Generous: Stewardship 2013

Generous…what a simple and splendid word. From the moment God breathed life into his creation we have been the recipients of His generosity. At every turn of our lives we experience his incredible grace and sacrificial love poured out generously to each of us. Throughout the month of October we will be talking about this idea of Generosity. We will begin by looking at God’s Generosity on Display and how incredibly generous God is as he lavishes us with his love. The following weeks will have us looking at Obstacles to Generosity, Living Generously and finally Committing to Generosity as we each make a commitment to live generously throughout the year. I hope that you will be encouraged by these sermons and that you will see more and more God’s Generous love poured out in your life as you seek to be that Generous person He calls us to be as well.

-Rev. Matt Mitchell

DATE	SERMON TITLE	SCRIPTURE
10/6/2013	God's Generosity on Display	Romans 5:6-8
10/13/2013	A Healthy Outlook to Generosity	2 Corinthians 8:1-12
10/20/2013	Obstacles to Generosity
10/27/2013	Keys to Generous Living

Exploring our Mission Statement

The mission statement of First Presbyterian Church says this: We exist to: Glorify God, Make Disciples, and Meet Human Needs. The following 3 sermons will take into account each section of the Mission Statement in the hope that you will be challenged to lived differently as a result. The Lord is doing something great at FPC and we invite you to join with Him as he continues to work in us.

-Rev. Matt Mitchell

DATE	SERMON TITLE	SCRIPTURE
9/8/2013	We Exist to Glorify God	Romans 16:25-27
9/15/2013	We Exist to Make Disciples	Acts 20:17-37
9/22/2013	We Exist to Meet Human Needs	James 2:14-16

JOY Sermon Series 2013

Do you ever find yourself asking, “Where is the JOY that I thought I would always have?”  Or maybe, “I thought that by the time I got to this point in my life I’d have more JOY?

I think many of us find ourselves in that same place.  As things get busier and the economy drags on, as families become more fractured  and relationships become less intimate we need some JOY in our lives.  And it is our firm conviction that if there is to be a revolution of JOY that it will come from the very people that have the root of all JOY living in their hearts – Christians! 

So join us on this journey as we seek to find the giver of all JOY as well the sustainer of that JOY in the person of Jesus Christ.  All of the sermons in this series will look at how our lives, when lived for Christ, will intersect with JOY, regardless of the situation.  I hope that as you listen to these sermons you will be encouraged and challenged to grow stronger in your faith  - because, “the JOY of the Lord is our strength!”

-Rev. Matt Mitchell

DATE	SERMON TITLE	SCRIPTURE
1/6/2013	The Beginning of Joy	Matthew 2:1-2
1/13/2013	JOY in the Journey	Isaiah 30:15-21
1/20/2013	JOY in God's Word	Isaiah 55:9-11
1/27/2013	Joy in Forgiveness	Psalm 130
2/3/2013	Joy in the Church: What the Church Should BE	Matthew 28:1; John 20:21; Acts 2
2/10/2013	Joy in the Church: What the Church Should DO	Acts 1:6-9
2/17/2013	I AM the Light of the World	John 8:12-25
2/24/2013	I AM the True Vine	John 15:1-5
3/3/2013	I AM the Bread of Life	John 6:43-51
3/17/2013	I AM the Gate	John 10:1-10
3/24/2013	I AM the Good Shepherd	John 10:1-5; 11-18
3/31/2013	I AM the Resurrection and the Life	John 11:17-26
4/14/2013	The JOY of Contentment	Philipians 4:10-13
4/21/2013	The JOY of God's Word
4/28/2013	The JOY of God's Family	Galations 3:23-28
5/5/2013	The JOY of God's Grace	Ephesians 2:4-10
5/12/2013	The JOY of a Mother	John 20:20-23
5/19/2013	The JOY of God's Grace	Luke 10:30-37
5/26/2013	The Original Memorial Day	Joshua 4
6/2/2013	The JOY of Community	Philipians 1:1-11
6/9/2013	The JOY of Perspective	Philipians 1:12-18
6/16/2013	The JOY of Fatherhood	Genesis 12:1-9
6/30/2013	A JOY in Christ that Overflows	Philipians 1:18-26
7/7/2013	The JOY of Unity (Again!)	Philipians 1:27-30
7/14/2013	JOY in Missions: Radical Acts of Trust	Luke 10:1-17
7/28/2013	JOY in Missions: Here Am I, Send Someone Else!	Exodus 3-4
8/11/2013	JOY in Missions: Turning the World Upside Down	1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
8/18/2013	JOY in Missions: Haiti Sunday	Matthew 9:35-38
8/28/2013	Finding JOY in Unity	Philippians 2:1-4
9/1/2013	Joy in Christ's Work	Philippians 2:5-11
9/29/2013	Paul's Roadmap for the Church	Philippians 2:12-18
11/10/2013	Philipians Series	Philippians 2:19-30
11/17/2013	Paul's Life Goals	Philippians 3:1-11

JOY in Missions - A Message from Missionary Brandon Scott

June 23, 2013

Brandon Scott preached this week during our JOY in Mission series. He is a missionary for Camino Global in Guatemala, Central America. Pastors in Guatemala have little to no means of becoming formally educated for the ministry so his job is to disciple and train them in order to best prepare them for leadership in the church. His sermon this week focused on the global nature of our God and our call as Christians to bring the gospel to the entire world.

To hear his message, click on the following link:

JOY in Missions - Brandon Scott

ADVENT Series

DATE	SERMON TITLE	SCRIPTURE	SERIES
11/27/2011	The Drama of Christmas: O Little Town	Luke 2:1-7	Advent 2011
12/4/2011	The Drama of Christmas: While Shepherds Kept Their Watching	Luke 2:8-20	Advent 2011
12/11/2011	An Audience with a King	Matthew 2:1-12	Advent 2011
12/24/2011	An Inconvenient Child	Matthew 2	Advent 2011
12/25/2011	Angels We Have Heard on High	Luke 2	Advent 2011
12/2/2012	The Christmas Message	Luke 1:46-56	Advent 2012
12/9/2012	Zechariah's Song	Luke 1:67-79	Advent 2012
12/23/2012	Simeon's Song	Luke 2:21-41	Advent 2012

FOUNDATION Sermon Series

The FOUNDATION sermon series took an in depth look at Romans and used it as a means of deepening our knowledge and faith in Jesus Christ.  2012 was a year of great transition for FPC as we moved from one denomination to another.  As we made this transition we thought it important to make sure that we were committed to what we believe and why we believed it.  The Foundation Series took an in depth look at many Reformed Theological issues such as Election, Predestination, Sin, Salvation, the Atonement and others as well.  Through studying the book of Romans we were challenged to go deeper than the faith we have always presumed and enter into a faith where we boldly profess the name of Christ and are able to articulate that faith as well.

DATE	SERMON TITLE	SCRIPTURE
8/28/2011	FOUNDATIONS: Intro to Romans	Romans 1:1-7
9/4/2011	I Am Not Ashamed	Romans 1:8-17
9/11/2011	First: The Bad News	Romans 1:18-23
9/18/2011	The Abandoning of God	Romans 1:24-32
9/25/2011	No Escape	Romans 2:1-16
10/2/2011	The Dangers of Religion	Romans 2:17-19
11/6/2011	Why Bother?	Romans 3:1-8
11/13/2011	All Together Now	Romans 3:9-20
11/20/2011	Righteousness Revealed!	Romans 3:21-31
1/8/2012	Justified by Faith	Romans 4:1-12
1/15/2012	The Picture of Faith	Romans 4:13-25
1/22/2012	Why We Can Rejoice	Romans 5:1-5
1/29/2012	The Final Proof of Love	Romans 5:6-11
2/12/2012	Alive in Christ	Romans 6:1-14
4/15/2012	Delivered	Romans 7:1-6
4/22/2012	The War Within	Romans 7:7-25
5/27/2012	The Spiritual Life	Romans 8:1-11
6/3/2012	A New Family	Romans 8:12-17
6/10/2012	Hope and Glory	Romans 8:18-27
6/17/2012	It's All Good	Romans 8:28
6/24/2012	God's Great Choice	Romans 8:29-30
7/1/2012	Nothing Can Separate Us	Romans 8:29-39
8/26/2012	God's Plan for Salvation Part 1	Romans 9
9/2/2012	God's Plan for Salvation Part 2	Romans 9:6-18
9/9/2012	God's Plan for Salvation Part 3	Romans 9:19-29
9/16/2012	Why Bother?	Romans 10:1-18
9/23/2012	The Problem with the Jews	Romans 11
9/30/2012	Building Bridges	Romans 12:1-8
10/14/2012	Being Distinctly Christian, Part 1	Romans 12:9-16
10/21/2012	Being Distinctly Christian, Part 2	Romans 12:13-21
10/28/2012	Caught Between Two Worlds	Romans 13:1-8
11/11/2012	Legalism vs. Liberty	Romans 14:1-13
11/18/2012	The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Churches	Romans 15:1-13
11/25/2012	Paul… the Pastor	Romans 15:4-33

Mother's Day: Being Beautiful

Rev. Matt Mitchell's sermon on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 13, 2012, focused on the story of Leah in Genesis 29:16-32.

To listen to this message, click the link below:

Being Beautiful

Genesis 29:16-32

New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)

¹⁶ Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. ¹⁷ Leah had weak^[a] eyes, but Rachel was lovely in form, and beautiful. ¹⁸ Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.”
¹⁹ Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.” ²⁰ So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.
²¹ Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to lie with her. ”
²² So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. ²³ But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and Jacob lay with her. ²⁴ And Laban gave his servant girl Zilpah to his daughter as her maidservant.
²⁵ When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me? ”
²⁶ Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one. ²⁷ Finish this daughter’s bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work. ”
²⁸ And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. ²⁹ Laban gave his servant girl Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maidservant. ³⁰ Jacob lay with Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.

Jacob’s Children

³¹ When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. ³² Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben,^[b]for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.”

Footnotes:

1. Genesis 29:17 Or delicate
2. Genesis 29:32 Reuben sounds like the Hebrew for he has seen my misery; the name means see, a son.