Archives: Sermons

God, what have we said against You? (Malachi 3:13-18)

“You have said harsh things against me, says the LORD. "Yet you ask, 'What have we said against you?' You have said, 'It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD Almighty? But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.' " Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who…continue reading →

Sharing Christ with Our Community, Part 2 (Matthew 10:9-16)

“Acquire no gold nor silver nor copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, nor two tunics nor sandals nor a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake…continue reading →

God, how do we rob You? (Malachi 3:8-12)

“Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, 'How have we robbed you?' In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the…continue reading →

Sharing Christ with Our Community, Part 1 (Matthew 10:1-8)

We've been talking a lot about evangelism. I want focus specifically the next four weeks on why I began this series in the first place. Our church began a new visitation ministry. I want us to be sure to remember that this is only one way to foster evangelism. We ought to be living out the gospel daily, looking for opportunities in our daily lives. These next four weeks apply to all of us, whether or not you are on a visitation team. To talk about how we are to go about visiting…continue reading →

God, how have we wearied You? (Malachi 2:17-3:7)

Morality must come from God, or else it doesn't exist at all. Natural selection cannot account for morality. We can't expect unbelievers to act like believers. They will not regard God's moral law as something they must follow. Those who don't believe in God attempt to construct a morality for themselves. But such a morality would ultimately be a matter of opinion, not based on anything. In order for there to be a moral code, there must be a Moral Code Giver, and we must look to Him for what is right and…continue reading →

Praying Evangelistally (Luke 23:33-35)

The first verse that I think about in terms of praying evangelistically is Luke 10:2. Praying like this causes us to think more about the harvest. It makes us look for opportunities in our own lives to be the workers in the harvest field. But we must not only pray for ourselves, but for the field itself. There is a field ready for harvest. But there is also much soil not yet ready to be planted in. We need to pray that people would be broken of their sin and ready to hear…continue reading →

God, why won’t You accept our offerings? (Malachi 2:10-16)

When we come to know Christ as Savior, we embark on a journey of faith. Along that journey are various stages which test our faith. If you were raised in church, then one of the firsts tests is when you get a car and a job. Another test is when you go away to college. Yet another is when you get married, and then when you have children. The passage we will look at this morning describes one of theses temptations, and gives us practical direction to hold onto our faith. “Have we…continue reading →

Everyday Evangelism (Matthew 4:18-20)

We're going to talk tonight about what it means to enter the mission field when we leave this building. The implication of the sign, of course, is that outside of these walls, we are on the mission field. The mission field is the place where missionaries do their ministry. But how do we go about doing ministry in the midst of our busy lives? “While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were…continue reading →

God, how have we defiled You? (Malachi 1:6-2:10)

“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, 'How have we despised your name?' By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, 'How have we polluted you?' By saying that the LORD's table may be despised. When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that…continue reading →

God, how have You loved us? (Malachi 1:1-5)

From the birth of Jacob and Esau we learn about God's sovereign will. In terms of tradition and heritage, Esau, as firstborn, would be the more honored son. But God decided beforehand that it would be the other way around. God decided to show a special love and grace to Jacob and his descendents. Jacob's descendents did not appreciate this love because they didn't understand it. I fear that many of us commit the same sin in our lives today. How do we notice and appreciate God's love for us? “The oracle of…continue reading →