Sermons on Aj Guptill Studios:

Christmas Is About The Story Series

Contributed by Denn Guptill on Dec 6, 2015

When Linus answered Charlie Brown's question: Doesn't anyone know what Christmas is all about? He point his friend to Luke 2:8-14. But is Christmas all about that one portion of scripture?

For millions of people over the past fifty years the only exposure they have had to the bible happened each Christmas as Linus read Luke chapter 2 verses 8 to 14 from the King James version in response to Charlie Brown’s questions: Doesn’t anyone know what Christmas is all about. And ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:8-14

Denomination: Wesleyan

Christmas Is About Our Reaction Series

Contributed by Denn Guptill on Dec 19, 2015

This message looks at how various folks in the Christmas Story responded to what was happening.

Last week we celebrated Christmas with our children’s presentation, which I’m sure Marilyn and her crew would testify is kind of like herding cats. And that was part of the process that led Charlie Brown to ask in frustration, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:8-14

Denomination: Wesleyan

Christmas Is All About Hope Series

Contributed by Denn Guptill on Dec 22, 2015

This message was used for our Blue Christmas, Silent Night Service.

What Christmas is all About Silent Night. Start with clip from opening of A Charlie Brown Christmas Contrary to what Linus thought, Charlie Brown was in good company, there are all kinds of folks who feel the same way about Christmas. They are confused because they don’t feel jolly, they ...read more

Scripture: John 11:31-35

Denomination: Wesleyan

Peeking Into The Closet Series

Contributed by Denn Guptill on Jan 10, 2016

This is a four week series looking at some hard stories from the bible. In our first week we examine why we need to look into the closet.

Skeletons in God’s Closet, intro They are lurking in of our closets, things that we wished we had never done, words we wished we had never spoken. Families have them, churches have them and individuals have them. Because we all make mistakes. We all have skeletons in our closets. Some are ...read more

Scripture: Job 11:7-12

Denomination: Wesleyan

Dying To Give Series

Contributed by Denn Guptill on Jan 24, 2016

This message looks at why Ananias and Sapphira had to die after giving half of the price of their field to the early church.

It’s one of those bizarre stories in the Bible that make you scratch your head and say: Huhh? And it’s one of those stories that people sometimes ask me about, it really seems more fitting in the Old Testament than as one of the first stories about the early church in the New ...read more

Denomination: Wesleyan

What The Hell Series

Contributed by Denn Guptill on Jan 31, 2016

This sermon looks at the question: How can a loving God send people to hell?

Long before I knew about God’s grace I knew about Gods’ wrath. Long before I had encountered a loving God I knew about the fires of hell. Some of those images came from culture and some came from art. All in all I think I prefer Larson to Michelangelo, but I’m that kind of ...read more

Scripture: Luke 16:19-26

Denomination: Wesleyan

A Tough Promise To Keep Series

Contributed by Denn Guptill on Feb 7, 2016

This message looks at the story of the Vow of Jephthah, what he could learn looking back, and what we can learn looking ahead.

A Tough Promise to Keep Have you ever made a promise you regretted? Given your word and then realized the price was way too high but couldn’t find a graceful way to back out? Happened different times in the bible. Herod had John the Baptist arrested because John wouldn’t stop harping ...read more

Scripture: Judges 11:29-40

Denomination: Wesleyan

God Loves Children

Contributed by Denn Guptill on Sep 18, 2016

It's one of the best know scenes from the Gospels, Jesus blessing the children, this message looks at why children need to be important to our local churches.

It was just about this time of year 22 years ago. We had just moved to Bedford to start what would eventually become Cornerstone and I had to fly to Colorado to attend what was called “Church Planters Boot Camp”, an intensive week long training session that included men and women from ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:13-16

Denomination: Wesleyan

God Loves Our Worship

Contributed by Denn Guptill on Sep 25, 2016

When we talk worship we often are talking about singing, but worship is so much more than that.

In all my years of ministry I haven’t found anything that can make church people as cranky as the music. Seriously. Thom Ranier a church growth and health consultant wrote “The comment ‘someone complained about the music at my church’ is a universal phenomenon of our ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 22:34-40

Denomination: Wesleyan

#icandoallthings Series

Contributed by Denn Guptill on Oct 30, 2016

A look at one of those "Favorite Verses" that is so often used out of context.

#icandoallthings I was a little disappointed when we put the new carpet in last year, not with the new carpet but with the removal of the old carpet. You’ve probably heard the story about how on Thanksgiving Sunday 2005, six weeks before the building opened, we had our first service in the ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:10-13

Denomination: Wesleyan

#rememberme Series

Contributed by Denn Guptill on Nov 5, 2016

This message looks at Communion in lgiht of Passover and Remembrance Day (Veteran's Day) Why we need to remember and what we need to remember.

#rememberme. In 2013 the British National Army Museum voted it "Britain's Greatest Battle". If you are thinking perhaps “D-Day and Normandy” you’re close, that placed second. Or maybe you drifted back further to the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, Waterloo placed third. Most of ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:23-28

Denomination: Wesleyan

The Story Of A Birth Series

Contributed by Denn Guptill on Nov 27, 2016

At Christmas we often talk about the birth of Jesus but this message is about the birth of John, The Story Seldom Told

The Story of a Birth We all know the Story; we’ve heard it over and over again. this is the beginning of the Christmas story and it has all the earmarks of a great story. You hear it this time of year in sermons, songs and read about it on Christmas cards. Of course, it’s the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:57-66

Denomination: Wesleyan

How We Grow

Contributed by Denn Guptill on Sep 27, 2015

Most folks want their church to grow, but what are the practical steps to make that happen? This message addresses three areas that need to be prepared if we are going to see growth in our churches.

Growing the Church You ever think about Church Growth? You ever wonder about whether or not Cornerstone is growing? Does it every cross or mind, is it even relevant in your life? There are some folks at Cornerstone who honestly never think about church growth, they attend, they enjoy the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:2-10

Denomination: Wesleyan

The Pain Of Growth

Contributed by Denn Guptill on Oct 5, 2015

We all want our churches to grow, but do we understand the growing pains that go along with the process?

The Pain of Growth You ever have growing pains? If you didn’t you probably know someone who did, maybe your own kids. You know when you were around 8 or 9 you’d wake up with your legs aching. Growing pains are kind of a generic diagnosis that covers a variety of aches and pains ...read more

Scripture: Acts 6:1

Denomination: Wesleyan

The Story Of Grace Series

Contributed by Denn Guptill on Oct 11, 2015

Grace, something we talk about and preach about, but where do we get this theology of Grace?

For most of us, sometime over the next two days we will celebrate the Feast of the Dead Bird, better known by many as Thanksgiving Dinner. And as a part of that tradition at some point before we actually begin to consume food someone will ask “Uncle Bob would you return thanks?” or ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9

Denomination: Wesleyan