Sermons

Earlier in 1 Corinthians Paul was dealing with unrighteousness, tolerance of sin and a lax attitude toward holiness, but now he turns his attention toward dealing with excessive self-righteousness. Legalism is subtle and can seem like holiness, but it is just as sinful as sexual immorality and other sins. Self-righteousness is born out of self-love and loathing of others — seeing other Christians as average, subpar and not pleasing to God. The legalistic believer is concerned more with performance and appearances — creating lists and rules of holiness that aren't found in the Bible. When we become self-righteous we depend more on our own performance and potential rather than Christ's finished work on the Cross. Trust in Jesus' cleansing blood. It is Christ, and Christ alone, that sets us free from our sin.

At the Cross the power of sin was broken and destroyed. Because of the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ the power of lying, jealousy, pornography, homosexuality and any other sin you can name was rendered powerless. If you are a slave to sin you don’t have to be anymore. In your own strength you cannot deliver yourself but when you give your struggle to Jesus and trust in Him the powers of darkness will be broken over your life. Today freedom is yours for the asking. Come and behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Loyalty by definition means to be faithful to one's sovereign. To be faithful to one's oath concerning the commitments we make or obligations we have. To be faithful to any leader or cause. To be faithful to a friend. The question we need to ask ourselves is: am I a loyal person? Can my words be trusted and can I be depended on even if my commitments are not comfortable for me to keep. What about in your place of employment or at home with family? Loyal people inspire faith and loyalty in other people. Loyal people are able to accept where God has placed them in the body and are loyal to those whom God has placed over them. God is challenging us to a higher plane, something deeper and more passionate than any of us can muster up in our natural strength. When you choose the path of loyalty there is a power stronger than yourself that is available to you. We have the power of Christ in us to be lived out through us.

Do your daily circumstances overwhelm you? Do you always see the negative in any situation? Are there people in your life who are always a spiritual drain because of their negative outlook on life? How do you not be anxious in these situations? Scripture encourages us not to be anxious about anything. We are to rejoice in the midst of our struggles. We take our needs to God with thanksgiving. When we do this God's peace for all of our trials is promised to us.

What is causing you to fear? At some point we have to make a conscience decision to trust God and not be afraid of what others or circumstances can do to us. Fear comes into our lives when we look at our calling and see the enormity of it and dismay comes when we see the lack of resources we have within us to succeed. The Bible tells us not to fear or be dismayed because although we are ordinary people we have living inside of us an extraordinary God. Faith looks away from self and the enemy and grabs a hold of God and His promises. The devil says you cannot, but God says you can! The devil says you can only go this far but God says, “If you put your trust in me there is no limit to what I can do in your life.” The righteous are as bold as a lion!

To be a true worshipper you must have a revelation of worship from God. God is seeking those who will truly worship Him. He is longing for us. This worship is not birthed out of what we can gain or answered prayer. It is about what we can give to God. This worship is about honest pursuit of purity in our lives. True worshippers also have resilience to be faithful to the calling on their lives. Jesus often spoke of finishing the work of His Father. A worshipper will not give up when things are difficult because they know God has never forsaken them.

This message speaks about what it means to cling to Esau and why we do it? Also what does it mean to let go of Esau and how is it possible? The things that are the hardest to let go of are the things we held onto the longest. God will allow a season of wrestling when we come face to face with ourselves and face to face with God. In this time we realize that we cannot do good in our own strength. We cannot imitate or emulate the power and the presence of God. When we acknowledge our weakness and cling to God there is no room for Esau. When we let go of Esau we will begin to see everything in the context of the face of God.

This message is for those who don’t speak about Jesus because those close to you see your weaknesses. Maybe you lost your temper in the work place or did something that hurt your testimony. Have you ever considered the fact that the world doesn't need a super star or someone who has it all together? What the lost need to see is an ordinary, honest person who is able to tell them all the good that God has done for them. When we make a choice to reach out to the lost and desire to see them set free from captivity God will give us all the love and authority that we need. Do not look at your frailty or insufficiency. Look to Jesus who is willing to partner with you in spite of your weakness. We all have a testimony that the world needs to hear.

The Israelites were aware of God's glory and presence. This was a covering to them and was also their protection. The nation of Israel illustrated this covering many ways, one of which is their prayer shawl called a chuppah. When they prayed they came into the presence and covering of God. The Jewish people also used this chuppah in their marriage ceremony. The couple that was making a covenant with one another made this commitment under the covering of the chuppah, representing their covenant with God in every aspect of their marriage. Every decision this couple made in the future was to be only under the covering of God. Paul warns in Corinthians of breaking this covenant and joining with something outside of God's covering. When you step outside of God's covering for your marriage you are breaking the covenant that you made before God. You must actively protect the covenant you have with one another by staying under the chuppah and in the presence of God.

In the opening verses of 1 Corinthians 5, Paul grieves over the church because they had accepted immoral sexual practices that not even the unsaved around them would tolerate. Their hearts had grown so cold that they didn't even recognize it as sin anymore. Oddly, later in these verses, Paul goes on to talk about unleavened bread. Like the leaven that gets into the bread, sin can get into our hearts and “rise” or get “puffed up.” Turning to the Old Testament to see how unleavened bread was prepared, we are given an example of how to have an “unleavened” or pure heart. We must practice quick obedience, have honest confession and accountability with others, and allow the Holy Spirit to get into the deepest parts of our heart to reveal hidden sin.