Sermons on Repentance
Psalm 32
SERIES: Psalms, Cries of the Heart The Cry of the Guilty Conscience SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus Introduction: We live in the “me” generation, the day of the Boomers, the Busters, and the GenXers. Our age has seen the acceptance of such brilliant farsighted wisdom as, “If it feels good, do it.” And we’re known for such profound musical themes as, “I did it my way.” Not surprisingly, guilt receives a lot of bad press in our society. Current popular psychology gives one the impression…
1 Samuel 4-7
SERIES: Leadership in Hard Times A Boy Named Ichabod, A Stone Named Ebenezer SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus DATE: May 23, 2004 Introduction: Have you ever met a boy named Ichabod? I doubt it. The fictional character, Ichabod Crane, in Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, is the last one I ever heard of, and he was such a despicable character that I suppose all parents since the time of Washington Irving have studiously avoided “Ichabod” when trying to find the right name for their…
1 Samuel 15
SERIES: Leadership in Hard Times Partial Obedience Is Disobedience SCRIPTURE: 1 Samuel 15 SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus Introduction: Let me paint a little word picture for you that will be readily identifiable to anyone with a toddler at home. “It’s almost supper time, Adam. Pick up the papers and crayons that are all over the floor and put them in your desk before supper.” “Oh, Daddy, do I have to?” “Yes, you have to.” The family gathers at the supper table, Adam…
Ezra 4
The Many Faces of Opposition Introduction: Life can be tough. Just the ordinary responsibilities of making a living, developing family relationships, putting a kid through college, and keeping two cars running can leave you exhausted at the end of the day. And if you have a high‑stress job, a child who’s difficult, high balances on your credit cards, and elderly parents who need lots of attention, you may feel at times that you can hardly cope. But when you add to all that the…
Ezra 9, 10
Taking Sin Seriously Introduction: In 1973, at the age of 80, Karl Menninger of the world-famous Menninger School of Psychiatry in Topeka, Kansas, published a book which shocked the mental health community. Its title was Whatever Became of Sin? It was not a biblical theology of sin, but its thesis was a welcome corrective, namely that moral responsibility must be brought back into the therapy process. The shock, unfortunately, was short-lived, and today sin is once again as foreign a concept to psychiatry as efficiency…
Daniel 4
God Humbles the Proud Introduction: I heard a dumb joke the other day: “What do Atila the Hun, Catherine the Great, and Jack the Ripper have in common.” Answer: they all have the same middle name. Now don’t groan; I warned you it was dumb. The fact is all these individuals also share a much more important common characteristic: they were all cruel beyond imagination. Had you been alive when they were, these individuals would have been the last people on earth you would have expected to…
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…
Matt 27:1-10
SERIES: The Good News, as Reported by Matthew Deadly Remorse Introduction: Centuries ago in Italy, an artist set out to paint a mural of the life of Christ in one of the great cathedrals. When he got to the scene of Jesus at age twelve debating the teachers of the Law in the Temple, he searched for just right person to serve as his model, choosing a handsome young man with a wholesome and intelligent appearance. Years later as the artist approached the final…
Acts 3:1-26
The Powerful Name of Jesus Introduction: Acts 3 is linked to Acts 2 not only in their proximity to one another. They are also linked inseparably in regard to content. The gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church, as witnessed so powerfully in the second chapter, is intended, in turn, to offer Spirit-filled people as a gift to the world, a world full of lame, paralyzed, hurting people. The evidence of the Spirit’s filling will never be confined to the believer’s personal life,…
Genesis 42-44
Time Alone Doesn’t Heal a Guilty Conscience Our Scripture text today covers three full chapters of Genesis. Obviously if we read the entire portion there would be time for little else. On the other hand, I cannot tell the story nearly as well as the author has told it. So with your indulgence I am going to read most of it, with selected repetitive portions left out. This is indeed one of the great stories of the Bible, and I think you will profit…
Revelation 2:1-7
SERIES: Letters from Jesus to Eight Churches To Ephesus: The Church that Had Everything Right Except the Main Thing We’re going to begin a new series today from the book of Revelation. Yes, you heard me right, Revelation! But don’t get too excited, because the portion of Revelation I want us to study for the next two months is not the part filled with strange prophecies and weird symbolism, but rather chapters 2 and 3, where Jesus sends personal letters to the seven…
Revelation 3:1-6
To Sardis: Do You Worship in a Mausoleum? How many of you have traveled outside the U.S.? If you ever get the opportunity to go on a tour or on one of the short-term mission trips our church sponsors, I encourage you to go. It really broadens your horizons and can have a tremendous spiritual impact. I have been privileged to do a lot of foreign travel, some of it for pleasure and some for ministry. I have actually been to thirty countries on…
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