Sermons on Blessing
The Sanctity Of Human Life
More than 60M abortions since 1973. That is equivalent to the populations of California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, and Nevada combined! Imagine every human being in those states disappearing. That is roughly 19% of the population of the United States today. I don’t typically preach topical sermons, but today is the 50th Anniversary of Roe vs. Wade and the first year since the Supreme Court of the United States overturned it. It seemed like an appropriate year to join with many churches around…
The Virgin Shall Conceive
Matthew begins his gospel with a genealogy that confirms Jesus’ humanity as well as his royal heritage. Although Jesus was born into the line of King David, his immediate parents were actually poor and insignificant. Jesus had a true humanity. And yet, the genealogy was unique in how it explained his relationship to his parents. Instead of following the pattern of naming the father, Matthew carefully states that Joseph is not the physical father (Matt 1:16). More explanation is provided in our…
Exhort One Another Every Day
A new study from Pew Research Center concluded, “If recent trends in switching [changing one’s religious affiliation] hold, we projected that Christians could make up between 35% and 46% of the U.S. population in 2070.” Had Egypt conducted a survey of the trend of Israel’s growth while in slavery, they would have seen their own population eclipsed in fairly short order. Who could have predicted that almost the entire generation would die in the wilderness within forty years? Even though…
Do Not Harden Your Hearts
The bulk of our passage this morning is a direct quote from Psalm 95. That psalm opens with a familiar call to worship. We’ve used it several times to open our own worship service. Psalm 95:1 ESV Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Some bible scholars suggest that this psalm was liturgical and frequently used during the preamble of the service. So, as the author begins to quote a…
Nehemiah’s Final Reforms
“Ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda“ (the church reformed, always reforming), has become a beloved slogan of the reformed church since it was first coined in a devotional book by the Dutch minister, Jodocus van Lodenstein in 1674. We might assume that he was talking about making major changes to the doctrine, worship, or government of the Church. But in his day, the church was already thoroughly reformed in each of those areas. Godfrey The great concern of ministers like van Lodenstein was…
How to Praise God for His Actions in the Past (Nehemiah 9:6-15)
Learning how to praise God is not the same as actually doing so. Teaching through this chapter—which contains one long prayer—is almost counter-intuitive. We run the risk of analyzing the passage as a model for prayer, and failing to actually pray it. What do you really want from this sermon? My guess is that you don’t need another tip or technique on prayer. If you do, you can watch this video I gave on “How to Pray to God” a…
The Restoration of Israel (Amos 9:11-15)
We come now to Amos’ final words, and we are finally relieved to find that they are not words of judgment but of hope and promise. Nothing has changed on the part of the people. It’s not as if he saw some spark of interest in their eyes. In fact, we would not be surprised to find that many of the members of the original audience back in their homes, no longer listening to the rambling prophet. Regardless, this nation…
Called to Be a Blessing (1 Peter 3:8-12)
Introduction Peter has been addressing those in submission to authority. Christian Relationships: Citizen/Civil Authorities Servant/Master Wives/Husbands The blessings a Christian receives, through union with Christ and other believers, impacts us at every level. Peter is still applying the principle of living differently, yet exemplary lives before a watching world (2:11-12). Read 1 Peter 3:8-12 Peter begins to summarize the section that began at 2:11. He leaves the specific roles of husbands and wives to address all Christians living in exile.…
Condemnation of Samaria (Amos 4:1-5)
“I was much in fasting, watching, praying, saying of masses, and the like. Yet under the cloak of my outward respectability I continually mistrusted, doubted, feared, hated, and blasphemed God. My righteousness was a filthy puddle. Satan loves such saints.” – Martin Luther
The Cost of a Wedding (Ruth 4:1-12)
Introduction Machiavelli, The Prince, “There is nothing so self-defeating as generosity: in the act of practicing it, you lose the ability to do so.” Boaz has proven to be generous. He operated on different principles than everyone else. Isn’t that the gospel? In the act of losing his life, Jesus saved us. It was self-defeating, then Jesus conquered death as well. In Ruth 3, redemption promised, but who fulfill? Read Ruth 4:1-12 Difficult elements in Ruth: The levirate-marriage (Deut. 25) Land and redemption…
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