Ezra 5, 6
The Lord of History Introduction: The other day I watched a news program which indicated that gambling is the fastest growing industry in the United States. Forty-eight states now have some form of legalized gambling—lotteries, horse racing, dog racing, casinos, etc. Even East St. Louis has finally discovered the golden egg that is supposed to pull it out of poverty—legalized gambling. When you add to that all the legal and illegal gambling that goes on in sports, office pools, card games, church bingo, and…
Ezra 4
The Many Faces of Opposition Introduction: Life can be tough. Just the ordinary responsibilities of making a living, developing family relationships, putting a kid through college, and keeping two cars running can leave you exhausted at the end of the day. And if you have a high‑stress job, a child who’s difficult, high balances on your credit cards, and elderly parents who need lots of attention, you may feel at times that you can hardly cope. But when you add to all that the…
Ezra 7
A Man of the Word Introduction: One of the highest compliments one can receive is for someone to say you are a person of your word—that you will do exactly what you say. Or if you sign a document, you will fulfill the obligations listed in that document. People who can’t write generally have someone else print their name and then they add an “x”. Originally the “X” was an imitation of the cross of Christ, and to make that sign was the same…
Ezra 8
Accompaniments of Revival Introduction: Last Sunday we noted that there are three essential ingredients to experience revival: a renewed commitment to Scripture, earnest prayer, and confession. I think I would like to change that slightly. Prayer and confession really go together, while the third ingredient is better stated as true repentance. We’ve already seen the importance of the Scriptures in the life and ministry of Ezra, and next Lord’s Day we will examine a powerful passage in chapters 9 & 10 on prayer and…
Ezra 9, 10
Taking Sin Seriously Introduction: In 1973, at the age of 80, Karl Menninger of the world-famous Menninger School of Psychiatry in Topeka, Kansas, published a book which shocked the mental health community. Its title was Whatever Became of Sin? It was not a biblical theology of sin, but its thesis was a welcome corrective, namely that moral responsibility must be brought back into the therapy process. The shock, unfortunately, was short-lived, and today sin is once again as foreign a concept to psychiatry as efficiency…
Romans 1:1-13
The Christian’s Constitution Without any reasonable doubt whatever, the greatest theological treatise ever written is the Book of Romans. I personally know of five pastors who each spent more than three years preaching through this book, and even then, they claimed they had done no more than scratch the surface of this spiritual gold mine. One preached for 13 years from Romans and then published a four-volume commentary on the book. While it is my present aim to work our way through…
Romans 1:1-6, 14-17
Unashamed of the Gospel Introduction: The official name of this church is First Evangelical Free Church. The first time some people hear that name they wonder, “Is this some kind of a cult, or why do they have such a weird name?” Well, our first name is not such a problem, because lots of churches have that name—it simply signifies that a particular church is the first one of its denomination in a given city. Our last name, “Free,” is a little more difficult…
Romans 1:18-20
Are the Unreached Really Lost? Introduction: Suppose for a moment that you are the personnel director of the St. Louis Post Dispatch. You need to hire some more reporters, so you go over to Washington University and begin to interview students who are scheduled to graduate in May from the School of Journalism. One young man seems to be a particularly bright prospect. He has an excellent academic record and handles himself very well during the interview. You’re about to offer him a job when…
Romans 1:18-32
When God Gives Up Introduction: Today we have our second Bad News sermon in a row. The Bad News refers not, I trust, to the quality of the sermon, but rather to the subject matter. We’re in one of the darkest, most somber portions of the entire Bible here in Rom. 1:18-3:20, which I have chosen to preach under three main headings: Are the unreached really lost and on their way to Hell? (last Sunday & today) Are “good” people really lost? (next Lord’s Day)…
Romans 2:1-16
Are Good People Lost, Too? Introduction: We enter today into the second section of the bad news portion of the book of Romans. In the first section the Apostle Paul asked the question, “Are the unreached really lost and on their way to hell?” and answered it with a resounding, “Yes.” They are without excuse because they know God through nature and conscience, yet they consistently violate His commandments. As we open the second chapter today, he asks a related question, “Are good people…
Romans 2:17-3:8
Are Religious People Lost, Too? Introduction: In chapter one of Romans the Apostle Paul dealt with the unreached pagan and declared him to be lost, without excuse, and on his way to Hell. In the first part of chapter two he took up the case of the moralist, the humanist with high personal ethical standards who looks down his nose at the gross pagan, and declared him, too, to be lost, without excuse, and on his way to hell. That leaves his own…
Romans 3:9-20
Sinnerama, or I’m not OK, You’re not OK Introduction: Let’s begin this morning by reading our Scripture text, Romans 3:9-20: “What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. {10} As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; {11} there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. {12} All have turned away, they have together become…