Sermons 2012

January Theme: Self Control

In the list of fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians (you remember that list, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control) it is last. That’s no coincidence. First and last things on lists especially in the biblical culture are really important. In fact, if a Christian just focuses on the beginning and end of this list (love and self-control) it would be a great guide and compass to their lives.

 

Proverbs 25:28
Keri LaBrant – Ministerial Candidate

Proverbs 16:32
It is a misnomer to think “pause before you lose your temper” because our temper is the first thing to be lost. Over reactive thinking is the very first thinking we think. We actually have to pause to stop losing our temper. Great Christians are known for their long fuse. Our connection to God and the breath of life can help us to think with the mind of Jesus before we act with the mind of a beast.

Proverbs 12:18
Do you remember the old playground chant “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me?” That’s simply not true. We say it to children to help them get through the actual hurt that really did occur when cruel or thoughtless words were spoken to them. “Watch your mouth” may be some of the best advice we Christians could be given.

Proverbs 25:16-17
All things in moderation is the Methodist slogan. In fact for all the mainline Protestant churches in America, moderation in all things is a part of early training and confirmation class. Why is that? The human mind unchecked thinks that if a little is good a lot is better. When people self-medicate they usually don’t err on the side of moderation. Let’s hear what the scripture has to say about knowing when to stop.

Philippians 4:8
The whole field of cognitive study is less than a hundred years old. “What do our thoughts do to us?” Actually the bible has given us counsel on this for thousands of years. The little book of Philippians is one of the tiniest books of the bible yet is jam-packed with wisdom.
What you “think” is important to your health, your relationships, your spiritual state and the overall wellness of your life.

February Theme: Honor

As we once again spend the month with all age groups studying the same scriptures, the memory verse, "love each other deeply, honor others more than yourselves," at first sounds like the first way of defining honor. However, what others think of us isn't what this scripture is about. How we treat others and lifting others above ourselves has much more to do with the integrity of who we are than it does with what people think.

 

1 Samuel 16:1-13
What is God looking for? The story of Samuel and David shows that. The bible is full of stories about what God is looking for in our lives. Honor runs deep within who we are. God is looking for honor in the depth of our soul. “For the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

1 Samuel 18:1-9
The prophet says of David and Jonathan’s friendship that “the soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.” This week we will talk about honoring others. The strength of our relationship and commitment to others speaks deeply to the honor that resides in our own soul. The ability to be bound to others and to sustain long term and faithful relationships speaks to the honor of who we are.

2 Samuel 15:1-16; 18:5-7, 15, 31-33
What happens when the bond between us is broken especially the bond between those who are over us and the bond with those whom we direct or supervise? What kind of a boss are you? What kind of a faithful follower are you? It is said “those who cannot be led cannot lead.”

2 Samuel 16: 12b - 22a
Sometimes in our best efforts we really take a risk. We step out and honor God with what we feel led in our hearts to do. It is at these times we are most vulnerable to people who have a bone to pick with us. When we take risks people looking for vulnerability within us see an opportunity to strike. This is the story of David in one of those moments in his life. Let’s see how he handled it and let that help us with how we might handle times like this in our own lives.

March Theme: Conviction

Through Lent and the month or March we will be studying the life of the biblical character Daniel in order to understand the Christian characters area calles "conviction". The word comes from the Latin, "convictio" meaning proof. 

 

Daniel 6
Even more familiar to our western culture even to people who don’t go to church much is the story of Daniel in the lions den. Building the habit of doing what’s right we can endure phenomenal fear and hardship knowing that what we are doing is the right thing. This takes practice just as any great ability does.