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Sermons on Sin


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Preaching on Sin? Browse these sermons to find fresh ideas.

Ignoring Clear Directions

Introduction

I'm known among my family and friends for having a terrible sense of direction. It doesn't matter whether I am driving or walking. It doesn't ...


When we underestimate the depth of our sin we also downplay the power of the cross.


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Liberation

Introduction

Richard Stearns, the president of World Vision, has a book called The Hole in Our Gospel. In this book he tells a remarkable story about a ...


Free to forgive


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Lost and Found

Introduction

Some of you may have heard of Anthony Bourdain. He has a reality show on The Travel Channel called "No Reservations." He's a chef who travels ...


Jesus' encounter with Zacchaeus is a fulfillment of his mission.


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God Is Present and Powerful

Introduction: Our struggle with sin

We've been trying to renew together our vision of who God really is. Everything good in life flows from the person ...


Becoming who we are in Christ


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Defiled and Cleansed

Introduction

Today we're going to look at Numbers 5:1-10. This chapter is easy to outline because of the phrase that is repeated three times, in verses ...


In Christ the defiled and excluded are now healed and accepted.


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The Price of Pride

Introduction

You've probably heard the expression, "Into every life, a little rain must fall." I was reading an article about a movie star who was having ...


Understanding the consequence of our sin and the mercy of God


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Getting Out
Getting Out

Introduction

I want us to look at the account of the crossing of the Red Sea. You might call it the climax or epitome of Exodus. It's hard to overstate ...


The Good News of Jesus, like the Exodus, enables us to walk into a brand new life.


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Danger! Worship in Progress

My hometown, Britton, South Dakota, celebrated its 125th anniversary last weekend on the 4th of July. The population sign on the edge of town says 1,328, ...


We must inquire of the Lord, because he is holy.


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Deep Clean

Whatever became of sin?

Some years ago a Harvard psychiatrist wrote a provocative book entitled Whatever Became of Sin? In it he expressed his fear that ...


Our sin is real, but our God willingly forgives.


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Community: The Context for Change

Story behind the sermon (from John Ortberg)

I am a huge N. T. Wright fan, and I think some of his material on the role and destiny of human beings is a ...


The Bible contains the incredible story of our calling to become God's image bearers.


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Jesus Christ: His Human Nature

"The gospel of God … regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendent of David …" (Romans 1:3).

Paul says, "Jesus Christ is ...


Jesus Christ meets us in our great weakness.


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Looking Up to Heaven

A shattered Colossus

The poet Percy Bysshe Shelly tells of meeting a traveler from an "antique" land who describes the ruins of a great statue in the desert. ...


God is in control and can soften the hardest of hearts.


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The Judgment of Grace

Chapter five of Daniel addresses the question of what would happen if you gave a party, and God crashed it. Nebuchadnezzar was no longer on the throne. ...


In the fate of King Belshazzar, we see God's righteous judgment.


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The One That Got Me

Introduction

Let me begin this final sermon in our series with our Scripture text:

What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, ...

Understanding the tenth commandment through Paul’s eyes


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The Deep Truth

Introduction

Back in 1899, four reporters from four different Denver newspapers didn't have a story for the morning paper. They decided to make up a story—to ...


Taking the ninth commandment to heart


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I'll Take What You Have

Introduction

We're continuing our series on the Ten Commandments, and this morning we come to the eighth one: "You shall not steal." It's amazing how creative ...


Combating the sin of the eighth commandment


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The Scarlet Letter

Introduction

Today we're continuing to look at the Ten Commandments. We've seen that this isn't easy material. These commands are anything but sugarcoated. ...


Bringing adultery to the light


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Making Parents Weighty

Introduction

We've been working through the Ten Commandments and today we come to the fifth one: "Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God ...


A close look at the fifth commandment


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Murderers and the Murdered One

Introduction

We're in our sixth week in our series on the Ten Commandments and today we're talking about the sixth commandment, Deuteronomy 5:17: "You ...


Understanding our violation of the sixth commandment


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The Name

Introduction

Today we're on our third sermon in a series on the Ten Commandments. Imagine if everybody on the planet obeyed the Ten Commandments. In a ...


Using God’s name in worthy ways


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The Right God, the Wrong Way

Introduction

Last week we began a series on the Ten Commandments. We saw that the Ten Commandments weren't given as a requirement for salvation, but rather ...


Uncovering our subtle idols


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God Only

Introduction

This morning we're beginning a series on the Ten Commandments. These are familiar to just about everybody. Well, sort of. I heard about a ...


Ordering our lives around our one true center


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Rediscovering the Sabbath
Rediscovering the Sabbath

Introduction

While I was leading some pastor training in the Philippines, I broke the pastors up into small groups and had them share various things ...


How to honor God on our seventh day


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Forgiven, Forgotten

Introduction

Guilt runs rampant in the body of Christ. Though you already know you often feel guilty, it's important that we say it, because you would ...



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Right Smack in the Middle of Sin

Introduction

Every single one of us has had those times when we have not looked forward to seeing particular people: a disappointed mother or disgusted ...



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A Heartbeat from Disaster
A Heartbeat from Disaster

Introduction

In this particular passage of Scripture, the nation of Israel, to the north, has fallen so far from God's desire and purpose that he has ...


Do we see our sin as offensive and a tragedy?


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It Doesn't Sting Anymore

Introduction

Tony Campolo, at the end of a sermon titled, "The Year of Jubilee," tells this story:

I went to my first black funeral when I was 16 years ...

Christ has swallowed up death.


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Not in Vain

Introduction

I was talking to a friend the other day. "I know you aren't much of a churchgoer," I said, "but I'd like to invite you to church this Sunday ...


The effectual power of Christ's resurrection


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Learning from Tiger Woods

From the editor

In late November 2009, a series of events led to a bevy of stories about infidelities on the part of golf's greatest player, Tiger ...


Let's find satisfaction in God alone, keep in mind that our sin will always find us out, and surround ourselves with good friends to keep us in check.


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Raw Ugliness

Introduction

On one level, this is a brilliant story handed down to us by a brilliant storyteller. This is a gripping, plot-twisting, edge-of-your seat ...


Humans battle and give into sin.


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Radical Intimacy

Introduction

In this series, we're going to wrestle with very difficult story—the story of David. But I promise that as we allow this story to tell ...


Humans need to experience intimacy with a Holy God.


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Why Are You Angry?

Text: Genesis 4:1-12
Topic: How to overcome anger.

From the editor:

Here's a great sermon from one of our featured preachers, David Anderson, that is sure ...


We need to understand what causes our anger and how we can overcome it.


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When Sin Creeps In

From the editor

If you remove the first three chapters of Genesis, anything goes. So much foundational theology is packed into those seminal verses. One ...


Sin is costly, but Jesus has come.


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Forgiven and Forgotten

Text: Hebrews 10:1-18
Topic: The effectiveness and scope of Christ's forgiveness of our sin

From the editor

As Brown points out at the very start of his ...


The sacrifice of Christ is not a reminder of your sin but a reminder of your forgiveness, your liberation.


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The Lostness of Humankind

Text: Romans 1:18-25Topic: A look at mankind's journey through rejection, separation, domination, and condemnation—and his opportunity for redemption ...


Jesus came not to make bad people good, but to make dead people live.


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Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

Introduction

"No one ever told me that grief felt so much like fear." That is how C. S. Lewis begins his book A Grief Observed, a compelling account of ...


Jesus' promise of comfort


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A Brand New You

Introduction

I've got hundreds of things around the house that I would like to see made new—sofa cushions that have begun to sag, kitchen cabinets ...


What happens when the old has gone


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Jesus Face to Face

Introduction

If you had the opportunity, who would you like to meet face to face? Is it someone living? Someone who has already died? A celebrity? Nobility? ...


What the Resurrection means for us


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What if it's true?

Introduction

Several friends were talking in a restaurant when the conversation came around to dying. They asked each other what they would like to have ...


A call to faith in the risen Christ


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On the Cross
On the Cross

Introduction

A.D. abbreviates the Latin words "Anno Domini," which means "Year of Our Lord." Our calendars are all dated by the birth ...


The account of Good Friday


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Crown of thorns for the King of Kings

Introduction

It's almost Easter, but do you remember Christmas? We heard the joyous story that starts on the first page of the New Testament. Matthew ...


The fulfillment of prophecy


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The Greatest Trial Ever Held

Introduction

It was a long and difficult night. Jesus' best friends abandoned him. One of his closest colleagues committed suicide. Police arrested ...


The story of Pilate


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Moving Towards Reconciliation
Moving Towards Reconciliation

Introduction

Victor Hugo's novel, Les Miserables, is a story about Jean Valjean, who was sentenced to a nineteen-year prison term for stealing a loaf of ...


Bless as You Have Been Blessed


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Openness

Introduction

I don't know many people who want to come to the end of their lives and say, "I never made an impact on anything or anyone?but I'm okay with ...


Receiving God's grace


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Angels: A Song of Peace

Introduction

We've been looking at Christmas songs preserved for us in Scripture. Some, like Zechariah's song last week, are completely foreign to most ...


Surpassing our understanding


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A Bleeding Hearts Club?

Introduction

Suppose someone were to describe you as "a bleeding heart?" How would you feel about that? That expression is often attached to ...


Mercy required a tender heart.


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The Heartbreak Gospel

Introduction

Last week we began our study of the Beatitudes: Jesus' intriguing list of people who are blessed and well-off. Suppose we were to come ...


Only through brokenness can we experience the comfort and salvation of God.


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It's No Mistake

From the editor:

One of the more important things you can do for your listeners—both believers and nonbelievers alike—is to find an appropriate ...


The sooner you embrace the fact that you're a sinner, the sooner you can engage in God's grace.


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King Me!

If you need an overall title, you could try something like this: "The King Takes His Throne: Solomon's Rise to Power."
By submitting to the kingdom of Christ, we put Jesus on his rightful throne.


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Wait for the Morning

Introduction

Right after the Virginia Tech University massacre, the worship leader at a community worship service turned to this text. On behalf of those ...


Sometimes we have to wait for God to lift us out of the depths.


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