Sermons on Encouragement
Philippians 2:12-18
SERIES: Philippians: Cheerful Sounds from a Jail Cell The Ins and Outs of Practical Christian Living [i] SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus Note: This sermon was preached in Wichita in 2019 as part of another series on Philippians and is being substituted for the earlier sermon. Introduction: Josh called yesterday and whispered the news that he had a bad case of laryngitis and asked if I could substitute for him this morning. I didn’t exactly freak out because I was already on the schedule to…
Job 1:1-5
SERIES: The Book of Job Man of Perseverance, Man of Piety SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus Introduction: Have you heard of the perseverance of Job? The Apostle James assumes you have, for in the last chapter of his NT epistle he is recounting the blessings that come through endurance and says, “You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” Whenever we think of Job, certain word associations immediately enter our minds—not just…
1 John 2:7-14
Something Old, Something New Introduction: A strange thing is happening. I’m becoming fascinated with I John. As I mentioned a few weeks ago I entered upon this study with some fear and trepidation, and I haven’t lost that. But at the same time I am in the process of gaining an immense amount of respect for this Apostle who was willing to call it like he saw it—not mincing words, not worrying about whether others are going to agree with him, refusing to compromise…
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 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…
1 Thessalonians 5:12-28
How to Be a Gospel-centered Church I have a confession to make. I don’t read the news. I don’t watch the news. I don’t listen to the news. I don’t know the news. At least I didn’t until last week. In my internship meetings with Mike he became aware of the fact that I didn’t read the news and he admonished me to begin. My father-in-law has been on me to do the same for years. So, this last week…
Hebrews 10:19-25
Privilege Demands Responsibility We have come to the end of the portion of the book of Hebrews that is primarily theological and enter today into the portion that is primarily application. I say “primarily” because the author has been sharing practical application of his arguments all along, as seen in his frequent warnings and in his numerous encouragements to draw near to God and to persevere in the faith. But in chapter 10 and verse 19 he uses the word “therefore” to…
Hebrews 12:1-13
The Absolute Supremacy of Jesus Christ Many word pictures are used in the Bible to describe the adventure that is the Christian life. It is spoken of in agricultural terms (planting and harvesting), military terms (fighting the good fight), stewardship terms (faithful management), and even slavery terms (we are bond slaves to God), but no word picture is used more frequently or effectively than that of the athlete, and particularly the runner. The author of Hebrews follows up his brilliant exhibition…