Sermons by Michael Andrus (Page 25)
Matthew 22:15-22
Paying Taxes to Caesar Introduction: Taxes are a huge issue in the current presidential election. If you listen to the respective candidates or get on their websites, you will hear all kinds of promises and guarantees of tax cuts from each candidate, and all kinds of charges and countercharges about tax increases from the other guy. My advice is that you’d best hold on to your wallet, because with the deficit rising at a dizzying pace and the national debt approaching $11…
Matthew 22:23-33
What Will Family Relationships Be Like in Heaven? Introduction: Nearly everyone believes in heaven, but when asked what heaven is like, words like mansions, streets of gold, and gates of pearl are about as far as most people can go. The Bible certainly teaches the existence of heaven, and there is actually a fair amount of descriptive language about it in Revelation 21 and 22. What we don’t know is how much of that language is literal and how much symbolic; for it…
Matt 22:34-40
The Greatest Commandment Introduction: The religious leaders of Israel were not the brightest bulbs in the chandelier. They never seemed to learn that their efforts to discredit Jesus and entrap Him were utterly futile. Time and again they were intellectually annihilated but kept coming back for more. In just one chapter, Matthew 22, we witness three major confrontations that spell disaster for these pompous religious hypocrites. First the Pharisees thought they had Jesus cornered when they asked Him if it was right to pay…
Matthew 23:1-39
Jesus Unloads on Religious Hypocrites Introduction: Before we turn our attention to Matthew 23 this morning, I want to go back to last week’s sermon for a moment. Our topic was the greatest commandment–to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and your neighbor as yourself. I learned on Wednesday that one of our elders skipped worship last Sunday. I don’t know how we can be spiritually healthy as a church when one of our key spiritual leaders…
Matthew 24:1-25
Signs of the Second Coming Introduction: In our journey through the Gospel of Matthew, we come today to chapter 24, one of the key prophetic passages in the entire Bible. It was just six months ago in our series on the new Free Church Statement of Faith that I preached a message laying out the entire prophetic program in Scripture. We discussed the Kingdom of God, the Great Tribulation, the Rapture of the Church, The Second Coming, the Millennium, and the Eternal…
Matthew 24:26-35
Stage Four: Delivery Introduction: If you were not here last Sunday you could be excused for wondering, “What in the world is this sermon all about?” Well, it’s a continuation of last Sunday’s sermon on Matthew 24, one of the key prophetic passages in the whole Bible. “Stage Four: Delivery” is what I call the final stage of the Tribulation period, culminating in the Second Coming of Christ. But before we jump back into this fascinating chapter, I want to make sure we all…
Matthew 25:1-30
Oil Shortage Introduction: We continue this morning with our study of the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24-25, delivered by Jesus just a couple of days prior to His crucifixion. Last words spoken by a loved one are often considered especially significant, and since this is Jesus’ last major discourse with His disciples, I would assume it contains truth He wants to leave uppermost in the minds of His disciples, and ours. In our last chapter, Matthew 24, Jesus answered two questions the…
Matthew 25:31-46
The Least, the Last, and the Lost Introduction: The Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24-25 concludes with the Judgment of the Sheep and the Goats. Prophecy experts love to debate this passage. In fact, there are almost as many interpretations as there are interpreters. They argue over whether the sheep and goats are individuals or nations, over when this judgment takes place, over the basis for the judgment, and over every other conceivable issue one could imagine. But it seems obvious to me that what…
Matthew 26:1-13
Broken and Spilled Out Introduction: One of America’s finest short stories, written by the great master of the art, O. Henry, is a moving story called, “The Gift of the Magi.” A young couple, Della and Jim, were very poor, but very much in love. Each had one unique possession. For Della it was her hair, which served almost as a robe when she let it down. Jim, on the other hand, had a pocket watch, given to him by his father, which was his…
Matthew 26:31-75
The Steps to Peter’s Defection Introduction: Our journey through Passion Week from the book of Matthew brings us this morning to what was surely one of the most painful moments in Jesus’ life–the defection and denial of one of His dearest friends, Peter. Some of you have heard parts of this message before, as three years ago I used this passage and outline as a brief meditation for a Good Friday service. But I trust you will indulge me the privilege of repeating…
Matthew 26:57-68
The Abuse of Religious Power Vs. Servant Leadership Introduction: The capacity for evil on the part of deeply religious people is absolutely stunning. Fifteen years ago this week an American immigrant to Israel opened fire on a group of Palestinians at prayer in a mosque in the town of Hebron, murdering 29 of them and wounding about 125. It was done by a Jew in the name of religion. A month later hundreds of Bosnian Muslims were slaughtered by Serb Christians. It was done by…
Matt 27:1-10
SERIES: The Good News, as Reported by Matthew Deadly Remorse Introduction: Centuries ago in Italy, an artist set out to paint a mural of the life of Christ in one of the great cathedrals. When he got to the scene of Jesus at age twelve debating the teachers of the Law in the Temple, he searched for just right person to serve as his model, choosing a handsome young man with a wholesome and intelligent appearance. Years later as the artist approached the final…