Sermons on Faith
Job 42
SERIES: The Book of Job Epilogue to the Book of Job SPEAKER: Brad Harper Note: Brad Harper preached this sermon on September 26, which was the Sunday after my serious car accident with a horse. We do not have the manuscript of this sermon, but the audio is available. Below is the outline. Introduction: We come this morning to the close of our four-month study of the Book of Job. The Epilogue is a welcome conclusion to the troubling ordeal God has put Job through, but…
1 Samuel 14
SERIES: Leadership in Hard Times When a Leader Misuses His Authority SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus Introduction: We are in the middle of a trilogy of sermons on the failed leadership of Saul, the first king of Israel, as we set the stage for his successor David, a leader worth emulating. Leadership is a topic of great relevance to all of us, for we are all leaders, and we are all followers. We may be leaders in church or in industry or at school…
John 4:46-54; 5:1-9; 9:1-7
SERIES: The Gospel of John The Great Physician SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus Introduction: The healing miracles of Jesus fascinate us, but at the same time they frequently frustrate us. The reason can best be stated this way: Jesus healed all manner of disease and sickness; Jesus is alive in the Church today; Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever; Therefore, we ought to see the same kinds of healing miracles today! But we don’t! Why? Is it because the church has drifted…
John 9
SERIES: The Gospel of John Light for Blind Eyes SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus Introduction: I’ll never forget Leo. Back in the early ‘50s he attended the church my father pastored in Webster Groves, MO. He carried a great big, thick Bible and he always brought his dog with him to church. Leo was born totally blind. He could read braille and even sang solos from braille song sheets. I was so fascinated by Leo that I used to close my eyes and walk around trying to…
John 14:1-14
SERIES: The Gospel of John The Cure for Heart Trouble SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus Introduction: The Devil, according to legend, once advertised his tools for sale at public auction. When the prospective buyers assembled, there was one oddly shaped tool which was labeled “Not for sale.” Asked to explain why this was, the Devil answered, “I can spare all my other tools, but I cannot spare this one. It is the most useful implement I have. It is called, ‘Discouragement,’ and with it I…
Exodus 11-12
The Night Nobody Slept[i] SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus Introduction: Imagine you’re an Egyptian mother living about 1400 years before Christ. You retire one night not too long after the sun goes down, as Middle Eastern families generally do, but you’re awakened suddenly in the middle of the night by the sound of your ten-year-old son struggling for breath. It’s not hard to hear since your house has only one room, and you rush to his side only to hear a gut-wrenching last gasp…
Ezra 8
Accompaniments of Revival Introduction: Last Sunday we noted that there are three essential ingredients to experience revival: a renewed commitment to Scripture, earnest prayer, and confession. I think I would like to change that slightly. Prayer and confession really go together, while the third ingredient is better stated as true repentance. We’ve already seen the importance of the Scriptures in the life and ministry of Ezra, and next Lord’s Day we will examine a powerful passage in chapters 9 & 10 on prayer and…
Romans 3:21-31
Acquitted: The Legal Status of the Redeemed Sinner Introduction: This may be the most important sermon I will ever preach at First Evangelical Free Church, so I invite your closest possible attention. If you grasp the truths we are sharing today, it could change your whole perspective on the plan of salvation. For months now we have been bombarded by news of the sensational trial of O. J. Simpson in Superior Court in Los Angeles. The jury has been sequestered and tomorrow morning the…
Romans 4:1-12
Justification Illustrated: The Father of Faith, Part 1 Introduction: We begin this morning by reading together Romans 4:1-12: “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? {2} If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about–but not before God. {3} What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” {4} Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift,…
Romans 4:13-25
Justification Illustrated: The Father of Faith, Part 2 Introduction: For three weeks we have been giving our attention almost entirely to the doctrine of justification by faith. In the first three chapters of Romans the Apostle Paul goes to great lengths to establish, as a prosecutor might do in a court room, that the entire human race stands guilty before God because of SIN. Having built an absolutely watertight case, he stops to await the Judge’s verdict, which, astoundingly, comes down as “not guilty.” God…
1 Cor. 13:5-13
Love Never Fails SCRIPTURE: 1 Cor. 13:5-13 Introduction: Have you ever stood before an exquisite painting or sculpture and felt as if you were gazing into the very soul of an artist? One of the joys of my life has been visiting some of the great art galleries of the world. I once spent more than a week by myself traveling from one great art museum to another across Europe. I have had the privilege of spending many hours in the Louvre in Paris,…
Daniel 2
The Dream That Became a NightmarE Note: This manuscript has been extensively rewritten by Mike Andrus. Introduction: Last week we began a chapter-by-chapter study of the book of Daniel, the story of the life of a godly Jewish man taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in the 6th century before Christ. It is a story which highlights the sovereignty of God over human history even in the midst of great disaster. Today we look at Daniel chapter two and the opening account…