Christ Fellowship Sermon

Christians have been arguing with each other since Jesus ascended. What conversations are worth having, and which ones are a waste of time?Nearly two thousand years ago, the Apostle Paul gave his younger associate, Timothy, wise leadership advice on this very issue: what conflicts to avoid and where to engage.

This week Jamie Gonzalez will teach from 2 Timothy on how to stay passionately connected to Jesus to victoriously endure to the end.

Paul wrote Timothy a letter to challenge him to guard the gospel courageously. Christianity was not cool in the Roman Empire. The cultural pressure was firmly against the gospel, intellectually, politically, and morally. If you wanted friends and respect, you would not be a Christian. Being a Christian could not only get you canceled and cost you business, but be beaten by the police of the day, thrown in jail, and even killed.

We're starting a new series today focusing on a letter from the New Testament, 2nd Timothy. In some ways this particular letter functions a little bit like my husband's letter to me in that Paul wrote it to encourage Timothy to trust in what he already knew to be true only this time, in the truth of the gospel.

Paul wrote First Corinthians chapter 15 to give people hope. It is the chapter on resurrection in the Bible. In 1 Corinthians chapter 15 Paul describes Christ's resurrection, and how his resurrection can give you victory.

Why is this Sunday called Palm Sunday? What's the deal with the palm branches? Back in the first century when the event that kicked off Palm Sunday happened, the crowd was fired up. It was an exciting day. Already it was the biggest festival of the year, Passover, when the city tripled in size. But most people did not really know what was going on, and what it meant.

Jaime and I share a favorite biblical passage that has guided each of our lives personally. Open your Bible to Philippians chapter 1, verse 18. Paul wrote this from a Roman prison, and yet he is filled with joy. In Philippians, Paul discloses some of his most personal thoughts and deepest desires. Paul's passion for Jesus inspires us.

There are countless side effects of anxiety, but they add up to one significant outcome: giving up. As much as any weight we carry, the weight of anxiety can become so heavy that it feels impossible to keep going. It can be so crushing that even taking another step seems unbearable.

God's Word brings us confidence and security in times of fear and anxiety. If Romans is a spectacular mountain range of truth, then chapter eight is its highest peak, and the last paragraph takes us to the inspirational pinnacle. Listen as Bruce unpacks the remainder of chapter 8.

In a past sermon, we learned that our Inheritance is all of creation. Now, the focus shifts to our hope of being co-glorified with Christ. This sounds wonderful until we remember that this honor comes with the caveat: suffering together with Christ is part of being glorified together with him. Listen as Rafe unpacks what this means for believers.

In a past sermon, we learned that our Inheritance is all of creation. Now, the focus shifts to our hope of being co-glorified with Christ. This sounds wonderful until we remember that this honor comes with the caveat: suffering together with Christ is part of being glorified together with him. Listen as Rafe unpacks what this means for believers.

Secure Permanent Relationships are Rare. In fact, No Human Relationship can ever provide Ultimate Security. But what our fellow humans can never supply, God does. God offers the most Secure Relationship imaginable: Adoption into his own Eternal Family.

Today I want you to hear Jesus say to you – let not your heart be troubled. When we are unsure about Jesus, fear can paralyze us and worry can torment us, taking away our sleep and diminishing our ability to love those around us. How can you calm your troubled heart and experience more of the Life that God offers in Christ? Imagine being at peace, sure of what you are supposed to be doing.

Jesus is The Gate to true life with a capital L. Our responsibility is to enter through the gate of Jesus Christ. The way we enter is to believe in Jesus Christ.When we enter through the gate, the benefit is life with a capital L. In the metaphor, Jesus calls it finding pasture, using language that recalls the wonderful promises of Psalm 23

How can we “get” satisfaction? How can we find true satisfaction? How can we experience real life, not just mere existence, but a real satisfying life? The Bible gives us the answer. You can find true satisfaction, real life.

The Magi, the wise men, were ancient astronomers, well known for their intellect. They were not Jewish. Maybe you are like the Magi. You have your own views of life. You may not consider yourself Christian or Jewish. Perhaps you too have investigated various religions. You can identify with the Magi. Both the Magi and Herod want to find the child, but with different motives.

The King of glory comes to earth in a manger. He comes not to the capital city, Jerusalem or Rome, but to a rural village, Bethlehem. His coming is announced not to royalty or to priests, but to common shepherds.

Three people heard God's call for each of them in three biblical Christmas stories. They had different homes. One was an older couple who could not have kids. One was an engaged young woman living with her family and the other was a young man likely living alone or with roommates.To each one God's angel said, “do not be afraid.” What were they afraid of? They were scared of the angel and the message God had for each of them. We can easily be scared of the message God has for us.

This season is often called “Advent.” Have you ever wondered what “advent” means? It comes from the Latin word adventus meaning “coming.” It refers to the arrival of a notable person, thing or event. A more specialized meaning of Advent is the first season of the Christian year, including the first four Sundays preceding Christmas. Traditionally, this is a time of waiting expectantly and joyfully for the coming of the Messiah, the Son of God, celebrating his first advent and anticipating his second advent.

Three central questions: Why should I forgive someone who hurts me? How can I forgive someone who hurts me? Should I reconcile with someone who hurt me? Watch as Lisa unpacks how the Bible answers each of these questions.

“All this church cares about is money.” If those thoughts are rising in your mind, set them aside. At Christ Fellowship we care about Jesus and what he taught. Jesus taught a lot about money. If the topic makes you tense, ask yourself why. Often people feel tense because they know they are not obeying God in their giving, so it's uncomfortable to hear about it. It's convicting.

Most of us are inundated with requests from charities and good causes. It can be confusing as to where you should give your money. How do you make wise choices? My hope is to give you biblical clarity about divine priorities for your giving. What does God say in his Word?

A robe, a newspaper, and a racquetball – images that picture for me people, people that God used to mark my life. As a little boy I'll never forget seeing my mom early in the morning sitting on the couch in her robe, with her Bible in her lap. With the light from a lamp on the table beside her, she would read God's Word, pray, do her Bible study, and write in her journal. Soon I began to join mom and thus formed a life-long habit of quiet times with God.

Since we finished a sermon series about sex, let's follow up with another from the list of difficult subjects, ready……. Money! Cash, coin, cheddar, moolah. What does the Bible say about giving, specifically about our money?

I'm grieved for our children and grandchildren. They are growing up in a culture drifting from biblical truth. They are watching churches not show grace to certain groups of people. And they see Christians attacking each other over current cultural issues. How sad. How confusing.           Because we are so afraid or so confused, we leave our kids without spiritual guidance on current cultural issues around sexuality and gender. And yet, you can't ignore it when your 6-year-old has a kid on their soccer team with two moms, when your 5th grader tells you that one of his friends says they are nonbinary, when your highschooler has good friends who identify in various ways other than straight, terms you may have never heard. And when you kid comes out to you as gay, bi-sexual, trans or nonbinary.

Sadly, I so often hear people tell me they are not happy. Single people wish they were married. Married people wish they could get out of their painful marriage. It's hard to be married and it's hard to be single. How sad to live resenting your situation, married or single. Married life can be joyful and so can single life. My prayer is for you to live joyfully content in Christ whether you are single or married.

Our culture is desperately confused about our bodies. We wildly swing from obsession over bodies to neglect of our bodies, from excessive dieting to obesity. Healthy appetites quickly degenerate into destructive addictions. Our bodily confusion leads to sexual distortion.None of you need me to explain the extent of sexual immorality in our world today. It affects our children at younger and younger ages. This topic exposes guilt and shame. Thankfully, God's grace is amazing. Later, I will lead us in a time of confession and receiving all over again the healing grace of God that washes us clean.

God made sexuality, and everything he made is good. But we humans have made a mess of everything God gave us.I'm concerned for my gay and trans friends. In the last few years, two of them were kicked out of a church in the Dallas area, told they are not allowed back on church property nor in the home of any church member for a Bible study. Gay people are told you cannot be gay and Christian. How will LGBTQ people find and follow Christ if they are rejected or resisted by Christian people? I'm concerned for people I love.

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible (176 verses). Furthermore, this chapter focuses entirely on the word of God. The author refers to the word of God 178 times in these 176 verses. We are going to look at just one paragraph out of 22 paragraphs.

So, How do we Love One Another? How do we Love someone else without getting in trouble with our spouse, the H.R. department, or the school principal? How can Love be practically explained and demonstrated? When Jesus says, “Love One Another,”  what are we to do?

Don't neglect worship in a gathering because God is at work when we gather, what we do together matters when we gather, and we edify one another when we gather. The weekly worship gathering represents less than one percent of your week, but those minutes may be the most critical time you spend.

Every believer should be connected with others in a group where we can care for each other, encourage each other to grow in Christ and together make a difference for Christ.

The lack of a positive model in our past can often block us from engaging God or having those meaningful conversations, and our own failures can block us from engaging God or having those meaningful conversations with others.

My friends, we need to wake up. People are desperate right now. Marriages are breaking apart, and families are shattering. This year we believe God is calling us to Bring the Vision Home. How can we address loneliness, anxiety and addiction in our homes, with our spouses, kids, and roommates?

When should you confront the other person and when should you overlook the offense? I'm going to tell you a few quick stories. At the end of each story, yell out either “overlook” or “confront.” Let me warn you, there are not enough details for an obvious answer.

What's one of the most quoted and most misused phrases in the Bible? “Do not judge.” Our culture uses that quote from Jesus to prevent people from criticizing their choices and actions. When you are in a conversation about almost any topic and start sharing your opinion, you have probably been slammed with the modern-day showstopper: “Who are you to judge?” And yet does not God want us to make moral judgments about right and wrong

Those of you who are parents know about having big dreams for your kids. We want them to be successful, but we also want them to be good people. We try to nurture and guide them into reaching their potential. We want what's best for them. We're not always prepared when they grow up and make poor choices. It's incredibly difficult to watch a child you love take a wrong turn and end up in a dark place. No matter what their age, it's hard when they get lost. The father in the Parable of the Prodigal Son can certainly relate. Although, that may not be the best title, because as we'll see, there are two sons in this story, and both of them take wrong turns and end up lost.  We'll see a loving father who wants nothing more than to see his boys return to him..

The day of the lord has ended, and the new age has dawned. Christ is seated before us in all his transcendent glory and it's your turn to step up to the bema seat of judgment. You're hoping and praying you hear, well done good and faithful servant.But will you? I know that's what i want to hear. Will you be found faithful on that day? What does the faithful life look like? How would we know if we're achieving it? Is there a formula for it?