2017 Sermon Series

I’ve been asked where we were going after the Titus series at Rocky Creek.  As of right now, I’ve got a plan for the rest of the year – series by series, week by week.  While I am open to change, I believe that through the time in the Word and prayer, I am really excited about what is coming up.

Why is it important to plan this far in advance?

  1. God’s Spirit is just as powerful in preparation as he is in delivery.
  2. The Word drives the direction.
  3. It allows me to be aware of the calendar.
  4. It provides worship team adequate time to plan and prepare.
  5. It allows time for the messages to marinate.
  6. It gives me reasonable time to study and plan what books to read and when to read them.
  7. I am able to pick appropriate days for celebrating communion.
  8. I constantly can be throwing ideas or illustrations into note-taking because I know what I am looking for.
  9. I am not worried about where to go next.  The Word has already decided that.

You can keep with the sermons on the church site or podcast.

So with all that reasoning, here is where we are going next:

Sermon Series

  1. For Such a Time as This – Trial Sermon
  2. Jonah: God’s Relentless Pursuit (February-March 2017) – This was a book study of Jonah that helped us think and live missionally.
  3. Titus: Paradigm Shifts in the Church (March-April 2017) – This study went through Book of Titus and helped us think how to live as a local church.
  4. Biblical Blueprint: God Has a Plan for Your Home (May 2017) – This 4-week study will focus on family discipleship.
  5. After God’s Own Heart: Character Study of David (June-July 2017) – This study selects pivotal moments from the life of David.  Our groups will be studying the Psalms during this summer time as well.
  6. The Word: God’s Grand Narrative (August-November 2017) – We are going to embark upon a 100-Day Bible Reading Plan as a church together.  I will preach through passages chronologically as we go through.
  7. Peace on Earth: Advent (December 2017) – We will celebrate the coming of Jesus and the peace that he brings.
  8. Year in Review: Here I Raise My Ebenezer (December 2017) – This will serve as an end of the year sermon to help us look back and look forward.

For those interested, here is the specific sermon breakdown:

Sermons

  • 1/1
  • 1/8
  • 1/15
  • 1/22 – For Such a Time as This [Esther 4] – If I fail to do my part, God’s purposes will still go forward.  God doesn’t need me, but he wants me.
  • 1/29
  • 2/5
  • 2/12 – Jonah: Anywhere but Nineveh [Jonah 1] – It is not beyond God to call us to difficult and unexpected tasks.  If we attempt to flee, God proves that he can always outrun us and get us right where he wants us to be.
  • 2/19 – Jonah: A Fish Named “Grace” [Jonah 2] – No amount of rebellion is greater than God’s love.  His relentless pursuit of us often finds us in the lowest possible places.
  • 2/26 – Jonah: The God of Second Chances [Jonah 3] – Despite our sin, God provides second chances.  Not only does he show grace to us, but he can show grace through us.
  • 3/5 – Jonah: Practical Heretic [Jonah 4] – It is worthless to agree with a theology that we cannot embrace.  We must fight against the tendency to withhold from others the same grace that benefited us.
  • 3/12 – Titus: Order in the Church (Titus 1:1-9) – Churches can easily drift from the biblical mandate.  God’s Word provides specific directions to bring order within a church family.
  • 3/19 – Titus: All Talk (Titus 1:10-16) – Many can profess doctrinal clarity but few can practice ethical purity.  As believers, we cannot be all talk in our commitment.
  • 3/26 – Titus: The Multigenerational Church (Titus 2:1-6) – Churches are prone to segregate groups by ages.  The biblical example is quite different by modeling multigenerational relationships.
  • 4/2 – Titus: On the Clock (Titus 2:7-10) – While we are on the clock vocationally, we are also on the clock missionally.  Even if your job isn’t in the ministry, you are in the ministry.
  • 4/9 – Titus: Working While Waiting (Titus 2:11-15) – People tend to drift to either passively waiting on Christ’s return or actively working while ignoring his return.  We are to show zeal in our work while we wait.
  • 4/16 – Titus: Christ Have Mercy (Titus 3:1-7) – We will never do enough good works to earn God’s favor.  Our only hope for salvation is if Christ shows us mercy.
  • 4/23 – Titus: Stirring Up Division (Titus 3:8-11) – In our striving for church unity, we must avoid majoring in the minors.  God’s Word teaches us how to maintain unity and deal with those who stir up division.
  • 4/30 – Titus: Until Every Need Is Met (Titus 3:12-15) – The tendency can be to give as little as possible.  Instead of showing minimal generosity, we should see how we can give until every need is met.
  • 5/7 – Biblical Blueprint: Unless the LORD Builds the House (Psalm 127) – Families can focus upon numerous worthless pursuits. As believers, we must build our families based upon the biblical blueprint provided.
  • 5/14 – Biblical Blueprint: Suitable Helper (Gen. 2; Eph. 5:26) – While sin seeks to corrupt our families, God has given us a helper through the gift of marriage. In marriage, you are meant to be a suitable helper for your spouse.
  • 5/21 – Biblical Blueprint: Teach Your Children Diligently (Deut. 6:4-9) – While the church provides important spiritual environments, the most critical spiritual environment is the one in which you live. Parents are called to evangelize and disciple their children.
  • 5/28 – Biblical Blueprint: The Exposed Places (Neh. 4:10-14) – In every home, there are exposed places for danger to enter. We must identify where they are, build up the walls, and fight against combative tactics.
  • 6/4 – After God’s Own Heart: God Rarely Uses Who You’d Expect (1 Sam. 16) – David was the least likely to become king but God set him apart for this task. While man judges the external value, God judges the internal worth.
  • 6/11 – After God’s Own Heart: There’s Always Somebody Taller (1 Sam. 17) – Israel put their strength in King Saul the tall until Goliath the taller came around. In the battle against a giant, never forget the greater story of which we are a part.
  • 6/18 – After God’s Own Heart: Worship by the Book (2 Sam. 6) – When David returned the ark to Jerusalem, he learned how God takes worship very seriously. We can’t worship God if we neglect the Word of God.
  • 6/25 – After God’s Own Heart: This Is the House That God Built (2 Sam. 7; Ps .8) – David wanted to honor God by building him a house, but God had a greater house of which David could never build. The greatest work of our lives will not be what we do for God but what God has done for us.
  • 7/2 – After God’s Own Heart: Carried to the Table (2 Sam. 9) – David showed kindness to disabled Mephibosheth by carrying him to the king’s table. Seated with the King of kings, our brokenness is hidden and God’s favor is restored.
  • 7/9 – After God’s Own Heart: God’s Steadfast Love Endures (Ps. 52) – No matter the plots of man against us, God’s love endures.
  • 7/16 – After God’s Own Heart: When the King Stayed Home (2 Sam. 11; Ps. 51) – When King David was supposed to be winning a battle on the field, he stayed home and lost a battle within his heart.  Sin can start with being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
  • 7/23 – After God’s Own Heart: When Goliath Is Yesterday’s News (2 Sam. 21:15-22; cf. 1 Ch. 20:4-8) – When David was king, his followers killed giants even larger than Goliath and it wasn’t even that significant of an event. Giant slaying leaders develop giant slaying followers.
  • 7/30 – After God’s Own Heart: No More Costless Offerings (2 Sam. 24) – King David refused an opportunity to make a sacrifice to God which would cost him nothing. When we give anything to God, we must give our very best.
  • 8/6 – The Word: For the Bible Tells Me So (Ezra 7:1-10) – Similar to our context, Ezra the scribe lived in a time when the Word of God had been neglected.  How are we to reorient our lives to what the Bible teaches?
  • 8/13 – The Word: The Story of the Bible (Rom. 1:1-6) – The Bible is not a collection of disconnected, moralistic stories. It is the one overarching story of how the cross of Christ will rescue a fallen people.
  • 8/20 – The Word: Two Trees in the Garden (Gen. 1-3) – It didn’t take long before sin corrupted God’s good creation. While disobedience brought about brokenness, God revealed a plan to redeem what had fallen.
  • 8/27 – The Word: There’s a Ram in the Thicket (Gen. 22) – God miraculously gave Abraham a son but later commanded to sacrifice him. Instead of Abraham having to go through with Issac’s death, a ram in the thicket became a substitute.
  • 9/3 – The Word: God Meant It for Good (Gen. 50) – Once Israel died, his sons feared Joseph’s retaliation. While Joseph had been hurt by their evil, he viewed his suffering role as critical in the good God was doing.
  • 9/10 – The Word: Impatient Idolatry (Ex. 32) – Even though the people had gotten out of Egypt, Egypt hadn’t gotten out of the people. Growing impatient with God’s timing, the people used a gift from God as a replacement for God.
  • 9/17 – The Word: The Word of the LORD Was Rare (1 Sam. 3) – Samuel was called to be a prophet during a time when the word of the LORD was rare.  His ministry was established by God’s presence and determined by God’s Word.
  • 9/24 – The Word: Walk in His Ways (1 Kings 2) – As David neared his death, he gave final instructions to his son, Solomon.  Out of all the wisdom he could have given, he urged his son to walk in the ways of the LORD.
  • 10/1 – The Word: I Have Found the Book (2 Kings 22) – King Josiah stumbled upon the neglected Word of God and it changed the nation. We must blow the dust of the Bible and encounter God’s claims upon our lives.
  • 10/8 – The Word: The Great and Awesome Day of the LORD (Malachi 4) – As God’s people wavered in their devotion, Malachi promised that the promised Messiah was drawing near. This great and awesome day of the LORD would change everything.
  • 10/15 – The Word: The Law and the Prophets Met Their Match (Matthew 5) – While Jesus’ ministry was history-altering, it was also history-fulfilling.  The words contained in the Law and the Prophets finally met their match in Jesus.
  • 10/22 – The Word: The God Who Washes Feet (John 13) – Before the cross, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples in an act of humble servitude.  Jesus didn’t come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.
  • 10/29 – The Word: Day by Day (Acts 2) – As the Holy Spirit empowered the disciples, the early church was born.  This body of believers met together day by day and saw God do amazing acts in their midst.
  • 11/5 – The Word: Doers of the Word (James 1) – Learning biblical information does not guarantee biblical transformation.  We must learn how to apply the Word of God into our lives.
  • 11/12 – The Word: The Sword of the Spirit (Eph 6) – In Paul’s description of the armor of God, most elements are seen as defensive components, and yet he describes the Bible as the sword of the Spirit.  How are believers to wield this offensive weapon in spiritual battles?
  • 11/19 – The Word: When Jesus Sat Down (Heb. 10) – Priests could never sit down in worship because sacrifices would always need to be offered. Once Jesus offered himself, he sat down at the right hand of God for the task was finished once and for all.
  • 11/26 – The Word: All Things New (Rev. 21-22) – What once was broken will be made right again. Jesus is making all things new.
  • 12/3 – Peace on Earth: Did the Angels Waste Their Words? (Luke 2:8-14) – When the angels announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds, they told them that peace on earth had come.  As we look around us, how do we reconcile this supposed peace with the state of the world?
  • 12/10 – Peace on Earth: Obedience Over Feelings (Matt. 1:18-25) – Joseph thought he had been betrayed by Mary and yet surrendered his personal feelings to obey God’s commands.  In our relationships, we must submit to God’s Word to experience God’s peace.
  • 12/17 – Peace on Earth: The Dragon Outside the Nativity (Rev. 12:1-17) – The Book of Revelation reveals a different perspective that happened at the birth of Jesus.  While the enemy comes to bring chaos, Jesus has come and will come again to bring peace.
  • 12/24 – Peace on Earth: There Can Only Be One King (Matt. 2:1-18) – Herod felt threatened when his throne was challenged by Jesus’ birth.  There is only room for one king on the throne of your life, and you cannot experience peace until Jesus sits upon it.
  • 12/31 – Year in Review: Here I Raise My Ebenezer (1 Sam. 7) – Samuel remembered God’s faithfulness in the past to help him go forward. As individuals and as a church, it is important to celebrate his activity in the previous year as we anticipate his work in the coming year.