Stonebrook Church, Ames, Iowa, Sermons

We know of one fundraiser in the New Testament; the apostle Paul took it upon himself to raise money for poor Christians in Jerusalem. He was led by the Lord to rally Christians and churches to give and was so successful that some gave generously out of extreme poverty.  We can learn a lot from Paul’s wise appeals that can help purify our motives and give us direction as we raise funds for Stonebrook’s Renew Campaign.

God is the Owner of all and the Provider for all, and he is the foundation for our true perspectives on money and possessions, i.e., Mammon. If we lose sight of this, not only will live in anxiety and error, we will miss out on real treasures—heavenly ones. Jesus is clear on what our heavenly orientation to God and Mammon is.

God’s people in the old covenant were given prophets, priests, and kings to serve them before their God. But now all three roles are fulfilled in the person of Jesus the Messiah, our all-sufficient Savior. Jesus as the King of kings will return to earth soon to establish his kingdom, and he will rule with absolute authority, power, justice, and righteousness. And he is to feared, obeyed, and loved.

Download sermon notes and discussion questions. Download sermon slide graphics. Intro: Advent It is the time of the year when we focus in on the arrival of Christ into the world; God’s greatest gift to mankind. We call this the “Advent Season,” the four weeks before Christmas time; a time to reflect on our condition before Christmas and what his arrival means for us. But what exactly was the intention, the purpose of God’s gift of Jesus to us? I […]

God’s people in the old covenant were given prophets, priests, and kings to serve them before their God. But now all three roles are fulfilled in the person of Jesus the Messiah, our all-sufficient Savior. Jesus as the great Prophet not only speaks for God, he is the very Word of God on whom our lives depend, and he now calls on us to look to him and listen to him.

Where is Stonebrook headed? Our overarching theme for us this year is “Renewal.” We want to be renewed in our unity as God’s family, as well as walking in Christ with a renewed sense of faith and expectation in prayer that the Lord wants to work in and through us as a church family.

Although Christians do not participate in the covenant that God made with Israel, there is much we can learn from that covenant. God rescued Israel from cruel bondage in Egypt, cared for them in the wilderness, and gave them the ten commandments and many other personal and societal laws. His purpose was to develop and instill faith and obedience in their hearts. We also can turn our hearts toward God and His blessing by loving His Word, sticking with the Church, remembering His works, and cultivating an honest, open heart.

https://www.stonebrook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/171126_sermon.mp3

In late September, we were in Raleigh, North Carolina, for my daughter’s wedding. The day before the wedding, my sister and brother-in-law were with us in the car, and we were leaving downtown Raleigh. They were in the back seat and volunteered to navigate us back to where we were staying. So they whip out their iPhones, and plug in our destination. Directions on iPhone said, “Go northeast,” but we knew we needed to go southwest. We knew southwest because […]

In His covenant with Israel, God promised amazing blessings to the nation if they remained loyal and obedient to Him and horrific curses if they forsook Him and turned to other gods. Christians are not under Israel’s covenant, but are under the New Covenant—which also contains promises and warnings, but with significant differences. Yet, Christians, too, must love and honor God in order to be blessed.