Sermons on Prayer (Page 2)
Nehemiah 3, 4
Trust in God, and Keep Your Powder Dry! Introduction: When my wife heard my sermon title yesterday, she responded, “A 4th of July sermon, huh?” I was surprised at the question because I hadn’t even thought of this message in those terms, but perhaps it could be related. Please listen to the Word of God as found in Ezra 4. When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel, 2 they came to Zerubbabel…
Nehemiah 6, 7
Operation Intimidation DATE: April 7, 2019 Note: This was Michael Andrus’ last sermon at First Free in St. Louis, preached in 2019. It has been inserted into the 1992 series on Nehemiah. Greetings: Thank you kindly, Adam, for that introduction. I listened to John Richardson’s last message in which he said you were turning on the “way back machine” and inviting me to speak. Well, he’s not far off as it’s been over 15 years since we moved back to Wichita. I expect this will…
1 Kings 15:9-24, 2 Chronicles 14-16
Asa: “He Did Not Seek Help from the Lord, But Only from the Physicians.” Introduction: Dr. John Piper is a well-known pastor and writer in Minneapolis. This past week I came across a prayer he used before preparing a sermon: Lord, I have a text and I have an idea and a mind and hands and a computer and health and energy and a free day and safety from interruption. If I rely on these things–these good things that you yourself have given me–then…
2 Chronicles 19, 20
Jehoshaphat: “The Battle Is not Yours, but God’s!” Introduction: American parents are choosing Bible names for their children in record numbers. In a recent survey Michael was the most popular, but others frequently chosen were Joshua, Mary, Elizabeth, Timothy, David, Andrew, and Matthew. Generally, the more godly and successful the person was in Bible times, the more popular the name is today. Little wonder, then, that Ahab, Jezebel and Judas are rarely, if ever, chosen. But one name that doesn’t fit this particular pattern…
Romans 8:26-30
God Works! Introduction: Let me begin this morning by presenting a few imaginary scenarios. Unemployed for six months and after a great interview, you receive the “We’ll keep your resume on file” letter for the thirtieth time. You try, you try, and you try, but pregnancy never happens. You finally get the affairs settled on your deceased father’s estate, and your sister-in-law calls and tells you that your brother has just died of a heart attack. The supervisors at your internship may let you go…
Romans 15:14-16
The State of the Church Introduction: Four years ago today I preached a sermon with an identical title to today’s. I opened with these words: In a few weeks President Bush will be addressing Congress and the Nation with his annual State of the Union message. In it he will undoubtedly stress his accomplishments over the past year, take credit for winning the Gulf War and for helping to end the Cold War, acknowledge some of the problems facing us, suggest a few…
Romans 15:14-33
The Ministering Mentality Introduction: I grew up in the Roman Catholic church. There are three inevitable things about your life if you grew up as a Catholic boy in St. Louis. The first thing is you went to mass every day. The second is you served mostaccioli at your wedding reception. And third, you played soccer. Until the 1980’s, about the only people playing soccer in America were Catholic school boys in St. Louis. In the summer after fifth grade, I went to a soccer camp…
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…
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,…
Daniel 9
Repentance: Prerequisite to Spiritual Renewal Introduction: One of the most profitable studies a Christian can do is a study of the great prayers in the Bible—prayers of Moses, Joshua, David, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Paul, Peter, and of course, Jesus Himself. We have before us this morning one of the greatest of all the prayers in the Bible. It is a prayer of repentance and confession—both personal and national. It is a model we desperately need today. I think it would be valuable for us to read…
Daniel 10
Spiritual Warfare, Politics, and Prayer Note: This sermon was preached at First Free in Wichita in 2020, shortly before the national election. I have inserted it here as an update to the earlier series. Introduction: Today we come to a chapter that is unique in the book of Daniel; in fact, it is unique in the Bible. It tells us that Daniel receives a final prophetic vision, but the details of the vision are not revealed until chapter 11. The focus of this chapter is…
Colossians 1:1-14
Celebrating the Church SCRIPTURE: Colossians 1:1-14 SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus Introduction: We begin a new series today on the brief, but powerful, New Testament book called “Colossians.” This letter was written centuries ago to a small church being bombarded by philosophies and practices that were incompatible with the Christian faith. These philosophies are surprisingly similar to the New Age ideas and a New Morality being touted in our own culture, so much so that one can legitimately call New Age thought “ancient heresy,” and the…