Burnt Hickory | Sermons

We finish our sermon series called God’s Not Done With You by studying arguably the best comeback story in the bible, David. Davis was blessed by God in so many ways, but he was isolated and in a place to be tempted. The truth is everyone sins. It’s our response after the sin that makes the difference. Whether you cover it up, hide it, move on, or try to make up for our sin, God loves us, even in our sin. When we approach God with a humble and repentant heart, He will not reject us. Sin will never satisfy us and always leaves us empty, but repentance aligns us back to God’s loving heart.

Just because we don’t clearly see God’s plan in this moment, it does not mean that He does not moving in an amazing way to save us. Sometimes, even when we don’t see God, He still wants us to stand for Him. We continue our sermon series called God’s Not Done With You, and we read from scripture about Esther. What we learn is that God is always working to position and prepare us to make a stand for Him, and He places wise people in our lives to show us His compassion and His plan. God see and blesses every act of obedience, and we are never out of His sight.

As we continue our sermon series called God’s not done with you, we dive into the story of Jonah. We learn that the discipline of God comes from His heart of love to draw us back to him, not to push us away. Sin starts with small decisions but ends with major disasters because it starts with us saying no to God and yes to our own desires. We also see that sin causes us to live as people we swore we would never be and our sin effects everyone around us. But the good news is that God loves us enough to provide a solution to our sin problem through His forgiveness and love.

God loves you, and He wants to give you peace, power, deliverance and hope. As we study Elijah’s story today in scripture, we see a road map to despair paved with emptiness, opposition, fearfulness, and loneliness. But also, we see in the bible that God will always provide just what we need, right when we need it. Our role as Christ followers is to trust in God’s provision and listen to Him. God gives us assurance of His power, presence, and love, and that is what defeats despair.

No matter the circumstance we find ourselves in today, God will be faithful. He is always working for our eternal good and his glory; therefore, we should boldly live with an eternal focus, not a sin-stained, limited, earthly perspective. As we continue our sermon series called God’s Not Done With You, we look in Genesis at the story of Joseph. What we can learn from this scripture is that even if it seems that all others have rejected you, even family, God hasn’t, and God is enough. Our true character is revealed in the choices we make under pressure, and when other believe the worst about you, it’s God that stand with and for you.

When you are feeling like the world has ended, that things you’re striving for are falling apart, when it seems like all hope is lost, God’s not done with you. We look in scripture through this sermon series at the lives of people who have not been defined by their past, but God has shown that even in their failures, He’s not done in their lives. Today we look at Moses and see that God was not done with him, and that every person that is greatly used by God has had an encounter when they have had to listen to God. God speaks when we are humble and ready to listen to Him, and one simple word from God can literally change our whole life. As we listen and begin to trust God, we see that God can ensure our future no matter what our past looks like.

As we conclude our sermon series through Ephesians, we look at chapter 6 and the idea that our work matters to God. What we do for a vocation is ordained by God at creation before the fall – to work in relationship with each other, to meet needs, and to be fruitful and multiply. In modern times, we have separated the sacred from the secular, keeping work and Christina life distinct, when in reality, our vocation is our calling from God. As we seek God’s approval, we get to serve others through our interactions at work. Your eternal rewards are given by God based on your work here on earth, so your work matters to him.

In Ephesians chapter 5, we see the picture of what a family looks like that’s been changed by the gospel. Just as Christ saved us from darkness, we are to live as children of light in Him. When we read that wives should submit to their husbands, we know that it does not mean that a wife is not equal to her husband, or that she has to always agree with her husband. What it does imply is that a biblical marriage has honor for the husband’s Godly leadership and cooperate in helping through her gifts. When we see that husbands are to love their wives with a sacrificial, serving, faithful, caring, and sanctifying love.

We continue in our summer sermon series through Ephesians by looking at chapter 4 this week. We see that in discerning spiritual gifts that God has given us, we need to consider our affinity, ability, and the affirmation from others. Our gifts are the means in which we share the gospel. Because we have been changed through the gospel, we live with renewed minds, hearts, and souls for Christ. Charles Stanley puts it this way – “God's plan for enlarging His kingdom is so simple - one person telling another about the Savior. Yet we're busy and full of excuses. Just remember, someone's eternal destiny is at stake. The joy you'll have when you meet that person in heaven will far exceed any discomfort you felt in sharing the gospel.”

This week, we continue our sermon series through Ephesians as we look to chapter 3 verses 14-21. We know that an active prayer life is an essential part of Christian living, and Paul gives us a model prayer to follow and learn from in his letter to the Ephesians. We should pray with humility through gratitude of God’s provision and with confidence in him. We need to seek through prayer the fullness of God’s power and love and pray with great expectations for what He has and is doing. The passage ends with the benediction: now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever.