First Pres Orlando Sermons

Rev. Tanner Fox | Philippians 2:1-4What then is a life of humility? What is the gift of a life of downward mobility, lowliness, making much of others and of God while thinking very little of the self? Could it be the blessed freedom that we so desperately long for? Could a life of humility, manifesting as a continual love of God and neighbor, be to us a gift of peace and rest far greater than any we have sought or found on our own? May we be filled with grace to know the true gift that lies in lives patterned after the humility of our Savior. 

Rev. Tanner Fox | Philippians 2:5-11There is no greater characteristic worth dwelling on in the person of Jesus than His humility! It is the deepest root and most primary source of life to the great tree that is our Savior. For from this posture of humility flows all of His perfect person and work. Submission, obedience, Tenderness, Meekness, love, care, grace, sacrifice… each of these flow from the beautiful and humble heart of Christ. He takes the punishment and penalty of the pride of our lives and offers us in return His perfect peace by restoring us to the humility we were made for.

Rev. Tanner Fox | Genesis 1:26-28Humility is the most natural posture of Adam and Eve. They did not think too little of themselves, nor too much. Their lives were full of delightful humility, knowing who they were, who made them, and what they were made for. Their lives were characterized by dependency as a feature of the great system of God's creation, not a bug that needed to be fixed. Pride comes like a poison infecting and affecting all that is rightly ordered in the world, and we are left hopelessly self-concerned.

Rev. Alexa Rossi | Jonah 3:10; 4:1-4Instead of being amazed by God's power to use him to cause the city of Nineveh to repent, Jonah is angry that God would save people he hated. Jonah has missed the point completely. In light of God's grace for me, what does God's grace mean for others?

Rev. Alexa Rossi | Jonah 1:1-12, 17The great story we may remember of Jonah the prophet of God being swallowed by a big fish might give us the sense that he was being punished for running away from God, but what if this is actually a means God uses to grow Jonah in grace? What does God's grace mean for me?

Dr. Case Thorp | Jeremiah 29:4–7As Christians we are not to pull back, avoid society, and fear what is around us. Rather, as we see with our covenant ancestors who are exiled to a foreign and hostile place, Babylon, God still desires for us to lean in, make culture, and through our daily and vocational work glorify God and be a blessing to others.

Dr. Case Thorp | Genesis 2:4-15Many of us think that God created humans for the purpose of relationship. Yet, the Bible says otherwise. While relationship with God is rich and wonderful, and a key part of our existence, God originally made humans because He needed someone to till the Garden of Eden. How does that realization reorient our own sense of purpose, and our work-a-day lives?

Dr. Paul Gibson | Revelation 21:1-5If Jesus had a playlist, there's a good chance it would include bluegrass music—because so much of it points to heaven. In this message, we'll explore how bluegrass lyrics echo biblical truths about eternity. Our goal is to inspire a deeper, more accurate understanding of heaven and awaken a renewed hope in what's to come.

Dr. Paul Gibson | Psalm 30:1-3If Jesus had a playlist, He would listen to The Blues. Why? Because the Blues are full of emotion and so is the Bible, especially the book of Psalms. We will reflect upon the four basic types of Psalms: praise, lament, thanksgiving, and messianic, to see emotion in Scripture. Everyone will then be challenged to create their own playlist of faith that reflects the four different types of Psalms. 

Dr. Paul Gibson | Luke 24:13-16If Jesus had a playlist, He would listen to country music. Why? Country music tells stories, and Jesus was a storyteller. How did Jesus respond to the desperation and confusion of the two individuals on the Road to Emmaus? He told His Story from the Old Testament through the Cross. People will be encouraged to reflect on how the story of the Cross affects their lives.

Dr. Jack Peebles | Luke 10:1-12, 17-20God's mission moves forward through relational engagement, as we are sent together in partnership to make disciples and share the Gospel one relationship at a time.

Dr. Jack Peebles | John 13:34-35Deeper discipleship thrives through intentional relationships where we love, sharpen, and encourage one another, living out Jesus' command to love as He has loved us.

Dr. Jack Peebles | John 17:20-23God's perfect unity within the Trinity is the foundation for our relationships, designed for us to experience and reflect in community with one another.

Dr. David Swanson | John 11:21-26, 32-35, 38-44Mary, Martha and Lazarus are all transformted by Jesus in a moment well into their relationship with Him. Mary is changed by his humanity, Martha by his divinity, and Lazarus by both.

Dr. Paul Gibson | Job 23:3Job ended up seeing God through and at the end of His whirlwind. In the middle of a storm? Lift up your eyes, and you might just see God. 

Dr. David Swanson | Judges 16:23-30Samson is blinded as judgement for where "his eyes took him," but even in his blindness, God gave him the necessary strength when needed, even beyond the Nazirite law or his hair.

Rev. Alexa Rossi | Ruth 1:19-21; 4:14-16Naomi believes that the Lord has failed to provide for her, but he works providentially through her circumstances and actions to bring new life out of all of her sorrows.

Dr. David Swanson | Philemon vs 24In Demas, we see someone who was in Christ get transformed by love of the world. Transformation can work the wrong way, too.

Dr. Case Thorp | Philemon 1-24The dramatic setting surrounding the book of Philemon, involving Onesimus, Aristarchus, and more, make for a great look at the early church, and the power of the Gospel in relationships.

Dr. Jack Peebles | Luke 15:11-32The Father's love doesn't just forgive—it restores and transforms, turning shame into belonging and death into life.

Dr. David Swanson | Acts 2:1-3Fire plays a significant role in Scripture, symbolizing the power of God, the presence of God, the cleansing of God and the judgement of God.

Dr. David Swanson | John 3:1-5, 4:7-15, 25-26The woman at the Well was looking to all the ways of the world to meet her deepest longings, but her thirst is quenched in Jesus.

Dr. Paul Gibson | John 20:24-29It often takes an encounter with Christ to help our unbelief. Take your doubts to God. He's big enough to handle them. And you might be surprised by what happens when you do.

Dr. Jack Peebles | John 9:24-39For the man born blind from birth, Jesus offers the incredible gift of sight. Even better than this gift of physical sight, is the gift of spiritual sight…a gift of belief!

Dr. David Swanson | Esther 4:9-17Esther's boldness in going to the King, even saying "if I perish, I perish," was a remarkable moment as she went from pleasing man to pleasing God.

Dr. David Swanson | Acts 9:1-19Paul has one of the more dramatic conversation experiences, one that offers good news to us. If God can call Paul, He can call any sinner and use that person as His instrument. It also highlights how God uses others as they cross our paths.

Rev. Tanner Fox | 2 Samuel 12:1-7The story of 2 Samuel 11-12 eventually produced one of the most well known Psalms in the worship book of God's people, Psalm 51. The Psalm is a picture of the humiliation of the human soul, leading to the humility of human confession, leading to the healing of God's grace. A transformational process we all need to know but rarely want to experience. What I find beautiful about this story is the way in which God uses a good friend to spark the match that leads to the blazing fire of repentance in the life of King David.

Dr. David Swanson | John 20:10-23We have a tendency to hang on to things in life "in case we might need them." We can even try to "hang on" to Jesus as if He is just for us. To the contrary, Jesus welcomes us, but then He sends us out into the fullness of Kingdom life. You are meant for more!

Dr. David Swanson | Psalm 30God transforms the hard things in David's life, his mourning, into dancing - not from happiness, but from joy.

Dr. David Swanson | Matthew 5:5Meekness is an often misunderstood quality, one often associated with being a doormat. It is not that, but a quality of heart that is humble and other-centered. Like Jesus.

Dr. Jack Peebles | Acts 7:54-60, Matthew 5:10As our culture becomes more and more hostile to Christian faith, the reality of persecution looms larger. 

Dr. David Swanson | Matthew 5:9In a world of agitation and anger, which we are easily dragged into, how can we become people of peace?

Rev. Tanner Fox | Matthew 5:3The blessing of being poor in spirit.

Rev. Tanner Fox | Matthew 5:4We all live in the grief and mourning that comes with life. In the body, and through Christ, we are also comforted.

Dr. David Swanson | Acts 16:25-34The Philippian jailer was one regularly inflicting pain and suffering on those under his charge, including putting Paul and Silas in stocks. We're not sure what role it played in their beatings, but it was likely significant. He was a calloused, cruel man, and yet he is transformed, his heart becoming filled with care and compassion.

Dr. David Swanson | Numbers 12:1-3, 9-15Though Miriam had a huge role in the exodus, she becomes envious and gossips about Moses, likely envious of his standing with God. Her skin is made leprous, and she is left outside the camp for a week. 

Dr. David Swanson | Jonah 1:1-12Jonah is famous for his disobedience, but more than that, we see that he did not love the Ninevites and remains angry even at the end. We are all works in progress - sometimes, God leaves the end of the story up in the air.

Dr. Case Thorp | Psalm 131:1-3As a pilgrim coming to worship at the temple in Jerusalem, David reaches deep into his heart and discovers the still small voice of God, but in the same manner, the maturity to which Christ calls us all.

Dr. David Swanson | 2 Samuel 9:1-11Mephibosheth is one of the great stories of transformation in the Bible as he goes from being a cripple to eating at David's table. He goes from nowhere (Lo Debar) to somewhere by God's grace.

Dr. David Swanson | 1 Kings 18:18-21True transformation is only possible when we have truly yielded to the Lordship of Jesus in our lives. Do we want to change or do we just say that, instead desiring in our hearts to keep doing the very same things?

Dr. David Swanson | Joshua 1:1-9As we move into this series on the transforming power of God, we have to understand how it works and why we sometimes fight it.

Dr. David Swanson | Acts 16:11-15Lydia's baptism gives us a perfect window into baptism as inclusionary event, family event, community event.

Dr. Paul Gibson | Joshua 2:1-3 The Lord wrote an amazing story about Rahab's life with unexpected twists and turns. How might the Lord be writing your story?

Bret Allen | Luke 2:18-19

Dr. David Swanson | Isaiah 57:14-16, 18-19The birth of Christ can seem like folklore of fairy tale at times, raising as many questions as it answers. How do we know that this child really was God? How does this moment help us answer some of the bigger questions life? Jesus helps us crack the code. He is the means by which we understand everything else and so we make Him Lord.Merry Christmas!

Dr. David Swanson | Luke 1:5-22, 62-64Zechariah becomes our example of one who has lost the wonder, the "magic" of faith – and for us – of Christmas. He is told about a great thing, but he is the ultimate skeptic. The season of Advent is a time to remember the wonder of God, the incarnation of God, and the hope of all it means so that, like Zechariah, our mouths are opened in praise.

Dr. David Swanson | Luke 2:8-14The simple words of th angels to the shepherds resonate with us and seem almost impossible. How can we stop being dominated by fear and anxiety? it is a complex issue, but one in which Christ bears great hope.

Rev. Alexa Rossi | Isaiah 9:2-7With the birth of Christ, God reveals that his plan of redemption finds its fullness in a child. Darkness is no more because of the character and eternality of this man Jesus, who is the light dawning as living hope. We don't manufacture optimism in challenging circumstances, we choose hope even when there's no evidence that circumstances will get better–because the strength of our hope lies in a person whose life overcomes even death.

Dr. David Swanson | Luke 2:1-7In a world that encroaches on us from every side, how can we make room for Christ this Advent?

Dr. David Swanson | Matthew 9:9-13Matthew 9 shows us how a life can be transformed from one burdened by money to one centered in generosity.