Search for sermons - Romans 11
Our Awesome God - Romans 11:33-36 - Aug 31, 2006 - 774
It’s not often that a book title tells the whole story. Usually titles are chosen because they are catchy, not because they are informative. But occasionally you stumble on a title that both catches your attention and also tells you exactly what the book is about. A generation ago J. B. Philli ... More
No Hopeless Cases - Romans 11:11-16 - Jun 12, 2007 - 768
I first met Jacob Gartenhaus about forty years ago. When I was a teenager growing up in a small town in Alabama, our pastor invited Dr. Gartenhaus to speak to us on the subject of Jewish evangelism. It was the first time I had ever heard a Jewish Christian speak. It was also the first time I had hea ... More
Has God Lost the Battle? - Romans 11:1-10 - Jun 11, 2006 - 767
In this sermon series we are looking at Romans 9-11, arguably the three most difficult chapters in the New Testament. I’ve called it “Understanding God’s Plan” because these chapters help us understand the flow of events in history from God’s point of view. To us in the ... 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 mer ... More
God Unchanging - Romans 11:28-29 - Aug 17, 2006 - 772
When I was a teenager in Alabama, I spent a week at a Methodist church camp. This was during the revolutionary days of the 60s when the talk was of LSD, the Beatles, hippies, the Vietnam War and protest in the streets. No one had heard of fax machines, virtual reality, personal computers, DVDs or ... More
No Place for Pride - Romans 11:17-24 - Jul 2, 2006 - 770
Tell them, Pastor Ray, tell them that nothing matters except Christ. The young people need to know this before it’s too late.” So said my friend Jim Johnsen on my visit with him in the hospital shortly before he died. “Nothing matters except Christ.” We all know it’s ... More
Does Israel Have a Future? - Romans 11:25-26 - Aug 11, 2006 - 771
The following things have happened in the last 96 hours:*A terrorist plot to blow up ten U.S.-bound jets was foiled when authorities in the United Kingdom arrested 24 suspects. London’s deputy police commissioner, Paul Stephenson, called it an attempt to commit “mass murder on an unimagi ... More
A Peek into God's Calendar - Daniel 9:24-27 - Feb 27, 2000 - 158
My text has long been considered the most important passage in the book of Daniel. For 2000 years Christians have debated its true meaning. It is the key to prophetic interpretation and the backbone of biblical prophecy. If you understand what these verses mean, you will have a good framework for un ... More
Why is There So Much Suffering in the World? - Isaiah 45:5-11 - Sep 4, 2005 - 147
Of all the questions that trouble the people of God, none is greater than the question posed in the title of this sermon. Sometimes, it is asked in other ways: Why do bad things happen to good people? Or, why do the wicked prosper, while the righteous take such a beating? Or, if God really has the p ... 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.H ... 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 ... 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
When is Jesus Coming Back? - Matthew 24:32-51 - Dec 28, 1997 - 528
"He may come at any time. He’s sure to come some time. Let’s be ready when he does come.” Andrew Blackwood Several weeks ago (December 15, 1997) U.S. News and World Report carried a cover story called “Dark Prophecies.” In it the author reported that according to a rece ... More
Happy are the Sad - Matthew 5:4 - Jan 14, 1996 - 52
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” This is one of the strangest statements in the Bible. It is a paradox and a mystery. “Blessed are those who mourn,” said Jesus. Happy are the sad! What do these strange words mean? Who are the mourners, why are they s ... More
Can I Lose My Salvation? - Philippians 1:6 - Nov 2, 1997 - 525
I would like to begin with the observation that this is a controversial question in Christian circles. It would be difficult to find a subject about which believers are more deeply divided. To the question, “Can I lose my salvation?” there are whole denominations that answer yes: The Met ... More
He Doesn't Need Your Help: The Truth You Must Understand - Acts. 17:24-25 - Jun 21, 1998 - 240
Those who listen to me preach on a regular basis know that whenever I find a good idea, I like to repeat it over and over again. Last year I happened to stumble across a spiritual truth so profound that I titled it the First Rule of the Spiritual Life. Even though I’ve mentioned it many times, ... 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
Is There No God? - 2 Kings 1 - Mar 8, 2006 - 194
This is the story of Elijah’s last assignment. God has one final job for his mountain man, and then he will take him home to heaven. The story begins this way: “After Ahab’s death Moab rebelled against Israel. Now Ahaziah…” (v. 1). Ahaziah was Ahab’s son. We find ... More
Be Still and Know - Psalm 46:10 - May 19, 2008 - 1154
I have had two communications from friends in China this week. Both of them came in response to the devastating earthquake that so far has taken at least 32,000 lives, perhaps as many as 40,000. Everyone agrees that the final total will be much higher. One friend wrote to say that for the first time ... More
Why I Believe in God - Genesis 1:1 - Sep 30, 2009 - 1214
The Bible never argues for the existence of God. It begins instead with a simple, majestic sentence: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). The Bible begins with a declaration, not with an argument. There is a God who created all things. If you do not s ... More
The Last Days According to Daniel - Daniel 12 - Mar 26, 2000 - 161
Our journey through Daniel ends today. When we began in November, I noted in my first sermon that there were only 55 days until Y2K, which turned out to be a huge non-event. I also mentioned three reasons for studying this book. Those reasons seem even more relevant today than they did then. We shou ... More
