Sermons – Eastside church of Christ

In our text, Paul described the church as a body made up of different parts that all function together. Recognizing this should lead us to value our brethren. It should also lead us to recognize our own value in the church. So we are going to talk about what Paul said about the body and the members that make up the parts of it.

Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was an act of love. This love should motivate us to live for Him. But what does it mean to live for Christ? It is more than just belief in Him or an appreciation for what He has done. These things should affect our behavior. So let us consider how we live for Christ.

God teaches us in His word to give up sin and to not love money or the things of this world. We have to choose who we will follow.

For many in the religious world, the Christmas holiday is a time to focus on the birth of Jesus. The Bible is silent about Christians celebrating this, but was a praiseworthy event when it happened. In our text, angels praised God after Jesus’ birth. In their praise, they talked about peace on earth. What does this mean? Unfortunately, many do not have a complete picture of this in mind.

God has given us His word to reveal His will and guide us through this life. This is an incredible blessing! Yet too often, His word is neglected and ignored – mostly by the world at large, but we can do this too. What happens when we neglect the word of God? We have a description in our text.

Paul encouraged the Colossian brethren to remain faithful to Christ (Colossians 2:6-7). He also warned of the danger of being taken captive (Colossians 2:8). Essentially, there were two paths before them – the way of Christ and the way of the world. The world uses various tactics to make its way seem appealing (Colossians 2:8), and this continues today. In our text, Paul gave five reasons why Christ is better than the world.

In this chapter, Paul took a break from discussing spiritual gifts to discuss love. However, this was not an unrelated subject. Miraculous spiritual gifts were desirable and helpful, yet he was going to show them “a still more excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12:31) – love. Paul explained that love is preferred over spiritual gifts, defined what love is, and explained that it endures forever.

After Islamist militants attacked Israeli civilians on October 7, Israel went to war with Hamas. When this conflict escalated, many wondered how this fit with Bible prophecy. Was it possibly a sign of the end times? This is nothing new. Any significant military conflict involving Israel seems to bring about these questions. It is helpful to know what (if anything) the Bible says about this. Matthew 24 is key in this. Many misinterpret this chapter, but understanding what Jesus taught will help us with these questions.

It is important that we recognize the many things we have to be thankful for. But it is also important that we allow this sense of gratitude to impact how we conduct ourselves. So in this short series, we are discussing how we conduct ourselves with gratitude. In this third and final lesson, we will discuss how we are to enjoy our blessings with gratitude.

It is important that we recognize the many things we have to be thankful for. But it is also important that we allow this sense of gratitude to impact how we conduct ourselves. So in this short series, we are discussing how we conduct ourselves with gratitude. In this second lesson, we will discuss how we pray to God with gratitude.