Sermons on Anger
Nehemiah 5
The Scylla and Charybdis of Christian Leadership Introduction: You’re probably shaking your head at the strange title of today’s sermon. Well, it’s an allusion to Greek mythology. Between the toe of the boot of Italy and the island of Sicily is a narrow passageway of water known as the Straits of Messina. Though this constituted by far the shortest route between Rome and Athens, it was also very dangerous for ancient sailors because of Scylla and Charybdis. Scylla was a dangerous rock formation, which, according…
2 Chronicles 26
Uzziah: “His Pride Led to His Downfall.” Introduction: What do these four individuals have in common: Richard Nixon, Elvis Presley, Pete Rose, and Jim Bakker?[i] Well, for one thing each one reached the pinnacle of his profession–politics for Nixon, musical entertainment for Presley, sports for Rose, and religious television for Bakker. In addition, each one bent the rules; I won’t go into that because I think all of you are aware of the serious mistakes they made. And sadly, each one saw their careers…
2 Chronicles 28
Ahaz: “In Time of Trouble He Became Even More Unfaithful.” Introduction: Is anyone here in trouble today? Out of work or facing the strong possibility of unemployment? Financial problems? Relationship difficulties? Physical issues? Emotional problems? Temptation, or even addiction? I suspect nearly everyone is in one kind of trouble or another. Trouble, you know, can have various sources. Some is due simply to the fact that we live in a fallen world (West Nile virus, flat tires, crabgrass). Some trouble is due to sin in the lives of others (you…
Acts 21:15-23:5
When Falsely Accused Introduction: I am certain there is no one here who has not at some time suffered from the particularly damaging and hurtful experience of being falsely accused. I personally find false accusation one of the most difficult trials to handle with a proper Christian spirit. I can handle disagreement, I can handle disappointment, I can even handle suffering, but I do not deal with false accusations graciously. Therefore, I have found the account of Paul’s experience in Jerusalem in Acts 21…
James 1:19-27
When Religion Is Worthless (or, I Believe in Christian Living) I have given two titles to my sermon today. The first is When Religion Is Worthless, the reason for which title will become clear as we go through the text. The second is I Believe in Christian Living. I want to explain where the second comes from. As you will recall, we did a two-month series in April and May on our proposed new EFCA Statement of Faith, called This We Believe. I took the eight major topics…