As this is the first Sunday of a new year, it is an appropriate moment to begin a new sermon […]
Text: Jeremiah 24:7; John 17:3; Ephesians 1:17; 2 Thessalonians 1:8One of the many important decisions confronting new parents is, “What shall we call our baby?” Most new parents spend […]
Text: Isaiah 9:6There are only ten days left until Christmas. Have you done your shopping yet? Be careful, because there are some […]
Text: Micah 6:6-8We are called to be a kingdom of people living in a foreign land, representing the King himself in a world that thought it best to crucify him. In his long absence we are called to stand in his place, taking care of his interests, spreading his Word, and inviting others to join his cause. This is a high and noble calling: Let us live so that no one will be surprised to discover who it is we represent.
Text: 1 Thessalonians 2:7-12In many ways we stand exactly where Abraham stood 4000 years ago. The people of God still die one by one. I still do funerals every year for people I know and love. Like Abraham, we too have not received the fulfillment of everything God has promised for us. And the point of Genesis 23 is still true today. We die, but the promises of God live on after us.
Text: Genesis 23Our Heavenly Father leads us along the pathway of complete trust in him. Slowly but surely we discover that the things we thought we couldn’t live without don’t matter as much as we thought they did. Even the dearest and sweetest things of life take second place to the pleasure of knowing God. In the end we discover that he has emptied our hands of everything and then filled them with himself.
Text: Genesis 22Peace never just happens. Someone has to go out of his way to make peace. That is why Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers”—not the peace-wishers or the peace-hopers. In a world torn by strife and fueled by hatred, we need Christians who will step into the breach as true peacemakers.
Text: Genesis 21:22-34Are there hidden areas of your life where you have harbored sin in your heart? Have you coddled sinful tendencies and made excuses for sinful habits when instead you should by the Spirit put to death the deeds of the flesh? If we are not ruthless with ourselves, we stand in danger of doing exactly what Abraham did.
Text: Genesis 20In whom are you trusting to take you to heaven? After all, salvation is not a what; it’s a who. The issue is your relationship to Jesus Christ. Let me give you five simple words that can take you all the way from earth to heaven. Here they are: Only Jesus and Jesus only. Only Jesus can save you so put your trust in Jesus only.
Text: Genesis 17Do you believe it was just a myth? Do you think Jesus somehow staged his own death and then faked his resurrection? Why did the Jews concoct a plot while Jesus was still dead? Why were they so afraid? Why were the grave clothes left in such an odd position? If he didn’t rise from the dead, what happened to his body? These are the questions you need to think about. After you are through, then it’s time to make up your own mind. When Jesus stood before Pilate he declared, “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me” (John 18:37). Whose side are you on?
Text: Matthew 28:11-15