Sermons on Legalism
John 5:9-18
SERIES: The Gospel of John Sabotaging the Sabbath SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus Note: This sermon was preached in Wichita in 1979 in a previous series on John. Introduction: While we have given considerable attention to the healing miracles of Jesus in this series, there is one fact about Jesus’ healings which we have not focused on, and that is the day of the week in which He did most of them. And that’s the subject of our message today. Perhaps you feel that…
Romans 6:1-14
Call to Holy Living Introduction: You are not a Christian because you lead a Christian lifestyle; rather you lead a Christian lifestyle because you are a Christian. There are tens of millions of religious people in this country of ours and countless millions in other lands, who are staking their eternity upon the notion that they are Christians because they try to lead a relatively Christian lifestyle. But if that were possible, why do you suppose the Apostle Paul, the greatest Christian theologian…
Romans 7:1-6
Released from the Law Introduction: Our study of Romans began with a thorough analysis of man’s great problem—sin. It moved in chapter 3 to an evaluation of God’s great solution to man’s problem, namely justification by faith. That is, God has declared those who put their faith in His Son “not guilty,” has removed all their liabilities from the ledger, and has credited to their personal accounts the very righteousness of Christ. Justification deals with the penalty for sin. But we have another problem—the…
Romans 14:1-12
Respecting One Another’s Lifestyle Choices Introduction: One of the greatest arguments for the validity of Christianity has always been its ability to bring together people from segments of society that would normally be estranged from one another. In Christ (the New Testament teaches), social, cultural, economic, and gender barriers are broken down. The tangible evidence of this is the local church, which operates on the basis of mutual love between those whose only common denominator may be their relationship to Jesus Christ…
1 Cor. 8:1‑13
Freedom Has Its Limits SCRIPTURE: 1 Cor. 8:1‑13DATE: March 25, 2001 Introduction: Fifty years ago last month my father accepted a pastorate in the Old Orchard area of Webster Groves. This delightful little church was my home from age 7 to 17. There are a number of individuals here this morning who were part of that congregation–wonderful people who have built significantly into my life. There were in that church, however, some people who had quite a long laundry list of issues by which…
1 Cor. 10:23-11:1
Using Freedom Rightly SCRIPTURE: 1 Cor. 10:23-11:1 Introduction: You know friends, I really look forward to our times together here at First Free. Sunday is the high point of my week. But it hasn’t always been. It wasn’t my favorite time when I was growing up. I was always in church, and I never really rebelled against going (it wouldn’t have done much good–my dad was the pastor), but neither did I enjoy it very much. Why the difference today? Well, there are probably a lot of…
Colossians 2:16-23
Religious Answers that Don’t Work SCRIPTURE: Colossians 2:16-23 SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus Introduction: Few would deny that preoccupation with the world, its values, its priorities, and its possessions is a major hindrance to the growth of many Christians today. What we don’t always realize is that there are two diametrically opposed ways in which this preoccupation manifests itself. Christians may become preoccupied with this world by indulging in its activities and priorities, which destroy spiritual insight and growth. But Christians may also become…
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…
Matthew 15:1-20
Hand Washing Can Get Out of Hand Note: This sermon was preached at First Free Wichita in 2021. Introduction: It was ten years ago today, August 1, 2011, that I retired as Lead Pastor here at First Free. Which also means that today is Pastor Josh’s tenth anniversary as our pastor. He is still on study leave but I am sure he would be encouraged to receive notes of gratitude from many of you for the fine ministry he has carried on over this…
Matthew 23:1-39
Jesus Unloads on Religious Hypocrites Introduction: Before we turn our attention to Matthew 23 this morning, I want to go back to last week’s sermon for a moment. Our topic was the greatest commandment–to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and your neighbor as yourself. I learned on Wednesday that one of our elders skipped worship last Sunday. I don’t know how we can be spiritually healthy as a church when one of our key spiritual leaders…
Acts 15
Great Church Fights Introduction: Leslie B. Flynn, a Conservative Baptist pastor, is one of my favorite leisure‑reading authors because of his quick wit and profound insight. The book of his that I have enjoyed the most is one entitled, Great Church Fights. In this book he humorously treats the friction over widows that resulted in the appointment of the first deacons in Acts 6, the knock‑down drag‑out between the two women, Euodias and Syntyche, at Philippi, the politicking behind Apollos, Paul, and Peter in…
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