Sermons on Prayer (Page 2)
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…
Colossians 4:2-6
Right Angle Christianity SCRIPTURE: Colossians 4:2-6 SPEAKER: Brad Harper Introduction: In their admonitions concerning how believers should live, many biblical writers are fond of using what might be called a “right angle” image. They emphasize a balance between a vertical relationship (with God), and a horizontal relationship (with the world in which we live). Several general patterns emerge from this image. For example, a relationship with God is the necessary foundation for right relationships with people. Or, the other side of…
Matthew 14:22-36
Truly You Are the Son of God! Introduction: In our journey through the Gospel of Matthew we come today to another of those amazing miracles which are so well-known to Bible students and even children–Jesus walking on the Sea of Galilee. Sometimes these stories are so well known that familiarity can breed contempt; we may even yawn when we hear about them. But these were real events with profound truth behind them. May God help us to have ears to hear what He wants…
Acts 4:1-35
No Other Name Introduction: We have a hard time relating to persecution, don’t we? Most of us have never known significant opposition to our faith in Christ. The worst we can claim is that we were once the butt of a religious joke or that a relative thinks we’re fanatical, or maybe a door was slammed in our face while canvassing our neighborhood on behalf of a Sunday School contest. Not everyone is so fortunate. This Wednesday, I understand, a verdict will be handed…
Acts 12
Deliverance, or Power Encounter Introduction: Acts 12 presents one of the great power encounters of the New Testament. The power of prayer and the power of God go up against the power of Satan, with the same victorious result as in the case of so many the great power encounters in the Old Testament, like Gideon and the Midianites, Samson and the Philistines, or Elijah and the prophets of Baal. I suggest to you that victory is also ours today if we will use…
Acts 20:6-12
On Being Alert Introduction: I was undecided for some time as to what to do with the first part of Acts 20. I didn’t want to skip it, for it has been said that the church service Paul conducted at Troas is one of the most encouraging incidents in the Bible for pastors, because it demonstrates that even when the great Apostle Paul spoke, people fell asleep. I suppose, however, that the average layman could read something sinister into a decision to…