Sermons on Apostasy
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…
Romans 16:17-20, 25-27
How to Handle Trouble in the Church Introduction: Listen to the Word of the Lord, as found in Romans 16:17-20 and 25-27: I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. {18} For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. {19} Everyone…
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…
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
The Rebellion of Antichrist Introduction: There is probably no more mysterious and fascinating figure spoken of in the Bible than Antichrist. He has been the focus of a great deal of speculation among students of prophecy and the subject of countless books. Over the centuries I suppose everyone has wondered at one time or another whether some current evil leader in the world might morph into that tragic figure. While we’re going to examine carefully what our Scripture passage says about Antichrist, it is…
Hebrews 6:4-20
Bad News, Good News Introduction: A businesswoman prays to receive Christ after her friend shares the Gospel with her, but soon she becomes disillusioned with church when she hears sermons on topics like Satan, judgment, and same-sex marriage. A prominent black pastor leaves his Baptist church to become a Muslim, stating that Islam has become the real impetus for social change in the American black community. A young woman in the Third World faces terrible persecution from her family and…
Hebrews 10:26-39
Will It Be Apostasy or Perseverance? Introduction: The problem of the heathen is one that everyone of us has wrestled with at some point, and I dare say some here this morning probably find it a persistent roadblock to faith. “What about those who have never heard? Is it fair for God to send them to Hell?” I raise that issue today, not because I am going to try to resolve it or even address it directly, but rather to highlight the fact…