Sermons by Michael Andrus (Page 2)
Romans 6:1-14
Call to Holy Living Introduction: You are not a Christian because you lead a Christian lifestyle; rather you lead a Christian lifestyle because you are a Christian. There are tens of millions of religious people in this country of ours and countless millions in other lands, who are staking their eternity upon the notion that they are Christians because they try to lead a relatively Christian lifestyle. But if that were possible, why do you suppose the Apostle Paul, the greatest Christian theologian…
Romans 6:1-14
Dead Men Don’t Sin Introduction: I cut the following news article out of the Kansas City Times on March 11, 1974. The dateline is Manila and the title of the article is, “Soldier Surrenders After 30 Years:” Japanese Lt. Hiroo Onoda, a World War II holdout for nearly 30 years, emerged from the Philippine jungles yesterday (this was 21 years ago yesterday). He told Japanese newsmen he had not come out before because “I had not received the order.” Onoda, who turned 52…
Romans 7:1-6
Released from the Law Introduction: Our study of Romans began with a thorough analysis of man’s great problem—sin. It moved in chapter 3 to an evaluation of God’s great solution to man’s problem, namely justification by faith. That is, God has declared those who put their faith in His Son “not guilty,” has removed all their liabilities from the ledger, and has credited to their personal accounts the very righteousness of Christ. Justification deals with the penalty for sin. But we have another problem—the…
Romans 7:7-14
A Spiritual Autobiography, Pt. 1: The Paradox of the Law Introduction: When you hear Christians share their testimonies, one of the most common features is an affirmation to the effect that they are so much happier since receiving Christ, so much more at peace with themselves, so much less troubled by guilt and shame than they used to be. I suspect that is true in most cases. But I wonder what we would do if a person got up and shared a testimony like…
1 Peter 1:1-12
Don’t Just Hang in There; Stand Firm! Introduction: Persecution of the church in our country does not usually consist ot direct attacks on our places of worship or our teachings but rather indirect attacks on the moral and social issues that are inherent to our faith. Ten days ago the city of Philadelphia joined four states (Mass., Illinois, Calif, and I believe Connecticut) in denying Catholic Social Services (and any other adoption agency, like the evangelical Bethany Christian Services) from placing children…
1 Peter 1:13-2:3
Cultural Advice for Ex-Patriots Whenever you go to a foreign country it is wise to read up on its customs and culture. A number of years ago I took a trip to Russia, unwisely in January! I discovered some very interesting things about Russian culture–some before I went and others after I arrived. Russians always remove their shoes when they come into a house or an apartment. Usually there is a basket of slippers to choose from; if not, you just walk around in your…
1 Peter 2:4‑10
The Real House of God Note: This sermon was preached at the Free Church in Springfield, MO on the occasion of the dedication of their new church building. I have always been fascinated by building construction. When I was a small child a friend gave me a used Erector Set (probably no one under 40 even knows what that is), and I spent untold hours building bridges and buildings and contraptions of one sort or another. Anytime a house was going up in…
1 Peter 2:13-25
The Godly Reaction to Unfairness: Submission Introduction: Today and next Sunday we are going to be dealing with topics in 1 Peter 2 & 3 that I think are increasingly difficult for Americans to look at objectively. All of them have to do with authority– the authority of government over its citizens, the authority of management over labor, and the authority of husbands over their wives. Fortunately, that third one won’t come up for another week and the Lord may return by then. Seriously, these are tough issues, and there are…
1 Peter 3:1-12
Learning to Live Long and Well Well, the Lord has delayed His return, so let’s jump into our Scripture passage for today. It includes my life verse: “Wives, be submissive to your own husbands.” (Just kidding!) (1 Peter 3:1‑7) “Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, {2} when they see the purity and reverence of your…
1 Peter 3:13-22
Defending the Faith, Not Ourselves In chapter 1, we were introduced to the reality that becoming a Christian introduces a tremendous new tension in life. Our faith in Jesus causes our citizenship papers to be transferred from one kingdom to another. Paul tells us in Colossians that God “has rescued us from the one who rules in the kingdom of darkness, and he has brought us into the Kingdom of his dear Son.” (Col. 1:13, NLT) The tension results because though our papers…
1 Peter 4:1-6
ARM YOURSELF! Concealed carry has been a very controversial issue in our country over the past two decades. I personally don’t like guns, but in view of the domestic terrorism that has occurred in our country recently, I am frankly rather pleased that we have a dozen or so members of our church packing heat on any given Sunday. I recall back in Missouri in 1998 there was a ballot issue called Proposition B, a measure that would have made it legal…
1 Peter 4:7-19
First Priorities in the Last Days If you knew a great disaster was coming how would you prepare for it? Our passage today talks about a coming disaster and tells us how to prepare: (1 Peter 4:7‑11) “The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self‑controlled so that you can pray. {8} Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. {9} Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. {10} Each one should…