Teaching & Sermons with Ines Franklin

It is essential to identify the telltale signs of temptation triggers in our lives but most of us haven’t taken the time to step back and discern what the enemy is trying to use against us. Evil crafts meticulous lures of desire to deceive us off the path of the wise and onto a path of insecurity and anger. That’s not the life we want. Let’s equip one another to be mindful of temptation and overcome it. (Mariners Church Chapel, Irvine)

Today we are going to focus on how temptation is the pitfall that we all struggle with. We take a look in the book of James to better understand how Jesus’s brother deals with temptation and how we can be mindful of the cycle of temptation after we have persevered through our struggles. (Mariners Church Chapel, Irvine, CA)

After spending three weeks in Sri Lanka and India with our ministry friends there, my husband and I were reminded of the importance of relationship. In this sermon, I share a little bit about the trip and about how important it is to seek wisdom from God through a close relationship with Him. I am convinced that the only way to discern God's will is to live in a close relationship with God. I was so excited to share a preview of the result of my nine year study about discerning the will of God: four practical ways to discern God's will even through life's most challenging seasons. (Mariners Church Chapel, Irvine, CA)

For most of us, surrendering to God is a daily struggle. We respond to God's faithfulness in one of three ways: with faith that is willing; with faith that is willing but with conditions; and with faith that is unwilling. Thankfully, our lack of faith does not change God; but, it changes us. The story in Judges 4 and 5 is a great example of this, and thus it encourages us to increase our willingness to trust God. (Mariners Church Chapel, Irvine, CA)

We love heroes! The Bible tells great stories of heroes and villains. In this sermon, we study the story of Samson. We soon learn that he was his own worse enemy. He was wonderfully human, like you and me. Nevertheless, God used Samson's strengths and weaknesses. This EPIC story reminds us that God can use us, ordinary folks, to do extraordinary things. It's never too late. God never leaves us nor forsakes us. Jesus is our ultimate hero. He has work for us to do. (Mariners Church Chapel, Irvine, CA)

Jesus is waiting at the very place where we run to hide. He never forces himself on us, but he has a way of interrupting our thoughts and actions with truth and love. Sometimes our past mistakes lure us to disqualify ourselves from his love and calling. But, God’s ways are greater than ours are. The story of the woman at the well reminds us how much Jesus loves us and how far he will go to offer us new life. (Mission Lutheran Church, Laguna Niguel, CA)

It seems impossible to change the world, but what if you’ve been selected to change one life? God has called you. He gives you the authority and power. Now go! Change the life of a family member, a neighbor, co-worker, the dry-cleaning lady, housekeeper, or a friend. It is now your time. Jesus wants to be with you and to send you. He believes that you can be and do like him. Yes, you can change one world. It will change yours. Are you willing? (Mariners Church Chapel, Irvine, CA)

I grew up wanting to write my own story. My idea of success was owning a Jaguar by the time I was thirty and having my picture included the Encyclopedia Britannica. *Lame* Jesus called Levi, he called me, he calls you, to a bigger story. Follow Jesus. Don't settle for anything less! (Mariners Church Chapel, Irvine CA)

In Luke 5, we read of a leper who does the unthinkable. He, an "unclean," unlovable, dishonored, rejected man, approaches Jesus. With bold humility he asks, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." We can learn so much from this story. All of us pray, but few of us are willing to pray boldly, and so often we do not pray with humility. Are we afraid that our requests might be unreasonable? Are we afraid that God is not able or willing to answer our prayer? Are we refusing to humble ourselves? But, what if – because He loves us – he is not only willing, but he is waiting for us to ask? (Mariners Church Chapel, Irvine CA)

Communion helps us remember who Jesus is, and what he did and continues to do. At Mariners Church Chapel, we celebrate Communion every Sunday. The danger for us who take communion regularly is that we can easily make it routine and lose sight of its meaning and importance. If we do not take the time to remember, this tradition soon becomes an “empty” ritual or tradition. It’s pretty easy to take Communion for granted, to get used to celebrating it and not take the time to make sure you are going into the Lord’s Supper with the right frame of mind. Before we take Communion, we need to spend some time reflecting on these two questions: "Who is Jesus" and "What did Jesus come to do?" (Mariners Church Chapel, Irvine, CA)