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Sermons
The Lord’s Servant: Week 4
Sermon begins at about 29 minutes
Pastor Andrew continues our Advent series “The Lord’s Servant”, which is part of our “Year of the Lord” focus for 2024. In this sermon series, we will hear about people like Mary who chose to be the Lord’s servant. We’ll ask ourselves, “Am I the Lord’s Servant”? These week we focus on Joseph as well.
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
Sermon Slide Notes:
Review of series
Being the Lord’s servant starts with God’s grace
“Rejoice, full of grace! The Lord is with you”
Being the Lord’s servant includes our response
“May your word to me be fulfilled”
Mary is the Lord’s servant
Elizabeth is the Lord’s servant
Gabriel is the Lord’s servant
Matthew 1:18-25
Joseph is the Lord’s servant
Joseph lived according to God’s Word by being faithful to God’s law (Matthew 1:19)
Joseph lived according to God’s Word by doing what the angel said in taking Mary to be his wife and in naming the baby Jesus. (Matthew 1:24-25)
Joseph did not consummate the marriage until after the baby was born.
It is easy to do the opposite and choose inconvenient commitment over immediate gratification.
Joseph, though seemingly betrayed by Mary, did not want to expose her but rather do things quietly.
It is easy to do the opposite and build a case against someone who has hurt us rather than put energy into doing what’s best for them.
Joseph sought to avoid publicly disgracing Mary and ended up show grace by sharing her disgrace.
It is easy to put other people down (disgrace them) as a way of making ourselves look better.
Are you the Lord’s servant?
When considering that we often live opposite than Joseph, we need to embrace the good news that Jesus saves his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).
To be the Lord’s servant we need to embrace the grace Jesus offers us again and again.
Resources:
The Lord’s Servant: Week 3
Sermon begins at about 17 minutes
Aubrey Schneider continues our Advent series “The Lord’s Servant”, which is part of our “Year of the Lord” focus for 2024. In this sermon series, we will hear about people like Mary who chose to be the Lord’s servant. We’ll ask ourselves, “Am I the Lord’s Servant”?
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
Resources:
The Lord’s Servant: Week 2
Sermon begins at about 20 minutes
Pastor Andrew Schmidt continues our Advent series “The Lord’s Servant”, which is part of our “Year of the Lord” focus for 2024. In this sermon series, we will hear about people like Mary who chose to be the Lord’s servant. We’ll ask ourselves, “Am I the Lord’s Servant”?
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
Sermon Slide Notes:
Luke 1:39-45, 56
Review from December 1
Being the Lord’s servant starts with God’s grace
“Rejoice, full of grace! The Lord is with you”
Being the Lord’s servant includes our response
“May your word to me be fulfilled”
Luke 1:28
“Greetings”: Rejoice, joy, good news
“Highly favored”: full of grace, blessed, favored
Luke 1:39-41 [note: greeted, greeting, leaped]
Luke 1:44 [note: greeting, leaped for joy]
God filled greeting: there is potential power in our greetings if we are intentional and if God is involved.
Luke 1:42-45 [note Blessed (3x), and favored]
Spirit inspired blessing Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit which allows her to see and bless Mary and the Lord within her womb.
Luke 1:38
Luke 1:24-25
One who was disgraced is able to recognize grace in another thought to be disgraced and to bless her.
Mary is the Lord’s servant
Elizabeth is the Lord’s servant
Are you the Lord’s servant?
Are you the Lord’s servant?
Receive God’s grace for you
Spend time with God & with godly people
Give God filled greetings & Spirit inspired blessings
Resources:
The Lord’s Servant: Week 1
Sermon begins at about 20 minutes
Pastor Andrew Schmidt begins our Advent series “The Lord’s Servant”, which is part of our “Year of the Lord” focus for 2024. In this sermon series, we will hear about people like Mary who chose to be the Lord’s servant. We’ll ask ourselves, “Am I the Lord’s Servant”? See notes from this Sunday’s message below.
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
Sermon Slide Notes:
Luke 1:26-38
Luke 1:28 - key words “Greetings” & “Highly Favored”
“Greetings”: Rejoice
“highly favored”: full of grace
Joy = chara
Grace - charis
“Rejoice, full of grace! The Lord is with you”
Being the Lord’s servant starts with God’s grace
Luke 1:29 - 37
Mary is to rejoice:
She has found favor, has been blessed, is full of grace
The Lord is with her, she need not be afraid
God is going to conceive and birth greatness in her, establishing God’s kingdom on the earth in her time
The Holy Spirit will rest on her, the power of the Most High will overshadow her
God’s Word for her will not fail, nothing is too hard for Him
Being the Lord’s servant includes Mary’s response
Luke 1:29, 34, 38
Mary is the Lord’s servant
Gabriel is the Lord’s servant
Are you the Lord’s servant?
What if God has favor for you?
What if God has a word for You?
What if God wants to birth something significant through you?
Zephaniah 3:14-17 “Rejoice, Daughter of Zion…be glad and rejoice..The Lord, the King is with you.” [The Lord is in your midst…literally in your womb]
“...his glorious grace, which he has freely given us” (Ephesians 1:6)
“Bestowed” = drenched
“Rejoice, full of grace! The Lord is with you”
Are you the Lord’s servant?
Ready to receive His Word of grace for you?
Pondering over what His Word means to you?
Willing to have His Word be fulfilled through you?
Resources:
Christmas Eve 2022: A Great Light
Andrew Schmidt concludes our advent series, “Out of the Darkness…” with a Christmas Eve sermon, “A Great Light”. This series will has carried us through Advent with a focus on what the prophet Isaiah wrote about the Messiah.
Sermon begins at about 31 minutes
Audio:
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
Scripture References:
Things To Remember:
Other Sermon Notes and References:
Find resources for this and other Advent messages here.
Advent Week 4: Out of the Darkness (Peace)
Aubrey Schneider continues our Advent series, “Out of the Darkness…”. This series will carry us through Advent with a focus on what the prophet Isaiah wrote about the Messiah. This week’s focus is on PEACE. Scripture centers on Isaiah 11:1-10
Sermon begins at about 27 minutes
Audio:
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
Scripture References:
Things To Remember:
Other Sermon Notes and References:
Find resources for this and other Advent messages here.