Here is a list of sermons I have preached since the spring of 2010 with their titles, texts, and a brief abstract. Here is the link to the church page where you can find some of my most recent sermons with audio and powerpoint.
Link: http://rosehillchurch.com/?p=sermons
Sunday, May 20, 2012 AM
Hell Hath No Beach: Kicking Satan Off the Shore (Rev 12:17-13:1, 11, 21:1-4)
Abstract: This sermon came from one of our final Soul Surf’n IKON lessons this spring. It is an attempt to understand what John really means when he says that the new heavens and new earth has no ”sea.” It is a lesson geared toward our 8 graduating seniors as part of our Graduation Sunday. There was a powerpoint presentation as well.
Sunday, May 20, 2012 PM
Never Graduate (Matthew 28:18-20)
Abstract: This lesson carried over from the morning’s sermon and gives Polycarp as an example of a Christian who “never graduated,” due in part to his influential intergenerational relationship with the apostle John. The book “You Lost Me” was also discussed to highlight the importance of faith transference in mentoring and discipling through intergenerational relationships. There was a powerpoint presentation as well.
Sunday, November 27, 2011 PM
The Beginning of Everything New (Matthew 4:5-7/Luke 4:9-12)
Abstract: This lesson was born out of attending the Fall Conference at Explorations in Antiquity in LaGrange, GA. The theme for that conference was “The Meaning of the Ancient Autumn Feasts of Israel.” The point of the lesson is to understand where the pinnacle of the temple was in Jesus’ day and why Satan took him there to tempt him. There was a powerpoint presentation with the lesson.
Sunday, September 4, 2011 AM
Youth Sunday 2011 (Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 11:18-21)
Abstract: This was our first annual Youth Sunday where we focus on the youth group in the morning worship service. Next time we won’t do it on Labor Day weekend because so many people were out of town. The main emphasis in this lesson was THEOLOGY, or “talking about God,” which is one of the most important things to do at home to raise spiritually mature youth. There was a powerpoint presentation with the lesson.
Friday-Saturday, August 12-13, 2011
Secret Church: God’s Secret is No Mystery (Colossians 1:24-2:7)
No audio recording
Abstract: This was a 3 lesson series designed for Auburn (AL) Church of Christ’s youth group fall retreat at Pine Eden Christian Retreat Center. The 3 lesson titles, which are Christ, Christ in You, and The Hope of Glory, come from Paul’s explanation of the mystery in Colossians. The lessons were not recorded. There was a powerpoint presentation for each lesson.
Sunday July 31, 2011 PM
Secret Church (Colossians 1:24-2:7)
Abstract: This lesson was the culmination of a study that’s not finished yet for a series of lessons I will be speaking at another churches youth group fall retreat later this month on the theme of “This Mystery” in Colossians. This was a 5th Sunday young men’s service. There was a powerpoint presentation with the lesson.
Sunday July 24, 2011 AM
HUT Presentation (1 Peter 4:8-10)
Abstract: This lesson time was devoted to presenting a report of the youth group’s recent trip to HUT or Harding University at Takodah. HUT is a missionary training camp for youth groups et al. We went from July 13-18 stopping in Memphis on the way up and back to spend time with Friendship Church of Christ in Olive Branch, MS. We took a tour of Harding University and caught a Memphis Redbirds game as well. There was a powerpoint presentation with pictures from the trip.
Sunday June 26, 2011 AM
The Elder and the Amaranth (1 Peter 5:1-5)
Abstract: This lesson was geared toward revealing what Peter, an elder and apostle, had to teach about elders/shepherds. And, consequently, what we could learn about ourselves and our relationship with the elders of our congregation. There was a powerpoint presentation with the lesson.
Audio: http://rosehillchurch.com/?p=sermons
Sunday May 29, 2011 AM
Untitled: Prayer Service (Acts 1-4)
Abstract: This lesson was a short 5 minute talk tying together the emphases of the prayer service: praise and wisdom. There are 5 direct references to prayer in Acts 1-4. In two of the prayers we have the content of which they prayed, and that included praise of God and asking for wisdom in a important decision. That is exactly what we did in our prayer service in light of our current minister search. There was no powerpoint in the lesson.
Sunday May 15, 2011 PM
All Caught Up: The Rapture in the New Testament (1 Thess 4:13-18)
Abstract: This lesson was inspired by several books I just read (The Case for Historical Premillennialism by Blomberg and Chung, and What Does the Future Hold by C. Marvin Pate) and by the upcoming Judgment Day prediction by Harold Camping on May 21, 2011 at 6pm. The first half of the lesson is a short bio sketch and anyalysis of Harold Camping’s teachings, and the second half considers what the Bible teaches about the “rapture” (from the Latin raptus) in 1 Thess. 4:17. There was a powerpoint presentation along with the lesson.
Sun April 24, 2011 AM
Unforsaken: Psalm 22 and the Cross (Psalm 22)
Abstract: This sermon was preached on Resurrection Sunday. Its purpose was to challenge the notion that the Father had to forsake his Son on the cross because of taking on the sins of the world. We did this by looking at how each gospel writer used Psalm 22 to portray what was happening to Jesus on the cross. A dramatic reading video of Psalm 22 was shown before the lesson (you can find it on youtube), and a powerpoint presentation was used to show the many gospel fulfillments of the psalm.
Audio: http://rosehillchurch.com/?p=sermons
Sun March 13, 2011 PM
Hard to Swallow (John 6:52-58)
Abstract: This lesson dealt with the “hard saying” in Jesus’ Bread of Life Discourse in John 6 where he said people must “eat my flesh and drink my blood” in order to have eternal life. My conclusion was “eat my flesh and drink my blood” was another way of saying that one must come to Jesus and believe in him in order to have eternal life. There was a powerpoint presentation along with the lesson.
Sun March 13, 2011 AM
Soul Anchor (Heb 6:13-20)
Abstract: This lesson discussed how the anchor was the most popular symbol utilized by the early persecuted church to convey the gospel message among other things. The term anchor appears 4 times in Acts 27 literally, and once in Hebrews 6 metaphorically. This sole anchor metaphor served as an encouragement to beleagured Christians in Rome facing hardships. There was a powerpoint presentation along with the lesson.
Audio: http://rosehillchurch.com/?p=sermons
Sun January 23, 2011 PM
The Blessing vs The Curse (Gen 1-12; Gal 3:6-14)
Abstract: This lesson dealt with the theme of the battle between God’s blessing and sins curse in the first 12 chapters of Genesis. Paul takes up this blessing and curse theme in Galatians 3. He says those who are in Christ receive the blessing of Abraham through faith, but those who are not in Christ are under the curse of sin. There was no powerpoint with the lesson.
Sun January 16, 2011 AM
Dinner for Two (Prov 9:1-18)
Abstract: This lesson dealt with the two options and life paths given to the young man in Proverbs. He could either choose Lady Wisdom and live or choose Lady Folly and die. The choice is metaphorically represented in Proverbs by sitting down and having a dinner date with one of these ladies. We have the same choice today: a relationship with God that leads to life or a relationship with Satan that leads to death. There was no powerpoint with the lesson.
Audio: http://rosehillchurch.com/?p=sermons
Sun November 7, 2010 PM
Heroes on the Homefront (Prov 31: 10-31)
Abstract: This lesson was fruit from a paper I had written that semester on the identity of the Worthy Woman in Proverbs 31. In this chapter, the woman is described using many words and terms that had a background in warfare. So, the life and actions of this woman in and around the home are being portrayed as fighting a battle. The lesson was desgined to recognize and encourage the women of the congregation for all that they do as wives, mothers, workers, etc. There was a powerpoint presentation along with the lesson.
Sun September 19, 2010 AM
Vampires and Saints (Rom 2:6-11 et al)
Abstract: This lesson used the recent and popluar books and movie triology Twilight as a conversation starter about the topic of immortality. The Bible has a lot to say on the subject, but its not like the kind of immortality that vampires experience. The immortality that the saints experience is a far better hope and eternal life. There was no powerpoint with the lesson.
Sun August 29, 2010 PM
Between Zorah and Eshtaol (Judg 16:23-31)
Abstract: The sermon is about the life and death of Samson: Israel’s last judge. We don’t often look at Samson as a model of faith because of how he messed up in life, but he is mentioned in Hebrews 11. Samson began and ended his life between Zorah and Eshtaol. Zorah means defeat and Eshtaol means petition. Like Samson, every person stands between Zorah (defeat) and Eshtaol (petition) in their lives. We can either deny God and receive an eternal punishment or petition him in faith like Samson and be counted among the righteous despite all our sins. There was no powerpoint for this lesson.
Sun August 22, 2010 AM
The Kingdom’s Pastime (Gen 1, 8; Exod 14; Ezk 36; John 3:1f)
Abstract: This was a spur of the moment lesson on a Sunday I wasn’t down to preach. Our pulpit minister at the time just got back after having heart surgery. He got up and left the auditorium at the beginning of the Lord’s Supper. My wife told me to get something ready if he might not be able to go, so I jotted down some notes in a hurry. He came back in at the end of the Lord’s Supper so I thought he would preach, but when he got up to go to the pulpit he passed out. I told a deacon I was ready to go and so when they got him to his feet and out of the auditorium I went up to the pulpit and preached. The lesson is about baptism and how it is in a sense the kingdom’s pastime like baseball is America’s pastime: it’s been around forever (Columbus is a big baseball town). We looked at the several “water and Spirit” passages in creation, the flood, the crossing of the Red Sea, Ezekiel’s prophecy, and Jesus’s new birth in John 3. Whenever God creates something new, he utilizes water and his Holy Spirit. There was no powerpoint for this lesson.
Sun July 4, 2010 AM
The City Upon a Hill (Rev 21:9f)
Abstract: This 4th of July lesson dealt with some of the symbolic descriptions of John’s New Jerusalem which he saw coming down out of heaven upon a mountain. The main idea being conveyed by the apostle is that the city of God would be one big holy of holies stretching forth and filling the entire cosmos. The early Americans viewed this land as “a city upon a hill,” but John envisions an even grander city of which we as Christians are all citizens. There was a powerpoint presentation along with the lesson.
Sun June 6, 2010 AM
Handlers of Faith (2 Cor 5:1-10)
Abstract: This was the first sermon I preached at Rose Hill. I used my experience as a handler at FedEx to metaphorically describe what Paul taught in 2 Cor. 5:1-10 in terms of making it your aim to be Christlike everyday. Paul also gave the present/future hope of resurrection as motivation behind giving your life for Jesus. There was no powerpoint with the lesson.
