Sermons About Jeremy-erb
Imagine
This week, as we gather together as one body, we take time to reflect on the lessons God has been teaching us in order to walk confidently into the future He is preparing for us.
0 Amens
Missional Life: False Advertising
What is the relationship between faith & works? Can someone be a disciple of Jesus and not live a missional life?
0 Amens
Missional Life: Apprenticeship
If we are going to live a missional life, if we are going to 'make disciples,' we must be clear on what that means and be disciples ourselves.
0 Amens
Missional Life: Investment
How do we live a life that could be described as Missional? Far too often we take upon the responsibility of the "Great Commission" without having been discipled by Jesus. The Great Commission comes at the end of years of life on life teaching. If we want to engage the Great Commission we first need to be engaged by Jesus.
0 Amens
Missional Life: Intercession
After we begin to "lift up our eyes" and see that Jesus is working all around us, Jesus next teaches his disciples to pray.
0 Amens
A Missional Life: Identification
In order to live a missional life, a life imitating the life and mission of God, we need to first "LOOK UP!" We need to open our eyes and learn to see where Jesus is working already - especially within us!
0 Amens
A Missional Life
This week, we begin a five week series Called Missional Life. What kind of life has God called us to live? Why would we want to be 'Missional?' Isaiah 61 offers us some insight into the nature of God's work in this world. As we come to understand the mission of God, we come to understand the mission He has invited us into.
0 Amens
A Sure & Certain Hope
As we celebrate Easter, we are faced with important issues about the future. What does it mean that Jesus raised from the dead? What are the implications for us? What is our hope?
0 Amens
Not My Will
As we've journeyed through Lent this year, we've focused on the prayer of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemene - "Not my will, but yours be done." Today, we examine this prayer of Jesus as a model for our prayers.
0 Amens
Our Response to Pain & Suffering
The reality of living in a Cosmic Conflict means that we WILL experience pain and suffering in our lives. How do we respond? Jesus gives us His perspective on this issue in Luke 12:49-13:9.
0 Amens
Reconciliation: God, Grace & Genocide
This week, we are join by Pastor Benjamin from Rwanda. Benjamin survived the genocide and has now returned to Rwanda with a heart and a passion for reconciliation.
0 Amens
Reality of the Cosmic Conflict Part 2
As we continue our series through the book of Genesis, we explore further the reality of mankind's role in the cosmic conflict between God and Satan.
0 Amens
The Reality of the Cosmic Conflict
We pick up in our series through the book of Genesis by looking at the fall of Satan and his relationship to the fall of humanity and the realities of pain and suffering as a result of sin and evil.
0 Amens
The Table of Grace
The Table held it's first preview service for a West-side campus on Saturday, February 2nd.
0 Amens
REFOCUS: What is Worship?
We finish our series, REFOCUS, by asking the question "What is worship?" Far too often, we have reduced worship to mean nothing more than singing songs - often of a certain genre or accompaniment - or embraced a false dichotomy between the sacred and the secular that compartimentalizes worship to something done once a week in a 'worship service.'
0 Amens
What is a Disciple?
What is a disciple? This week we want to answer this question with as much clarity as possible in order that we may be disciples.
0 Amens
What is the Church?
What is the church? As we face a new year, this question takes on significance as we think about who we want to be and what we want to do in 2008.
0 Amens
Advent: Are You Ready?
Remembering the first Advent of Christ should make us consider His return. This week, as we think about living intentionally in a new year, we consider living in light of the reality of the return of Christ.
0 Amens
Advent: Peace
We finish our Advent series based on Isaiah 11:1-10 examining how Christ did not come to bring peace but He cam to be our peace.
0 Amens
ADVENT: JOY
The theme of the third week of Advent is Joy. Isaiah's promise of a coming Savior/King/Judge is ultimately all about God's plan to bring us joy.
1 Amens
Advent: The Way
This week, for Advent, we focus on the fact that Jesus is 'The Way.' Isaiah 11:1-10 gives many reasons why Jesus is 'The Way' and reminds us that the coming of Christ was not a last minute decision but a part of the eternal plan of God from the beginning.
0 Amens
Advent: Hope
This week, we begin Advent. Advent is the season of preparation to celebrate the coming of Christ. It is a season of reflection and contemplation of the mysteries and wonder of the Incarnation. This year, we will focus on Isaiah 11 as our text for Advent and our focus will be on Christ as the shoot and root of Jesse.
0 Amens
Made For Each Other....But Not Just For Each Other
We continue in Genesis 2:18-24 to look at the creation of man. Specifically, we will look at the need that Adam, the first man has, of a helper, and how God provided Eve, the first woman, for Adam.
0 Amens
Prophets, Priests & Kings
In Genesis 2, Moses recounts God's creation of mankind and reveals God's intent and purpose for them. We are created, in the Imago Dei, to serve God - we are meant to worship and obey.
0 Amens
Covenant Community
This week, we reflect upon the reality that God created us for a purpose. He creates us, as relational beings, to live in community in order to fulfill the purpose and mission that we are created for.
0 Amens
Genesis 1:24-31 - What is Man?
This week, we look at the creation of mankind. We ask the question, posed by David in Psalm 8, "What is man?"
0 Amens
Genesis 1:1-2:3 Creation: From Chaos to Calm
The creation account in Genesis 1 is one of the most controversial and disputed texts in all of scripture. Far too often, the text is misused and misunderstood because the context is lost. The focus of Genesis is not really the creation event but the Creator of creation and the family and land that He created.
0 Amens
Genesis 1:1 - In The Beginning...
This week we begin a study of the book of Genesis. This sermon will lay the contextual foundation to make a relevant interpretation possible. The goodness of God, as a significant theme in the book of Genesis, will be introduced.
0 Amens
Sending Service
This week, we are sending a core group from our North Campus to our new campus at Stafford in Wilsonville. The theological basis for this is found in the theme of 'sending' in the gospel of John. The church is the 'sent people of God'. Just as Jesus was sent by the Father on a mission, we have been sent by Jesus on a mission.
0 Amens
Little Church: Big God
Today we finish our series Little People: Big God. We've seen over the past several weeks that God loves to call ordinary people to extraordinary lives. In today's passage, we see that God loves to do this because it keeps things in proper perspective. It forces us to recognize that God is God and that we are not. It keeps all the attention on Jesus and His sufficiency. It gives God all the glory. God has called each of us to extraordinary lives. He desires each of us to walk in faith and trust Him. He calls each of us to do things that are beyond our abilities because when He helps us to do these things it will show off His power.
0 Amens
The Wealthy Widow
This week, we look at an unnamed widow in Mark 12:41-44. While she was poor according to the standards of this world, in God's economy she was rich in faith. She stands as a beautiful example of a person abandoning themselves in faith and dependence upon God. She teaches us that we can trust and rest in God's provision and love; and that God is not concerned with the portion of what we have to offer Him as much as the proportion. God does not need anything that we have to offer Him so He is not easily impressed by the size or amount of it. He is, however, pleased with the motivations and desires that drive us to offer unto Him. This wealthy widow demonstrates for us a pleasing faith offering unto our Heavenly Father.
0 Amens
Zaccheus: Life's Little Loser
This week, we look at Zacchaeus. Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone sins. Sometimes those sins can seperate us from others and leave us feeling alone and useless. Zacchaeus was a guy who betrayed everything he was and everyone he knew. He was looked down on by everyone in his community because of who was and what he had done. But Zacchaeus didn't want to stay that way. So when Jesus came, he did whatever he could do in the hope of finding some help. Jesus refused to see him the way that everyone else saw him. Jesus say him with compassion, love and grace. To Jesus, it doesn't matter who you are or what you've done. If you are willing to repent and put your trust in Jesus, He is willing to Adore you as you are, to Alter what you do, and to Accept you as His own. What Zacchaeus was: One. He was Scorned - Tax Collector (19:2) Two. He was Sinful - Wealthy (19:2) Three. He was Short (19:3) What Jesus did: One. Jesus Sensed Zaccaeus' Needs (19:5) Two. Jesus Sought Zacchaeus out (19:5) Three. Jesus Saved Zacchaeus -(19:9)
0 Amens
Daniel: An Orphan's Obedience
The central thought of this series is that God does not call us because of what we have to offer Him, rather; He calls us because of what He has to offer us. This week, we look at the person of Daniel in Daniel 1:1-17. In this story, we see a powerful illustration of the reality that God loves to take the weak things, the small things, the broken things, and use them as His intstruments for His glory. 1. His World was Rocked. 2. His Will was Resolved. 3. His Walk was Rewarded.
0 Amens
Ehud: Crippled Conqueror
This week, we begin a series called Little People: Big God. In it, we will look at several biblical characters who against all odds and human perceptions were used by God in incredible ways. Our hope is to find encouragement in the fact that God is not limited by our limitations and that He seems to find a pervers pleasure in taking broken, ordinary, sinful people - just like you - and using them for His glory. Our hope is that each of us will find a clearer sense of God's call upon our lives. In Judges 3:12-30, we find the story of Ehud. Ehud was a man born with a crippled right hand into a season of judgment in the life of Israel. Ehud teaches us that the call of God is not limited by our circumstances - it is created for them. We are not called for comfort or convenience but for change. God's call is not limited by our obstacles - it is a license to tear them down. The call of God is not about how WEAK OR WIMPY we are but about how MIGHTYand MAJESTIC our God is. 1. The People Sinned. 2, They People were Slaves. 3. The People Sought God in repentence. 4. The People were Saved - by God, through Ehud, in spite of his weakness.
0 Amens
The Joy of Confession
Confession of sin is a gift. Why don't we always see it that way? When we don't see it that, far too often we miss out on the blessing that confession is and that confession brings. In Psalm 32, we are given a glimpse into the life of David as he wrestles with his sin and confession. His journey, so many years ago, offers us insight into the nature of confession, the challenge of confession, and the joy of confession.
0 Amens
Working TO or Working FROM?
This Sunday, we continue where we left off in 1 Timothy 4:7-16. The reality that each of us needs to take responsibility for our spiritual development needs to be guided by two truths. First, the grace of the gospel is paramount. We are not 'trying harder' to earn God's favor or respect. Second, we are working with a purpose in mind. 'Godliness' in this context is not an end in itself, it is a means to an end.
0 Amens
Independent Dependence
We live in a culture that has a perceived value of independence but we are actually very functionally dependent. This attitude has taken a deep hold on how we view spiritual growth and has created at best a co-dependency between people and the church. The bible paints a picture of dependence for the Christ-follower, but it is a dependence upon God - who may use many agents at His whim. Our part in it is to take responsibility for the growth of the gospel in our lives. The question(s) for us then are Who are we dependent upon for our spiritual development? and How are we engaging in dependence?
0 Amens
The Power of the Gospel
The gospel is the great equalizer in that it is available to all. It is also the great enabler in that it is sufficient to empower and transform all who receive it. There is no distinction of people within the Kingdom in terms of class or type of spirituality - we all receive the same salvation from the same Savior through the same process. The New Testament speaks of this salvation as being absolutely sufficient to fulfill its work within all of us!
0 Amens
The Privilege of Family
And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them. But Jesus called for them, saying, "Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. "Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all." Luke 18:15-17 (NASB-U) 1. Children have a PLACE. (do not hinder them...) No DISCRIMINATION The gospel is the great leveler of distinction. God has no favoritism and does not judge according to human standards. In this brief exchange, Jesus reveals that there is no age discrimination in the Kingdom. In God's economy, all have equal value. 2. Children are PRECIOUS. (belongs to such as these...) Need to be DEVELOPED Psalm 127:3-4, Psalm 78:1-8, Deuteronomy 6:1-7, Proverbs 6:20-22, Ephesians 6:1-4 3. Children have a PURPOSE. (like a child...) Need to be DEPENDENT Luke 18:9-14
0 Amens
The Purpose of Family
Why did God create the family? What are the purposes behind the family? In our culture, we are driven by a powerful individualism that puts personal happiness and fulfillment as being of the utmost importance. Everything becomes subservient to the goal of making oneself happy. When we take this cultural value and impose it upon a biblical institution like the family, we end up with deep dissatisfaction and the disintegration of the family that we are witnessing on a massive scale. The problem is not with the institution of family, but with the cultural value being imposed upon it.
2 Amens
The Power of Family
The family is the first institution in the Bible. God ordained the family to be his initial vehicle for transformation in the world, and even after the fall and the failure of the first family, God has chosen to move his redemptive plan forward through families. In today's world that values 'bigness' and believes that bigger is almost always better, we are confronted with a God and a kingdom gospel that does not force itself through its size or power, but starts small and grows in the nurture and power of God's grace. The question to wrestle with from Jeremiah's prophecy in chapter 29 is: What would your life look like if you believed, really believed that a sovereign God has chosen, according to his manifest wisdom and counsel, to place you in exactly the family, time, location and profession that you are in? In 1 Peter 2:9-12 Peter writes that God has made us a unique people, a nation not defined by geopgraphy, race, or politics, but by our relationship to the Father. And he declares that we are, all of us are priests, called by God to proclaim his excellencies and live out the gospel in the sight of those who don't believe. What would it look like if we believed this? Every Christian is a Priest. Every Home is a Church. Every "Church" is a Sending Agency.
0 Amens
The Discipline of Family
Family is a God-ordained institution. Our conduct and participation in family is orchestrated and guided by God's word. Ultimately, God creates and calls us to participation in family as a gift of His grace for our good. Participation in family as a spiritual discipline helps us to grow in our understanding of and ablility in: 1. Submission - as we learn to be under authority we then learn to use authority (Luke 2:41-52) 2. Sacrifice - families force us to deal with our selfishness and learn to live a life of love (John 2:1-12) 3. Service - In family we learn to fulfill our responsibilities as agents of God. (John 19:23-30 While most of us have eperienced at least some level of dysfunction in our family units, often leaving wounds and emotional scars, Jesus expands the intstitution to include all people who hear the word of God and do it. In other words, the church - the body of Christ - is to function as family. Our participation in church then, offers us a place to not only heal, but to continue to grow in the disciplines of family, learning submission, sacrifice, and service.
0 Amens
Disciplines of Life: Part Three
Continueing our study of Spiritual Disciplines as the avenues of transformation by God's grace, we look this morning at the Discipline of Solitude. Solitude is a gracious gift of God offered to help us break out of selfishness and the compulsion to impress others. In being alone, we discover who we truly are, and are able to listen to God and be refreshed by His Spirit. In being alone, we discover that we are never truly alone - and in this awareness, we are set free. In being alone, we are prepared to be in community, and out of solitude we will have the inner heart necessary for true compassion and missional engagement with others. In doing this, we are walking in the footsteps of Jesus who modelled for us a life of inter-dependency on the Father.
0 Amens
Disciplines of Life: Part Two
This sermon continues to unpack the means by which spiritual growth takes place. The Spiritual Disciplines are good gifts from a generous God to meet our needs. Today we focus on the spiritual discipline of serving; sacrificial, self-denying, often secret acts of service. This disicpline is designed to break our heart of loving ourself in an idolatrous fashion and fill our heart with the love of Christ for our neighbors.
0 Amens
The Faith of Jesus: The Cross And The Problem of Evil
The events of Easter, climaxing in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ reveal to us God's answer to the problem of evil. He does not offer us an explanation, but an event in which God deals with evil -- and establishes the paradigm for us in which evil is overcome by good.
0 Amens
Disciplines of Life
How do we grow into the type of people that God created us to be and that we truly long to be? The apostle Paul describes the tension that best answers this question when he wrote: So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Philip. 2:12-13 (NASB-U) God's grace is what transforms, but He calls us to participate in that transformation and He provides us with the spiritual disciplines as the avenue of that participation. In Proverbs 3:13-35, we have sound biblical instruction about this process. We see that: 1. Wisdom is to be PREFERRED. 2. Wisdom is to be PONDERED. 3. Wisdom is to be PERSONAL. 4. Wisdom is to be PRACTICED.
0 Amens
Loving Your Enemies
As Paul reaches Jerusalem, he encounters the prophesiezed persecution from the Jews he was expecting. His reaction to this persecution and the Jews perpetrating it, reveals a heart that has been transformed by the grace of God that loves its enemies.
0 Amens
Being and Doing In the Kingdom
As Paul nears Jerusalem, the Spirit repeatedly emphasizes that what awaits him there is bondage and persecution. In the face of this revelation, and with his companions urging him to not go on, what is it about Paul that allows him to stay faithful to his calling?
0 Amens
Kingdom Community
Paul is wrapping up his third missionary journey and heading back to Jerusalem with an offering from the poor and delegates from the churches that had contributed. As they stop in Troas, the church gathers to say a final farewell to Paul. In this glimpse into the life of the early church, we get to see some of the defining values of the early church community.
0 Amens
Kingdoms in Conflict
As Paul concludes his ministry in Ephesus, the growth of the Kingdom creates conflict with the idol-makers of the city. In this sermon, we learn from the example of Paul how we are to respond to conflict created by the Kingdom.
0 Amens
Playing With Jesus: The Kingdom is NOT Magic
The Apostle Paul carries out his ministry in Ephesus and teaches us about the power structures of this world verses the power of the Kingdom of God.
0 Amens
The Journey of the Kingdom
We see in Priscilla and Aquilla's encounter with Apollos, and Pauls encounter with the 12 disciples of John the Baptist, the reality that life in the Kingdom is a beginning and not and end. It is a journey, and we are all in process.
0 Amens
The Method of the Mission Acts 18:1-11
Paul arrives at Corinth, a dark and sexually immoral world, and continues on his mission by using the Word of God as his weapon of warfare.