Born to Save

Introduction

What do you need today? There are so many ways we could probably answer that question. Some might say, “I need a vacation. I need a ...

‘Don’t Go Too Far!’

Introduction

In the historical account of Moses leading God’s people out of Egypt we find these words:

• I will harden Pharaoh’s heart

God’s Presence, God’s Promises

Introduction

There’s no title it just says, Of David. We don’t know for sure, unlike some of the psalms, the situation at the time ...

A Bad Day

Introduction

As we walk thru life all of us are going to have some good days, some average days, and some bad days.

One of my bad days happened ...

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Jerusalem

The sun is rising. Spring’s flowers are awakening. The fragrance of irises, tulips, and orchids fills the air. The calendar shows it’s mid-week, ...

Our Great High Priest

Introduction

The overall message of Hebrews is to keep moving forward, don't turn back. The writer to the Hebrews is doing this by showing ...

How to Get Dialed into God’s Plan for Your Life

Introduction

In the summer of 1994, I had a most unusual job. I served as an assistant at a funeral home in northeast Tennessee.

My responsibilities were ...

Back to the Start

Introduction

Merry Christmas! One thing is for sure, Christmas is looking much different than of us expected this year. But I wonder if that’s actually ...

3 Questions to Ask Yourself this Mother’s Day

Introduction

Elisha came to Shunem regularly because he served not only as a prophet but also as a kind of circuit judge. In that town on the eastern end ...

Skipping Christmas

Introduction

“Always winter, but never Christmas.” That memorable line comes to us from C. S. Lewis’ beloved children’s classic ...

God's Solution for Our Temptation

Introduction

You probably heard about the now famous Stanford Marshmallow Test (1972). Walter Mischel put 32 young children in the study. He reported over ...

How to Live When You Learn You Aren’t a Super-Hero

Introduction

I’ve been a pastor for over 27 years, but during that time I’ve always worked as a low-level, volunteer superhero. This is true. ...

I Am King, You Say

Introduction

Do you remember what happened this week? This week, as he rode into Jerusalem, they put their cloaks before him and took branches from date ...

Miraculous Births: Samson

This sermon is part of the “Miraculous Births” sermon series. See the whole series here.

Introduction

We are officially in the Christmas season. ...

Miraculous Births: The Church

This sermon is part of the “Miraculous Births” sermon series. See the whole series here.

Introduction

Getting Things Done, Deep Work, First ...

God Wins

Introduction

(Read John 20:19-29)

On election night in 1976, I sat in a little dark storage closet at the back of a campaign headquarters in Yonkers, New ...

The Gift of the Son: Everlasting Father

This sermon is part of “The Gift of the Son” sermon series. See the whole series here.

Introduction

We're looking at Isaiah 9—at names ...

The Man the King Delights to Honor

Introduction

[Read Esther 3:1-6 and 6:1-10]

Esther is a Jewish woman who becomes queen of Persia, and as we have seen and will continue to see, she uses ...

Don't Forget to Remember

Introduction

If we have no memory, we are adrift—because memory anchors us to the past, interprets the present, and charts a course for the future. ...

The Promise

Introduction

I first got to know my friend Muhammed in the summer of 2001. I'd stop at the Mobil station near our house on Sunday mornings to get a cup ...

The Test

Introduction

Elie Wiesel, the great Jewish writer known best for his writing about the Holocaust, wrote many other things as well, including Messengers ...

Easter Hope

Introduction

This is part of my story with my dad.

September 18 of this past year was profoundly memorable for me. My dad, who was almost 84, passed away. ...

Surprise Ending

Introduction

We like our Bible stories to end with a bang: Israel escaping from Egypt through the watery walls of the Red Sea, the walls of Jericho tumbling ...

A Hunger for Glory

Introduction

Something happened in the fall of 1976 that sent shockwaves through the senior class of Edina-East High School in Edina, Minnesota. During ...

Our Felt Need, Our Deepest Need

Introduction

I promise I will not fall into that well-worn tradition of preaching on those well-intentioned, moralistic oaths, doomed to fail, that we ...

The Gift of the Son: Mighty God

This sermon is part of “The Gift of the Son” sermon series. See the whole series here.

Introduction

For this Advent sermon series leading up ...

The Gift of the Son: Wonderful Counselor

This sermon is part of “The Gift of the Son” sermon series. See the whole series here.

Introduction

The first Sunday of Advent marks the beginning ...

What Difference Does Christmas Make

Introduction

Here we are, at the very beginning of the Christmas season. Oh, I know the malls and stores have been playing Christmas music and hanging ...

Becoming a 'Thanksgiver' at Thanksgiving

Introduction

"Don't forget to say 'thank you.'" If you are like me, then you probably heard this phrase often when you were a child. If you are a parent, ...

The King Liked to Listen

Introduction

The king liked to listen to him. So did most people.

"Repent. Stop what you're doing. You know it's wrong, so stop it. Make a ...

The Love Reaction

Introduction

(Read 1 Thessalonians 3:6-10)

A single mother struggles to pay for a college education for her only child. She hates her job but knows she ...

The Love Expression

Introduction

(Read 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5)

God is the source of love, Jesus is the proof of love, and believers must be the agents of love in this world.

The Love Connection

Introduction

Dick Purnell, in his 2003 publication Finding a Lasting Love, makes the following statement: "We all need to love and accept the love of other ...

Running to the Lost

Introduction

Should God have any enemies?

The popular answer these days is basically this: "No, God shouldn't have any enemies … if there is a God, ...

God Is in Pursuit

Introduction

What happens when what God wants is different than what you want?

That's one way to summarize what's so difficult about this life, ...

Mourning to Joy

Introduction

Haman hated the Jews, and he was in a position to do something about it. Around 480 B.C., Haman was the second-most powerful man in the vast ...

Born Again?

Introduction

One of the most familiar stories of Jesus, found at the opening of John 3, begins this way: "Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus ...

The Blessing, the Curse, the Calling

Introduction

How many hours in a day? 24. Let's break a 24-hour day down. First off, the average human sleeps how many hours a night? Not counting ...

God is the Center of Reality

Introduction

Back in the 1960s the mayor of the city of Chicago was Richard Daley. He was famous for a number of things, most notably for being the last ...

The Death of Death

Introduction

There are moments in time when all of a sudden something happens and everything changes. There are so many examples of this that it's almost ...

The Resurrection Matters—Really Matters!

Introduction

Like many of you, this Easter, I celebrate a radical truth—that Jesus died and rose to pay the price for our failures and affirm he ...

The World's Greatest Talk: Choices

Introductory Remarks from John Ortberg

This message was designed to do one thing: challenge people to decide to follow Jesus wholeheartedly.

Part of ...

True Relationships

Introduction

As we wrap up our series on 1 and 2 Thessalonians, we are going to continue our focus on Christ's second coming.

I am a member at Sam's Club ...

Authentic Faith

Introduction

In this series, we're going to be looking at 1 and 2 Thessalonians. These letters will emphasize two perspectives: They put a laser focus ...

Party of Three

Introduction

Oprah recently interviewed Diane Nyad, the 64yr old who completed a 53 hour solo swim from Cuba to Florida. In the interview Nyad said that ...

Humanity's Mission Statement

Introduction

If you have your Bible I'm going to read Genesis1:26-31. I want to read the events of the sixth day of creation as it is recorded for us here. ...

Treasury Notes in Heaven

Introduction

Our son-in-law, Keith, works on the trading floor of the commodities market exchange in Chicago. I've been there to watch him. You stand in ...

What's the Big Deal with "John 3:16"?

The story behind the sermon (Craig Brian Larson)

The background of my approach to this sermon: As I began work on this sermon, I realized that it has been ...

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

Introduction

I haven't field tested the theory, but I suspect that this is the best known parable of Jesus. Whether in Christian circles or non-Christian ...

A God Who Redeems

Introduction

Today, we're not only talking about a God who is with us, but also a God who redeems us. I want to talk to those who feel helpless and hopeless ...