IBCD Sermon Weekly

In Isaiah 6 the prophet witnesses an encounter with God in what we could call a heavenly worship service. The reality of that encounter is the same as the one today when we meet the true living God:

God is holy, sovereign, and present, even when our circumstances are difficult. In times of crisis, we are encouraged to look first to who God is rather than becoming consumed by our circumstances.

Seeing God’s holiness changes how we see ourselves. In comparison with God’s holiness, human pride and self-righteousness are exposed. We recognize our own sin and our need for God’s grace.

Isaiah’s received atonement points to Jesus Christ as the ultimate sacrifice for sin. Redemption is received through the grace of God rather than achieved through personal merit.

God’s grace leads to service. Being forgiven is not presented as the end of the Christian life. Those who have received grace are called to serve God and share the Gospel.

Our perspective should move outward: first God, then ourselves, and finally others. Understanding God’s greatness and our own need for grace should shape how we relate to and respond to other people.

As we celebrate the upcoming baptisms of people today, we are going to look at the place of Baptism in one’s obedience to their following of Christ.

Now, I want those of you who are a valued part of the family of IBCD who have not taken this step, often because of your church background in the state churches, both of which teach and practice infant baptism, that I love you and am not attacking you.

However, it is both my duty and privilege to share with you why I think it is an important aspect of one’s obedience to following Jesus as Lord.

Matthew 28:18-20 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

One of the big questions of life is “Why do bad things happen to good people?”

This is a more complex question than people generally think. We are going to look at the answers to this question using Job’s story for context.

I think one of the things we tenuously grasp as Christians is how different life is intended to be for those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ. The resurrection of Christ is not just an event meant to impress, but it is intended to change everything about the human experience. It transforms the expectations of life lived now and our expectations of what it is to come.

Today we are looking at the place of Baptism in one’s obedience to following Christ. I want those of you who are part of the family of IBCD who have not taken this step, often because of your church background in state churches which teach the practice of infant baptism, that I love you and am not attacking you. However, it is both my duty and privilege to share with you why I think it is an important aspect of one’s obedience to following Jesus as Lord.

As we kick off the new year, we are going to be taking a walk through the “5 C’s” which make up the purposes of the church. But before we get there, this week we are looking at our Mission and Vision as a church.

Matthew 28:18-20 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

As we come out of the Christmas season, we are going to look at what it is God gives us and how we are to respond.

John 3:16 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

We are soon going to have a sermon series on the life of Mary. Today we are going to look into a story which is only found in Luke which concerns a cousin of Mary’s, and that is Elizabeth and her husband Zachariah.

Sunday Sermon by Gary Arnold

Mark 4:1-9 1 And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. 2 Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching: 3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. 5 Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. 7 And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8 But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” 9 And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Baptism is like a cake with many layers. There is a lot going on in an event which looks pretty simple and ends rather quickly. Today, I want to approach baptism from the angle we receive from Jesus at the end of Matthew’s Gospel when he says:

Matthew 28:18-20 18 "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."