SEEKING YOUR CHRISTMAS MIRACLE! Matthew 1:1-18 INTRODUCTION: “Miracle on 34th. Street” was released in May of 1947. Edmund Gwenn won an Oscar for his portrayal of Kris Kringle, and he was the only actor to ever win an Oscar as Santa Clause. However, the first Christmas miracle is recorded in...

GODLY FAITH REJOICES! Philippians 1:12-26 INTRODUCTION: When we know the promises of our God found in His Word we learn to trust in our Lord: Psalm 37:5. Some of the marks of living faith are always expecting the best, always seeing the best in every bad situation, making the best...

GOD’S SWEETEST WORD! Titus 2:11-15 INTRODUCTION: The word we are going to look at tonight is a word used in the New Testament 150 times but never by our Lord Jesus. Jesus was the greatest display of this word but He never used it Himself. The sweetest word in God’s...

THANKSGIVING TO OUR LORD Philippians 4:4-9 INTRODUCTION: We live in a world of worry! The word “worry” means “to strangle.” What worry strangles is our peace of mind. Proverbs 23:7: Thanksgiving in not so much a matter of having material things as it is a state of mind. We need...

CHARITY! 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 KJV INTRODUCTION: The word “charity” became most famous in the English language by its use in the King James Version of the Bible, especially in Paul’s chapter on the love of God in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 in the King James Version of the Bible. But as...

THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH! Romans 1:8-17 INTRODUCTION: ROMANS 1:16-17: All that our God wants to do in our lives and through our lives will be done on the basis of our faith in Him and in His Word. Now everyone has faith. Even those who say I don’t...

CAN’T I GET A WITNESS? 2 Peter 1:3-11 I. IS YOUR CALLING AND ELECTION SURE? We can sum up our text for this morning in just one verse: 2 Peter 1:10. That verse brings up the theme or the doctrine of eternal salvation. When we have the assurance of our...

LET NOTHING BE WASTEDI JOHN 6:1-15 INTRODUCTION: Our Lord Jesus was very big on using all that His Father had placed in His hands. After feeding the 5,000 He said: John 6:12: “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” The basic idea of letting nothing be...

STAYING IN GOD’S WILL EPHESIANS 1:1-14   I. KNOWING THE WILL OF GOD! Possibly the most asked question of pastors revolve around the issue of knowing God’s will. As Christians we believe that our God is interested in the decisions we make in every area of our lives. When we...

A BIBLICAL WORLD VIEW FOR EVERY ELECTION! Matthew 5:13-16 INTRODUCTION: If you were to come to any biblical pastor and ask him about a personal problem you are having that pastor would take you to God’s Word and show you what it says about your problem and how to apply...

GOD’S CURE FOR YOUR ANXIETY Matthew 11:28-30 INTRODUCTION: Ours is an age of anxiety. Though we have less to worry about than previous generations we have more worry. We see far too many furrowed brows today. We are more anxious today about the journey of this life than we are...

I WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT ISLAM Luke 9:18-26 INTRODUCTION: Luke 9:23: Jesus here is warning His original disciples and those of us who today who have received Him as our Lord and Savior that there will be others coming after Him that will say that what the Bible...

EAT MY FLESH! John 6:51-59 INTRODUCTION: We as believers in Jesus Christ and those who believe the Bible truly is the living Word of God must not pretend these are easy words to understand. How can Jesus tell His followers to eat his body and drink His blood? As we...

THE DANGERS OF DEFERENCE! Romans 14:1-5 INTRODUCTION: Unity, in the Scriptures is a big deal with our Lord: Psalm 133:1-3; Ephesians 4:3; Titus 3:10-11. I. THE IRONY OF EXCLUSION FOR THE PURPOSE OF UNITY! Somewhat ironically our Lord tells us that in the pursuit of unity sometimes it means excluding...

DEFEATING DOUBTS! Mark 9:14-29 INTRODUCTION: I wish to encourage you today about your doubts. The Bible has many examples of believers who had doubts and yet learned to defeat those doubts. In Mark 9 we find the story of a father who brought his demon possessed boy to the Lord....

THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE CROSS Luke 23:33-36 INTRODUCTION: The four accounts of the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ are found in the four gospels of the Bible. The crucifixion of our Lord Jesus is so important that our Lord told His church to remember it on a regular basis:...

WHY ARE THERE HYPOCRITES IN GOD’S CHURCH? Matthew 6:1-18 INTRODUCTION: Have you ever asked someone to visit your church only to have them tell you they don’t go to church because there are too many hypocrites in the church. That had been a problem even before there was a church....

FEAR OR FAITH: YOU CHOOSE! John 14:22-27 INTRODUCTION: John 14:27: How many times did our Lord say this or statements similar to it. Yet in this crazy world we live in how can we not let our hearts be troubled? We do not ignore our emotions; we simply overcome our...

WHY DO I NEED A SAVIOR? Matthew 19:16-22 INTRODUCTION: You are not superman and neither am I. We cannot fly and we cannot save ourselves by anything we might do in this life. We need a Savior! You might ask: “Why do I need a Savior, why can’t I save...

THE GREAT DISAPPOINTMENT Matthew 25:1-13 INTRODUCTION: Have you ever heard of “The Great Disappointment?” The Great Disappointment was one of the most noted events in the history of the American church. In the early 1800s there were many revivals and literally hundreds of new converts were added to many churches....

GOD’S BROKEN LAW Exodus 24:1-8 INTRODUCTION: The Law of God was given to the children of Israel three mounts after they came out of Egypt. Moses reviewed the Law for the children of Israel and they responded to him: Exodus 24:1-8. Two times the children of Israel said “We will...

WHY WOULD A GOD WHO IS LOVE SEND PEOPLE TO HELL? Matthew 7:13-14 INTRODUCTION: We as believers show not only know God’s Word we should be able to tell others why we believe what we say we believe: 1 Peter 3:15. If we believe the Bible is true we must...

WHY WOULD A GOD WHO IS LOVE SEND PEOPLE TO HELL? Matthew 7:13-14 INTRODUCTION: We as believers show not only know God’s Word we should be able to tell others why we believe what we say we believe: 1 Peter 3:15. If we believe the Bible is true we must...

FROM BITTERNESS TO BLESSING! Exodus 15:22-27 INTRODUCTION: When things seem to be going bad in your life that does not mean God has stopped doing good. In all of our lives our circumstances fall into two types: Those things in our control and those things out of our control: Proverbs...

FROM BITTERNESS TO BLESSING! Exodus 15:22-27 INTRODUCTION: When things seem to be going bad in your life that does not mean God has stopped doing good. In all of our lives our circumstances fall into two types: Those things in our control and those things out of our control: Proverbs...

NEW THINGS! Matthew 14:22-33 INTRODUCTION: Sing: God Will Make a Way! I. NEW FAITH MUST PRODUCE NEW ACTIONS! Our Lord Jesus knew that faith and obedience must be expressed in new actions for maturing believers if we are to continue to grow in our faith! Matthew 14:29-31. As we move...

FAITH AND THE FAITHFULNESS OF THE SPIRIT! Galatians 5:16-26 INTRODUCTION: As we inspect the fruit of the Spirit in our lives we may find some of those facets are mature and strong while other of the facets of the fruit of the Spirit were immature and weak! These nine facets...

USING THE BIBLE IN YOUR LIFE! Isaiah 40:6-8 INTRODUCTION: How do we use the Bible in our lives? Isaiah 40:6-8: We have an eternal Word from God in our Bibles. We know from our Bibles that one day both the heavens and the earth will pass away. But also we...

A CHURCH FULL OF JOY! Philippians 1:1-6 INTRODUCTION: The local church in Philippi in in northern Greece that was truly a place of joy almost two thousand years ago. The Apostle Paul visited there about 50 A.D. and founded the first church in Europe there. Ten years later Paul wrote...

HEARTS ON FIRE FOR GOD! Luke 24:13-36 INTRODUCTION: We must constantly be restoring our passion for our Lord Jesus Christ! Passion for Christ and passion for live are absolutely necessary if we are going to be successful and have God’s joy in our hearts! Luke 24:32-36. Salvation is free but...

JESUS’ ATTITUDE TOWARD HIS BIBLE! Matthew 5:17-18 INTRODUCTION: What was our Lord’s attitude toward the Bible? Did Jesus use the Bible? Did our Lord know God’s Word? Did Jesus ever quote the Word of God? Most of us in this church have settled the question in the affirmative that we...

PLODDING FOR GOD! 1 Corinthians 4:1-7 INTRODUCTION: Often the most influential people in our lives are not people of great or unusual abilities. They are the people who continued to plod along in our lives and do exactly what the Lord intended for them to do in our lives. It...

WHY WE BELIEVE THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD 2 Timothy 3:10-17 INTRODUCTION: Much of what I am preaching today is based on the foundation of a message preached by Dr. R. A Torrey in 1898. Everything we believe about our faith is based on the Bible being the...

WHY ARE THERE NOT MANY PATHS TO GOD? John 14:1-6 INTRODUCTION: Our Lord Jesus often surprised and outraged people by His teachings. Jesus’ teachings were contrary to the teachings of the Pharisees and scribes. Our Lord’s teachings were contrary to human nature: Matthew 5:11-12; Matthew 6:19-20; Matthew 5:38-42; Matthew 5:43-48;...

WHY DOES GOD ALLOW SUFFERING AND EVIL IN THIS WORLD? Job 2:7-10 INTRODUCTION: Why would a God Who is love allow suffering and evil in His world? We experience evil, pain and suffering in this present world almost every day. We live in a world of wars, murders, rapes, robberies,...

STANDING FOR THE TRUTHS THAT BUILT OUR NATION! Psalm 144:1-15 INTRODUCTION: Our nation has a strong Christian heritage. The founders of our nation were primarily Christians. At least 50 of the 56 signers of the constitution were Christians. Psalm 144:15. Do you know that the term: “The separation of Church...

REJOICING IN OUR FREEDOM! Psalm 33:1-22 INTRODUCTION: On July 4th we celebrated “Independence Day.” That is the day that fifty-six of the bravest men that ever lived signed “The Declaration of Independence.” It was signed on July 4, 1776. That document led to the “United States Constitution” in 1787. The...

WHY IS JESUS THE ONLY WAY? John 14:1-6 INTRODUCTION: How can Jesus be the only way to God? Why do we believe that Jesus is the only way to eternal life? You do know that not everyone believes what we say we believe don’t you? We as followers of Jesus...

WHY IS JESUS THE ONLY WAY? John 14:1-6 INTRODUCTION: How can Jesus be the only way to God? Why do we believe that Jesus is the only way to eternal life? You do know that not everyone believes what we say we believe don’t you? We as followers of Jesus...

DISAPPOINTED WITH GOD! Philippians 4:4-13 INTRODUCTION: As the apostle Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, he was writing to a Church in trouble. Nero was thirteen when he became the fifth Roman emperor and was taught by his mother to hate Christians. The weather caused a famine across the...

MY “DO OVER!” Romans 3:21-28 INTRODUCTION: When you go to a cemetery and check out a tomb stone, what do you normally look at first? Usually I look at the date of birth and the date of death. That little dash in between those two dates is the number of...

DADDIESS THAT MIRROR THE HEAVENLY FATHER! Proverbs 3:1-12 INTRODUCTION: In all the world of a child, no word has the power of Daddy! Little Children cannot yet understand the concept of God, love, hope, faith, or sacrifice. However, the word Daddy; now there is power, love and an example of...

A WISE MAN LOOKS AT DEATH! Ecclesiastes 12:1-14 INTRODUCTION: For a Christian there no be no fear in life or in death: 2 Timothy 1:7. Many people, even many Christians fear death. You do know that whether afraid of dying or not, death is inevitable: Hebrews 9:27. We have the...

EVER READY! Philippians 1:20-26 INTRODUCTION: When we are born there are two things we all must face: those two things are life and death. We all face times in our lives when we think we may be pushing hard towards death: Luke 12:20. A question that should come to your...

OVERCOMING OUR DISAPPOINTMENTS! 1 Timothy 6:1-21 INTRODUCTION: Have you ever had your eye on one thing, and if you could have it you would never want anything else for all your life? For me, when I was six years old it was my older brother’s friend, Dale Peterson’s authentic Roy...

SCRIPTURAL FAITH! Hebrews 11:1-6       I.   WHAT IS SCRIPTURAL FAITH? There is not a clearer explanation of faith in all of Scripture than the one found in Hebrews 1:1. The two key words in this verse is “sure” and certain.” Scriptural faith is being sure about what...

MEMORIAL DAY REMEMBRANCE! Psalm 27:1-14 INTRODUCTION: Tomorrow is Memorial Day, a day set aside to remember those who have died in the service of our nation. Many of us have known someone who died during their time of military service to our nation. Today, together we will express our rightful...

FILTHY DREAMERS Jude 1:1-25 INTRODUCTION: General William Booth was the founder of the Salvation Army. Booth had great insight into the future of the church in the United States and this is what he said: “That the great danger facing the future of the church was having religion without Christ;...

DEFEATING DISCOURAGEMENT! Nehemiah 4:1-11 ILLUSTRATION: When Nehemiah and the people of Judah were half way completed with the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem discouragement set in: Nehemiah 4:10. As we look today at Nehemiah chapter four we will three things the Holy Spirit would have us learn: 1. Discouragement...

GODLY MOTHERS BLESS EVERYONE! Titus 2:1-15       I.   GOD’S PLAN FOR WOMEN IN OUR WORLD! Today we will look at the high place our Lord has assigned to women in this world. In our world today we find two extremes that our heavenly Father never meant for...

FAITH IS TRUSTING IN OUR GOD! Psalm 37:1-8 INTRODUCTION: A very simple but vital truth to a growing faith is that faith is simply trusting in what our God has told us about Himself, what He has told us about us. and trusting His precious promises. Psalm 37:1-8: all of...

COMPLETELY SATISFIED! Philippians 4:10-19 INTRODUCTION: Do you suffer from the fear of “fomo”? This may be the fastest growing fear in America today. “Fomo” is the “fear of missing out” on the latest social event, experience, or interaction. If you suffer from “fomo” you can never be satisfied with where...

WHAT REALLY MATTERS? Philippians 3:1-21 INTRODUCTION: Question: “When is a bird bigger than a mountain?” Answer: “When the bird is closer than the mountain. Often what really matters seems to be what is close up in space and time in our lives. When the apostle Paul began this chapter he...

STRESSED OUT! Philippians 4:4-9 INTRODUCTION: We all need to know how to have the joy of the Lord in the midst of our times of stress. The book of Philippians says more about the joy of the Lord than any other book of the Bible. Experts tell us that seventy...

You Cannot Hide! Genesis 3:1-11 INTRODUCTION: We need to “get real.” We need to take off our fig leaves and all the other things we try to hide behind and “get real!” John 1:43-47. Many hide behind so many masks that they are not even sure themselves just who they...

KEEPING OUR EYES ON THE PRIZE Philippians 3:1-14 INTRODUCTION: Although we are first in many wonderful areas as a nation we are also first in many not so wonderful areas as a nation. We have the world’s largest economy. We have the strongest military in the world, and the world’s...

THE GOSPEL OF EXODUS! 2 Exodus 28:1-4 INTRODUCTION: We start tonight with the Gospel of Exodus: you say the Gospel of Exodus? Aren’t there only four Gospels? No there are 66 Gospels in the Bible! Every book in the Bible tells us the good news of Jesus Christ: John 5:39;...

WILL MY LIFE MAKE A DIFFERENCE? Philippians 3:7-11 INTRODUCTION: One very important question we all want answered is “what difference will my life make?” Just like the snowflakes our Lord makes, so people also are unique. There are no two people ever exactly alike and the reason for that is...

ANGELS Hebrews 13:1-8 INTRODUCTION: We live today in a very real physical world, but there is an equally real and important spiritual world all around us and there is a spiritual battle going on all the time for the souls of men: Ephesians 6:10-13. Our enemy, the devil comes, the...

ANGELS Hebrews 13:1-8 INTRODUCTION: We live today in a very real physical world, but there is an equally real and important spiritual world all around us and there is a spiritual battle going on all the time for the souls of men: Ephesians 6:10-13. Our enemy, the devil comes, the...

THE TRIUMPH OF THE RESURRECTION Revelation 1:9-18 INTRODUCTION: Have you ever asked yourself who it is that was giving the revelation of Jesus Christ to the apostle John on the Isle of Patmos? Revelation 1:1-3; Revelation 1:17-18. Those are the very words the apostle John heard of the Lord’s day...

OUR SUNRISE SAVIOR! Mark 16:1-8 INTRODUCTION: James Bradley wrote the book “Flags of our Fathers” which was later made into a movie. It is the account of the lives of six young men in the famous picture of the flag- raising on Mr. Suribachi on February 23ard 1945 during the...

A JOYFUL RIDE! Philippians 2:1-4 INTRODUCTION: Disney World encompasses forty-three square miles. It is the size of San Francisco. Disney World has seventy-thousand cast members which makes it the largest single site employer in the United States. Disney World averages 1,000,000 visitors per week. Disney World’s is so special thou...

WHAT IS PALM SUNDAY? John 12:12-19 INTRODUCTION: Christians around the world recognize Palm Sunday as the day Jesus made His triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem to offer Himself to Israel as their long-awaited Messiah and King. Four hundred years before this event happened Zechariah had recorded the details...

SO THAT NO ONE MAY BOAST! 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 INTRODUCTION: Today is St. Patrick’s Day. Today we are all or all want to be Irish and will celebrate the day with parades, shamrocks and everything green. Something you may not know is that St. Patrick was not Irish, he was...

CAN MY GOD DELIVER ME? Daniel 6:1-10 INTRODUCTION: We are talking tonight on the subject “Can My God Deliver Me?” and we find the answer in Daniel 6. Through many different governmental leaders what we find out about Daniel is that Daniel continued on faithfully. 1 John 2:17. Daniel, God’s...

GOD’S CROSSROAD TO THE GOOD LIFE! Ecclesiastes 1:1-18 INTRODUCTION: All of mankind; from Adam and Eve right down to the present time have sought what they thought would be “the good life.” Sadly, most all have missed “the good life” because they thought they could define for themselves what “the...

WHY CHRISTIANS TAKE COMMUNION! 1 Corinthians 11:23-32 INTRODUCTION: Sometimes the greatest way to remember events in history is a simple memorial. The Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. is such an example. On its 747-foot – long, ten-foot-tall black granite wall are written the names of 58,000 fallen Vietnam soldiers who...

OPENING OUR EYES TO COMPASSION! 1 Thessalonians 3:1-13      I.   PASS IR ON! Being part of a good works chain can be very rewarding. When the bottom drops out of our economy, we can react in two equal and opposite directions. One is hardening of the heart and...

WILL YOU COMPROMISE? 1 Kings 11:1-13 INTRODUCTION: Not all compromise is wrong. We can learn from others the ethic of give-and-take. Healthy compromise is demonstrated when we are able to give in without sacrificing our God given values and beliefs. However our focus today will be on another kind of...

DON’T DROWN! Matthew 5:38-48 INTRODUCTION: When we chose to ignore clear warnings whether from men or from our God what should we expect? Proverbs 17:14. Unfortunately even Christians are not immune from setting their disputes with others with quarreling and the destruction that is wrought by not dealing with their...

WE WILL WIN! 1 John 4:1-6 INTRODUCTION: We are learning about spiritual warfare. Spiritual warfare is the struggle between good and evil, true light and darkness, the servants of God and the servants of the devil. We have talked about the reality of the invisible warfare we are all involved...

COMING HOME FOR VALENTINE’S DAY! Luke 15:11-32 INTRODUCTION: Lord I’m Coming Home was written by William J. Kirkpatrick in answer to his prayer for a lost soloist that did not know the Lord. The story Jesus told of the prodigal son is a perfect fit to this great hymn. At...

SPIRITUAL WARFARE IS REAL! Romans 7:14-25 INTRODUCTION: My prayer is that we will be informed and encouraged as we realize anew the spiritual battle we face, the enemy that fights against us and the victory we are offered in Christ Jesus. We face three spiritual enemies that resist the spirit...

THE NATURE OF SUFFERING Hebrews 12:1-11 INTRODUCTION: We can easily understand why the wicked should suffer: Proverbs 13:15; Isaiah48:22. But when an obedient son or daughter of God suffers we sometimes have real trouble understanding our Lord’s plan. This is especially true when we read Hebrews 12:5-7 and see words...

HIGH NOON 1 Kings 18:16-40 INTRODUCTION: 950 to 1. That was the odds that Elijah faced on Mount Carmel between the prophets of Baal and of Asherah. Any time a messenger of God confronts the evil of this world with a message from God it won’t be very popular: John...

DEALING WITH OUR DEBT 2 Kings 4:1-7 INTRODUCTION: A bondman was a slave or a servant to the creditor until the debt of a non- paying debtor was paid off. Times were a little different back then. Today if we don’t pay our debt it may be bad for your...

THE WORD OF GOD AND ABORTION Jeremiah 1:4-10 INTRODUCTION: Our nation was built on a moral and spiritual foundation that originated with the very Word of God, and sadly that foundation is crumbling! In order to restore our moral and spiritual foundation we must get back to the Word of...

WHEN THE SUN STOOD STILL! Joshua 10:1-14 INTRODUCTION: In Joshua 10:12-14 we find the wonderful story of when the sun stood still. There are many people who believe the Bible is full of folklore or myth and perhaps no other story in the Bible has had more people say that...

Is There Any Hope Psalm 3:1-8 INTRODUCTION: In Psalm three King David is running for his life from his own son, Absalom and his army. The inscription right above the Psalm says: “A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.” David asks a question of God that...

A NEW START FOR A NEW YEAR! Ephesians 4:29-32 INTRODUCTION: Before we can start successfully the New Year we need to put the old year behind us. It is only as we forgive others and ourselves that we can truly have a Happy New Year! The Word of God tells...

A NEW START FOR A NEW YEAR! Ephesians 4:29-32 INTRODUCTION: Before we can start successfully the New Year we need to put the old year behind us. It is only as we forgive others and ourselves that we can truly have a Happy New Year! The Word of God tells...

WHAT DOES JESUS WANT FOR CHRISTMAS? Isaiah 9:2-7 INTRODUCTION: Leadership is needed in every organization. When the leadership is good in any organization things go well. When the leadership is poor, the results speak for themselves. In Christmas we celebrate the arrival of our true Leader.   I.    ...

FOCUS ON CHRIST THIS CHRISTMAS! Genesis 3:1-15 INTRODUCTION: Often we wonder today if Christmas has anything to do with Jesus Christ! Christmas is supposed to be about the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ! Our Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar, is built upon the term Anno Domini or...

THE PLACE OF PRAYER IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE Ephesians 6:10-20 INTRODUCTION: Are you living as if the “spiritual battle” happening all around us between angels and demons, between light and darkness, between good and evil is real or is like a fantasy or a science fiction movie? Not one of us...

WHY AS A BABY? Matthew 1:18-25 INTRODUCTION: In some cases a shortcut is a good thing. However, a shortcut is not a good thing if you expect to get full credit for the whole race of life. Our Lord did appear in the Old Testament as “the Angel of the...

WHO IS ON YOUR THRONE? Galatians 5:16-26 INTRODUCTION: Today we will be asking the question: “Who is on your throne?” In 2008 the movie Fireproof came out and it talked about a fireman named Caleb Holt. He was a normal man, selfish and hung up on himself. His marriage was...

WHO IS ON YOUR THRONE? Galatians 5:16-26 INTRODUCTION: Today we will be asking the question: “Who is on your throne?” In 2008 the movie Fireproof came out and it talked about a fireman named Caleb Holt. He was a normal man, selfish and hung up on himself. His marriage was...

NO SWEAT LIVING! Matthew 6:25-34 INTRODUCTION: Some people call it tension, others call it anxiety; Jesus calls it worry. It is true that Jesus said the things people worried about 2,000 years ago are still worrying people today. We still worry about finances: Matthew 6:19. We still worry about having...

GODLY THINKING FOR SUCCESSFUL LIVING! Psalm 86:1-17 INTRODUCTION: Do you know how-to walk-in God’s way, in order to live in God’s truth? Psalm 86:11; Psalm 103:7. Do you know that you can receive Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and still not be walking with godly zest because...

TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED! Isaiah 40:28-31 INTRODUCTION: In our modern society we think we are very sophisticated. We think we have greatly increased in knowledge. But when we truly analyze the true facts all we have really done is added speed and noise to our lives. Daniel 12:1-4. Yes,...

SATAN AND THE SPIRITUAL FORCES OF EVIL! Ephesians 6:10-18 INTRODUCTION: We are in a spiritual battle; an invisible war and we have an enemy that desires to destroy us.  ! Peter 5:8-9.  When Satan fell into sin he took a third of the holy angles with him into rebellion against...

BEATING BACK BAD THOUGHTS! Mark 7:14-23 INTRODUCTION: Our thinking is important to our God and should be to us also.  Why should it be so important?  Proverbs 23:7.  If we harbor doubt about the promises of God in our heart, it will produce fear in our lives.  Our Lord Jesus...

OUR SPIRITUAL ENEMY! 1 Peter 5:8-11 INTRODUCTION:  We are involved in an invisible spiritual war.  Ephesians 6:10-12: We live at the intersection of the invisible and the visible.  Our spiritual enemy seeks to blind us all to the truth of the spiritual war that is going on all around us...

SEASONS OF STORMS! Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 INTRODUCTION:  In Michigan we experience all four seasons of the year.  We experience the beauty of winter, spring, summer and fall.  In the midst of each of these four seasons we experience seasons of storms.  We experience thunder storms, tornadoes and even floods in spring...

STRONG IN THE SPIRIT Romans 8:1-16 INTRODUCTION:  In Romans chapter seven we see the normal Christian life of “the harder I try—the worse it gets!”  However we are encouraged to live not in Romans chapter seven but to move over from living in the flesh to living in the Spirit...

THREE G s! Matthew 5:21-28 INTRODUCTION:  We are facing many major issues that are decaying the very foundation on which our nation was established but often it is the little things, the minor things that go on in a nation that cause the most destruction: Song of Songs 2:15.  We...

THREE G s! Matthew 5:21-28 INTRODUCTION:  We are facing many major issues that are decaying the very foundation on which our nation was established but often it is the little things, the minor things that go on in a nation that cause the most destruction: Song of Songs 2:15.  We...

TELL ME THE OLD, OLD STORY! Matthew 2:1-23 INTRODUCTION:  Luke began his gospel with: Luke 1:5.  Recall another story that started with “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.”  Both of those phrases began stories not equal in terms of value or importance; but stories nevertheless.  We...

WALKING IN THE SPIRIT! Galatians 5:16-18 INTRODUCTION:  Believers today are commanded by God’s Word to “walk in the Spirit!”  No one in the Old Testament was ever commanded to walk in the Spirit.  This was brand new and initially taught by the Apostle Paul.  Jesus had hinted at the need...

THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH! Psalm 84:1-7 INTRODUCTION:  Attending church regularly is very important, but people can come up with all kinds of excuses why they just don’t make it a priority in their lives.  The person who finds their strength in the Lord is described in the Bible as...

THE TRIAL OF TIME! Psalm 130:1-8 INTRODUCTION:  The 100-meter dash is the oldest athletic competition in the world.  It was first run in 776 B.C. and todays competition looks almost identical to the first one held 2,799 years ago.  The record holder can lay claim to being the fastest person...

STRESS! Matthew 11:28-30 INTRODUCTION:  Does life seem far more stressful today to you then it did twenty or thirty years ago?  Stress contributes to high-blood-pressure, heart disease, and addictive disorders.  It often leads to headaches and backaches.  Stress has been traced to stomach and breathing disorders.  People under stress often...

THE WORD OF GOD AND OUR MENTAL HEALTH Romans 8:1-17 INTRODUCTION:  Our world is moving away from God and from faith in His Word.  It is important for us to understand that in our changing world, we serve a God who does not change: Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8.  Also the...

STRENGTHENING YOURSELF IN THE LORD! 1 Samuel 30:1-6 INTRODUCTION: As we go through our lives, we can become infected by certain unhealthy attitude, infectious sins, and inflamed by unhealthy attitudes.  We can easily succumb to anger, anxiety, depression and discouragement.  It is wonderful when friends can encourage us but one...

TRUMPING TEMPTATIONS POWER! 1 Corinthians 10:1-14 INTRODUCTION: An old country western song asked the question when I was young: “How can anything that seems so right be so wrong?”  We always seem to be tempted by things that seem so right.  Those things that tempt us are always to beautiful,...

GENDER CONFUSION! Genesis 1:26-31 INTRODUCTION:  We learned two weeks ago that God is the designer of gender: Genesis 1:27.  God created man in the image of God.  God created man male and female.  Our God founded the foundation of the family.  God created males and females different than one another. ...

GENDER CONFUSION! Genesis 1:26-31 INTRODUCTION:  We learned two weeks ago that God is the designer of gender: Genesis 1:27.  God created man in the image of God.  God created man male and female.  Our God founded the foundation of the family.  God created males and females different than one another. ...

GODLY FAITH TURNS STRESS TO PRAISE! John 14:15-31 INTRODUCTION:  Godly faith will turn our stress into praise!  We live in a world full of stress.  Our Lord Jesus promised peace in a world torn by turmoil and stress: John 14:26-27.  Jesus didn’t promise us our peace; He said it would...

COMPLETE SURRENDER! 1 Kings 20:1-4 INTRODUCTION: Ben-Hadad asked complete surrender of Ahab, the King of Israel and what Ahab agreed to was indeed complete surrender:  1 Kings 20:4.  These are words of complete surrender and every child of God ought to yield himself in exactly that way to their heavenly...

WHO AM I? Genesis 1:26-31 INTRODUCTION:  Isaiah 29:13-16; Luke 6:46-49. Some of the hottest topics of conversation across our nation and around our world will be our topic for the next couple of weeks.  We will be looking at what society has to say about these topics and we will...

WHO AM I? Genesis 1:26-31 INTRODUCTION:  Isaiah 29:13-16; Luke 6:46-49. Some of the hottest topics of conversation across our nation and around our world will be our topic for the next couple of weeks.  We will be looking at what society has to say about these topics and we will...

WHY DOES GOD ALLOW HIS CHILDREN TO SUFFER? Hebrews 12:3-15 INTRODUCTION:  Our subject for the next two Sunday nights will answer a perennial question that is constantly asked by both believers and non-believers: “Why do God’s children suffer?”  the question becomes more complex because some churches teach that once you...

WILL YOU SEE GOD? Hebrews 12:1-15 INTRODUCTION:  How important is holiness in your personal view?  How important is your holiness in God’s view?  Hebrews 12:14; Romans 12:18.  Sometimes with our very best effort we cannot live in peace with others, but your personal holiness is your choice.  If you desire...

WHY DOES GOD ALLOW HIS CHILDREN TO SUFFER? Hebrews 12:3-15 INTRODUCTION:  Our subject for the next two Sunday nights will answer a perennial question that is constantly asked by both believers and non-believers: “Why do God’s children suffer?”  the question becomes more complex because some churches teach that once you...

WILL YOU SEE GOD? Hebrews 12:1-15 INTRODUCTION:  How important is holiness in your personal view?  How important is your holiness in God’s view?  Hebrews 12:14; Romans 12:18.  Sometimes with our very best effort we cannot live in peace with others, but your personal holiness is your choice.  If you desire...

WILL YOU SEE GOD? Hebrews 12:1-15 INTRODUCTION:  How important is holiness in your personal view?  How important is your holiness in God’s view?  Hebrews 12:14; Romans 12:18.  Sometimes with our very best effort we cannot live in peace with others, but your personal holiness is your choice.  If you desire...

GOD’S GIFT OF STRENGTH! ENCOURAGING YOURSELF IN THE LORD! 1 Samuel 30:1-20 INTRODUCTION: David was in real trouble.  The army of Israel was searching for him, and the bitter old King Saul wanted him dead.  Those who were on David’s side were being killed, and those who were betraying David...

WHEN GOD IS SILENT! Matthew 8:14-17 INTRODUCTION:  We can easily understand our Lord’s interventions in the lives of those He loves.  Matthew 8:14-17; John 9:1-12; Mark 3:1-6.  We all rejoice when our God intervenes in our lives and blesses us.  What we struggle with is the other side of the...

JESUS WAY TO HAPPINESS! Matthew 5:1-12 INTRODUCTION: In the first twelve verses of Matthew chapter five, Matthew, in the Sermon on the Mount lays out Jesus way to happiness.  The Greek word used for “blessed” is “Markarius” and it means happy.  As we look at the Sermon on the Mount...

PREPARING FOR GOD’S SPRING! Isaiah 43:16-21 INTRODUCTION: The faith and hope of God’s people was very low during the days of Isaiah and they constantly needed assurance that things would eventually turn around for them.  In spite of their backsliding God still loved them and through word pictures God described...

GOD’S RECIPE FOR JOY! John 15:9-17 INTRODUCTION:  Today we want to talk about how we can have the fullness of Joy that is offered to us in God’s Word. How to have fullness of joy in our hearts and how to learn God’s recipe for joy.  John 15:11.  Joy is...

GOD’S RECIPE FOR JOY! John 15:9-17 INTRODUCTION:  Today we want to talk about how we can have the fullness of Joy that is offered to us in God’s Word. How to have fullness of joy in our hearts and how to learn God’s recipe for joy.  John 15:11.  Joy is...

STANDING ALONE WITH GOD! 1 Kings 22:1-38 INTRODUCTION:  Courage has been defined as “the ability or the willingness to do something difficult or dangerous.”  Remember, our God shows up when we step up and when we take that first step of faith:                ...

AN INDEPENDENT NATION TOTALLY DEPENDENT ON GOD! Daniel 9:1-19 INTRODUCTION: Daniel was a very godly man.  He is one of only a few men that the Bible speaks a great deal about that no sin is recorded in his life.  Daniel was a praying man.  Three times a day he...

STANDING ALONE WITH GOD! 1 Kings 22:1-38 INTRODUCTION:  Courage has been defined as “the ability or the willingness to do something difficult or dangerous.”  Remember, our God shows up when we step up and when we take that first step of faith: 2 Chronicles 16:9.  Fear is the biggest enemy...

FASTING FOR GOD’S GLORY AND POWER! Matthew 6:16-18 INTRODUCTION:  In our nation we live to eat not eat to live.  We have a fixation on food!  The average American will eat 150,000 pounds of food by age seventy.  We eat about a ton of food every year.  Food is never...

WHEN OUR TROUBLES BECOME OUR TRIUMPHS! Proverbs 24:15-20 INTRODUCTION:  Often in lives our greatest triumphs come from our everyday troubles!  As Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson said; sometimes what you want so badly is “the best thing that never happened to you.”  Our message today is being given so you might...

THE MARK OF THE BEAST AND THE COMING ECONOMIC CRISIS! Revelation 13:1-18 INTRODUCTION:  These are amazing times we are living in.  If you are seven-five or older these are some of the things you have experienced in your life time.  You have seen the atom split and now we have...

THE MARK OF THE BEAST AND THE COMING ECONOMIC CRISIS! Revelation 13:1-18 INTRODUCTION:  These are amazing times we are living in.  If you are seven-five or older these are some of the things you have experienced in your life time.  You have seen the atom split and now we have...

ENJOYING GOD! Psalm 73:1-28 INTRODUCTION:  When you think of God, what picture comes to mind?  Do you see an austere old man who just watches to see you slip up the least bit so He may punish you?  Do you see a holy God high and lifted up that you...

HONORING THEIR SACRlFlCES! 2 Timothy 1:3-15 INTRODUCTION: People are more important than things! We tend to value things and use people. It should be the other way around. We should value people and use things. Luke 12:13-21: Life is more important than things. On this Memorial Day weekend, I want...

EQUIPPED FOR SERVICE John 9:1-11 INTRODUCTION: Those of us who have trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior honestly believe honestly believe that He saved us to do good works.  Ephesians 2:8-10.  Those Christians who chose not to take their time, their talents, and their finances to do service...

WHAT LIFE WOULD THE LORD HAVE ME LIVE? John 10:1-11 INTRODUCTION: Yet another major question about life is: “Is there life after physical death?”  But perhaps an even greater question for many is: “Is there life after physical birth?”  When we ask that second question we are not just talking...

MOTHERS WHO WALK IN FAITH Matthew 15:21-28 INTRODUCTION:  Anna M. Jarvis first suggested the national observance of an annual day honoring all mothers because she had loved her mother so much.  At her mother’s memorial service on May 10 1908, Miss Jarvis gave a carnation (her mother’s favorite flower) to...

TAKING OUR FRIENDS TO JESUS! Mark 2:1-12 INTRODUCTION: “When Jesus saw their faith!” Mark 2:5. Our question is: “Where did these men get such faith?” Romans 10:17. Could we bring our friends to Jesus and would He see our faith? Hebrews 4:16; Ephesians 2:13, 18. It is because of our...

WHAT SHOULD WE LOVE MOST? Matthew 22:34-40 INTRODUCTION: We are all on the journey of life. In all of our lives there are decisions that must be made and questions that must be answered to have a successful life. Some of these questions and decisions will not make a lot...

EDIFICATION: BUILDING UP! Psalm 11:1-7 INTRODUCTION: At the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century, the foundations of the United States of America were being destroyed. The very foundations of our blessed nation were being destroyed: Proverbs 14:34. Leaders at the very pinnacle of national...

LOSING YOUR LIFE TO SAVE IT! Mark 8:31-38 INTRODUCTION:  Tents are important, but not nearly as important as the people they protect from the elements on camping trips.  Do you know that God has given you a soul and that your body is the tent?  Sadly, so often in life...

WHEN THE DAYS GROW WEARY Jeremiah 29:1-14 INTRODUCTION: To the children of Israel and to us also God has a message when things are going terrible in our lives: Jeremiah 29:11.  Jeremiah preached doom for the nation, but after the bottom dropped out he brought a message of hope.  He...

RELIGION, RULES, AND RITUALS Mark 3:1-6 INTRODUCTION:  In our Scripture reading today we come across a group of religious, rule keeping, and ritual keeping people that honestly thought they were the only ones close to God and the only ones obedient to God, and yet they did not even know...

JESUS IS OUR PASSOVER LAMB! Exodus 12:1-13 INTRODUCTION:  We want to remember and celebrate the death and resurrection of Our Savior as a substitute for us, we want to turn our attention to the snapshot of Jesus Christ as our Passover Lamb!  1 Corinthians 5:7-8.  Paul said Christ was our...

RESURRECTION POWER! John 20:1-18 INTRODUCTION: Today we will look at just one primary aspect of our Lord’s life; His resurrection to life from the dead.  In the New Testament alone we are given over three hundred verses that are connected to the subject of our Lord Jesus’ resurrection from the...

RESPONDING TO SUFFERING Luke 23:26-56 INTRODUCTION:  There are two kinds of responses to our own personal suffering: 1) We can choose to rail against God and say: “If you are such a great and powerful and loving God, why am I in this awful mess.”  2) We can acknowledge that...

STAY ABOVE THE SNAKE LINE Isaiah 40:25-31 INTRODUCTION: There is an invisible line that is fixed, at a given altitude above sea level—known as “the snake line.”  Above the snake line no snake can live. Security of mankind against snakes is set by God and is purely a matter of...

PALM SUNDAY! John 12:12-19 INTRODUCTION:  The writers of the gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all talk about the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on what we call Palm Sunday.    John 12:12-19. The people of Israel, perhaps as many as 2 and ½ million, hailed their King on Sunday...

THE BLEST MAN! Psalm 1:1-6 KJV INTRODUCTION:  King Solomon said: Ecclesiastes 12:12.  Right after Solomon said these words he turned around and wrote three more new books.  Today Solomon’s words are even more true than they were when he wrote them.  Millions of books are in print today.  The Bible...

THE VALUE OF YOUR SOUL! Mark 8:27-38 INTRODUCTION:  Banana Flips and an icy cold coke are a delectable desert combination after a hard day’s work.   But if we get so caught up in how sloppy that Banana Flip can be we might just miss out on the best of what...

A WORD WE HARDLY USE IN CHURCH! Psalm 122:1 INTRODUCTION: In our house there are some words that are off-limits for use.  We in the Church have a word that is hardly ever used that should be used much more often: “Excitement!”  Every person here tonight loves it when life...

CATCHING UP! Mark 10:13-16 INTRODUCTION: Our Lord Jesus loved children.  In fact, on one occasion when Jesus own disciples wanted to stop people from bringing their children to Jesus to have Him bless them Jesus got hot!  There is a great eternal lesson we can learn from children: Mark 10:14-16. ...

LIVING A SPIRIT FILLED LIFE! 2 Kings 6:1-7 INTRODUCTION:  Our prayer for our lives should be that each one will make an impact for our God in this world!  If we will walk with our God He will make our impact on our family, friends, and community be an impact...

WHAT IS TRUTH? John 18:28-40 INTRODUCTION:  Our Lord Jesus said: “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”  Pilot’s response was: “What is truth?”  Is truth abstract and unknowable or is truth concrete and embraceable?  In our culture today, people are still arguing about truth.  Today in our congress,...

WHY IS OUR WORLD SHAKING? Hebrews 12:26-29 INTRODUCTION:  This present world we are living in is undergoing quite a shaking.  Governments and nations that were once stable are now trembling.  It is time to read the signs of the time and to check our historical maps.  Where are we according...

THE WIDOWS MIGHT! Mark 12:41-44 INTRODUCTION:  We should be glad to offer the Lord whatever we can to further His Kingdom since all we have has come from Him in the first place: 1 Corinthians 4:7.  Sometimes our offerings seem so little with such great need but our precious little...

SURVIVING A SHIPWRECK Acts 27:9-15 INTRODUCTION:   Acts chapter 27 is an exciting story of the sea and of survival.  It is true history of the life of the Apostle Paul who was a prisoner of Rome sailing to Rome to be tried before Caesar.  The ship Paul was sailing on...

SPRING CLEANING IN GOD’S HOUSE Matthew 21:12-16 INTRODUCTION:  Have you ever considered cleaning your house from a spiritual standpoint?  According to the Word of God there are four houses that God has lived in and cleaned!  The first house was Adam, a product of God’s creation.  That was God’s first...

  RESTORING YOUR INTEGRITY Revelations 3:1-6 INTRODUCTION: The definition of the word integrity is an unimpaired condition: Soundness: the quality or state of being complete or undivided. Sadly, today the church has become like the frog in the kettle where the water is heated slowly. We are to be salt...

WHEN FAITH IS SHAKEN! Luke 24:13-32 INTRODUCTION: Our Lord Jesus passion of love to His Father caused Him to go to the cross. Jesus passion for the love of His Father for you and I caused Him to leave heaven; it caused Him to come to this earth and to...

WHEN DADDIES GO BAD 2 Samuel 12:7-12 INTRODUCTION: Our Lord has told us we are to honor our fathers and mothers: Exodus 20:12. The idea to set aside a special day in our nation to honor fathers began in 1909, but it was not until 1956 that Father’s Day became...

ARE THEY IN OR OUT? Luke 16:19-31 INTRODUCTION: Thirty-seven-percent of atheists, agnostics, and people with no identifiable religion say they believe in heaven, and twenty-seven-percent believe in hell.  Exactly how a secularist can hold to a belief in the after-life with intellectual honesty is hard to figure out.  The truth...

MOTHER’S WAGES! Exodus 2:1-10 INTRODUCTION: We are told there are more phone calls made on Mother’s Day than any other day of the year. There have been many mothers in the history of this world that have greatly influenced their children to trust in the Lord. Many of those mothers...