Woodbury Community Church Sermons

Guest speaker, Clifford Christensen shares how we can live with certainty in uncertain times by trusting the same God that we trust with our salvation in daily stressors of life. (2 Timothy 1:8-14)

The Lord’s Prayer ends with the doxology of the Christian church. Most biblical scholars believe that this doxology was not spoken by Jesus but added to the text in the first or second century. It is appropriate that the Lord’s Prayer end with these words, for it focuses the Christian on Who God is – the One Whose kingdom is eternal, whose power is unmatched and Whose glory is forever. We are to be a people who bring glory to the One Who is glorious. (Matthew 6:13b)

Just when you think you’ve defeated it, temptation roars back like a lion. God has the power to help us through whatever temptation may come our way. Christians recognize that temptation comes from the evil one (the devil) and that God, who is more powerful than Satan and all the powers of hell can help us stand strong against whatever temptation comes our way. (Matthew 6:13a)

A special Sunday set apart to celebrate what God is doing around the world through our ministry partners.

Forgiveness is one of the hallmarks of the Christian life. Without the grace of God, our salvation would be impossible. But, forgiveness can often times be difficult to grant to others. The Lord’s Prayer challenges us to be people who forgive by praying for a forgiving spirit and it challenges us to be forgiven by praying for God’s forgiveness. When we pray for forgiveness it requires us to humble ourselves, recognize the sin in our lives and to turn from that sin to God. (Matthew 6:12)

Christians live lives of dependence upon God. The Lord’s Prayer encourages us to pray daily for our physical needs and our spiritual needs. Praying for our daily bread should always include a spiritual element to it. Christians hunger and thirst for righteousness as much, or more than we do our physical needs. (Matthew 6:11)

When we ask for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, we are asking God to move the world to universal obedience (which will not happen until the end of history), and to move Christians towards obedience today. This means that we are asking that God’s will would be the supreme desire in our lives and that our obedience would be as it is in heaven – joyful and enthusiastic. (Matthew 6:10b)

Upon recognition of the One to Whom we pray, and honoring His name, Jesus’ prayer focused on the kingdom and rule of Christ. Prayer for the kingdom is part of the pattern of our prayer life. “Your Kingdom Come” recognizes the past, future and the present tense of the Christian life. This sermon will explore what it means to pray for Christ’s kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10a)

True followers of Jehovah have recognized throughout history that His name is holy. When we pray we are praying to the only One who is worthy of our worship. In his Greater Catechism, Martin Luther asked, “How is God’s name hallowed among us?” How we answer that question reveals what we believe about the God to Whom we pray. (Matthew 6:9)

Jesus’ instruction on prayer begins with a radical new concept. God, Creator of the Universe, Yahweh, is our Father. Nowhere in the Old Testament is God referred to as “Father” in a prayer. Christians have the right and the privilege of addressing God as Father. The fatherhood of God brings with it a number of wonderful implications. (Matthew 6:9)

One of the great temptations of all human beings is to look good in front of other people. God doesn’t want us to live our lives for the applause of others; He wants us to live our lives for His glory. Using examples of giving and prayer, Jesus showed His followers the folly of external acts of worship that are done to impress others rather than for God’s glory. (Matthew 6:1-8)

True children of God love their enemies and are perfect as their Heavenly Father is perfect. No one can live up to these types of demands unless the power of Christ is at work within them and the righteousness of Christ is placed upon them. (Matthew 5:43-48)

From the time of Moses the Jewish people had followed a law that said, "an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth." Jesus showed His followers that is fine in a court setting but not in our relationship with others. Followers of Jesus repay evil with good. (Matthew 5:38-42)

For the fourth time in His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus begins a section of teaching with the words, “You have heard that it was said.” In this case, the teaching had to do with telling the truth. God’s chosen people, the Children of Israel, had become known as liars because of the way that they interpreted Old Testament law concerning using oaths. There is no place for falsehood in the lives of followers of Jesus Christ. It is just as easy to slip into falsehood today as it was back then. We need to be people who let our “yes” be “yes” and our “no” be “no.” (Matthew 5:33-37)

There was a great controversy regarding divorce and remarriage in the days of Jesus. It centered on the interpretation of a phrase in Deuteronomy 24:1, which stated the ground for divorce, “If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about here, and he writes her a certificate of divorce . . .” By Jesus’ day, the Pharisees (Israel’s religious leaders) allowed for divorce for almost any reason at all, based upon their interpretation of the meaning of decent in Deuteronomy 24:1. Jesus set the record straight by not only pointing out the prevailing misinterpretation of Moses’ law, but by setting a standard that allowed for divorce and remarriage for only three reasons; sexual immorality by one’s spouse who is unwilling to repent and live faithfully in the marriage relationship, a believer who is deserted by an unbelieving spouse and third when someone has been married and divorced before coming to Christ. (Matthew 5:31-42; Matthew 19:4-12)

Moms and Dads have so many responsibilities that are unique to being a parent. Perhaps the greatest task of any Christian parent is teaching our children the truth about God. How can parents make discipleship of children a priority in today’s hectic world? This sermon will give many practical ideas on how to help children cultivate a deep (Psalm 78:1-8)

Jesus is willing to heal your physical and emotional pain because he is compassionate—he cares about you and he loves you. Give God the parts of yourselves that are untouchable, unreachable, ugly or shameful. (Mark 1:40-45)

He may have initially doubted the resurrection of Jesus, but when presented with evidence, Thomas believed. Doubt is a common experience among those with faith. Thomas teaches us how to move past doubt into faith. When he made his decision he was all in! (John 20:24-29)

John stayed close to Jesus during Holy Week. The beloved disciple was there during the celebration of Palm Sunday, there at the cross, and was one of the first to believe in the resurrection. John teaches us to view Easter through eyes of faith. (John 12:12-19; John 20:25-27)

Peter was the Rocky of Jesus' disciples. The man was never one to show fear -- until it mattered most. What turned Jesus' most ardent follower into one who denied he even knew Jesus? It was fear. This same fear has the capacity to cripple any disciple. (Matthew 26:57-58, 69-75)