Sermons - Faith Community Church

The 10 Commandments are 10 simple and concrete statements that could transform the planet. There is nothing ambiguous about them. Consider this: if everyone practiced the 10 commandments there would be justice, everlasting peace, freedom, unity, dignity, integrity, prosperity, and love. If there is a even the slightest possibility that this is true we should study and reflect deeply upon them.

Today's Message

Do not make, serve, or bow before other gods… but we do. gods of time, wealth, relationships, security, nationalism, happiness all beckon our allegiance. The truth is that we are idol factories. We create and worship idols of creation rather than the God of creation. Idolatry is not a victimless crime. The gods we have created have reduced people to slavery… but there is an answer; there is a remedy.

Exodus 20.1-6

1 Then God spoke all these words, saying,

2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.

4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 5 “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

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The 10 Commandments are 10 simple and concrete statements that could transform the planet. There is nothing ambiguous about them. Consider this: if everyone practiced the 10 commandments there would be justice, everlasting peace, freedom, unity, dignity, integrity, prosperity, and love. If there is a even the slightest possibility that this is true we should study and reflect deeply upon them.

Today's Message

A code of conduct does not mean you are a prude or legalistic. One’s code of conduct is birthed and sustained out of the wealth or poverty of our relationships. The more we are loved and love the more vulnerable and bound we are to honor the friends who love us and whom we love.

Exodus 19.16-20.2

16 So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. 17 And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. 19 When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder. 20 The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. 21 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Go down, warn the people, so that they do not break through to the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish. 22 “Also let the priests who come near to the LORD consecrate themselves, or else the LORD will break out against them.” 23 Moses said to the LORD, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You warned us, saying, ‘Set bounds about the mountain and consecrate it.’” 24 Then the LORD said to him, “Go down and come up again, you and Aaron with you; but do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD, or He will break forth upon them.” 25 So Moses went down to the people and told them.

20:1 Then God spoke all these words, saying,

2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

Click here to download this morning's outline/notes

Click here for additional resources.

The 10 Commandments are 10 simple and concrete statements that could transform the planet. There is nothing ambiguous about them. Consider this: if everyone practiced the 10 commandments there would be justice, everlasting peace, freedom, unity, dignity, integrity, prosperity, and love. If there is a even the slightest possibility that this is true we should study and reflect deeply upon them.

Today's Message

Deuteronomy 4.8-14; 5.1-6

“Or what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today?

Deut. 4:9 “Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons. 10 “Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when the LORD said to me, ‘Assemble the people to Me, that I may let them hear My words so they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’ 11 “You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire to the very heart of the heavens: darkness, cloud and thick gloom. 12 “Then the LORD spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form — only a voice. 13 “So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone. 14 “The LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might perform them in the land where you are going over to possess it.

Then Moses summoned all Israel and said to them:

“Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I am speaking today in your hearing, that you may learn them and observe them carefully. 2 “The LORD our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. 3 “The LORD did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, with all those of us alive here today. 4 “The LORD spoke to you face to face at the mountain from the midst of the fire, 5 while I was standing between the LORD and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the LORD; for you were afraid because of the fire and did not go up the mountain. He said,

Deut. 5:6 ‘I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

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Today we are introducing the Pray for Me Campaign. The campaign has three aims:

Help the emerging generation see and savor the greatness of God through the prays of God’s people.

Help adult believers be empowered as Prayer Champions who intentionally pray for and invest in the next generation.

Create a vast web of multi-generational relationships established by prayer, in which one generation would share the greatness of God with another.

The stories Jesus told were shocking, insulting, provocative, challenging, disrupting, unsettling, and frightening. They were anything but sweet, comforting, simple, and trite. In these short stories we experience the creative genius of Jesus as he crafts stories and examples intended to provoke a reaction... and let me warn you, "indifference", is not an option!

TODAY'S MESSAGE

The story of the Friend at Midnight is the shocking tale of a shocking tale... for here we learn something never before taught about prayer... It is as liberating as it is outrageous...

SCRIPTURE READING: Luke 11.1-13

It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.”

2 And He said to them, “When you pray, say:
‘Father, hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
3 ‘Give us each day our daily bread.
4 ‘And forgive us our sins,
For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.’”

Luke 11.5 Then He said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and from inside he answers and says, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ 8 “I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

Luke 11.9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 “For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. 11 “Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? 12 “Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? 13 “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

The stories Jesus told were shocking, insulting, provocative, challenging, disrupting, unsettling, and frightening. They were anything but sweet, comforting, simple, and trite. In these short stories we experience the creative genius of Jesus as he crafts stories and examples intended to provoke a reaction... and let me warn you, "indifference", is not an option!

TODAY'S MESSAGE

Shocking is the warning that today's follower of Jesus could be tomorrow's hostile critic completely out of touch with God's love for sinning people. OMG! What if it is already happening?!

SCRIPTURE READING: Luke 18.9-14

Luke 18:9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14 “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Today's Sermon Notes

Click here for additional resources.

The stories Jesus told were shocking, insulting, provocative, challenging, disrupting, unsettling, and frightening. They were anything but sweet, comforting, simple, and trite. In these short stories we experience the creative genius of Jesus as he crafts stories and examples intended to provoke a reaction... and let me warn you, "indifference", is not an option!

TODAY'S MESSAGE

Shocking is the warning that today's follower of Jesus could be tomorrow's hostile critic completely out of touch with God's love for sinning people. OMG! What if it is already happening?!

SCRIPTURE READING: Luke 18.9-14

Luke 18:9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14 “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Today's Sermon Notes

Click here for additional resources.

The stories Jesus told were shocking, insulting, provocative, challenging, disrupting, unsettling, and frightening. They were anything but sweet, comforting, simple, and trite. In these short stories we experience the creative genius of Jesus as he crafts stories and examples intended to provoke a reaction... and let me warn you, "indifference", is not an option!

TODAY'S MESSAGE

Shocking is the warning that today's follower of Jesus could be tomorrow's hostile critic completely out of touch with God's love for sinning people. OMG! What if it is already happening?!

SCRIPTURE READING: Luke 18.9-14

Luke 18:9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14 “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Today's Sermon Notes

Click here for additional resources.

The stories Jesus told were shocking, insulting, provocative, challenging, disrupting, unsettling, and frightening. They were anything but sweet, comforting, simple, and trite. In these short stories we experience the creative genius of Jesus as he crafts stories and examples intended to provoke a reaction... and let me warn you, "indifference", is not an option!

TODAY'S MESSAGE

Jesus faced constant criticism concerning who He chose to spend time with. He was called "friend of sinners" by religious leaders who considered themselves the "sin police" of their day. They were sure Jesus was out of touch with God's standards of righteousness. Jesus was sure they were out of touch with God's love and grace. To try and shock them into recognition Jesus told 3 stories...

SCRIPTURE READING: Luke 15.1-32

Luke 15.1 Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. 2 Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

Luke 15.3 So He told them this parable, saying, 4 “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 “When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 “And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 7 “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Luke 15.8 “Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 “When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!’ 10 “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Luke 15.11 And He said, “A man had two sons. 12 “The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.’ So he divided his wealth between them. 13 “And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. 14 “Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. 15 “So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 “And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. 17 “But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! 18 ‘I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.”’ 20 “So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 “And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; 23 and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24 for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.

Luke 15.25 “Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 “And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be. 27 “And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.’ 28 “But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him. 29 “But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; 30 but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’ 31 “And he said to him, ‘Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 ‘But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’”

Today's Sermon Notes

Click here for additional resources.

The stories Jesus told were shocking, insulting, provocative, challenging, disrupting, unsettling, and frightening. They were anything but sweet, comforting, simple, and trite. In these short stories we experience the creative genius of Jesus as he crafts stories and examples intended to provoke a reaction... and let me warn you, "indifference", is not an option!

TODAY'S MESSAGE

What story can Jesus create to shock His listeners that there is a new order and a new law... a law of mercy NOT score-keeping. The rule of God is like a King who has limitless mercy and an unlimited demand that his servants do too.

SCRIPTURE READING: Matthew 18.21-35

Matt. 18:21 Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus *said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

Matt. 18:23 “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 “When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25 “But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. 26 “So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ 27 “And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. 28 “But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ 29 “So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ 30 “But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. 31 “So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. 32 “Then summoning him, his lord *said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 ‘Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ 34 “And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. 35 “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”