Solid Rock Church Sermons

In this sermon, we looked at Romans 10:13-17, where Paul reminds us that salvation is available to everyone who calls on Jesus. He then uses a series of rhetorical questions to highlight God's call for every Christian be an evangelist by sharing the good news of the Gospel. Paul says that no one can call on the Lord if they don't believe, and they can't believe if they haven't heard about Jesus. Evangelism is God's plan for us to share the Gospel with those who don't know Jesus. God has chosen to make His only appeal to the world through us. As evangelists, Christians are entrusted with the message of reconciliation, going into the world with an invitation for all to be saved through believing the Gospel and calling on Him.

In this sermon, we closed our What is the Gospel? series by addressing the final question: "What is my role in my spiritual growth?" As human beings, it's our natural inclination to step away from the good news of the Gospel and toward lesser hopes. As we studied Scripture, we found that even the Apostle Paul had a list of things in which he could be tempted to find a sense of worth outside the Gospel. However, we also looked at the liberating truth that, through the sacrifice of Jesus, we have been credited with Christ's righteousness as a gift. Therefore, our role in our own spiritual growth is to continually recenter our hope in the good news of the Gospel instead of the lesser hopes of this world.

In this sermon, we looked at Acts 2:36-41 in which Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, declares to the people of Jerusalem that Jesus is the Lord and Messiah. Peter urges the people to believe the truth of Jesus' divinity and to see His redemptive work on the cross as a fulfillment of the Old Testament prophesies. When the people listening are "cut to the heart," they ask Peter what they are to do with the internal conviction they are feeling. He responds with a call to repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. Faith and repentance change the hearts of the people in Jerusalem, and this moment in history marks the beginning of the Church, with about three thousand souls saved. Just like this moment recorded in Acts 2, God calls us to respond to the Gospel with faith and repentance to receive what God is offering to us through Jesus.

In this sermon, we looked at God’s great love for us and how it was always God's plan to offer His Son, Jesus, who has always existed as part of the Trinity with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Out of love, Jesus willingly came to rescue us from condemnation and the consequences of sin. The Bible says that He did this by dying on the cross then rising again on the third day, conquering sin and death. As a result of His sacrifice, we are freely given forgiveness of our sins, eternal life, and healing from the effects of sin. Jesus perfectly accomplished this work on the cross and lovingly calls us to place our trust and faith in Him.

In this sermon, we looked at Romans 3:9-24, in which the Apostle Paul addresses the universal nature of sin. Paul begins by affirming that both Jews and Gentiles are under the power and judgment of sin. Referring to several Old Testament passages, Paul makes the point that no one is righteous or seeks God on his or her own, and that the sinfulness of humanity is made visible through the words that come out of our mouths and our violence toward one another. Paul concludes that every human has sinned and has fallen short of God’s glory. He ends this section of Romans with the good news of the Gospel: while all humans are sinners and under the curse of sin, all who believe the Gospel are justified by God’s grace as a gift through faith in Jesus.

In this sermon, we looked at Isaiah 6:1-7 where the prophet Isaiah shares his transformative vision of the holiness and majesty of God, revealing the immense chasm between God’s holiness and our sinfulness. In this vision, God was seated on a throne as seraphim worshipped Him, declaring, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!" When confronted with God’s holiness, Isaiah was brought to a place of humility where he confessed his sin and the sin of his people, recognizing their unworthiness and their need to be cleansed. In response to Isaiah's confession, one of the seraphim moved toward Isaiah, revealing God’s grace and initiative to move toward us to cleanse and redeem us from our sin. As the seraphim touched Isaiah's lips with a coal from the altar, cleansing Isaiah of his sin, we see a beautiful foreshadowing of the cleansing work of Jesus on the cross. We, too, are called to respond to God’s holiness by turning toward Him in confession and repentance, leading us to the miraculous cleansing grace of Jesus that comes from believing the Gospel.

In this sermon, we looked at how Ephesians 2:1-10 unveils God's transformative kindness toward us in the Gospel. The good news of the Gospel is that, while all people are spiritually dead in their trespasses and sins, we are graciously offered a new and eternal life through Christ. The Gospel reminds us that God is our Holy Creator and we are accountable to Him for breaking His Laws. The Gospel also reminds us that Jesus did all that was required by the Law to pay for our disobedience and render us as righteous. God graciously gives this righteousness to all who believe. As believers, we are not saved by our own merits; we are saved by grace through faith. Not only has God done the work to save and transform us, in His grace, He also prepares good works for our future and calls us to walk by faith instead of walking in our own strength.

In this sermon, we looked at the kindness of God seen in Malachi 3:1-5 and 4:1-6, as He speaks through the prophet Malachi to give His people a vision of a future transformation when He will change their hearts. Malachi 3:15 points to the first Advent of Jesus, when His arrival will follow a divine messenger who will prepare the way for Him. The next time He speaks to His people, He won’t be sending a prophet to speak; He will be coming Himself to speak. Also, when He arrives, He will usher in an era that will bring about purifying refinement rather than destruction. Malachi 4:1-6 points to the second Advent, which will bring judgement and healing. Even as God reveals the inevitability of His judgement at the second coming of Jesus, He also reveals His compassionate desire to renew and heal His people and restore their relationships with Him and one another. The Church today sits between the two Advents of Jesus. He already arrived and brought with Him the Good News of the Gospel that transforms and purifies the hearts of those who believe. We now await His second coming, when He will usher in the final era that brings permanent and eternal healing and joy for His people as He, once again, makes His dwelling place with man.

In this sermon, we looked at Malachi 3:6-12 and saw how God confronted Israel's unfaithfulness in tithing. God begins by reminding Israel of His unchanging character and nature then confronts them about robbing Him through their neglect of tithes and offerings. God challenges them to bring the full tithe into the storehouse so there may be provisions for ministry. The principle of the tithe is that God provides more than enough for His people to live off 90% and give the additional 10% to provide what is needed for His Church. God has not promised to make His people rich; He promises that when His people bring the full tithe to the storehouse in wholehearted worship, He will provide for them until there is no more need. Not only that, God also promises that His provision for those who tithe will become a testimony to the nations. This is God's promise for the Church today: When God's people bring their tithes and offerings to Him in wholehearted trust and worship, they will be blessed by being provided for until there is no more need and there will be an abundance of resources for God's mission to take the Gospel to the nations.

In this sermon, we looked at Malachi 2:17, where Malachi addresses the Israelites' questioning of God’s justice. Israel was in a time of rebellion against God and was experiencing the consequences of God withholding His blessing. In response, they questioned why God seemed to favor the evildoers. Instead of asking God to reveal to them their sin and humbling themselves in repentance, they saw everyone else as the problem. We looked at the answer to their question in Romans 3:21-26, where Paul unveils God's master plan for righteousness and justice through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Paul explains that the law could not make anyone righteous but that the righteousness of God has been revealed apart from the law: the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ. This righteousness is a gift of grace and is accessible to all who believe. This righteousness also demonstrates God's justice, resolving the issue of "delayed punishment" for past sins. By sacrificing His Son, God remains just, and becomes the justifier, addressing the Israelites' doubts and extending salvation to all mankind.