The Rock Church of Fenton Sermons

Abram and Lot, having achieved great prosperity, found it impossible to live near one another peacefully. Lot, lured in by the well-watered plains and the sophisticated cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, chose to make them his home. What outwardly resembled the Garden of Eden would ultimately lead to ruin. The Bible warns that bad company corrupts good morals. While we are called to share the hope of Jesus with those who are lost, we must be careful in how closely we align ourselves with darkness. Where have you chosen to settle your soul?

In the book of Philippians, Paul calls believers to press on toward the goal. We have been rescued from sin and are set free from all sin and shame, yet we have not been perfected. The Lord gives us new mercy for each day to throw off the past and walk in freedom, righteousness and His good works until the day when we will be made perfect, fully conformed to His image.

Philippians 3:12-14

The Lord has saved us by His grace and made us His ambassadors. An ambassador serves as a faithful representative of the one by whom he is sent. An ambassador for Christ is not of this world. Believers have received a new heart, mind and citizenship. An ambassador for Christ is submitted to Jesus. Many seek to have Jesus as a sponsor for their own interests while refusing Him as their Lord. An ambassador for Christ has one message. When our own agenda is attached to the gospel, it ceases to be the pure and true gospel. The message of Jesus is relevant and true to people from every nation, tribe and tongue for all time. Are you an ambassador for Christ?

Throughout history, numerous events have shaped our world, but none have had a more profound impact than the first coming of Jesus Christ. When Jesus entered our world, He triumphed over sin and death, offering eternal life to all who embrace Him as their Lord and Savior through faith. Before His glorious ascension to the Father, He made a powerful promise: He will return one day to gather His followers. This return will be marked by divine judgment for those who rejected Him, and Jesus warns us that His arrival will be at an unexpected hour. This urgency compels us to prepare ourselves for His coming. In this message titled “Be Alert,” we will dive into what it means to be ready for the second coming of Jesus.

The great Samson played with fire as he continued to subject himself to a people given to idolatry, pride, greed, and immorality. Like many, he believed he could maintain control as he refused to flee from temptation. Having become exhausted by the relentless assault, he finally surrendered the source of his great power. When his enemies came for him, his power had been removed by the Lord. They overcame him, gouged out his eyes and chained him in the prison. Many today have eaten the fruit of their own devices and found themselves chained in misery. However, it was in the prison that Samson began to humble himself and once again return to the true God. Maybe you have drifted far from the Lord, and the time has come to once again call upon His great Name. 

John the Baptist served as a herald for Jesus, emerging from the wilderness to boldly call people to repent of sin and embrace the true light. His message convicted powerful individuals who preferred darkness to light, leading to his imprisonment. In his shaken state, John sent a message to Jesus, asking if He was the Expected One or if they should await another. Jesus responded by highlighting His miraculous power at work in people's lives and blessing those who would not be offended by Him. Are you, in your current struggles, offended by God? Will you choose to trust and find peace in who He is, even if He hasn't answered your prayers with a "yes"

JOHN 1:6-8

MATTHEW 11:1-3

MATTHEW 11:4-6

JOHN 20:25-31

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:

LUKE 1:17

ISAIAH 40:3

MATTHEW 5:16

JOHN 3:20

DANIEL 3:17-18

MARK 6:27-28

Despite repeated imprisonment by a government hostile to the gospel, Paul refused to give in to discouragement. He persisted in prayer, praised God's name, and continued to preach the gospel. Many tend to forget God in times of trouble, but God promises to hear our cries in distress, remaining the same yesterday, today, and forever. When we praise the Lord, we are brought into the helpfulness of His presence. Our time of imprisonment can become an opportunity to preach the gospel, just as Paul did in his own prison. Are you using your difficult times to grow in the Lord and strengthen your witness, or are you wasting them?

ACTS 16:23-26

ACTS 16:25

HABAKKUK 3:17-18

ACTS 16:30-31

ACTS 24:24

ACTS 26:28-29

Having been separated from his slave owner and eventually put into prison, Onesimus encountered Paul, a believer in Jesus. During the course of his time in prison, Onesimus comes to faith in Jesus, thus becoming an entirely different man. Paul writes a letter to his slave owner and asks Onesimus to deliver it himself upon his release. Paul declares that Onesimus is now a follower of Jesus with a new heart, direction, and standing before God and man. Paul asks his slave owner to accept him back, not as a slave but as a brother. If you are in a prison cell of some kind today, will you consider that the Lord may use it to transform your life and eternity?

PHILEMON 1:10-18

PHILEMON 1:11-12

PHILEMON 1:12

PHILEMON 1:15-18ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:EPHESIANS 2:3

COLOSSIANS 1:21

EZEKIAL 36:26

EPHESIANS 4:22-23

EPHESIANS 2:12-13

EPHESIANS 5:8

1 PETER 2:10

1 PETER 2:25

Despite betrayal and enslavement by his brothers, Joseph maintained unwavering faithfulness amidst suffering. He served his master diligently, earning favor. When confronted with temptation, Joseph clung to righteousness, not for earthly gain, but out of devotion to the Lord. Even when he possessed the power to seek revenge for the wrongs committed against him, Joseph chose to extend mercy and grace instead. In your current circumstances, whatever they may be, is God worthy of your faithfulness? 

GENESIS 39:1-6

JOB 2:7-10

GENESIS 39:7-10, 19-20

GENESIS 50:15-21

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:

1 PETER 2:21, 23

HEBREWS 4:15

EPHESIANS 1:13

1 SAMUEL 24:6

ROMANS 12:19

PROVERBS 24:17-18

Peter's powerful testimony for Jesus led to his imprisonment. While faithfulness often encounters resistance, believers can find encouragement in sharing the sufferings of Christ and our global brethren. Despite being chained in prison, Peter experienced profound peace, sleeping soundly—a peace unlike any the world offers. The Lord intervened, sending an angel to awaken and free him. God sees us in our own "prisons" and possesses all the power needed to break our chains. Are you resting in God's peace today?

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:

ACTS 12:1-6

ACTS 5:17-25

ACTS 12:6

ACTS 12:7-11