Burnt Hickory | Sermons

This week, we continue our Ephesians sermon series, called Together in Him and for Him, by looking at the second chapter the Apostle Paul writes to the church in Ephesus. We learn that while sin is an action we commit, it is also a condition that we are born into. When we live like we are the God of our life, we replace living for God's glory inside His authority with living for our own glory by following our sinful desires. From this passage, we find that the four key elements of our salvation are the foundation of our salvation (grace) , the means of our salvation (faith), the effect of our salvation (good works), and the promise of our salvation (whatever God starts, He finishes). Faith is not a religious feeling; it is a belief that Jesus has done it all, it is all finished, and that salvation happens just like He said it would.

As we celebrate the fathers and father figures in our lives this week, we get to hear from a panel of dads and pastors give us godly wisdom for shepherding our families. God gives us as dads some scriptural commands to not exasperate our kids, but to bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Earthly fathers should be patterned and reflect God’s divine fatherhood, and the guide for all fathers should be to live in such a way that his children can see what God the Father is like.

We continue in the second half of the first chapter in the book of Ephesians for our sermon series called Together in Him and for Him. Today we ask God to open our eyes to the hope that he has called us to, the riches of his glorious inheritance, and the incomparably great power that is available to us as Christians. As followers of Christ, our main purpose is to know and pursue God more and in this we need to realize that we are God’s greatest treasure now and forever more. Because we have biblical hope, we can trust with certainty that God treasures us, and we are not left abandoned. We learn from scripture that our faith in God and our love for others is a constant and continual litmus test of the condition of our souls.

We begin our summer sermon series through the book of Ephesians and dig into the idea that we are chosen and set apart, and just as the early church in Ephesus, we have a purpose for God. Pastor Brian covers the beginning of this rich New Testament letter, and we learn that we are chosen, adopted, redeemed, and marked and its all to the praise of the glory of God. This is the good news, that God has so richly blessed us and because of Christ, we have been shown grace. Our salvation is guaranteed, and our inheritance is secure in Christ, and our response is faithful praise.

We study scripture again this week to pull out principles of generosity as we give to God our first and best. Jesus’ life is the model for generosity that we should follow in our own lives and God has richly provided us with everything we need for our enjoyment. As we save, we should remember that treasure in heaven is worth more and better than any treasure on earth, and our primary source of security and significance is God, not money.

Why is it so uncomfortable to talk about money in the church? Well, over the years, it’s been a topic that has been abused by some pastors and most people are not living in obedience to our calling that God has put on us as Christians to give. Today, we dive into scripture to see why Jesus spoke so often about money, and what God actually asks of his followers in generosity. Everything belongs to the Lord in the first place, and the things we give to show what we truly love. This sermon covers several principles that will help us understand why and how to be generous to glorify God.

We celebrate mothers and mom figures today on this special day, and through scripture, we learn about faithfulness. Proverbs 31 dives into what a faithful and noble wife and mother looks like, her value and purpose in life, the sacrifice she makes for her family. We see that the faithful take action and serve their families and others and speaks truth while loving sacrificially. These are not just the marks of a good mother, but also a good Christian. We are all called to serve our family and serve others. We are to be servants in example of Jesus, who came not to be served, but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many.

We celebrate our graduating class of High School Seniors today as Pastor Eli preaches on endurance in life. We learn through this bible study that in order to endure life, we must full surrender to God who has overcome, and we need to surround ourselves with Godly community. Biblical community provides accountability and guidance, collective worship and prayer, and a way to witness to the world. Second Corinthians chapter 4 tells us do not lose heart, for our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that will far outweigh all our troubles here on Earth. So, we should fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on the eternal.

The foundation of Christian discipleship is obedience, to do whatever Jesus tells us to do. It’s a tough, but powerful lesson we learn as we study scripture today. We aren’t called to do amazing things, but God will do extraordinary things through us because of our obedience. Jesus steps in when it seems like nothing else can help, starts with what we have to offer, and looks for our willingness to obey, even in the absurd. He adds extra to our ordinary and gives blessings that do more than just meet today’s needs. His blessings are long lasting. Jesus promises the best is never yet experienced until he shows up, and we can depend on his promises.

Joy is one of the most vital and important gages on the dashboard of life. We as followers of Christ, our lives should be filled with joy, but sometimes it seems a struggle to find it amidst our circumstances. Today, as we study scripture, we learn that we will be joy-filled when we recognize sin, worship sincerely and treasure Jesus. When we redirect our confidence in Jesus instead of our own ability and depend on the Holy Spirit, we’ll experience the power of joy. Paul says to the church in Philippi that everything that was gain to me, I have considered a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ.