Sermons on Ephesians
The Parable of the Good Samaritan is one of the most well-known teachings of Christ from the Gospel of Luke. While we are probably all aware of the specifics of this parable, it is important to interpret this parable on two levels—the straightforward teaching and the symbolic teaching of the parable. On the surface, this…
This morning, we will be focusing on a topic that I have given much of my life to thinking about. I’ve spent years working to develop effective processes and tools for its implementation. It’s been said that “a person needs to invest about 10,000 hours in a skill in order to master it.” In the…
According to Carey Nieuwhof, when people go shopping for a church, 86% choose a church based on the quality of the preaching—they want to be fed. Thom Rainer says that “being fed” is another way of saying that they want the church to cater to their “desires and preferences.” We know that the preaching of…
In our sermon last week, we focused in on how God wants His children to be different—we said “peculiar”—not conformed to the standards of this world but offering our lives completely to Him as holy, pleasing, living sacrifice. In some ways, the peculiarity of living a life for Christ can—in some demented way—meet this desire in us to be extraordinary. In fact, it is not uncommon for people who consider themselves to be completely sold-out to God to become proud of their perceived holiness. We may all have a deep-seated desire to be extraordinary, but God is calling us to be ordinary. If we are the superhero of our stories, there is no room for God to be glorified in or through us. But, when we see ourselves for who we are—and see God for who He really is—we will begin to see our part in His kingdom work, and our role in this work is a small (but essential) part of a much bigger work that God is accomplishing through the local, New Testament church!
In today’s message, we will read once again from Ephesians 4 where Paul tells us to get angry, but get angry without sinning. Being created in God’s image, there are injustices in this world that should cause us to get angry. Anger is not wrong—only anger that is out of control is wrong. This morning, we will look at a few of Paul’s letters and a few proverbs to help us discover four keys for making anger productive, not destructive.
Anger is an emotion that can be used for great harm or great good! In itself, anger is neither positive or negative—neither productive or destructive. It all depends on how somebody uses it. In this study, we will examine the source of anger and what anger is designed to stimulate to bring about a better end. We’ll also take some time to think about the dangerous side of anger and why it can be so destructive.
Paul wrote to the believers in Philippi, “…but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6). Prayer is a theme that runs throughout his writings—and throughout the entire Bible. This morning, I want us to focus on Paul’s first letter to his disciple, Timothy, as we seek to understand its importance in the work of evangelism.
As we seek to find significance in our lives, we need to remember that it is not about what we do for God that is important—it is discovering who you already are in Christ! “Since there is no one else in the Body of Christ quite like you, discovering your ministry identity—who you are in Christ—is absolutely essential.” When it comes to ministry, “you must discover and fulfill the design components which the Lord has strategically placed in you. You don’t need to DO anything, other than to learn to fulfill who and what God has already prepared” (Paul Ford). Ministry is about who you are—who God created you to be—not what you do in trying to serve Him! In our text this morning, we’re going to explore some lessons about ministry that we learn from Moses in Exodus 18. We will spend some time applying his father-in-law’s advice to our own situation here at Temple Rogers.
I’ll never forget something that my father told me one time as I was preparing for a game. I assume it was a football game that I was about to play, but I don’t recall the situation or exact circumstances surrounding the conversation—I only remember what he said. He said to me, “Don’t forget whose name is on the back of your jersey.” When I walked out onto that field, I wasn’t just representing myself—I was representing five generations of Allen men in Northwest Arkansas!
In our sermon today, I want us to think about this from an eternal/heavenly perspective. God the Father wants us to remember who we are as we live each day—we cannot forget that we are children of God—so we must live like God’s children!
For the past six weeks, we have been studying through sections of the Book of Ephesians in the sermon series, “One-Sixty-Seven: Living for Christ beyond Sunday.” So today, we’re going to finish this series by asking the question, “Why should I live On Mission?”