Hickory Grove Sunday Sermon Podcast

Sermon Text: Deuteronomy 1:5-8, 26-40 | What you face toward says something about what you enjoy, love, like, and desire. And we’ve heard the voice of Christ. That gentle nudge of our King who has said, “Turn, turn your faces away and your backs on those things, and come, turn your face toward me and follow me.”

Sermon Text: Exodus 34:1-9 | The story of Lent is the story of God communing with his people; and this God is gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and faithful.

Sermon Text: Matthew 7:13-14, 24-29 | We've given Christ our allegiance and we’ve been sent forth on a Great Commission to teach others about the love displayed by the Father through the Son and in the Spirit. To be children of the King, to be the church, to be a community of Jesus, and to be citizens of the Kingdom means we must be willing to take the road not taken.

Sermon Text: Matthew 6:25-34 | Resting in Christ is an acknowledgment that he can handle our worries, that he can carry our troubles. He feeds the birds of the air and he clothes creation with splendor. He also hears your troubles and desires to carry your worries

Sermon Text: Matthew 6:1-18 | Jesus invites his people to a way of divine authenticity, a way that aligns our intentions of loving God to outward deeds of loving our neighbor. 

Sermon Text: Matthew 5:38-48 | The Christian faith is dangerous. In fact, if we consider it comfortable, we might have accepted a diluted faith. A costly faith turns the other cheek, offers every garment of clothing, and loves enemies.

Sermon Text: Matthew 5:27-37 | By Jesus' own description, we're all adulterers. Each of our hearts have run to another god, another relationship, another lover. But, how does grace redeem the wandering and wayward?

Sermon Text: Matthew 5:21-24 | Jesus, in this passage, looks deeply at the human heart and invites his church to be honor, value, and respect every person, from womb-to-tomb.

Sermon Text: Matthew 5:17-20 | Ever wondered: Why does it matter if Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament? And if so, how does such a historic event change or even help my walk with God?

Sermon Text: Matthew 5:13-16 | Jesus connects his metaphors of salt and light to the church's mission. But, we cannot see ourselves as salt and light without seeing Jesus as the true salt and light.

Sermon Text: Matthew 5:1-12 | In this beginning of this sermon series on the Sermon on the Mount, we begin exploring the Beatitudes. We have conceptions of "being blessed" in America, but does Jesus have a different and alternative view on "being blessed"? I think we'll be surprised by what he has to say...

Sermon Text: Matthew 2:1-12 | The Magi wander to meet the King of the Israelites and the World. The Star (or Comet?) guides them to this newborn King, but maybe that celestial appearance is an invitation into the mystery of God becoming man that we might become like him.

Sermon Text: Matthew 11:2-11 | John the Baptist's questioning of Jesus' identify as Messiah is much nearer to our hearts than we might suspect. Doubt creeps into our hearts and minds, but the comfort of our Emmanuel casts out those fears and doubts.

Sermon Text: Isaiah 2:1-5 | As we move into the season of Advent, the Scriptures entice us to see ourselves inside the story of God. In this story, the King has come and he promises to come again. But, how might we use our "stuff" in-between these tensions?

Sermon Text: Philippians 4:4-7 | Thanksgiving is more than a season for the church. It's an emotional response to Jesus' work, an ethical reflection of his life, and a worshipful exaltation of his name.

Sermon Text: Luke 18:9-14 | For centuries in Christian History, humility has been considered the root of all the other virtues. In fact, Jesus reminds his church that religiosity doesn't please God; rather, God exalts humble hearts and meek postures.

Sermon Text: 1 Timothy 4:8-16 | Reading Scripture is an essential practice for a Christian's spiritual development and growth. But 2 questions have to be asked: How is the church to read? And why does the church read?

Sermon text: 2 Peter 1:3-9 | How do we grow closer to Christ and how can our beliefs and behaviors be conformed to Jesus? Peter gives us cautions and invitations through these verses on the virtuous life of the church.

Sermon Text: Romans 12:1-2; 14-21 | In this last sermon on wise finances, we're reminded that finances isn't primarily about balancing our bank accounts and more about giving ourselves over to the King and his economy.

Sermon Text: Luke 12:13-21 | We may acknowledge that faith is active, because it participates in the continuing work of Christ. But where do our possessions and treasures fit into that continuing work? Instead of being modern-day Scrooges, this sermon explorers how we can invest our daily treasures obediently and expectantly, and do so without expecting a return.

Sermon Text: John 10:11-18 | How might the church be cared for by the Good Shepherd while caring for others? And what does hospitality be an act of care?

Sermon Text: 1 Corinthians 12:12-20 | We desire a deeper Fellowship and community than the digital world can offer. But, such face to face and personal relationships can be disheartening and difficult. At the same time, they are the types of relationships the community of Christ has been called into.

Sermon Text: Genesis 4:1-9 | What does hospitality have to do with a thankful heart? The narrative of Cain & Abel can help us discover the thoughts of our heart and how these thoughts might shape our hospitality.

Sermon Text: Matthew 11:1-8; 18-19 | Jesus and John have had a long history together as friends. John has witnessed Jesus perform numerous miracles, but he still has questions in the midst of imprisonment. Are those questions similar to ours? And how does Jesus respond to his longtime friend?

Sermon Text: 2 Samuel 7:8-16 | What is the Davidic Covenant and why does it matter for the church today?

Sermon Text: Genesis 15:1-20 | God befriends Abram, but he also covenants with him. What does this covenant teach the church about the promises of Christ? And what part does worship have in believing the promises of God?

Sermon Text: Genesis 2:4-8; 15-24 | What is a covenantal friendship and how can we live them out?

Sermon Text: Luke 5:12-28 | What place does the Gospel have in our social life? And in what ways can we help heal our communities?

Sermon Text: 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 | Is there a connection between the Lord's Supper and just-living?

1 John 3:14–18 | How can the church approach the conversation about justice? And what does the Cross have to do with justice?

God fulfilled his onward mission in the person and work of Christ in the Cross. Yet, he also gathers a weary and restless people to embody his onward mission.

Sermon Text: Mark 12:28–34 | What does love of God and love of neighbor have to do with unselfish self-care? In other words, how is a care of neighbor also a care of self?

Sermon text: Luke 11:5-13 | How can we imitate and mimic our heavenly Father in our earthy, everyday fatherhood? This sermon explores this question in pastoral and practical ways in an age and culture of fatherlessness.

Jesus desires to transform how we see our own self-care. Unselfish self-care is to be deeply rooted in the life and work of Christ, and we must allow Him to transform our inward and outward lives upward toward Him.

Our unselfish self-care cannot just be inwardly directed. Our inward lives must turn upward in order for true self-care to take place.

How do we sustain creation and culture? It comes in imitation of Jesus and his Kingdom.

How can we cultivate even our gardens for Christ and his kingdom?

Today, we celebrate mothers whose faith cultivates the hearts of children.

The people of God begin rebuilding the altar and the foundation of the temple (ch. 3), but it is met with opposition (ch. 4).

Why is holiness so important to the Bible and specifically Ezra and Nehemiah?

How can we disciple our children in grace-filled instructions?

Good Friday remembers the crucifixion and suffering of Christ, yet what does this suffering mean for the church and its mission?

In Mark 9:42-50, Jesus connects the spiritual disciplines to kid discipleship.

How can we make our homes into vibrant little kingdoms of faith?

The better we understand the story leading up to Ezra and Nehemiah, the better we can see what is going on in these two books.

As the church, we must understand where we are, the time and place of our ministry.

A Study of Ezra 1:1-4

What are the perceptions of the church and how do we respond?

What is the source of the church's identity? And how do we measure our identity?

What does it mean to belong to Christ in the church?

What is the connection between friendship with Jesus and friendship with others?