Search for sermons - Proverbs 18
The Tongue: Life and Death Are In Your Mouth! - Various - Oct 9, 1994 - 618
Proverbs has a lot to say about what we say. In fact, the subject of the tongue and how we use our words is perhaps the preeminent theme of this book. Over 150 times in this book alone, Proverbs refers to our lips, our mouth and our tongue. One of the central issues of the Book of Proverbs is how yo ... More
Do Not Grieve the Spirit - Ephesians 4:29-32 - Jun 5, 2005 - 204
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." That's Ephesians 4:29 in the New International Version. Whenever I read that verse, my mind goes back to a speech class I took in ... More
God's Freedom - Romans 9:6-18 - Jun 25, 2006 - 425
While studying Romans 9, I was struck by Paul's question in verse 14: "Is God unjust?" In our hearts we already know the answer. God is not unjust. But oftentimes he seems inconsistent. The very examples Paul chooses seem to uphold that inconsistency.He chooses Isaac over Ishmael.He chooses Jacob ov ... More
Adam's Rib: How God Arranged the First Marriage - Genesis 2:18-25 - May 26, 2002 - 223
Yesterday I performed a wedding ceremony for Chris Hall and Kara Hansen. It was a lovely occassion, as weddings usually are, and everything seemed to go well. As I stood on the platform with the happy couple only two or three feet away, I looked into their hopeful faces, and the same thought I have ... More
The Tower That Fell: Why God Stopped the Building Program - Genesis 11:1-9 - Sep 29, 2002 - 236
"Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth" (Genesis 11:4).Think of it! A tower that reaches to the heavens. And we thought that we had big ambitions. This one takes th ... More
Is Marriage Really Made in Heaven? - Genesis 2:18-25; Hebrews 13:4 - Sep 12, 2004 - 265
Since this is the first sermon in the God Speaks Today series, I thought we should answer a few key questions up front: ... More
What Makes a Marriage? - Genesis 2:18-25 - Apr 18, 1999 - 297
It was a hot night when we got married. Late August in Phoenix, Arizona, is always hot but by the time our wedding started, the temperature outside had cooled down to a balmy 97 degrees. There weren't very many people at our wedding — less than 100, I think. Except for my family they were all ... More
Ground Zero - Nov 20, 2001
It was late Wednesday when we finally made it to Ground Zero in New York City. Our team of five men left Oak Park Sunday afternoon at 4 PM and drove through the night to High Point, North Carolina. From there we traveled to Washington, DC, then on to New York City. That's a strange itinerary but in ... More
Unhindered Prayers - I Peter 3:7 - Feb 13, 2005 - 596
Quick now, what well-known actor said the following: "I don't like danger. I'm not a womanizer. My happiest moments are when I'm at home with my wife or in the company of a couple of good friends. I don't covet wealth. I do want to be able to end my days in dignity and leave my wife relatively well ... More
The First Law: He's God and We're Not - Feb 10, 2002
This is the first sermon in a new series called "The Seven Laws of the Spiritual Life." For the last few years I have been thinking about putting together a short list of the basic principles of the Christian life. What are those truths that every believer needs to know in order to have a healthy re ... More
What Was That I Never Heard You Say? - James 1:19 - Apr 8, 2006 - 539
Perhaps you've heard the story of the woman who went to see a lawyer about getting a divorce. The lawyer decided it would be helpful if he could get a little background so he asked the woman if she had grounds for a divorce. "Yes," she said, "as a matter of fact, about an acre and a half." He repl ... More
The Final Step: Blessing Your Enemies - Luke 6:27-36 - Jun 8, 2003 - 759
"But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from y ... More
Countdown to Armageddon: Six Signs of the Second Coming - Matthew 24:1-14 - Oct 21, 2001 - 687
Last Wednesday afternoon I stood at Ground Zero in Manhattan looking at the ruins of the World Trade Center. I was there as part of a group of five men from Calvary who traveled 2,400 miles through 11 states plus the District of Columbia in 100 hours to deliver 7,000 copies of the gospel book, An An ... More
God's Freedom - Romans 9:6-18 - Apr 26, 2006 - 761
While studying Romans 9, I was struck by Paul's question in verse 14: "Is God unjust?" In our hearts we already know the answer. God is not unjust. But oftentimes he seems inconsistent. The very examples Paul chooses seem to uphold that inconsistency.He chooses Isaac over Ishmael.He chooses Jacob ov ... More
Murder in My Mouth - Exodus 20:13 - Jul 5, 1992 - 722
They had only been married 11 days when she had him killed. It all started when Louie Weber met Eva Garcia. Louie was 41 and she was 17 and a senior in high school. A romance blossomed and they were married in November 1988. Six days after getting married Eva learned that she had won a scholarsh ... More
How to Make Peace with Your Enemies - Genesis 21:22-34 - Jun 23, 1996 - 25
Slain Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin said it, "You don't make peace with your friends, only with your enemies." He uttered those words soon after Israel signed an historic peace treaty with the PLO in 1993. Harshly criticized by many of his countrymen who felt he had given up too much in his ... More
Cheerfulness: The Healing Power of a Merry Heart - Various - Nov 13, 1994 - 619
I am a little more exhausted than usual because I'm coming off a week and a half that has been a personally draining time for me and my family. About 10 days ago, Marlene went in to see the doctor, who found something she didn't like. On Friday, Marlene had three hours of surgery and is up at Luther ... More
Hard Work: The Reason We Get Out of Bed - Various - Sep 4, 1994 - 624
Turn in your Bible to the Book of Proverbs, beginning in Chapter 6. We are going to begin the sermon with a number of verses from Proverbs.Proverbs 6:6 "Go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider its ways and be wise. It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and g ... More
Healing the Hurts of the Past - Genesis 32-33 - Nov 1, 1992 - 352
Which is more difficult? To forgive or to be forgiven? You could argue it either way.If you say it's more difficult to forgive, you are right. When you forgive someone, you are doing at least two things: 1. You are choosing to overlook the pain of the past. 2. You are choosing to give th ... More
God in My Mouth; The Devil in My Heart - Exodus 20:7 - Jun 14, 1992 - 715
Every Commandment has its problems. Some are difficult to understand, others are difficult to interpret, and some are difficult to apply. The Third Commandment presents us with a unique problem: We understand it all too well. We think this is the commandment against swearing. We tend to think t ... More
Why You Need Your Enemies and Your Enemies Need You—Part Two - Jeremiah 29:7 - Mar 9, 2008 - 817
"Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper" (Jeremiah 29:7).A few days ago a friend sent me an email that contained a reading called “Enemies as Emissaries of God’s Gra ... More
Love is Blind but Marriage is a Can Opener - Oct 26, 2007
Ray: It was a hot night when we got married. Late August in Phoenix, Arizona is always hot but by the time our wedding started, the temperature outside had cooled down to a balmy 97 degrees. Marlene: There weren’t very many people at our wedding less than 100, I think. Except for Ray’s ... More
Curing the Itch Mites - Oct 28, 2007
Ray: How many of you know what itch mites are? We had never heard of them until two months ago. Marlene: We learned all about itch mites when we hosted a wedding reception in Chicago for Mark and Vanessa who had gotten married in California two weeks earlier. Some friends offered to let us have the ... More
Love is Blind but Marriage is a Can Opener - Oct 26, 2007
Ray: It was a hot night when we got married. Late August in Phoenix, Arizona is always hot but by the time our wedding started, the temperature outside had cooled down to a balmy 97 degrees. Marlene: There weren’t very many people at our wedding less than 100, I think. Except for Ray’s ... More
Curing the Itch Mites - Oct 28, 2007
Ray: How many of you know what itch mites are? We had never heard of them until two months ago. Marlene: We learned all about itch mites when we hosted a wedding reception in Chicago for Mark and Vanessa who had gotten married in California two weeks earlier. Some friends offered to let us have the ... More
The Rod of God: When Love Says No - Hebrews 12:5-11; Proverbs 13:34 - May 16, 1999 - 299
“Spare the rod and spoil the child.” It’s an old saying and like most things old, it has been neglected of late. But there is the ring of truth about it. If you spare the rod, you will indeed spoil your child. This is the clear testimony of Holy Scripture and of centuries of human exp ... More