Sermons on Aram:

Tear Open The Heavens And Come Down

Contributed by Stephen Aram on Jul 1, 2019

Do you realize how much we need God to intervene in our world? The prophet Isaiah modeled for us a heart longing for God.

This morning we are going to look at a deeply heart-felt prayer from the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah. As I read it for you perhaps you’ll recognize that his longing for God to come and stir up God’s people of his day is a longing that many of us are also feeling deep down inside. And perhaps ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 64:1-12

Paul And Ephesus

Contributed by Stephen Aram on Jul 29, 2019

We hear Paul's letter to the Ephesians like we might overhear someone talking on the phone. We get only half of the conversation. If we are going to understand Paul's teaching we need to learn as much as possible about the circumstances of his readers.

Years ago there was a farmer from a very small village in Germany who was just itching to get out and see something of the world. His big chance came when his nephew got a job on a barge that would sail up the Rhine River to Rotterdam. Even if it only stayed there for one day to drop off one ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:1-2

The World Series

Contributed by Stephen Aram on Aug 6, 2019

As we try to follow God, know that you are swimming against a strong current of the world's pressures.

Some years ago we went up to Minnesota to visit our daughter, Elizabeth, and she took us out to one of her favorite spots, Interstate Park on the St. Croix River. If that name seems strange, it’s not a place where you have a picnic in the median between northbound and southbound lanes. It’s ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10, James 4:4, John 16:33

The Flesh Series

Contributed by Stephen Aram on Aug 6, 2019

We can be tempted to blame our failings on other people, but our own lack of self control, our slavery to 'the flesh' can be our worst enemy

Kathy and I have a Siamese cat, named Ling. For the purposes of being a pet, she’s really good. She’s quite affectionate, for a cat. She’ll come and sit in our laps several times a day, and if you scratch her in just the right spots, she really purrs. She plays amazing games with her balls and ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10, Galatians 5:13-24

The Devil Series

Contributed by Stephen Aram on Aug 6, 2019

The devil knows a lot of cheap tricks to pull us down. If you are wise to those tricks you can stand strong against him.

In my freshman year of high school I went out for tennis. I wasn’t very good. The coach never took me to even one away meet because most everybody was better than I was. But I had a lot of fun. It was great being outside with my friends in the springtime. And tennis wasn’t near as much work ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10, Ephesians 3:9-10, Ephesians 6:10-20

He Raised Us Up With Him

Contributed by Stephen Aram on Aug 6, 2019

The resurrection of Jesus calls us to life on a new dimension.

Imagine with me a young boy spending the summer on his grandfather’s farm. He has chores to do, but as soon as they are done he loves to roam in the woods and hills nearby. He spots an eagle soaring in the sky, follows it to its nest on the edge of a cliff and sees its mate sitting on the nest. ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-7, Matthew 10:39

Saved By Grace, Through Faith, For Good Works

Contributed by Stephen Aram on Aug 8, 2019

In 3 short verses Paul gives an overview of the order of salvation, the path to mature discipleship.

It can feel overwhelming to think about building a relationship with God. For God, everything ought to be right, every part of your life. You ought to pray all the time. You ought to be very careful with every word you speak. You ought to be helping all sorts of people every day. Who can do it ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-10

The Scandal Of God's Grace

Contributed by Stephen Aram on Aug 8, 2019

We all speak lightly of God's grace, but a proper understanding should revolutionize our lives.

Most of you will recognize the name, John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement. He was a priest in the Church of England in the 1700’s who preached up and down the British Isles and organized people into small groups everywhere he could with a format that brought thousands of people into ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10

Breaking Down The Walls

Contributed by Stephen Aram on Aug 8, 2019

Just as the Apostle Paul had to deal with separations between Jewish and Gentile Christians in his day, we need to deal with separations between white and black churches (and many other ethnicities as well) today.

(This sermon was preached in 1997 and needs updated examples) There was once a subway car, almost empty, except for a Chinese man and a Jewish man, who sat in their seats, silently, holding their newspapers high as they read. Suddenly the Jewish man stood up, rolled up his newspaper, walked over ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:11-22

Perfect Love Casts Out All Fear

Contributed by Stephen Aram on Aug 21, 2019

We have recently been pressed to react to immigrants in fear, but God calls us to respond in love.

Oh, man, if you think about it, getting up in front of a crowd to speak like this can be pretty scary. What if my brain goes blank in the middle of a sentence? That’s happened to me. Even when I was in my 30s, one time I was wrapping up the worship service and I got halfway through the ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 4:7-19, 1 Timothy 1:7

What We Shall Be

Contributed by Stephen Aram on Aug 21, 2019

The more we feel battered on this earth or are tempted to look away from others who are broken, the more we need to remember what God can make us when we see him face to face in heaven.

This morning we are celebrating All Saints’ Sunday. You may know that the observance began many centuries ago to honor Christians who experienced the fierce persecutions of the Roman Empire, who were executed for their faith, and maintained their testimony of Christ through it all. Folks like a ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:1-3

Ruth: Refugee With A Human Face

Contributed by Stephen Aram on Jun 21, 2021

The Book of Ruth doesn't get much attention, but it can remind us that God sees refugees and can use them in his purposes.

I imagine we probably all have a favorite book of the Bible. The gospels should be high on everyone’s list because they tell us the story of Jesus. And when the church’s heart and mind are fixed on Jesus, everything comes together. When we lose sight of Jesus things go wrong. Luke is my ...read more

God Chose You

Contributed by Stephen Aram on Jul 29, 2019

Some of us might have trouble believing that the big, eternal God would ever even notice little old me. But Paul, right from the start of his letter to the Ephesians, emphasized that God had chosen them to be his.

This is our third Sunday now focusing on the book of Ephesians. At last we're getting around to starting at the beginning. We have already peaked at parts of chapter 2 and chapter 3 because of special themes for Epiphany and Human Relations Sunday. But now we get back to a more orderly ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:1-14

You've Got A Lot Going For You, Part 1: God The Father

Contributed by Stephen Aram on Jul 29, 2019

Too many Christians feel inadequate to be any use to God or their church. Paul reminds the Ephesian Christians of the resources they have going for them.

In any church you’ll find some members who sit on the sidelines, feeling like they don’t really belong on the team. They have heard a number of times that God loves them, but in their hearts, they wonder. They feel a little lonely at church, a little on the sidelines. And they’d like to get to ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-14

You've Got A Lot Going For You, Part 2: The Trinity

Contributed by Stephen Aram on Jul 29, 2019

It can be confusing to talk about serving one God who is 3 persons. We may think we can just ignore abstract ideas like that. But this part of the nature of our God is one of the richest blessings of being a Christian

Last week we started looking at the main body of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. He starts out with a very high falutin statement of the glory of God, listing first, blessings we have received through God the Father, then through God the Son, then through God the Holy Spirit. Starting out like ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-14