Preparing for the Hero | Brian Sorgenfrei

Scripture Reference: Matthew 3:1-17

Everyone undergoes some sort of preparation before meeting a person of significance. What might it look like to be prepared to meet the hero and savior of the world? John the Baptist is out in the desert for this very reason, preparing his listeners to encounter Jesus. Disruptive words like confession, repentance, and baptism are emphasized. These words might seem off putting, until you realize the hero is coming to identify with and save the REAL YOU by sheer grace.

Sermon Points:

  • John Prepares
  • Jesus Saves

The Hero Fulfills | Les Newsom

Scripture Reference: Matthew 2:13-23

Joseph and Mary find themselves in the center of God’s will for their lives…and they’re suffering horribly. But Matthew sees beneath the surface of their struggles to the undercurrents of fulfillment that Jesus is going to bring, becoming the True and Better Israel for his people.

Sermon Points:

  • A Jewish Do Over
  • A God Who Grieves
  • A Branch Arising

The Hero Arrives | Brian Sorgenfrei

Scripture Reference: Matthew 1:1-6, 16-25

Every hero has an origin story! Matthew introduces us to this long anticipated hero by way of a genealogy and then a supernatural beginning involving a virgin pregnancy. These two avenues of introduction set the table for the kind of hero Jesus will be. He is going to be a hero that identifies with the broken and sinners and will save and heal everything that is wrong with the world.

Sermon Points:

  • The Need For a Hero
  • The People of the Hero

The Third Day He Rose Again from the Dead | Brian Sorgenfrei

Scripture Reference: 1 Corinthians 15:1-26

The Scriptures claim that the bodily resurrection of Jesus is the lynchpin of all history and the Christian faith. The Apostle Paul says that without the resurrection, “our faith is in vain” and “we are of all people most to be pitied.” But if the resurrection happened, then forgiveness is a reality, life is stronger than death, and the trajectory of everything is changed.

Sermon Points:

  • Reality of the Resurrection
  • Meaning of the Resurrection
  • Application of the Resurrection

Suffered Under Pilate, Crucified, Dead, Buried, Descended | Les Newsom

Scripture Reference: Luke 23:1-4, 32-49

No other event in Jesus’ life gets more attention than the rather ignominious death on the Cross, what anyone would have thought the lowest moment of his life. But the reasons why they seized up on it are at the heart of what is most unique about the Apostles Creed’s witness to the watching world.

Sermon Points:

  • The Reality of his Death
  • The Significance of his Death
  • The Application of his Death