Growing Faith Church Sermons

The Image of Our Identity: Gen. 2:26-28

Series: Made for More: Identity, Purpose, and Grace in the Beginning
Preached at Growing Faith Church, Liberty, NC
September 7, 2025
1. The Image of God Transcends All Other Identities
2. The Image of God Grants Unconditional Value and Dignity
3. The Image of God Provides Our Ultimate Purpose
4. The Image of God Displays the Gospel
In a world facing an identity crisis, Genesis 1 reveals our true identity as beings created in God's image. This fundamental truth means we are like God and represent Him, transcending all other identities such as physical characteristics, cultural background, or achievements. Being made in God's image grants every human unconditional value and dignity, provides our ultimate purpose as God's representatives on earth, and helps us understand the gospel. Though sin has distorted God's image in us, Jesus Christ, who is the perfect image of God, offers restoration through His death and resurrection, gradually transforming believers back into God's image.

Lessons of Creation: Gen. 1:3-2:3

Series: "Made for More: Identity, Purpose, and Grace in the Beginning"
Preached at Growing Faith Church, Liberty, NC 
August 31, 2025
 
Introduction: "How Do We Approach Genesis 1?"
1. God's Word is Powerful
2. God Acts with a Plan and a Purpose
3. Everything God Does is Good
4. God's Ultimate Creation is Mankind
 
Genesis 1 reveals profound truths about God's nature and purpose in creation. Rather than focusing on scientific questions, the text shows God's power as He speaks creation into existence, His intentional plan in forming and filling the universe, and the inherent goodness of all He made. Most significantly, humans stand as the pinnacle of creation, uniquely made in God's image and given special purpose. Understanding these truths helps us recognize God's authority, trust His plan, enjoy His good creation appropriately, and embrace our true identity as image-bearers with divine purpose—countering cultural narratives that diminish our significance.

Maker of Heaven and Earth: Gen. 1:1-2

Series: Made for More - Identity, Purpose, and Grace in the Beginning
Preached at Growing Faith Church, Liberty, N.C.
August 24, 2025
1. God is Eternal and Ultimate (v. 1a)
2. God Has No Rivals (v. 1b)
3. God Fills the Empty (v. 2a)
4. God Is Our Only Source of Hope (v. 2b)
Genesis 1:1-2 reveals four essential truths about God that shape our understanding of life and purpose. God is eternal and ultimate, existing before time and being the central character of all Scripture. He has no rivals, creating everything through His Word alone. God fills emptiness and brings order to chaos, designing us with a need only He can satisfy. Finally, God's Spirit hovers over the waters of chaos, offering hope and new creation even in our darkest moments. These truths challenge us to make God our ultimate reference point, remove competing idols, allow Him to fill our emptiness, and trust Him as our source of hope.

The Ingredients of Evangelism: Acts 8:26-40

Series: Operation Liberty: Gospel Mission
Preached at Growing Faith Church, Liberty, NC
August 17, 2025
1. Ingredient #1: An Obedient Servant (vv. 26-27a)
2. Ingredient #2: A Lost Soul (vv. 27b-28)
3. Ingredient #3: The Power of the Holy Spirit (vv. 29-34)
4. Ingredient #4: A Prepared Witness (vv. 30, 35)
Evangelism is a partnership with God where we join His work in the world. The story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch reveals four key ingredients for effective evangelism: an obedient servant willing to follow God's direction, a lost soul seeking truth, the power of the Holy Spirit orchestrating divine encounters, and a prepared witness ready to share the gospel. When these elements come together, the Kingdom of God multiplies and lives are transformed. Evangelism isn't about creating opportunities but recognizing and stepping into situations where God is already working.
 

The Heart of a Neighbor: Luke 10:25-37

Series: Operation Liberty: Gospel Mission
Preached at Growing Faith Church, Liberty, NC
August 10, 2025
1. There are Only Two Requirements for Heaven (vv. 25-28)
2. Stop Thinking Like a Lawyer (vv. 29-32)
We Feel the Need to Justify Ourselves (v. 29)
We Try to Change the Grading Standard (v. 29)
Logical Calculations Result in Cold Obedience and Self-Righteousness (v. 30-32)
3. The Beauty of a Gospel Life (vv. 33-37)
The Gospel Life is Driven by the Heart (vv. 33-34)
The Gospel Life is Others-Focused (vv. 34-35)
The Gospel Life Loves Unselfishly (v. 36-37)
Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan reveals the stark contrast between heart-driven faith and head-driven religion. When asked about eternal life, Jesus points to loving God and loving neighbors as the requirements—standards impossible to fulfill perfectly. The religious leaders in the story made cold calculations about helping the injured man, while the Samaritan acted from genuine compassion. This parable challenges us to stop trying to justify ourselves through minimum requirements and instead embrace radical, costly compassion for others. True gospel-driven living flows from hearts transformed by Christ's sacrifice, leading to unselfish love that doesn't calculate convenience or cost.

Why We Don't Evangelize: Acts 1:6-11

Series: Operation Liberty: Gospel Mission
Preached at Growing Faith Church, Liberty, NC
August 3, 2025
1. We Focus on the Problem Instead of Our Part (vv. 6-8)
2. We Forget to Charge Up (v. 8)
3. We Would Rather Stare at Jesus (vv. 9-11)
4. We Don't Feel the Urgency (v. 11)
Jesus gave His followers one clear mission: to be His witnesses throughout the world, empowered by the Holy Spirit. Many Christians avoid this responsibility for several reasons: focusing on global problems rather than starting where they are, forgetting to rely on the Holy Spirit's power, treating Christianity as therapeutic rather than missional, and lacking urgency about Jesus' return. Effective witnessing involves sharing your personal testimony in three parts: life before Christ, how you met Christ, and how He transformed your life. The mission begins in our immediate circles—with family, neighbors, and coworkers—before expanding outward.

Here I Am: Isaiah 6:1-13

Guest Preacher: Pastor Jonathan Taylor
Series: Operation Liberty: Gospel Mission
Preached at Growing Faith Church, Liberty NC
July 27, 2025
1. The Confrontation (vv. 1-5)
2. The Cleansing (vv. 6-7)
3. The Commissioning (vv. 8-13)
Pastor Jonathan Taylor is a church planter who, along with his wife Brittany, is planting First Love Fellowship in Tarboro, NC.  Their expected launch date is September 21, 2025.  For more information on First Love Fellowship, visit their webpage at firstlovetarboro.com
God calls every believer beyond church attendance to live as a missionary, not just a member. Isaiah 6 reveals this calling process: first, we're confronted with God's overwhelming holiness, which exposes our sinfulness. Then, God graciously cleanses us, transforming our unclean lips into vessels for His message. Finally, He commissions us to go, even when the mission is difficult. Like Isaiah, we must move beyond comfort and embrace our calling by remembering our cleansing, supporting missions, and going ourselves to advance God's kingdom.

Into the Deep Life: Luke 5:1-11

Series: Operation Liberty: Gospel Mission
Preached at Growing Faith Church, Liberty, NC
July 20, 2025
1. Obey the Simple Next Instruction (vv. 1-3)
2. Obey When You Doubt it Will Matter (vv. 4-7)
3. Obey the Blesser, Not the Blessing (vv. 8-10a)
4. Obey with All You Are Because of All He's Done (vv. 10b-11)
Jesus transformed Peter's life mission through progressive steps of obedience. Starting with a simple request to push the boat out, Jesus led Peter to a miraculous catch of fish that revealed His divine power. When confronted with Jesus' holiness, Peter recognized his own sinfulness. This encounter completely reoriented Peter's priorities, leading him to abandon his successful catch to follow Jesus and become a 'fisher of people.' Like Peter, we discover our true mission through simple steps of obedience that lead us deeper into God's purpose, focusing on Jesus rather than temporary blessings.

Ambassadors of Reconciliation: 2 Cor. 5:16-21

Series: "Operation Liberty: Gospel Mission"
Preached at Growing Faith Church in Liberty, NC
July 6, 2025
Our next sermon in this series on invitation and evangelism explores how God restores broken relationships through Christ's sacrifice. When humanity sinned, our relationship with God was broken beyond our ability to repair. God paid the cost by treating Jesus as if He had committed all our sins, so we could be counted as righteous. As reconciled believers, we become Christ's ambassadors with the ministry of reconciliation—seeing others through God's eyes of potential and sharing how peace with God is possible. This reconciliation isn't just forgiveness but a complete restoration that welcomes us into close relationship with God.
1. The Gospel of Reconciliation (v. 21)
2. The Ministry of Reconciliation (v. 18-20)
3. The Potential for Reconciliation (v. 16-17)
 

Keys to Our Successful Mission: Acts 18:1-11

Series: "Operation Liberty: Gospel Mission"
Preached at Growing Faith Church, Liberty, NC
June 29, 2025
In Acts 18, Paul's journey in Corinth reveals five essential keys to successful ministry that apply to our mission today. These include accepting that ministry is challenging, making God-ordained connections, preparing for emotional highs and lows, advancing ministry outside church walls, and staying focused on the objective. Paul's experience teaches us that we don't need to rely on our own strength but on the gospel's power. Jesus has people in our communities who already belong to Him, and our role is simply to make the introductions by sharing our faith and extending invitations.
1. Accept that the Mission is Hard. (v. 1)
2. Make God-ordained Connections (vv. 2-4)
3. Be Prepared for Highs and Lows (vv. 5-6)
4. Advance Outside the Church (vv. 7-8)
5. Keep Focused on the Objective (vv. 9-11)