Recent
Sermons
The Lord’s Prayers: Week 6
Sermon begins at about 46 minutes (There were faith commitments today)
Pastor Andrew Schmidt concludes a sermon series as part of our Year of the Lord theme for 2024. This series is called, “The Lord’s Prayers” and it focuses on the prayers that Jesus prayed, with the traditional Lord’s Prayer as a base. During this series you’re encouraged to pray the Lord’s prayer every day!
Audio: (will be posted on Thursday this week)
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
Sermon Notes:
The Lord’s Prayers: Week 5
Sermon begins at about 32 minutes
Pastor Andrew Schmidt continues a sermon series as part of our Year of the Lord theme for 2024. This series is called, “The Lord’s Prayers” and it focuses on the prayers that Jesus prayed, with the traditional Lord’s Prayer as a base. During this series you’re encouraged to pray the Lord’s prayer every day!
Audio: (posted on Tuesdays)
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
Sermon Notes:
The Lord’s Prayers: Week 4
Sermon begins at about 19 minutes
Pastor Andrew Schmidt continues a sermon series as part of our Year of the Lord theme for 2024. This series is called, “The Lord’s Prayers” and it focuses on the prayers that Jesus prayed, with the traditional Lord’s Prayer as a base. During this series you’re encouraged to pray the Lord’s prayer every day!
Audio: (posted on Tuesdays)
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
Sermon Notes:
Jesus' instruction to pray 'gives us this day our daily bread' is loaded with meaning and provides a variety of ways to focus our prayers.
Give us what we need today.
Most generally we pray for what we need today and trust God will provide it. When we are overwhelmed (especially by the future) it is good to focus on God giving us what we need for the day which can bring peace where we have anxiety.
Give us what we need today physically.
We need bread, food, health, etc. All of these are items Jesus gives in the Matthew account of the feeding of the 5000 (Matthew 14:13-21).
Give us what we need today spiritually.
Jesus quoted, when fasting, that man doesn't live by bread alone but by every word that comes from God (Matthew 4:1-4). It's not just our bodies that need daily provision but our souls as well.
Give us what we need today.
I don't just pray for what I need today but also for the needs of others. Especially this prayer should remind me of God's concern for those without the basics of food, clothes, safety, etc. And I should try to be the answer to this prayer in some way (Matthew 14:16).
Give us what we need today: Jesus.
Jesus tells us he is the bread of life (John 6:48-51). We can receive life from Him that is outside of us but can be taken into us and become part of us just like with food and drink. This is a picture of what happens by the power of the Holy Spirit when we take communion in faith.
The Lord’s Prayers: Week 3
Pastor Andrew Schmidt continues a sermon series as part of our Year of the Lord theme for 2024. This series is called, “The Lord’s Prayers” and it focuses on the prayers that Jesus prayed, with the traditional Lord’s Prayer as a base. During this series you’re encouraged to pray the Lord’s prayer every day!
Audio: (posted on Tuesdays)
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
Sermon Notes:
May Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10)
Heaven (the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God, the kingdom) is the realm where what God wants to happen happens.
So when we pray may Your Kingdom come we are saying God may what you want to happen happen in this specific person, situation, organization, location, community, family, etc.
Jesus called the kingdom good news and show us that the kingdom is like joy, life, healing, deliverance from evil, acceptance, etc. in all that he did. That's what we're praying for when we say Your Kingdom come.
Prayer changes things.
Jesus also prayed not my will but yours be done (Mark 26:39, 42). Even though humanly he wanted something else he prayed for and ultimately did God's will.
We tend to mainly pray with an attitude of my will be done God.
Part of the purpose of prayer is not only to change thing out there, but also to change our own hearts.
When we pray your will be done God and seek to live that out we can become the answer to our prayers or the prayers of others.
The Lord’s Prayers: Week 2
Pastor Andrew Schmidt continues a new sermon series as part of our Year of the Lord theme for 2024. This series is called, “The Lord’s Prayers” and it focuses on the prayers that Jesus prayed, with the traditional Lord’s Prayer as a base. During this series you’re encouraged to pray the Lord’s prayer every day!
Audio: (posted on Tuesdays)
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
Sermon Notes:
Review: "Our Father" Jesus & I are praying this together.
Starting point is that we are praying to a person. "Thank you God that you love me. I am chosen and dearly loved."
After addressing the Father, knowing we are loved and that God is eager to give good gifts (Luke 11:7-11), we are to start asking for things in Jesus model prayer.
The first thing we are to ask for is surprising and not what usually come to mind for us when we know we can ask for anything: Hallowed be your Name: "Father, Glorify Your Name"
We hallow God's Name through expressions of praise (Luke 10:21)
We hallow God's Name when we seek his glory/to glorify Him with our lives (John 12:27-28; 17:1-5, 20-24)
We hallow God's Name when we represent his character (Deuteronomy 5:11; John 17:11, 17, Colossians 3:12-14)
We prioritize asking for God to be seen as He actually is loving, good, wise, powerful, kind, generous, etc. That we would see Him as He truly is and others would as well.
We can pray, Father, glorify your name in....(me, my family, my day to day, this situation, my workplace, etc.)
The Lord’s Prayers: Week 1
Pastor Andrew Schmidt begins a new sermon series as part of our Year of the Lord theme for 2024. This series is called, “The Lord’s Prayers” and it focuses on the prayers that Jesus prayed, with the traditional Lord’s Prayer as a base. During this series you’re encouraged to pray the Lord’s prayer every day!
Audio: (posted on Tuesdays)
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
Scriptures:
Full Sermon Notes:
When Jesus disciples ask him, "Lord teach us to pray", he starts by saying
When you pray address God as "Father" or "Abba" in Arameric...ike 'Papa' or 'Dad' (Luke 11:1-2)
Jesus knows that He is God's dearly loved Son and that God is pleased with him. He hears this as he was praying (Matthew 3:17, 17:5; Luke 3:21-22, 9:29, 9:35)
In the other prayers of Jesus we have recorded he addresses God as Father. He addresses God this way through a wide range of emotions and circumstances (Luke 10:21; John 12:28; John 17:1, 5, 11, 21, 24, 25; Mark 14:36; Luke 23:34; Luke 23:36).
Jesus encourages us to pray with him "Our Father" (Matthew 6:9) it is like Jesus is praying with us (John 17:20-25, Hebrews 2:10-11, 1 John 3:1).
Jesus tells his disciples to ask the Father for good gifts and most especially the Holy Spirit (Luke 9-13).
The Holy Spirit helps us to know that we are dearly loved by the Father (Romans 8:14-17, Galatians 4:4-7).
Every day we can remind ourselves (maybe say out loud) "I am loved by God, He is pleased with me."
Practice Gathering: Prayer
Pastor Andrew concludes our sermon series called, “Practice Gathering”. This series focused on Acts 2:42: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” This week focused on prayer. Andrew encouraged the congregation to put the things they’ve learned over the last several weeks into practice. The congregation joined together in prayer during the service.
Sermon begins at about 20 minutes.
Audio:
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
Practice Gathering: Prayer
Matt Van Sant continues our sermon series called, “Practice Gathering”. This series focuses on Acts 2:42: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” This week focuses on prayer. Matt encourages us to focus on Jesus as the center of our lives and our gathering worship.
Sermon begins at about 30 minutes.
Audio:
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
People of Presence: Prayer Builders
Pastor Andrew Schmidt concludes the sermon series, “People of Presence”. In this message, Pastor Andrew reviews the last several weeks of our Prayer Builders initiative.
Sermon begins at about 43 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:
People of Presence: Intercession (Global Outreach)
Pastor Andrew Schmidt continues the sermon series, “People of Presence”. In this message, Celebrate Church Pastoral Care Pastor Judd Nelson shares about intercession. He focuses on global outreach and the power of prayer. Pastor Andrew emphasizes this point and encourages the church to pray specifically for our global outreach partners.
Sermon begins at about 25 min
Audio:
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
Scripture References:
Things To Remember:
Jesus’ tells his disciples to pray: Ask the Lord to send out workers for the harvest. (Matthew 9:38)
Jesus sends his disciple out: As answers to the prayer of workers for the harvest. (Matthew 10:1, 5-8)
Jesus says: Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? What is your answer? (Isaiah 6:8)
Other Sermon Notes and References:
People of Presence: Intimacy
Pastor Andrew Schmidt continues the sermon series, “People of Presence”. In this message, Nicolas Lirio shares about intimacy with the Lord. He focuses on David’s bold approach to God’s presence. Pastor Andrew emphasizes this point and encourages the church to practice both confession and repentance as they approach the Lord.
Sermon begins at 17:40
Audio:
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
Scripture References:
Things To Remember:
When we draw close to God, he promises to draw close to us (James 4:8)
God is reaching for us out of his love for the world.
The world system prefers to stay in the darkness rather than be exposed by light.
Confessing Jesus as Savior and Lord helps us draw close to God.
Confessing our sins allows us to draw close to God, rather than remaining in darkness.
Repenting, turning toward God and away from worldliness, helps us draw close to God.
Other Sermon Notes and References:
People of Presence: Intercession
Pastor Andrew Schmidt continues the sermon series, “People of Presence”. In this message, Doug Terpstra shares about the power of praying for others. Pastor Andrew emphasizes this point and encourages the church receive prayer from youth prayer ministers during the service.
Sermon begins at 36:38
Audio:
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
Scripture References:
Things To Remember:
Jesus ministered in power. So did his early followers. So can we.
Power was released through Jesus’ words and touch.
Jesus’ ministry wasn’t just powerful, it was personal.
Other Sermon Notes and References:
People of Presence: Imagination
Pastor Andrew Schmidt continues the sermon series, “People of Presence”. In this message, Ali Cranmer shares about imagination, and how important it is to imagine with God. Pastor Andrew emphasizes this point and encourages the church to invite God into our imagination. Ali finishes by leading us through a prayer called The Garden of The Heart Prayer.
Sermon begins at 37:26
Audio:
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
Other Sermon Notes and References:
People of Presence: Intercession (Not Giving Up)
Pastor Andrew Schmidt continues the sermon series, “People of Presence”. In this message, Aubrey Schneider begins the sermon with a personal story about prayer intercession. She also shares some takeaways about blessing others. Jon Suntken follows with thoughts on Bamboo trees, and how this mirrors our need to keep praying. Andrew concludes the message with encouragement to pray without ceasing, and to see how God is answering prayers even when we can't see what He is doing.
Sermon begins at 23:48
Audio:
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
Scripture References:
Blessing Prayer: Ephesians 3:16-20
Things To Remember:
We are to always pray and not give up. (Luke 18:1)
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise as some understand slowness. (2 Peter 3:9)
God you owe me leads to complaining and a focus on what God is not doing.
God you love me leads to thanksgiving and a focus on what God has done, is doing and promises to do in the future.
Bamboo Plant: Like the Babmoo plant that doesn't break the ground for 4 years and then grows 90 feet in 60 days, God is often at work under the surface in response to our prayers.
3 Things To Do When You Bless Others:
Use their name
Pray scripture
Pray out loud
Other Sermon Notes and References:
“When we move from petition (asking for things for ourselves) to intercession, we are shifting the center of gravity from our own needs to the needs and concerns of others. Intercessory prayer is selfless, even self-giving prayer.”
People of Presence: Intimacy (Nature/Service)
Pastor Andrew Schmidt continues the sermon series, “People of Presence”. This week we focus on intimacy with God. Mike Moats shares with us about how nature is the place where he feels God’s presence most. Andrew continues with the series after, encouraging us to find intimacy with God as we serve others and also as we walk with Him in nature.
Sermon begins at around 35 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:
Jesus often went alone to pray in nature.
God communicates through nature. We still need His Word and community, but it is spiritually beneficial to connect with His creation.
We experience Jesus's Presence when we serve the least of these.
Other Sermon Notes and References:
He was sinless, and yet he needed prayer. Far be it from us to dream that we can do without it. In private, we must, like our God, equip ourselves for the public battle of life. -Charles Spurgeon
No doubt it was the constant habit of Christ to pray. But there were certain times where He retired into lonely places, and His prayer life was peculiarly fervent and prolonged. -Charles Spurgeon
People of Presence: Intercession (Elders)
Pastor Andrew Schmidt continues the sermon series, “People of Presence”. This week we focus on intercession for the church as a whole body. Celebrate’s Elder Board shares scripture and prayer with us at the end of the message.
Sermon begins at 21:27
Audio:
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
Scripture References:
Things To Remember:
The church was born when people accepted the gospel message that Jesus died for our sins, rose from the dead to make a way for eternal life and was exalted into heaven that we could have His Spirit/Presence now.
Believers responded by repenting and being baptized, and devoting themselves to each other every day.
Ephesians shares God’s ideal vision for the church.
We learn that
The church is Jesus’ body and is intended to be filled.
That the church is a temple being built together so he can dwell with them.
The God through his love wants to fill us with His fullness and have his glory dwell in us like it did in Jesus Christ.
God wants to fill his church his body so we can be mature and complete and unified.
We can be filled with God’s Spirit by not being filled with other things and by speaking and singing praise to God.
Other Sermon Notes and References:
People of Presence: Ministering To The Lord
Pastor Andrew Schmidt continues the sermon series, “People of Presence”. We begin with Matt Van Sant, Celebrate’s Worship Ministries Leader, teaching on what it means to minister to the Lord.
Sermon begins at 26:11
Audio:
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
Scripture References:
Things To Remember:
Ministering to God:
Extol- to record, to remember
Thank- to thank
Praise- to shine, to rave, to boast
Sermon Notes and References:
God being present everywhere is not the same as God being present somewhere.
A theme throughout the Bible is God desiring to be present in a specific place and time to be with his people.
David was not content with God's Presence being 'there', he wanted it to be 'here' in his midst.
David desires for God's Presence to 'somewhere' matched God's desire. In this way he was a man after God's own heart.
God brought God's Presence with musical worship and maintained his presence with ongoing musical worship.
When we come to worship are we more like Simon the Pharisee evaluating what we think of everything or more like the sinful woman ready to offer what we have to Jesus?
I Chronicles 16:4 Says that David appointed Levites to extol, thank and praise the Lord:
Extol: remember or recount what the Lord has done
Thank: express appreciation for what the Lord has done
Praise: to shine, rave, or boast about the the Lord
People of Presence: Intercession
Pastor Andrew Schmidt continues the sermon series, “People of Presence”. This week he focuses on Luke 5. In the second half of the sermon, Pastor Andrew interviews three leaders of ministries that Celebrate Church partners with. Jennie Koenig, with Pleasantville Youth Initiative, Larissa Van Donselaar, with The Well, and Bruce Crozier, with Crosswalk and Food Pantry.
As you watch or listen to this week’s message, keep in mind it involves space for prayer. We encourage you to participate from wherever you are at.
Sermon begins at 17:40
Audio:
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
People of Presence: Intimacy
Pastor Andrew Schmidt begins a new sermon series called, “People of Presence”. Intimacy and intercession are two key ingredients for being People of Presence as God intends. So this fall we are going to explore different ways of drawing close to God and praying for others. Each week we will focus on either Intimacy with God, or Intercession on behalf of others. This week, Andrew is joined by Skip Jackson, who leads us into the sermon, and Camille Schmidt, who teaches on intimacy with God.
Sermon begins at 37:23
Audio:
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
Scripture References:
John 15:1-9
Things To Remember:
Intimacy is closeness in relationship that builds over time
Intimacy is costly
Intimacy is exclusive
Intimacy is experience
Sermon Notes and References:
“I feel simply carried along each hour, doing my part in a plan which is far beyond myself. This
sense of cooperation with God in the little things is what so astonishes me, for I never have felt
it this way before. I need something, and turn around to find it waiting for me. I must work, to be
sure, but there is God working along with me.”
“The core task of remaining in Christ is talking to Jesus. I often exchange the phrase “remain in Me” for the phrase “talk to Me” - I use them interchangeably. The Christian life is an ongoing dialogue with a real person. In fact, the essence of Christianity is living in an ongoing dialogue with the most Glorious Man who ever walked the earth. He is fully
God and fully man, and we get to talk to Him! Jesus has much to say to us, but He allows us to set the pace of the conversation. If we start, He will continue the conversation as long as we do. When we stop, He stops and waits until we begin again. He responds in the degree to which we communicate with Him.”
What Is God Doing? Week 3
Pastor Andrew Schmidt continues our new sermon series, “What is God Doing?”
Sermon begins at 22:00
Audio:
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.