Antioch Community Church - Sermon Audio

A thankful heart prepares the way of the Lord. Thanking God for the little things in life opens the gates of our hearts, and when we praise God for who He is, we allow Him to enter into the pains of our lives.

When God Himself was born as a baby here on Earth, God sent angels to announce His Advent to both the Wisemen—wealthy, wise, and respected—and the Shepherds—low, lonely, and despised. His message to the Shepherds, and to us, is this: have no fear, rejoice in the good news that we are fully loved and cared for, and walk with Jesus in a life of praise so that others may see God’s goodness. Let’s pursue this together this Christmas season.

Mary has been praised across all of history as the one whom God chose to carry His Son. But the mind-boggling truth is that every one of us is chosen to carry the Spirit of Jesus, just as Mary was. Whereas her conscription was to carry Him physically, our call is to carry Him to the people in every sphere of our lives. Like Mary, may our response be—we are the Lord's servants; let it be to us according to His word.

It is so tempting, as humans, to put our hope in an outcome. When we endure trial, we wish to be spared from what hurts us. But when we place our hope in Jesus, the gifts He gives are so much better than the outcomes we think we want. Let’s cultivate an atmosphere of hope, expect hope-encounters, persevere with hope in trial, and seek the healing that God has for us—it’s so much better than anything we could hope for on our own.

Do you feel stuck? When we become distracted by something other than God—whether finances, relationships, responsibilities, etc.—we become trapped. How can we be free? Fix your eyes on Jesus. Remember who God is. Remember that you are His child, and that He’s promised to care for you, and then rejoice in the liberation that He gives.

The Bible is a guidebook to our lives, but how do we approach the topics of our day that aren't specifically addressed? When considering these topics—social media, movies, the way we spend our time—the question should not be how much we can get away with, but how we can best love the people around us.

God calls us to walk in holiness, and to flee from sin. He doesn't give us this command to be legalistic and controlling—God knows that sin becomes a snare that enslaves us, and He has better things for us than that. Cast away any behavior or habit that causes distance from God, and enjoy His sweet, near, and loving presence.

Every form of human relationship is designed to shout to the whole world that God created humans for covenant love. Marriage displays the relentless pursuit of God toward His people; broken marriages show the heart of God to heal and seek restoration, no matter the failure; and singleness showcases the longing to be known and loved by God. Ask yourself today—where have you sought to be comforted by relationships apart from God? Repent, turn from things that cannot satisfy, and be filled with God’s plenty.

The ability to restrain our passions and impulses is a gift that transforms us, disciplining our desires to become selfless and not selfish. The way we steward our sexuality becomes a witness to the world—a living metaphor—a portrait of Christ himself and the Church, a window through which the world can see God and His good intention. Conversely, when we use our bodies outside of God's design, we rob the world of what it looks like to be made in the image of God. Let's grab hold of the freedom God offers, and glorify him with all we have.

In every person is the engrained need for love, identity and dignity. The world cannot offer these things; they will always fall short. When the world disappoints and abuses, God will always forgive, sanctify and justify us when we seek Him. Hear guest speaker, Andrew Franklin, share his story and point us to the gospel of Jesus.

The free promise of God is that everyone who believes in His Son will have eternal life, but the level of reward enjoyed in eternal life—and in this life on earth—will depend on our obedience and surrender to God. Let’s give our lives to God with total abandon, so we can fully enjoy His presence here and now, and even more in the age to come.

Ever since the Holy Spirit was made available to all believers after Jesus’ resurrection, the wisdom of the world has been at war with the wisdom of the Holy Spirit—but it has not prevailed. If we today want to serve Jesus with any effectiveness, we must discard the wisdom of this world—which will only entrap and disappoint us—and wholeheartedly surrender to the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit.

God is looking for people who will be simple in their obedience to Him, live believing the truth that they are empowered by the Holy Spirit, be a witness and a discipler, and fulfill the Great Commission. That is the call of every believer.

The only way the Church can ever come together on what divides us is to be submitted under the rule and reign of Jesus, following the leadership of the Holy Spirit. No matter our opinions, we are called to have a heart of unity.

We're not just followers of Jesus, we're part of His family and we have been made into one people for His glory. Our response is to be baptized in the Lord, His presence and His Word, every day and to live the crucified life.

In the midst of culture shifting, whether it leads to our promotion or persecution, as followers of Jesus our beliefs are not the same as the world. We will either live a life of blended spirituality or one that has been distilled to potency. But, there is hope: Jesus has always been and will forever be enthroned.

We can stand at a distance in an attempt to avoid the shame and ridicule, but the only way for us to connect with God and receive all that we need for the journey is through Jesus and what He did on the cross. Jesus came to break the distance and rule in our hearts.

We are in a NOW window to preach the Gospel with boldness, but to do this we must be saturated with the grace of God both for ourselves and others. Whether it's boldness we need or something else, it's not by our strength but by God's grace.

As the chaos increases, we have to be more deeply centered in Jesus than ever before. May we respond like Mary, not using human strength to accomplish God's promises but instead trusting the Holy Spirit and the will of the Lord.

We not only get to be part of the Body of Christ but we also get to build up the Church. It's a joy to be the hands and feet of Jesus, serving the Church and the world around us, displaying God everywhere we go.