Archives: Sermons

Are All to Be Evangelists? (1 Peter 2:9-12)

I assumed last week that we all knew it was part of the responsibility of every believer to witness. But some may point out that there is such a thing as the gift of evangelism. Ephesians 4:11 says that some are called to be evangelists, implying that others are not. 2 Timothy 4:5 tells pastors to do the work of an evangelist. We're going to consider the question, “Are we all called to be evangelists?” I think the biblical answer might surprise you. In order to answer that question, we need to understand…continue reading →

Don’t Be Spooked by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:9-16)

Of the three persons of the Trinity, believers seem to know the least about the Holy Spirit. We know how to relate to a Father, and we can understand the relationship between the Father and the Son, but how do we relate to a Spirit? He's often seen as an impersonal force, and we don't know how to relate to Him. It doesn't help that the King James Version translates “Holy Spirit” as “Holy Ghost,” which 400 years ago was an acceptable translation, but today just leads to misunderstanding. When we think of…continue reading →

The Motivation for Evangelism (1 Timothy 1:12-17)

I'm going to assume tonight that we all know it is part of the Christian's life to evangelize. Evangelism isn't reserved for pastors and evangelists. It's not reserved for those who have the gift of evangelism. I'm going to assume we all understand the Great Commission is our personal mandate. Yet if that's the case, why do so few believers share their faith? Only 2-3% of Christians share their faith with unbelievers. We may need to be reminded that it is the responsibility of every believer. I may address that issue in a…continue reading →

The Amazing and Perplexing Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-41)

“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the…continue reading →

Greetings and Encouragement (Colossians 4:7-18)

Do you ever come to church and feel like your evening looked exactly like this clip from the movie “Spies Like Us”? We all greet each other, say hi. We say a few words. Then we all say goodbye and leave. But no real connection was made. People were able to get away with living a lie. The church ought to be different. We ought to be a people who gathers not to go through the motions, but to encourage each other in real ways, based on the truth of God's Word. “Tychicus…continue reading →

The Symbol of the Cross (Galatians 6:11-15)

The second commandment states that we are not to make a graven, or carved, image of anything that is in heaven or on the earth, and that we are not to bow down to such images. This seems straight forward enough. There are examples of idol worship in the Bible such as Asherah poles and the golden calf. We can think of examples of idol worship in the world today such as Buddah statues, tv, and money. But there is a bit of confusion within the Christian church as to what is and…continue reading →

Following Jesus to the Cross (Matthew 16:24-27)

I'd like to talk this morning about something good mothers do instinctively in their families. Mothers sacrifice their desires. They don't this because it's fun, but for the sake of their families. Yet in the very act of giving of their desires, they gain a greater joy. It's like the mother who gives up her food in order to feed her child. Jesus spoke a similar message to His disciples. In order to be His disciple, each person must take up His cross and follow Him. But what does this mean, to take…continue reading →

Be a Wise Guy (Colossians 4:5-6)

I remember when I was just a young boy watching the Three Stooges and thinking how funny they were, and then watching them years later and thinking how idiotic they were. I realized, though, that they were so funny precisely because they acted like idiots. They said the stupidest things. They carelessly hurt each other. They constantly retaliated when wronged. Much of the world lives like the Three Stooges, as if it were a joke and they could say and do whatever they wanted. But we are to live as wise men. Wisdom…continue reading →

The Reconciliation of the Cross (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)

The Bible says that before we were saved, we were enemies of God. All of our thoughts and actions were against God. How is our relationship with God different because of the cross? “For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we…continue reading →

Presevere in Prayer (Colossians 4:2-4)

Jesus withdrew from His disciples many times to pray. When he prayed, he poured Himself into it. He prayed until he sweat. He prayed all through the night. I often wonder why He needed to pray at all. Jesus, after all, is God in the flesh. He knew God's will better than anyone. Yet even the Son of God needed to constantly talk with His Father in Heaven in order to resist temptation and for His heart to find constant encouragement. Yet when most people today examine their prayer lives, they fall drastically…continue reading →