Sermons Archives

• The Pastoral Theological Implications of the Jeremiah Wright Story  (April 4, 2008)
  Perhaps there is someone who wonders in today's world, "Can a minister really have any possible influence on the world around us?"
• What I Have Learned as a Dad and Husband  (April 2, 2008)
• Resurrection of the Body  (March 1, 2004)
  1 Corinthians 15:51-53 Know What You Believe ? A series based on The Apostles' Creed ? Part 12
• 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. No, I don?t have a hard time. I just don?t do it. 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. If I?m doing something and even when I like what I?m doing, if I get a call from you and I like what you?re doing more, then I?m going to go do what you?re doing. Then I?ll get back to what I was doing. I don?t ever understand how much time something will take. So I over-commit, thinking, ?Sure, I can do that. It won?t take that long.? It always takes a lot longer than I think it will. So when somebody says to me, ?Can you come speak at this?? I answer, ?Yeah, I?d love to do that,? and it takes a lot of time to get ready to speak and speak well. So I end up being over-committed and frustrated because I?m trying go get too much done.
• 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)
  I read recently about a man who had passed away and what they wanted the funeral parlor to do with the body. This man was a big Pittsburgh Steelers fan, and this is how the family wanted him remembered. So they told the funeral director that instead of placing his body in a coffin, they wanted the man placed on a recliner, with a television playing Pittsburgh Steelers highlights. Next to him there was to be a table with an open can of beer and a package of cigarettes. This is how his family remembered him, and this is how the family wanted the rest of his friends and loved ones to remember him. This was the lasting impression that was imprinted on the minds of people who knew him.
• A Faith that Won?t Quit!  (February 6, 2008)
• 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.
• 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.)
• The Sound Of Grace  (May 1, 2005)
  Titus 2:11-14 Titus was a young pastor, shepherding God?s flock on the isle of Crete. The church that was entrusted to his care was a church that the Apostle Paul probably planted after his Roman imprisonment narrated in Acts. Because Titus is young and inexperienced, Paul is writing him a letter, which we know...
• Christian Freedom: Freedom and Fireworks  (January 9, 2008)
  Galatians 5:1, 13-25
• Overcoming: Making Peace with Your Past  (January 9, 2008)
  Genesis 45:1-13
• Belief: Let the Flounder Speak!  (January 9, 2008)
  2 Kings 6:1-7
• Born Of The Virgin Mary  (April 1, 2004)
  Matthew 1:18
• How To Run Well  (June 1, 2005)
  Hebrews 12:1-3 "You can lose unwanted pounds. You can gain more muscle. You can feel fit and trim. You can look years younger. You can do it all in the next 30 days, without breaking a sweat, guaranteed. But you must act now. This is a limited-time offer. Have your credit card ready. Operators are...
• The Christmas Story: Born for a Purpose  (December 1, 2006)
  Luke 2:1-12 As we study the events and details surrounding Jesus’ birth, we realize that there is a great deal of suggestion found in the elements of His birth scene. For example, the fact that there was no room for them in the inn suggests that “He came unto His own, and His own r
• Coming To Grips With Suffering  (June 1, 2005)
  2 Corinthians 12:7-10 In September of 1986, I was at work when my boss come to me and told me that I needed to go home. When I arrived at home, my mother met me at the door and told me that my dad was dead. He had been robbed and murdered. Three days later he would be laid to rest by a...
• God's Redemptive Plan  (June 1, 2005)
  A legend recounts the return of Jesus to heaven after his time on earth. Jesus bore the marks of his earthly pilgrimage with its cruel cross and shameful death. The angel Gabriel approached him, so the legend goes, and said, "Master, you must have suffered terribly for men down there."...