Sermons on Gospel
Romans 1:1-6, 14-17
Unashamed of the Gospel Introduction: The official name of this church is First Evangelical Free Church. The first time some people hear that name they wonder, “Is this some kind of a cult, or why do they have such a weird name?” Well, our first name is not such a problem, because lots of churches have that name—it simply signifies that a particular church is the first one of its denomination in a given city. Our last name, “Free,” is a little more difficult…
1 Corinthians 15:1‑11
What Difference Does It Make? SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 15:1‑11 Introduction: Yesterday we received a letter from some close college friends of ours who spent three terms as missionaries to France. Diane wrote, “My brother Keith died on November 3 in Cape Coral, FL. I want to share an account of something wonderful that happened the night of Keith’s death. Around 3 A.M. his wife Linda, my sister Gail, and my brother Craig, were all gathered around Keith’s bed as he lay dying. He was sleeping…
Matthew 11:16-30
The Parable of the Brats Introduction: The last half of Matthew 11 is a series of seemingly disconnected discourses by Jesus. But they only seem to be disconnected; they actually are intimately related to one another. I have entitled my message this morning The Parable of the Brats, because that is what the passage opens with, but the parable leads directly into three other brief discourses by Jesus–a denunciation of the cities of Galilee, a praise to His Father for hiding truth to some and…
Matthew 12:1-14
Will It Be Legalism or Gospel? Introduction: Every year since I have been back in Wichita we have done an Advent series in December, but having preached almost every Christmas text I know in previous years, I decided we would continue in our series on the Life of Christ from Matthew. We have, of course, focused on Advent in our musical worship, with the Advent candle, and with our choir programs. Also, next Lord’s Day our youth pastor Josh Black will preach on a…
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
How the Gospel Impacts the Church Those who know me well know I can be a very critical person. And I confess that there are times when I’m critical of this church. Some of you may have some criticisms of our church as well. After all, churches are composed of sinners. There is room for improvement in any church, but overall I think we have much to be thankful for at First Free. When the gospel has an obvious impact…
1 Thessalonians 2:1-12
How the Gospel Impacts the Pastor It’s no secret to any of you that the media loves bad news. Bad news sells. Bad news titillates the public. Bad news can be used as a tool to further personal agendas, as we saw in the recent tragedy in Tuscon, Arizona. The media particularly likes bad news when it focuses on a politician they don’t like. The conviction of Tom Delay and the fall of John Edwards received a lot of attention because both men had already…
2 Thessalonians 1:1-12
The Justice and Judgment of God Introduction: My kids ask me whether I’m nearsighted or farsighted on a regular basis, not because they have a bad memory, but because the concept is hard for them to understand. I always respond the same way to their question, which turns into a small litany. I say, “I’m nearsighted,” and they say, “What does that mean again?” I say, “It means I can see near, but not far.” Then they say, “Can I put…
2 Corinthians 5:11-6:2
Joy to the World: God’s Enemies Can Become His Friends! As we enter this Advent Season, we need to be reminded once again that Christmas is ultimately the story of God reaching out to those who are alienated from Him and inviting them to become His friends. That’s what brings real joy to the world-when former enemies become friends. While there are many great words in Christian theology–words like forgiveness, salvation, redemption, justification, sanctification, glorification–one of the greatest to me is “reconciliation.” According…
Galatians 1:6-12
DON’T MESS WITH THE MESSAGE! I’d like to start this morning with a question. “How many of you consider yourselves to be reasonably tolerant individuals?” Will you raise your hands? I suppose that most of those who haven’t raised their hands are worried that I have asked a trick question. A few may even honestly recognize some significant areas of intolerance in your life. I want to communicate a radical idea to you today, namely that . . . Tolerance can be intolerable. Tolerance is…