Sermons About Piper
Jesus' Vision for Ministry
Matthew 9:35-10:4 is an important bridge between Christ’s Word and Work, and his Mission. We’ve seen the beginnings of Jesus’ ministry (chapters 1-4), we’ve heard his teaching (chapters 5-7), and we’ve seen his work (chapters 8-9). Now it is time to learn about his mission as he commissions his disciples to do his work. Our text highlights four key commitments that are central to Jesus’ vision for ministry. And today I’d like to identify them and try to apply them to us at College Park.
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Nothing is Impossible for Jesus
You can probably think of times in your life when you were desperate. Something pushed you to the point that you were willing to do just about anything to get help, find a solution, or change the circumstances that were causing you pain. Desperation creates action. Our text today contains great hope for desperate people. Matthew 9:18-34 shows us four miracles characterized by desperate faith, and we learn that nothing is impossible for Jesus.
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It's a New Day (Vision Sunday)
Today is an important day in the church calendar at College Park. We call it Vision Sunday which basically means it is an opportunity for me to share my heart with you regarding where we are headed next year, and an opportunity for our members to vote on our annual budget. It is fitting for us to be in a text that talks about newness so clearly and powerfully. So let’s take a look at Matthew 9:9-17, figure out what it says, and then make some applications for us as we move into 2010.
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Afraid of Jesus?
I‟d like to suggest to you that we don‟t often think of being afraid of Jesus, but we really should because for many people in the Bible an encounter with Jesus created fear – and rightly so. We get a clear taste of this in Matthew 8:28-9:8. Jesus does a lot of good in this passage, but none of it is safe. In fact, Jesus‟ actions make many people afraid, and I‟d like to see why. There are three different reasons why people are afraid of Jesus, and I hope to show you that if you don’t know Jesus then you have reason to be afraid.
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Full-throttle Following
Our text this morning introduces us to another and very important subject: discipleship. Now the word discipleship begs a number of questions. What does it mean to follow Jesus? Who is a true follower? What do real disciples look like? What does discipleship involve? What does it cost?
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Marginalized No More
This section of Matthew is all about following Jesus. Why should you follow Him? What kind of authority does he really have? And what does following him look like? When you first read our text you might think that it is just a record of three healings that Jesus performed. But there is so much more. To understand our text, you need to keep two thoughts in mind: healings are a platform to tell us about Jesus, and His healings were focused on the marginalized.
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Everyone Should be Baptized and Some Again
My aim is to thoughtfully and charitably bring biblical and practical clarity for us on the important subject of baptism. Now in order to look at his, I would like to answer three questions: 1) What is baptism? 2) Who should be baptized? and 3) Who should be rebaptized?
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Only a Few are Truly Saved
My aim today is to ask you, plead with you, and beg you to consider if you are genuinely converted. Romans 8:16 says “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.” And today I simply want you to take a careful look at your soul and ask yourself, “Am I real?” The Sermon on the Mount comes down to this question.
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Expect Good Things from God
You could boil this passage down with this statement: bank your prayer life on God’s love for you. It seems that Jesus wants to encourage his disciples to keep praying, but he is not just calling them to be persistent; the call is different. Perseverance in prayer is certainly a part of the equation but it is not the end-game here. Jesus’ goal is to call his disciples to pray from a robust understanding of God’s love for them. The critical phrase for this passage is found in verse 11: “how much more.” Jesus wants for his followers to pray with the “how-much-moreness” of God in mind. He aims to motivate pray by God-centered encouragement.
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Do Not Judge
Our text this morning covers the subject of judging. This is a very important subject because Matthew 7:1 is one of the most frequently quoted verses by people outside the church. I’m sure you heard it said with a snarl and sarcasm – “Don’t judge let you be judged.” But it is important for another reason. The sin of judgmentalism is far too common in the body of Christ. Religious people are prone to be guilty of a nasty tones, condescending looks, and condemning words. So this issue is important for at least two reasons. To address this touchy subject Jesus uses a familiar teaching formula: command, warning, and solution.
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