Vero Beach Church Sermons

This lesson in the book of Colossians highlights the importance of an unshakable faith. "...if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant." Colossians 1:23 NIV

We are in an exciting section on the preeminence of Christ! We not only are given powerful details about our Lord, but of the Father, the world, and ourselves. It is challenging, humbling, and inspires worship.

Noah Webster's Dictionary 1828 defines preeminence as "superiority in excellence; distinction in something commendable". Christ's preeminence is not something we think about very often, although it impacts everything we know and believe.

"And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:9-14

Today, Tracy continues our Colossians series by covering the topic of sowing and reaping.

To begin our Colossians series, Tracy lays out some basics to answer the "who", "why", and "where" of the book, and why these detail are important in understanding its meaning.

This summer, we have defined Christ-like agape love using Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 13. It is a passage often used at weddings, but we hope you see it is a far more practical definition of love that is not exclusive to simply husbands and wives.

Tracy continued our Summer of Love series, and finished up discussing the characteristics of agape love in I Corinthians 13:4-7. The last two traits say that love always hopes and endures.

Today, we are back to good news! After a few weeks of learning what love IS NOT, it's time to get back to what LOVE IS.

“[Love] does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.” (1 Corinthians 13:6). Only when we stop viewing others as our competition can we genuinely desire the very best for them.

Anger can flare up, and anger can smolder, sometimes for years. But both of those manifestations of anger can be deadly to our relationships; therefore, love doesn't do either of them.

Rudeness is treating other people like they don't matter. And once you understand that, you realize that rudeness is not a small thing. It's a big problem.

Last Sunday, we looked at what love is, but this week, we begin studying the things love isn't.

For the second part of our summer series, The Summer of Love, we went back to I Corinthians 13 to begin studying what agape love is. And believe me when I say, these characteristics are challenging.

The Bible tells us that everything hangs on its definition of love. This week, we find out what it means and why Paul tells us that love is greater than even faith and hope.

Reading the Bible is one thing, but understanding it is another. When you can do both, it's truly life changing. God speaks to us through His Word, so let's learn how to study the Bible together.

On Sunday, May 19th, 2024, the Vero Beach Church of Christ held our first annual baby dedication during worship. We recognized all of the new babies born to our members and attenders over the past few years, as well as offered pledges of support for these new children and their families as they grow together.

The day after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, Japanese forces invaded the Philippines. After reinforcements never arrived and sickness and injury ravaged the American troops leaving them with no choice but to surrender, they were forced to walk sixty-five miles on foot to camps where some of history's worst war crimes were committed against them. They weren't forgotten, however, and their story concludes with one of the greatest rescue missions catalogued in American history - one not unlike a certain rescue mission God commissioned for all of us: The Greatest Rescue Mission Ever.

To celebrate Mother's Day 2024, Tracy talks about the Motherly Advice that comes from Proverbs 31.

A simple way to describe integrity would be your behavior matching your beliefs; and sometimes, practicing integrity can be as simple as doing what you know is right, and trusting God with the results. In this week's addition to our Proverbs sermon series, Payton expounds on why integrity is important in both the spiritual and worldly aspects of our lives.

Today, Payton continues our Proverbs series on the topic of friendship. Friendship brings something into your life that neither marriage, family, nor neighbors can. And it's so important for us to talk about it because nearly every culture puts friendship in the backseat.

Today, Tracy discusses how should we approach the foolish people in our lives and the folly which surrounds us in our society.

Today, David breaks down the wisdom Proverbs gives us on pride.

Most people are pursuing happiness, but Proverbs tells us about something better.

The Christianity movement was kicked off by the resurrection. Before that moment, nobody was expecting Jesus to die. There was no hope. There was no Christian faith. And if you find yourself doubting, you are in good company. The resurrection of Jesus breaks all categories and that is why we celebrate.

Today, we discuss the cause of laziness, the cost of laziness, and the cure for laziness.

There's an opening line in Proverbs that says, The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. Some scholars have said that if we distilled the whole book into one drop, it would be this verse. This verse is interesting at first glance because it shows that wisdom isn't simply life-hacking. It's being aware that when you're doing wisdom, you are honoring and humbling yourself before (not a force) but a person. God has a vision for good and evil that might be inconvenient for me sometimes.

This first lesson in our Proverbs series is designed to help us understand one of the most unique books of the Bible. What we may not know is that it is part of a set that is intended to work together as we do life.

With programs in more than 20 countries worldwide, Christian Relief Fund is dedicated to providing holistic care for people living in poverty. Milton Jones, president and CEO of CRF, joined us for our 2024 Mission Sunday to illustrate the power our generosity can have in the lives of so many people around the world. Find out more about Christian Relief Fund and donate or sponsor a child at crf.com!

This is the last week in our series on Rest, and we conclude by talking about "How To Live '24/6'." If taking a weekly Sabbath day rest is a gift from God, what am I supposed to do on that day? What does a day dedicated to God look like in the 21st century?

We continue our current series on Rest. This week, Tracy begins to look at a practice as old as the creation of the world: Sabbath. Many have heard about a Sabbath day of rest and probably read a few passages on it, but is it still relevant today? Today, we dive deeper into its true intent. You might be surprised by what we find.

What if there are realities and truths that can only be found in silence and solitude? What if there are things about God that we don't know because we won't simply stop and be quiet? To some of us, this concept might seem a bit foreign, partly because we may have never slowed down to discover it for ourselves. In part two of our “Rest” sermon series, Payton demonstrates the importance of solitude in our spiritual lives through highlighting its frequency throughout Jesus' life and ministry, and how it allowed Him to commune with the Father.

When our natural human restlessness collides with the digital age, and a culture of accomplishment and accumulation, the result is an epidemic of emotional health and spiritual death. Psychologists are now diagnosing people with hurry sickness. The number one enemy of Jesus followers is living in a state of hurry and distraction.

This sermon is the last in our series called "The Power of Change". The reason many people never become the person God intended them to be is because they are "trying". You can't start holy habits or stop bad habits by "trying." There has to be something more.

This week is the third in our series called "The Power of Change". Last week, we looked at good habits we need to add to our life to become the person God wants us to be. This week is about getting rid of bad habits that are taking us in a wrong direction, and we talk about two things that will help us overcome toxic habits in our lives.

We are in part two of our sermon series "The Power of Change." This week, Tracy is talking about "Holy Habits." We can become more like Jesus, more like the person God wants us to become, and more like the person we want to be - one small habit at a time. We talk about two things that are necessary to create "Holy Habits" in our lives.

Today, Payton talks to those of you who want to change, those of you who hope to change, and those of you who have tried to change but aren't even sure that change is even possible.

This year, our goal was to send at least 35 people on mission, and we passed that. We want to send even more on mission next year. Today, Jeff Smith, director and founder of DiscipleTrips, is preaching. Jeff is a longtime friend of this church, and he helps organize our trips to Antigua and Liberia. If you'd like to learn more about DiscipleTrips, you can visit their website here: https://www.discipletrips.com/

Concluding our "The Carols of Faith" sermon series on Christmas Eve of 2023, Tracy explains the significance of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel".

We continue our sermon series "The Carols of Faith" with the timeless Christmas classic "Away in a Manger". The key theme of this message is that Jesus is Lord!

To continue this December's "The Carols of Faith" sermon series, Payton explains the significance of the cherished Christmas hymn "O Come, All Ye Faithful".

To kick off this December's "The Carols of Faith" sermon series, Payton explains the significance of the cherished Christmas hymn "O Holy Night".

Our goal for the final lesson in our "Making Change" sermon series is to shift our mindset to: tomorrow matters. When we understand that tomorrow matters, it will change what we do today.

This Sunday we are in part three of our sermon series "Making Change". The first two weeks we looked at the principles "less is more" and "stress is bad." This week we are going to discover that "giving is good." There is something about giving that brings a greater joy than receiving. Not that we don't consider gifts as blessings, but giving takes it to another level.

This week, we are focusing on the principle "stress is bad." Financial stress is never good. It robs people of peace, causes conflict in marriages, and keeps us from enjoying the kind of freedom God wants us to have. No matter if you are drowning in financial debt, living paycheck to paycheck, or know you could be doing better, this sermon is for you. We are learning about God's wisdom on handling the resources He has blessed us with today.

To accompany our "Less Is More" lesson from this morning, we're going to talk about downsizing for our Sunday night class this evening. Tracy Moore and David and Shar Russell are going to lead discussions about downsizing and cutting back. Melissa Moore, Tracy's wife, had a thriving business helping people in our community downsize. While Melissa is no longer in that line of work, Tracy will teach you how she helped people make money on the things that are being unused in their homes. He will also reveal those things that well sell and things you need to either donate or haul off to the dump. You might be surprised what isn't worth your time selling and even more surprised by what people will buy. David and Shar moved from a big house into an RV. You learn very quickly about those things that are important to keep and what you can live without. Yet, it has given them the freedom to travel weeks at a time, visit their new grandchildren, and see their children in other states.

In this lesson, we will look at the principle of "Less is More." It is about changing the way we view things. You might be surprised to learn what excess does to you mentally.

It's impossible to love God and not serve people. Service was the embodiment of service, not status. Today, Payton breaks down Jesus' "Greatness Code." If you want to be great, you must serve others. If you are not serving, then something God wants to be done is not happening. Jesus shows us seven acts of service that will directly lead to your greatness in the Kingdom of God.

We can endure suffering when we understand its meaning, its “why.” Picture yourself as a pumpkin, filled with seeds and muck, intermingled with hope and the promise of new possibilities, along with a bit of baggage and old stories. You're like a pumpkin, quaking with fear as you're carved, all while yearning to shine brightly. Payton compares us all to a pumpkin, but not just a pumpkin. A pumpkin in the hands of a skilled carver.

This week, Tracy preached a visual lesson called "The Three Chairs." Each one represents generations, Christians or people in their relationship with God. It is designed to make us contemplate not only our own lives, but the next generation. Where you sit says a lot about where you stand.

Our 75th anniversary isn't just about looking at the past, but anticipating the next 75 years as a church family. Payton finishes up our 75th Anniversary Celebration by talking about our future and what we should be focusing on the most as we move forward.