Sermon: Jesus Prays

Jesus Prays John 17:20-26 January 3, 2021 Few things reveal the nature and condition of our hearts like prayer (when we are genuine and truthful). That is true as well of the heart of Christ, which makes the Lord’s prayer in John 17 a particularly rich and stimulating passage of Scripture. Of this passage, Melanchthon […]

Sermon: What We Want from the Word

What We Want from the Word Psalm 119:129-136 December 27, 2020 What did you want this week? That’s a fitting question for a week when there is much gift giving. What gifts were you anticipating giving? What kinds of gifts were you hoping to receive (or not receive)? Where did you want to go (or […]

The Father Who Sent His Son

The following is the manuscript of the message given at our Christmas Eve service this evening. In February 1942, the American war against the Japanese in the Philippines was not going well. It was going so poorly that by March 12, 1942, President Roosevelt ordered General Douglas MacArthur, who was stationed in the Philippines, to […]

Sermon: Christ is Coming

Christ is Coming Revelation 1:7 December 20, 2020 It was early in November that I saw my first sign of Christmas. There on someone’s Facebook video was a Christmas tree in the background — two weeks before Thanksgiving! It was shortly after that Raye Jeanne and I began noticing that Christmas lights started appearing on […]

Sermon: Christ Has Come

Christ Has Come Revelation 1:4-6 December 6, 2020 A truck driver was driving across a town but something appeared to be wrong — every time he stopped at a red light or stop sign, he would jump out of his truck running around it and beating the side of it with a baseball bat. Someone […]

Sermon: Fellowship and the Cross

Fellowship and the Cross 1 John 1:1-4 November 29, 2020 Many years ago (while in seminary) I was an evangelism trainer on a team of people from our church who went out weekly to share the gospel. One of the people on my team was a good friend from seminary. As we were headed back […]

Sermon: Thankful Hearts Giving Thanks

Thankful Hearts Giving Thanks Colossians 3:15-17 November 22, 2020 Rudyard Kipling is one of the most well-known British writers from the 19th and 20th centuries. He penned many poems and such classic stories as How the Leopard Got His Spots and The Jungle Book. His writing made him famous and wealthy. A newspaper reporter approached […]

Sermon: When You are Hated, Pt. 2

When You are Hated…, Part 2 Romans 12:17-21 November 15, 2020 We all have expectations for relationships. We have desires for how they will work and what we will receive through those relationships. However, we live in a fallen world, so… Our relationships will never work completely according to our plan Our relationships will never […]

Sermon: When You are Hated

When You are Hated… Romans 12:14-16 November 8, 2020 Like you, I’ve had relationships where I’ve known the other person didn’t like me. Those are hard relationships. You know that and have experienced that. But I don’t know that I’ve had anyone ever really hate me — hate me to the point of working against […]

Sermon: When Life is Hard

When Life is Hard… Romans 12:12-13 November 1, 2020 I am what you might call a “fair-weather exerciser.” I prefer to get my exercise outdoors, but I prefer to get it within certain parameters. I don’t like it (and generally won’t go) when it’s over 80° and I definitely won’t go when it’s below 40° […]

Sermon: Relationships in Christ’s Church

Relationships in Christ’s ChurchRomans 12:9-11October 18, 2020 While the Bible is a big book, we sometimes forget the simplicity and conciseness of its teaching. It is a big book, but the overall message is not complicated. When I share the gospel I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone say, “wait a minute — that’s really […]

Sermon: What About Prophecy?

What About Prophecy? Romans 12:6 October 11, 2020 One of the questions I am asked most often is about the charismatic sign gifts (tongues, miracles, and prophecy primarily) — what is GBC’s position and my position on those gifts? It’s an important question to ask because it affirms where we receive power for ministry and […]

Sermon: Because of God’s Mercy…Serve God’s People

Because of God’s Mercy…Serve God’s People Romans 12:6-8 September 27, 2020 When James was seven years old, he was hit by a bread delivery truck. He survived, but he suffered an injury to the frontal lobe of his brain and a chunk of his skull was missing — an indentation that was evident for the […]

Sermon: Because of God’s Mercy…Be Transformed (Pt. 2)

Because of God’s Mercy…Be Humble Romans 12:3-5 September 20, 2020 Henry Augustus Rowland was a professor of physics at Johns Hopkins University in the second half of the 19th century. On one occasion he was called as a witness in a court case and his qualifications were given as “the highest known authority in this […]

Sermon: Because of God’s Mercy…Be Transformed (Pt. 2)

Because of God’s Mercy…Be Transformed, Part 2 Romans 12:2 September 13, 2020 We need to change. We have to change. We have been called to change. Change is necessary for the one who is in Christ Jesus. And we can change because of the gospel that has saved us. Just listen to a few passages […]