Sermons by Michael Andrus (Page 26)
Daniel 10
Spiritual Warfare, Politics, and Prayer Note: This sermon was preached at First Free in Wichita in 2020, shortly before the national election. I have inserted it here as an update to the earlier series. Introduction: Today we come to a chapter that is unique in the book of Daniel; in fact, it is unique in the Bible. It tells us that Daniel receives a final prophetic vision, but the details of the vision are not revealed until chapter 11. The focus of this chapter is…
Daniel 11, 12
Final Deliverance Introduction: Today we will conclude our study of the book of Daniel. I don’t claim we will finish it, but we will conclude. I know we have two chapters left—11 and 12—and chapter 11 is a verylong chapter. But as I mentioned last week, I believe verses 1-35 are largely a reiteration of wars and rumors of wars involving Persia, Greece, the king of the South, the king of the North, and the Beautiful Land—the Land of Palestine. The bulk of this material is…
Jude 1-4
Defending the Faith SCRIPTURE: Jude 1-4 SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus This morning we start a new four-week study of one of the shortest, more obscure books of the New Testament, written by one of the more obscure disciples–Jude. It’s so short that it has sometimes been called a postcard instead of a letter. But some very significant things come in small packages, and this is one of them. You’re all familiar with the NT book called The Acts of the Apostles. Well, Jude has…
Jude 5-11
You Already Know All This, But . . . SCRIPTURE: Jude 5-11 SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus Last Lord’s Day we began a four-week study of a small but powerful book of the NT, the book of Jude. It’s so short it’s been called a postcard instead of a letter. It’s not easy reading and it’s certainly not pleasant in its tone. It is what is sometimes called a diatribe, which Webster’s defines as “a thunderous verbal attack,” a strong warning about traitors in the…
Jude 12-16
Sorry Shepherds Who Feed Only Themselves SCRIPTURE: Jude 12-16 SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus I have been chided by a few for planning a sermon about sorry shepherds on Mother’s Day. I guess my only excuse is that Mother’s Day is not a biblical holiday, though respect for mothers is certainly biblical–and not just on the 2nd Sunday in May but every day! Mother’s Day originated in 1908 when a spinster named Anna Jarvis started a letter-writing campaign to set aside a special day to…
Jude 17-25
How to Survive in the Last Days SCRIPTURE: Jude 17-25 SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus We come today to the end of a month-long study of one of the briefest books in the Bible. But however brief it is, I don’t think any of us would now consider it inconsequential or light-weight. Jude has forced us to examine our own hearts as individuals and to ask hard questions about leadership in the Church. I was particularly touched when one of our lay teachers told…
Colossians 1:1-14
Celebrating the Church SCRIPTURE: Colossians 1:1-14 SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus Introduction: We begin a new series today on the brief, but powerful, New Testament book called “Colossians.” This letter was written centuries ago to a small church being bombarded by philosophies and practices that were incompatible with the Christian faith. These philosophies are surprisingly similar to the New Age ideas and a New Morality being touted in our own culture, so much so that one can legitimately call New Age thought “ancient heresy,” and the…
Colossians 1:24-2:5
Excellence in Ministry SCRIPTURE: Colossians 1:24-2:5 SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus Introduction: Excellence has been one of the buzz words of corporate America over the past decade. Tom Peters wrote several bestselling books, including In Search of Excellence and A Passion for Excellence, which focused on the need for excellence in business, in industry, in education, and in government. I would like to speak today to the need for excellence in ministry, and I’m not talking just about professional ministry, though our text for today speaks volumes…
Colossians 2:6-10
Lordship Living SCRIPTURE: Colossians 2:6-10 SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus Introduction: In 1988 Dr. John MacArthur, evangelical pastor of a mega-church in southern California, wrote a book entitled The Gospel According to Jesus. In this extremely provocative treatise MacArthur argues that many fundamentalists and evangelicals have twisted the Good News of salvation by faith into an easy-believism. They have taken salvation too lightly by ignoring the warnings of Jesus that the cost of discipleship is high, the way is narrow so that few find it, and…
Colossians 2:9-15
What Do You Have If You Have Jesus? SCRIPTURE: Colossians 2:9-15 SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus Introduction: If I had my choice to listen to any preacher anywhere, I wouldn’t choose Billy Graham, Chuck Swindoll, Charles Stanley, or even Stewart Briscoe, as great as those communicators are—I’d take Dr. E. V. Hill. Dr. Hill is from Los Angeles, the pastor of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, and he is a preacher’s preacher, combining the best of black revivalism with good sound theology and…
Colossians 2:16-23
Religious Answers that Don’t Work SCRIPTURE: Colossians 2:16-23 SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus Introduction: Few would deny that preoccupation with the world, its values, its priorities, and its possessions is a major hindrance to the growth of many Christians today. What we don’t always realize is that there are two diametrically opposed ways in which this preoccupation manifests itself. Christians may become preoccupied with this world by indulging in its activities and priorities, which destroy spiritual insight and growth. But Christians may also become…
Colossians 3:1-11
The Well-dressed Christian, Part 1: Cleaning out the Closet SCRIPTURE: Colossians 3:1-11 SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus Introduction: Almost nobody doesn’t like new clothes. When you talk about a new wardrobe some people veritably salivate, and indications are this is not just a twentieth century phenomenon. Two thousand years ago the Apostle Paul appealed to the Colossians’ interest in clothes when he wrote the passage before us this morning. It seems to me that he is in essence saying that to be a well-dressed Christian, the…