Sermons by Michael Andrus (Page 32)
Matthew 27:57-66
The Burial of Jesus SCRIPTURE: Matthew 27:57-66 SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus Introduction: Over the past six weeks we have considered Peter’s denial, Judas’ betrayal, Jesus’ arrest and religious trial, His political trial, His crucifixion, and His death. Today we come to the burial of Jesus. A question that may cross your mind this morning might be, “Is the burial of Jesus really worth a sermon all by itself?” Many apparently think not, for His burial is frequently passed over quickly in commentaries and sermons as…
Matthew 28:1-15
Gone! SCRIPTURE: Matthew 28:1-15 SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus Introduction: A sharp, creative realtor came up with the idea. I refer to the practice after the sale of a house of placing one word, four large letters, across the “for sale” sign. The old word was “SOLD.” The emerging new, more picturesque word in vogue in some areas today is “GONE.” It is direct, succinct, and conveys the idea of quick and efficient success. It’s the kind of sign that makes other potential sellers say, “I want to…
Matthew 28:18-20, Matthew 22:34-40
The Great Commission and the Great Commandment SCRIPTURE: Matthew 28:18-20, Matthew 22:34-40 SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus Note: This sermon was preached at First Free St. Louis in a series on Marks of a Healthy Church. For some three months now we have been examining the Marks of a Healthy Church. We began the first Sunday in September with five messages on Worship, then Theology: The Queen of the Sciences Must Recover Her Crown Preaching: How Shall They Hear Without a Preacher? Christian Community:…
Acts 1:1-14
From Small Beginnings Introduction: The opening verses of the book of Acts pick up right where we left off last Sunday. On Easter Sunday we found Jesus walking with two of His disciples on the Road to Emmaus and dispelling their spiritual depression by revealing Himself to them as the living, risen Christ. Now in the early verses of Acts the 40 days of Christ’s post-resurrection ministry are summarized, climaxed by His ascension to Heaven. Let’s read Acts 1:1-11: The first account I composed, Theophilus,…
Acts 2:1-21
The Birthday of the Church Introduction: When my second son, Andrew, was born two and a half years ago I had the incredible privilege of watching the event. I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything, but the fact is that it was a time of many varied emotions. In addition to sheer awe at the miracle of birth, I experienced a mixture of fear, doubt, humor, exhaustion, pride, humility, and many other feelings. Birth is such an awesome event that I suppose most people…
Acts 2:22-41
The Lordship of Christ: A Borrowed Sermon TO HEAR THE ENTIRE SERMON CLICK ON THE LISTEN BUTTON ABOVE Introduction: Recently I had the privilege of performing a wedding for a couple in our church. Since our facilities are not quite adequate for such a special occasion, a church was rented by the bride’s family. This was a large, well-known church of a mainline denomination, and the personnel in that church were extremely cooperative; they could not have been more accommodating. There was,…
Acts 2:41-47
The Holy Spirit Builds Strong Bodies Introduction: When I was a kid, I absolutely loved Wonder Bread. It was so soft and white, and it made such excellent dough balls when it was wadded up. And when my mom hesitated to buy it, I made sure she knew that Wonder Bread builds strong bodies twelve ways, a truth I was privy to from watching Gene Autry and Howdy Doody, which only the geezers in our audience will relate to. I can’t recall what any…
Acts 3:1-26
The Powerful Name of Jesus Introduction: Acts 3 is linked to Acts 2 not only in their proximity to one another. They are also linked inseparably in regard to content. The gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church, as witnessed so powerfully in the second chapter, is intended, in turn, to offer Spirit-filled people as a gift to the world, a world full of lame, paralyzed, hurting people. The evidence of the Spirit’s filling will never be confined to the believer’s personal life,…
Acts 4:1-35
No Other Name Introduction: We have a hard time relating to persecution, don’t we? Most of us have never known significant opposition to our faith in Christ. The worst we can claim is that we were once the butt of a religious joke or that a relative thinks we’re fanatical, or maybe a door was slammed in our face while canvassing our neighborhood on behalf of a Sunday School contest. Not everyone is so fortunate. This Wednesday, I understand, a verdict will be handed…
Acts 4:36-5:11
Opposition from Within Introduction: On September 10, 1813, Naval Commander Oliver Hazard Perry dispatched a message to General William Henry Harrison, announcing his victory at the battle of Lake Erie. The message was short: “We have met the enemy, and they are ours.” Some 150 years later Pogo paraphrased Perry, saying, “We have met the enemy and they are us.” Perry’s original version is applicable to chapter 4 of Acts, where we saw last week that the Apostles faced the opposition of the Jewish…
Acts 5:12-42
The Christian and Civil Disobedience Introduction: I am going to do something quite out of the ordinary this morning. Those of you who are regulars with us know that our standard procedure is to take a portion of Scripture and to expound it, i.e., to show its structure, its meaning, and its application. Rarely do I depart from the text of the day, except to use parallel passages of Scripture. However, this morning I would like to preach a topical sermon. The instigation for…
Acts 6:1-7
Growing Pains in the Church Introduction: There’s something nice about a small church. When the fellowship involves only 50-150 people, it is possible to know nearly everyone in the group, everyone is, almost of necessity, involved in ministry in one way or another, facilities and equipment needs are minimal, and there’s a closeness that’s hard to beat. But when a church begins to experience rapid growth, some inevitable changes take place. For one thing it is easy in a growing church for people…