Search for sermons - Luke 18
How to be Right With God - Luke 18:9-14 - Sep 12, 1999 - 308
When a friend heard I was preaching on how to be right with God, he sent me this e-mail message:What a great topic for a Sunday sermon. It's one that is especially poignant for the alcoholic, addict, etc., because so much of our difficulty is not knowing that we can get right with God, the fear bein ... More
The Miserable Millionaire: Christ Speak to the Problem of Misplaced Priorities - Matthew 19:16-26 - Feb 18, 2001 - 116
It has been almost ten years since I last preached on the story of the Rich Young Ruler. That fact wouldn't matter except that in 1991 I started my sermon with the story of a man named Lee Atwater. In the estimation of many people, he was the man most responsible for electing George Bush president i ... More
A Good Man Lost and a Bad Man Saved - Luke 18:9-14 - Apr 28, 1991 - 110
Some of you may have seen a movie last summer called Reversal of Fortune. That would be a good subtitle for this passage because it contains the ultimate reversal of fortune. It's about two men who were as different as they could be. One man had everything and appeared to be on his way to heaven ... More
When Having It All Is Not Enough - Luke 18:18-27 - Apr 7, 1991 - 111
Do you recognize the name Lee Atwater? If you know American politics, especially the politics of the 1980s, then you certainly know who he is. Lee Atwater is the amazing man who almost singlehandedly engineered the election of George Bush as the President of the United States in 1988. That is not ... More
If God is Sovereign, Why Pray? - Matthew 6:8 - Jan 4, 1998 - 523
When we surveyed the congregation last year several people asked this question. I would suppose that most Christians have wondered about it at one time or another. Certainly skeptics have thrown it in our faces to discourage us from seeking the Lord in times of crisis. I would be less than honest if ... More
When You Pray, Never Give Up - Luke 18:1-8 - Jun 5, 2007 - 778
My goal in this sermon is very simple. I hope to convince you of the importance of persistence in prayer. I want you to see that God is greatly glorified when we continue in prayer over a long period of time. Or to say it another way, I want us to understand that we ought not to give up when we pray ... More
The Making of a Disciple - Matthew 5:1-3 - Jan 7, 1996 - 55
This being the first Sunday of a new year, it's appropriate that we should make a new beginning as a congregation. For the last five years we have adopted a theme for each year. In honor of our 80th Anniversary 1995 was The Year of Celebration. It was a great year and the Lord was very good to us ... More
Can Good People be Gay? - Jun 18, 2000
In a recent interview, Christopher Matthews asked Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush a thought-provoking question: “Can good people be gay?” The answer came back without hesitation: “Sure, absolutely.” Case closed, at least for a politician seeking the White House w ... More
Unworthy - I Corinthians 11:27 - Jul 11, 2007 - 513
There are two dangers we face whenever we come to the Lord's table. The first danger is that we will feel that we are not worthy to be here. And the second danger is that we will feel that we are worthy. The first danger is the sin of despair. The second danger is the sin of presumption.Those who ar ... More
Sinners in the Hands of a Merciful God - Romans 11:30-32 - Aug 25, 2006 - 773
Earlier this week I received a copy of John Ensor's book The Great Work of the Gospel. In the first chapter, he examines the question, What motivates God to make the astonishing offer to forgive all our sins? Taking his cue from Jonathan Edwards, Ensor says it's all about God's mercy: God desires to ... More
Amazing Grace - Ephesians 2:1-9 - Oct 3, 1999 - 306
Since this is a sermon series on the gospel, I would like to point out that my text contains the whole gospel message in just six words. If you know what these words are and what they mean, you will know the gospel. And you can share it with anyone you meet.The six words come in three sets of two wo ... More
The Truth About Same-Sex Marriage - Genesis 1:26-28; Revelation 22:17 - Sep 26, 2004 - 267
My story today begins a long way from Oak Park, and a long way from our current controversies. In order to get the proper perspective, let's go all the way back to the beginning of the Bible. To quote a line from The Sound of Music: "Let's start at the very beginning, that's a very good place to sta ... More
Sound the Trumpet! Christ's Second Coming to the Earth - Matthew 24:29-35 - Nov 4, 2001 - 692
The most significant event in Bible prophecy is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. It is an event so important that there are over 300 separate prophecies relating to it in the Word of God, making it one of the most important doctrines in the Bible. It is the key that unlocks the door that leads to ... More
The Truth About Abortion - Jan 12, 1990
I think it goes without saying that abortion is a difficult issue to talk about. It is difficult because it is almost impossible to find someone who is neutral on the subject. It is the most emotionally-divisive issue in America today. The pollsters tell us that Americans are deeply divided on the m ... More
God Is So Good! - Psalm 107:1 - Apr 20, 1997 - 474
"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good." 1 Chronicles 16:34a "The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made." Psalm 145:9 "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." Psalm 34:8 Let's begin with a definition, which isn't as easy as it might app ... More
Wanted: Bold Believers! - Colossians 4:2-4 - Feb 16, 2003 - 500
Let’s begin with some fast facts about prayer. According to pollster George Barna, almost 90% of Americans say they pray. Over 60% of unchurched Americans say they pray. Of those unchurched Americans, one in three believe that prayer makes a difference in their lives. Among “born again ... More