Church At The Cross

Scripture: Romans 1:18-32 This Sunday, Pastor JR Vassar continued our series in Romans. This sermon takes a closer look at idolatry and sexual sin and the different approaches of the traditionalist, revisionist, and the ways of Jesus. Notes: Revisionists: Paul was not addressing monogamous, consensual, committed same-sex relationships as we have today Revisionists: Paul is speaking about heterosexuals who commit homosexual acts contrary to their own personal nature. The WORDS of Jesus - Matthew 19:3–6 The WAYS of Jesus - 1 Corinthians 6:9–1 + We are all guilty of sexual sin and are offered the grace of God in Jesus. + We all must submit all our desires to the Lordship of Christ. + We must love those who reject God’s design and decree, but we must not affirm them in that rejection.

Scripture: Romans 1:18-25  Notes: The Universal Condition of all People  + Humanity has REJECTED GOD.  + Humanity has REPLACED GOD  The Universal Consequence for all People  The Universal Cure for all People + Be saved + Be sane + Be sent

Scripture: Acts 4:13-31 When was the last time you got into “good” trouble? Join us as we take a break from Romans and look to the book of Acts. Casey Schutza asks the question why is it so hard to be a vocal witness for the gospel?   Notes: + Spiritual formation is preparation for witness + Witnesses will attract good trouble + The trouble we face cannot silence the gospel + Way to respond to trouble

Scripture: Romans 1:16-17 The book of Romans answers the deepest questions we have as humans -- who do we belong to and why are we here? If we truly grasp and believe the message of Romans we will personally know God, have an assurance of heaven, and understand the gospel. This fourth sermon covers what the righteousness of God is and why it’s good news to us.   Notes: + Righteousness of God: Something He is + Righteousness of God: Something He gives The righteousness of God is “God’s righteous way to declare unrighteous people ‘righteous,’ by faith.” + Justification by Faith is the heart of the Gospel. + God declares us righteous without compromising his righteousness “I had conceived a burning desire to understand what Paul meant in his letter to the Romans, but thus far there had stood in my way that one phrase in chapter one: ‘the righteousness of God.’ I did not love, no I hated this righteous God who punishes sinners. Martin Luther

Scripture: Romans 1:7-17 The book of Romans answers the deepest questions we have as humans -- who do we belong to and why are we here? If we truly grasp and believe the message of Romans we will personally know God, have an assurance of heaven, and understand the gospel. This third sermon looks at the cultural shift away from Christianity and how we need a deeper faith, not a new one.   Notes: The Gospel is God’s truth and power to save Christians still need the Gospel+ The Gospel not only saves us, but it also changes us I Care More About My Obligation Than My Reputation

The book of Romans answers the deepest questions we have as humans -- who do we belong to and why are we here? If we truly grasp and believe the message of Romans we will personally know God, have an assurance of heaven, and understand the gospel. This second sermon looks at what the gospel is.    SERMON TEXT: Romans 1:1-6 SERMON NOTES:  +The Gospel has always been the plan of God + The Gospel is Jesus + The Gospel demands a response of faith fueled obedience + The Gospel is destined for all nations + You can belong to Jesus  + You can trust and obey Jesus + You can invest your life in the mission of Jesus

This Sunday, Pastor JR Vassar began our new series in Romans. The book of Romans answers the deepest questions we have as humans -- who do we belong to and why are we here? If we truly grasp and believe the message of Romans we will personally know God, have an assurance of heaven, and understand the gospel. This first sermon looks at the life and testimony of Paul, the writer of Romans. SERMON TEXT: Romans 1:1 SERMON NOTES:  The most critical realities you and I need to deal with are “whose we are and why we are. + Servant of Christ Jesus + Called to Be An Apostle + Set Apart for the Gospel of God 

Sermon Text: Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-10, 18 + Intentionally create margin for generosity + Establish a sustained response to the poor  • Sustained • Strategic • Personal

Matthew 2:1-18 “Because here's something else that's weird but true: in the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshiping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And the compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of god or spiritual-type thing to worship—be it JC or Allah, be it YHWH or the Wiccan Mother Goddess, or the Four Noble Truths, or some inviolable set of ethical principles—is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. If you worship money and things, if they are where you tap real meaning in life, then you will never have enough, never feel you have enough. It's the truth. Worship your body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly. And when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally grieve you.. Worship power — you will feel weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to keep the fear at bay. - David Foster W

Sermon Text: Luke 1:5-25, 55-66  God uses unlikely but available people to bring about his purposes.   God’s plans always involve a time of waiting.   All our lives are to bear witness to Jesus.    

Sermon Text: Matthew 5:1-12 Identity of the Disciples Mission of the Disciples The Cost and Motivation of Discipleship

Sermon Text: Matthew 5:1-12. “Rather than the good life being defined in predominantly moral terms (i.e., seeking virtue, shunning vice, and conforming to a divinely given “way”), now the good life is often defined by a pursuit of a feeling, which is won by the accumulation of all the things you would find if one were to weld together ideal versions of a job résumé, dating profile, and Christmas list. By achieving success, wealth, power, and the right body type, we’ve allowed a modern combination of meritocracy and consumerism to cast an imaginative and alluring vision of ‘happily ever after.” Joshua Chatraw, Telling a Better Story. Persecution is inevitable for followers of Jesus.  Our Response to Persecution is non-retaliatory.  How real is the Kingdom of Heaven to you?  How real is Jesus’ promised reward to you?

This is the ninth message in our series, “The Beatitudes: Jesus’ Invitation To The Good Life.” Pastor JR shares with us what being a real peacemaker is. Sermon Text: Matthew 5:10-12 The Certainty of Persecution The Cause of Persecution  The Forms of Persecution  The Response to Persecution  

This is the eighth message in our series, “The Beatitudes: Jesus’ Invitation To The Good Life.” Pastor JR shares with us what being a real peacemaker is.   Sermon Text: Matthew 5:1-9Sermon Notes:  God is a Peace-Making God God’s children are peacemaking people Rest in the Peace you have with God Don’t Settle for Counterfeit Peace Prepare to have your attempts at peace rejected Spread Peace by Spreading the Gospel  

Matthew 5:8 What is it? For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” (Mark 7:21-23) Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. (Psalm 24:3-4) “Their whole life, public and private, is transparent before God and men. Their very heart—including their thoughts and motives—is pure, unmixed without anything devious, ulterior, or base. Hypocrisy and deceit are abhorrent to them; they are without guile” - John Stott “Purity of heart is to will one thing.”– Soren Kierkegaard What's the Motivation for it? “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as

This is the sixth message in our series, “The Beatitudes: Jesus’ Invitation To The Good Life.” Pastor JR shares with us what mercy is, how do we learn it, and what is the promise.  Sermon Text: Matthew 5:1-7 Sermon Notes:  What Is Mercy? How Do We Learn Mercy?   “Like nothing else could ever do, the gospel instills in me a heart for the downcast, the poverty-stricken, and those in need of physical mercies, especially when such persons are of the household of faith. When I see persons who are materially poor, I instantly feel a kinship with them, for they are physically what I was spiritually when my heart was closed to Christ. Perhaps some of them are in their condition because of sin, but so was I. Perhaps they are unkind when I try to help them; but I, too, have been spiteful to God when He has sought to help me. Perhaps they are thankless and even abuse the kindness I show them, but how many times have I been thankless and used what God has given me to serve selfish ends? The gospel reminds me daily of t