Sermons on Obedience
Simple Truths: Joseph Edition
Sermon text: Matthew 1:18-25 Joseph of Nazareth was at a crossroads. He was engaged to Mary, but she was with child. Imagine the emotional turmoil he must have been going through! As he was planning what to do about this, he saw an angel in a dream. The angel told him the reality of who this unborn child was, and how Mary came to be pregnant. Within this well-known passage are some important truths for us. If you would like…
Our Two-Minute Warning
Sermon text: Romans 13:11-14 Jesus could return anytime. Believers generally understand this and even accept it as truth. But what are we actually doing about it? God in His great mercy has held back His judgment so that more people can accept His offer of salvation through Jesus Christ. But to a large extent the church is using this grace period for anything but being about the Lord’s business. Time is short. We must act now.
Time for a Change
Sermon text: Genesis 12:1-4 Change is something we all have to face at times. Abram’s call gives us some clear principles on how to recognize and respond to a legitimate godly directive for change.
The Real Mover and Shaker
Sermon text: Joshua 3:3-4 Joshua was preparing to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. Between them and their goal was the Jordan River. But God had a specific plan for how they would cross the flooded torrent. And how Joshua and the Israelites received that plan can be a help to us in the 21st century. To see God really move, we must first be willing to let Him initiate the action. God will always…always know the best plan…
Follow Jesus on Purpose
Sermon text: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 The apostle Paul was asked about eating meat offered to pagan idols. A key to his response was to not allow our rights to hurt others. As Paul unpacked this concept, he talked about the Christian life as a race. He explained that every follower of Christ needs to follow Him on purpose. Aimlessness and imprecision will not get the job done. Instead, the follower of Jesus must willingly discipline the flesh in order to…
Stay Safe
Sermon text: Colossians 2:8 The church at Colossae was being ravaged by false teaching. All sorts of aberrant ideas were pulling the people away from the truth of the gospel. The apostle Paul’s letter to them was geared to combat the error threatening the fellowship. Paul explained that they must not let philosophy and vain teachings take them captive. Two thousand years later, the church is again facing a similar threat. We would do well to heed Paul’s instructions and…
What’s Your Mission?
Sermon text: 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 Every follower of Jesus Christ has a mission. Certainly we have the overall mission given to the church, to make disciples. We have a mission as a part of a local church. But we also have a personal, individual mission. This mission will definitely line up with the larger missions of Christianity and our local body of believers. But no one else will have a mission just like you do. Do you know your mission?
Follow
Sermon text: Luke 9:57-62 Following Jesus is not about staying in your comfort zone. It’s not supposed to be convenient. It’s not about just fitting Jesus into your already crowded schedule. Following Jesus means putting His priorities above your own. It means counting the cost and then serving Him with gusto. To truly follow Jesus means doing whatever it takes to bring Him glory.
The Good Kid
Sermon text: 1 Peter 1:13-16 All who call on Christ as their Lord have hope for their future. Scripture has many verses that assure us of this fact. But often that hope can be clouded by the cares and distractions of this world. Early in his first epistle Peter warns his readers to avoid this pitfall. Using the example of an obedient child he tells us to live holy lives. We need to not conform to the world in which…
Think Like Jesus
Sermon text: Philippians 2:5-13 Jesus was the greatest servant who ever walked the earth. In fact, His very mission was to come here to serve the most people. He accomplished that task perfectly, in that He took our sin upon Himself on the cross. The apostle Paul makes it very clear in the focal verse for this sermon that Jesus is the very embodiment of how we should live our lives. But not just in how we act. We should…