September Sermon Themes
Sept. 17: Pastor Billy will begin a 6-week series, Parables: Jesus the storyteller, This six-week series deals with six of the parables of Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew. Through understanding the context and audience, we can see that parables teach us about compassion, faithfulness, responsibility, the generosity of God, and the importance of living kingdom lives for God.
Week 1: Seed, Soil, Word (Matthew 13:1–23) The parable of the sower uses the imagery of different soils to show us how our lives either accept or reject Jesus.
Application Point: We will be a soil that produces faith, hope, and love in Christ.
Week 2: Unforgiving Servant, Forgiveness, Debt (Matthew 18:23–35) The parable of the unforgiving servant reveals the importance of forgiving others, just as God has forgiven us.
Application Point: We will not keep a record of wrong but will forgive others, just as God has forgiven us.
Week 3: First, Last, Success (Matthew 20:1–16) The parable of the vineyard reveals that God brings all into His kingdom, not just the successful or those who were there first. Application Point: We will not think of ourselves more highly than others in God’s kingdom.
Week 4: Cornerstone, Openness (Matthew 21:33–45) The parable of the tenant farmers
teaches us that God would not let the religious leaders keep God’s kingdom for themselves and that God was building something new through Jesus.
Application Point: We will allow Christ—and not our religious traditions or positions— to be the cornerstone for our lives.
Week 5: Banquet, Ethics, Standards (Matthew 22:1–14) The parable of the wedding banquet teaches us that God will bring in strangers to celebrate his kingdom. But there are rules to God’s kingdom that all should follow.
Application Point: We will not try to have God on our own terms but will follow His wisdom in the Christian life.
Week 6: Talents, Work, Laziness (Matthew 25:14–30) The parable of the talents teaches us that God expects us to be advancing his kingdom until Christ’s return, not sitting idle. Application Point: We will be a people who look for new opportunities to advance God’s kingdom in the world.