First Mennonite Church November 26, 2017 Back to Basics II: A Personal God Text: Isaiah 48:17-19 17This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. 18 If only … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church November 19, 2017 Teaching By Example: Dedication of Aymie Text: Ephesians 6:1-4, Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Today I will make a detour on the series I started last Sunday. Today we are celebrating Thanksgiving and having the dedication of Aymie N. Evenson. I am pretty certain that Ahrean and Catherine are very grateful … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church November 12, 2017 Back to the Basics of Christian Life I: God Our Creator Texts: Genesis 1:1-2:1-4; Hebrews 1:1-4 Some Sundays ago, Karen gave me a booklet written especially for pastors. The title of the booklet is: Back to Basics. Today I want to start a new series called “Back to Basics … [Read more…]
Messages for the Church AND the Family Introduction: the church is a family, and families belong to each other. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. Our … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church October 29, 2017 Spiritual Wholeness in the Family and God’s Promises Texts: Exodus 20:4-6; 2Corinthians 5:17-18 Let me say something that might sound a little cliché: faith in God, or even better stated, faith in Jesus Christ, as Lord and Savior, has more than just a spiritual effect on a person’s life; … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church October 22, 2017 Jesus and Exorcism Luke 11:14-28 Today I want to address a topic in the Gospels, which about a third of Mark’s gospel makes reference to: the exorcistic ministry of Jesus. Because Mark’s account of several of Jesus’ deeds is abbreviated, let us look at Luke’s account of this incident. … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church October 15, 2017 The Problem with Evil Genesis 2:8-9; 15-17; 3:1-7; 21-24 The problem with “evil.” In theology, the attempt to the existence of evil in light of an all-loving God is called “theodicy.” Theodicy is a compound word from two Greek words: Theos—God and Diké—trial or judgment. Therefore, theodicy is the … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church October 8, 2017 The Biblical View of Evil Text: 1Timothy 6:11-16 As I promised, today I will start a new series on the general topic of evil, its source and its manifestations as presented in the Bible. Let me say that pursuing this topic can be understood as rather awkward. Some might … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church October 1, 2017 Connecting With God through Nature Text: Romans 8:18-23 By Ryan Barton Sermon text not available.
First Mennonite Church September 24, 2017 Jesus Meets the Gerasene Demoniac Text: Mark 5:1-2 It should not surprise us if people in general have trouble understanding the deliverance ministry of Jesus as narrated in the Gospels. But can we keep being truthful and committed to Scripture and at the same time reap the benefits … [Read more…]