Search for sermons - 1 John 1
Great Is Thy Faithfulness - Lamentations 3:22-25 - Mar 23, 1997 - 471
How many people do you know who do exactly what they say? Before you answer, let me rephrase the question? How many do you know who do exactly what they say every single time? Now before you answer, let me rephrase it again. How many people do you know who do exactly what they say every single time ... More
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About The Christian Life - Chapter 4 - Jul 9, 2012
Looking for a Second Chance: What About Purgatory and Postmortem Salvation? - Hebrews 1:3 - Jun 11, 2000 - 213
Most people think that Catholics believe in purgatory and Protestants don’t. That statement needs qualification in two ways. First, the various Orthodox churches also believe in purgatory, though we don’t often hear about it. Second, there is a sense in which Protestants in general and e ... More
Repent! The Forgotten Doctrine of Salvation - Acts 17:30 - Oct 6, 2006 - 510
In 1937 the American Tract Society sponsored a contest in which they offered a prize of $1,000 for the best new book written on one of the “essential evangelical doctrines of the Christian faith.” Sixty-one years ago, $1,000 was a lot of money and a great many well-known Christian author ... More
The Struggle - Romans 7:14-25 - Jun 6, 1993 - 453
I would like to begin with three observations about this famous text. Observation number one is this: Romans 7 is a passage that grips us because we understand exactly what it is saying. We see ourselves in it. When Romans 7 is read everyone understands and says, “Amen, yes, that’s r ... More
The God We Hardly Know - Sep 22, 2006
David Mains caught me off guard with his question. “If you had to grade your congregation on their knowledge of the Holy Spirit, what grade would you give them?”Up until that moment, the interview had gone well. David and his daughter Melissa had thrown me fast pitches right over the cen ... More
We Shall Be Like Him: The Purifying Hope of Christ's Return - I John 3:1-3 - Dec 9, 2001 - 694
Shortly before his recent death, ex-Beatle George Harrison was asked about his spiritual journey. The question was apt since it was Harrison who introduced the Beatles to Eastern religion in the 60s and (after the group broke up) wrote the song My Sweet Lord (a hymn of praise to the Hindu deity Kris ... More
The Mysterious Doctrine of the Trinity - Acticle B: The True God - Various - Feb 16, 1992 - 747
My introduction to the doctrine of the Trinity came at a very young age. I first learned it through the music we sang at the First Baptist Church. The great hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy” was number one in the Baptist Hymnal. Over the years the words “God in three persons, Blessed Trin ... More
Anatomy of a Backslider - Genesis 20 - Jun 9, 1996 - 27
One of the great proofs of the supernatural origin of the Bible it that it tells the truth about people. As you read the Bible, you will find that it discloses the whole range of human activity—including the dark side. On the pages of God’s Word, you will find stories of murder, theft, ... More
Doing the Right Thing in the Wrong Way - Genesis 16 - May 5, 1996 - 22
This week my friend David Puckett was in town. I have known David ever since our days at Dallas Seminary. After we graduated I took a pastorate in California and he entered a doctoral program at the University of Chicago. Our paths crossed again a few years later when he attended the church I past ... More
Is It Becoming Easier to Say "I Was Wrong?" - Luke 15:21 - Sep 15, 1991 - 789
The eyes of the nation focused on Milwaukee for one brief moment this week. Inside a hushed courtroom Jeffrey Dahmer entered a formal plea to the charges against him. First the reading of the charges. Then the question: “How do you plead?” His lawyer answered for him. “Not g ... More
The God We Hardly Know: Why I Believe in the Holy Spirit - Various - Oct 29, 1995 - 793
David Mains caught me off guard with his question. “If you had to grade your congregation on their knowledge of the Holy Spirit, what grade would you give them?” The interview, broadcast nationally on the program You Need to Know, centered around my book Names of the Holy Spirit. I g ... More
You Will Be My Witnesses: God's Job Description for Every Christian - Acts 1:8 - Mar 15, 1998 - 632
I first heard the question 27 years ago from my friend, Ben Wilkinson, a Presbyterian evangelist. He came to the First Presbyterian Church of Russellville, Alabama for a week of evangelistic meetings. During the mornings he trained a team of young people to share the gospel door to door. Although it ... More
Dice in the Prayer Meeting: Making Tough Decisions with God's Help - Acts 1:21-26 - May 3, 1998 - 640
4 … 9 … 30 … 34 … 48 … 8. Do you know what those numbers mean? Frank and Shirley Capaci of Streamwood know because those numbers won them $104 million this week in the largest lottery in American history. On Tuesday and Wednesday millions of people in 20 states ... More
Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up? - Philippians 2:6-11 - Oct 25, 1998 - 364
Who is Jesus Christ? Of all the questions that might be posed to modern men and women, none is more important than this. It is no exaggeration to say that this is the central question of history and the most important issue anyone will ever face. Who is Jesus Christ? Where did he come from? Why did ... More
When God Comes to Dinner - Genesis 18:1-15 - May 19, 1996 - 20
Last Tuesday night I sat on the platform at the UIC Pavilion for the Say Yes Chicago campaign with Luis Palau. During the evening Luis told the story of an evangelist named Mordecai Ham who came to Charlotte, North Carolina in 1934 for a citywide tent campaign. One night only six people came forwa ... More
The Great Refusal - Hebrews 11:24-28 - Oct 2, 2008 - 1167
“The greatest thing you will ever do is learn how to say no.”I’m not sure who said that, but whoever it was spoke the truth. Nothing is harder than learning how to say no at the right time, in the right way, for the right reasons. Life is made up of choices, in fact, that’s r ... More
Unless You Forgive - Matthew 6:12 - Oct 9, 2009 - 1222
“Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Matthew 6:12 Before we begin: Which is more difficult for you: asking God to forgive you or forgiving a person who has sinned against you. The fifth petition of the Lord’s Prayer seems simple enough, but simple things ca ... More
How Much Sin Will God Forgive? - Psalm 51 - Jan 30, 2011 - 1272
It had been a messy affair, literally. But now at last things seemed to be going well. After all, who could fault a king for indulging his fantasies? That’s what kings do. One night you go out for a stroll, you see a beautiful woman, you want her, you send for her, she comes to you. It’s ... More
A Desperate Man’s Desperate Prayer - Jonah 2 - Jun 30, 2011 - 1289
When last we left Jonah, he was in the belly of the great fish. He was in a bad fix and a bad way. To paraphrase Samuel Johnson, “Nothing clears the mind like the certain knowledge that you will be shot in the morning." That’s obviously true. If a man knows he is going to be shot ... More
The Blessings of Obedience - Haggai 2:10-19 - Jun 1, 1997 - 294
A few weeks ago someone sent me the following prayer, written by a man named Frank Morris. It’s from something called Frank’s Daily Chuckles. It’s one of those things that makes you laugh and then makes you think: Dear Lord,So far today, God, I’ve done all right. I haven&rsqu ... More
Dirty Feet - John 13:6-10 - Jul 24, 2009 - 1208
Thursday night In the Upper Room In JerusalemThe disciples gather with Jesus for their final meal. They are all there-James and John, Judas, Peter, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Simon the Zealot, and all the rest. Reclining around the low table, they chatter in a nervous tone. The men know that som ... More
All One Body We: “The Communion of Saints” - Hebrews 12:1 - Jun 6, 2004 - 661
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1). In 1979 John Bass interviewed Ronald Reagan as he was p ... More
Three Hard Words That Could Change Your Life - Luke 15:21 - Feb 9, 2013 - 1475
“You can’t help a liar.” That was the man’s conclusion based on years of experience with college students. Occasionally he is faced with difficult disciplinary decisions when the young people break the rules of the group. “I’ve dealt with everything you can imagin ... More
Clarification of Certain Doctrinal and Practical Issues - Various - May 23, 1996 - 563
The following material is presented by the Elders as a means of clarifying the church’s position on certain issues. As you read this, please remember that this is not meant to be a comprehensive statement of what we believe in every area. You may consult the Articles of Faith for a full statem ... More
Clarification of Certain Doctrinal and Practical Issues - Various - May 23, 1996 - 563
The following material is presented by the Elders as a means of clarifying the church’s position on certain issues. As you read this, please remember that this is not meant to be a comprehensive statement of what we believe in every area. You may consult the Articles of Faith for a full statem ... More
