Sermons from 2021

Primary Text: Matthew 5:17-48 Opening Text: Matthew 5:17-20 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same,…

Primary Text: Matthew 5:1-16 1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for…

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went…

13 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15 Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here!…

6:1 Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 “So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your…

So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. 20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us;…

1 And he said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.’ 2 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah…

In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.” – Matthew 7:12 Sermon by Pastor Joshua Demi “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you.” It is such a short and simple phrase. I had originally intended to begin this sermon with timeless quotes from people Winston Churchill, and documents like the Declaration of Independence, which are short and simple, yet express profound…

Sermon by Pastor Joshua Demi For the past few weeks, we have been talking about the The Bible talks about how we ought to to relate to one another amongst differences.  We started by talking about how our identity is ultimately in Christ.  All people’s ultimate, their most fundamental identity is in God, all people are made in the image of God, and all believers are in Christ, have “put on Christ” in Paul’s words, and whether else we may…

Primary Text: Job 36:24-32 “Remember to extol his work,     of which mortals have sung. 25 All people have looked on it;     everyone watches it from far away. 26 Surely God is great, and we do not know him;     the number of his years is unsearchable. 27 For he draws up the drops of water;     he distills[q] his mist in rain, 28 which the skies pour down     and drop upon mortals abundantly. 29 Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds,     the thunderings of his pavilion?…