AEFC Sermons

The book of Proverbs makes it clear that God cares about how we work. Whether it's a warning to slackers (18:9), a promise of reward (22:29), or advice on ordering priorities (24:27), the Lord takes a personal interest in how we do what we do in the workplace. In this Labor Day weekend sermon, we… The post Working Wise (selections from Proverbs) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

“How should we live when we live in times like these?” We've been asking that question of the book of Zephaniah in this four part sermon series. In this last sermon in the series, we focus on the role of God's promises. The answer Zephaniah gives us in his final words is that we should… The post The Lord Your God is in Your Midst (Zephaniah 3:14-20) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

Sometimes following Jesus feels like cheering for the visiting team in the home stadium: No matter how polite you try to be, it is obvious to everyone you don't belong there. That's how it is for Christians. With every passing day, it becomes increasingly obvious that followers of Jesus are different from the rest of… The post Those Who Are Left (Zephaniah 3:1-13) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

The post Justification: By Works, or Faith? appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

The world is filled with injustices great and small; that much is given. The question for Christians is, What do we do about them? It seems clear from the Bible that followers of Jesus have a responsibility to right the wrongs in our own sphere of influence; as it says in James 2:26, “faith without… The post The Lord Will Stretch Out His Hand (Zephaniah 2:4-15) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

Sometimes we look at the world and wonder if there is any hope. Yes, we enjoy all sorts of exciting scientific and technological advancements. And yet, the world also seems to be in a moral free-fall. We look at the rampant decline of our culture and find ourselves asking, What's a believer to do? How… The post The Humble of the Land (Zeph. 1:1-2:3) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

The post Global Partner Presentation appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

Steve Colerick, the Regional Director of Southern Iowa for The Gideons, brings us a message about the work of the organization worldwide. The post Gideon Presentation appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

The post Renewing Our Faith in the Desert (Psalm 42 & Psalm 43) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

Some kings need to go. That was the message of the Declaration of Independence some 245 years ago. The American colonists were so fed up with King George that they showed him the door. And most Americans, anyway, are glad they did! However, in Psalm 24 we meet the King who must be welcomed. In… The post Welcome the King! (Psalm 24) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

Most men will claim that their family is their highest priority. “My family comes first!” they say. Psalms 127 and 128 show what it takes to actually live this out. Here we meet one of the Bible's great paradoxes – If we really want to put our families first, someone else needs to be ahead… The post The Pleasures of a Prosperous Man (Psalms 127-128) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

Many scholars think Psalm 32 is a sequel to Psalm 51. We don't know this for sure since David doesn't directly mention his sin with Bathsheba. But there are enough links between the two passages to make a pretty good case. And like all good sequels, there is a difference between the two psalms: Psalm… The post The Refreshing Freedom of Forgiveness (Psalm 32) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

Humorist Erma Bombeck once described guilt as “the gift that keeps on giving.” We smile because it's true – guilt is one of our most difficult and persistent emotions. We've all known people who have struggled with guilt for things they did in the past. Some of us may even be those people. Which leads… The post God's Gift to the Guilty (Psalm 51) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

Trust is like a muscle. If we want stronger muscles, we need to do things that make our muscles stronger – lift weights, do push-ups, work the crunches, and so on. It turns out this principle applies to our spiritual muscles too. If we want our trust in the Lord to grow stronger, we need… The post Disarming Worry (Psalm 11) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

Psalm 121 has a message for God’s people as we walk along the road of life. The message is that the Lord is with us as we travel. In this sermon, we focus on why people on the move – whether literally or just figuratively – can face the road ahead with confidence. The post Confidence for the Road Ahead (Psalm 121) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

What do an ancient warrior and a modern mom have in common? The answer is that they both need to turn to the Lord when they struggle! That’s the point of this Mother’s Day sermon from Psalm 27. In this psalm, King David reveals how he prayed in the midst of a great personal crisis.… The post Five Ways to Pray for the Momma Bears (Psalm 27) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

It all comes down to trust. That’s the message of Psalm 2. We can trust in ourselves, or our jobs, or our families, or our governments – or a thousand other possibilities. But in the end, Jesus Christ is the most worthy of our deepest and lasting confidence. In this sermon, we consider three reasons… The post The Wisest Way to Live (Psalm 2) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

“The pulpit leads the world.” So writes Herman Melville in his classic novel, Moby Dick. In this installation sermon for Andrew Johnson as our church’s Associate Pastor, Pastor Don takes us through the Lord’s challenge to embrace the high calling of the ministry of God’s Word. The post The Ministry of God’s Word (2 Cor 2:14-17) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

What does it take to bring people to Jesus? Andrew, one of the very first followers of Jesus, shows that it’s not as complicated as we so often make it. In this sermon, we look at three things it takes to bring people to the Lord. The post The Great Commission in Everyday Life (John 1:35-42) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

We have come to the end of Matthew. Many times in this study we have noted that one of the big themes of this book is that Jesus is the King. Hence the series title – “The Greater Kingdom’s Greater King.” Jesus is the Great King – ruling not only over the Chosen People of… The post The King’s Great Calling (Matt 28:16-20) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

A cemetery was pretty much the last place anyone expected to find an impressive display of power on that first Easter Sunday. And yet, that’s exactly what the followers of Jesus found when they went to His tomb that morning and found it empty. In this sermon, we exam how God’s Resurrection Power changes our… The post The Potent Power of the Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-15) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

“Jesus died on the cross, and on the third day God raised Him from the dead.” This is the core of Christianity. But sometimes we forget that something important happened between those two great events. According to all four Gospels, between His death and resurrection, Jesus was buried in a tomb. In this sermon, we… The post Christ’s Burial & Our Salvation (Matt 27:55-66) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

If you travel to Jerusalem, you can visit at least two locations that purport to be the site where Jesus was crucified. They both have a pretty good claim, and they are both fascinating sites to see. But the truth is, the location where Jesus died is far less important than the reason Jesus died.… The post Seven Witnesses (Matthew 27:45-54) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

The post A Season of Doubt (Job 3) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

Just a few hours before Jesus was crucified, one of his disciples asked Him to show them the Father (John 14:8). Jesus answered by saying, “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.” His point was that Jesus and the Father are one, and so to see God the Son is to see God the… The post The Cross and the Character of God (Matthew 27:27-44) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

The trial of Jesus moves now from the Jewish Sanhedrin to the Palace of the Roman Governor. This is no accident of history but is rather a theological necessity. God wants us to see that no single person or group or ethnicity is responsible for the death of Jesus. Instead the whole human race is… The post The Tragic Trial of Jesus: The Verdict of the Nations (Matthew 27:11-26) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

What should we do when it feels like we are being crushed in the grip of guilt for some sin that we’ve committed? What is the godly, Biblical way to deal with those feelings? That’s the question we work through in this sermon. Simon Peter and Judas Iscariot both sinned terribly against Jesus in the… The post Escaping the Grip of Guilt (Matthew 26:69-27:5) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

“Who is Jesus?” From the perspective of eternity, this is the single most important question we will ever ask. Some Bible passages answer this question more directly than others – and this text is one of them. In Matthew 26:57-68, Jesus stands trial before the ruling council of 1st century Israel. While the council members… The post The Tragic Trial of Jesus: The Verdict of Israel (Matthew 26:57-68) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

The arrest of Jesus may be the greatest travesty of justice in the history of the world. Jesus of Nazareth – the only truly innocent human being to ever live – was arrested like a criminal under the cover of darkness. And if that wasn’t bad enough, Jesus was also betrayed. Not only was Jesus… The post Shades of Betrayal (Matthew 26:47-56) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

Commenting on Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, William Barclay wrote that “this is a passage we must approach upon our knees.” Indeed, sometimes we hurry past these verses so we can read about the cross. Yet three of the four Gospels dwell on the Garden precisely because there is so much here for us… The post Lessons from the Garden (Matthew 26:36-46) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

We often say that the Lord’s Supper is a “symbolic meal.” But what does it symbolize? That’s the question we turn to now in our study through Matthew. In this sermon from Matthew 26:26-29, we consider four forgiveness-related doctrines that are richly illustrated for us in the Ordinance of the Lord’s Supper. Text = Matthew… The post The Meaning of the Lord’s Supper appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

King Solomon wisely wrote, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life” (Proverbs 4:23, NLT). In this next part of Matthew’s account of the last hours of Jesus, we see just how true these words are. In this sermon, we look closely at two men who sinned against Jesus… The post Two Dangerous Heart Conditions (Matt 26:17-25, 30-31) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

As we come to chapter 26 in our church’s study through Matthew, we begin the last act in the great story of God’s salvation. This is what Matthew has been building to since the opening words of the book. As one scholar observed, “The reason for the incarnation begins here. God became human flesh and… The post The Last Act Begins (Matthew 26:1-16) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

What does it take to “fire-proof” our lives against the inevitable firestorms that come our way on a fallen planet? To answer this question, we begin the new year with Psalm 1 – one of the Bible’s great pictures of what it really means to be a man or woman who lives under the Lord’s… The post Fire Proof Your Life (Psalm 1) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

The night Jesus was born must have seemed like any other night to most people. Indeed, if we could interview the shepherds from three towns over, they would have said nothing remarkable happened that night. But the shepherds outside of Bethlehem knew better. They knew that the Savior who is Christ the Lord had been… The post Real Light for the Real World: Dreary Routines (Luke 2:8-20) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

It’s been said* that “Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.” That has certainly been the story of 2020 for many people! In this sermon, we look to the angel’s announcements to Mary and Joseph about the birth of Jesus for help in handling life’s disrupted plans. Text = Luke… The post Real Light for the Real World: Disrupted Plans (Lk 1:26-38) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

For many Americans, 2020 has been a year of frustrated hopes. From lost seasons to canceled vacations to restricted holiday gatherings, the disappointments just keep piling up. In Luke 1:5-25, we meet an elderly couple who knew all about disappointed hope. After decades of a childless marriage, disappointment must have felt like a constant companion… The post Real Light for the Real World: Disappointed Hopes appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

Sermon Text: Philippians 4:1-7 Click on the blue “Save PDF” button to view the print bulletin. Click here to view the online bulletin. The post Give Thanks to the Lord! (Philippians 4:1-7) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

If someone asked you to describe the meaning of the birth of Jesus, the phrase “missions trip” might not be the first words to come to mind. But according to Isaiah 42, maybe they should be! These verses present the Messiah’s ministry in a way that resembles the work of a modern day missionary. In… The post The Global Mission of Christ (Isaiah 42:5-7) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

When we first learn to swim, most of us start out in the shallow end of the pool. And that’s not a bad thing. The shallow end let’s us learn the basics in a safe environment. But if we are going to learn to swim well, eventually we have to strike out for the deep… The post Praying in the Deep End (Ephesians 3:14-21) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

Most people enjoy a good mystery. That’s why mystery novels and movies and games are so popular with so many people. Apparently the apostle Paul enjoyed a good mystery, too – though for a very different reason. For Paul, it wasn’t about solving the mystery. It was about proclaiming the mystery! In this sermon, we… The post The Ministry of Mysteries (Eph 3.8-13) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

Some people are confused about what the church is for. From stained glass in the windows to Slurpees in the café – different people can have wildly different expectations. This is why it is so important to let the Bible rather than personal preferences set our expectations. In Ephesians 3, the apostle Paul uses his own relationship to the Gospel to outline for us God’s great purpose for His church. The post The Great Purpose of the Church (Eph 3:1-7) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

In this sermon, we focus on the “horizontal” implications of our salvation by unpacking five new identities Christians have because of Jesus Christ. Thanks to Jesus, we are reconciled not only to God but also to one another. Text = Ephesians 2:11-22 To view the print bulletin, please click on the blue “Save PDF” button.… The post God’s Solution to Human Division (Eph 2:19-22) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

Most of us can think of times in our lives when we felt excluded. Whether it was a school playground, an obligatory work party, or even visiting a new church, we all know what it’s like to be an outsider. But none of those experiences even comes close to our outsider status before God saved… The post Good Fences, Bad Fences (Ephesians 2:11-18) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

The word save means different things to different people. For example, a banker has a different concept of saving than a soccer goalie does. But when it comes to being saved in Jesus Christ, the Bible gives us a clear picture of what God means by the word. In this sermon from Ephesians 2:1-10, we… The post Saved! (Eph 2:1-10) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

Many faithful Christians struggle in their prayer lives, and one of the reasons we struggle is that we are not quite sure what to pray. We know all about the obvious prayers (the “give us this day our daily bread” variety) and the vague prayers (the “God bless so-and-so” requests). But after a while, we… The post Growing Prayers (Eph. 1:15-23) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

It would be strange indeed to go to a sporting event and hear no cheering. Yet in a sense, that’s what happens when Christians receive “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” in Jesus (Eph. 1:3) but then fail to give praise to God. In this sermon, we consider two more blessings we have in… The post The Inheritance Blessings appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

If you’ve ever tried to restore a car or a piece of furniture to it’s original condition, you know that restoration projects are a lot of work — and a lot of expense, too! But those sorts of projects are nothing compared to the grand restoration project God has undertaken in Jesus Christ. In this… The post The Restoration Blessings (Eph. 1:7-10) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

If you search #Blessed on Instagram or Twitter you come up with all sorts of idea of what it means to be “blessed.” But what does the Bible say? More specifically, what does Ephesians say it means to be “blessed”? We explore this question in the next three sermons, beginning with the Blessing of Election.… The post #Blessed (Eph 1:3-6) appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

In this sermon, we are starting a new series in the New Testament book of Ephesians. We begin this series by considering our identity in Christ. How does God want us to think of ourselves now that we belong to Jesus? That is the question we’re asking the first two verses of Paul’s letter to… The post Four Foundations of Christian Identity appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.

If you search for “two kinds of people in the world” on the internet, you’ll find all sorts of entertaining results. But in Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus gives a sobering take on the “two kinds of people” trope. According to Jesus, when He returns to earth, there will be only two kinds of people, and which group we find ourselves in depends on what we do with Jesus before that Day arrives. The post Two Kinds of People appeared first on Atlantic Evangelical Free Church.