All the Sermons

Phil 1:12-30 Listen Link: www.lcepc.org then look for “sermons” tab. Have you ever had a bad day? Have you ever lived through very difficult circumstances? Sure, we all have. But what you have experienced, certainly I will say that what I have experienced, is probably very mild compared to what Paul endured. And yet he is the one who said, “Whatever happens, stand firm. It’s worth it.” What encouragement does he give? Is there any evidence that Paul knows what he is talking about? All he says in this letter is, “I am in chains.” But there is so much more to this story! Most likely Paul was writing from prison in Rome, the one we read about in Acts 28. But the whole drama of how he got there starts in Acts 21. Seven chapters in the Book of Acts describe the things that happened after Paul completed his third missionary journey and returned to Jerusalem. I think it’s important to summarize those events here because it will add meaning to what Paul means by stand firm. The dram

Phil. 1:1-11 Listen Link: www.lcepc.org then look for “sermons” tab. Do have any letters, written years ago, that you’re still hanging onto? Many people do, or used to anyway. Greeting cards? Thank you notes? Love letters? Are there letters that you have kept in a drawer or filing cabinet, or even in a shoe box on the closet shelf because they mean a lot to you, sent by someone you love? The letter to the Philippians is sort of like that. You’ll see what I mean in a moment. As we begin this series, looking at Philippians, the first thing we should notice is that this is a thank you letter from Paul the missionary to a supporting church. The church loved this letter, and kept it, and even shared it with other churches! That’s why it’s still around today. I bet Paul would be amazed to visit earth today and find his personal letter included in the Bible. What a high honor! The Church, that is, the world-wide body of Christ Church, has discerned that this personal letter was also

Scripture: Acts 16: 4-40 Listen Link: www.lcepc.org then look for “sermons” tab Life can take some unexpected turns. Since we started shopping for a house, we’ve made an offer four different times. The first two times, someone else made a better offer before ours was accepted. Then we made an offer and paid for an inspection. When the seller saw what he would have to fix, he backed out and decided not to sell to us. Finally, we made an offer that was accepted. It looked good. Paid even more for the official appraisal, waited more than two weeks for their decision, got that approved with a couple of minor repairs. Then that seller also backed out because they couldn’t get the financing for the house they wanted to move to. As of last Thursday, we start all over, looking for the house that God has marked out for us. It is frustrating. But we are comforted by the fact that God is looking out for us and guiding us along and keeping us from getting into trouble. Not that’s all a be

Scripture Eph 6:10-18 Focus: 18 Listen Link: www.lcepc.org then look for “sermons” tab I remember last week I mentioned that the suit of armor given to us by God is not dead metal but is powered up more like Iron man. Deep down inside, a lot of us wish that it really could be like Ironman, stepping into real metal with real power, especially if we know we’re heading into conflict. In his armor, Tony Stark was nearly invincible. He was powerful and confident to take on a world full of evil enemies bent on destruction. In his powered-up suit, Tony was fast. He was strong. He could fly. And he had powerful weapons in his hands to beat most any bad guy. He knew what he could do. He knew he could win. And he knew how to win. He wasn’t a killer. But he wasn’t gentle either. He met force with force. Basically, he fought fire with fire. But he always won, by being smarter than the bad guy. As humans, that’s the way we naturally think of power and its value for protecting life, liber