The Blessing of Presence

Introduction

Christmas is nearly here. Even though it’s been in the shops a lot longer, we as believers in Jesus celebrate the most important day ...

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 ...

A Better Trust

Introduction

Hebrews 7 has this great theme of Jesus as a high priest, not after the order of Aaron, but after the order of Melchizedek. It is ...

Ears to Hear

Introduction

When I was growing up, Revelation was intimidating, confusing, a little terrifying. It seems like there are plenty of people offering to help ...

Lose It All to Gain It All

Introduction

What are we willing to do to gain something of value? Well, you may respond that it depends on what it is. In so many realms of our lives, ...

Be Strong and Courageous

Introduction

Can one person make a difference? Can one person change the direction of an entire family tree? Can one person stand up in the face of fear, ...

Dads, What Is the Culture of the Home You Are Building?

Introduction

I want to acknowledge that a day like this, set aside to celebrate fathers, is a difficult day for many people. For some of you, it’s ...

Relief for the Uncertain

Introduction

In recent days you’ve probably heard people around you say and found yourself repeating, “I’ve never seen anything like ...

Jesus: A Power Greater than the Angels

Introduction

The focus of the Book of Hebrews is perseverance. It’s about finding strength to press on in the faith when things get difficult. Our ...

'Shipwrecked!'

Introduction

There’s a little acronym that’s become common in managerial circles—VUCA, which stands for “Volatility, Uncertainty, ...

The Teacher Makes the Difference

Introduction

I have a text for you, a powerful text. It’s from the Sermon on the Mount. Let me share with you the setting of this great text. Every ...

Miraculous Births: John the Baptist

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

Introduction

It's Christmas Eve 1945 in Bedford ...

Living in the Protective Custody of God

Introduction

In the Believer's Bible Commentary, William MacDonald begins his comments on Psalm 91 by telling of a five-year-old boy who was dying of diphtheria ...

Get a Grip

Editor's Note: This sermon was given from an empty gymnasium. To prepare for the topic and really connect with the idea of "letting go," John Ortberg ...

Formulas and Fantasies Will Always Fail

Introduction

A few years back when I was pastoring Aspen Grove Community Church, we had a terrific team of volunteers for VBS and a great plan for that ...

The Glory of the Groan

Introduction

God started a revival with the preaching of Charles Haddon Spurgeon. The people came to hear the preacher in the church instead of the preacher ...

Yet . . .

Introduction

I'm sure there are times when you have wondered, "What will become of me?" Were you standing, bewildered, outside of your boss's office door? ...

Last One Standing

Introduction

I'll tell you the best news you will ever hear: "The righteous shall live by faith!" So why doesn't hearing that evoke the response of other ...

There Must Be Some Mistake

Introduction

Do you know who TIME magazine's Person of the Year was for 2011? The Protester. Protesters were the big story in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria, ...

Wrong Question?

Introduction

Corey Brooks is a pastor in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago. It's a very tough place. While crime has been declining in most of ...

Joyful Service

Introduction

We are looking at John 13 and drawing out four themes—four pillars of a healthy community. The first week we looked at "Humble Leadership." ...

The Forgotten Man of Christmas

Introduction

There was a family which like many of our families has a Nativity set, and each Christmas season they would set that Nativity set up beneath ...

What Kind of Heart Does God Desire?

Introduction

David is often described as "a man after God's own heart." That is how Samuel described him at the point that he was going to be anointed ...

The Power of Spiritual Deception

Introduction

Jim Jones was the founder of the People's Temple. More than 900 of Jim Jones' followers died in a cult murder/suicide in 1978 in Jonestown, ...

Jesus, Betrayed and Crucified

Introduction

If you have ever flown into Ireland, north or south, one thing will strike you. From the air, Ireland is remarkably green. What the tourist ...

The Spiritual Disciplines You Didn't Choose

Introduction

There are two kinds of spiritual disciplines but today I want to talk about the kind that we understand less and that we struggle with more. ...

The Goodness of Sabbath Rest

Introduction

Let me read to you from Genesis Chapter 2. We have spent a number of weeks looking into Genesis Chapter 1, which gives to us the record of ...

Zechariah's Song

Introduction

Starting last week, this week, and next week, we are taking some time in our preparation for and anticipation of the holiday season to look ...

Simeon's Song

Introduction

I've been reading a gift somebody got for me. It's a fascinating book called Medieval Views of the Cosmos. When I say it's fascinating, ...

Praying While Running

Editor's Note: Throughout this document Dr. Jeffrey Arthurs has provided a running commentary on his sermon. It's an invaluable guide for how ...

He Will Do It

Introduction

There are some passages that a younger preacher, if he or she is wise, may want to wait awhile and "grow up" into. For instance, this passage ...

Through the Valley

Introduction

It was near the twilight of his life, and quite possibly he sat on one of the curvaceous slopes of the hills of Judea, looked out into one ...

God Knows What He's Doing

Introduction

There is a pattern in the New Testament Epistles of Paul. He begins by explaining doctrine and then exhorts us to duty, reminding us that ...

Broken but Chosen

Introduction

It took Michelangelo four years to craft his statue of David. It is 13-feet tall. He used flawed marble. We know the exact quarry the marble ...

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 ...

Decision

Introduction

For the last couple of weeks we have opened the front door wide open to the topic of reconciliation. Each week we've gone to the foot of the ...

God Is Trustworthy

Introduction

I began this series by quoting A. W. Tozer's famous contention that "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important ...

Jesus, Lord of Creation

Have you ever told a joke that someone didn't get or think was funny? And then you tried to explain it and it was even less funny? Jokes are like poems: ...

Jesus, Lord of the New Creation

The first sermon in this series started exploring this passage by looking at how Jesus is the Lord of Creation. Part two is titled "Jesus is Lord ...

Jesus, Lord of the Cross

There are few more exciting units of the U.S. Military than the Combat Search and Rescue (or the CSAR). If you've seen the movie Black Hawk Down, ...

The Assurance of Blessing

Story behind the sermon (David Shelley)

My challenge: This was the final sermon in a series on the Ten Commandments from Deuteronomy 4-6. I wanted to explain ...

God Is Still Loving

There are times in our lives when it seems like God is against us. I mean, we know that God is for us, but there are times when it seems like God is treating ...

The Song of a Broom

Sunday school pictures of a ruddy faced lad in a lions' den have scant resemblance to the actual situation described in this sixth and last chapter of ...

The Gloria in Excelsis Deo

Introduction

Today we're going to look at Luke chapter 2. There is a Christmas song tucked within this Christmas story that I want to uncover—a song ...

Waiting for the Fullness of Time

Introduction

Last Saturday I wrote these words:

I'm at the airport—waiting. I arrived at 7:15 A.M. It's now 9:40. My 8:38 flight was canceled ...

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, ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

The Dark Side of Grace

Introduction

In the structure of John's gospel, John 11 serves as a hinge between two halves. The first 10 chapters are concerned with the ministry of ...