1 John 2:15-17
The Love God Hates Introduction: Some time ago I saw a bumper sticker which read, “The one who dies with the most toys wins.” I doubt seriously that you would find that on any of the cars in our parking lot this morning. However, if we were totally honest some of us would have to admit that we live as though it were true. Our lives are characterized by acquisition fever and by accumulationitis. Every new electronic gadget triggers our desires, and if we can’t…
1 John 2:18-29
Truth or Consequences Introduction: When I was attending Southern Methodist University one of my philosophy professors, Dr. Robert Jung, an existentialist agnostic, spoke with great conviction one day in class and said, “There are no absolutes.” I knew him pretty well and felt sufficiently secure to raise my hand and ask, “Dr. Jung, are you absolutely sure?” He responded with a rambling treatise on epistemology and a lot of doubletalk which merely clouded the issue. It was evident that the only absolute he was…
1 John 3:1-10
Like Father, Like Son Introduction: I recently read that insanity is hereditary: parents get it from their children. Well, there’s perhaps a measure of truth to that—I’ve been on the brink a few times myself lately—but it’s also true that our children inherit a lot from us. Sometimes that’s very positive. I think of the Steimel family, for example. You can tell a Steimel child a mile away—thoughtful, intelligent, respectful, gentle, and able to sit through church without a peep. Why? Because Norm and Libby are thoughtful, intelligent,…
1 John 3:11-24
The Mark of the Christian Introduction: Someone has likened the First Epistle of John to a spiral staircase in that the Apostle keeps returning to the same three topics—love, obedience, and truth—only each time he picks up one of those themes he takes it to a higher level. In our last message the moral test of the believer’s faith (are we obedient?) was predominant, but it ended with a transition to the social test in verse 10: “Anyone who does not do what…
1 John 4:1-6
Spiritual Warfare in the Church Introduction: I’d like to set the stage this morning with a story from 2 Kings 6. The prophet Elisha is in Dothan, where he has been regularly receiving information from God about the military movements of the Aramean or Syrian army and passing the information on to the King of Israel. The King of the Arameans suspects a spy among his trusted confidants, but eventually he is informed that Elisha is the culprit; in fact, one of his…
1 John 4:7-21
The Love Connection: God’s Love and Ours Introduction: A strange story hit our newspapers about two weeks ago involving two ten-year-old girls and their parents. One of the girls, Arlena Twigg, had a congenital heart defect, and when the doctors ordered some genetic testing to aid in her treatment, it produced a surprising result: her parents weren’t her parents. Regina and Ernest Twigg didn’t tell her the news because of her critical condition, and shortly thereafter, in August, 1988, she died. The Twiggs hired private…
1 John 5:1-12
Three Tests, Three Testimonies Introduction: Those of you who are avid basketball fans know what a triple double is. It occurs when a player gets ten or more points, ten or more rebounds, and ten or more assists in the same game. Some great basketball players never get even one triple double in their entire careers, but Larry Bird just got his 57th last Tuesday. The Apostle John doesn’t score a triple double in our text today, but he does employ a double…
1 John 5:13-21
What Do You Know for Sure? Introduction: What do you know for sure? I ask that question a lot as a variation on “How’s it goin’?” or “How you doin’?” The answer I get most often is, “Nothin’ much.” I suspect if I had asked Ben Franklin, “What do you know for sure?” he would have responded, “Death and taxes!” At least that’s all he was sure of in 1789. But the Apostle John, as he closes this brief but profound epistle that has…
1 Cor. 1:1‑9
Back to the Basics Introduction: The world’s greatest evangelist of all time was on his second of three great missionary journeys, planting churches around Greece and Turkey, when he first visited the city of Corinth. He had just come from Athens, about 50 miles to the northeast, where he experienced a rather disappointing reception to the Gospel message. The philosophers who debated him on Mars Hill, just below the Acropolis, ridiculed his witness to the resurrection of the dead, though a few believed…
1 Cor. 1:10-17
Contentious Christians Introduction: The old proverb says, “When the cat’s away, the mice will play.” The meaning of that proverb is, of course, that when people find themselves without proper supervision, they often conduct themselves without proper decorum. This is exactly what was happening in the church at Corinth. Paul had founded the Church there while on his second missionary journey, and he had stayed approximately 18 months. But other cities needed churches too, so he left the core of believers at Corinth in the…
1 Cor. 1:18-2:5
The Power Behind the Powerless Note: On September 17, 2000, Dr. Jerram Barrs from Covenant Theological Seminary preached at First Free St. Louis on “The Wisdom of God,” from 1 Corinthians 1:18-25. This was a powerful message, but we do not have available a written copy of it. Pastor Andrus reviews some of that passage in this message. Introduction: When was the last time you were absolutely convinced something was true or right; in fact, you would have bet your life on it? But…
1 Cor. 2:6-13
What Do You Know for Sure? Introduction: Can we know anything for sure? Most religious people would respond, “Sure, we can know God exists.” In fact, a recent poll showed that 74% of Americans strongly agreed that “there is only one true God, who is holy and perfect and who created the world and rules it today.” That’s pretty encouraging, isn’t it? Seventy-four percent! Well, not very encouraging, because the same poll showed that fully 64% strongly agree or agree somewhat with the assertion that “there is no…