Sermon text - Matthew 2:1-6Companion text - Psalm 23 1. The Plight - "We all, like sheep, have gone astray" Isaiah 53:6a 2. The Portrait - "The Lord is my shepherd" Psalm 23:1a 3. The Person of Christ - 'For out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel" Matthew 2:6b

Doug begins the "What's in a Name" series.

Sermon Text: Philippians 3:12-21Companion Text: John 3:25-30The Recognition “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” Philippians 3:12The Relinquishment “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead…” Philippians 3:13The Reach “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14The Reason “Only let us hold true to what we have attained.” Philippians 3:16

Sermon Text: Acts 4:1-12Companion Text: Psalm 118:14-24Spontaneous “And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them…” Acts 4:1Spirit-directed “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ‘Rulers of the people and elders…let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.’” Acts 4:8,10Specific “This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.” Acts 4:11Supernatural “But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.” Acts 4:14

Sermon Text: Jonah 1:1-12; 1:17-2:2; 2:7-9Companion Text: Philippians 2:5-13Sleep - “So the captain came and said to him, ‘What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.’” Jonah 1:6Silence – “Then they said to him, ‘Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?’ And he said to them, ‘I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.’” Jonah 1:8-9Self-Absorption - “He said to them, ‘Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.’”Surrender – “When my life was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.” Jonah 2:7

Sermon Text: Jonah 4Companion Text: Psalm 46The Call - “Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.’” Jonah 1:1-2The Command – “And he prayed to the LORD and said, ‘O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.’” Jonah 4:2The Choice – “And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?” Jonah 4:11

Sermon Text: Acts 20:17-35Companion Text: Proverbs 11:23-30 The Example “I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak…” Acts 20:33-35(a) The Expression “…remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” Acts 20:17-35

Sermon Text: Acts 8:26-40Companion Text: Jeremiah 30:12-17(a)The Call “Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ This is a desert place.” Acts 8:26The Companion “And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship…” Acts 8:27The Command “And the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over and join this chariot.’” Acts 8:29The Camaraderie “’Do you understand what you are reading?’ And he said, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.” Acts 8:30(b), 31The Conviction “And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, ‘See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?’” Acts 8:36

Sermon Text: Acts 17:16-31Companion Text: Isaiah 5:1-6The Provocation “Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.” Acts 17:16The Proclamation “And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, ‘May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?’” Acts 17:19The Perception “So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: ‘Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.’” Acts 17:22The Proof “Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man…because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness.’” Acts 17:29, 31(a)