Sermons by Michael Andrus (Page 36)
Luke 1:26-56
A Mother Without Peer Introduction: Do you know the origin of Mother’s Day? It’s not a biblical holiday, of course, though the honoring of mothers and of motherhood is certainly a biblical idea. Mother’s Day was first celebrated in 1908 in a little church in Grafton, West Virginia. Anna Jarvis wanted to honor her own mother, which she did by declaring the day “Mother’s Day.” Today it is a widely recognized opportunity to express our love and appreciation for our mothers, mothers-in-law, and grandmothers. I…
Luke 2:1-20
God’s Answer to the Green Book Introduction: Let’s begin today by reading from the second chapter of Luke, verses 1-20: In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because…
Luke 2:21-52, Matthew 2:13-23
What Does a Perfect Child Look Like? Introduction: The Scriptures do not tell us much about the childhood of Jesus, but they do tell us something. I want us to turn to Luke 2 and read beginning in verse 21: On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived. {22} When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been…
Luke 3:1-20
A Voice from the Wilderness Introduction: The last time we heard anything about John the Baptizer, he had just been born, named, and blessed. In the last verse of Luke 1 we are told, “And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.” The last we heard about Jesus was his visit to the temple in Jerusalem when he was 12 years old, recorded for us in Luke 2. Twenty years have passed…
Luke 3:21-4:13
Jesus Is Our Brother Introduction: Jesus is given many amazing titles in the Scripture. He is the Alpha and Omega, the Chief Shepherd, the Good Shepherd, the Great High Priest, the Cornerstone, the Almighty, the Bread Of Life, the Captain of our Salvation, Messiah, Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Lamb of God, Light of the World, Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Man of Sorrows, Morning Star, The Resurrection and the Life, the Rock, Rose of Sharon,…
Luke 4:14-44
A Prophet Without Honor Have you ever thought that if only Jesus were alive today, and you had the opportunity to hear him preach and to see his awesome miracles, your faith would be much stronger? I suppose it’s natural to think like that, but it’s probably not true. Faith, you see, is not generated by sight. Rather it consists of the simple recognition that God keeps his Word and is totally reliable. There is very clear evidence in Scripture that most great people…
Luke 5:1-11, 27-32; 6:12-16
Twelve Chosen Men Introduction: From time to time our church appoints a search committee to look for a new staff member, as do most businesses and organizations. I have been a member of a few of these committees, so I know a little about their work. The committees usually begin their work by hammering out a job description. After all, how do you know whom to look for if you don’t know what that person is supposed to do? The next step is generally…
Luke 5:17-26
Are You Forgiven, or Just Religious? Introduction: What is man’s greatest need today? You say, “Which man?” Everyone’s need is different. O.J.’s greatest need is for a job so he can pay his debts. Newt Gingrich’s greatest need is for humility so he can rehabilitate his reputation. What about you? What is your greatest need? You might say, “Right now it’s financial. I have a huge debt that is weighing over me.” “My greatest need is to get through school. Once I graduate, life will be a piece of cake.” “I have…
Luke 6:17-26
The Counter-Culture of the Kingdom Introduction: Friends, if you were asked to name four categories of people whom God loves and blesses, and four categories of people whom God hates and condemns, what would your lists look like? I tried it. My list of the top four kinds of people God blesses includes: people who pray a lot, people who serve faithfully, people who demonstrate compassion to others, and people who are generous. Now if I worked at it, I could come up…
Luke 6:27-36
Like Father, Like Son Introduction: Last week on TV I saw a man talking about a criminal who had brutalized a relative of his. “I would like to beat him to a pulp,” he said, “then tie him to the back of my truck and drag him through the streets.” Recently I read about a woman whose relatives were exterminated by the Nazis in a concentration camp. She said, “I hate them with a profound hatred. I will never forgive them, ever.” You know something? There’s…
Luke 7:1-10
Such Great Faith! Introduction: One of the most common words in religious discourse is “faith.” Everyone talks about it; in fact, everyone has faith, though certainly the objects of faith differ, as does the degree of trust that is exercised. Nevertheless, there is a lot of fuzzy thinking about faith, and few people seem to be able to define it very clearly. Often the best they can do is to offer synonyms like “trust” or “belief.” I found the following definition this week…
Luke 7:18-35
When God Sits on His Hands Introduction: Have there been times when your world seemed to be crashing down on you, and God was silent? I know that has happened to some of you, because I have heard about it in my counseling. A loved one dies, you lose your job, one of your children is stretching you to the breaking point, your health is threatened, your spouse tells you he doesn’t love you anymore. And some of you have had all those…