Solid Rock Church Sermons

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at how God faithfully guided the nation of Israel across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land in Joshua 3 and 4. We read how God’s promise and presence stopped the waters of the Jordan River and allowed the nation of Israel to cross over on dry land. We also saw that crossing the Jordan was just the beginning of the impossible journey that faced the Israelites. What God was doing in Israel’s journey was bigger than crossing a river; He was setting a trajectory of faith and worship for future generations that would impact the nations. Through Israel’s story, we learned that the challenges we encounter when we follow God’s will for our lives are not a change in God’s plan; they are part of God’s plan. The challenges that God leads us through in life help us to see Him more accurately, trust Him more deeply and follow his lead in our lives more obediently. We were reminded that what God has done at Solid Rock over the last 24 months isn’t about us; it’s about God’s faithfulness in setting a trajectory of worship for future generations and a missional mindset to reach the nations.

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at what it means to be a ‘sent’ church. In Psalm 67, God issues a clear invitation for the nations to praise, be glad, and sing for joy because of God's amazing salvation.  This is the mission of the church: to make God’s ways known on earth and to proclaim His saving power among the nations. The mission of God doesn’t exist for the church; the church exists for the purpose of accomplishing the mission of God. As a church, our mission is to lead people into a vibrant, life-changing relationship with Jesus through gathering in worship, growing together in community and living the mission in our everyday lives. We exist to be part of God’s mission to build a Kingdom of image bearers, from every tribe, tongue and nation, who declare together with one voice, “Great is the Lord!” This is why Solid Rock is on the earth and why we have been planted by God in this community.

This past Sunday, we continued the ‘Sent’ sermon series by looking at Jesus’ response to the Pharisees and Scribes in Luke 15. Jesus was being criticized for showing hospitality toward people who had been identified within the culture as being unclean or sinful. Jesus responds to this criticism with three parables. In each of these parables, we find a very similar theme: heaven rejoices when one sinner repents. Whether it was illustrated by one sheep, one coin, or one son, Jesus believed that one sinner was worth it. Jesus showed hospitality toward sinners because He believed it was worth it if one sinner was saved.

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at how Jesus calls the most unlikely people to become His most influential leaders. When Jesus called Saul, who later becomes known in the Bible as Paul, he was one of the leading persecutors of the church. While traveling with legal authorization to terrorize the church and arrest Jesus’ followers, Saul was radically stopped in his tracks by Jesus. As Saul was struck with blindness, his friends helped him into town where Jesus then called another unlikely person, Ananias, to go to Saul and pray with him. Despite the danger of being arrested, Ananias went to pray and Saul regained his sight and became a faithful follower of Jesus. Saul knew he had encountered the risen Christ and he immediately began to proclaim that Jesus was the Son of God to anyone who would listen. Both Saul and Ananias serve as perfect examples of how Jesus calls the most unlikely people to live a ‘sent’ life.

This past Sunday, we began our ‘Sent’ sermon series. Our desire is for God to begin stirring a passion in our church that will normalize the Biblical calling to live our lives on mission, sent by God into the world to share the Gospel with those who are not yet saved. This is what we mean by living a ‘sent’ life. There is a world of people around us who are dying and set to spend eternity in hell, separated from the good and glorious presence of God. They have no hope unless someone is sent to them and shares with them the Good News of the Gospel. We are God’s chosen method by which He saves the world. Living a ‘sent’ life means that, as you go into the world, you live your life with the primary mission to share the hope of the Gospel.

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at God’s design and purpose for discipleship. Matthew 28:18-20 reveals that there is no authority in heaven which can challenge the will of Jesus, and there is no authority on earth that can call the will of Jesus into question. No power on earth or in heaven can rival His authority. Therefore, we can trust His command to be disciples and make disciples for Christ. Being disciples of Jesus means surrendering our lives and embracing the life that Christ gives. This is the only way to true life. As Bonhoeffer said, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” This death happens daily as we, by the grace of God, strive to be more like Christ.

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at the unique calling of church leadership. The primary roles of church leadership are divided into elder and deacons. Elders, a synonymous title with pastors and overseers, are Godly men who serve in humility and wisdom to lead the church in Godly character and shepherd hearts through prayer, counsel, teaching Biblical doctrine and decision making. Deacons are Godly men and women who set the example for other believers by acting as lead servants, helping to organize and lead the ministries of the church. Both elders and deacons are expected to exhibit the character traits of Godliness in their everyday lives. Churches aren’t meant to be organizations that are led by gifted elders and staff who do the work of ministry; churches are meant to be thriving communities of gifted members, equipped by church leadership to do the work of ministry. When each member is serving out of this equipping, the church is built up with a unified faith, centered on the person and work of Jesus.

In the sermon this past Sunday, we looked at what it means to be a church member. In John 13:34-35, Jesus called his followers to be distinguishable by the way they love one another. The New Testament goes into great detail to define what Jesus fully meant by “love one another,” with at least 42 ways that the members of the church are to love one another. These are explicit Biblical commands of Jesus that create a culture of truth and grace among the members of the church. Devotion to the Biblical distinctions of the church and these “one another” commands is where a person crosses over from being an attender to connecting to the Biblical community in a devoted covenant relationship. A church membership covenant is a mutual agreement in which believers express their devotion to Christ and one another in a way that promotes unity, permits accountability and establishes the Biblical expectations for believers which allows for Christ-centered relationships to flourish and grow in love and unity.

In our first week of The Body of Christ sermon series, we looked at how the Bible outlines clear distinctions of the Christian church. Jesus established much of the doctrine of the church through His life and teaching and then commissioned His disciples to go make disciples of the nations, as a mission to establish the church. Through His teaching, we learned that the true Christian church is the distinct, called-out assembly of those who profess that Jesus is the Son of God and follow His teachings. Although Jesus’ disciples were His first followers, it was the Holy Spirit who actually inaugurated the church at Pentecost and guided the disciples in their mission to launch the church. The distinctions of the Christian church include believing that Jesus is the Son of God, baptism, Biblical teaching, communion, prayer, fellowship and living the mission in everyday life.