Vine & Branch Church Sermons

Main Point:Fear the Lord = The fear of the Lord is reverent awe of God's transcendent Holiness and authority that draws us close to Him rather than driving us away. It produces humble obedience, hatred of evil, a dread of resisting Him, and joyful refuge in Him; it is the starting point of true wisdom and the antidote to all other fears.

Defining the Fear of the Lord. The fear of the lord is reverent awe of God’s transcendent holiness and authority that draws us close to him rather than driving us away. It produces humble obedience, hated of evil a dread of resisting Him, and joyful refuge in Him; it is the starting point of true wisdom and the antidote to all other fears.

Main Point: God's people seek wisdom which results in work that brings righteousness, justice, and equity to our community and to the world.

THESIS: Everything worthwhile in life - and fruitfully navigating all of life - starts with rightly relating to God. KEY APPLICATION: Wisely interacting with oneanoter in the fear of the LORD to vuld God's Kingdom.

Main Point:The resurrection of Jesus Christ is of first importance because it validates the gospel we received, confirms we are justified by grace and dead to sin, and empowers us to abound in the work of the LORD.

Thesis: Jesus Christ is the true Passover Lamb, the living center of our Communion Celebration, and the great reality around which we orient our entire lives.

Thesis: Inseparably bound in Christ by Grace in his death and resurrection; we are dead to sin, and We are activated to righteousness.

Main Point: Because of God's grace we are counted as righteous by faith, where Christ's righteousness is applied to us. Now we can rejoice in hope as we live at peace with Him.

We deserve the wrath of God, and yet we have been declared righteous by His grace!

We can trust our bible that we hold today because God has divinely preserved it throuugh an overwhelmig abundance of manuscripts, enabling us to verify its accuracy, resolve variants, and experience its transformative power as it points us to Jesus Christ, the incarnte Word.

We can know that we have eternal life, that we are heard favorably by God, we can protect one another by prayer, and we can stay away from idols by our firm belief in Jesus as the Truth.

John calls us to obey the commands of God because we can, and because our obedience, empowered by the Spirit, demonstrates that we truly know God and love Him.

Jesus Christ – God come in the flesh, as the one and only Savior – is Scripture’s supreme center. By this we test every spirit, confess Him rightly, and overcome every falsehood, obstacle, and enemy by faith in the TRUTH.

We are learning to receive life as a gift – to join the Lord in doing good, and to enjoy the portion he has given us under the sun. this is the path of joy Ecclesiastes commends.

All is vanity under the sun outside of Christ. He gives us meaning. He is sovereign and always in control over all.

From the very beginning in Genesis, God created humanity to bring order out of chaos; (Order, fill, rest) living out the image of God in us as dominion-takers. (Genesis 1:28, 2:15, 18) The book of Proverbs overflows with wisdom of a better way-repeatedly affirming that purposeful planning is wise, diligence living is fruitful, and humble submission to God is essential.

The word “behold” commands reverent attention; to stop in our panic, fix our eyes on God’s revealed truth, take it in with wonder, trust His promises completely, and respond in obedient worship.

Who is this King we are worshipping? And how shall we worship Him?

Paradise Lost, Curse Promised, War Declared, and Hope Restored

Worship, harmony, and commitment are the focus of the church upholding Christ as supreme and His word as authoritative.

Reasons we are walking through our Church Confession:1. To help everyone one of us understand WHO we are as a church family- and WHY = Clarity & Unity2. To give you information so to confidently answer when someone asks, “So what kind of church is V&B anyway?”

Godly Culture fulfills both the Dominion Mandate and the Great Commission. It is our shared life, where all of us live the Word while teaching the Word – for God’s glory and the increase of the kingdom.

Creeds and confessions are tools – humble helpers that focus our attention on God, help us summarize biblical truth, distill it into memorable guidelines and exalt Christ as supreme!

Jesus is the creator, the sustainer, the upholder of all life, and supreme over all beings in heaven and on earth. He conquered sin, declared His work finished, and sits in authority at the right hand of God.

Because God has freed us from slavery to sin and guaranteed eternal life for us, we must live as model citizens; always devoted to good works that are profitable and excellent for humanity, patterned after God’s nature, and founded on the Gospel.

The Gospel is not merely that good news, which tells us that Jesus Christ came to bring salvation only, but also that he came to purify for Himself a People for His own possession who are ZEALOUS for good works.

Today we will see false leaders identified and a call to live purely and participate in protecting the church by discerning true leadership and false, and by following faithfully those who hold firm to the trustworthy word.

The Elders are primary models and teachers of God’s order, which is most evident in the household, displayed through character and built on God’s Word.

Christ’s church is built when all members align their knowledge with their actions, and work together demonstrating good works, self-control, and ordered lives, motivated by the eternal kingship of Jesus on earth.

Habits shape our values and hearts. Intentional habits (liturgies) are acts of worship that align us with God's Truth. The goal of this sermon is to encourage intentional habits - or liturgies - that help us know and live God's truth.

We are the Children of the Light, Christ's body and the church will LAST. So Let's attend to His plan to build the body up, following His perfect guidelines for living, while we wait for the glorious Day.

Joyful living in anticipation of Christ’s return results in a Sober mindedness, characterized by clarity of mind, stability of soul, and readiness to act.

God guided Paul’s mind to write these words to deliver what the Thess’ must know, providing hope for grieving hearts and clear instruction on holy living.

Building on God’s will for our sanctification, brotherly love is the Spirit-taught outworking of sanctification in community-HOW? By knowing our business and minding it, contented hard work, honoring God, and proclaiming the Gospel.

God's will for believers is sanctification - embracing all circumstances and temptations as an opportunity, not just to resist or avoid sin, but to participate with the Spirit's work in us and align with our new identity and our call as members of God's family.

Paul's letter to the Thessalonians shows that, despite lacking modern "isms", they had enough truth for the optimistic hope, purposeful living, and community impact, guiding us to embrace these same truths for a faithful life.

The True Meaning of LIFE is seeing Christ formed in others; in aiding their preparation for the day of the LORD

The Gospel, when received and accepted, is the source of faith & steadfast hope, comforting and empowering us in works of love, and setting us up for Christ’s return.

In 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12, Paul reveals that the Gospel of God transforms lives when declared with courage and delivered with the nurturing love of a mother and the guiding integrity of a father.

The gospel (good news) transforms us into living proof of Christ’s power through active faith, selfless love, and unshakable hope, fueled/compelled by the joy and gratitude of being rescued from God’s wrath and possessing guaranteed certainty of the return of Christ.

In Acts 17:1-10, the birth of the Thessalonian church reveals that Jesus Christ, the suffering and risen KING, demands our joyful allegiance, transforms lives through His gospel, and empowers us to stand firm under internal and external pressure.

The purposeful habit of God centered weekly rest is a command and gift from God, one that is rooted in His creation and redemptive works. It is a rest from our regular labors that exemplifies God’s provision, and this rest is one that is joyous and celebrates God’s works in our lives and history.

No matter what we face, God is faithful. He was faithful to Naomi in her grief, to Ruth in her uncertainty, and He’ll be faithful to us; both present and future – He’s preparing a place for us (John 14:3) and will return to make all things new (Revelation 21:5). Let this history and promise fuel us with purpose, joy, and hope.

Through our study, we have clearly seen that the book of Ruth is not just ancient history, it is a reflection of how God works in the world, all nations, and in our lives today.

Sure victory, is assured through our Redeemer Jesus Christ. In Christ we see God’s steadfast love, the temporary nature of suffering, and are reminded to take joy in our ultimate and sure victory.

By ceasing to strive for self-defined meaning and embracing faithfulness -whether in daily tasks or strategic planing- we participate in subordinate ends that God transforms into His terminating end, brining glory to Himself and accomplishing the redemption of the world.

By ceasing to strive for self-defined meaning and instead pursue faithfulness, we find freedom and peace in trusting that God transforms our ordinary acts of obedience and love into meaningful/purposeful instruments of redemption.