Sermons from Sweet Home

Pergamum: The Compromising Church

Revelation: Jesus Unveiled: Chapter 1

Revelation means "the unveiling". For the 1st Century Christians of pagan Rome it felt like Christianity was weak and failing. The Emperor was powerful, Rome was strong, but Christians were being persecuted like criminals. They were weak nobodies. The Apostles had been killed. John is old and weak.
Can you imagine the thought processes of the average Christian in pagan Rome? Jesus said He would come back, where is He? If Jesus is Lord, why is Caesar so powerful? In the midst of this situation Jesus delivers an amazing apocalyptic vision to the Apostle John on the island of Patmos for the seven churches of Asia minor, and ultimately to all Christians of all time. 
His key message is this: "everything is not as it seems". It seems like the Emperor has supreme authority, but He doesn't, Jesus has. It seems like Christians are dying for nothing, but there is a rich reward waiting for him. This message is just as relevant to us today. We live in a world where Christianity seems weak and fading, woke is taking over, paganism is increasing, atheism is on the rise...perhaps we need to message of Revelation in a time like this.
Join us in this sermons series on the whole book of Revelation. This is the introductory lesson on chapter one as a brief introduction.  

Spiritual Growth: Born Again

If you meet Jesus and stay the same, something is wrong. If you meet Jesus and give over your life, you will change. You will transform. This is why Jesus and the Apostle John speaks about "being born again". It is a spiritual birth. How do you know you are born again? What can you do to let the seed of the Holy Spirit grow in your heart?

Spiritual Growth: Buried Alive

Spiritual growth starts with a death. A seed needs to die before a plant can develop and produce fruit. In a sense a seed sacrifices itself in order for a plant to come to life. This is how the spiritual life works. You have to die, give up your own life, your own wants and needs and decide to live for Jesus. Only then can your spiritual growth journey begin.  

Introduction to Spiritual Growth

When Jesus comes into your life, He doesn't just come to save you but to change you. He meet us where we are at - that is grace. But He doesn't want us to stay where we are at. He wants us to grow. But how does a Christian grow spiritually? Why do I need to grow? How do I know if I am spiritually mature or not? Here are some thoughts...

Acts 28:17-31 Preaching Jesus in the Heart of the World

The main character in the story of Acts is Paul. He made it his life mission to take the Gospel to the ends of the world. But more specifically, he wanted to go to Rome, to stand before the Emperor, to preach the Gospel in the greatest city in the world. God permitted him that opportunity. In this homily you will get an overview of the Book of Acts, be inspired to serve Christ by reflecting on the life and commitment of the great apostle Paul, and will see the hand of God in shaping human history. 

Acts 28:1-16 Miracles in Malta, Arrival in Rome

The ship didn't just wreck on any island, it was a divinely ordained island. There were people on that island that God wanted Paul to preach the Gospel to. And indeed, that island with its leader got to see the glory of God. Your shipwreck is not always about you, but about God's bigger plan. 

Acts 27:27-44 "And the ship got wrecked"

After days on the sea being driven by a severe storm the ship Paul is on eventually finds land and crashes into a sandbank. 

A Hard Heart or a Shriveled Hand?

The more popular Jesus became, the more enemies he made. In this story he has some enemies that try to catch him out, accuse him and perhaps get him killed. But Jesus knows how to deal with conflict. He understands how people with hard hearts think. For those who often struggle with interpersonal conflict, this teaching might just have some nuggets of wisdom in it. 

What good friends are made of.

That friend, that annoying friend always inviting you to church, or "praying for you", or inviting you for Bible study, that might just be the best friend you have. In this life we have good friends, and we have great friends. Great friends are not only good to you, but they bring you to Jesus. In this story we see four friends help a very desperate and paralyzed man get to Jesus.