Solid Rock Church Sermons

In this sermon, we looked at Peter's call to rejoice in the midst of suffering and persecution because of the living hope and eternal inheritance we have been given in Christ. In 1 Peter 1:3-9, Peter reminds believers that we have each been supernaturally regenerated as a new creation: the old has been buried with Christ and we have been born again to walk in new life. The same power that worked to raise Jesus from the dead is also working in us. This power is described as a “living hope” because it can’t be spoiled or put to death by the suffering in our lives; even when we face things that are hard and discouraging, our hope isn't diminished by circumstances. In saying this, Peter wasn’t minimizing the intensity or length of time that these exiled Christians were suffering; he was directing their focus to something that far outweighed what they were going through and maximized the glory and goodness of their salvation. Peter ends this section by calling suffering Christians to rejoice because our born-again hearts are anchored in a salvation and inheritance that is untouched by death, unstained by evil, and unimpaired by time. We are free to rejoice in our sufferings now while we await Jesus' return and the eternal salvation of our souls.

In this first sermon of the 1 Peter series, we looked at how Peter opened his letter to the believers who were suffering from persecution in Asia Minor. In 1 Peter 1:1-2, we read that God sees His people who are suffering as chosen exiles. As believers, the suffering we encounter in the world is evidence that we are exiles living in a foreign land that is not, ultimately, our home. Even though we have earthly citizenship, we are now citizens of God’s Kingdom and will never truly be at home on earth. As believers, we are chosen by God. While we encounter suffering, we can be assured that God hasn’t changed His mind or forsaken us. Just as Peter reminds the Christians in Asia Minor, even while experiencing suffering, we are still known by the Father, forgiven by the blood of Jesus, and being sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

In this sermon, we looked at the calling for every believer to live out the ministry of reconciliation in our everyday lives. In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul calls the Church to be moved by the love of Jesus to give away to others what we have received from Him. Through the Gospel, Jesus first reconciled us to Himself, then to one another. This Biblical concept of reconciliation means to be completely restored to a place of favor. In Christ, we go from being enemies of God to receiving God’s undeserved favor. When we are in Christ, we also go from being enemies with one another to spiritual siblings who live in the undeserved favor of one another. As believers, we have experienced the reconciliation that comes from the love of Jesus and are now called to be ambassadors for Him and live out this reconciliation with those in the world around us.

In this sermon, we looked at how God designed mankind to thrive in life-giving relationship with Himself and others. Because of sin, shame entered the story and became a significant enemy to intimate relationship. The shame of Adam and Eve, reflecting the shame in our lives today, moved them away from one another and God. Instead of showing up after the Fall and telling the truth about their sins, the fear and embarrassment of being fully known convinced them that they needed to hide. In Colossians 3, Paul reminds us that the Gospel restores all that was lost in the Garden and gives us the courage to be known again. Paul tells the Church to put on new life in Christ, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator, to live once again in intimate relationship with God and others. While it’s not possible to have this kind of relationship with every person in the world, we can experience intimate relationships within the Church that reflect the life-giving relationships that Adam and Eve experienced in the Garden.

With this sermon, we started a series looking at the Vision of Solid Rock Church. This Vision comes from seeing how we were designed to gather with the saints of God in a regular routine to practice the rituals of worship. While the concepts of routine and ritual can be off-putting to the modern-day church goer, God designed this to happen in a way that gives life and leads to a flourishing relationship with Christ. In Hebrews 10, we see how God has called us into covenant relationship through Jesus and to worship Him in consistent routines with other believers, practicing the God-ordained Biblical rituals that lead to a vibrant spiritual life and draw us closer to God and others.

In this sermon, we looked at the prophet Elijah's experience in 1 Kings 19. Elijah fled from Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab, after she swore an oath to kill him. He was frightened, discouraged, and exhausted—a situation we find ourselves in all too often. In the midst of Elijah's anguish, God ministered to him by giving him food, water, and an opportunity for rest. Elijah then went to Mount Horeb, called the Mountain of God, where God asked a simple but profound question: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" The prophet shared his fears for God's people, and himself, as the people of Israel abandoned their covenant. As Elijah cried out in despair, God offered His presence. A great wind, an earthquake, and a fire all came before Elijah—but God was not in these. Instead, Elijah heard a gentle whisper, a sign of God's nearness. This story reminds us that in the midst of our anxiety, hurt, doubt, and shame, God is always at work, and He is always near.

In this sermon, we looked at how the baby born in a stable will return as a groom who returns for His bride on their wedding day. At His first Advent, Jesus paid with His blood to purchase us as His bride and to ratify the covenant relationship between us and God. In Revelation 19:6-9, we see that not only has Jesus paid the price for us, He has also done everything required to prepare us to be presented in radiant splendor to Himself. We don't have to make ourselves righteous or prepare ourselves for His return; Jesus makes His bride righteous by her faith. When we confess our sins to Jesus in faith, He cleanses us of all unrighteousness and makes us holy. As the bride of Christ, we await His return like a radiant bride awaits the return of her groom for their wedding.

In this sermon, we looked at how the second coming of Jesus gives us hope in the midst of a world that seems broken and full of injustice. 1 Corinthians 15 and Revelation 19 illustrate how Jesus is predicted to return as a victorious warrior who conquers His enemies and establishes the Kingdom of God on Earth. This is the same Jesus whose first Advent led Him to suffer, die, and resurrect from the dead. Through His resurrection, Jesus secured victory over His enemies and gave us hope that we, too, will one day resurrect from the dead and live eternally in His victory. Looking at the description of Jesus’ return in Revelation 19, we see a good Father who loves His children and is ready to bring a final end to all their suffering. Like a good father, He fights for His children. When Jesus returns as a victorious warrior riding on a white horse, we will see what He sees and fully understand His love for us.

In this Advent series, we are looking at the differences between the first and second coming of Jesus. In His first Advent, He came as a humble servant, fulfilling prophesies of the Messiah who would come to Earth to suffer and die to heal His people from sin and suffering. When He returns, He will come as a battle-ready groom, prepared to rescue His bride from His enemies and reign as a victorious King.

In the first sermon of this series, we looked at how Jesus will return as a judge to separate His people from His enemies, like a shepherd separates sheep from goats. In Luke 13:22-30, Jesus teaches that He will return in order to judge the world and that the gate to heaven is narrow; the only people He will allow into heaven are those whose righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees. The good news of the Gospel is that when we turn to Jesus in faith, He imparts His righteousness to us as a free gift and He establishes us as blameless and holy. Through faith in Jesus, our righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees. For those who believe, the judgement of Jesus is not something to be feared, it's something to long for. This Christmas, may our celebration of the first coming of Jesus stir our longing for His second coming.

In this sermon, we looked at how fasting is deeply connected to worship. In the Old Testament, fasting was closely related to grieving or repentance of sin. In the New Testament, fasting became a spiritual discipline or pathway that leads to a deeper, more personal relationship with the One who created and redeems us. Fasting allows us to slow down and be more present and aware of our needs as well as how we have replaced God with idols of the heart. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, God reveals our brokenness and gives us Himself. When we receive His profound love, we wholeheartedly respond with gratitude and worship.