1 Cor. 12:1-13
Body Building: An Introduction to Spiritual Gifts SCRIPTURE: 1 Cor. 12:1-13 Introduction: There’s a body building craze going on in the U.S. today. Health clubs are being franchised all over the country and body-building contests are a thriving business. Women as well as men are into six packs and greasing down their bodies (for some of the most grotesque poses you could imagine). I understand that there are over 100 body-building magazines published every month. God is interested in body building too, only not the…
1 Corinthians 12:1-13
My Gift … to Serve! Introduction to Spiritual Gifts SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 12:1-13 Note: This sermon was preached by Jerry Rich, Associate Pastor at First Evangelical Free Church in St. Louis. Introduction: You know, when I turned the calendar page over on Thursday, it hit me like it always does in November: What happened to September and October! These next two months always have a special feel, because you know what’s coming. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and then comes … Christmas. You…
1 Corinthians 12:12-27
A Body Has No Spare Parts SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 Introduction: On a cold November day it is sometimes therapeutic to sit by a fire and assemble a jigsaw puzzle. This morning I would like to ask you to imagine a large puzzle, say, one with 3,000 pieces, that we are going to attempt to put together. As with every challenging jigsaw puzzle, each piece is different in size, shape and often in color. Furthermore, every piece is needed in order to finish the…
1 Cor. 12:7-11, 27-31
Have You Considered Joining the Priesthood? SCRIPTURE: 1 Cor. 12:7-11, 27-31 Introduction: On the way to the office on Tuesday I heard a radio interview with the new head of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Wilton D. Gregory, of Belleville, the first black bishop to hold that post. He was being asked about the severe shortage of priests in the Catholic Church. You may be aware that liberals and progressives in the Church are arguing that the priest shortage is due…
1 Cor. 13:1-4
What Is Greater than the Greatest of Spiritual Gifts? SCRIPTURE: 1 Cor. 13:1-4 Introduction: Have you ever seen the movie, “Brian’s Song”? It’s actually on ABC tonight. It’s the touching story of the unlikely friendship between Gayle Sayers and Brian Piccolo. Sayers was arguably the greatest running back to ever play the game of football. A star at the University of Kansas, he went on to play for the Chicago Bears, performing running feats that almost defied the imagination. Unfortunately, his football career was cut short…
1 Cor. 13:5-13
Love Never Fails SCRIPTURE: 1 Cor. 13:5-13 Introduction: Have you ever stood before an exquisite painting or sculpture and felt as if you were gazing into the very soul of an artist? One of the joys of my life has been visiting some of the great art galleries of the world. I once spent more than a week by myself traveling from one great art museum to another across Europe. I have had the privilege of spending many hours in the Louvre in Paris,…
1 Cor. 14:1-19
The Gift of Tongues: Better in Private than in Public SCRIPTURE: 1 Cor. 14:1-19 Introduction: Today we come to the most controversial and difficult section of 1 Corinthians—chapter 14. The dominant topic of this chapter is the use and abuse of the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues. There are many different opinions on this subject, even in this church, and I know there is sometimes mistrust between Christians who speak in tongues and those who do not. My hope is that this…
1 Corinthians 14:20-40
The Gift of Tongues: Restricted in Public SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 14:20-40 Introduction: Last Lord’s Day we opened a dialogue on the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues and the companion gift of interpretation of tongues. We did this because we are in the process of preaching through the book of 1 Corinthians, and chapter 14 is the principal passage on this gift in the Bible. In fact, it is the only chapter that gives us instructions concerning the use and misuse of this…
1 Corinthians 15:1‑11
TO HEAR THE ENTIRE SERMON CLICK THE LISTEN BUTTON ABOVE What Difference Does It Make? SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 15:1‑11 Introduction: Yesterday we received a letter from some close college friends of ours who spent three terms as missionaries to France. Diane wrote, “My brother Keith died on November 3 in Cape Coral, FL. I want to share an account of something wonderful that happened the night of Keith’s death. Around 3 A.M. his wife Linda, my sister Gail, and my brother Craig, were all…
1 Corinthians 15:12‑34
The Logic of the Resurrection TO HEAR THE ENTIRE SERMON CLICK ON THE LISTEN BUTTON ABOVE Pastor Mike Andrus Introduction: How many of you here today have changed careers at some point? Believe it or not, I also had a former life before I became a pastor. After finishing graduate school at Southern Methodist University in 1969, I taught philosophy and logic for five years on the college level. I often used the Scripture passage before us this morning, 1 Corinthians 15:12-34, as…
1 Corinthians 15:35‑49
The Mechanics of the Resurrection: How Are Dead Bodies Raised? SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 15:35‑49 Introduction: Some workmen were moving a little cemetery to make way for a new highway. One man, standing in a deep hole, held up a small zinc plate, and read to the others, “Jennie Stewart, 1905‑1908.” Then his shovel uncovered some moldy wood, a few bones and a blackened skull. “That’s all that’s left of little Jennie,” he said. Then he put her remains in a new box and moved on. Now you look…
1 Corinthians 15:50‑58
Some Will Never Die SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 15:50‑58 Introduction: For the past two weeks we have been watching the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. I’m just glad NBC had the broadcasting rights this year so ABC couldn’t show that pour guy who went off the side of the ski jump and nearly obliterated himself 30 or more years ago. If ABC paid him royalties for every time they showed that over the years, he’d be a rich man. It’s so much…