Sermons from 2017 (Page 2)
Discipleship Through Relationships
Matt 28:16-20 This Sunday we finish our PBCC Family Values series looking at Discipleship through Relationships. At PBCC, we aim to be a discipling community because in the Great Commission (Matt 28:16-20), Jesus commands his followers to do one thing – make disciples. But, how do we make disciples? And, what is the nature of this discipleship? Join us as we discuss these questions this Sunday.
Participation in God’s Work
Eph 4:11-16 This Sunday we return to our PBCC Family Values series looking at Participation in God’s Work. The concept of God’s Work is easily misunderstood, so what do we at PBCC mean by God’s Work? What do we mean by Participation? And what does it look like for us at PBCC to Participate in God’s Work?
Devoted to the Word
2 Tim 3:14 – 4:4 “Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” (Deut 8:3 ESV) Do you realize that there is something more important to our lives than food? The Word of God is our daily bread that nourishes our soul. Through the Scriptures we feed on God’s revealed truths that are indispensable for spiritual life and growth. As we continue our four-week series on key family values this week we turn our attention to the importance of God’s Word and how that shapes who we are at Peninsula Bible Church.
Life in the Spirit
Col 1:15-20 The apostles never grew tired “reminding” their hearers of the essential truths of the gospel that they held dear. To be reminded of the “essential” values of our faith helps us keep the “main thing” the “main thing,” lest we drift, which is so easy to do. It is also helpful to articulate our particular distinctives as a local church to help you connect, serve and worship. During the month of September we will expounding on the values we hold dear at PBCC. The goal is to give us roots and wings, but as the poet Juan Ramón Jiménez writes, “let the wings take root and the roots fly.”
True Freedom: Free to Care
Gal 6:1-10 A freedom that asserts independence and self-sufficiency is not freedom at all. Rather it results in a life turned inward on self that becomes empty. Christ has set us free from a self-focused life (law) to a sacrificial life of loving service towards others (grace). The ability to care for others through the work of the Spirit is the highest form of freedom, to which we have been called (#free2live). As we conclude our studies in Galatians this week, we will examine what love looks like in action, especially in the community of faith.
The Means to Freedom
Gal 5:16-25 Do you at times struggle with feeling “enslaved by religion,” the do’s and don’ts, even though your brain knows you shouldn’t? Surely there must be a different way to Christian living that would yield a life that actually “feels” freeing instead of simply “looking” free on the outside… right? Join us this Sunday as we see Paul’s roadmap to a life of being #free2live!
The Goal of Freedom: Freedom!
Gal 5:13-15 “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free”
Freedom is its own reward! Sounds so simple doesn’t it? We all want to be free – so why aren’t we? Perhaps more importantly how can we be… Especially when everyone (including ourselves) seems intent on putting us right back into slavery?! Join us on Sunday, as we explore what True Freedom looks like and how we can live into the freedom that (in Christ!) is already ours.
The Face of Freedom: Born in Zion
Gal 4:21-31 Islam seems to be a daily topic in the media and conversations. But do we understand Islam and how we can relate to Muslims? Our study in Galatians this week centers on Abraham’s two sons, Isaac and Ishmael, and their two mothers, Sarah and Hagar. The apostle Paul presents a surprising spin on the OT story as it relates now to freedom in Christ. And because Ishmael, from whom the Arab race descends, will be a part of our study on Sunday morning, Bernard Bell will be sharing Sunday night on the topic of Islam. This is a rich opportunity to grow in our understanding of an important topic for our times.
The Appeal for Freedom: A Pastor’s Heart
Gal 4:8-20 Our deepest desire is to be transformed into the image of Christ rather than becoming a cardboard cutout of religious perfection. We don’t want to just talk about freedom. #free2live.
The Key to Freedom: Being the Beloved
Gal 4:1-7 The story of the prodigal son in Luke 15 portrays God as a father who shows extravagant love to his two sons and desires to have an adult relationship with them, meaning a relationship based on total acceptance, free of judgment, fear, and control. Believe it or not this is the relationship that God wants to have with each of us. God wants us not only to know his love but to be the beloved, even as his Son.
Galatians is a book that talks about gospel freedom as opposed to living under law. Christ sets us free from a rule-keeping, performance-based relationship with God where we try through our own efforts to gain his approval and love. But it is hard to break away from living as a slave to law. The key to the free life is knowing in our hearts, not just in our minds, that we are beloved daughters and sons of the Father. This incredible relationship comes as a total gift. Jesus redeems us from the law and the Holy Spirit allows us to address God as “Abba.”
In preparation for our study this week I would encourage you to read Luke 15 and Galatians 3:25-4:7 and think through how you would describe your relationship with God.
The Promise of Freedom
Gal 3:15-29 Long ago God made a promise to Abraham: “In your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” Who is this seed and what is the blessing? The next passage in our summer series on Galatians (3:15-29) answers these questions. The seed is Jesus Christ. No matter what our identity, when we identify by faith with Jesus and his faithfulness even unto death, we receive the promised blessing, the gift of the Holy Spirit. We are adopted into God’s family as the true children of Abraham, the man of faith. We have a new identity: we are “in Christ,” in whom God is bringing everything together. I encourage you to read Galatians 3 and think about your identity: How do your define yourself and what marks your identity? On Sunday evening we will have a forum to consider the implications of this new identity for our understanding of Israel and the Church.
The Gospel of Freedom: What a Gift!
Gal 2:15 – 3:9 We continue our studies in Galatians this week in chapter 2 where Paul begins his long explanation of the Gospel so that the Galatians will not resort to living under law. He begins by explaining what the authentic Gospel really is. What we find is the Gospel is a love story written by a gracious God and centered around his son Jesus, who loved us and gave his life for us (Gal 2:20). “Gracious”, “loved” and “gave” – these three words show us that the Gospel is all gift, not to be earned, but to be received in faith. The Gospel of Freedom has nothing to do with what we do, but has everything to do with what Christ has already done. Oh, what a gift! In preparation for this Sunday, I would encourage you to read Galatians 2:15-3:9, but also Ephesians 2:8-9. A question you might ask yourself is how have you experienced the love and grace of our good, good God in your life? Feel free to post a response to #free2livepbcc.