“Pray for One Another” Ephesians 3:14-21 January 3, 2016 In my freshman year in college, I began to grow significantly in my spiritual life. One part of that growth was that I began attending a Wednesday evening Bible study — and part of that study was a prayer time with other men in the church […]
Read More Sermon: Pray for One Another“The Comforting Word” Psalm 119:49-56 December 27, 2015 I’m not sure who did the research, but someone came up with a list of “America’s Top 99 Problems.” A few samplings from the list (in increasing order of importance): Terrorism Peeling paint Snakebites Ugly clothes Nothing good to watch on TV Light pollution Airline delays Orbiting […]
Read More Sermon: The Comforting Word“Christmas Dreams” Matthew 1:18-25 December 20, 2015 Christmas captivates us like no other holiday on our calendar. When we are young, birthdays are anticipated and exciting, but the older we become birthdays are associated with less anticipation and with more dread. We like July 4 and Thanksgiving in America, but those days pass quickly and […]
Read More Sermon: Christmas Dreams“Rejoice Always” Philippians 4:4-7 November 29, 2015 Tuesday afternoon I went to get a haircut. And while I was in the chair, the discussion inevitably turned to Thanksgiving and the meal ahead. “What kind of trimmings are you having with your turkey?” I asked. “Mom asked if I wanted pecan or chocolate pie…I told her, […]
Read More Sermon: Rejoice Always“One Grateful Man” Luke 17:11-19 November 22, 2015 It’s one of my (several) favorite Peanuts cartoons: Linus is shown sitting at a table, pencil in hand. In the second panel the paper he was writing on is crumpled with his expected exclamation, “Rats!” In the third panel we see a trash can surrounded by numerous […]
Read More Sermon: One Grateful Man“God’s Revelation; Man’s Rejection” Part 6 Romans 1:28-32 November 15, 2015 How many times in the past few months have you observed something culturally and asked a question something like, “How can that possibly be…what are they/is he thinking?…” I said that when I read some of the opinions that were espoused by our Supreme […]
Read More Sermon: God’s Revelation, Man’s Rejection, Part 6“God’s Revelation; Man’s Rejection” Part 5 Romans 1:26-27 November 1, 2015 For many years I have been maintaining a filing system with articles and information on hundreds of different topics (it currently fills 27 file drawers in my office and a substantial portion of my hard drive on my computer). In one of those drawers […]
Read More Sermon: God’s Revelation, Man’s Rejection, Part 5“The Message of the Cross: Redemption” Ephesians 1:7-8 October 25, 2015 Sometimes communion feels like an afterthought to a worship service: “it’s our monthly duty and we just squeeze it into an already full morning of worship.” But because the work of Christ is central to our salvation, communion should never feel like an after […]
Read More Sermon: Redemption“The Bible and Homosexuality” Selected Scriptures October 18, 2015 Twenty-five years ago, my best friend from high school wrote me a letter. Finally on the bottom of page three, he finally said what I’m sure was the reason behind his writing. Let me read it to you: “I’m gay, Terry. I’ve been so my whole […]
Read More Sermon: The Bible and Homosexuality“The Bible and Sexuality” Selected Scriptures October 11, 2015 Years ago I preached a series of sermons on marriage and family issues. Near the end of the series, I preached a sermon on a biblical perspective of sexuality from 1 Corinthians 7. And I talked pretty plainly about the topic. When we got home from […]
Read More Sermon: The Bible and Sexuality“God’s Revelation; Man’s Rejection” Part 4 Romans 1:20-25 October 4, 2015 It has been said many different ways: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. If you want to dance you have to pay the fiddler. “We are free to choose our paths, but we can’t choose the consequences that come with […]
Read More Sermon: God’s Revelation, Man’s Rejection, Part 4“God’s Revelation; Man’s Rejection” Part 3 Romans 1:20-25 September 20, 2015 They have been called some of the world’s weirdest festivals. Consider: On the last Tuesday of January on St. Ninian’s Isle (Scotland) the local men dress in full Viking regalia, light torches, and go rampaging through town. Of course. (What else is there to […]
Read More Sermon: God’s Revelation, Man’s Rejection, Part 3“God’s Revelation; Man’s Rejection” Part 2 Romans 1:20-25 September 13, 2015 I believe it was about April of 1990 that I was first contacted by Grace Bible Church after I’d submitted my resume for consideration of the open pastoral position here. I responded to the nine questions they sent me and then waited for their […]
Read More Sermon: God’s Revelation, Man’s Rejection, Part 2“God’s Revelation; Man’s Rejection” Part 1 Romans 1:20-25 September 6, 2015 The day after Christmas in 1944, Japanese soldier Hiroo Onoda was sent by his commander to Lubang Island in the Philippines with these orders: You are absolutely forbidden to die by your own hand. It may take three years, it may take five, but […]
Read More Sermon: God’s Revelation, Man’s Rejection, Part 1“God’s Wrath Revealed” Romans 1:18-19 August 30, 2015 It is clear that the world hates God. God’s morality is mocked. His truth is ignored. His commands are violated. Christ is scorned. What Jesus told his disciples in the first century is still true of both Him and us today — “If the world hates you, […]
Read More Sermon: God’s Wrath Revealed
Words of Grace 