Concord United Sermons

First, Check Your Heart | Rev. Mike Stallings

Matthew 6 is the middle or the core of the sermon on the mount. And Matthew 6 is all about giving and prayer. You can no more be a Christian without giving than you can without praying. Jesus teaches that giving is not supposed to be simply a duty or obligation you carry out. It’s supposed to be an expression of your love for God. Therefore, your first concern should not be that others see you and admire you for your generosity. Your first concern is that your finances reflect your deep love, trust, and gratitude for God.

Scripture - Matthew 6:1-4

First, Check Your Heart | Rev. Wil Cantrell

Matthew 6 is the middle or the core of the sermon on the mount. And Matthew 6 is all about giving and prayer. You can no more be a Christian without giving than you can without praying. Jesus teaches that giving is not supposed to be simply a duty or obligation you carry out. It’s supposed to be an expression of your love for God. Therefore, your first concern should not be that others see you and admire you for your generosity. Your first concern is that your finances reflect your deep love, trust, and gratitude for God.

Scripture - Matthew 6:1-4

Perseverance in Prayer | Rev. Wil Cantrell

God will not always answer our prayer in the way we desire or on the timeline we desire, but God will always answer. And we can trust God is doing things in God’s time for God’s reasons which are higher and better than our own. We are instructed to persevere in prayer. To keep asking and keep seeking until we see God at work. Prayer is meant to be a lifelong journey. Praying each day is as fundamental to our existence as speaking each day to our family.

Perseverance in Prayer | Rev. Brooke Hartman

God will not always answer our prayer in the way we desire or on the timeline we desire, but God will always answer. And we can trust God is doing things in God’s time for God’s reasons which are higher and better than our own. We are instructed to persevere in prayer. To keep asking and keep seeking until we see God at work. Prayer is meant to be a lifelong journey. Praying each day is as fundamental to our existence as speaking each day to our family.

The Principles of Prayer | Rev. Wil Cantrell

This sermon will address the “why” and basic principles of prayer by making 3 main points. 1) The purpose of prayer is to give us a language for related directly to God. (Gen 1:26-31; 3:8). Having a language for relationship is part of being made in God’s image – the image of the Trinity, a relationship between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In the Garden of Eden intimate connection with God was expected. 2) Prayer is meant to be public and private. Jesus teaches his disciples to pray privately (Mt 6:5-6). He also teaches and demonstrates public prayer. (Mt 15, Mt 21, Luke 23, Mk 15). All Christians need to be comfortable praying publicly because it is one of the primary ways we Share Christ by teaching others the language God created for direct relationship with us.  3) For Jesus, fasting and prayer are inextricably connected. (Matthew 6:16-18) Just after teaching about prayer in the sermon on the mount, Jesus teaches about fasting. He always intended the two to go together. Fasting is itself a prayer. It is a special way of focusing on God and learning to listen. John Wesley encouraged the early Methodist to fast from sundown on Thursday until 3pm on Friday – mirroring the hours of Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion. We mention fasting in the sermon and mention that we will be more intentionally exploring fasting explicitly from food with our congregation during Lent.

Additional Materials: 1)  Front/back handout (maybe a book mark) – front = principles of prayer, back = principles of fasting, 2) Kids prayer requests on altar

The Principles of Prayer | Rev. Brooke Hartman

This sermon will address the “why” and basic principles of prayer by making 3 main points. 1) The purpose of prayer is to give us a language for related directly to God. (Gen 1:26-31; 3:8). Having a language for relationship is part of being made in God’s image – the image of the Trinity, a relationship between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In the Garden of Eden intimate connection with God was expected. 2) Prayer is meant to be public and private. Jesus teaches his disciples to pray privately (Mt 6:5-6). He also teaches and demonstrates public prayer. (Mt 15, Mt 21, Luke 23, Mk 15). All Christians need to be comfortable praying publicly because it is one of the primary ways we Share Christ by teaching others the language God created for direct relationship with us.  3) For Jesus, fasting and prayer are inextricably connected. (Matthew 6:16-18) Just after teaching about prayer in the sermon on the mount, Jesus teaches about fasting. He always intended the two to go together. Fasting is itself a prayer. It is a special way of focusing on God and learning to listen. John Wesley encouraged the early Methodist to fast from sundown on Thursday until 3pm on Friday – mirroring the hours of Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion. We mention fasting in the sermon and mention that we will be more intentionally exploring fasting explicitly from food with our congregation during Lent.

Additional Materials: 1)  Front/back handout (maybe a book mark) – front = principles of prayer, back = principles of fasting, 2) Kids prayer requests on altar

Surprised by God’s Power | Rev. Wil Cantrell

Paul surprisingly discovers that God’s power is made perfect in weakness. When we give up on trying to be strong enough ourselves and learn to rely on God’s power, we discover a connection to a power greater than we could have ever imagined.

Scripture - 2 Corinthians 12:6-10

Surprised by God’s Power | Rev. Brooke Hartman

Paul surprisingly discovers that God’s power is made perfect in weakness. When we give up on trying to be strong enough ourselves and learn to rely on God’s power, we discover a connection to a power greater than we could have ever imagined.

Scripture - 2 Corinthians 12:6-10

Surprised by God’s Presence | Rev. Wil Cantrell

James tells us if we draw near to God, God will draw near to us. 1 Cor tells us that our body is a temple where God’s spirit resides. Sometimes discovering God’s presence requires going somewhere, but more often it involves removing distractions that blind us to God’s presence in our daily lives.

Surprised by God’s Presence | Rev. Brooke Hartman

James tells us if we draw near to God, God will draw near to us. 1 Cor tells us that our body is a temple where God’s spirit resides. Sometimes discovering God’s presence requires going somewhere, but more often it involves removing distractions that blind us to God’s presence in our daily lives.