Nehemiah 12:27-47
A Celebration of Joy Introduction: Two and a half years ago I stood at the Berlin Wall and watched as hundreds of young people, under the confused and helpless gaze of East German guards, chipped away at that hated symbol of Communist repression. To the German people that wall divided them from their families, from their fellow-countrymen, and from the ideals of freedom and opportunity. There was no joyful dedication when that wall was erected in 1961, only when it was torn down…
Nehemiah 13:4-31
Eternal Vigilance Is the Price of Liberty Introduction: A better writer surely would have ended the book of Nehemiah one chapter sooner. You will recall that the completion of the wall of Jerusalem in chapter six was followed by a significant spiritual revival, a return to the Word of God, the confession of sin, public written agreements to live in obedience to God, and a willingness on the part of many to repopulate Jerusalem and serve God faithfully. Then they dedicated the wall…
1 Kings 1-4
Solomon: “Give Your Servant a Discerning Heart” Introduction: We’re going to begin today with a little quiz. I want you to take a pen or pencil and write something on your worship folder. Suppose I was in a position to give you any three wishes your little heart desired, what would they be? That’s right. Anything you want. Write it down. You don’t have to show it to anyone else–this is just between you and the Lord. Have you got it? Now just set it aside; we’ll come back…
1 Kings 5-9, 2 Chronicles 2-7
Solomon: “I Intend to Build a Temple for the Name of the Lord My God.” Introduction: A week ago I was at a worship retreat where, as an ice breaker, everyone was asked, “If you had a choice of all human beings, dead or alive, with whom would you choose to spend an afternoon?” It was fascinating to hear the answers and the reasons for the answers. My immediate response was my grandfather, Edwin Samuel Roth, who died in his 90’s just after our…
1 Kings 12, 2 Chronicles 10
Rehoboam: “He Rejected the Advice the Elders Gave” Introduction: The Scriptures offer two powerful epitaphs for Rehoboam, and they are closely related to one another. I have chosen the first, from 1 Kings 12:8, as my title today, namely, “He rejected the advice the Elders gave.” But the second, from 2 Chronicles 12:14, is just as important: “He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord.” The first is outward while the second is inward. The first deals with symptoms while the…
1 Kings 13, 20
The Man of God From Judah: Nothing Trumps a Word from God. Introduction: Every Sunday I announce at the bottom of the outline what the sermon and the text will be for the following Sunday. Last Lord’s Day I noted that today I would be preaching on “The Man of God from Judah” from 1 Kings 13, and the epitaph I listed for this unnamed prophet was this: “He listened to a prophet of the Lord instead of to the Lord.” Well, I’m still…
1 Kings 15:9-24, 2 Chronicles 14-16
Asa: “He Did Not Seek Help from the Lord, But Only from the Physicians.” Introduction: Dr. John Piper is a well-known pastor and writer in Minneapolis. This past week I came across a prayer he used before preparing a sermon: Lord, I have a text and I have an idea and a mind and hands and a computer and health and energy and a free day and safety from interruption. If I rely on these things–these good things that you yourself have given me–then…
1 Kings 17
The Widow of Zarephath: A Double Blessing for a Single Parent Introduction: Do you know the origin of Mother’s Day? It’s not a biblical holiday, though the honoring of mothers and of motherhood is certainly a biblical concept. Mother’s Day was first celebrated in 1908 in a little church in Grafton, West Virginia. Anna Jarvis wanted to honor her own mother, which she did by declaring the day Mother’s Day. Today it is a widely recognized opportunity to express our love and appreciation for our…
1 Kings 18:16-46
Elijah: “Do It Again.” Introduction: This morning we come to one of the great battle stories of the Bible–not great in the number of troops involved or in the number of casualties experienced but in the decisiveness of the victory. This battle was between two men. One was a wealthy and powerful monarch with scores of troops and bodyguards, plus chariots and countless weapons, yet he stood morally bankrupt and helpless in the presence of the other. The second man was without wealth, without…
1 Kings 19:1-18
Elijah: “I Have Had Enough, Lord. Take my life.” Introduction: The epitaph I have chosen for Elijah this morning is a direct quote from his lips: “I have had enough, LORD. Take my life.” Is that amazing, or what? Here is one of the greatest miracle workers of the Bible, the one who just defeated the 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah in the Battle of the gods, the one who with his prayers brought rain after a 3 ½ year drought–and within the space…
2 Kings 5
Elisha, Naaman: “Wash and Be Cleansed!” Introduction: We are currently engaged in a series of messages on the kings and prophets of Israel. The last few Sundays we have been studying the life of the prophet Elijah, an amazing miracle-worker but also a person just like us. We understand that better after last Sunday, don’t we? Because today is Family Worship, we are skipping ahead a few chapters in our series to the life of Elisha, who was Elijah’s successor, and to a…
1 Kings 21
Ahab and Jezebel: “There Was Never a Man Like Ahab, Who Sold Himself to Do Evil in the Eyes of the LORD, Urged on by Jezebel His Wife.” Introduction: The epitaph I have chosen today is much too long to fit on most tombstones, but the whole things is necessary to tell the story of Ahab. Today is Father’s Day, and while Ahab (and his wife Jezebel) are not an ideal topic for such a noble day, there is a main character in…