Genesis 40
When Your Friends Forget You The Biblical account of the life of Joseph is a portion of Scripture that is among my favorites. The primary reason is that these chapters in Genesis provide vivid reminders that God is always at work to accomplish His purposes in my life as a believer. I need that affirmation. I need the assurance that He does care and that He can be trusted, especially when life does not appear to make a great deal…
Genesis 41
From Dreamer to Prime Minister The amazing journey of Joseph’s life continues to unfold in unforgettable ways as we come to Genesis 41. The account in this chapter has two primary areas for focus. The first is the two dreams that the Pharaoh of Egypt experiences, along with his pursuit of an interpretation. The second is the significant changes that occur in Joseph’s life as he becomes involved in the interpretation of these dreams. This is a lengthy chapter. I…
Genesis 42-44
Time Alone Doesn’t Heal a Guilty Conscience Our Scripture text today covers three full chapters of Genesis. Obviously if we read the entire portion there would be time for little else. On the other hand, I cannot tell the story nearly as well as the author has told it. So with your indulgence I am going to read most of it, with selected repetitive portions left out. This is indeed one of the great stories of the Bible, and I think you will profit…
Genesis 45
Forgiving the Hard to Forgive It has been a great privilege to be back with you these four weeks. Thank you kindly for your warm reception. This return to First Free has been especially encouraging in that I have been able to see many marriages at which I officiated still prospering, kids I dedicated still in the church, and individuals who came to Christ still growing in their faith. I take great joy in the continuing spiritual prosperity of First Free. This morning…
Genesis 45:16-47:12
The Ultimate Family Reunion I want to talk to you today about The Ultimate Family Reunion. When I think of family reunions I can’t help but think of Alma Wing, one of our wonderful senior citizens back at First Free. Alma belongs to a family that has world-class reunions. I first learned this because there was a family in our church in St. Louis who belonged to the Wing family (the Watsons), and when they got together with their extended family it was nothing…
Genesis 47:13-31
How a Wise Leader Functions Under the Providence of God Note: This sermon was preached at a Bible Conference in Sebring, Fl. There is much in this sermon that is repetitious of the sermon on Integrity at Work (#3 in the series), but there is a section that is new that I draw your attention to on pages 3-6. We are facing a leadership crisis in our country. Everywhere one looks—at politics, business, education, academia, or the clergy—one sees a lack of integrity or competence…
Genesis 48-50
Dying Well Note: This sermon was preached at a Bible Conference in Sebring, Florida. Dying well and dying with dignity are topics of much discussion in the medical and psychological communities today. But in choosing to talk about Dying Well today I am not principally addressing medical or psychological aspects of death, but rather spiritual ones. An ancient Roman emperor once said that the greatest difference between Christians and pagans is that “Christians die well.” He should have known, because he put many of them…
Luke 1:1-4
Introducing the Gospel of Luke Note: On December 1, 1996, I began an exposition of the Gospel of Luke at First Free in St. Louis, which lasted for almost 18 months. I do not recall exactly why I started that series in verse 5 of chapter 1, but I think it had to do with the desire to get through the birth narratives during Advent. Regardless of the reason, in retrospect I believe it is important to examine these first five verses because…
Luke 1:5-25, 57-80
Introducing the Introducer Introduction: Today I want to begin a new preaching series that will probably take us through the entire year of 1997 except for a couple of short interruptions. The series will be on the life of Christ. The recent preaching Paul and I have done on a few of the parables of Jesus whetted my appetite to dig deeper. We are going to use the gospel of Luke as the basis for this series, though we will borrow from Matthew and…
Luke 1:26-38
Introducing the Savior As we launched a new series on the life of Christ last Sunday, we were introduced to John the Baptist, the one whom God called, even before his birth, to introduce Jesus to the Jewish people as their Messiah. He would be the voice of one calling in the wilderness; he would come in the spirit and power of Elijah; he would turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of…
Luke 1:26-56
Holy Mary, Mother of God? Note: This sermon was preached by my colleague, Paul Stolwyk. As Paul grew up Catholic, I believe he has a unique perspective to address this important issue. Introduction: The cover story to this week’s Life magazine is entitled “The Mystery of Mary.” The byline reads, “Two thousand years after the Nativity, the mother of Jesus is more beloved, powerful and controversial than ever.” I may be adding to the controversy this morning. Before we get started, I would like to know, how many…
Luke 1:26-56
A Mother Without Peer Introduction: Do you know the origin of Mother’s Day? It’s not a biblical holiday, of course, though the honoring of mothers and of motherhood is certainly a biblical idea. 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 mothers, mothers-in-law, and grandmothers. I…