Here are the various Bible passages I used in my sermon for December 27.

Eph 4:11-16 “And  he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, ¹²to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, ¹⁴so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.¹⁵Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, ¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. 

1 Cor. 15 

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, ²and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 

³For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁴that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

Worship Acceptably 

Heb. 12:28-29 “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, ²⁹for our God is a consuming fire.” 

1 Cor. 10:31 “ So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 

Rom. 12:1 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 

Gospel First 

Rom. 1:16-17 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” 

Pray Fervently 

1 Thess. 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, ¹⁷pray without ceasing, ¹⁸give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 

Attend Regularly 

Heb. 10:24-25 “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ²⁵not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” 

Give Generously 

Matt. 13:1-9 Parable of the Sower “A sower went out to sow. ⁴And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, ⁶but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. ⁷Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. ⁸Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” 

1 Peter 3:9 “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary,  bless, for  to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.” 

Serve Faithfully 

1 Cor 12:4-11 “Now  there are varieties of gifts, bu t the same Spirit; ⁵and  there are varieties of service, but  the same Lord; ⁶and there are varieties of activities, but it is  the same God who empowers them all in everyone. ⁷To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. ⁸For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of  wisdom, and to another the utterance of  knowledge according to the same Spirit, ⁹to another  faith by the same Spirit, to another  gifts of healing by the one Spirit,¹⁰to another  the working of miracles, to another  prophecy, to another  the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another  various kinds of tongues, to another  the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually  as he wills.” 

Communicate Honorably 

1 Thess. 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” 

Col. 4:6 “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” 

Submit Joyfully 

Eph 5:15-21 “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,¹⁶making the best use of the time, because  the days are evil.¹⁷Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what  the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸And  do not get drunk with wine, for that is  debauchery, but  be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹addressing one another in  psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, ²⁰giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father  in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.