Passage: 2 Corinthians 1:1-7

[kuhm-fert] From the Latin ‘con-fortāre’ – “to strengthen”. Verb – “to soothe, console, or reassure”.

How does comfort work? Where does comfort come from? Paul begins this letter to the Corinthian church a bit different than his other letters, jumping right in with praise to God the Father who brings comfort through Christ the Son. Are you sharing in that comfort? Are you sharing in the suffering? Do you have a reliable hope that can endure everything life throws at you?

1. The Father’s Comfort [1:1-4]

2. The Son’s Suffering [1:5-6]

3. Unshakeable Hope [1:7]

- Gaining Gratitude – The apostle Paul gives the instruction to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). The chances are that you are disobeying that command. Let’s change that by taking a moment to reflect on the current sufferings you face, big and small, and thanking God for each of them.

- Prompting Prayer – That kind of crazy gratitude will naturally lead you to thank God for the many ways He meets your needs, provides care, and strengthens you to endure. Spend some time in prayer recounting the faithfulness of God and the spiritual comfort He has provided in Christ.

Many Christians will hit the wall of “what is God’s will for my life?” and stall. My suggestion is to take a broader look at the plan of God. People transformed by the gospel who are growing in their love for the word will be fruitful. As we grow in our understanding and love for Gospel-saturated living; as we learn to walk in the God-revealed truths of the Scriptures; we will delight in the plan God has for our lives. This plan is for you to be a devoted follower of Jesus, using your gifts to bless others, and pouring your life into the Kingdom mission of God here on earth. This is the mission.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Why Gospel – Doctrine – Mission?

Why do we love the mission?

Why is the gospel central in mission?

How is mission connected to the story of God?

Avoiding the mission ditch…

‘We are constantly assured that the churches are empty because preachers insist too much upon doctrine – “dull dogma”, as people call it. The fact is the precise opposite. It is the neglect of dogma that makes for dullness. The Christian faith is the most exciting drama that ever staggered the imagination of man – and the dogma is the drama.’—Dorothy Sayers

God, when speaking to His chosen of creation who He has redeemed, asserts a claim on them for His glory: “everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made." Isiah 43:7. We find our greatest joy and purpose in doing exactly what we were created for, to bring glory to God. Doctrine is the fuel which powers our worship of God. To be better informed is to be better prepared to worship and bring glory to God.

1. Has God spoken?

2. What has God said?

3. What does God intend for us?

“Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine… speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,” Ephesians 4:13-15

The Gospel should be the epicenter of our Christian lives, the very foundation of who we are. The Gospel is what we should be sharing with our families, friends and co-workers. It should be rehearsed with our minds, shared with our lips and a ready prayer from our hearts. Amidst our Christian culture, how firmly do you grasp the content of the gospel message? Are you aware of the impact when the centrality of the Gospel is replaced by other unbiblical gospels? What nouns describe your Christian life? Do you pursue the truth of the gospel or are you chasing the “next big thing?” Hopefully this message will begin to sharpen our gospel thinking, fill our hearts and embolden our mission for Jesus Christ.

1 ) The Complete Gospel Story

2) What the Gospel Combats

3) What the Gospel Produces

“The Gospel is not only the most important message in all of history; it is the only essential message in all of history. Yet we allow thousands of professing Christians to live their entire lives without clearly understanding it and experiencing the joy of living by it.” - Jerry Bridges, The Discipline of Grace

Passage: Genesis 12:1-3; 2 Corinthians 4:1-7 … and more

From our corporate identity as God’s people to our unique identity as sons and daughters, we all work toward one great and glorious end. He has called us by His name and for His purposes. He did not save us and gift us merely for ourselves. Built into our Gospel story and unique gifting is the trajectory forward into mission. If we understand and cherish our salvation, we will prayerful find our place in the mission of the Gospel locally and globally.

1. A Mighty Mission Anchored in a Mighty God …

2. A Weak Man Willing to Boast in Weakness …

3. The Freedom This Brings …

“Evangelism must become gospel show-and- tell, showing mercy and preaching grace.”– Harvie Conn, Doing Justice and Preaching Grace

Passage: Matthew 25

What a glorious story of God’s gracious rescue we reflected on last week. You know we all share the same Gospel story, don’t you? Every believer has uniquely, miraculously become a child of God the same way. But not every believer is built the same, has walked the same path, or is given the same gifts. We all share the same uniqueness of being totally different and wonderfully crafted by the Creator as He desires for us and for His glory. We might just say that we are perfectly created in the image of God uniquely. But it doesn’t stop there – He fits us together to use our gifts to serve the mission of the King together!

1. The Unique Sameness …

2. The Same Uniqueness …

3. The Beautiful Blending …

“Nowhere in Scripture do we have the slightest hint that God’s people are to volunteer. Rather, the Scriptures indicate that the use of our gifts should be considered a joyful responsibility.” – Curtis Thomas, Life in the Body of Christ

Royalty Free Music from Bensound

Passage: 1 Corinthians 15:1-2

I pray an epitaph will never be written about Leroy Chapel. But if one was required, may it read – “They loved the Gospel.” If that is true of us, one will never need to be written. The Gospel is the life-blood of the church. Far more than good advice, it is the good news that God rescues lost people, makes them His children, and shapes them into beautiful trophies of His grace for all the world to see. The Gospel is so much more than “Bible study lesson 1” for new Christians. It is much more than a tool for evangelism, fire insurance for things to come, or merely a purpose for living now … the Gospel is the gift of God Himself! The message of the Gospel is the story of God’s glory; it is the story that makes sense of all human history … and your story. Let’s start 2017 delighting ourselves in the riches of that story this morning.

1. It’s a Story …

2. It’s our Story …

3. It’s God’s Story …

“If there’s anything in life that we should be passionate about, it’s the gospel. And I don’t mean passionate only about sharing it with others. I mean passionate about thinking about it, dwelling on it, rejoicing in it, allowing it to color the way we look at the world. Only one thing can be of first importance to each of us. And only the gospel ought to be.” – C.J. Mahaney, The Cross Centered Life

Royalty Free Music from Bensound

CS Lewis is arguably one of the greatest Christian authors of the 20th Century. What most of us know of Lewis (known to most as Jack) is children’s stories of kings and queens who we have come to love and hate and fantasy kingdoms riddled with Biblical imagery. Literally millions have been and continue to be impacted by Jack’s series of apologetic books including the great Mere Christianity. From this you might conclude Lewis’ greatest longing was to be a Theologian – apologist or child evangelist. Though he was brilliant and a phenomenal writer, these conclusions are not altogether true. This morning we will attempt to give a broader and richer perspective of the man behind Mere Christianity and the Narnian adventures we love.

“Interesting? Yes. He is certainly that. You’ll never get to the bottom of him.” -JRR Tolkein

Passage: Hebrews 12:28 & others

Sermon Tagline: Understanding the Kingdom of God should fill us with Awe … making the ordinary extraordinary!

Series Summary: Our world finds far too much amazement in things that aren’t that amazing, and not nearly enough AWE in that which is out of this world. What is more out-of-this-world than the virgin birth, incarnation, and miracles surrounding the Son of God invading our planet? In this Advent sermon series we will bask in our awesome God and His glorious works displayed for all to see.

Passage: Luke 5:26, Matthew 27:5 & Others

Sermon Tagline: The wonders of Jesus should fill us with Awe … wanting more of Him not just more of what He does!

Series Summary: Our world finds far too much amazement in things that aren’t that amazing, and not nearly enough AWE in that which is out of this world. What is more out-of-this-world than the virgin birth, incarnation, and miracles surrounding the Son of God invading our planet? In this Advent sermon series we will bask in our awesome God and His glorious works displayed for all to see.