Sermons – Lakewood Church of Christ

There is not a more dramatic, direct and penetrating picture in all of the Bible than the picture of the Last Judgement.

Our major concern should be the subjects important to Jesus. That will be the question of the hour.

What if Jesus came to the church in Colorado? What would He find?

Perhaps, people with a strong emphasis on doctrine, Bible learning, obedience and worship?

Incredibly, in the picture of the judgement, the emphasis is on the weightier matters– love, justice and mercy.

These three elements are anchored in everything Jesus was about.

"Lord, Lord, when did we see you in need? “Inasmuch as you’ve done it for the least of one of these, you have done it unto me.”

On a planet racing through space and occupied by 7 ½ Billion people it’s easy to feel invisible.

We are all searching for purpose and meaning. We want to be noticed. We want to be loved.

One of the most important ways that El Roi (The God who Sees) exemplifies His love for us is through our NAMES.

An exploration of names in the Bible reveals how God knows us and cares for us. He also reveals a great deal about

Himself through the names that He gave to Himself.

God says in Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” and Jesus reminds us in Matthew 10:30 that “even the very hairs of your head are numbered.”

But, does He know your name?

In Acts chapter 10 we encounter two very different men, with one major thing in common. They both lived their lives in ways which demonstrated their belief that God, that the Holy Spirit, was up to something.

This transformational way of living shows us what happens when we live in great expectation of what the Holy Spirit can do, and is

already doing in our lives.

The prayer of Jesus from John 17:20-23 was about us all being one. The key to us being the answer

to Jesus' prayer is

Jesus prayed that we might be one, as He and God are one. He wanted us to be "brought to complete unity to let the world know that God sent Jesus to us, to show us that

He loves us even as God has

always loved His Son Jesus."

How can we carry out our relationships with each other in such a manner as to fulfill Jesus prayer for us?

Today we will explore some answers from Jesus and scripture about how we can accomplish this.

We know that Jesus prayed a lot. We see that throughout the gospels. What we don’t get to see very much of is the contents of Jesus’ prayers. Besides the fact that he prayed often, what else can we learn from his prayer time? How we can incorporate that into our lives? Today we will finish our Upper Room series of lessons as John tells us about Jesus’ prayer.

The Unknown can cause fear:

It can stop us in our tracks…

steal our sleep…

and rob us of our joy…

The disciples must have

experienced a similar fear

in John 13-17.

Had they just wasted three years of their lives?

How would they continue without their leader and friend?

What can we can we learn from their time of

transition?

We invite you to grab a bag, stuff it with the things that are keeping you up at night. Bring it along as you, me and the Holy Spirit journey between the now and what is to come.

Jesus answered, "I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me." - John 14:6