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…
Romans 3:21-31
Acquitted: The Legal Status of the Redeemed Sinner Introduction: This may be the most important sermon I will ever preach at First Evangelical Free Church, so I invite your closest possible attention. If you grasp the truths we are sharing today, it could change your whole perspective on the plan of salvation. For months now we have been bombarded by news of the sensational trial of O. J. Simpson in Superior Court in Los Angeles. The jury has been sequestered and tomorrow morning the…
Romans 4:1-12
Justification Illustrated: The Father of Faith, Part 1 Introduction: We begin this morning by reading together Romans 4:1-12: “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? {2} If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about–but not before God. {3} What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” {4} Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift,…
Romans 4:13-25
Justification Illustrated: The Father of Faith, Part 2 Introduction: For three weeks we have been giving our attention almost entirely to the doctrine of justification by faith. In the first three chapters of Romans the Apostle Paul goes to great lengths to establish, as a prosecutor might do in a court room, that the entire human race stands guilty before God because of SIN. Having built an absolutely watertight case, he stops to await the Judge’s verdict, which, astoundingly, comes down as “not guilty.” God…
Romans 5:1-5
The Benefits of Justification Introduction: For the last several months I have been working on my house. I am getting ready to sell it. I live in a small house, just over 800 square feet, which is no big deal except that the eat-in kitchen is not much larger than a postage stamp. Recently we became a family of five. And when the youngest of us is ready to sit at the table, forcing us to move it away from the wall, Robin will have…