Sermons found for the topic Risk

What Is Your Isaac? - Hebrews 11:17-19

From the story of Abraham offering Isaac, we learn that God calls us to yield our dearest treasures to him. Anything good can become an idol when it becomes too important to us. What is your Isaac? Are you willing to lay it down for Jesus’ sake? 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

Come Before Winter - 2 Timothy 4:21

Procrastination destroys many good intentions. Some things must be done “before winter” or they will not be done at all. There are doors of opportunity that open before us today, but if we do not take advantage of them, tomorrow they will be forever shut. More

By Faith - Hebrews 11:1-2

Faith is the law of the kingdom. It is “belief plus unbelief and acting on the belief part.” Every blessing of the kingdom is available to those who put their faith to work by “acting on the belief part,” moment by moment, day by day, one little step at a time. More

Ballistic Christianity - Matthew 9:35-38

“Then He said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few…’ What did Jesus mean? He meant there were many people ready to be harvested for the Kingdom. All around us there are broken, bleeding, hurting people, ripped apart and left to die, they are ready to be reached if only someone will go to the harvest fields. If only someone will tell them about Jesus. Where are the harvest fields today? Let me name a few …. More

Are You Living By Creative Risk? - Matthew 4:22-32

It was Helen Keller who said, "Life is either a daring adventure, or it is nothing at all." Those words would ring true no matter who said them, but coming from someone who lived a life like Helen Keller, they merit More

Life on the Edge: Make the Most of Every Moment - Matthew 25:14-30

This wonderful little story is called the Parable of the Talents. Readers are drawn to it because it is simple, clear and easy to understand. And its lessons are impossible to miss. This parable tells what to do while More

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

Throughout history, God has grown and moved his church as his people scattered to diverse locations geographically. This pattern has not changed and believers are still called to grow and expand as a church today, whether we move across national boundaries, ethnic and cultural boundaries, or do church planting in our immediate communities. Beginning with the first generation of believers in the book of Acts, we hear of Phillip, who was emboldened and changed by the power of God as he moved out in obedience to spread the Gospel. Despite severe persecution, great joy descended on those who received the truth that came with power. In this present age, we have the account of the phenomenal growth of the church in China. In 1949 all Christian missionaries were evicted leaving less than one million indigenous believers behind. They faced relentless bloodbaths and eradication. Yet the church grew in the midst of that persecution when determined believers scattered and went underground. The challenge to believers today remains the same—to be willing to be moved out of our personal comfort zones, to walk in faith, to make personal sacrifices, and most importantly, to trust God for our personal well-being and needs. More

Making God's A-Team - Philippians 2:19-30

Let's begin with a question that might be slightly embarrassing to some people. Do you like to read other people's mail? When I asked that question on Sunday morning, I noticed quite a few sheepish grins in the congre More

The Strange Case of the Missing Spear - I Samuel 26

First Samuel 26 tells the story of how David spared Saul’s life. If you have a good memory, you may think to yourself, “I’ve heard this before.” And if you think that, you are almost right because More

Does Your Bag Have Holes? - Haggai 1

Today we begin a new sermon series on a forgotten book of the Bible. In fact this particular book is so forgotten that you may have trouble finding it. I like to tell people that Haggai is right after Zephaniah and ju More

Three Arrows at Sunrise - I Samuel 18-23

In our study of the early years of David as he journeyed from the sheep pens to the throne, we have come to the story of his friendship with Jonathan. This is perhaps the most famous friendship in the Bible and it is More

The Host Who Forgot His Manners: Christ Speaks to the Problem of Spiritual Pride - Luke 7:36-50

This text is one of the great short stories of the Bible. A Hollywood writer could turn it into a terrific one-hour drama on TV. You might call it "The Preacher and the Prostitute," or you could call it "Guess Who's C More

What the Bible Says About Homosexuality - Various

Perhaps the place to begin this morning is with the simple confession that I did not want to preach this message. It was not part of my preaching calendar and I did not make the final decision until two and a half wee More

What is the Difference Between A Real Christian and a Religious Person? - John 3

Being religious is not the same as being a real Christian. Jesus said even the best among us must be born again. A religious person has religion; a Christian has been born again through personal faith in Jesus Christ. It’s as simple as that. Religion is good but Jesus is better. More

How to Be a Great Lover - Luke 7:36-50

My text today is one of the great short stories of the Bible. Somebody like Steven Bochco could turn this into a terrific one-hour drama on TV. You might call it "The Churchman and the Prostitute," or you could call More

Calvary in the Park: Faith/Hope/Love - Various

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Spiritual Warfare 101 - Genesis 14 / Hebrews 7

On Friday a friend called and asked how my week had gone. After I told him, he said, "You won't believe what's happened to me this week." First of all, he owed thousands of dollars in income tax that he hadn't expec 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

God Unchanging - Romans 11:28-29

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 street More

Don't Bet On It: Gambling And The Christian Faith

"Gambling is inevitable." So began the introduction to the final report of the Commission on the Review of National Policy Toward Gambling. "No matter what is said or done by advocates or opponents of gambling in all More

Going All In: "The Third Day He Rose from the Dead" - I Corinthians 15:17-19

Dr. Billy Graham once told Time magazine, "If I were an enemy of Christianity, I would aim right at the Resurrection, because that is the heart of Christianity."The founder of the Jesus seminar, Dr. Robert Funk, offer More

Are You Prepared to Suffer for Christ? - I Peter 3:13-17

Are you prepared to suffer for Christ? For most of us, the answer is no. For most of the Christians in the world, the answer is yes. “Christianity was born in a world of totalitarianism … it was not stran More

In the Presence of My Enemies - I Samuel 23

In our study of the early years of the life of David, we have been tracing his rise from the sheepfolds of Bethlehem to the throne of Israel. It is an unlikely story and a journey with many surprising twists and turns More

The Father of a Dying Son - John 4:46-54

This is the story of a man whose son was dying. We do not know the precise nature of the son's illness except that he had a high fever and was near the point of death. We do not know the son's name or his age but ther More

The Decision You Must Make - John 1:12-13

This is the final sermon in the series "How to Be Right with God." As I have mentioned earlier, these sermons will form the basis for a "gospel book" I am writing under the co-sponsorship of Moody Press and the Commit More

Obadiah: A Good Man in a Hard Place - 1 Kings 18:1-15

Ahab was angry and that wasn't good news. It wasn't just that he was having a bad day or a bad week or even a bad month. For Ahab things had gone bad for the last three years. That's a long stretch of bad luck, and it 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. More

Grow Up! - 1 Corinthians 13:7

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you weren't married? If somehow you were suddenly single again? No matter how happy your marriage is, every honest person would have to answer yes to those questions More

Why Good People Won't Go to Heaven - Romans 10:1-4

I'd like to talk to you about who goes to heaven. We all know that the Bible teaches the reality of heaven and the reality of hell. Jesus himself spoke of both places many times. All of us, I'm sure, would like to More

Samson and the Fine Art of Self-Control

In December 2004 I received an email that changed my life. Right after the tsunami that devastated Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India, Ramesh Richard, a professor at Dallas Seminary, sent an email that contained More

If I Believe, Why Do I Doubt?

This is a sermon about a topic we rarely discuss in church. This is a sermon about doubt. As such, it is an unfamiliar topic to most people, even though there are whole books of the Bible that deal with the issue of d More

Balancing Truth and Love - 2 John

“Affiliation with the enemies of the Cross spells a lie to all claims to believe the truth."Robert Lightner This little letter contains one of the strongest warnings in the New Testament. If a false teacher More

The Winds Of War - Matthew 24:6

(Date: January 20, 1991)What a week it's been for all of us! This has been one of those rare moments when time, which had been rolling smoothly along, suddenly came to a total halt. Do you remember where you were when More

Sleeping Together and Christ’s Global Cause

Why shouldn’t two adult Christians who happen to be divorced and have fallen in love—why shouldn’t they sleep together? That’s the question a man asked in an email. Here is my answer. 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

Sobriety: Knowing When to Say No

SOBRIETY KNOWING WHEN TO SAY NO “Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.” Proverbs 20:1 There are a great many references to wine, strong drink, and drunkenness scattered throughout the Bible. The earliest reference is in Genesis, the last in Revelation. The total number of … More

Level Three Faith and How to Get There - Hebrews 11:13-16

Every time a church enters a stewardship campaign, there is danger and there is also opportunity. The main danger is that the church will talk so much about money that people will begin to equate the whole of Christia More

The Greatest Risk You'll Ever Take: "I Believe in God" - Hebrews 11:6

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (Hebrews 11:6).The Bible declares God's existence. It do More

Love Never Gives Up - I Corinthians 13:7

The New International Version tells us that love "always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." The Contemporary English Version says that love "is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting." More

Only One Gospel: Why We Preach an Unpopular Doctrine - Galatians 1:1-10

Today we are beginning a brand-new sermon series on the book of Galatians. Whenever a pastor starts a new series, especially an exposition of a book of the Bible, it's always useful to know why this book and why now. More

Risky Business: The Other Side of Christian Freedom - Galatians 5:13-15

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free" (Galatians 5:1a). What exactly is this Christian freedom that Paul talks so much about in Galatians? In order to help us understand the answer, I'd like to borrow a defi More

Living by Faith in an Uncertain World - Hebrews 11:8-10

He must have been in a hurry to get home to see his family. That's the only reason his friends could think of to explain why Thomas Burnett of San Ramon, California changed his reservations and took an earlier flight More

Restoring the Fallen, Helping the Hurting: Two Ways You Can Serve the Lord - Galatians 6:1-5

We begin with a famous story from the early days of the Salvation Army. As the eyes of the nation have focused on the rescue and recovery efforts in New York City, the work of the Salvation Army has been easy to spot. More

Branded for Christ: A Solemn Call to Glory in the Cross - Galatians 6:11-18

Six months after we started, we come at last to the end of our journey through the book of Galatians. It has been an exciting trip! Time and again we have been brought face to face with the grace of God as the only ho 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

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

Famine in the Promised Land - Genesis 12:10-20

"Smart people sometimes do some very stupid things." A few years ago Jim Warren shared a statement with me that a friend had shared with him. It goes like this. "When hard times come, we always have two choices. W More

How to Make Peace with Your Enemies - Genesis 21:22-34

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. Ha More

The Barnabas Factor - Romans 12:8

If someone were to give you a name indicative of your personality, what would it be? What nickname or adjective would sum up who you really are? We do that sort of thing all the time. For instance, if I mention Hon More