Sermons from January 2022

The Marvelous Joy of Obeying God’s Law in Every Situation (Neh. 8:13-18)

It may sound paradoxical to find joy in obeying, but that is the encouragement we find in God’s Word time and time again. “Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim . . . of human existence.” Aristotle That’s partially true. However, the Bible clarifies that lasting happiness is the result of living according to God’s will (1 Jn 1:3-4). That doesn’t mean we can be free of all suffering as long as we’re obedient to…
Biblical Sexuality Sermon Sunday on January 16, 2022

Biblical Sexuality and the Call for a Bold Response (Genesis 1-2; Romans 1)

I mentioned what others have said about Biblical Sexuality Sermon Sunday in a previous post. The church leadership thought it was important to address the issue of biblical sexuality not only for the cultural moment that Canada is facing at the moment, but also because of the matters we are dealing with in our own denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America. In 2006, a case regarding the clash between sexual and religious freedom came before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court…

How to Receive Gladness For Sorrow in a Worship Service (Nehemiah 8:9-12)

Americans have never been unhappier and the worship service in America has never been emptier. A survey conducted in May of 2020 found that just 14% of American adults considered themselves “very happy”. They have conducted this survey since 1972. In the past 50 years the percentage of people who rated themselves “very happy” had never dropped below 29%. We all experience seasons of unhappiness. Stress can creep into our lives slowly, or broadside us like a freight train. We…

3 Important Aspects of Preaching God’s Word to His People (Nehemiah 8:1-8)

In the 16th Century, Elizabethan England had such a reputation for revering the Bible, and the Preaching of God’s Word, that French author Victor Hugo said, “England has two books, the Bible and Shakespeare. England made Shakespeare but the Bible made England.” Regarding the Pilgrims who arrived in North America in 1620, Daniel Webster writes, “The Bible came with them, and it is not to be doubted that to the free and universal reading of the Bible is to be…