Sermons found for the topic Sin

Singing Your Way to Victory - 2 Chronicles 20

"I have no use for cranks who despise music, because it is a gift of God. Music drives away the Devil and makes people gay; they forget thereby all wrath, unchastity, arrogance, and the like. Next after theology, I g More

Whatever Became of Sin? - Romans 7:7-13

In 1990, Life Magazine published an article naming the 100 most significant individuals of the 20th century. Many of the names are familiar, but one may be new to you—Karl Menninger. You may not recognize his More

The Truth About You - Ephesians 2:1-3

A quarter-century ago psychiatrist Karl Menninger wrote a landmark book titled Whatever Became of Sin? In it he frames the question this way:In all the laments and reproaches made by our seers and prophets, one misses More

Free at Last - Romans 6:1-7

There are many reasons people give for not becoming a Christian. Most of those reasons are in the form of either excuses or misunderstandings. But there is at least one reason that bears some consideration.The woman More

He Became Sin for Us: What the Cross Meant to Christ - 2 Corinthians 5:21

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). This is one of the most magnificent verses in the all the Bible. Spurgeon called More

Do Not Take Your Holy Spirit From Me! - Psalms 51:11

"Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me" (Psalms 51:11). It is sometimes said that no Christian should ever pray this prayer, but I wonder if that is correct. Clearly David feared b More

The Positive Power of Forgiveness: "I Believe in the Forgiveness of Sins" - Psalm 130:3-4

If you know a bit about church history, you know that before Martin Luther became the father of the Protestant Reformation, he was a Catholic priest. As part of his training, he spent years studying Greek, Hebrew, Lat More

Anatomy of a Backslider - Genesis 20

One of the great proofs of the supernatural origin of the Bible it that it tells the truth about people. As you read the Bible, you will find that it discloses the whole range of human activity—including the da More

Where Grace and Wrath Meet: What the Cross Meant to God - Romans 3:24-26

Easter comes in just six weeks. In order to prepare our hearts we are going to take the five weeks leading up to Palm Sunday to focus on the cross of Christ. I do not intend to repeat the details of what happened on G More

You Gotta Serve Somebody - Romans 6:15-23

We'll call him Bill, but it doesn't matter. He's been a Christian for three or four or five years. Although he comes to church, he's not very faithful and he doesn't seem very interested in growing in his walk with Ch More

The Wages of Sin: Why Nothing Works Right - Genesis 3:7-19

Three hundred seventy-nine days ago, Martin and Gracia Burnham were captured by Muslim terrorists in the Southern Philippines. They were staying at the Dos Palmas resort off the island of Palawan when members of the A More

Sinners in the Hands of a Merciful God - Romans 11:30-32

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 h More

The Days of Noah: Why God Sent the Flood - Genesis 6:1-8

This is the first of several sermons on Noah and the flood. As we begin our study of this important event, I'd like to focus our attention on a very crucial point: If this story is true, that is, if it really happened More

Overcoming Discontentment - I Corinthians 7:17-35

Ever since the beginning of creation, when the first creatures came from the hand of God, there has always been someone, somewhere, unhappy with his position in the universe. It all started with an angel named Lucifer More

Paradise Lost - Romans 5:12-14

"No doctrine of the Bible is as easy to prove as the doctrine of original sin." When I read those words by Donald Grey Barnhouse, they seemed to leap off the page. That's the doctrine that says that left to yourself, More

Unworthy - I Corinthians 11:27

There are two dangers we face whenever we come to the Lord's table. The first danger is that we will feel that we are not worthy to be here. And the second danger is that we will feel that we are worthy. The first dan More

The Woman Caught in the Act: Christ Speaks to the Problem of a Judgmental Spirit - John 8:1-11

"It is a terrible thing for a sinner to fall into the hands of his fellow sinners." F. B. MeyerThis is the story of Jesus and the woman taken in adultery. It is so popular that even those who rarely read the Bible kno More

The Truth About Same-Sex Marriage - Genesis 1:26-28; Revelation 22:17

My story today begins a long way from Oak Park, and a long way from our current controversies. In order to get the proper perspective, let's go all the way back to the beginning of the Bible. To quote a line from The More

The Positive Power of Prayer - Daniel 9:1-23

I suppose that most of us know the final words of James 5:16, "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." This oft-quoted promise reminds us that when righteous people call out to God, their prayers act More

Does Jesus Know My Name?

A few months ago we opened the Anchor Book Depot in Chicago to give away copies of a simple gospel book called "An Anchor for the Soul." This is a continuation of a ministry that started seven years ago. Since then we More

Snake Eyes - Genesis 3:1-7

"The literal Genesis record of supernatural creation is the foundation of the true gospel, the true doctrine of Christ, true evangelism, genuine saving faith, and of all the key aspects of biblical Christianity." "All More

Real Hope for Lasting Change - I Corinthians 6:9-11

"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the gre More

The Day God Died: "Crucified, Died" - Hebrews 9-10

The Apostles' Creed contains four phrases that refer to the death of Jesus Christ:Crucified,Died,Buried,Descended into Hell.If you think about it, this seems redundant, especially in a Creed where the entire Christian More

You Can Stumble But You Won't Fall - Psalm 37:23-24

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand" (Psalm 37:23-24 NKJV).Since this is the final Su More

God's Scapegoat: "Buried" - Leviticus 16

"I believe in Jesus Christ ¼ who suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried." The Apostles' CreedThis is a sermon based on a word that doesn't seem necessary. We know Jesus died. We know he ros More

I Am a Sinner Too: What Pastors Need to Remember

My text is Ecclesiastes 7:19-22: "Wisdom makes one wise man more powerful than ten rulers in a city. There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins. Do not pay attention to every word peop More

The Struggle - Romans 7:14-25

I would like to begin with three observations about this famous text. Observation number one is this: Romans 7 is a passage that grips us because we understand exactly what it is saying. We see ourselves in it. Wh More

The Only Way to Be Right With God - Romans 3:21-26

This morning we are considering the greatest question in the world—How can a man be right with God? It is the supreme problem of life. No more important question could ever be asked.Every sincere person asks thi More

Will Everyone Eventually Be Saved? - II Peter 3:9

I can think of only four ways to answer the question raised in the title of this sermon:1) Everyone will eventually be saved.2) No one will eventually be saved.3) Some will be saved and some will be lost.4) There is n More

Dear Sarah: A Letter About Forgiveness at Christmastime

(A few days ago I received a letter that took over a month to finally reach me. It came from someone I have never met. Because of the unusual nature of the letter, I began to think about the question, "What does forgi More

The Third Law: What God Demands, He Supplies

In this sermon series we're looking at the basic laws of the spiritual life that apply to all Christians everywhere. These are the principles that every Christian needs to know because they meet you right where you ar More

I Object! - Romans 3:1-8

It's been a revealing week in Washington. A few days ago the House of Representatives voted 426-0 to reveal the names of all past and present members who have bounced checks at the House bank, an act that one commenta More

The Triumphant Christ - I Peter 3:18-22

This is the hardest passage in the New Testament. That’s what my Greek professor said when we were studying I Peter in seminary. I recall him saying that there are so many possible views about these verses that More

Is Total Forgiveness Realistic? - Ephesians 4:29-32

A few days ago I received an e-mail with a comment about these sermons on forgiveness:Since you started this series, I have made some important discoveries in my life, but am enjoying it all the same. Maybe ‘enj More

Looking for a Second Chance: What About Purgatory and Postmortem Salvation? - Hebrews 1:3

Most people think that Catholics believe in purgatory and Protestants don't. That statement needs qualification in two ways. First, the various Orthodox churches also believe in purgatory, though we don't often hear a More

Forward-Leaning Defense

"There is no victory at bargain basement prices." General Dwight Eisenhower"World War IV began in a long string of terrorist attacks, whose real nature went unrecognized until on September 11, 2001, huge billows of bl More

Good, Pleasing, Perfect - Romans 12:2

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:2).Bible translators han More

Why God Chooses Splendid Sinners and Lovable Losers - 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

When God chooses people for his family, he picks those the world considers losers. This means that imperfect people make excellent candidates for the grace of God. Since we are all imperfect, when we boast, let us boast only in the Lord. More

How to be Right With God - Luke 18:9-14

When a friend heard I was preaching on how to be right with God, he sent me this e-mail message:What a great topic for a Sunday sermon. It's one that is especially poignant for the alcoholic, addict, etc., because so 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

Be Still and Know - Psalm 46:10

Why did the deadly cyclone hit Myanmar and the earthquake devastate the Sichuan Province in China? Our first response to questions like that is critical. Psalm 46:10 teaches us to be silent, and in our silence we will know God in the midst of great tragedy. More

Praying for the Lost - I Timothy 2:1-6

"Prayer is the lifeline of New Testament evangelism, the oxygen for its holy fire. The New Testament was born in prayer. It knows no evangelism without prayer, and no prayer which does not lead to evangelism." Those a More

Choose Life! - Deuteronomy 30:19-20

Whoever occupies the Oval Office for the next four years will make decisions that will guide our nation far into the future. Which way will we go? How should we make up our minds? This sermon argues that we should “choose lifeâ€� by taking our Christian convictions with us into the voting booth. 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

Snake Eyes: The Four Stages of Temptation - Genesis 3:1-7

The Bible makes no sense unless we understand the first few chapters of Genesis. These chapters answer a very crucial question: Where did we come from and how did we get from where we started to where we are today? Th More

Forgiveness and the Lord's Prayer - Matthew 6:12

"Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors" (Matthew 6:12 KJV).The fifth petition of the Lord's Prayer seems simple enough, but simple things can sometimes be very deep. Everyone agrees that this is a difficult w More

Repent! The Forgotten Doctrine of Salvation - Acts 17:30

In 1937 the American Tract Society sponsored a contest in which they offered a prize of $1,000 for the best new book written on one of the "essential evangelical doctrines of the Christian faith." Sixty-one years ago, More

Amazing Grace - Ephesians 2:1-9

Since this is a sermon series on the gospel, I would like to point out that my text contains the whole gospel message in just six words. If you know what these words are and what they mean, you will know the gospel. A More

A Warning to Wine-Drinkers - Romans 14:13-23

Christian Liberty - You are free! Absolutely free. Christ has liberated you from the terrible burden of having to prove your worth by keeping a set of rules. You are free from the law, free from rule keeping, and free to make responsible choices. God has set you free so that you can please him with the choices you make. More

Martin Luther's Highway to Heaven - Romans 1:16-17

It is a mark of our changing times that many people have only a vague idea who Martin Luther is. Most of us have heard his name but we're not sure where he's from or what he did or when he lived. Some of us even get More