Seven Mile Road Church

Comfort Others As You Have Been Comforted

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Hope in Suffering

Anthony Coughlin — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Relax, Christ the Redeemer Reigns!

Doug Logan — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

This Year & 100 Years From Now

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Healed Lepers

Seven Mile Road Church — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

God Has Come

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

God is Not Coming

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

God is Coming: How Could We Mess This All Up?

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

God is Coming: Who Has Time For Rest?

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

God is Coming: Who's Going to Build His House?

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

God is Coming: How Do We Get Ready?

Binu Abraham — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

God is Coming: Who Gets to Serve in His House?

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

God is Coming: What Do We Wear?

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0400

God is Coming: Who's Going To Pay For All Of This?

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

God is Coming: What Goes In His House?

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

God Is Coming: Where Will He Live?

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

God is Coming

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

In the closing section of Exodus (chapters 25-40) God speaks once more to His people and they receive an incredible announcement: God is coming! Yahweh will dwell among His people! The Lord whose power was displayed in Egypt, whose holiness was reflected at Mt. Sinai, would now reside in the desert. God would dwell like His people, among His people, with His people. Get ready then, God is coming.

Keep it Up

Ron Hamilton — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The Apostle Paul writes to the young church in Colosse encouraging them concerning what God has done among them and calling them to keep it up. Like a father, Paul is concerned for this baby church and instructs them to steer clear of distractions that can lead them away from Jesus and His gospel. Today Ron Hamilton, a brother from the CCCC encourages Seven Mile Road in the same way.

Covenant Confirmed

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

God and Israel stand before one another at Mt. Sinai like a groom and bride standing before the altar. They make vows to one another and promise loyalty and faithfulness. Some words are spoken and some rituals are performed to bring the two into a permanent union, into a covenant relationship. Only, Israel will break her vows and God knows it. She will be faithless and He will remain faithful. And in the end, He will pay for her faithlessness and she will benefit from His faithfulness. It's an incredible moment - one that we share in through Jesus!

Ten Commandments

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

After encountering a holy God upon the mountain, the people now receive His Ten Commandments. Patterned after other ancient treaties, the people are about to enter into a covenant relationship with Yahweh. They will be His subjects and He will be their Great King. With the very first words, God reminds His people that the commandments are given in a context of grace. He has not saved them because the kept the law. Instead, they ought to keep His law as a response to His salvation. He has not rescued them because they are holy but so that He might make them holy. The Ten Commandments begin with gospel and grace before law and obedience. These ten words reflect the beautiful moral character of our God and call us to the way of life that leads to fullness of joy.

Meeting God

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The people of Israel are trekking through the wilderness and alas they have reached Mt. Sinai, the mountain of God. God has drawn His people to this place in great love. Like an eagle bears her young on her wings, so the Lord has bore Israel and brought them out of captivity unto Himself. Only as they approach the mountain, they see God as not only love, but as holy. Fire, smoke, thunder, lightning, a trembling mountain, and a trembling people are all present as God descends upon the mountain. The Scriptures tell us that God is love and so we are drawn to Him. But God is also holy and so we must stand in awe of Him. How can a sinful people approach a God who is loving and holy? Exodus 19 will tell us.

Sharing the Load

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Seeing Moses bear the burden of the whole community by himself, Jethro sits his son-in-law down to offer some fatherly advice. The task of leading this people is too great to fall on one man’s shoulders and will only lead to a worn out people and a burnt out leader. Instead, the people can best be served with a plurality of leaders who share the weight of leadership. Moses heeds the advice and chooses capable and qualified men to partner with him to lead God’s people. Though this wisdom comes from Jethro's lips, it is wisdom from the heart of God. Share leadership is the pattern that Jesus and the Apostles hand down to the church as well.

Strike the Rock

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The people set up camp but come across a familiar problem. There’s no water and they’re thirsty again. Having seen God rain down wonder bread from the sky, there’s no way the people can do anything but trust Him right? Wrong. In fact, the people intensify their complaints and it looks like Moses has a bull’s-eye painted on his chest. While the people pick up stones, Moses is directed to pick up the staff that had wreaked havoc in Egypt. Judgment is about to fall. Who will it fall on? Moses? The people? Neither. In His incredible grace, God allows the rock to be struck and provides for His people again.

Bread From Heaven

Dennis Mathew — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Moses and the people of Israel go from the wet shores of the Red Sea into the dry wilderness toward Sinai. For days they go without food and water. Yet rather than trust God who minutes ago miraculously saved them, they began to grumble and complain. God leads them into the wilderness because though He has brought them out of slavery, He needs to get the slavery out of them. The wilderness is training ground where God provides, teaches, and tests His people.

Israel's Song

Jeremy Powell — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Baptism & Stories of Grace

Seven Mile Road Church — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Today we celebrate Jesus and His gospel as six people from Seven Mile Road get baptized. Through this simple sacrament, Jesus reminds us that as surely as we are washed with water, so surely have we been cleansed from our sins through Christ's atoning death. As surely as we go down into the waters and come up out of them, so surely have we died with Christ and risen with Him to new life. Listen and hear stories of God's grace in the lives of men and women in our community.

Are We to Continue in Sin?

Binu Abraham — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Paul says that when the law was introduced, it resulted in increased sin. Yet God responded to increased sin not with increased punishment, rather greater grace. This response caused people to ask: "Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?" Seem fairly logical, right? Paul didn't seem to think so. Learn why Paul doesn't believe that grace gives us a license to sin, but instead leads us to learn more about who we are in Jesus and live according to our true identity.

Unity on Baptism

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Having explored what separates, we’ll end our mini-series by celebrating what unites all Christians concerning baptism. We’ll look at what the Bible says baptism is and what happens when we get baptized.

Two Views on Baptism

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Handling Theological Disagreement

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Early in the life of the church, a theological debate brewed that threatened to unravel the unity that believers enjoyed in the gospel. As Gentiles, people who had historically been outside of the community of faith, became believers in Jesus, it raised the question of whether or not they needed to be circumcised like believing Jews. Some said yes. Others said no. Both sides were on the same team and sincerely believed that they were doing what God required. And yet after passionate, robust, dialogue, and debate, the believers came to a conclusion - united and full of joy. The conversation over baptism can provoke the same kind of dissention and debate. So the question is, how should a young church handle theological disagreement? What spirit and mindset should we bring to the conversation? Today we allow the church in Jerusalem to shape how we approach the issue of baptism.

The Father's Greater Joy

Rob Burns — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Perhaps you had a great father. Perhaps you had a lousy one. In communicating His love and relationship with humanity, God describes Himself as a Father. Why does He use this image and what does it mean for our we are to live? Today we consider God as the true and greater Father.

Song of Salvation

Siby Varghese — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Standing on the shores of the Red Sea, the people of Israel break out into jubilant song. The women dance. The people sing. For four centuries they were foreigners in Egypt. Slaves. Now they were free. The Lord parted the sea for them, while their enemies sank to the bottom like lead. How could they keep silent? They couldn't! Neither can we. Today we consider our redemption and singing as an appropriate response to salvation. We'll let the redeemed people of God in Exodus 15 teach us what should mark our corporate worship and song.

Crossing the Sea

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The newly freed Israelites are led out of Egypt by God Himself. In a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night, Yahweh walks His people out of the land of slavery. The only problem is, He seems a bit lost. Rather than taking the short and direct route, God leads His people to the shores of the Red Sea. Add this with Pharaoh's change of heart and murderous hate, and now the people are sitting ducks, trapped between an angry sea and an even angrier army. Though it seems like their dead bodies will line the shore, God works a mighty salvation for His people. They are saved. Their enemies are drowned. Today we consider this well known story and learn what salvation is all about.

Free At Last

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 29 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Freedom. The day of God's deliverance had finally come. No swords were drawn, no arrows shot, and no spears thrown. In fact without a single battle, without so much as lifting a finger, the powerless band of slaves walked out of one of the most powerful empires the world had ever known. God set them free. In fact, God so powerfully demonstrated His might that the Egyptians begged the slaves to leave. The paupers left like princes, taking the wealth of Egypt with them. God had promised. God delivered. God always keeps His word and His word can be trusted for our freedom as well. Pack your bags...we're leaving Egypt!

Passed Over Rather Than Struck Down

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 22 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Nine times the Lord showed His power to Pharaoh. Nine times Pharaoh hardened his heart and his grip over the people of Israel. Yahweh promises one more plague that will bring this contest to an end. A final plague will sweep through the land claiming the lives of all the firstborn. There's just one problem. Israel is in as much danger as Egypt. They are in idolatry and sin as much as the Egyptians and deserve judgment and death as much as they. What will distinguish them from their neighbors? What mark do they have that they should be passed over rather than struck down?

Blood. Not their own, but the blood of a substitute killed in their place for their sins. An innocent will die in the place of the guilty. Thousands of years later, Jesus would declare Himself to be the true Lamb, that because of His shed blood, God would pass over us in wrath and visit us in mercy.

A Hardened Hard Heart

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 15 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Pharaoh refuses to repent and free the Hebrews because: A. Pharaoh hardened his heart. B. Pharaoh’s heart was hardened. C. God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Sso which is it? It is D. All of the above. Throughout the probationary plagues a patient God was allowing time for wicked Pharaoh to repent, which He never did, which God ensured by hardening his heart, while holding him fully accountable for his hardness of heart. Pharaoh’s heart is a case study in a mystery we all struggle with, but a faithful biblical theology must allow for the realities of both free will and predestination, both accountability and election, both destiny and choice, and a sovereign, just, loving God who superintends all of it for His glory.

Salvation through Judgment

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 08 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

How do you get the attention of the most powerful ruler and nation in the world? God had an idea. In fact, He had ten. Ten plagues were unleashed upon Egypt in order to educate the people that Yahweh is God and there is no other. These signs and wonders served to assault the false gods of the Egyptians and to execute judgment upon unrepentant Pharaoh and his people. Simultaneously, they were to accomplish a great salvation for the people of God. God was willing to destroy in order to save. In much the same way, Jesus would be destroyed so that we might be saved. Through His terrible judgment, we experience a wonderful salvation.

The Sons of Levi

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 01 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The epic tale of Exodus is interrupted to give us, of all things, a genealogy. A family tree. A long list of funny names that we hardly recognize. Yet while it would seem an intrusion to us, it serves a great purpose. When you come across a genealogy in the Bible, the automatic response is to skim over it or skip it altogether. After all, what purpose could it serve? Yet today, we'll learn that not only do these lists give us historical information, they serve us with important theological information. They tell us about who God is, what He is like, and what His doing in the world.

The Resurrection and the Penalty, Power, and Presence of Sin

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The resurrection of Jesus guarantees believers many great benefits concerning our sin. Because Jesus rose from the dead, the penalty of sin has been removed. Because Jesus rose from the dead, the power of sin is being removed. And because Jesus rose from the dead, the presence of sin will be removed. Through His resurrection, Jesus has dealt with our sin. It is gone, it is going, and it will be gone forever!

Bricks Without Straw

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400

So what's going to have to happen to get all the slaves out of Egypt? Let's see. Raise a deliverer. Check. Call him through a burning bush. Check. Give him an incredible revelation of who God is. Check. Convince everybody to get on board with God's plan and God's chosen deliverer. Check. Check. Walk straight up to Pharaoh, tell him to let God's people go, get him so angry that he makes the work harder on the slaves than ever before, and have all the people hate Moses. Wait a minute...what? Things turn ugly in a hurry. But you know what? God said they would! In God's redemption, things may often get worse before they get better. This week we remember that to accomplish redemption for us, things got really bad for Jesus before they got really good for us.

Lord, Please Send Some Else

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400

"Me? Go to Egypt? Are you kidding?!?!" Going head to head with the Pharaoh was the last thing on Moses' mind. He had settled down. He was a family man and a shepherd now. Yet God calls him by name and commissions him to participate in the redemption that God would accomplish. Salvation is God's work, but Moses had a role to play. But, but, but, but, but....Moses sputters out one excuse after another. He wrestles with his own inadequacies and insufficiencies. Yet God's answer takes Moses' eyes off himself and gives Him a vision for the sufficiency of God. God continues to call men and women to participate in His mission. And God continues to remind us that the One who called us is sufficient for the mission.

(We apologize, but there is no audio recording for this sermon. However, we have a manuscript of the sermon that you can read.)

Holy Ground

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400

What is God like? This is perhaps the most important question a human being will ever ask. Were it not for God revealing Himself, we would have no idea who He is or what He was like. But God can be known because God has revealed Himself. In Exodus 3, God reveals Himself to Moses, and as He does, we learn that God is holy and loving. Today we consider God's holy love and see it supremely in the person and work of Jesus.

A Savior

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The recipe for a great story has always been the same. The key ingredients are a terrifying villain, an impossible problem, and a savior. You paint a picture where hope is all but gone and death is certain and sure, and when it seems as if all is lost, a savior appears! We love these stories because they reflect the reality of our hearts. We need a Savior. In Exodus 2, we learn from the story of Israel that they needed a savior. But the good news is that God provided one. Today we're drawn into the story to see that their story is ours as well. We need a savior. And the good news, the gospel, is that God has provided one - Jesus Christ!

Slavery & Death

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

After seeing that slavery did not stop the multiplication of the Hebrews, the Pharaoh of Egypt orders the slaughter of Hebrew babies. From the beginning, slavery leading to death has been the tactic of the enemy of God. It is the work that the serpent seeks to do in the soul and in the world. Last week, we considered slavery. This week we consider death, specifically the death of innocent children through abortion. Today we seek to approach this difficult topic, like Jesus, full of grace and truth.

Slavery & Suffering

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The Bible is not a textbook. If you want to know what faith means, there is no glossary in the back with a definition. Instead, the Scriptures point you to Abraham that you might learn what it looks like to have faith. When the Scriptures want to explain words like salvation, redemption, and deliverance, it points to the story of Exodus. Do you want to know what it means to be saved? Read Exodus. Today we begin a new series and consider the shadows of the gospel from this Old Covenant book. As you watch an enslaved people, suffering under brutal slavery, hopeless under the hand of a cruel enemy, being set free by a mighty and gracious God, you are being prepared for Jesus and His gospel. The Gospel According to Exodus begins today.

The Church as Accountable

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The life of a Christian is marked by continual, ongoing repentance and faith. We turn from sin and turn to Christ everyday. But what happens when we don't? What happens when someone who professes to be a Christian fails to repent? What happens when rather that turning from sin and turning to Christ, someone is continually turning from Christ and turning to sin? What is his family, the church, supposed to do? Today we look at the Biblical teaching of church discipline. God loves His children, and like a good dad, disciplines us when we stray. Biblical discipline is never for revenge or condemnation, but for restoration and salvation. By it, God calls wandering hearts home.

The Church as Followers

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

How are we to relate to those whom God has called to lead the church, specifically as pastors? Today we consider that God has entrusted authority to pastors to lead Jesus' church. They are not to abdicate or abuse this authority, but to use it to love and serve the people that Jesus has entrusted to their care. As they do, how are we to relate with them? The Scriptures do not call us to worship them as gods or cast them down as garbage. Rather, there is a third way. Today we consider that third way.

Biblical Singleness

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Scholars point to Christianity as the first among all major religions and world-views to hold singleness as a viable and valid way of life. Why is this? Whereas every world view saw marriage and family as the acceptable and blessed life, why did Christianity break away and declare singleness as equally acceptable and blessed? Today we consider a Biblical theology of singleness and look to how Jesus and His gospel redefined what it meant to be fully human and blessed.

Your Son, Your Only Son

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The book of Genesis tells the story of Abraham, a father of faith in all three of the world's major monotheistic religions. God gave Abraham an incredible promise that included a great name, land, and offspring that would be as countless as the stars in the sky. There was just one problem. Abraham's wife was barren. Having a son was not just unlikely, it was impossible. Yet twenty five years after he was given the promise, Abraham had a son. Alas, everything was finally right for Abraham and Sarah. Only, it's then that God would give Abraham the greatest test and call on him to make the greatest sacrifice of his life. By the end of this test, we're given a good look into Abraham's heart; but more importantly, we're given a good look into God's as well.

The Gospel-Centered Life

Ajay Thomas — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Phrases like "gospel-centered" and "gospel-driven" have become popular in our day. We are to rejoice in this. Yet if we are not careful, they can become buzzwords, empty religious jargon that mean anything and everything, till eventually they mean nothing. Today, we consider again what the gospel is and how it applies to not just becoming a Christian, but living as a Christian. Our conviction is that the gospel is not just the front door, but the path as well.