Sermons found for the topic Culture

It’s the Faith, Brother - Hebrews 11:3-7

There are those who have faith and those who don’t. And if you don’t have faith, you cannot please God. True faith, faith that rests on God and his Word and believes all that he has said, true faith sees the unseen and say, “Yes, it is true.” More

How to Kill a New Christian - Part 1 - Romans 14:1-12

Part 1. There are many ways to kill the faith of a new Christian, but the easiest way - and the quickest - is through criticism and a lack of acceptance. We all have a tendency to criticize people who don’t do or say things the way we think they ought to be said or done. Terrible things can happen when we are too quick to offer personal judgments on believers who don’t meet our personal standards. How can we overcome the impulse to criticize our brothers and sisters in Christ? More

City Life: Serving God in a Pagan World - Genesis 4:17-26

"Without God, the more power we have the sooner we destroy ourselves; without God, the richer we are the sooner we rot." W. L. WatkinsonThe first few chapters of Genesis are marked by a very clear logic that goes some More

First Century Patterns For 21st-Century Churches - Various

How closely should local churches follow the patterns of the New Testament? The answer is, as closely as possible, understanding that no one is 100% consistent and that outward forms will change over time. That means we need to focus on the key functions of the church, giving freedom to differ on how those functions are expressed. More

Breaking Down Walls: Racial Prejudice and The Christian Gospel

What does the Christian gospel have to say to racial prejudice? This sermon explores Dr. Martin Luther’s King’s legacy and the unfinished challenge of racial reconciliation. The gospel provides the only lasting answer to the problems of prejudice, bigotry and racial division. More

Ready to Give an Answer - I Peter 3:15

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord; always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that you have" (I Peter 3:15). Peter says to be ready to give an answer. Are you rea More

Swimming Upstream - Romans 12:2

There are times when we need to see a familiar verse in a new way. The ESV translates the first part of Romans 12:2 this way: "Do not be conformed to this world." Simple, clear and concise. But what exactly does Paul More

Is Marriage Really Made in Heaven? - Genesis 2:18-25; Hebrews 13:4

Since this is the first sermon in the God Speaks Today series, I thought we should answer a few key questions up front: More

Many Nations Under God: A Biblical View of World History - Genesis 10

At first glance Genesis 10 would not seem to offer much promise as a sermon text. To the untrained eye, it appears to be just one more biblical genealogy, although a closer examination reveals that it seems oddly diff More

Dare to be a Daniel - Daniel 1:8-21

The key to this passage is found in the very first verse: "But Daniel resolved …" The King James Version says, "But Daniel purposed in his heart." Another translation says he "made up his mind." Everything else More

Why We Don't Have to Win Every Argument

For the last few weeks in our studies of Romans 14-15, we have been looking at the call of God for believers in Christ to live together in peace despite our differences over secondary issues. Just as a reminder, here More

REACHING PEOPLE WITH GOD'S LOVE - Various

Friday morning I did something I had not done since becoming pastor of this church. I took a few minutes and sat on the steps in front of the sanctuary. It was a typical March day in Chicago–clear and cool wit More

I Will Pour Out My Spirit On All People - Joel 2:28-32; Acts 2:14-21

A few days ago I happened to see my son Mark intently reading a paperback book. When I asked him what he was reading, he named a title I recognized as being very popular with Christians in their 20's and early 30's. I More

Equal But Not Identical: Men And Women In The Local Church

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 femini More

When God Gives Up - Romans 1:24-32

There are some messages that pastors would rather not preach. This sermon definitely falls into that category. It's not that I am afraid to say what must be said; it is rather that I know these things will not be easy More

The Four Freshmen: How the World Tries to Seduce the Church - Daniel 1:1-7

This morning we begin a brand-new series called Daniel: Courageous Living in Turbulent Times. With Y2K only 55 days away, and with the recent Newsweek cover story on Bible prophecy called "The Way the World Ends," thi More

Is There Life After Death? Can We Be Sure? - Job 14:14

When Barry Grunow left for work on Friday morning, he had no idea he would never come home again. It was the last day of classes at the Lake Worth Community Middle School, just a few miles south of West Palm Beach, Fl More

"In the Beginning": The Most Important Verse in the Bible - Genesis 1:1

Today we are beginning a new sermon series entitled "First Things: The Amazing True Story of How the World Came to Be." Over the next few months we'll be looking in detail at the opening chapters of the Bible, Genesis More

A Few Good Men - Genesis 18:16-33

On this Memorial Day we honor the men and women of the armed forces, both those who have served with distinction in the past and those who serve our country today. Most of you are familiar with the Marine Corps sloga More

God's Mountain Man - 1 Kings 17:1

Last December right after the tsunami disaster, my friend Ramesh Richard, a professor at Dallas Seminary, sent an email that contained a simple, one-sentence prayer. He called it a "dangerous prayer." The moment I saw More

Behind Closed Doors - Hebrews 13:4

There are times when a writer knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that he doesn't have to worry about getting the reader's attention. Certain subjects require no gimmicks, tricks or elaborate introductions. Some subje More

God's Simple Plan of Salvation - Romans 10:5-13

This is a very familiar passage of Scripture. Most of us know certain parts of it by heart. I have asked the Lord to do me a favor and not let me say anything new. I don't want to say anything you haven't already hear More

Do Not Neglect Your Spiritual Gift - 1 Timothy 4:14

Is ministry your Spiritual Gift? No man calls himself into the ministry or into local church leadership. A self-called man and a God-called man are two different people. One man thinks he’s qualified so he calls himself. The other man feels unworthy but responds to God’s call. If God has called you, rise up, go forth and serve the Lord. More

Lessons for Modern-Day Sowers of the Word - Matthew 13:1-9; 18-23

The last few days I have been meditating on the famous parable of the seed and the sower. It is obviously important because is found in three different places in the gospels (with Jesus' explanation in parenthesis):Ma More

How to be a Godly Rebel - Romans 13:1-7

Winston Churchill once remarked that "democracy is the worst form of government until you consider the alternatives." How true. Democracy is messy and difficult and maddeningly slow because it depends on the will of More

The Salt and Light Brigade - Matthew 5:13-16

All of us were shocked and saddened by the tragic events in the Scottish highlands this week. On Wednesday a deranged gunman slaughtered sixteen schoolchildren and their teacher for no apparent reason. Commenting on More

A Place to Serve - Acts 6:1-7

"Anyone can be great because anyone can serve." Those are the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. They remind us of the words of Jesus who declared that he did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his lif More

Seven Signs Of The Second Coming

(Revised and Expanded January 9, 1991)The following things have happened in the last 72 hours:*Yesterday the Iraqi Revolutionary Council met with Saddam Hussein and reaffirmed that there would be no withdrawal from Ku More

What Does the Bible Say About Divorce and Remarriage? - Matthew 19:1-12

Perhaps the place to begin is with a few quotes taken from The Abolition of Marriage by Maggie Gallagher: "Over the past 30 years a consistent 96% of the American public has expressed a personal desire for marriage. O More

Christian Boldness in an Age of Tolerance - Genesis 18:16-33

I would like the Moody Married Students Fellowship for the invitation to address you this morning. As much as I am glad to be here—even on Friday the 13th—I am much more thankful for the topic assigned to More

Great Joy in the City - Acts 8:4-8

"Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all pai More

Going Against the Flow - I Peter 4:1-6

"Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil More

Goats 1, Rams 0 - Daniel 8

Before we jump into this chapter, several observations are in order. First, Daniel 8 on the surface appears to be dry as dust history in that it tells a story about a vision that was fulfilled in history over 2000 yea More

What About Those Who Never Hear The Gospel? - Romans 1:18-20

The subject for this morning is perhaps the most troubling question that Christians can face. The fate of those who never hear the gospel is both difficult and emotional. It's a tough question to think about because More

The Eyes of God Are Upon You - Various

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 More

The Right Stuff - Matthew 5:5

I clearly remember the first time the Beatitudes caught my attention. During the summer of 1980 Marlene and I traveled to Bogota, Columbia, to spend two weeks working with some missionaries we had met six years earli More

Image is Everything: Highly Valued, Deeply Fallen, Greatly Loved - Genesis 1:26-28

Upon reading these verses, the thought comes to mind that we're not in Eden anymore. Whatever else you can say about the first chapter of the Bible, the world of the 21st century is far removed from the world of Genes More

All One Body We: "The Communion of Saints" - Hebrews 12:1

"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" (Hebr More

Strangers in a Strange Land - I Peter 1:1-2

Today we are beginning a journey through I Peter. I encourage you to crease your Bible open to this little book because we're going to be here for several months. We're going to go through this epistle verse-by-verse More

The Incredible Adventure Begins - Genesis 12:1-9

This morning we are beginning a brand-new sermon series. This series is brand-new in two ways. It is new to us as a congregation and it is new to me personally. Although I have been your pastor for nearly seven yea More

When God Comes to Dinner - Genesis 18:1-15

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 C More

The Adventure Begins: How Jesus Works Through Ordinary People - Acts 1:1

Today we are beginning a brand-new sermon series from the book of Acts. I find myself excited as I think about this series because Acts is one of the most exciting books in the New Testament. It is also aptly named More

Babbling for Jesus: Speaking Truth to Highly Intelligent People - Acts 17:18-21

I'd like to begin by telling you about a new mission statement that has just been approved by the elders of the church. Several months ago the pastoral staff and the elders began working together to write a new missio More

Empty on the Inside: How God Reveals Himself to Us - Acts 17:26-28

In his book, Therefore Stand (written in 1945), Wilbur Smith has a chapter on Paul's speech to the Areopagus (Acts 17:16-34). Along the way he comments on the similarity between ancient Athens and modern America. For More

Some Sneered, Others Questioned, A Few Believed: Lessons on the Amazing Power of the Gospel - Acts 17:32-34

It is not often that a preacher has his sermon interrupted by the congregation. In the 29 years that I have been preaching, it has only happened to me a handful of times. Once in my first church in Downey, California More

God's Inerrant Word - Article A: The Scriptures - Various

Allan Bloom begins his ground-breaking work, The Closing of the American Mind, this way: There is one thing a professor can be absolutely certain of: almost every student entering the university believes, or says he More

What About Those Who Never Hear The Gospel? - Romans 1:18-20

The subject for this morning is perhaps the most troubling question that Christians can face. The fate of those who never hear the gospel is both difficult and emotional. It's a tough question to think about because a More

Men and Women in Biblical Perspective - Genesis 1-3

I find myself in a peculiar position this morning. No matter what I say, or how carefully I say it, someone is bound to disagree with me. But that doesn't begin to cover the subject. Not only will some people disagree More

Do You Have the Courage to be Happy? - Matthew 5:3-12

It started on a Friday night 17 years ago in Lansing, Michigan when a young sophomore came off the bench to lead Everett High School to victory. He scored 36 points, had 18 rebounds, 16 assists and 10 steals. It was More

New Testament Postcards: Philemon - Philemon 1-25

Today we are beginning a new sermon series on called New Testament Postcards based on the four1-chapter books in the New Testament. Before I go further, do you know the names of those four books? Here they are: Philem More