Church of The Open Door Sermons

Church of The Open Door Sermons

By Dr. Jim MindlingReligion & SpiritualityChristianity
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Church of The Open Door Sermons episodes

  • Living as Jesus’ disciples while waiting for Jesus’ return – Week One
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    https://opendoor.tv/wp-content/uploads/05222022-Week-One.mp3







    Sermon Notes
    The Sacred Overlap“Living as Jesus’ disciples while waiting for Jesus’ return”1 Thessalonians 1:1-3
    Why study 1 Thessalonians?

    We are in the same situation as a church

    We are a gathering of disciples
    We are called to make disciples
    We face challenges to our discipleship


    We live in the same tension

    We are “in the world”
    We are “in Christ”
    We live in “the sacred overlap”

    In the world and in Christ
    Kingdoms of this world and kingdom of God
    Christ has come and Christ is coming




    We have the same questions

    When is Jesus coming back?
    What do we do in the meantime?
    How do we live?


    We need the same encouragement

    Let faith shape what you do
    Let love guide how you live
    Let hope inspire you to endure








    LifeGroup Questions

    Icebreaker: What would you want to hear about in a future installment of the “I Wonder” sermon series?(Feel free to send suggestions to [email protected].)
    Which of the challenges to discipleship (discouragement, persecution/pressure, sexual immorality, idleness/laziness) have you noticed in the church of Lorain County?Which have impacted you personally?
    How might our lives be different if we lived as though the church is a gathering of disciples rather than a building, a club, or merely an organization?
    When do the spheres of your life (being in Christ and being in the world) feel the most separate?What creates that feeling of separation?
    How do you tend to respond to the tension that challenges introduce?Do you…

    Get quiet
    Get relevant
    Get away
    Give in
    Other…?


    Read Matthew 5:14-16 and Matthew 6:1-4, both sections from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.In your own life, how do you know when to “let your light shine” and when to “practice your righteousness in secret”?
    Is what you do shaped more by your faith, or more by the influence of the world?How can you tell?

    Paul knew that the Thessalonians needed encouragement—and so do many of us! As you end your time, consider affirming the ways you see one another becoming more like Christ!You can even use the CHRIST acronym as a guide (ie., “I see Christ in you in the way that you’ve grown in your Connection with God”).





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    48 min
  • I Wonder What Happens When I Die? – Week Four
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    https://opendoor.tv/wp-content/uploads/05152022-Week-Four.mp3







    Sermon Notes
    I Wonder…“I Wonder What Happens When I Die”Acts 7:55-60; Luke 23:46

    Death is a doorway to eternity

    For believers, there’s nothing to fear

    Stephen died gracefully and peacefully.
    Jesus died confidently and triumphantly.


    The Father is waiting for us in Heaven

    Heaven is the place where God dwells in all His glory
    He is there to receive our spirit


    When our body dies, our spirit lives

    Our spirit separates from our body
    Our earthly body returns to dust
    Our spirit is given a new body




    Getting ready for eternity

    We will all die
    We will all be resurrected to live forever
    We will all face judgment

    Judgment of works for believers: rewards in Heaven
    Judgment of faith for unbelievers: consequences in Hell
    Why does Hell exist? To deal righteously and justly with Satan.
    God doesn’t send anyone to Hell; people choose to reject God.


    We should all prepare for death

    Acknowledge God as King
    Confess your rebellion and sin
    Trust in Christ’s death for you
    Surrender your life to Christ





    Core CHRISTlike Characteristic: Intentional Evangelism/Loving People





    LifeGroup Questions



    Icebreaker: How early do you begin packing for a week-long vacation?
    What comes to your mind when you think about heaven?How does that compare with the way Pastor Jim described Heaven on Sunday?
    What are you most looking forward to in eternity?Why are you looking forward to that specifically?
    Read Acts 7:55-60 again.What strikes you about Stephen’s death? Why does that strike you?
    Do you find yourself feeling confident or fearful when you consider the end of your life?What impacts the level of confidence that you feel concerning the end of your life?
    Should we look forward to death?Why or why not?(Check out Philippians 1:21-26 for Paul's perspective!)
    Consider those in your life that do not profess faith in Christ.What is your next step in your relationships with these people?Do you need to Build that relationship through intentional love, service, and prayer?Do you need to Bring that person to church, or a LifeGroup function?Is the Holy Spirit leading you to share the difference that Jesus has made in your life?



    End your time by praying for those in your life who have yet to know Jesus, and especially that the Holy Spirit would give you opportunities to share the faith you have in Christ with your friends and neighbors.





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    54 min
  • What Mothers Wonder About – Week Three
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    https://opendoor.tv/wp-content/uploads/05082022-Week-Three.mp3







    Sermon Notes
    I Wonder…“What Mothers Wonder About”Luke 1:29, 2:19
    A mother’s wondering:

    is designed by God

    you were made to wonder
    is determined by your stage
    but can be corrupted by fear


    is influential and formative

    it can lead to anxious worrying
    it can lead to controlling behavior
    it can lead to trusting surrender


    is meant to lead you to prayer

    Breath prayers
    Deep intercession
    Daily surrender to God



    Core CHRISTlike Characteristic: Trustworthy Steward of God’s Resources/Living Surrendered





    LifeGroup Questions

    Icebreaker: Did your parents ever lose you as a kid? Share the story!
    Talk about how your parents prepared you for the hardness of life.
    In your own life, how do you discern the difference between wondering and worrying?
    In The Problem of Pain, C.S. Lewis writes that “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”Do you find yourself considering God more often when your life is pleasant, or when it is painful?Why might that be the case?
    How have you responded to the unknowns that you are wondering about?Does your anxiety run rampant, do you seek to take control, or do you surrender to God in prayer?
    Do you tend to view parenting (or your role as a parent) as discipleship?Compare being a biological parent and being a spiritual parent.
    We are all called from spiritual infancy, to spiritual maturity, and through that maturity to spiritual parenthood (cf. 1 John 2:12-14).Who is nurturing and cultivating you in the Lord?Who in your life are you being called to nurture and cultivate in the Lord?
    Which kind of prayer can you practice and grow in this week (breath prayers, deep intercession, daily surrender)?






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    48 min
  • I wonder why God allows suffering? – Week Two
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    https://opendoor.tv/wp-content/uploads/05012022-Week-Two.mp3







    Sermon Notes
    I Wonder ...at our Avon Lake Campus
    Suffering is a certainty.
    Suffering exists due to sin.Moral failures: Our choices. Others choices.Natural failures: Hurricanes/Tsunamis.
    Life is hard. God is good. Pain is a gift.
    Suffering moves the story forward.Suffering is our only hope for healing.
    2 Responses to pain: Transform or transmit.
    We willingly suffer for what we love.
    Suffering exists due to our choice to sin.Healing exists due to His choice to suffer.
    Christlike characteristics: Relates with other centered love. Spirit-led servant.





    LifeGroup Questions

    Icebreaker: Share your top pet peeve—something that causes you “suffering,” but doesn’t seem to bother everyone else in quite the same way.
    “Suffering ceases to be suffering the minute it finds meaning” (Viktor E. Frankl).In your own words, how would you describe the meaning that we as believers can find in our suffering?(Check out 2 Corintians 4:7-12, 16-18 for some help!)
    How have you seen God work in the midst of suffering and pain in your life to shape you and to draw you?
    Is it good for us to try to find the particular meaning behind every instance of suffering in our lives?Why or why not?
    In what sense can pain be a good thing?Should we seek to live lives as free from pain as possible?Why or why not?
    Read Hebrews 12:1-3.How did Jesus respond to the suffering in His life?
    What are things that you willingly suffer for?What does that demonstrate about what you really love?
    How do you move from being a person who transmits their pain to the people around them, to the person who is transformed in the midst of pain?






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    50 min
  • I Wonder about the Meaning of Life – Week One
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    https://opendoor.tv/wp-content/uploads/04242022-Week-One.mp3







    Sermon Notes
    I Wonder…“I Wonder about the Meaning of Life”Ecclesiastes 1-12; Ephesians 1:1-12
    Trying to find the meaning of life apart from God is a dead end.

    The meaning of life comes from the Source of Life

    You can’t find out the meaning of life by looking within yourself because you didn’t create yourself.
    “It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for”
    Meaning = Identity + purpose


    Our identity is found in Christ:

    We are made in the image of God
    We are loved by God
    We are redeemed by Christ


    Our purpose is found in Christ:

    That we might bring glory to God
    That we might live Christlike lives


    The meaning of life is found in Christ:

    to know God
    to enjoy God
    meaning is deepened in discipleship


    The way to God is through Christ

    surrender your life to God
    trust Jesus
    follow Jesus



    Core CHRISTlike Characteristic: Connected to God through the Word and Prayer/Loving God





    LifeGroup Questions

    Icebreaker: See if you can guess the purpose of this first-century tool.Answer and photo found here.)
    Which of King Solomon’s failed attempts to find meaning have you found yourself drawn to?Have you come to the same conclusion as Solomon (cf. Ecc 1:2)?
    What do you go back to during times of identity crisis?
    How do you know if you are fulfilling your purpose in life?
    “Those who would be happy in heaven if Christ were not there won’t be there” (Scot McKnight, The Jesus Creed).What is McKnight trying to communicate about the purpose of our existence and the nature of being a disciple of Jesus in this quote?Do you agree or disagree, and why?
    What’s the difference between knowing about God and knowing God?How do you move beyond knowing about God to knowing and enjoying Him?
    When do you find yourself most deeply enjoying God?
    Make a plan right now: How can you take a step toward deeper enjoyment of God this week?Be specific!






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    44 min
  • Easter 2022 – “Wonder”
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    https://opendoor.tv/wp-content/uploads/04172022-Easter-2022.mp3







    Sermon Notes
    Easter 2022“Wonder”Luke 24:1-4
    You can live wondering about the resurrection

    Wondering about whether it really happened
    Wondering about how it happened
    Wondering about what difference it makes

    You can live in the wonder of the resurrection.

    Your relationships can be transformed.
    God’s resurrection power is at work in you.
    Your guilt and shame can be obliterated.
    You can face death without fear.
    Your life has purpose and meaning.

    Living in the wonder of the resurrection is living in the wonder of the Resurrected One.
    The more we trust Jesus, the more we will be captivated by the wonder of who He is.





    LifeGroup Discussion/Study Questions

    Icebreaker: Take one minute and see who can find the funniest headline on google!(Or, if the internet is not available, share a favorite or funny headline from memory.)
    What of the three points that Pastor Jim mentioned under point one do you find yourself wondering about the most?
    Read 1 Corinthians 15:13-21, 58.According to Paul, what kind of difference should the resurrection make in our lives?
    Has the knowledge of Jesus’ resurrection transformed you, or merely informed you?What real difference has it made in your life?
    Is there a situation or an aspect of your life that needs to be transformed by the resurrection power of Jesus?
    Have you ever considered what you would do if you were in the shoes of the apostles, all but one of whom were tortured and killed for their faith in Jesus?What would you want to tell yourself in that moment?
    To be “wonder-ful” is to inspire delight, pleasure, or admiration; to be extremely good.Spend a few minutes making a list of things you find wonderful about Jesus and what He has done.Then, as you close in prayer, begin by sharing your list with God, adoring Him for who He is and what He’s done.






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    46 min
  • God’s Meanwhile – Week Seven
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    https://opendoor.tv/wp-content/uploads/04102022-Week-Seven.mp3







    Sermon Notes
    Practical Providence: Trusting God in Daily Life“God’s Meanwhile”Ruth 4:1-22
    God is working in our lives and in our world to accomplish His purposes for our good and His glory.
    God is working in the "meanwhile" to provide just what we need just when we need it.

    God provides a redeemer

    Redemption is buying back something to save it from being lost.
    Boaz redeemed Naomi from being lost in poverty.
    Jesus redeems us from being lost in sin.


    God provides a son

    God gave Obed to Ruth.
    A son represented hope, life, future.
    God gave Jesus to us.


    God provides a king

    God gave Israel King David.
    A king gives leadership, security and purpose.
    God gave us Jesus, the King of Kings.


    God provides everything we need in Jesus

    He provides redemption for our past.
    He provides hope for our future.
    He provides purpose for our present.



    God can be trusted to provide what we need when we need it.





    LifeGroup Discussion/Study Questions

    Icebreaker: See if you can quote the definition of God’s providence!(Answer key at the bottom of the questions.)
    Think back over our study of Ruth.What are your highlights and takeaways?
    God has provided everything that we need in Christ.Share a time in your life when this proved true for you. Be specific!
    What is your “meanwhile,” the mundane stuff of your life that doesn’t always seem to be a part of God’s plan?
    How can learning about God’s providence change the way you approach your meanwhile?
    How might Ruth’s story have ended differently if Boaz had tried to “cut corners”?How does refusing to cut moral corners communicate a deep trust in God?
    Read Romans 8:31-32. According to these verses, why can we trust that God will provide for us?

    As you close, think of at least one specific situation in your life in which you need to trust in God. Write out a description of your need, ending the statement with “But, I believe that…”. Then, finish the statement by writing, “God is trustworthy to provide all I need just when I need it. He’s never failed me, and He won’t fail me now!” Take turns reading these declarations of trust, and pray for one another that God would provide, sustain, and carry you this week and all of your lives. (Example: I have a medical condition without a cure, and the prognosis is not good. But, I believe that God is trustworthy to provide all I need just when I need it. He’s never failed me, and He won’t fail me now!)
    Big Idea: Our responsibility in the meanwhile is to trust God to provide what we need.





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    42 min

About Church of The Open Door Sermons

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Each weekend at Church of the Open Door a message is given based on the Word of God. Dr Jim Mindling, Senior Pastor, and other members of the staff equip the large congregation located in Northeast…