Search for sermons - 1 Timothy 3
What Elders Do - Apr 12, 1992
Deacons & Deaconesses: Servants of Christ - Apr 7, 1993
First images stay in the mind forever. Whenever I hear the word “deacon,” I always think of Hilliard Felton. He was a lifetime deacon at the First Baptist Church of Russellville, Alabama. As I think back, I don’t believe I ever saw him without a coat and tie on. He was one of t ... More
Angry Man Alert - Aug 29, 2008
I would like to begin by calling your attention to two uncomfortable verses in the New Testament. If these verses don’t bother you, they should.Colossians 3:19 says, “Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them.” It’s not the first part that grabs our atte ... More
Equal But Not Identical: Men And Women In The Local Church - Jul 21, 1991
In this day of social upheaval, many traditional views held by the Christian church are being questioned. Not the least important of these is the issue of women in ministry. During the past several decades, the feminist movement has had significant impact on the church; this impact is such that the ... 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
Deacons & Deaconesses: Servants of Christ - Apr 7, 1993
First images stay in the mind forever. Whenever I hear the word “deacon,” I always think of Hilliard Felton. He was a lifetime deacon at the First Baptist Church of Russellville, Alabama. As I think back, I don’t believe I ever saw him without a coat and tie on. He was one of t ... More
Confessions of a Xenophiliac - I Peter 4:9-10 - Jun 10, 1990 - 574
They say that true confession is good for the soul, and in that spirit, I want to begin my sermon with a simple confession. Although I am preaching a series of sermons on spiritual gifts, I am not entirely sure that what I am preaching about this morning actually is a spiritual gift. I think it is ... More
Christ B.C. Part IV: Born of a Virgin - Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23 - Dec 24, 1995 - 68
Christmas is an amazing time of year. Yesterday I ran across a statement that sums it up: “Isn’t it amazing that a baby born in a stable 2,000 years ago can cause traffic jams this week?” I am thankful for this season. We Christians ought to enjoy Christmas more than anyone. D ... 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 Eyes of God Are Upon You - Various - Mar 21, 1993 - 582
Our story begins in 1833 when a man named Joseph Kettlestrings, an Englishman from Yorkshire, arrived in the Chicago area. He settled first along the Des Plaines River where he worked at a saw mill. Two years later he moved to a patch of dry ground just west of the thriving city of Chicago. Two y ... More
Should Our Teachers Be Required to Sign the Articles of Faith? - Various - Feb 2, 1992 - 748
Tonight we are beginning a brand-new series of Sunday night messages. As you know, I usually take books of the Bible on a chapter-by-chapter basis on Sunday night. This series is a major departure from that pattern. But I decided to make the change after considering three factors: 1. The rapid ... More
Portrait of a Godly Leader - I Timothy 3; Titus 1 - Mar 17, 1993 - 418
We begin with the words of Robert Cook: “There is no substitute for character. You can buy brains, but you can’t buy character.” When it comes to selecting leaders, nothing is more important than godly character. You can buy talent … or brains … or knowledge &helli ... More
Ministry That Makes a Difference - 1 Thessalonians 2:7-12 - Sep 1, 1996 - 320
"No one cares how much you know till they know how much you care.” Yesterday we had a most amazing wedding here at Calvary involving Barry MacNamara and Uli Keyna. I first met Barry several years ago when he started attending our services. We occasionally talked after the services about his ... More
THE HOLY SPIRIT - Various - Apr 13, 1988 - 422
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
Seize the Day! - Various - Mar 29, 1992 - 584
The scene is a prep school somewhere in New England. On a beautiful fall morning the bright young men have gathered in English Literature class, fearing the worst—long, boring hours arguing about Beowulf and the intricacies of iambic pentameter. But lo, it is not to be. Their teacher is bra ... More
Born of a Virgin - Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23 - Dec 8, 2008 - 1180
Christmas is an amazing time of year. Yesterday I ran across a statement that sums it up: “Isn’t it amazing that a baby born in a stable 2,000 years ago can cause traffic jams this week?” I am thankful for this season. We Christians ought to enjoy Christmas more than anyone. Don&rs ... More
Do Not Neglect Your Spiritual Gift - 1 Timothy 4:14 - Jan 11, 2007 - 165
Ever since the new year rolled around, I have been pondering one verse of Scripture and thinking about its implications for life and ministry, and what it would mean if we started to take it seriously. That verse is 1 Timothy 4:14. Here it is in several different versions: “Do not neglect ... More
Lessons from the Manger - Luke 2:12 - Dec 13, 2006 - 83
“Christmas is full of surprises.” Somewhere in my reading this week I ran across that sentence. While I am sure it is true, it doesn’t always seem true. Christmas poses a yearly challenge to those of us who have heard the story since we were children. After you have attended 20 or ... More
Rejoicing and Weeping - Romans 12:13-15 - Jun 20, 2009 - 1203
A young man wrote me the following note several weeks ago:I wondered your theological opinion of Christian fellowship. It is a term that’s been thrown around a lot in my circles lately but to be honest, what I see in churches is not much different from a TV show like Cheers or even less than t ... More
