Sermons found for the topic Family

What If - 1 Corinthians 15:12-20

This sermon reveals the four disastrous consequnces if the resurrection is not true. If Christ did not rise from the dead, our preaching has no purpose, our faith has no forgiveness, our death has no deliverance, and our service has no significance. More

Adoption: Plenty of Room in the Family

When Leslie Lynch King, Jr. died earlier this week, it made headlines around the world. Commentators talked about his legacy, and in the United States flags were lowed to half-staff in his honor. That always happens when a president dies.But who was President King? You can’t find any record of a man by that name occupying the White House. But he did. Leslie Lynch King, Jr. served as president during a crisis moment in American More

He’s In Charge . . . So Relax! - Genesis 24

When you focus on God, he takes responsibility for the details of your life. More

Thanksgiving 365 - Proverbs 15:16-17

I am writing these words the day after Thanksgiving. Yesterday Marlene and I traveled to Oxford, Mississippi to spend time with my brother Andy, his wife Betty, and their daughter Megan. My brother Alan and his wife Donna brought a fried turkey. Marlene had prepared several dishes for the grand celebration. We spent time eating, laughing, telling stories, eating some more, and some of us watched football. When we got home in the eve More

Three Hard Words That Could Change Your Life - Luke 15:21

You don’t have to eat with the pigs forever. Your life can be changed if you are ready to get serious with the Lord. More

God Our Father - Matthew 6:9

The Lord’s Prayer answers the greatest question of the universe–Is there anybody up there who cares about me? Is there anybody up there who knows my name? And the answer comes back-Yes. Yes. Yes. There is a God in heaven who cares about you. And he is called Father. More

If I Should Die Before I Wake - Hebrews 11:20-22

The stories of Isaac, Jacob and Joseph show us what faith looks like at the end of life. Here is one mark of genuine Christianity. When you come to the end of your earthly journey, you still hold on to what you believe. Because Jesus died and rose again, we can face our own death with confidence, knowing that the Lord will not abandon us when we need him most. More

Suffer the Little Children - Matthew 18:1-6; 19:13-15

Jesus is on the side of those who love little children. More

Noah's Ark: A Picture of Salvation - Genesis 6:9-22

The story of Noah and the Ark is more popular than ever before. Even people who don’t know the Bible and never come to church know about Noah, his big boat, and all those animals coming in two by two. Two giraffes. Two tigers. Two snails, inching forward slowly. Two rabbits. Two parakeets. Even two skunks! And most people know about the great flood and how the boat floated until the waters receded. Then the animals departed two More

Shall We Kill Our Children Today? - Hebrews 11:23

The amazing faith of Moses’ parents shows us the high value that God puts on children, including those children that are born in less than ideal circumstances. Christians love children because God loves children. Ours is true pro-family religion. More

Lord’s Prayer People - Matthew 6:9-13

The Lord’s Prayer answers the question, “What does Christian prayer look like?” Truly Christian prayer starts with God, moves to our human needs, and rises to God again. More

How God Views Children - Psalm 127-128

God bless those who love the children God loves. More

Portrait of a Dysfunctional Family - Genesis 27

Although it is not a new word, most of us never heard the term “dysfunctional” until a few years ago. In the last decade, however, “dysfunctional” has become one of the buzz-words of this mixed-up generation. The dictionary defines the noun dysfunction as “the disordered or impaired functioning of a bodily system or organ.” In laymen’s terms that means your body doesn’t work the way i More

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About The Christian Life - Chapter 3

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Four Women in Jesus' Family Tree - Matthew 1:1-16

You might call this text “The forgotten chapter of the Christmas story.” It is a genealogy—a list of names, most of them unpronounceable. Because of that, this is a portion of Scripture that we tend to overlook. We don’t know what to do with it. It’s not often read in public. For that matter, we don’t read it often in private unless we’re following one of those “read the Bible in a More

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About The Christian Life - Chapter 7

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FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About The Christian Life - Chapter 10

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FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About The Christian Life - Chapter 12

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Arrows From Heaven

Ray: Here’s a scene from our house, circa 1989. It was 10 P.M. and Joshua and Mark had just returned from the swimming party at Concordia College. Joshua walked in, flopped on the couch and said, “I think Doug and I could be good friends.” At that moment Mark came charging in with a big announcement: “Guess what, Dad? I jumped off the high-dive.” Both boys then proceeded to tell me about their adventures More

Is There a Servant in the House? - Ephesians 5:22, 6:4

We live in strange and troubling days. I wonder if a week ago any of us had ever heard of Tonya Harding. Now, we’re all watching this tawdry thing unfold before our eyes wondering how this could have happened. Our hearts go out to Nancy Kerrigan. We hope that she can recover in time for the Olympics. And if you heard her on the interview the other day, they asked her, “Can you understand?” She said, “No, I can More

As for Me and My House: - Joshua 24:14-15

Today we are launching a brand-new series called “Heaven Help the Home.” As a place to begin, let’s consider these words by Chuck Swindoll: Whatever else may be said about the home, it is the bottom line of life, the anvil upon which attitudes and convictions are hammered out. It is the place where life’s bills come due, the single most influential force in our earthly existence.I’m sure you’ve hea More

Every Home a Little Church: - Deuteronomy 6:1-9; 2 Timothy 3:14-17

As the home goes, so goes the church. Everything we believe begins in the home where we learn to worship, to pray, to sing, and to read God’s Word. When Christian homes are strong, the church is strong. But when the homes are weak, the church cannot make up the difference. Deuteronomy 6:7 tells us to “impress” the commandments of God upon our children. The following verses tell us how to do it: By talking about God& More

Final Words of a Family Man - John 19:25-27

Part three of a sermon series “The seven last words of Christ” More

Born Free: Seven Promises You Can Count On - Galatians 3:15-4:11

The book of Galatians is all about how we can be right with God. Paul wrote this little “emergency letter” to remind us that being right with God is about believing, not achieving. Salvation is not about going to church, being religious, trying harder, or turning over a new leaf. You can’t purchase a ticket to heaven by doing good in this life. And God isn’t impressed by our efforts at self-improvement. That&r More

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

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 with just a touch of wind coming from the north. The sun was high overhead and partially obscured by the bell tower just over my shoulder. As I settled in to watch the passing parade, a woman got in a cherry-red minivan a More

From Rahab to Jesus - Hebrews 11:31

God delights in saving notorious sinners. He proved it by saving Rahab, a prostitute in ancient Jericho whose faith saved her whole family. There is no pit so deep that the love of God is not deeper still. There is no sin so terrible that Jesus cannot forgive it. More

The Three Rookies: Christ Speaks to the Problem of Convenient Excuses - Luke 9:57-62

I am writing these words at the end of our annual World Focus Week. Last Sunday many of our missionaries joined us for a few days as we focused on God’s work around the world. For the first time since becoming the pastor of this church 12 years ago, I was unable to take a significant part in our annual missions conference. Many of you know that our youngest son, Nick, had surgery earlier this week, and since Tuesday Marlene and More

The Rod of God: When Love Says No - Hebrews 12:5-11; Proverbs 13:34

“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 experience. To begin my sermon that way is to wade into the waters of hot controversy. Not everyone agrees with what I have just said and ma 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 different from the regular genealogies. From another point of view, it reads like an Old Testament phone book with the numbers mysteriously left out. Sometimes we talk about giving a certain passage a “casual” or More

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About The Christian Life - Chapter 1

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FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About The Christian Life - Chapter 8

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FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About The Christian Life - Chapter 6

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Forever and Ever, Amen! - Matthew 19:6

Let’s begin with a little quiz. What well-known television actor said the following? “To me the greatest Latin lover in the world was may Dad, who married my mother and was faithful to her until the day he died 55 years later. Now, that’s a great lover–a man who’s intelligent and romantic enough to keep one woman interested all the time.” Do you know who said that? I’ll give you a hint. More

We Shall Be Like Him: The Purifying Hope of Christ's Return - I John 3:1-3

Shortly before his recent death, ex-Beatle George Harrison was asked about his spiritual journey. The question was apt since it was Harrison who introduced the Beatles to Eastern religion in the 60s and (after the group broke up) wrote the song My Sweet Lord (a hymn of praise to the Hindu deity Krishna). To the end of his life, Harrison continued to investigate spiritual matters. He summed up his priorities this way: “Everythin More

Life Has Been Good - Various

This is the fifth year I have been privileged to give a State of the Church address to Calvary Memorial Church. In my first message I quoted the great Chicago architect Daniel Burnham who said, “Make no small plans. They have no power to stir men’s blood.”As far as I have been able, I have attempted to follow that advice. From the very first day I set foot in Oak Park, I felt that this was a church with a great p More

But God Remembered Noah: Hope for Those Who Feel Forgotten - Genesis 8:1

The story of Noah is very exciting until you get to Genesis 7. At that point, the story seems to get bogged down in details. There is information about the various animals brought on board, and also a very specific accounting regarding the precise dates when certain events relating to the flood took place. It’s easy to skim over this chapter and the next one in order to resume the “action” in Genesis 9. But that wou More

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About The Christian Life - Chapter 9

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FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About The Christian Life - Chapter 11

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No Hopeless Cases - Romans 11:11-16

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 heard anybody discuss the subject of Jewish evangelism. It was all new and different to me because I only knew of one Jewish family in our c More

Let's Bring Back the Holy Kiss: Rediscovering Real Love in the Family of God - Romans 16:1-16

“Greet one another with a holy kiss” (Romans 16:16).In some ways Romans 16 appears to be one of the least-interesting chapters of the New Testament. It consists mostly of Paul’s greetings to a long list of people in Rome. At first glance that doesn’t seem to offer much that would interest us today inasmuch as the names are hard to pronounce and even harder to spell. Paul sends greetings to people with strange More

A Tale of Two Women: Are You a Child of Promise? - Galatians 4:21-31

Almost all the commentators agree that this is the hardest passage in the book of Galatians. It’s not easy to understand on a quick reading exactly what Paul means to say. Or perhaps more accurately, we know in general terms what he is trying to say; it’s how he says it that trips us up. For that reason, many people skip right over these verses so they can get to the “good stuff” in chapter 5, especially the p More

Burning the Plow - 1 Kings 19:19-21

"It does not matter whether or not people understand us or think we are even sane as long as we are true to God. Obedience to him is the important thing.” Theodore EppElijah was not the most balanced man in the Bible. If you made a list of adjectives that described him, balanced would probably not make the top fifty. It’s hard to call a rough-hewn mountain man balanced. What do you say about a man who …Faced down a More

We Believe, Therefore We Speak - 2 Corinthians 4:13-15

May God give us preachers with some backbone who won’t back down. God deliver us from politically correct sermons and preachers who preach everything but the Word of God. More

Portrait of a Godly Leader - I Timothy 3; Titus 1

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 … but you can’t buy character. Either a person has it or he doesn’t. That fact has come home to me in recent days as o More

Arrows From Heaven: - Psalm 127-128

What a difference a day makes. Tuesday morning dawned bright and clear and peaceful in Littleton, Colorado. At Columbine High School the students were still buzzing about the prom the previous Saturday night. Little did they know that their tranquil world was about to be shattered forever. At 11:15 a.m., Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold opened fire. Before they were finished 12 students and one teacher would die and many more would be i More

Something New Under the Sun: Ancient Wisdom for Contemporary Living - 37. ALONE AT THE TOP

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When Christians Disagree - Acts 15:36-41

Christians disagree about almost everything. And when we disagree, we usually start a new church. Which reminds me of a story I heard a few years ago. A Scottish Presbyterian is rescued after many years of living alone on a desert island. When he is picked up, the captain says to him, “I thought you were stranded alone.” “I was,” replied the castaway. “Why are there three huts on the beach?” & More

When Life Tumbles In, What Then? - Job 1

We do not gain if we turn away from God in the time of trouble. If we turn away from God, we lose our only ground of hope. More

The ABC’s of Wisdom: Building Character with Solomon - Integrity

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