filter into the church from secular society.   Many churches have a few people who do the vast majority of the ministry.  Today we will talk about our opportunity to PARTICIPATE for the right reasons.

We continue our HERE WE STAND series today by looking at the gifts that God has given you through Christ. Seeing these gifts helps us understand our responsibility to PREPARE ourselves to serve Him.This passage is critical to understanding Emmanuel’s heart and your responsibility as a believer.

Today we begin a sermon series that has been 28 years in the making. What is Emmanuel Community Church all about and what are we trying to accomplish? In this series I don’t want to suggest that we change our focus, but that we clarify and sharpen it.  Today we will be encouraged to PRIORITIZE which will be a good reminder as we begin a new year.

We will move to our second of three weeks exploring our core value of HIS WORD OUR WALK. This weekend, we'll unpack Philippians 3:7-12. Last week, we looked at the "What" of our walk; that it's about transformation and participation in Christ. This week, we will begin looking at the "How" of our walk as we work through some of the Apostle Paul's most intense thoughts on the topic. As it turns out, Paul had a lot to say about what is truly gain and what is loss.

We learn how friendship in the first century helps us understand that Philippians 4:10-23 is more than a thank you letter for a monetary gift.  It is an expression of gospel-centered partnership which we are still designed to display today.  Our joy is in taking our walk of faith together!

We consider how knowing Christ changes our thinking.  Each of us has a mindset.  This simply means that our thoughts are always centered somewhere.  Paul shows us that in the pursuit of knowing Christ our minds are key to walking humbly through conflicts and anxious circumstances.  Where we center our thoughts will determine our character and shape who we are becoming.

We learn that Paul pressed forward toward his greatest heart’s desire.  Paul had declared, “I want to know Christ.”  This is not a sentiment, it is Paul’s goal.  We will learn that for all of us the pursuit of knowing Christ produces joy in us as we anticipate a future glory with Him!

We begin a three-part series called PURPOSEFUL JOY.  We will see what it takes to have a right relationship with our Lord from a different perspective.  This week the focus is “I want to know Christ.”

We conclude the HUMBLE JOY series by looking at two young men who are examples of humility.  Timothy, you probably know something about.  The other, Epaphroditus is probably new to you, but I think you’ll be impressed with him.  There are some really good lessons from this concluding section of Philippians 2!

We continue our HUMBLE JOY series, but move to a new section of Philippians 2 to understand the humility of Paul.  This week's study also provides some wonderful insights into the process of salvation — something that many Christians just don’t understand. 

We continue our series on Humble Joy by looking at the EXALTATION of Jesus Christ by His Father.  This is one of the most exciting passages in the New Testament and a great reminder of some basic theology.  And one more reminder — this is also a great passage to memorize.  We will be studying verses 9-11 of Philippians 2. 

We are studying Jesus’ humility and a reminder of His death on a cross.  It is a natural time to take communion.  The amazing passage of Scripture will continue to teach us about the cure for disunity and the incredible example of Jesus Christ.

We study one of the greatest portions of Scripture concerning Christ as we see His pre-existence in Philippians 2:5-6.  Although theological in nature, I think that this passage also provides us some wonderful application.

We begin a new series call HUMBLE JOY as we look at one of the most masterful portions of Scripture in all of the Bible.  For many, this text is a favorite.  I’m going to suggest that you memorize at least a portion of it as it is the antidote to narcissism.  This is probably one of the single most powerful texts that Paul ever penned, and we have the joy of studying it together over the next six weeks!

In our study this week, Paul was waiting to see how God would deliver him.  We learned last week that Paul found a way to rejoice while in prison.  This week we will see that Paul determined to keep on rejoicing knowing that God would bring him through by some means.  We will also learn that Paul had a strong sense that God had more to accomplish through his life.

How do we learn to give thanks in all circumstances?  Paul has been an example of this since the very beginning of the church. We will learn how Paul faced his challenging circumstances and kept on rejoicing.

We continue a four-part series on Philippians 1 by learning about Paul’s PARTNERSHIP with these people.  Paul opens his letter with a warm greeting that is easily overlooked. It is the kind of thing in a letter that I often “ skim” but we would miss a lot of good teaching if we do that.

This weekend, we begin a nearly 3-month study of PHILIPPIANS!  We will look at the story behind the letter which will help us understand the letter itself so much better.

We conclude our conversation about forgiveness in Colossians 2:13-14. It's a short text, but it's packed with meaning and value for us as we seek to get a better handle on such a critical aspect of Christianity. We're called to be people who forgive from the heart, and the best way to get a handle on that is to understand the way that God has forgiven us.

Simple Prayer of Forgiveness:

Heavenly Father, in Christ you have forgiven me for all my sin and the hurt it has caused. Because of your forgiveness, and the new life I have in Christ, I forgive [insert name] for [insert offense]. Please help me to release any bitterness, resentment, or antagonism that surfaces in my heart toward them, so they can see Christ in me. Amen.

We conclude the You Asked for It series by looking at the Scriptures.  I had numerous questions about trusting the Bible to be God’s Word, which translation of the Bible to use, and how to study the Bible for yourself.  I will try to answer these questions in one message as we deal with this vital topic.

God's Word Q&A

We conclude a 26-week study of the Book of Colossians. As we finish this wonderful little book, we see Paul's encouragement to Persevere! We also see his love for the people by writing a greeting with his own hand. In this last message from Colossians, we will review some of the things that we have learned throughout the series.

In this rarely studied passage of Colossians, we see the importance of teamwork in ministry. We learn that people are gifted differently so that they can complement each other for the fulfilling of God's work.  And we are encouraged as we are reminded that every ministry is important and essential.

We see two of the most important verses in Colossians. In fact, these are verses to memorize and then live daily. In this message, we see the importance of being a Christian in word and walk for the sake of outsiders. This passage will challenge us to be very careful in what we do and say, and hopefully see a good impact because of it, for the sake of the Kingdom.

This message begins a four-week series that will complete our study of the Book of Colossians. In this series, we see Paul's closing thoughts which show his real passion for his faith.  In this first message, we look at the topic of prayer, and the specific ideas on what we should pray about.  As you'll see, these are very different things than what Christians often pray about.

This messagee concludes our series on the "home" by looking at the role of employers or "masters."  In Paul's day, the master lived in the household and his job was to oversee the servants.  Today, we compare that role to employers and supervisors -- those who oversee others in the workplace.  Today we learn about how every master needs to remember that he or she has a Master in heaven. 

This message looks at the relationship of being an employee. We will see that we are called to obey our employer in everything. In today’s text, we will look at four ways that can help us be obedient to our employer all the while keeping in mind that the Lord is our ultimate boss, who we are ultimately serving.

This message turns the tables and take a look at parents.  Those are the people who once were kids, but now they bear the awesome privilege– and weighty responsibility– of leading a home to be an environment where Christ is honored through the lives of those who live there.

This message looks at children, which means anyone who isn't an adult that is living at home.  We learn that obedience has three main components, and we see that it pleases God when children obey their parents.  That should be reason enough for any Christian child to obey parents!

No audio or video was recodred for this sermon due to technical difficulties.

This message looks at the role of husbands from Colossians and focus on two words, "love" and "harsh."  When we understand these words we have a pretty clear definition of the husband's role in a marriage.  Although the definition is pretty straight-forward, the practice can be difficult.  So we will look at some practical ways that husbands can love and not be harsh!

This message begins a six-week series on relationships within the home.  Paul has given us the instructions on how we can live a Christ-like life with a new heart-set and mindset, but now he moves to the first place where this new lifestyle should be evident -- the home.  In this short passage, Col. 3:18 - 4:1, we learn some basic instructions for everyone who lives together in the home.  If we can live Godly lives with the people who know us best, we can do so anywhere.

This message concludes our CHANGED HEART series by looking at what should "rule" in your heart and exactly how that works. We find that what we do as a church every weekend is a key to having a changed heart.  We also see that CHRIST is still the center of all that we do.

This message shows that we are to get "dressed" as a Christian.  One we have taken off our "old, dirty clothes" we need to dress as a believer. Paul gives us a list of what to wear and even tells us the order in which to put on these new clothes.  Through this passage, we see what should be the heart of every follower of Christ.

This message continues our series on the second half of the Book of Colossians, which focus on the "How" of the Christian life. In this passage, we learn that there are certain things that a Christian puts aside when he chooses to follow Christ. These are not rules but a set of attitudes and heart issues that each person must address. Today we will see how to get "undressed" spiritually and then next week, Paul tells us what to "put on." 

This message begins a short three-week series on "dressing for success as a believer."  Beginning with chapter 3 of Colossians, Paul changes direction from theology to application.  Basically he says, "now that you know what to believe, we should talk about how to live."  In this first section, Paul addresses a new mind set and a new heart set.  These are not rules but attitudes that will help us live out our faith. 

This message concludes our series on J + N = E by looking at the last of the four heresies that the church in Colosse was facing.  This heresy, ASCETICISM, was deadly because people were told that "if you're a Christian, there are things you just don't do."  Many traditional evangelical churches have also gotten caught up in this way of thinking, which like the other heresies, focuses on human action rather than on Christ's work on the cross. 

This message comes to the third "religion" that people were adding to Christianity in the church at Colosse.  This addition, MYSTICISM, like all the others merely takes away from Christ, but people still loved the subjectivity of it.  In this passage we will see again Paul's strong warning and why mysticism is so deadly.

This message looks at the second "religion" that is often added to salvation.  This is known as legalism.  Paul is careful to point out that you can choose to do certain things because you are a Christian but you should never measure your spirituality (or someone else's) by those things.  This particular heresy is one of the most common found in churches today.

This message begins a four-week series that focuses on the various things that people often want to "add" to their salvation.  These are not new as Paul dealt with them 2000 years ago and we still fight them today.  In this message, we will learn of the first of those heresies, Humanism, and why it can add nothing to our salvation.

This message concludes our series from this wonderful passage of Colossians by looking at the last of the things that Paul says Jesus IS. We will also see what the Church IS, and will be reminded one more time of what is expected of each of us within our relationship with Jesus Christ. I think that you will particularly like some of the Greek words in this passage, as you will know them! The sermon closes with one of the great verses in Scripture.

This message shows a number of things! We see what the Gospel IS; we see what our responsibility to the Gospel IS; we see who Paul IS; and most importantly, we see one more definition of Who Jesus IS. This passage helps us to understand why we should listen to Paul and His explanation of Jesus and we find great joy in this identification of Christ.

This message continues our series on this amazing passage of Colossians as we continue to see Who Jesus IS! In this section, Paul doesn't describe what Jesus has done but instead, Who He IS.  And by learning more about His identity, we are drawn to worship.  Today we see that He is the Head of the church, the "first" from the dead, and the reconciler of the world.

This message takes us into a new mini-series within the book of Colossians by focusing on two verses from chapter one.  In this series we'll try to refocus our eyes a bit.  We tend to focus on what Jesus has done, and rightfully so. But value is also found in seeing who Jesus IS.  When we know who He IS, we discover a greater appreciation for what He has done.

This message concludes our series that introduces the Book of Colossians.  In this passage we see the purpose for Paul's one request and then his praise to God.  In all of this, we see a wonderful model for prayer that can help us to sharpen our own prayer lives.

This message focuses on one verse that helps us understand Paul's one request for the Colossian people. His request, that they fully know God's will, helps us understand how important God's plan is and also why it is important to pray for understanding.  We will close the service by taking Holy Communion.

This message looks at four verses which are the heart of the greeting from Paul to the Colossians.  Paul didn't know these people personally, but he begins with a very personal greeting and some basic theology.  Paul uses key words that help us understand the opening of his letter and by looking at those words, we are reminded of the basics of our faith.  It is clever and inspiration writing.

This message continues our study of Colossians by digging a bit deeper into who is involved in this letter and examining their attitudes and actions.  Our intent today is to paint a clear picture of who and what they were so that we can examine our own personal experiences with Christ.

This message begins a study that will take us into March of 2013 -- the Book of Colossians. In this letter, we will look at five sub-series to help us understand Paul's message to the people of a church he had never visited. The letter to the Colossians is extremely timely as it focuses on what you need to "add to" Jesus to have salvation, and, of course, the answer is NOTHING.  In this study, we will learn about the context of the letter and the people involved.

We conclude the "You Asked for It" series by looking at the most popular request,  the End Times. In this study, we will try to set aside the sensationalism that confronts us so often, and deal with the facts of Scripture. There are some things that we know for sure (all Christians basically agree on these things). Then, there are lots of theories. We will take a few minutes to talk about some theories, but we will spend our time on the things that we can know for sure!

We will be exploring Paul the Apostle’s advice to the Thessalonians for how to develop and maintain an enduring faith in Christ. This advice will be helpful for all of us as we live in a world that often works against our spiritual growth. 

Before we move into our Christmas series, we’ll study 1 Timothy 6:6-10 and 17-19 and contrast the cultural “good life” with the biblical “good life”. At the close of the message, we’ll ask which of the two roads we’ll choose.

We'll finish up our series in 2 Timothy called Courageous Shepherds. We'll listen in as Paul pulls all the major themes of his letter together into one clear charge to Timothy. But we'll also see how Paul gives us his own keys to success in our calling to be courageous shepherds.

We will continue our series in 2 Timothy, called Courageous Shepherds. In 2 Timothy 3 we'll listen in as Paul reminds Timothy that he needs to resist the world's pressure to orient himself around his own way of seeing things. We'll explore Paul's life or death charge to cling to God's Word as our North Star - the only true reference point for our lives.

We continue our series, Courageous Shepherds by moving into chapter two of 2 Timothy. It is here that Paul will begin to unpack some of the challenges we will all face in our call to be disciples who make disciples.

This week, we'll be starting a four-week series in the book of 2 Timothy. In a time of leadership transition at Emmanuel, we'll see that Paul had a lot to say to Timothy about their own leadership transition. But the first thing Paul established was a strong reminder about the gospel.

We begin a five-week sermon series that you have chosen. Last spring, I asked for topics that you would like to hear preached. You responded with hundreds of ideas and I chose the five most-frequently-asked. In this first study, we look at how to read and study our Bibles. Many asked how I prepare a message, and/or how they should read and study on their own. This should be interesting!

This weekend we will conclude our study of Titus with his final thoughts about four groups of people that we need to reflect on before we close.

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The book of Titus is moving toward its climax as it builds on its repetitive theme of doing good. We are not just saved from! We are saved for! We are saved for doing good which will benefit all mankind. But most strikingly, this brings beauty before the eyes of the non-Christian.

We continue our study of Titus by looking at the connection between God’s grace and the way we live. As we have already been learning, the point of the whole text is to align our lives with the Word.

We continue our study of Titus by looking at instructions for younger men and employees. Although the text is straightforward and easy to follow, there are some interesting things to highlight. The point of the whole text is to align our lifestyles with the Word.

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This weekend we will look at Titus 2:1-5 and see how Titus was told to teach each group within the church. Hopefully, this will be helpful and not too offensive as we learn the plan for each person in the church body.

We continue our walk through the letter of TITUS by looking at how people with a twisted theology can derail a church if they are not silenced. Paul “pulls no punches” as he tells us what to do with these divisive people.

We look at Paul’s instruction to name ELDERS in the church, and we see the specific requirements for someone to be named to that position. We continue our study of TITUS by looking at the importance of LEADERSHIP.

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This weekend, we will introduce the Book by looking at Paul’s opening paragraph. It is a short letter from the Apostle Paul to his “son in the faith,” Titus.