Sermons from 2023 (Page 9)
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…
Romans 16:1-16
Brothers and Sisters in Christ Introduction: A pastor I know wrote the following: A special blessing in my life over the past four years has been getting to know a friend who is a medical doctor. He has a fascinating story about how he came to Christ. After suffering through two disastrous marriages and divorces, he went on a search for meaning and purpose in his life. He decided to volunteer one day a week to work in an AIDS clinic in San Francisco. There…
Romans 16:17-20, 25-27
How to Handle Trouble in the Church Introduction: Listen to the Word of the Lord, as found in Romans 16:17-20 and 25-27: I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. {18} For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. {19} Everyone…
1 Peter 1:1-12
Don’t Just Hang in There; Stand Firm! Introduction: Persecution of the church in our country does not usually consist ot direct attacks on our places of worship or our teachings but rather indirect attacks on the moral and social issues that are inherent to our faith. Ten days ago the city of Philadelphia joined four states (Mass., Illinois, Calif, and I believe Connecticut) in denying Catholic Social Services (and any other adoption agency, like the evangelical Bethany Christian Services) from placing children…
1 Peter 1:13-2:3
Cultural Advice for Aliens Whenever you go to a foreign country it is wise to read up on its customs and culture. A number of years ago I took a trip to Russia, unwisely in January! I discovered some very interesting things about Russian culture–some before I went and others after I arrived. Russians always remove their shoes when they come into a house or an apartment. Usually there is a basket of slippers to choose from; if not, you just walk around in your…
1 Peter 2:4‑10
The Real House of God Note: This sermon was preached at the Free Church in Springfield, MO on the occasion of the dedication of their new church building. I have always been fascinated by building construction. When I was a small child a friend gave me a used Erector Set (probably no one under 40 even knows what that is), and I spent untold hours building bridges and buildings and contraptions of one sort or another. Anytime a house was going up in…
1 Peter 2:13-25
The Godly Reaction to Unfairness: Submission Introduction: Today and next Sunday we are going to be dealing with topics in 1 Peter 2 & 3 that I think are increasingly difficult for Americans to look at objectively. All of them have to do with authority– the authority of government over its citizens, the authority of management over labor, and the authority of husbands over their wives. Fortunately, that third one won’t come up for another week and the Lord may return by then. Seriously, these are tough issues, and there are…
1 Peter 3:1-12
Learning to Live Long and Well Well, the Lord has delayed His return, so let’s jump into our Scripture passage for today. It includes my life verse: “Wives, be submissive to your own husbands.” (Just kidding!) (1 Peter 3:1‑7) “Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, {2} when they see the purity and reverence of your…
1 Peter 3:13-22
Defending the Faith, Not Ourselves In chapter 1, we were introduced to the reality that becoming a Christian introduces a tremendous new tension in life. Our faith in Jesus causes our citizenship papers to be transferred from one kingdom to another. Paul tells us in Colossians that God “has rescued us from the one who rules in the kingdom of darkness, and he has brought us into the Kingdom of his dear Son.” (Col. 1:13, NLT) The tension results because though our papers…
1 Peter 4:1-6
ARM YOURSELF! Concealed carry has been a very controversial issue in our country over the past two decades. I personally don’t like guns, but in view of the domestic terrorism that has occurred in our country recently, I am frankly rather pleased that we have a dozen or so members of our church packing heat on any given Sunday. I recall back in Missouri in 1998 there was a ballot issue called Proposition B, a measure that would have made it legal…
1 Peter 4:7-19
First Priorities in the Last Days If you knew a great disaster was coming how would you prepare for it? Our passage today talks about a coming disaster and tells us how to prepare: (1 Peter 4:7‑11) “The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self‑controlled so that you can pray. {8} Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. {9} Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. {10} Each one should…