Archives: Messages

A sermon from the series “PURSUIT.” The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is one of the world’s greatest works of art. For more than 400 years, Michelangelo’s masterpiece was only visible via sunlight and candlelight. Sadly, soot from the burning candles eventually obscured the brilliance of the priceless painting. It eventually took a team of artists 13 years to restore the ceiling to its original glory.

Before restoration, some in the art community criticized Michelangelo’s work as too dark, monochromatic, and bland. And yet, when the frescoes were returned to their original state, everyone saw them for what they truly were—breathtakingly beautiful and vibrant.

Similarly, for us, the years of soot, grime, and dust of daily life can cloud our vision of God’s glory and majesty. And how is our view of God restored? Through worship. Join us as Psalm 96 brings us back to the splendor of God’s holiness.

A sermon from the series “PURSUIT.” How would you define worship? Is worship the weekly gathering of God’s people? Is it letting loose in the car while blasting Christian tunes on the radio, or praising God when you see a beautiful sunset? Is it defined by the quiet moments we share with God? While it may involve each of these things, biblical worship includes much more. Join us as we look at our second church priority, “Glorifying God in our Worship.” The prophet Isaiah will teach us about the true meaning of worship and how it in turn shapes the whole of our life.

A sermon from the series “PURSUIT.” Have you ever seen a sinkhole? Cars can be parked on a street day after day, and everything appears normal; then, one day, the asphalt caves in, and cars disappear into a gigantic hole. Everybody says, “That hole came out of nowhere!” But they’re wrong. The hole appeared suddenly, but the process that led to it continued for many years. The underground erosion was invisible, but it was there all along.

The same kind of thing can happen to our love for Jesus. The passion we once had for Jesus can erode over time without us realizing it. Yes, we keep serving, giving, and following Jesus—but we do these things more out of a sense of duty than a declaration of our love for Him. Jesus will call us back to Him, our First Love.

A sermon from the series “Missions Sunday 2023.” One of our three priorities for this year is a missional pursuit to engage our culture with truth and grace. Missions isn’t just for those sent to minister overseas. God has called all of us to share the gospel everywhere we go. Join us for an exciting day as we focus on what God is doing abroad and right here in our communities.

A sermon from the series “PURSUIT.” Last Sunday, Dan and Marc presented FCCO’s top three priorities for 2023. The first is giving Jesus our first love. However, before we can love Jesus with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, we must first understand God the Father’s love for us. Tomorrow, we’ll look at an amazing passage of Scripture in the Old Testament book of Zephaniah. Among other things, it tells us that God takes great delight in us. And God sings over us! Are you surprised? So many of us struggle to think of God the Father in such affectionate terms. Instead of seeing and feeling His love, we can assume He’s angry or disappointed in us. But nothing could be further from the truth! Join us as we learn the truth of God’s great love for us!

A sermon from the series “Vision Sunday.” What things are most dear to you? What interests captivate your heart? What passions inspire you? This Sunday, we’ll share three priorities for our church that God has given the elder team as they’ve sought him through prayer. These 2023 priorities are dear to the heart of God. We’re excited to share these with you and pursue them together. Vision Sunday is one of the most exciting Sundays of the year. We hope you can join us.

A sermon from the series “The Prayer of Prayers.” If you could ask Jesus to teach you only one thing, what would it be? How to walk on water? How to raise a person from the dead? Jesus’ disciples didn’t ask for instructions on how to do any of those things. Instead, they asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.” [Luke 11:1] Over the past four weeks, we heard Jesus pray to His Father in John 17. But how does Jesus’ prayer impact our prayers to God? How can we pray like Jesus? We’ll take a fresh look at The Disciples’ Prayer (also known as The Lord’s Prayer) in Matthew 6:9-13. We’ll learn that prayer isn’t just asking God to meet our needs. Prayer is the way to greater intimacy with our heavenly Father.

A sermon from the series “The Prayer of Prayers.” This Sunday we finish The Prayer of Prayers with a look at John 17:25-26. These last two verses focus on God’s mission. We will look at four things they mean to us. As the final words of Jesus’ longest prayer, and the last one before his suffering, they provide a glimpse into the deepest longing of Jesus’ and the Father’s heart.  Join us this Sunday as we explore this simple but profound ending to The Prayer of Prayers.

A sermon from the series “The Prayer of Prayers.” This Sunday we will continue in our series, The Prayer of Prayers, looking at the things most dear to Christ’s heart. In his prayer Jesus will pray for the gospel to expand to the world through His people. In praying for us, Jesus could have asked that we would all become great communicators, that we would be clear in our message, or that we would be bold and outspoken in our approach. But instead of a strategy for evangelism, Jesus prays for something else. Join us this Sunday as we find the very thing that brings about our greatest witness.

A sermon from the series “Sanctity of Human Life.” This week, we’ll pause “The Prayer of Prayers” sermon series to honor the sanctity of human life. We’ll look at the sacredness of human life from two perspectives. First, from Psalm 139:13-18, we’ll affirm that we are fearfully and wonderfully made by God. Second, from Psalm 130, we’ll rejoice that we are fearfully and abundantly forgiven by God. Yes, Sanctity of Human Life Sunday is about honoring the unborn, but it’s also a day to proclaim new life and forgiveness for all who carry the shame of abortion. Please join us as we celebrate life, love, and the grace of God.