Sermons by Michael Andrus (Page 26)
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…
Colossians 3:12-17
The Well-Dressed Christian, Part 2: Choosing an Appropriate Outfit SCRIPTURE: Colossians 3:12-17 SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus Introduction: Last Wednesday I took three bags of clothes down to the World Impact Thrift Store—a start at spring cleaning. It was hard to part with some of those things, but I felt good as I drove away because those clothes weren’t doing us any good—just taking up space. I also gave some attention this week to getting rid of some garments that were cluttering up my spiritual closet. That…
Colossians 3:18-21
Renewing Our Passion for Family SCRIPTURE: Colossians 3:18-21 SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus Introduction: Our brief but profound text for today is found in Colossians 3:18-21: Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. Bible scholar Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones has stated, “The failure to understand and implement…
Colossians 3:22-4:1; Ephesians 6:5-9; I Peter 2:13-23
“Work” Is Not a Four-Letter Word SCRIPTURE: Colossians 3:22-4:1; Ephesians 6:5-9; I Peter 2:13-23 SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus Introduction: I have often heard it said that there are two God-ordained institutions in the pages of Scripture—the church and the home. Then last week I read an article that stated, “God has established three basic institutions: the home, the church, and government.” I believe both views are wrong. As I read the Bible, there are actually four God-ordained institutions. And what is the fourth? Not Bible Study Fellowship or the Republican Party or…
Colossians 4:7-18
The Friendship Factor SCRIPTURE: Colossians 4:7-18 SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus Introduction: We have been involved for the past three months in a study of the NT book of Colossians. I entitled the series, “Christ is the Answer,” because no book in the Bible focuses as much attention on the person and work of Jesus Christ as this book. To review briefly, it tells us that Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the first-born over all creation. By Him all things were created…