Jordan Rimmer Sermons

Teach Us to Pray Part 2

 

I am amazed how many people have never been taught in simple terms how to start and develop a prayer life.  In this sermon I try to begin answering that problem by giving practical advice and ideas for praying.  How to set the space and your attitude?  How to use Scripture to guide your prayer?  What to say when you pray? 

 

Teach Us to Pray Part 1

In this sermon I begin a 3 week series on prayer.  I look at the power and diversity of prayers in the Bible and compare it to the prayer that we use today.  What might our lives and our churches look life if we deepened our prayer lives?

Teach a Fish to Nudge

Jesus helps the disciples to catch a lot of fish at the beginning and the end of His earthly ministry.  In this sermon I compare these 2 stories.  The first gives us the metaphor of "fishers of men" to represent what has historically been called evangelism.  I propose, however, that fishing was different back then and perhaps we should look at evangelism differently today.  I borrow the word Nudge from the book of that name by my teacher Leonard Sweet.  I believe it is  a great model for evangelism in the future and really does fit first century fishing.

The 5 Solas of the Reformation

This year for Reformation Sunday I looked at the key beliefs of the reformation by looking at the 5 Solas of the Reformation-“Sola Scriptura” (Scripture Alone); “Sola Gratia” (Grace Alone); “Sola Fide” (Faith Alone); “Solus Christus” (Christ Alone); and “Soli Deo Gloria” (To God Alone Be Glory).

The His-Story of Westminster Church

This is the sermon from the celebration of Westminster's 50th anniversary in its current location.  In it I tell the history of the church since well before we moved to Oak Hill in New Brighton.  It is amazing to me how much of this history shapes the spiritual DNA of our church to this day even with members who were not connected personally or in their family with the church until recently.  I also at the end of my sermon turn the attention to the future of the church in anticipation of the collection of commitment cards for a capital campaign that began this Sunday.

Rebuilding the Temple

What happens when an idea, movement, or organization get's off of its original vision and purpose?  How does it find its way back?

This is the question the prophets ask in the Old Testament as Israel goes into exile.  Where did we go wrong?  And as Ezekiel dreams of a new temple and Ezra rebuilds the temple, they wonder how to do it differently now.  What can our church today learn from this time in history?

Building the Temple

 

 

This week I continue building toward our anniversary celebration and capital campaign by looking at the building of the temple by Solomon.  Why is it built?  Why doesn't David build it?  What problems are there once it is built?  What does this tell us about being a church today?

 

Building the Tabernacle

As I build up to a capital campaign in the next few weeks, I am looking at the building of the tabernacle and the temple in the Old Testament.  What were their purposes?  Why was it important that the people give to help them be built?

For this sermon, I built a replica of the Ark of the Covenant and rearranged furniture in the sanctuary to be more accurate to the set up of the tabernacle.  I walk around a lot, so I had to have my phone set on the first pew to record.  

Show Me Your Scars

                                    

 

In 2 Corinthians Paul gives a list of all kinds of difficult things he has been through.  He is trying to show just how crazy he was for Jesus.  If you think about it, that kinds of abuse would have made Paul look very different.  What does it mean that Paul had all these scars and that Jesus has scars?  Do we live lives that are scared for Jesus?

 

 

Ruthless Trust

This sermon is inspired by the book "Ruthless Trust" by Brennan Manning.  In this sermon I propose that the primary response to His love and grace that God desires from us is trust--daily trusting God for everything.  

Ragamuffins

I am preaching some sermons inspired by the work of Brennan Manning.  In this sermon I look at Isaiah 64 and talk about how we are all ragamuffins.  We are all sinners in need of God's grace, but we are also radically loved by God.  We should therefore start to look at ourselves differently.  There is no room for self-hatred in the Christian life.

OUR LOVING FATHER

Last year author and speaker Brennan Manning passed away.  I got to meet him once for just a few moments, but I have been greatly influenced through his books and talks.  I have decided to take a few weeks to read his work again and preach out of what God is showing me.

This sermon is about the love of God.  Do you really believe that God loves you just as you are and not as you should be?  When you pray to the Father as Jesus taught his disciples, do you see God as your daddy?

Meat Offered to Idols

This is the conclusion to my summer series looking at food in the Bible.  This sermon is not on the general image of meat in the Bible but rather on the specific issue of meat offered to idols in 1 Corinthians 8-10.  The people are allowed to eat the meat offered to idols, but should they?  This sermon gets into some big and important issues for us today:  How do we relate to the world?  What do we do with the messy nature of sin?  How do we deal with diversity when we disagree about these things?

Banquets in the Bible

This is a sermon about banquets and festivals in the Bible.  When you understand banquets in Biblical times then the Bible starts to make more sense. Jesus uses banquets in several parables, shares a table with His disciples for the Last Supper, and according to Revelation will someday host an eternal banquet.

The Image of Milk in the Bible

This is a sermon on milk in the Bible.  Milk is used to show God's blessing and to show God's expectation.  God blesses us, and expects us to respond with purity and maturity.  It is time to lay off the bottle and move on to some steak.

Imagery of Water in the Bible

This is a continuation of a sermon series on food in the Bible.  This sermon is on Water--how it was different in ancient days, what it was used to symbolize, how Jesus related to water, and how water relates to use through our baptism.

Famine in the Bible and in Life

Famine does not mean much to most people today, but for generations famine was a crisis felt by the entire community.  We see many famines throughout the Bible.  How do we understand dry and difficult times in our lives?  

The Metaphor of Bread in the Bible

This sermon is a survey of the use of Bread as a metaphor in the Bible.  It begins with the importance of bread in ancient cultures and then moves through the Bible to look at Jesus as the Bread of Life.  It was also done on a communion Sunday so the conclusion sets the stage for the sacrament.

Food in the Bible: Lamb

In this sermon I talk about the Passover Lamb and ask the congregation to think about it from the perspective of a child participating in the process.  I asked the congregants to discuss what I was speaking about a few times.  It makes for a choppy recording, but I liked the way the story of Passover and the connections with Jesus came out. 

Food in the Bible: Bacon

This is a sermon on the dietary laws of Leviticus.  Why are they in the Bible?  Why don't we follow them as Christians?  If we don't follow them, then why do we hold to other Old Testament laws?  What can this discussion tell us about Jesus?

Food in the Bible: Manna

Sermon on the provision of Manna for the Israelites in the wilderness.  God provides for us and gives us grace, but so often we are less than grateful.  Sometimes we even choose slavery over freedom.

Food in the Bible: FRUIT

Starting a summer sermon series on Food in the Bible.  We will be using food as a lens to look at some of the major themes of the Bible.

In this sermon we look at the fall story.  Adam and Eve could have eaten from any tree in the garden without effort.  Why did they eat from that particular tree?  I think we eat from the same tree every day--even in our  churches.  Listen to find out what I mean.

START WITH WHY for Christians

This is a sermon that I did based on the work of Simon Sinek.  Sinek suggests that highly effective people and organization think and communicate differently.  They start with a sense of why they are doing what they are doing.  I think that Sinek's though is very Biblical.  I believe Christianity is a Why-based faith.

You can watch Sinek's Ted Talk that got wildly popular below.

Let's Get Spiritual

Several months ago local pastor and author Graham Standish came to my church and did a presentation for our leadership team.  He talked about becoming more spiritual as people and as a church by being open to and seeking to discern God's will.  This sermon is inspired by some of Graham's material.  Next week my sermon will be my presentation for this training.  

You can see Graham's website at http://ngrahamstandish.org

You can see Graham's book and follow links to others HERE.

I also recommend the video below for all church leaders:

Graham Standish - presbytery presentation from Presbytery of Lake Michigan on Vimeo.

The Mind of Christ

This is a sermon on the Mind of Christ.  I used a real cow brain as a prop to talk about how the brain works.  I was very visually oriented that way, but you can get the point from the audio recording.  You can also watch the video here:

GETTING THINGS DONE (A theology of productivity)

I have always, out of necessity, been interested in time management, personal success, and leadership literature.  Much of the best work in this field is not done from a Christian perspective.  I was ecstatic to pick up on a whim the book What's Next by Matt Perlman.  He goes past just the x's and o's of getting things done.  He actually gives a theology of productivity.  Ever since I read it I have been dying to share it in a sermon.

The sermon has three parts.  The first is a Biblical understanding of productivity.  The second part was a number of practical tips for productivity.  Much of this second part comes from the works of Stephen Covey and David Allen.

The third part was an experiment that I did on priorities.  I even had a lab coat and lab goggles for the full effect.  It was a very visual metaphor, but it should come through on the audio.  Essentially, if a jar represents your time then your job is to fill it.  There are little things (sand), medium things (gravel), and important things (larger stones).  If you put the big stones in first then it will fit, but if you let the small things take up space first then the big things will never fit.

Easter Sermon: An Easter People

In this sermon I talk about the followers of Jesus.  I think that the greatest testimony to the resurrection was and is the changed lives of an Easter people.  Our faith only makes sense and works if the resurrection is true.

Easter Sunrise Sermon: An Early Morning Surprise

This is my short sermon from my Easter early outdoor service.  I talk about Mary Magdalene and how she shows us the meaning of Easter.

Maundy Thursday: What is up with the Cup?

This is my sermon from Maundy Thursday.  It does not switch to audio well since I actually invited people forward and flowed right into communion.  Still, I thought it might be helpful and interesting for podcast followers. I explore the idea of the cup that Jesus wants the Father to take from Him and compare it to the cup that Jesus offers His disciples. 

THE HOLY WEEK OF JESUS

In this sermon I tell the story of the Holy Week of Jesus from Palm Sunday to the grave.  It is pretty graphic at the crucifixion, but I wanted to spell the week out as it really happened.