This sermon examines the struggles of Hannah’s life leading up to the birth of her first son, Samuel. This is 2019 Mother’s Day sermon I preached out of 1 Samuel 1:1-20.
In due time
your struggles can be used
for your good
and God’s glory.
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I preached a sermon on Proverbs 21:21 called “Versus | Kindness Vs. Envy” for our sermon series called “Versus: Vice, Virtue, and the Struggle for the Good Life.” This is a snapshot of the sermon, links to the full sermon are below…
What does God want you to show people with whom you have serious disagreements? Kindness.
For more on this series, please visit Peace Church
Proverbs 21:21 (ESV)
Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness
will find life, righteousness, and honor.
Here are the descriptions and sermons of the most recent sermon series I wrote for our church, which was on the book of Ruth. I wanted to do a series that was not only biblical, but also dealt with some of the more difficult and complex themes of life as a Christian. This was preached at the end of August through Labor Day Weekend 2018.
Series Description: The book of Ruth is rife with drama, both in her personal life, but also in the fact that the lineage of the Savior is at stake. When Ruth’s life “doesn’t go according to plan,” how do we see God’s plan and His providence in the midst of her story? How do we see that in our story? This series will look at how to trust God when we find ourselves unsure of what He is doing.
Each sermon followed this same pattern:
RUTH CHAPTER 1: WHEN LIFE TAKES A TURN
Pastor Ryan, August 12, 2018
Focus: Trusting that God is good means trusting him when life isn’t. Ruth’s life falls apart and it seems all is lost – what lessons can we see in the midst of Ruth’s pain and loss?
RUTH CHAPTER 2; SEEING WHAT’S BEFORE YOU
Pastor Adam, August 19, 2018
Focus: God’s plan is right in front of us, but how can we have eyes to see it?
RUTH CHAPTER 3; DOING WHAT’S RIGHT
Pastor Ryan, August 26, 2018
Focus: Boaz (Kinsman-Redeemer) is a godly man because he does what’s right even when it’s not what he wants. Doing what’s right is always God’s plan because it glorifies him and is ultimately what’s best for us.
RUTH CHAPTER 4; LOOKING BACK TO SEE AHEAD
Pastor Ryan, September 2, 2018
Focus: Ruth’s story shows us that it often it takes looking back to see how God’s hand was moving all along. How can we remember this and be encouraged by it every day?
In early 2018, I wrote a sermon series called Seats at the Dinner Table; Psalm 128 & The Godly Home. Here are the details, sermons, and other resources that went along with this series preached at Peace Church.
Series Description: In this series we’ll examine the biblical vision for family as we take an expositional walkthrough of Psalm 128, looking at each of the people seated around the family dinner table, from the parents to the children to the guests to the grandparents.
Each sermon in this five-week series followed the formatting below.
Seats at the Table Poem | Promo Video
The Faithful Husband
Psalm 128:1-2
Ryan Kimmel, January 7, 2018
Focus: Not only is the husband the head of the household, he is the standard bearer for a life of faith and integrity. In this sermon, we’ll examine how “the man of the house” is supposed to love and lead his family in obedience to God — and how each person in his home is to live the life of faith as exemplified in him. We’ll also see what it’s like when the husband/father isn’t present, or isn’t living into his role.
The Fruitful Wife
Psalm 128:3a
Ryan Kimmel, January 14, 2018
Focus: The literal translation of this section is that a wife “shall be as a fruitful vine on the side of your house.” Does a fruitful wife simply mean a woman who bears many children? Husbands, do we nourish our wives so they can live into this biblical picture? Do women see in this Psalm the imagery of how a godly wife covers and adorns her home with blessings? Can women be ‘well-watered’ without a husband? The godly wife is both a blessing in herself, but also a blessing to others.
The Flourishing Children
Psalm 128:3b-4
Adam Barr, January 21, 2018
Focus: Children are nothing short of a blessing from God. As we celebrate Sanctity of Life Sunday at Peace, we’ll also see what God says about children as a blessing, as image bearers, how parents are to help them grow (flourish), and also the importance of their place at the dinner table being the eventual torch-bearers of the faith.
Guests at the Table; The Family with Community Mission
Psalm 128:5
Ryan Kimmel, January 28, 2018
Focus: Psalm 128 speaks of the godly home lead by a hardworking husband, but it does not exclude the outside world. The people of the godly home see the “prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.” Psalm 128, a song of ascents [songs sung on the pilgrims climb (ascent) to Jerusalem], shows how the godly home is intimately tied to the community within which it resides. This series will look at the family through the lens of evangelism and outreach. What are the ways we are to be light in our community; what are the family boundaries we need to have, how can we have guests at our table for the kingdom cause?
Grandchildren at the Table; The Family with Generational Vision
Psalm 128:6
Ryan Kimmel, February 4, 2018
Focus: Does your family have a generational vision that the faith of the family will last into your grandchildren and beyond? Will you take responsibility to help your grandchildren gathered at the table know and love Jesus? As we conclude this sermon series, we’ll look at both the role of grandparents, but focus on the call to conduct our family with a generational vision where the faith will flourish for generations to come.
This sermon series also included a parent training on leading family devotions which was taught to complement this sermon series. You can find this 45-minute workshop by clicking the link below.
My boys (Will, 5 and Jed, 3) love Paw Patrol. Do you have kids like that?
Paw Patrol is an animated show about a boy named Ryder and his pups, each who have a unique skill set. This team, the Paw Patrol, responds to various “emergencies” that happen in Adventure Bay.
As I’ve watched this show a couple times with my boys on my lap, I’ve realized that in each episode there are five crucial life lessons hidden in plain sight.
OK, you may think I’m taking this cartoon a little too seriously, but these are lessons I’m not sure everyone is learning today. So, here we go…
Every show opens with the pups having fun, but when they are called to respond to a need, they immediately respond with a positive sense of duty. Rather than not complaining, they are excited to help.
When needs arise, a lot of people today don’t always lean into responsiveness, defined as “the quality of reacting quickly and positively.” Rather, they lean into a sense of being inconvenienced. Paw Patrol helps me teach my boys that helping others is our obligation and our exciting privilege!
After all the pups rush to Lookout Tower to get ready, Ryder fully explains to the whole team the need that has arisen. Then Ryder lays out the plan for how the Paw Patrol will respond and only a few of the pups are sent out to respond, even though all get ready.
This is key: They all are called for action, but only a few of the pups are called to action.
In our selfish day-in-age, too many people would see that as a waste of time for those pups who stay back. “Why make them get ready when they aren’t even sent out?”
Why? Because that’s what a team does! That’s being ready for action. That’s called being selfless. (There’s also another reason we’ll get to…)
Inevitably for the Paw Patrol, their first attempt at rescue falls short. But when the first plan fails, they don’t give up. They reassess the situation and try again.
This is a great life lesson in learning from failure. Failure doesn’t hold us back, it can aid us to better success – if we learn from it.
When the first attempt at rescue fails, more of the Paw Patrol are put into action (another reason to always be ready!).
This is important: In Paw Patrol, the pups see each crisis as equally their responsibility, even if an individual pup is not immediately called to action. In the midst of not being called first, they keep their sense of responsibility and they remain ready and willing.
We all need to learn and remember that.
Here’s the best part: They get to play when….the work is done! The Paw Patrol takes rest and recreation seriously – because they seriously have a great time in Adventure Bay after the work is completed!
In age-appropriate ways, I tell my boys that they get to play after their chores are done just like how Paw Patrol plays when their job is done. And believe me, me and my boys like to have some fun!
_____________
Paw Patrol is designed for ages 2 – 5. These five lessons we talked about are all “big boy” lessons, but that doesn’t mean we don’t start training our young children while they are young and using what they love to teach them. These are concepts they’ll grow to learn and appreciate.
Have fun watching Paw Patrol and blessings on your parenting.
Below is the video-produced reading of a poem I wrote called Seats at the Dinner Table. This poem was inspired by Psalm 128, which was also the Psalm that inspired and provided the foundation of the sermon series of the same name preached at our church, Peace Church.
The video is the shortened form of the poem used in promotion of that sermon series. Below is the full poem which is just slightly longer.
The reading is done by my friend, Corey Terpstra.
Seats at the Dinner Table; A Poem about Family.
Family.
It’s not about getting back to the old days. It’s not about looking for new ways.
It’s not about when we were young or when the kids were little. It’s not about getting back to when life was simple.
It’s not about waiting for this crazy stage of life to be over. It’s not about waiting until we are older.
Family.
It’s about the seats at the dinner table, loving each other as long as we’re able.
It’s about seeing God’s good plan unfold, knowing that even new days become old.
It’s about seeing the faith continue on, knowing the seats will get filled again after we’re gone.
Family.
There’s a picture in Scripture of a family, each with a seat at the meal. It’s the faith, the fellowship, and the prayer that are real.
It’s the Lord, remember, who makes a family complete, even when there’s an empty seat.
The family is the Lord’s, and it’s His alone, turning the seats at the table into a Godly home.
Above is the sermon I preached on Sunday, December 17, 2017. This was from a sermon series called, The Unexpected: Fear, Faith, and Christmas and focused on Luke 1:39-55. More from this sermon series can be found at www.peacechurch.cc.
What I learned from Elizabeth and Mary when they met impacted me greatly. I pray it’s a help and benefit to you as well.
Merry Christmas.
I have two sons, Will (4) and Jed (2). This is the exact prayer I say each night for Will, my oldest son. As I put him to bed we have our “man-cub hugs” where we rub our foreheads, noses, and cheeks together, acting like lions. Then I grab his hands, tell him to close his eyes and I ask him to pray. After his (normally really short) prayer, I say this to close out the day.
“Dear Father in Heaven,
I pray for my son. Lord, thank you for him and that I get to be his daddy. I pray that he has a wonderful night sleep and that through it, Oh Lord, you will give him rest so that he will have the strength, through the Holy Spirit’s power, to grow into a Man of God. I pray that he becomes a man who loves you and cares for others. Help his younger years to be full of laughter, learning about truth and love and how to share them. Father God, I love him so much and I hope he always knows it (at which point a smile he can’t contain sneaks out, tongue between his teeth, eyes still closed, followed by this weird cross between a sniff and a giggle).
It’s in the name of our Lord Jesus we pray. Amen (and Will joins me for the Amen).
Good night, my son. I love you.”
Carla was an amazing servant. In ministry, she’d do anything I’d ask. But when I asked her to give her testimony on a spring break trip…she looked at me like she wanted to strangle me. But she gave her testimony and it was powerful because through the ups and downs, the highs and lows of her life, she gave it all to Christ.
This picture above is from a mission trip to Appalachia in the summer of 2014. From left to right is Graycen, Maggie, Me, Hallie, Clayton, and Carla. We were getting this run-down house ready for an older widow to move into. On this mission trip there were a lot of people doing many projects. This was our project and this was our crew. During this project, me and Carla convinced our crew that Winnie The Pooh was an allegory for purgatory. “The 100-acre wood…think about it.” Such fun memories.
This picture symbolizes how faithful of a servant Carla was. Just another group photo on some mission trip. One of so many. I went on a number youth trips with her and saw her in the trenches of ministry a lot. Not only did she love it, she was awesome at it. I truly believe that when this picture was taken that if Carla knew in three years she would be killed in a biking accident…I don’t think she’d had lived those next three years any differently.
I want to share a passage that has helped me as I mourn the loss of my friend…maybe it’ll help you too.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
“13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.”
In this passage, Paul is telling us a few things that has not only comforted me, but continues to shape my worldview, my faith, and the way I am grieving and processing Carla’s death.
First, when Paul says “those who are asleep,” he is talking about those Christians who have passed on and gone to heaven. To say it plainly, those who have died. He’s not inferring any sort of ‘soul sleep’ where the deceased are unaware of what is happening or are oblivious to the state of their soul. Let me be clear: Carla is, right now, experiencing with full knowledge the full glory of her faith! She is walking with and worshipping her Savior, face-to-face. Not only should this give us peace, this should give us joy. Carla is not regretting being with Jesus, she is rejoicing over this!
Second, “that you may not grieve as others who do not have hope.” Yes, we will grieve the fact that we don’t get to see, sit with, and talk to Carla anymore until we go to eternity. But in our grief, we have hope! And Christian hope is not wishful thinking – it is confident assurance in the promises of God. We do not think Carla is with Jesus, we know she is! We do not mourn as those who have no hope. Our tears are not of empty sorrow, but are reminders of eternal splendor that Carla now has, and the rest of us will have.
Next, “we believe that Jesus died and rose again.” The gospel. Our hope. Caral’s life message. Our life message. If Christ didn’t rise from the dead, then we are to be pitied most among all people, all religions. But he did, and so we live – and live with mission!
Lastly “God will bring with [Jesus] those who have fallen asleep.” Do you know what this means? We will see Carla again – and not only Carla, but Carla with Jesus. But until that moment when we see Jesus for ourselves, we are to live out our mission. It’s hard to believe, but Carla has finished her mission. But one thing I know about Carla is that she ran the race of faith, she lived her mission every moment of her life. Whether that was the mission of being a faithful wife, a godly mother, a biblical friend, a passionate youth leader, or a bold witness, Carla served Jesus and lived on mission. I know Carla right now would be like, “What are you doing? Quit crying and go tell people about Jesus.”
This is a portion of an email Carla sent to me after the trip to London that she helped me lead. She was sharing what God had done in her heart and life coming out of that trip…
“I have never been in a place before where I so badly wanted to scream the message of Christ crucified from the rooftops. The last three years have been years of tremendous spiritual growth for me. I have been freed from chains I thought I was always going to have to carry and because of this I am no longer satisfied with that which I have always been satisfied with in the past. In the past I have been okay staying in the shadows, letting others take over because they could do it so much better than I – they were cuter or funnier or more liked etc. Scary as it is, I have heard God whispering in my heart over the last 2 years, “I have saved you, redeemed you, done too much in your life for you to remain quiet.”
Death will not keep Carla quiet. Her powerful testimony continues. All glory be to Christ.
Let’s just lay it out there: The church needs to support decisions that are passed down by governing boards and leadership (elders, pastors, staff, ministry teams, etc.), whether or not one agrees with the decision because what happens amid support is more glorifying to God, more unifying for the church, and as we’ll see – more important for the gospel.
[Now, I wish this could go without saying this, but I’ll say it anyway – I am not talking about those decisions that break from orthodoxy, or are illegal, or deal with sin and salvation issues, or in any way about glorifying people over God. I’m talking about decisions regarding church dynamics and growth, liturgy, methodology, facility usage, worship style, preference, budgetary topics, protocol, scheduling, programming, calendar issues, etc. and etc. as the list goes on and on…]
These are (some of) the great things we do when we support decisions we do not agree with:
Hebrews 13:17 says, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”
In our support of decisions made, we defend our leaders’ God-given roles of authority and we defend the process which led to those decisions being made. We need godly leaders and we need solid processes – and we need to support both. When we defend our leaders we are doing our part A) to close the door for gossip to spread among the church, we are doing our part B) to curb grumbling which corrupts hearts, and we are doing our part C) to promote health as our church follows lines of authority and accountability.
Titus 3:9-11 says, “But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.”
Paul is writing to Titus, a church planter on the island of Crete and is instructing him on how to build a healthy church culture. He tells Titus not to put up with those causing division over secondary, non-salvation issues, but rather focus on the gospel and how it transforms lives. Meaning, the people of the church should do the same.
When we are part of the decision-making process: Loyalty
When we are not part of the decision-making process: Humility
This is the Holy Spirit working in Christ’s church for God’s glory!
Jesus says in John 17:20-21, “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
Jesus’ prayer in John 17, right before his crucifixion, is known as the High Priestly Prayer and this is Jesus big prayer: That Christians would have unity. Why? Because when Christians are unified, the gospel becomes more evident, “so that the world may believe…” The world has enough to criticize the church for, it doesn’t need the added weight of disunity and dissension to scoff at our message. So, when Christians decide to break ranks and fight decisions, causing disunity and dissension – it better be a decision where the gospel is at stake. Otherwise, we are actively choosing to be a hindrance to what Jesus himself prayed for. Simply stated: too much is at stake for us to make our sanctified preference a point of contention.
When we support decision we disagree with we live into the unity that Jesus prayed for and we build the trust that the church needs.
As Hebrews says, good leaders do good things for the good of our souls – this should help fuel our defense of our leaders and the process they follow, this should fuel our hearts towards loyalty and humility, and believing this despite decisions we disagree with should fuel our hearts to distribute the unity and trust that a church needs to remain healthy and for the gospel to remain undistracted. Here a few points in closing…
Grandpappy said, “Life doesn’t always go your way.” What he didn’t say, but should have is, “…and the same goes for church.” But hey, that’s OK, right? Because the church doesn’t belong to us, it belongs to Jesus. And when we support decisions we don’t agree with, we are remembering we belong to him too.
Ryan D.B. Kimmel 