Sermons on Service (Page 3)
When God Calls
Sermon text: Judges 6:11-16 God calls people to do all sorts of things. The call could be to a whole new life pursuit or to a short assignment. Regardless of the length or difficulty of the call, God will always be there leading and equipping. Yet we often push back against His call at first blush. God’s call to Gideon shows us some of the ways we do this.
We Can Help
Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:17 In the midst of a fractured world, Christians have an opportunity to bring people together. We have the message of hope that so many need to hear. But the church must separate itself from the rampant shrillness that marks so much of modern discourse. Instead we must value people the way that God does. We must love our fellow Christians. We must fear God and get in line with His plan. And we must give…
A Clean Break
Sermon text: Ephesians 4:17-24 The default human condition is alienation from God. This life is marked by spiritual blindness and an appetite for all sorts of sinful thoughts and actions. Someone surrendered to Christ should no longer have these characteristics. Instead, believers should be holy and righteous.
Defining Moments
Sermon text: Esther 4:10-5:4 We all face challenges in life. Some of these situations can seem too big to overcome. Queen Esther faced a life-threatening predicament of her own. How God led her through that defining moment in her life teaches us how to approach our own tough times.
The Difference
Sermon text: Matthew 5:13-16 Early in His Sermon on the Mount Jesus challenges His followers to impact the world. He tells us that we are to be salt and light to a lost and dying generation. This speaks to what we do and why we do it. We must be different than those who don’t know Jesus as their Lord. And when they see the difference, we can lead them to a saving knowledge of Jesus as well.
Lessons from a Donkey
Sermon text: Mark 11:1-11 On the first Palm Sunday Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem. This was in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. We really don’t consider the donkey much in the whole panorama of the triumphal entry narratives. But we can learn a lot from this humble animal used by our Lord.
Don’t Settle
Sermon text: Genesis 16:1-6 God’s plan for each of us is perfect. That shouldn’t be surprising, since God is all-knowing. In fact, He’s know His plan since before creation. Yet, we imperfect and certainly not all-knowing humans try to convince Him of the merits of our plans. We settle for something that we don’t even know is going to turn out right, instead of His perfect plan.
The Master’s Business
Sermon text: Matthew 25:14-30 Jesus’ parable of the talents challenges believers to use our resources for God’s glory now, while we have opportunity. We don’t know when Jesus will return. It could be today. We need to make sure we’re making the most of all that Lord has blessed us with to reach and impact others. The parable also makes it clear that an unwillingness to do this indicates that someone is not a follower of Christ.
Grace Period (2 Corinthians 5:18-21)
Jesus came to earth the first time to usher in His kingdom. He came to seek and save the lost. As he departed after His resurrection He charged His followers with making disciples. We are still in that period of human history. We’ve been given a grace period to lead as many as we can to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Scripture tells us clearly that Jesus Christ will return. And when He comes back this time, it will…
Focus (Philippians 3:12-14)
Paul had an amazing resume prior to becoming a follower of Christ. He considered these accomplishments to be so much garbage. He had also accomplished a great deal for the cause of Christ by the time he wrote his letter to the Philippian church. This wasn’t garbage at all. In fact, this was kingdom work. But Paul wasn’t going to bask in his past accomplishments either. He wasn’t done. He wanted to serve Christ effectively until the Lord received him…