Sermon Series Resources

 Sermon Study Guide (pdf): August 31

Video Resource: Victory in Jesus: A Powerful Hymn - Check out this video featuring Stephen McWhirter and his powerful version of the classic hymn: Victory in Jesus.

Study Resource: Living a Counter-Cultural Life: A Study - Living a counter-cultural life as a Christian involves adhering to biblical principles and values that often stand in contrast to the prevailing norms and practices of society. This lifestyle is characterized by a commitment to follow Jesus, even when it means going against the grain of cultural expectations.

Study Resource: Honesty with the Lord: A Study - Honesty with God is a fundamental aspect of the Christian faith, emphasizing the importance of transparency and sincerity in one's relationship with the Creator. The Bible encourages believers to approach God with an open heart, acknowledging their true thoughts, feelings, and struggles.

Study Resource: Choosing Obedience: An Article - “Choosing obedience in suffering provides a pathway through it.” John Piper once exclaimed that suffering “in the path of obedience” is not meaningless. This is true. In fact, obedience not only gives your suffering meaning but is the vehicle by which you progress to the other side.

Study Resource: Resilient - A Study in 2 Timothy - Jim Dalrymple, a professor at Ozark Christian College, looks at Paul’s final word to Timothy. His goal is to help Timothy, and us, understand how to be resilient in our faith. Paul’s words to Timothy can encourage us to properly approach suffering with our eyes on Jesus and continue the work that God has called us to.

Sermon Study Guide (pdf): August 24

Study Resource: 4 Chambers of the Biblical Heart - Like the physical heart, the spiritual heart has four chambers. It’s time for a heart exam. Are all four chambers of your spiritual heart pumping and healthy?

Study Resource: Idolatry and Our Own Hearts - One of the ways this Satan, this adversary, this thief attacks us is by diverting our minds and hearts from God and his good works to empty, vain, and wrong things. He does it in such a clever and sneaky way that sometimes things seem more attractive to our eyes than God and we start seeking and chasing after them; this is “idolatry.”

Study Resource: Trusting God’s Promises - This article’s goal isn’t to attack us but rather to engage us in reflection as to why we feel we can’t always trust God’s promises. Ultimately, I hope this pause to reflect helps encourage us toward greater faith in God’s promises and a healthier relationship with him.

Study Resource: Pure in Heart - In Jesus’ day, there were very few concepts as theologically and even politically charged as being “clean.” The Pharisees evolved as a group meticulously obsessed with being “clean”—starting with the regulations in Leviticus and building from there. Unfortunately, the focus tended to be very external.

Study Resource: Righteousness Guards Our Hearts - In describing spiritual “armor” which protect followers of Jesus, the apostle Paul includes the “breastplate of righteousness.” But what is it about righteousness that protects us? How does righteousness, as a physical breastplate protects the heart, guard our inner life? Here are three ways.

Sermon Study Guide (pdf): August 17

Study Resource: Biblical Truths About God: An Article - When life is chaotic, you need biblical truths—truths about God, life, and yourself that can ground you in a swirl of confusion. Truths serve as points of reference, especially in disorienting seasons.

Study Resource: God is for Us: A Study - When we reflect on the idea of God being for us, we cannot help but recognize the deep and abiding love He has for each of us. God’s love is the foundation of our faith. It comforts us and gives us the reassurance that we are not alone in our struggles.

Study Resource: Hope: Future After Failure - Biblical hope is not optimism. In fact, the most hopeful people in the Bible often had very few reasons to believe that things would get better for them any time soon. But biblical hope is based not in circumstances but in the unchanging character of God.

Study Resource: Discipling People into Repentance: An Article - One of the most important focuses we have, as disciple makers, is connecting with, loving, and discipling lost people to salvation in Jesus. As a part of the process, knowing how to lead people to repentance and baptism is central.

Study Resource: Repentance and Responsibility: A Study - When things are in ruins, you can’t just do church like normal. When things are in ruins, it’s time to rebuild. And if we want to rebuild, then, as we see in Nehemiah, we’ve got to repent.

Sermon Study Guide (pdf): August 10

Study Resource: Honesty in Prayer - Honesty in prayer is a fundamental aspect of a believer's relationship with God. The Bible encourages believers to approach God with sincerity and truthfulness, reflecting a heart that is open and transparent before the Creator. 

Study Resource: The Potter: Our Lord of Infinite Rule - We owe God our allegiance for one simple reason. He holds authority over us because he is our Author. It is his natural right as our Creator. The potter forms the clay, and the clay doesn’t question its design or purpose.

Study Resource: Trusting God: Even When it Feels Crazy  - After the Exodus, God brought the Israelites to the land he promised. But the task felt too impossible, and only two of the leaders trusted that God could give them the land. 

Study Resource: “The Truth” Is Better Than “Relative Truth” - Objective truth is defined as truth that is the same for all people. It is being undermined and people are falling for it, soaking it up, and cheering it on. Words are being redefined, and truth is one that is wildly distorted.

Study Resource: Jesus: The Lion of Judah - It is important to understand Jesus as the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. But this article provides four reasons to know Jesus as the Lion of Judah.

Study Resource: Lyrics of Life: An 8-Session Study - We sometimes feel like we need to curate our emotions when we talk to God. But God wants us to come to him honestly, no matter what we are feeling or going through. Join Bible teacher Lisa Harper as she teaches from the book of Psalms, looking at the variety of circumstances faced by followers of God

Study Resource: The Psalms of lament: A Study Resource  - The Psalms of lament are the opposite of Psalms of praise. They express the language of suffering and are full of questions to God. There are more Psalms of lament than there are Psalms of praise because at times life is full of trouble and sorrow.

Study Resource: Resources for the Series Recommended by Jeff Faull - Check out these four resources that Jeff recommended for the sermon series titled "Mold Me" based on Jeremiah, the Old Testament prophet.

Sermon Study Guide (pdf): August 3

Study Resource: I Am Not My Own: In the Potter’s Hands - Christianity provides a radically unexpected but truly freeing message: You belong to Christ. Check out this brief article.

Study Resource: The Potter: Our Lord of Infinite Rule - We owe God our allegiance for one simple reason. He holds authority over us because he is our Author. It is his natural right as our Creator. The potter forms the clay, and the clay doesn’t question its design or purpose.

Study Resource: The Good Way: Led by the Spirit - Practicing spiritual habits (i.e., disciplines) is an important way we develop our relationship with the Lord. We proactively come under the direct influence of the Holy Spirit through earnest and daily times of prayer, bible study, and communion with Jesus.

Study Resource: The Spirit Helps Us Pray - How do we pray to “our Father who is in heaven”? It’s a process that involves God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. It is God’s Son Jesus who taught us to pray to our Father, and it is the Holy Spirit who continually reminds us that he is our Father who loves us and whom we can trust. As we learn to walk by the Spirit, our prayers become bigger…

Study Resource: God’s Will…Period - “If someone listened in on our prayers and looked into our hearts, I’m afraid they’d hear something more like: ‘God, may MY kingdom come.’”

Study Resource: Resources for the Series Recommended by Jeff Faull - Check out these four resources that Jeff recommended for the sermon series titled "Mold Me" based on Jeremiah, the Old Testament prophet.

Sermon Study Guide (pdf): July 27

Study Resource: Righteousness Guards Our Hearts: An Article - In describing spiritual “armor” which protect followers of Jesus, the apostle Paul includes the “breastplate of righteousness.” But what is it about righteousness that protects us? How does righteousness, as a physical breastplate protects the heart, guard our inner life? Here are three ways.

Study Resource: Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness: An Article - Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness? “Throughout Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, he continually points us to the importance of righteousness at our deepest core.

Study Resource: Experiencing Trials and Embracing Jesus - Check out this 1-page essay with scripture and application.

Study Resource: Faith Tested and Proven: A Topic Study - The concept of faith being tested and proven is a recurring theme throughout the Bible. It is through trials and tribulations that the authenticity and strength of one's faith are often revealed. This entry explores the biblical understanding of faith under trial, examining key scriptural passages and figures whose faith was tested and proven. 

Video Resource: Divine Judgment and Resurrection Hope: A Podcast - What does the Old Testament say about what comes after God’s final justice? This is where the ideas of new creation and resurrection come in. This material is all crucially necessary to understand what the New Testament is trying to say about heaven and hell. Listen in as we talk about all of this and the origins of eternal life and resurrections in the Old Testament.

Study Resource: Resources for the Series Recommended by Jeff Faull - Check out these four resources that Jeff recommended for the sermon series titled "Mold Me" based on Jeremiah, the Old Testament prophet.

Sermon Study Guide (pdf): July 20

Study Resource: Resources for the Series Recommended by Jeff Faull - Check out these four resources that Jeff recommended for the sermon series titled "Mold Me" based on Jeremiah, the Old Testament prophet.

Video Resource: How to Read Jeremiah: Bible Project Video - This video, created by The Bible Project, focuses on the book of Jeremiah, a Major Prophet in Scripture. See how this anthology both warns about the coming exile, while also planting seeds of hope that God will fulfill his promises no matter what.

Study Resource: Jeremiah 6:16: Scripture & Commentary

Study Resource: The Good Way: Led by the Spirit - Practicing spiritual habits (i.e., disciplines) is an important way we develop our relationship with the Lord. We proactively come under the direct influence of the Holy Spirit through earnest and daily times of prayer, bible study, and communion with Jesus.

Sermon Study Guide (pdf): July 13

Study Resource: Jeremiah 1:1-19 Scripture & Commentary

Study Resource: "For I Know the Plans I Have for You"? An Article - A key component in biblical literacy is learning to recognize that the Bible is not our story, but God’s story. It’s not first and foremost about us, but about Him. So, we learn to read through a “God-centered lens” rather than a “me-centered lens.” And even when the Bible tells us about humanity, it’s pointing us to God’s restoration plan for all mankind.

Study Resource: Jeremiah’s Persecution and Suffering: A Study - Jeremiah, often referred to as the "weeping prophet," is a profound example of suffering and persecution for the sake of God's message. His life and ministry, as recorded in the Book of Jeremiah, illustrate the trials faced by those who stand firm in their divine calling amidst opposition and hostility.

Study Resource: Resources for the Series Recommended by Jeff Faull - Check out these four resources that Jeff recommended for the sermon series titled "Mold Me" based on Jeremiah, the Old Testament prophet.