Sermons Archives

• The Resurrection and the Secular Mind  (March 14, 2008)
  Secular man may pretend to have an answer for everything, but an honest man is baffled by the empty tomb.
• Love and Submission  (March 5, 2008)
  When people get married, they often say, "We have decided to "tie the knot." Given the numbers of people who are deciding not to tie the knot at the present time, I think that is an admirable decision. I try to point out to them that when we think in terms of Christian marriage, it's not so much two people deciding to tie the knot as God deciding to join two people together. It's not so much a human decision as a divine action. Marriage is all about God joining two people together. I say this on no less of an authority than Jesus Christ Himself. In fact, He went even further, saying, "Whom God, therefore, has joined together, no man should separate!?
• It?s About Time  (March 5, 2008)
  Anyone who knows me knows I have a hard time managing my time. It?s not that I don?t have all the tools I?m supposed to have. I?ve been to all the workshops. I have all the gadgets. It?s just that I?m a spur-of-the-moment kind of guy.
• Application and Preaching  (February 13, 2008)
  Preaching Magazine interviewed pastor Rick Warren, asking, "How do you think through this whole issue of application as you are dealing with the text or the biblical theme?
• Why Preaching Matters  (February 11, 2008)
  The bigger the church gets the more important the pulpit becomes because it is the rudder of the ship. Where else do you get an hour of undivided attention with all these people on a weekly basis? Most pastors do not understand the power of preaching. But even more important than that is they don't understand the purpose of preaching. I?ve read more than 500 books on preaching, and as I've read them, the vast majority does not really understand that preaching is about transformation, not information.
• Grappling with God  (February 6, 2008)
  This sermon calls us to imagine our own funeral and asks the question: How do we want people to remember us? Will people remember how, like Jacob, we grappled with God and would not let go?
• A Faith that Won?t Quit!  (February 6, 2008)
  This sermon looks at the "great faith" of the Canaanite woman whose daughter Jesus healed. Hers was a faith didn't quit with asking, a faith that wasn't ashamed to seek diligently after Jesus, a faith that wasn't afraid to keep knocking even in the face of no response.
• To Those Who Have Loved and Lost  (February 5, 2008)
  (Note: This message was originally preached as part of an annual county-wide memorial service for families of traffic fatalities.)
• Footsteps in the Garden: Guilt and Grace  (February 4, 2008)
  "Then the eyes of both were opened and they knew that they were naked" (Genesis 3:7a) Let us look inside this human experience...this first experience with guilt and shame.
• Belief: Let the Flounder Speak!  (January 9, 2008)
  2 Kings 6:1-7
• Overcoming: Making Peace with Your Past  (January 9, 2008)
  Genesis 45:1-13
• Christian Freedom: Freedom and Fireworks  (January 9, 2008)
  Nowadays it seems freedom and fireworks always go together. In our day and age, when you talk about freedom, you can be sure fireworks will follow.
• Born of the Virgin Mary  (December 12, 2007)
  This Christmas sermon takes a detailed look at the virgin birth, asking why we should believe it, why it is so controversial, and what, in practical terms, it mean for our lives.
• Preaching the Psalms as Stories  (November 1, 2007)
  I had an epiphany while listening to Johnny Cash that transformed the way I preached the Psalms.
• Rivers of Living Water  (November 1, 2007)
  Are you weary and worn-out ? can people hear the dipper banging against the bottom of your bucket?
• Meant to be Sent  (November 1, 2007)
  Reflecting on minor Christmas story characters, Zechariah and Elizabeth, this sermon offers this challenge: No matter how old or young you are, you are meant to be sent. Be willing to be surprised by God. Open yourself to a maturing faith that enables you to be continually used by God!
• A Child is Born!  (November 1, 2007)
  Isaiah's prophecy foretold the birth of a child who would be called "Everlasting Father." This Christmas sermon makes the connection between the Child and the Father and reminds us to rejoice in our "Everlasting Father who listens to us and provides for us. He grants to us what we need. And He knows what we need better than we know what we need. To borrow from a sitcom of the 1950s, 'the Everlast­ing Father Knows Best!'?
• The Secret of our Confidence  (October 23, 2007)
  Real thanksgiving, biblical thanksgiving, according to this sermon, is greater and deeper than that feeling we get when everything is going our way. It is based not on our circumstances, but on God?s sufficiency; not on our production, but on God?s provision; not on our performance, but on God?s providence.
• A Tale of Two Kings  (September 27, 2007)
  What was it that enabled David to win at life despite his disadvantages and why did Saul, despite all his advantages, fail to do the same?
• The Landmine of Pride  (September 27, 2007)
  Many times, we begin our Christian walk well. Our focus is set on God, and our hearts are fully committed to Him. Then without warning, pride begins to rise up...