Jordan Rimmer Sermons

Names of the Messiah: Mighty God

This Advent, I am looking at the descriptins from Isaiah 9 of Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. I am taking one each week in Advent. The sermon is inspired by the book Names of the Messiah by Walter Brueggemann.

On the second Sunday in Advent, I look at the idea of Jesus as "Mighty God." I talk about how Jesus was truly God and yet truly human. I had two chairs set up, one on each side of me. One was labeled human and the other God. I used them when talking about whether Jesus was more one or the other, and then at put the papers together in a cumpled ball to show both humanity and divinity occupying the same space in Christ.

Names of the Messiah: Wonderful Counselor

This Advent, I am looking at the descriptins from Isaiah 9 of Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. I am taking one each week in Advent. The sermon is inspired by the book Names of the Messiah by Walter Brueggemann.

On the first Sunday in Advent, I introduce the Isaiah passage and explore what it means that Jesus is Wonderful Counselor.

 

Thankful to Christ the King

This sermn was given on Christ the King Sunday. It was also the Sunday before Thanksgiving. I talk about what it means that Jesus is called Christ and what kind of king Jesus is. This should drive us to gratitude. 

Post-Election Sermon: Relationships in Disagreement

This sermon was given the Sunday after the most divisive election that I have ever seen. I reflect on the words of Paul ot the church at Corinth, and his plan to help them with unity. I talk about the three words that my teacher Len Sweet calls the hardest words to get right in the world today--"I" "Love" "You"  The world needs the church to get these words right, but the world does not want the church, and I am worried the church is not ready to be needed.

The Future of Our Church

In this sermon I talk about where I am personally this Fall and where we are as a church. I talk honestly about what we need to do and where the challenges are.

 

The Book on the Shelf

This is a sermon for Reformation Sunday and look at the history of the Bible. I talk about how the Bible was written, how it was preserved over time, and how it came to be written in English. I hope that you listen and gain an appreciation for how important the privilege of reading the Bible in your own language was to people that gave their lives to give you that privilege. Pick up the book sometime.

Old Wrestling Injuries

This is a sermon about Jacob wrestling with God. I talk about how we wrestle with God and how sometimes God's blessings come with limps.

Render Unto Caesar: Seek the Welfare of the City

This sermon is the final of a 4-week series I am doing on faith and politics. My goal is not to tell people what to think or who to vote for, but rather to address some of the underlying spiritual issues at play in our national and global politics. I want to help Christians learn how to think about politics.

This sermon explores how Christianity is based on core convictions that we have to prayerfully translate into voting and policy decisions. I drew the diagram that is pictured here.

You can read the sermon at: http://www.jordanrimmer.com/seekthewelfareofthecity/

Render Unto Caesar: The Politics of Jesus

This sermon is the third of a 4-week series I am doing on faith and politics. My goal is not to tell people what to think or who to vote for, but rather to address some of the underlying spiritual issues at play in our national and global politics. I want to help Christians learn how to think about politics.

This sermon explores the politics of the Bible and how the Bible should inform our politics and how Jesus should be our political example.

You can read the sermon at http://www.jordanrimmer.com/thepoliticsofjesus/.

Render Unto Caesar: Some Trust in Chariots

This sermon is the second of a 4 week series I am doing on faith and politics. My goal is not to tell people what to think or who to vote for, but rather to address some of the underlying spiritual issues at play in our national and global politics. I want to help Christians learn how to think about politics.

This sermon was given on September 11, 2016. It was the 15 year anniversary of 9/11 attacks on the United States. I reflect on the feeling of fear that we have had since that day and the growing violence from guns in our country in the years since. How should Christians think about war and violence?

You can read the sermon at http://www.jordanrimmer.com/sometrustinchariots/.

Render Unto Caesar: Two Kingdoms

This sermon begins a 4 week sermon series I am doing on faith and politics. My goal is not to tell people what to think or who to vote for, but rather to address some of the underlying spiritual issues at play in our national and global politics. I want to help Christians learn how to think about politics.

In this sermon, I look at the idea that, in the Bible, we are part of two kingdoms--the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of God (sometimes also called the kingdom of heaven). What does it mean that we live in these two kingdoms? How does the idea of two kingdoms jive with America's idea of the separation of church and state?

To read a text of this sermon, got to my blog at  http://www.jordanrimmer.com/renderuntocaesartwokingdoms/

Lift Dedication Sermon

This short sermon was recorded during an outdoor service. There is background noise and I am projecting my voice because we did not bring out a sound system. The occasion was the dedication of our vertical platform life (think small elevator). It was a pretty exciting day that we were not sure would ever come. The sermon was followed by the story of the lift, a dedication, a prayer for the lift and those who use it, and the hymn "Great is Thy Faithfulness." After the service, we had some fun and ate a great picnic lunch.

Book of the Twelve: Malachi

With this sermon on Malachi we come to the end of the Minor Prophets. It was all summer, but I found them to be an amazing journey. These old books still had new things to say to us today. I guess people don't change that much over time.

Book of the Twelve: Zechariah

Sermon on Zechariah and his compelling and challenging imagery.

Book of the Twelve: Haggai

Sermon on Haggai. I actually didn't press record on Sunday so I recorded it in my basement at a later date.

Book of the Twelve: Zephaniah

Sermon on the book of Zephaniah. This is a book that once again looks at the judgment of the Day of the Lord, but also has an amazing description of God's saving presence that will come to Jerusalem. We know this hope to be Jesus.

Book of the Twelve: Habakkuk

This sermon is on the book of Habakkuk. Can you trust God? That is a difficult question. But the harder question is, can you trust God with the timing? You are not really trusting God if you are not trusting God with the timing.

Book of the Twelve: Nahum

 

In this sermon I look at the book of Nahum by telling the history of God's relationship with the Assyrians.

Raise the Roof: An Image of Intercessory Prayer

I take a break from my journey through the Minor Prophets to look at the healing of the paralyzed man in Mark 2. I use the story as an image of what intercessory prayer is. I have to thank my teacher Leonard Sweet for challenging me on this text. Also, thanks to my dad who preached this text on the same Sunday and swapped ideas with me.

The Book of the Twelve: Micah

This sermon takes a look at the book of Micah. I look at the book as a whole and peak into a few specific sections.

The Book of the Twelve: Jonah

In this sermon I walk through the story of Jonah with an observant eye and try to cast a vision for the book in our lives today.

The Book of the Twelve: Obadiah

Sermon on the book of Obadiah. This little book of only 21 verses has some strong words of judgment for the neighboring nation of Edom, but it also has some great underlying theology.

The Book of the Twelve: Amos

This is a sermon about the book of Amos. I look at a couple of texts to get the lay of the land in the book. I can't help but be amazed at how much Amos has to say about our world today.

The Book of the Twelve: Joel

Sermon on the book of Joel. Joel is strangely not specific about the sins of Israel, so much so that scholars don't agree about when it was written. But it is a great call to repentance and a strong claim of the grace of God.

The Book of the Twelve: Hosea

This sermon takes a look at the book of Hosea. We might get a little offended when God tells Hosea to marry a prostitute, but we cannot help but be amazed at the power of the imagery as the story unfolds. Hosea could be called the first Gospel, and it is good news that we need every bit as much as Israel did.

The Book of the Twelve: Introduction

This is the intro sermon for my summer series on the Book of the Twelve- often called the Minor Prophets. I plan to do an overview of each book every week. There will be some gaps throughout the summer for special Sundays or days I am on vacation.

For this intro sermon, I do a quick introduction to the Old Testament, give a big picture overview of Israel's history in the OT, and then look at what prophets do in the Bible.

The Temptation of Jesus (and us)

In this sermon I take a look at the temptation of Christ on four levels. Satan is tempting Jesus to act like God and not like man. The temptation mirrors the temptation of Adam and Eve. It parallel Israel. It is also symptomatic of our own temptations.

A Sermon about Sermons

In this sermon I talk about sermons--what they do, how they developed, and what kind there are. I focus especially on how to listen to the sermon and the responsibilities of listening to a sermon. 

So I Send You

In this sermon I take a lot at what it means that we are sent by Jesus just as the Father has sent Him.

A Lame Trip to Church

Sermon on Peter and John healing a lame man on the way to the temple.