Sermons on Integrity
John 1:6-9, 19-34
SERIES: The Gospel of John A Voice in the Desert, or John the Baptist Was No TV Preacher SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus Introduction: On this day of the first Presidential debate of 1992, I am reminded of one of the most electric moments in the 1988 presidential campaign. It came during the debate between Senators Dan Quayle and Lloyd Benson, the Republican and Democrat nominees for Vice-President. When Quayle quoted Jack Kennedy approvingly, Benson retorted with the line that has become a classic…
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…
Daniel 1
Accidental Tourists SCRIPTURE: Daniel 1 SPEAKER: Brad Harper Note: This manuscript has been edited, and information has been added, by Mike Andrus. Introduction: A couple of years ago a movie was released entitled “The Accidental Tourist.” The title was in reference to the main character who wrote a book for people forced to travel for their jobs. These people, in contrast to typical tourists, who are excited about their stay in a foreign land, despised the travel forced upon them and had no…
Daniel 6
Character, Faith, Duty Introduction: It is my privilege to teach today on one of the best-known and best-loved stories in the Bible. It is also a dilemma. How does one handle an old story in a new way so that it remains fresh and, more importantly, so that we all profit from the powerful spiritual lessons it contains? I have decided to focus on three things that stand out throughout the life of Daniel, but particularly here in chapter 6: he was exceptional in character,…
Luke 3:1-20
A Voice from the Wilderness Introduction: The last time we heard anything about John the Baptizer, he had just been born, named, and blessed. In the last verse of Luke 1 we are told, “And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.” The last we heard about Jesus was his visit to the temple in Jerusalem when he was 12 years old, recorded for us in Luke 2. Twenty years have passed…
Genesis 39-41
Joseph: There’s No Substitute for Integrity at Work In our new series on The Ministry of the Market Place we have spent the past two Sundays laying the foundation for a biblical theology of Work. Today we are going to turn from the general to the specific. We are going to begin to examine some biblical biographies of individuals who understood the theology of work, and we hope to learn what it was in their lives that enabled them to live out that theology. None…
2 Cor. 1:12-2:4
When Your Integrity Is Impugned Introduction: One of the most painful experiences we can endure is to have our integrity attacked, especially when we have gone out of our way to do what is right. Has that happened to you lately? It has to me; I guess it just comes with the territory when you’re a church leader. But I have plenty of friends in the corporate world and education who face the same thing regularly. Even the Apostle Paul endured such attacks from…
2 Corinthians 8:1-24
Generating a Spirit of Generosity I want to say a word about where I will be next Sunday and who our guest speaker is going to be. Some of you remember Carlton Harris, who served as our summer intern 25 years ago and who preached here 18 months ago. After 13 years of wonderful ministry in Cleveland, Carlton has been called to pastor the College Avenue Baptist Church in San Diego, one of the largest churches in the Baptist General Conference. He invited…
2 Corinthians 11:16-33
An Apostle’s Reluctant, Yet Intentional Boasting Note: This sermon was preached by Dick High, Associate Pastor at First Free in Wichita. Introduction: In the latter half of chapter 11 Paul continues both his defense of his ministry and his exposure of the false apostles. He will use irony, comparison, and personal example in his effort to present the true character of a leader. His desire is that the believers in the Corinthian church gain understanding regarding God’s leadership values. The ultimate crescendo…