Sermons from 2023 (Page 7)
Romans 6:1-14
Dead Men Don’t Sin Introduction: I cut the following news article out of the Kansas City Times on March 11, 1974. The dateline is Manila and the title of the article is, “Soldier Surrenders After 30 Years:” Japanese Lt. Hiroo Onoda, a World War II holdout for nearly 30 years, emerged from the Philippine jungles yesterday (this was 21 years ago yesterday). He told Japanese newsmen he had not come out before because “I had not received the order.” Onoda, who turned 52…
Romans 6:15-23
You Gotta Serve Somebody! Introduction: What happens in our civilized American society when, for one reason or another, the laws of the land are temporarily unenforceable? It should embarrass all optimistic secular humanists that the answer to that question is usually flagrant and shameless crime. One need only recall the endless line of people running away from department stores in Los Angeles with all they could carry in the looting that followed the Rodney King verdict. Some seemed even unconcerned that their faces would…
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 7:7-14
A Spiritual Autobiography, Pt. 1: The Paradox of the Law Introduction: When you hear Christians share their testimonies, one of the most common features is an affirmation to the effect that they are so much happier since receiving Christ, so much more at peace with themselves, so much less troubled by guilt and shame than they used to be. I suspect that is true in most cases. But I wonder what we would do if a person got up and shared a testimony like…
Romans 7:14-25
A Spiritual Autobiography, Pt. 2: The Beast Within Introduction: A considerable amount of good, practical and biblical theology has been communicated to our culture by a person who was neither a theologian nor a pastor. His name is Charles Schulz. Charlie Brown and Lucy are walking along together when Charlie, wearing his most pensive look, says, “All it would take to make me happy is to have someone say he likes me.” “Are you sure,” asks Lucy? “Of course, I’m sure!” “You mean you’d…
Romans 8:1-11
The Believer’s Emancipation Proclamation Introduction: Tony Campolo writes the following account of a little girl he knew: A friend of mine has an adorable four-year-old daughter. She is bright and she is talkative. If tryouts were being held for a modern-day Shirley Temple, I think she would win hands down. One night there was a violent thunderstorm. The lightning flashed and the thunder rumbled. It was one of those terrifying storms that forces everyone to stop and tremble a bit. My friend ran upstairs to his daughter’s…
Romans 8:12-17
The Family of God Introduction: One of the most common characteristics of rebellious, delinquent children is the feeling that they aren’t loved or appreciated and that they don’t really belong in the family. This perception may well be faulty, but the very perception itself generally results in aberrant behavior. Dr. James Dobson, former Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Southern California and now President of Focus on the Family, writes about how critical this lack of self-worth is in society as a…
Romans 8:18-25
The Agony and the Ecstasy[i] Introduction: One of the most distinguishing features of biblical Christianity is its philosophy of suffering. Some religions deny the reality of pain and suffering altogether, calling it an illusion. Others attribute suffering to the fact that God is finite and thus unable to eliminate it. There is a view held by some evangelicals that suffering is never God’s will and is simply the result of weak faith. Jesus and His Apostles, however, took a very balanced approach toward suffering. They acknowledged…
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 8:31-39
Secure in God’s Love Introduction: I love the mountains. To me there’s nothing more exhilarating than climbing one of the 14,000-foot mountain peaks in Colorado and feasting on the 360-degree view from the top. There’s a perspective one gets from the top that is unavailable anywhere else. It’s even better than the view from an airplane because you’re so much closer to it. Well, Romans is the Himalayan mountain range of the Bible, and chapter 8 is Mount Everest. It begins with “no condemnation” and ends…
Romans 9-11
The Jewish Problem Introduction: Of all the nations in the history of mankind, the one that has been the center of controversy more than any other has been the nation of Israel. Nearly 4,000 years ago, while Egypt was a world empire, the Jewish nation was born. It soon became a burr under Egypt’s saddle and remained so until the Pharaoh let them go to the Promised Land. The Assyrian, Babylonian, Medo-Persian, and Greek empires in succession focused an inordinate amount of attention on…
Romans 9:6-26
Let God Be God! Introduction: Romans, chapter 9, is the graveyard of many a well-intentioned Bible scholar and pastor. There are verses in this chapter which are among the most difficult in the Bible. Christians have choked on them for centuries, and otherwise capable expositors have performed interpretive abortions on them in a vain attempt to get them to say something other than what they say. In all honesty, I don’t think Romans 9 is all that difficult for those who are willing…