Recent
Sermons
Lord Of The Harvest: Week 1
Sermon begins at about 19 minutes
Pastor Andrew Schmidt begins a sermon series called “Lord of the Harvest”, which is part of our Year of the Lord theme in 2024. In this series we are encouraged to pray for the harvest, be a worker for the harvest, and support the work(ers) for the harvest.
Audio: (will be posted Tuesdays)
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
Sermon Slide Notes:
Pray for the harvest
Pray for workers
Pray for ‘lost sheep’
Be a worker for the harvest
Proclaim the gospel
Rely on God
Pray for people
Support work(ers) for the harvest
Encouragement/hospitality
Financial provision
Pray for workers
Pray for the harvest
Be a worker for the harvest
Support work(ers) for the harvest
“...harassed and helpless…” NIV, ESV, NRSV
“...distressed and downcast...” NASB
“...distressed and dejected…” CSB
“...confused and aimless…” The Message
“...weary and helpless…” TPT
“...confused and helpless…” NLT
Psalm 23:1
1 Corinthians 1:18-25
Servants and the Lord: Week 7
Sermon begins at about 15 minutes
Pastor Andrew Schmidt concludes a sermon series called “Servants and the Lord”.
Audio: (will be posted Tuesdays)
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
Sermon Notes:
Scriptures To Think About:
Servants and the Lord: Week 6
Sermon begins at about 20 minutes
Ali Cranmer continues a sermon series called “Servants and the Lord”.
Audio: (will be posted Tuesdays)
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
Sermon Notes:
The Chosen Video Clip (Peter asks Jesus about Forgiveness)
Quote from Louie Giglio:
It is difficult to overstate the importance of unity among believers. Unity was one of the most obvious characteristics of the early church and at least in part led to the remarkably effective spread of the gospel.
Scriptures To Think About:
Servants and the Lord: Week 5
Sermon begins at about 20 minutes
Ali Cranmer continues a sermon series called “Servants and the Lord”.
Audio: (will be posted Tuesdays)
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
Servants and the Lord: Week 4
Sermon begins at about 20 minutes
Matt Van Sant continues a sermon series called “Servants and the Lord”.
Audio: (will be posted Tuesdays)
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
Servants and the Lord: Week 3
Sermon begins at about 16 minutes
Director of Ministry Aubrey Schneider continues a new sermon series called “Servants and the Lord”. In this sermon, Aubrey focuses on Luke 16:10-15 and Psalm 24:1. She asks us to consider the question, “Am I willing to lay everything I have before the Lord and give my life as an offering?”
Audio: (will be posted Tuesdays)
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
Sermon Notes:
Scriptures To Think About:
Application Steps
Ask yourself: Am I willing to lay everything I have before the Lord, and give my life as an offering?
Take in & apply God’s Word
Serve your family
Serve at Celebrate
Serve your community
Servants and the Lord: Week 2
Sermon begins at about 20 minutes
Pastor Andrew Schmidt continues a new sermon series called “Servants and the Lord”. In this sermon, he centers on the story of the Centurion who asks Jesus to heal his servant in Matthew 8:5-13.
Audio: (will be posted Tuesdays)
You can listen to the sermon below, or you can subscribe to our Celebrators Podcast wherever you listen.
Sermon Notes:
Scriptures To Think About:
Important Things To Remember:
Jesus called us friends in John 15:14-15, but that does not mean we are no longer servants. We see this in how the people Jesus spoke to in the room referred to themselves later in their letters as servants. We are both friends and servants of God.
Quotes To Remember:
“A servant gives service to someone, but a slave belongs to someone”.
“We commit ourselves to do something, but when we surrender ourselves to someone, we give ourselves up.” -Murray Harris
Application Steps
Take in & apply God’s Word
Serve your family
Serve at Celebrate
Serve your community
Servants and the Lord: Week 1
Sermon begins at about 23 minutes
Pastor Judd Nelson kicks off a new sermon series called “Servants and the Lord” by inviting up a panel of those who served in Abaco this summer.
Audio: (will be posted 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 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."
Lord of the Sabbath- Week 7
Sermon begins at about 17 min
Pastor Andrew Schmidt concludes the sermon series called “Lord of the Sabbath”, which continues our focus this year, “Year of the Lord”. This sermon series centers on the practice of Sabbath, and how God invites us into, and even commands us to, rest. In this message, Andrew summarizes the series and shows the patterns in scripture that reflect eternal truths.
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:
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” is one of the 10 commandments.
It states that on six days you should do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you should not do any work. (Exodus 20:8-10)
Sabbath reality is entering time in a different way. Aspects that help us engage in this reality include an encouragement for us to:
Stop & Rest:
Break from getting stuff & stuff done
Slow, Silence, Sleep, Solitude
Worship & Delight:
The Lord’s Day
Celebration of Creation
Celebrate & Remember:
Food in Jesus’ Name
God’s provision & saving power
The goal for our series won’t be to figure out exactly when and what and how the Sabbath is supposed to look like. Rather it is to explore how to incorporate Sabbath reality into our lives maybe even just a little bit at a time.
The New Testament indicates that there is flexibility in keeping the Sabbath (which day of the week, etc.).
Jesus strongly discourages a legalistic approach to keeping the Sabbath day.
But Jesus also share that the Sabbath was made for humans. Implying that it is good for humanity, a gift to humanity that he encourages us to observe. (Mark 2:27-28)
Lord of the Sabbath- Week 6
Sermon begins at about 17 min
Pastor Judd Nelson continues a new sermon series called “Lord of the Sabbath”, which continues our focus this year, “Year of the Lord”. This sermon series centers on the practice of Sabbath, and how God invites us into, and even commands us to, rest. In this message, Judd focuses on the reasons why we don’t rest, and how we can lean into God’s gift of Sabbath.
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:
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” is one of the 10 commandments.
It states that on six days you should do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you should not do any work. (Exodus 20:8-10)
Sabbath reality is entering time in a different way. Aspects that help us engage in this reality include an encouragement for us to:
Stop & Rest:
Break from getting stuff & stuff done
Slow, Silence, Sleep, Solitude
Worship & Delight:
The Lord’s Day
Celebration of Creation
Celebrate & Remember:
Food in Jesus’ Name
God’s provision & saving power
The goal for our series won’t be to figure out exactly when and what and how the Sabbath is supposed to look like. Rather it is to explore how to incorporate Sabbath reality into our lives maybe even just a little bit at a time.
The New Testament indicates that there is flexibility in keeping the Sabbath (which day of the week, etc.).
Jesus strongly discourages a legalistic approach to keeping the Sabbath day.
But Jesus also share that the Sabbath was made for humans. Implying that it is good for humanity, a gift to humanity that he encourages us to observe. (Mark 2:27-28)
Lord of the Sabbath- Week 5
Sermon begins at about 24 min
Pastor Andrew Schmidt continues a new sermon series called “Lord of the Sabbath”, which continues our focus this year, “Year of the Lord”. This sermon series will center on the practice of Sabbath, and how God invites us into, and even commands us to, rest.
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:
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” is one of the 10 commandments.
It states that on six days you should do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you should not do any work. (Exodus 20:8-10)
Sabbath reality is entering time in a different way. Aspects that help us engage in this reality include an encouragement for us to:
Stop & Rest:
Break from getting stuff & stuff done
Slow, Silence, Sleep, Solitude
Worship & Delight:
The Lord’s Day
Celebration of Creation
Celebrate & Remember:
Food in Jesus’ Name
God’s provision & saving power
The goal for our series won’t be to figure out exactly when and what and how the Sabbath is supposed to look like. Rather it is to explore how to incorporate Sabbath reality into our lives maybe even just a little bit at a time.
The New Testament indicates that there is flexibility in keeping the Sabbath (which day of the week, etc.).
Jesus strongly discourages a legalistic approach to keeping the Sabbath day.
But Jesus also share that the Sabbath was made for humans. Implying that it is good for humanity, a gift to humanity that he encourages us to observe. (Mark 2:27-28)
Lord of the Sabbath- Week 4
Sermon begins at about 38 min
Pastor Andrew Schmidt continues a new sermon series called “Lord of the Sabbath”, which continues our focus this year, “Year of the Lord”. This sermon series will center on the practice of Sabbath, and how God invites us into, and even commands us to, rest.
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:
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” is one of the 10 commandments.
It states that on six days you should do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you should not do any work. (Exodus 20:8-10)
Sabbath reality is entering time in a different way. Aspects that help us engage in this reality include an encouragement for us to:
Stop & Rest:
Break from getting stuff & stuff done
Slow, Silence, Sleep, Solitude
Worship & Delight:
The Lord’s Day
Celebration of Creation
Celebrate & Remember:
Food in Jesus’ Name
God’s provision & saving power
The goal for our series won’t be to figure out exactly when and what and how the Sabbath is supposed to look like. Rather it is to explore how to incorporate Sabbath reality into our lives maybe even just a little bit at a time.
The New Testament indicates that there is flexibility in keeping the Sabbath (which day of the week, etc.).
Jesus strongly discourages a legalistic approach to keeping the Sabbath day.
But Jesus also share that the Sabbath was made for humans. Implying that it is good for humanity, a gift to humanity that he encourages us to observe. (Mark 2:27-28)
Lord of the Sabbath- Week 3
Sermon begins at about 18 min
Pastor Andrew Schmidt continues a new sermon series called “Lord of the Sabbath”, which continues our focus this year, “Year of the Lord”. This sermon series will center on the practice of Sabbath, and how God invites us into, and even commands us to, rest.
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:
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” is one of the 10 commandments.
It states that on six days you should do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you should not do any work. (Exodus 20:8-10)
Sabbath reality is entering time in a different way. Aspects that help us engage in this reality include an encouragement for us to:
Stop & Rest:
Break from getting stuff & stuff done
Slow, Silence, Sleep, Solitude
Worship & Delight:
The Lord’s Day
Celebration of Creation
Celebrate & Remember:
Food in Jesus’ Name
God’s provision & saving power
The goal for our series won’t be to figure out exactly when and what and how the Sabbath is supposed to look like. Rather it is to explore how to incorporate Sabbath reality into our lives maybe even just a little bit at a time.
The New Testament indicates that there is flexibility in keeping the Sabbath (which day of the week, etc.).
Jesus strongly discourages a legalistic approach to keeping the Sabbath day.
But Jesus also share that the Sabbath was made for humans. Implying that it is good for humanity, a gift to humanity that he encourages us to observe. (Mark 2:27-28)
Lord of the Sabbath- Week 2
Sermon begins at about 30 min
Pastor Andrew Schmidt continues a new sermon series called “Lord of the Sabbath”, which continues our focus this year, “Year of the Lord”. This sermon series will center on the practice of Sabbath, and how God invites us into, and even commands us to, rest. This week Andrew focuses on Day, Time, and Rhythm in scripture addressing Sabbath.
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:
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” is one of the 10 commandments.
It states that on six days you should do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you should not do any work. (Exodus 20:8-10)
Sabbath reality is entering time in a different way. Aspects that help us engage in this reality include an encouragement for us to:
Stop & Rest:
Break from getting stuff & stuff done
Slow, Silence, Sleep, Solitude
Worship & Delight:
The Lord’s Day
Celebration of Creation
Celebrate & Remember:
Food in Jesus’ Name
God’s provision & saving power
The goal for our series won’t be to figure out exactly when and what and how the Sabbath is supposed to look like. Rather it is to explore how to incorporate Sabbath reality into our lives maybe even just a little bit at a time.
The New Testament indicates that there is flexibility in keeping the Sabbath (which day of the week, etc.).
Jesus strongly discourages a legalistic approach to keeping the Sabbath day.
But Jesus also share that the Sabbath was made for humans. Implying that it is good for humanity, a gift to humanity that he encourages us to observe. (Mark 2:27-28)
The end of the Sabbath commandment points us to the creation account (Exodus 20:11).
The opening page of the Bible (Genesis 1:1-2:4) is a sophisticated Hebrew poem.
It is filled with patterns and repeated words/phrases.
One pattern can be illustrated as follows:
God separates: God fills:
Day 1 Day 4
Light – Darkness Sun – Moon & Stars
Day 2 Day 5
Water – Sky Fish – Birds
Day 3 Day 6
Water – Land Animals – Humanity
In observing the above pattern we note that Day 7 (when God made the 7th day holy) stands alone, separate, highlighted in an important way.
Chiasms are also used in Hebrew poetry. In an inverted chiasm the reader is encouraged to pay attention to the bookends. And the middle points is usually intended to be the main point or most important point of the section. In more elaborate chaisms the “treasure is hidden in the middle. Below is an example of an inverted chiasm pattern.
A
B
C
D
C
B
A
The creation account seemingly highlights the material world being brought into existence. But a careful reading notes the emphasis on time in the creation:
Day 1: Time (Day & Night)
Day 4: Time (mark seasons, days, years)
Day 7: Time (Sabbath Day)
If you count all the Hebrew words in this opening poem, you will find that the word in the middle is the Hebrew word in which the NIV translates “sacred times”. This word is often translated to indicate sabbaths. ‘Sacred Time’ is the hidden treasure in the middle.
Another pattern to pay attention to is the repeated phrase “and there was evening and there was morning on the ___ day.”
For us the day starts in the morning. The day starts when we do.
But for the Hebrews (based on God’s word in Scripture) the day starts in the evening. God is taking care of the world while we start our day by sleeping and trusting him.
Humanity was created on day six. This means that their first full day was the Sabbath day. Their first day wasn’t about what they had to do. Rather God invites humanity to join Him in enjoying creation.
The 7th day is the only day that doesn’t say there was “evening and morning”. Rabbis suggest that this is because the Sabbath is an eternal reality. A reality which is filled with God’s Presence in a tangible unique way. It is sacred time.
A word that can be meditated on in relation to Sabbath is “enough”:
Enough: I don’t need to do more, buy more or view more right now
Enough: God is and has enough for me and my life
Enough: Exchange my ‘never enough’ for God’s ‘always enough’