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2009 Sermons
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(* - indicates sermon stands alone and is not part of any sermon series)

"Commitments"
(5-part sermon series on some commitments all Christians should make)

12/28/08 Living by the Unchanging Word of God
Commitment to the Word of God
(Psalm 119: 9 - 16)
"How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word." (Psalm 119: 9) It is at this point where David shows us how to live according
to the Word of God even as Christians today.

1/4/08 The Gift That Keeps on Giving
Commitment to Generous Giving
(2 Corinthians 9: 6 - 15)
Is tithing something that was done only in Old Testament times? Is is applicable to Christians today? In fact, what should Christians give to the Lord and to
the work of the church? Is there a certain percentage? The answers to these questions may surprise you.

1/11/08 Why Church Attendance Matters
Commitment to Church Attendance
(Hebrews 10: 19 - 25)
Despite the fact that most Americans believe in God, the pews of many churches would beg to differ. Only about half of those who say they believe in God
actually attend church services. Is that the way it should be? The writer of Hebrews clearly tells all Christians why church attendance matters.

1/18/09 Eating Right, Exercising and Growing
Commitment to Spiritual Maturity
(Hebrews 5: 11 - 6: 3)
So many Christians think they know all they have to know in their walk and they never move past spiritual infancy. The writer of Hebrews scolds such people
and challenges them to move to spiritual maturity.

1/25/09 The Attitude of a Servant
Commitment to Christian Service
(Isaiah 6: 1 - 8; 1 Peter 4: 10 - 11)
The Bible is clear: the church is a body of believers that have each received gifts and that body is to work together. And yet, many churches limp along
because many do not use the gifts they have received from God. In two separate passages, we clearly see the proper attitude of a Christian servant.

2/1/09 Eternal Optimism *
(1 Thessalonians 4: 13 - 18)
Will we see our loved ones in heaven when we die? What will happen at the end of our lives and for that matter when Jesus comes back? These are
common questions to ask...and the Bible gives a clear and definitive answer.

2/8/09 His Sufficient Grace *
(2 Corinthians 12: 7 - 10)
Does God want us all to be healthy? Will God heal us every time we ask? A lot of the Health and Wealth gospel (or Name It and Claim It) televangelists
would like us to believe so. Many other pastors preach that all we need is enough faith and we will be healed if we ask. Paul, however, found the real
answer with his thorn in the flesh.

"Extraordinarily Ordinary"
(an 11-part Lenten sermon series focusing on the disciples)

2/15/09 Gone Fishin'
(Matthew 4: 18 - 20)
What kind of people did Jesus call to follow Him? Not the ones you would expect, that's for sure! But it was through such ordinary men that the church
eventually exploded with growth following Jesus' death and resurrection. First, Jesus chose two fishermen showing us all one of the talents we need to
have as a follower of Jesus today.

2/22/09 Domino Effect
(John 1: 40 - 51)
Just how did the disciples come to follow Jesus? In John's Gospel, we see two domino effects: one that led people to Christ and
one that helped them grow in Christ.

3/1/09 Knowing Our Place
(Luke 9: 49 - 56)
There are some things we would all like to do...but in all reality, we can't. Two brothers, James and John (the Sons of Thunder as nicknamed by Jesus) did
not fully know their place and were put in their place by the Lord Jesus Himself.

3/8/09 Crossing Over the Sea of Doubt
(Mark 4: 35 - 41)
When trouble strikes us, it can cause doubt to set in...even for Christians initially. People of faith are not immune to experiencing doubt. It may comfort us to
see proof of this in a very familiar account that shows us the disciples experienced many of the same ordinary doubts that we do.

3/15/09 Skeptical Blindspots
(John 6: 4 - 9; John 14: 6 - 11)
We in New England seem to have skepticism built into the fiber of our beings. Think about it: how many New Englanders are skeptical about the Red Sox'
chances every spring! The real problem with skepticism, though, is that is can sometimes blind us to the realities that are right in front of our faces. Philip
was such a skeptic who was blinded as to the reality of who Jesus was and what He could do.

3/22/09 The Least Likely Dinner Guests
(Matthew 9: 9 - 13)
The Pharisees were not only the religious leaders of the day but the hypocrites of Jesus' day too. Jesus pointed it out to them following His call to Matthew,
a reviled tax collector, and in the process showed us all who He came to save.

3/29/09 To Make Him Known
(John 14: 15 - 27: focus on 14: 22)
The good Judas; Simon the Zealot; and James Son of Alphaeus...hardly household names among the disciples. And while there is very little known about
any of these men, they were far from unknown soldiers. Even though we only see one statement made between the three of them, that one statement
showed what they did for the Lord after the Resurrection.

4/5/09 Feeding the Fire Within (Palm Sunday)
(John 11: 16, 14: 5 - 7 & 20: 24 - 29)
We always call him "Doubting Thomas"...and everything we know about him is colored by that perception. That is actually unfair because Thomas was not
always a doubter. In fact, at one point, he was quite brave and was ready to die for Jesus. So, how did he become "Doubting Thomas"? Much like the Palm
Sunday revelers, Thomas showed he was a mile wide and an inch deep. How can we avoid that pitfall in our own lives?

4/9/09 Destined for the Cross (Maundy Thursday)
(Matthew 26: 47 - 54)
Jesus went to the Cross...and according to what He said, it was all to fulfill Scripture, namely Old Testament prophetical writings. Did you know that, in
addition to those, there was also a disciple mentioned in Old Testament prophecies too?

4/10/09 True Restoration (Good Friday)
(Luke 22: 47 - 62; John 21: 15 - 17)
Peter was a broken man. He had followed Jesus for three years and then denied he even knew Him. But Jesus restored Peter by the sea following His
resurrection in a very specific way.

4/12/09 Transformed by the Resurrection (Easter Sunday)
(John 20: 19 - 23 & some selected passages from Acts)
How did the disciples go from those who were huddling in fear in the Upper Room to the brave and bold men who fearlessly spread the Gospel and thus
starting the Christian church? An amazing transformation occurred...and it should occur in all of us as a result of the Resurrection.

"A Joyful and Flourishing Faith"
(a 30-part sermon series on Philippians)

4/19/09 Special Relationships
(Philippians 1: 1 - 6)
The beginning of each one of Paul's letters always contained a special personal greeting. But Paul's relationship with the Philippians was different and
even deeper than with other churches. Paul had a special relationship with the Philippians, just one of the special relationships in his greeting.

4/26/09 Defenders of the Faith
(Philippians 1: 7b)
Defender of the faith...one of the titles of British kings and queens since the early 16th century. Defender of the faith...whether we realize it or not, it is to be a
descriptive title for Christians as well.

5/3/09 The Grace We Share
(Philippians 1: 7 - 8)
God's grace is truly amazing! But for those fortunate enough to live any length of a Christian life and walk after being saved, God's grace does not end at
salvation. In fact, God's grace is something we continue to experience and share.

5/10/09 Going Higher and Higher
(Philippians 1: 9 - 11)
Many people, upon being saved and becoming Christians, do not take advantage of the opportunity to grow in relationship and knowledge of God and
Jesus Christ. But it is exactly what we should be doing, namely getting to know and understand as much as we can the God who loved us so much that He
sent His only Son to die for us.

5/17/09 Unexpected Results
(Philippians 1: 12 - 14)
Sometimes things just don't work out the way we expect them to work out. At times that can be a disappointing thing. But when God is in the picture and
bringing about His purposes, unexpected results should be the norm. Paul encouraged the Philippians with some of those unexpected results.

5/24/09 The Big Picture
(Philippians 1: 15 - 19)
(audio not available)
How could Paul NOT care that rivals were preaching Christ out of rivalry and selfish ambitions? How could he rejoice not only for that but his prison
situation? Paul wasn't looking at things with rose-colored glasses, that's for sure. He simply saw with different eyes that allowed him to see the big picture.

5/31/09 How to Look at Our Christian Lives
(Philippians 1: 20 - 26)
What does it mean to say, "To live is Christ..."? (Philippians 1: 21a) It is one of the more well-known statements of Paul and, along with the verses right
around it, we get a clear picture of how we are to look at our Christian lives.

6/7/09 The Conduct of a Christ-Follower
(Philippians 1: 27 - 30)
It is very true that we are not to be legalistic rule followers as Christians as if that would save us. Rather, we obey and follow the commands of God now
because we are saved and called to live a different life, a life that honors Christ. And our Christ-like, Gospel-worthy conduct is important for many reasons.

6/14/09 Christian Unity
(Philippians 2: 1 - 2)
Is there such a thing as Christian unity? Looking at the worldwide church, the answer would seem to be a resounding NO! There are disagreements in
almost every branch of Christianity. Over history, Baptists alone seem to have created new denominations over almost every difference! However, despite
the disunity in the Christian church, Christian unity is more than idealistic...it is, in fact, a clear and biblical call.

6/21/09 Brother's Keeper
(Philippians 2: 3 - 4)
One of the only discernible problems in Philippi was a future one...disunity in the church. This is a problem that can creep into even a sound church if it is
not vigilant to avoid the problems that can cause it. Paul not only described two of the problems that can bring disunity about but also how to avoid them.

6/28/09 To Have the Mind of Christ: Part I
(Philippians 2: 5 - 6)
The section of Scripture from Philippians 2: 5 - 11 is a classic passage full of rich theology. But it is set in the context of humility...and after telling the
Philippian Christians that they should be humble toward one another, Paul went on to tell them about the ultimate example of humility found
in the Lord Jesus Christ.

7/5/09 To Have the Mind of Christ: Part II
(Philippians 2: 7 - 8)
On this Independence Day weekend, we remembered many who gave their lives in obedient service to the United States for the freedom we enjoy today as
Americans. There was another who obediently gave His life for our eternal freedom.

7/19/09 The Exaltation of Christ
(Philippians 2: 9 - 11)
Jesus Christ IS Lord of all! Don't believe it? Check out what Paul said about Jesus in this classic passage about who
Jesus is and why He came to earth.

7/26/09 The Cooperative Work of Sanctification
(Philippians 2: 12 - 13)
There are some mysteries of the Christian faith, one of the most compelling is how our free will and God's will work together. Paul gave a good explanation
of how that works in the context of the life long pursuit of sanctification in the believer's life.

8/2/09 Are You Different from the World?
(Philippians 2: 14 - 18)
Some cars are washed and waxed constantly so they keep that lustrous shine (mine is not one of them!). But it doesn't take long for them to get dirty, does
it? One rainstorm, one puddle splash and the shine starts to go away and it looks as dirty as any other car. As Christians, we are called to shine in a
depraved and crooked generation that could cause us to lose our luster too. So, how do we shine? How do we show we are different from the world?

8/16/09 A Tale of Two Servants
(Philippians 2: 19 - 30)
What does a pastor and a missionary have in common with us ordinary Christians? No, it's not the beginning of a bad joke...it's a real question! And Paul
shows us the answer as he speaks about two servants dear to his heart, Timothy and Epaphroditus.

8/23/09 The Anchor
(Philippians 3: 1)
In these times when the Bible has been largely put aside (even in some extremely liberal churches) and all sorts of heretical teachings are being given in
churches, we need a firm anchor to hold us steady. Paul points us toward that anchor in this brief passage in Philippians.

8/30/09 The Right Righteousness: Part I
(Philippians 3: 2 - 3)
Sacraments; infant baptism; rituals, rites and ceremonies...what do they all mean?
Paul takes a look at a common tradition of his day to give us the answer.

9/13/09 The Right Righteousness: Part II
(Philippians 3: 3 - 9; focus on 4 - 9)
Paul had an awesome resume`...at least in his own mind. He put his faith and confidence in a lot of things that he thought would earn him a place in
heaven. But much like people in our own day and age who think they can get to heaven by the things they do, Paul teaches us about the right righteousness
necessary to become a Christian and to gain heaven.

9/20/09 Our Heart's Desire: I Want to KNOW Christ!
(Philippians 3: 10 - 11)
Do you know Jesus Christ as Savior? Have you accepted Him as Lord and also accepted His death on the Cross as sufficient for your salvation? If your
answer is YES, then I can say without a doubt that you are a Christian! But did you know that you can know Jesus even more than that? It's true!

9/27/09 Our Heart's Desire: I Want to GROW in Christ!
(Philippians 3: 12 - 16)
Paul wanted to know the Lord Jesus intimately and in ever deepening ways. And in his quest for that kind of relationship with the Lord, Paul wrote about
how we too are to strive for spiritual maturity in this life.

10/4/09 Our Heart's Desire: I Want to SHOW Christ!
(Philippians 3: 17 - 20a)
The Christian life is not just about knowing the truth...it's about living that truth out in the world so others will see Christ in our words and deeds. Paul
addressed this very issue and told us that we should want to show Christ to the world.

10/11/09 Great Expectations
(Philippians 3: 30 - 4: 1)
All Christians should be looking forward and looking up...and Paul gave four truths as to why Christians should
always have great expectations.

10/18/09 How and Why Christians Should Agree
(Philippians 4: 2 - 3)
Will Christians agree all the time? No. We are sinful after all and we tend to do what we want to do at times. That always brings conflict and tension.
Perhaps a better question is this: Should Christians agree? Yes they should! And Paul gives a very biblical answer to that question.

10/25/09 Rejoice Always...Really???
(Philippians 4: 4 - 7)
In a world that seems to be falling down around us in so many ways, did Paul really mean "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Yes, he
did mean it...and Paul gave four reasons why every Christian should rejoice in the Lord.

11/1/09 Thinking, Being, Doing
(Philippians 4: 8 - 9)
The Christian life is one of total transformation: from the top of our heads to the tips of our toes, from the depth of our beings inside to what we display on
the outside. Paul goes about showing that in one of the most beautiful and well-known passages in Philippians.

11/8/09 The Secret of Being Content
(Philippians 4: 10 - 12)
Contentment...a trait that many in our discontented society could use. It's not always easy to come to a place of contentment, though, and it isn't just a
positive attitude we can decide to put on one day. There is a secret to being content...and Paul describes what that is in this passage.

11/15/09 The Source of Our Strength
(Philippians 4: 13)
A lot of us independent American Christians depend on ourselves and our own power to solve whatever comes our way in life. But the real source of power
in the Christian life does not come from our own power.

11/22/09 The Asset of Giving
(Philippians 4: 14 - 18)
Paul begins to bring his letter to a close with a little parenthetical "thank you" to the Philippians. In explaining what their gift meant to him, Paul also gave a
theology of missions giving and explained that there is an asset to the giver as well.

11/25/09 The Glorious Riches of Christ (Thanksgiving Eve)
(Philippians 4: 19 - 23)
Many read the close of a New Testament letter and think there just isn't that much there to see. But Paul actually says quite a bit at the close of Philippians
and we can see many reasons why we should be thankful.

"Regarding Shepherds and Sheep"
(a 5-part Advent sermon series)

11/29/09 From Shepherd to Shepherd
(Isaiah 11: 1 - 5)
The Bible shows us very clearly that the birth of Jesus was foretold hundreds of years before He was born. Isaiah shows us some specifics from David to
Jesus and even to His return to judge at the end of time.

12/6/09 The Description of the Shepherd
(Micah 5: 1 - 5a)
It is amazing how clearly the prophets could see. Even one of the so-called "Minor Prophets," Micah, had a major vision regarding the
coming Shepherd and Messiah.

12/13/09 The Shepherd's Love
(Isaiah 40: 10 - 11; Psalm 23: John 10: 7 - 18)
Micah referred to the fact that the coming Messiah would shepherd His flock. But what exactly does it mean for Jesus to be our Great Shepherd? By looking
at another prophecy of Isaiah and two other passages, it is clear to see how Jesus is our Shepherd indeed.

12/20/09 The Reactions to the Shepherd
(Matthew 2: 1 - 12; Luke 2: 8 - 20)
There were different reactions to the birth of the newborn king...some accepted Him as the promised Messiah; some worshiped Him; others wanted to
eliminate Him. What has changed in 2000 years? What is your reaction to the Shepherd?

12/24/09 What Do You Mean We're Having a Little Shepherd???
(Luke 1: 26 - 38; Matthew 1: 18 - 25)
What was going through Joseph's mind when Mary told him about their upcoming bundle of joy?

12/27/09 What Is Worship?
Selected Scriptures
There have been wars over the topic of worship in churches...but those usually related to the style rather than the object of our worship. So what IS worship?

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