Sermon NotesToday we begin a 3-week study of the Book of Philemon, and in this book, we are introduced to three main people: the Apostle Paul is the author of this book. He has established many churches; he is the author of three-fourths of the New Testament. A well-known Christian leader, greatly used by God and respected by people worldwide. He’s writing with Timothy, his apprentice.The next person is Philemon, he is the one Paul is writing to. He is well known for his love, in fact, his name means Love, Phileo love, a generous and affectionate love; that’s the root word of Philemon. There are a couple more people in his home, and a church meets in his home ...

Sermon NotesWe used to have a neighbor who liked to restore old cars. He would take these cars that looked like they belonged in a junkyard, and I would see him working all hours of the day and night on these cars, and when he was done, they looked better than new.Did you know that God restores people? We’ve been studying the book of Ruth. Her mother-in-law was Naomi, and after an extremely hard life of loss, Naomi described herself as bitter and empty. But through a redeemer from Bethlehem, her life was renewed and restored, she became full of family, full of the blessings of God. Likewise, God “redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.” Psalms ...

Sermon NotesThere is a principle in life that every human being operates under, whether we know it or not. Here it is: if we cling to our lives, we lose them forever. But, if we lay down our lives to follow Christ, we keep them forever. Jesus said it this way, “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it” (Matthew 16:25).Today we will see a man try to hang on to his estate, his name. And what is his name, by the way? That’s right, we have no idea, Scripture doesn’t record it; through trying to keep it, he has lost it. He’s No-Name! But then we see another man, willing to risk his own estate out of love, willing to ruin his good reputation by marrying an enemy Moabite. His name is Boaz! What is said about Boaz? “May you…be famous in Bethlehem” (Ruth 4:11). Let’s look at this story together ...