Archives: Sermons

Put All Your Eggs in One Basket (1 John 4:13-16)

One of the major concerns of any missionary effort among a religious people group is syncretism. Syncretism is the merging of two or more religions with the result being something that is really a new religion altogether. When you mix chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows, you get an entirely new creation. Or maybe it's more like combining Elmer's glue with liquid starch. The result a strange substance known as Gak. Syncretism is why many people in South America and Africa call themselves Christians but continue to worship idols as well, and in some…continue reading →

Don’t Practice Random Acts of Kindness (1 John 4:7-12)

This morning I'm going to encourage you to stop practicing random acts of kindness. You must be thinking, “Where is he going with this?” In our love for one another, we're to follow God's example of love towards us. God's love toward us is anything but random. We, therefore, ought to be intentional about loving the people around us. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is…continue reading →

Don’t Practice Random Acts of Kindness (1 John 4:7-12)

This morning I'm going to encourage you to stop practicing random acts of kindness. You must be thinking, “Where is he going with this?” In our love for one another, we're to follow God's example of love towards us. God's love toward us is anything but random. We, therefore, ought to be intentional about loving the people around us. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is…continue reading →

Don’t Trust Anyone (1 John 4:1-6)

Two men had an argument that they could not resolve, so they decided to bring it before a judge. The judge heard the first person explain his argument, and responded, “that's right, that's right.” The judge then listened to the other person's side and responded, “that's right, that's right.” Then the court clerk, listening to the whole thing, jumped up in frustration and explained, “they can't both be right!” The judge thought about this for a moment and said, “that's right, that's right.” There are many religions, philosophies, and worldviews in the world,…continue reading →

Don’t Trust Anyone (1 John 4:1-6)

Two men had an argument that they could not resolve, so they decided to bring it before a judge. The judge heard the first person explain his argument, and responded, “that's right, that's right.” The judge then listened to the other person's side and responded, “that's right, that's right.” Then the court clerk, listening to the whole thing, jumped up in frustration and explained, “they can't both be right!” The judge thought about this for a moment and said, “that's right, that's right.” There are many religions, philosophies, and worldviews in the world,…continue reading →

Leap Before You Look (1 John 3:17-24)

“Look before you leap” is certainly sound advice. We ought to be wise. We ought not be foolish and rash in our decisions. But we ought not be so calculated that we don't leave room in our lives for spontaneous acts of compassion and praise. Sometimes God is calling us not to analyze a need and rationalize a response, but to give ourselves to completely and spontaneously to the people around us. If we're going to be the kind of people God would have us be, we should always be ready to leap…continue reading →

Give the World a Reason to Hate You (1 John 3:11-16)

One of my goals in this sermon series has been to show that the wisdom of the Bible is contrary to the wisdom of the world, even when the wisdom of the world sounds good. The world's wisdom says, “Don't be selfish.” But the Bible tells us to seek after our greatest good, which is joy in God. The world's wisdom says, “Don't air your dirty laundry.” But the Bible tells us to confess our sins to God and to one another so we can be healed. The world's wisdom says, “Believe in…continue reading →

Be a Goody Goody (1 John 3:4-10)

A goody-goody is defined as “a person who behaves extremely well in order to please a superior.” So you often hear people say, “Don't be a goody-goody.” But the phrase comes from a nursery tale titled, “The History of Little Goody Two Shoes.” In the story, a poor girl who only had one shoe was graciously given a pair of shoes. This inspired her to work hard all of her life, doing good, and living virtuously. But if it weren't for the gracious gift of the shoes, she would never have lived that…continue reading →

Fake It Till You Make It (1 John 2:29-3:3)

I need to begin by saying that we should never fake being something that we're not. That's how the church often gets labeled as hypocrites. Yet we shouldn't use that as an excuse to not strive to be what we're called to be. One day we will be made holy and righteous, and until then, we need to strive to be holy and righteous in everything we do. “If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him. See what kind of…continue reading →

Be a Know-It-All (1 John 2:26-28)

I don't know where it came from originally, but I've heard this saying from a few sources: “Between me and my brother, we know everything.” Many people have the desire to be know-it-alls. It's easier than ever to find out answers to questions about history or the world we live in. It's astounding how much information we consume every day. One study reported that the average American spends 12 hours per day consuming information. This comes in the form of reading books, newspapers, magazines, watching television, surfing the internet, playing video games, listening…continue reading →