Sermons

Sun, Apr 07, 2019

Series: Unlikely Followers: Master Jesus and Misfits Like Us

Duration: 41 mins 49 secs

Jesus invited followers to accompany him as he spread word of God's kingdom. They learned from him, helped him, and eventually carried forth his message. These followers did not always fit the societal mold, but what made them exceptional was their commitment to Jesus. A band of female followers sets the tone for this series of unlikely followers. They reflect Jesus's generosity.

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Bragging Rights

Sun, Mar 31, 2019

by Tim Sprankle

Passage: Galatians 6:11-12 & 1 Corinthians 1:17-2:2

Series: Freeish: The Letter to the Galatians

Duration: 35 mins 32 secs

Our world loves outcomes. We crown the winner of the game. We award the student with remarkable grades. We praise the business with rising sales and church with growing attendance. Achievement is king. But God keeps a different scorecard. He prefers obedience to outcomes. He wants us postured to receive grace not achieve greatness.

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Show Care

Sun, Mar 17, 2019

by Tim Sprankle

Passage: Galatians 6:1-10

Series: Freeish: The Letter to the Galatians

Duration: 45 mins 55 secs

God designed spiritual community to be a place of care. We meet one another's needs. We tend one another's wounds. We bear one another's burdens. These acts of care give evidence of our close companionship with God's Spirit. He did not intend for us to live alone. Such a community of care requires humility, honesty, and effort.

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Keep Step: Walking with Jesus and His Spirit

Sun, Mar 10, 2019

by Tim Sprankle

Passage: Galatians 5:16-26

Series: Freeish: The Letter to the Galatians

Duration: 49 mins 38 secs

Followers of Jesus have a perfect example in Jesus. He is the model. His kind of life is the ideal. The apostle Paul agonized to see the life of Christ formed in them. This, of course, is not easy because we are often at war with ourselves -- the selfish jerk within. Fortunately, we have an advocate: the Holy Spirit also moves within to make our character like Jesus's. This sermon considers the Spirit's part and ours in become more like Jesus.

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Free-range Faith

Sun, Mar 03, 2019

by Tim Sprankle

Passage: Galatians 5:1-15

Series: Freeish: The Letter to the Galatians

Duration: 40 mins 15 secs

God raises his children as a Free-range Father. He is not anti-rule, but provides enough moral guidance to let "good things run wild" (Chesterton). Sadly, we allow external codes and internal drives define what is right. We enslave ourselves to laws or lusts. God frees us so we can love. Living with a relentless sense of duty or crippling sense if guilt is not God's desire. No: Our Free-range Father calls us to range free.

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Adopted

Sun, Feb 24, 2019

by Tim Sprankle

Passage: Galatians 3:26-4:31 & Acts 14:8-18

Series: Freeish: The Letter to the Galatians

Duration: 43 mins 51 secs

We seek and receive identities from every sphere of life. We are known by our family role, work title, recreational habits, ethnic background, academic achievements, and personal quirks. Doctor. Dad. Delinquent. Sister. Snob. Southerner. God gives us our truest identity: adopted sons and daughters. Jesus secured this new identity for us, sending his Spirit to imbibe us. It is our task to embrace this new ID.

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Promised Long Ago

Sun, Feb 17, 2019

by Tim Sprankle

Passage: Galatians 3:6-25 & Genesis 15:6

Series: Freeish: The Letter to the Galatians

Duration: 45 mins 59 secs

We make promises to our friends, spouses, kids, and coworkers. We don't always keep them. A broken promise breaks trust. An unfulfilled promise breeds anxiety. God, too, makes promises. To Abraham He promised a name, a son, international fame, and land. Abe did not see every promise come to pass before his death, but he believed God would keep his word. He did. He does. Jesus is living proof that God keeps His word.

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Impress or Please

Sun, Jan 13, 2019

by Tim Sprankle

Passage: Galatians 1:1-10

Series: Freeish: The Letter to the Galatians

Duration: 40 mins 38 secs

Living to impress others offers no lasting peace. Others will crucify you. Criticize you. Change their standard of right or wrong based upon popular opinion or circumstance. Living to impress others is no way to live. Fortunately, there is another way. A better way. It is living to please God by embracing the good news about Jesus. The apostle Paul stresses this in the opening of his letter to the Galatians.

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We Are Participants

Sun, Jan 06, 2019

Passage: 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:18 & 2 Corinthians 4:7

Duration: 42 mins 59 secs

We are new creations. We are Christ's ambassadors. We are God's co-workers. These words from Paul frame the 2019 theme: We Participants. Being a participant does not guarantee a life devoid of trials. In fact, joining God's mission often spells personal suffering. But we participate because it is God's way of winning the world to Jesus.

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Redeeming Power

Sun, Dec 16, 2018

by Tim Sprankle

Passage: Luke 2:41-52 & Philippians 2:6-8

Series: Wrapped: How Christmas Restores Glory to the Material World.

Duration: 40 mins 54 secs

Jesus was not immune to power struggles. However, he released independent access to his divine power in becoming fully human. Moreover, he learned obedience as a son. He contested false forms of authority -- demonic, religious, political -- and eventually reclaimed his power before distributing it to his followers. The earthly ministry of Jesus depicts a life of servanthood amid ongoing power struggles. We should learn to serve like him.

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