Sermons

The whole thing seems like such a show of strength—they want to make a name for themselves; they’re building this huge tower, and so forth. And yet, look at their reason for doing this. They say, “Lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.

Answer me quickly, O LORD! My spirit fails! Hide not Your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear in the morning of Your steadfast love, for in You I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul.

Every sermon we hear brings with it a series of images suggested by the preacher’s words. With both head and heart engaged, we “see” these images by faith, and we are sometimes brought low and at other times built up and encouraged.

We rarely get an angel to tell us if we are doing the right thing or not. We ask the Holy Spirit to help us, and if we do make mistakes, we trust that He will use even our mistakes to God’s glory.

Thinking of dogs, we think of pets—trained, vaccinated, friendly. We are not thinking about the packs of wild dogs that ran around in Jesus’ day—eating dead things, carrying disease and even attacking people. Those kind of dogs are nobody’s friend. They are dangerous.

Before took up His cross, Jesus prayed for those who would believe through the witness of His apostles, asking that the new believers no matter how sticky and smelly things may seem, they would “all be one” just as Jesus and His Father are one (John 17:21a).

Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. … Persist in this, for by doing so you will save both yourself and your hearers.

I know that I am supposed to show love to them, but it’s so difficult! How in the world can I love that person? They do this or that terrible thing—they hold such awful opinions—their voice grates on me; their behavior is obnoxious. Christian or not, I can’t stand them. How can I be “one” with somebody who makes me want to run away the minute I lay eyes on them?

How do you share the Good News of Jesus with people who don’t even know that they need it? How do you give the world’s most valuable gift to people who don’t see any need for it?