August 9, 2026 – The Blessing Strategy – Genesis 12:1-3 

In Genesis 12:1-3, God calls Abram to leave his homeland, family, and father’s house for an unrevealed land. God promises to make Abram a great nation, bless him, make his name great, protect him by blessing his friends and cursing his enemies, and ultimately use him to bless all families on earth. 

The Divine Command
•Leave the familiar: God tells Abram to depart from his country, relatives, and paternal home.
•Step into the unknown: God directs him toward a specific destination that He will reveal later. [1, 2, 3]

The Sevenfold Promises
•A great nation: God pledges to build a massive lineage and nation from Abram.
•Personal blessing: God guarantees to favor Abram directly.
•A great name: God promises personal renown and honor for Abram.
•To be a blessing: Abram’s life will act as a conduit of goodness to others.
•Protection from allies and foes: God vows to bless those who support Abram and curse those who treat him with contempt.
•Global impact: Through Abram, “all the families of the earth shall be blessed”.

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

The Call of Abram

12 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”[a]

100 Mt Salus Rd
Clinton. MS 39056

Office Hours:
Monday – Friday
8am – 4pm

Office Phone:
601.924.6671
cmc-clinton.org

Weekday Ministries Hours:
Monday-Friday
8am – 2-pm

Weekday Ministries Phone:
601.924.9961
cmc-weekday.org

August 2, 2026 – The Mind of Christ – 1 Corinthians 2:6-16

This passage, rooted in 1st Corinthians 2:6-16, highlights the profound difference between God’s wisdom, revealed through the Holy Spirit and centered on the crucified Christ, and the perishable wisdom of the world. It emphasizes that the Holy Spirit continually recalibrates believers’ hearts, guiding them toward humility, surrender, and the mind of Christ, particularly when faced with life’s challenges and distractions. This divine recalibration fosters a shift in perspective, leading to true joy and peace.

 The Wisdom of God vs. Worldly Wisdom (1st Corinthians 2:6-16)

God’s Wisdom Declared:

The Spirit’s Role in Revelation:

The Mind of Christ:

Recalibration in the Christian Life

Analogy of GPS:

The Cross as the Focus:

Personal Retreat Experience

Invitation to Communion and Recalibration

Benediction (Numbers)

6 Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are being destroyed. 7 But we speak God’s wisdom, a hidden mystery, which God decreed before the ages for our glory 8 and which none of the rulers of this age understood, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written,

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
    nor the human heart conceived,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—

10 God has revealed to us through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For what human knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. 13 And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual.a]">[a]

14 Those who are unspiritualb]">[b] do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny.

16 “For who has known the mind of the Lord
    so as to instruct him?”

But we have the mind of Christ.

100 Mt Salus Rd
Clinton. MS 39056

Office Hours:
Monday – Friday
8am – 4pm

Office Phone:
601.924.6671
cmc-clinton.org

Weekday Ministries Hours:
Monday-Friday
8am – 2-pm

Weekday Ministries Phone:
601.924.9961
cmc-weekday.org

July 19, 2026 – What Do You Boast In – Jeremiah 9:23-24

Jeremiah 9:23-24 warns against relying on human achievements—wisdom, strength, or wealth—and instead calls believers to find their ultimate pride, worth, and confidence in deeply knowing and understanding the character of God.

The verses break down into two core themes:

23 Thus says the Lord: Do not let the wise boast in their wisdom; do not let the mighty boast in their might; do not let the wealthy boast in their wealth; 24 but let those who boast boast in this, that they understand and know me, that I am the Lord; I act with steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord.

 In John 15:5, 9-10, Jesus explains that true spiritual fruitfulness and deep joy depend on a continuous, loving relationship with Him. Believers must remain attached to Him—like branches to a vine—and obey His commands to actively experience and share His perfect, unconditional love.

Core Themes and Meaning

5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.

 9 As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.

July 5, 2026 – Free to Serve – Mark 9:30–37

In Mark 9:30–37, Jesus predicts his upcoming betrayal, death, and resurrection . While the disciples fail to comprehend this, they secretly argue about who among them is the greatest . Jesus overturns their worldly ambitions by declaring that true greatness comes from humble service, and illustrates this by embracing a small child.

A Clash of Perspectives

Jesus Again Foretells His Death and Resurrection

30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it, 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” 32 But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.

Who Is the Greatest?

33 Then they came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” 34 But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. 35 He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” 36 Then he took a little child and put it among them, and taking it in his arms he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

June 28, 2026 – Give It Another Shot – Luke 13:6-9

The parable of the barren fig tree in Luke 13:6-9 illustrates God’s patience and the urgency of repentance. It warns that while God graciously grants time for spiritual growth, judgment is certain if a person or nation continually fails to produce the “fruit” of a changed life. 

Key Elements of the Parable:

Primary Meaning & Application:

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7 So he said to the man working the vineyard, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ 8 He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, well and good, but if not, you can cut it down.’ ”

June 21, 2026 – Fully Alive – Galatians 6:7-10

The sermon encourages men to live fully alive by embracing three principles: taking risks, doing hard things, and owning their struggles. It emphasizes the importance of faith, perseverance, and honesty in achieving a fulfilling life. The sermon also highlights the need for men to rely on God’s strength and the Holy Spirit to overcome challenges and lead by example.

Galatians 6:7-10 outlines the spiritual “law of the harvest”: your actions and choices inevitably determine your future outcomes. It encourages believers to consistently choose righteous, Spirit-led living and to generously serve others, assuring them that steadfast perseverance will ultimately be rewarded at the right time.

The passage can be broken down into these core concepts:

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
7 Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. 8 If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh, but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. 9 So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. 10 So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all and especially for those of the family of faith.

June 14, 2026 – Friends on Mission – John 15:12-17

 John 15:12-17 is Jesus’ defining teaching on sacrificial love and friendship. He commands his followers to love others exactly as He loved them, redefines their status from servants to friends, and explains that this love requires action rather than just emotion.

The passage can be broken down into three key themes:
1. The Command to Love (Verses 12 & 17)
The Core Command: “Love each other as I have loved you”.
The Meaning: This is a call to agape love, which is not a mere feeling, but a deliberate, sacrificial choice to seek the well-being of others. It mirrors the selfless, unconditional love Jesus has for humanity.

2. The Ultimate Sacrifice (Verses 13 & 15)
Sacrificial Friendship: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”.
Servants vs. Friends: Jesus elevates His followers from servants to friends. In the ancient world, servants simply followed orders without understanding the “why.” Jesus invites believers into His confidence, revealing God’s plans and His heart.

3. Divine Calling and Purpose (Verses 14 & 16)
Chosen by Grace: “You did not choose me, but I chose you”.
Bearing Fruit: Jesus appoints His followers to go and bear lasting fruit. This refers to living a transformed, purposeful life that positively impacts the world, characterized fundamentally by how they love one another.

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you servants[a] any longer, because the servant[b] does not know what the master is doing, but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. 17 I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.

June 7, 2026 – A Sower Went Out to Sow – Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Matthew 13:1-9 and 18-23 contain the Parable of the Sower and its meaning. Jesus compares the “word of the kingdom” to seeds scattered on four distinct types of soil, representing different human heart conditions and responses to God’s message.

The Four Soils Explained:

May 31, 2026 – You Promised: What God Does Not Promise – Romans 11:33-36

Romans 11:33-36 is a famous doxology where Paul marvels at God’s boundless wisdom, sovereignty, and grace. He concludes that God’s ways are beyond human comprehension, that He owes humanity nothing, and that all of creation exists ultimately to bring Him glory.

Key themes from the passage include:

You can read the full text and compare various translations on Bible Hub to see how this beautiful conclusion ties into Paul’s earlier teachings.

Romans 11:33-36
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

33 O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

34  “For who has known the mind of the Lord?
    Or who has been his counselor?”

35 “Or who has given a gift to him,
    to receive a gift in return?”

36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.