Like Your Life Depended on It

Many people continue to complain about what they have to go through without doing anything about it. Their lives never change. They are afraid of making the wrong decision so they make sure that they make the wrong decision. Doing nothing about your situation is the wrong decision. This message urges you to make a decision and do something about what you are going through.

God's Love Never Ends

Where was God's love when Herod ordered the massacre of the babies? For that matter, where was God's love in 9/11 or any of the other terrorist attacks? Where was His love at Sandy Hook or Columbine? God's justice is not found on this earth. His love is not from this earth. He never stops loving even when His love can't be seen. His love prevails even when these babies are massacred. His love never ends.

How Far Will God Go?

Do you have someone you want to either come to know Jesus as Savior or who has left his or her faith? You don't know what to do to bring them to the Lord. This message will tell you how far God will go to bring them home. It will tell you what you can do to be a part of their redemption.

No Matter What They Say

God has amazing plans for everyone but so few people are following them. His plans will alter what people are currently doing. These plans will set them up for criticism. However, these plans are the only way to have a life that is fulfilling and makes a lasting difference. You just have to do what God says no matter what others say.

From Death to Life

Many people who call themselves Christians believe that they became Christians by trusting in Jesus as their savior. The problem is that they put a period at the end of that sentence and expect nothing else to happen afterwards. This isn't a second blessing. Sanctification is the continuation of the blessing of salvation. Salvation changes who you are or it isn't salvation.

Alive to God in Christ Jesus

What is the focus of the Christian life? Many preachers tell us that it is what our faith can do for us. Jesus focus was on the Christian bearing fruit. What if the latter actually produces the first? What if bearing fruit produced real joy? That's the focus of this message from Romans 6: 8-11

Chapter Seven: Make Life a Journey

Every journey has detours. Each person needs to determine whether the detour is worthy of his or her time. Sometimes Christians find detours are divine appointment. Sometimes they are time wasters or paths the keep them away from their purposes. Anything that differs from the gospel of the Bible is anathema. That journey does not need to be taken. But how does a person know? This is that answer.

Are We Set Free from Sin?

Romans 6: 5-7 The Christian has been united with Christ to live a conjoined life. Christ has become a part of the Christian and the Christian has become a part of Christ. That means that the Christian takes Christ with him or her no matter what that is. The question is whether or not Jesus is driving, giving advice, told to set in the back seat or has been placed in the trunk so that He doesn't affect where He is being taken.

Chapter Six: Living a Holy Life

We are to be holy. God paid too high a price to leave us in the sorry state that He found us. So, we are saved, receive a divine nature and guard our hearts to be holy. The flesh is made to nothing. The Spirit becomes our source of truth and strength for living. We present our whole selves to God. He makes us holy.

Chapter Five: Sharing Our Faith

Sharing our faith is not optional. The way we do so is determined by our spiritual gifts. That is not the general training method of the church. The church's evangelism training would be great if everyone had the gift of prophecy. Thus, many people shy away from sharing when they could be very effective in bringing others to a saving faith in Christ.

Baptized Into Jesus' Death

Many believers do not understand what salvation has done. It has separated sinners from the controlling influence of the sin nature. It has put a divine nature within them so that they can do God's will. Salvation is the beginning of a new creation. It is not merely the improvement of the old.

Chapter Four: Consistency in Faith

Faith is just a word if you don't know what it is. Faith is found in the character of God. Faith is found in believing the God of His Word. Therefore, our faith should move mountains.

Does Sin Still Live in a Christian?

How can we who have died to sin still live in it? This is the question Paul gives to his readers. He has a valid point but most of know that we haven't completely stopped sinning. There are several problems when we present ourselves as pristine. This message tells us that we need to put sin on life support but it is still living.

Grace Greater than All My Sin

The World does not understand forgiveness, grace nor life. It distracts those who have fallen under its spell so they do not notice. God reaches man through Jesus to give forgiveness, grace and life. Its actually all grace. And it can be everyone's now.

Chapter Three: Characterized by Prayer

Some people believe that they can manipulate God. They think there are certain things that they can do that will cause God to do what they want. Some of them have said that God can do nothing on this earth until He has permission from us. This message brings real prayer into focus and reveals God as sovereign rather than servant.

All the Grace You Will Ever Need

Sin has separated people from God. It severed the relationship mankind had with God. It severed mankind from life itself. Jesus came to restore the relationship with God. His grace is enough no matter how many or how severe the sins. God has enough grace for everyone today.

Chapter Two: Abiding in God's Word

Many people are duped by false prophets because they simply do not know what God's word says. These false prophets use popular reasoning to convince their followers. For example, a number of these false prophets claim that God produced little gods when He made man. They all use an illustration of horses produce horses, dogs produce dogs, cats produce cats, etc. However, the Bible says that God created man. He did not reproduce man. Creation is not producing the same thing as the creator. Man was fashioned into God's image. He wasn't made a god. And, most importantly, being a god is the temptation Eve was offered by Satan. The churches where this heresy was preached should have emptied in minutes if people knew God's word. This teaching challenges all believers to recognize the importance of knowing and following God's word.

Death before Life

This message comes from Romans 5:14. Death reigned from Adam to Moses. It did even though there was no law. What was the death? What would restore life? Has it been restored? This is the message.

Chapter One: Grasping the Gospel

There are many heresies that keep people from coming to know Christ as their Savior. This study presents seven ways that Jesus was unique. It debunks those who say that Jesus is only an example or that they can become the Son of God themselves. It presents the gospel so that people grasp it and can tell when they are hearing a false gospel.

We All Caught It

This message is on the doctrine of original sin. It attempts to answer the question of where sin comes from and how it is passed on. It is preached by a sinner to a church of sinners. It tells how much we need God's grace.

Someting's Wrong at Church: Introduction

Heresy has seeped into the mainline churches. Preachers are criticizing each other for minor differences. Shallow sermons are being preached. Why? Because we have a big problem at church. We have forgotten what our purpose is.

The Joy of Our Salvation

Why do so many Christians show such dour expressions on their faces? Could it be that they have been pursuing happiness? They thought that faith would make them happy. Happiness is found in good circumstances. Therefore, bad circumstances meant that they are either doing something wrong or they made the wrong decision when they decided to become Christians. Shouldn't Christians have joy instead of sadness?

What Have We Been Saved From?

You will never be able to preach on heaven and make it good enough. You will never be able to preach on hell and make it bad enough. This message doesn't speak so much on what we have been saved for but what we have been saved from.

Saved in the Nick of Time

Why does Paul talk so much about salvation to a people who are already saved? What does he mean when he says that Jesus died at the right time? Could it be that Paul has some method to this seeming madness?

Beyond the Sugar-coated Faith

If spirituality could be seen; if before and after pictures could be taken of it; would people look different after attending church for a long period of time? This message says that appealing to the flesh does not grow the Christian into a spiritual giant. Too many messages tell people how to have the things of the world. They appeal to physical pleasures, possessions and pride. They tell people how to be successful in this world without challenging them to become mature Christians. This message is for those who would like to grow up.

Into His Grace

We have been brought into the unmerited favor of God by Jesus Christ. He washed us with His blood, clothed us in His righteousness and brought us face-to-face with His Father. It was all grace to stand before God. It is all grace to live today.

Peace with God

Why do the rich want to be richer, the beautiful want to be more beautiful and the famous are afraid of being forgotten? If these things bring people real happiness, why do so many of the rich, beautiful and famous people commit suicide? Some people will say that they lack God. . . . Really? If that's the case, why are Christians also committing suicide?

Jesus, Delivered and Raised

There are two heresies that have invaded the church. Neither are new but some variation of these heresies are heard in mainline churches. These heresies present a different gospel than found in the Bible. Would you like to see if you are hearing these heresies in your church?

When God Doesn't Answer

Too often, we view God as the "go to" guy. He solves all of our problems exactly as we tell Him. He heals, gives prosperity and promotes our brand because He wants to make us happy. What a crock! God is much greater than a sugar daddy. He walks with us to the other side of our needs. That doesn't mean that He always heals as we think He should, provide as we think He should or even give us direction or purpose like we think He should. Maybe that's why we don't know what to say when bad things happen to faithful people. We only think of God as our faithful servant. We don't know what to do with Him when He fails to perform (as we think He should.).

The Worship Service

There is something wrong when people don't want to attend worship. It doesn't have to be with the attender. This session addresses what a worship service should be.

God Is Always Able

Most believers know that God is always able. We need more than that knowledge to give us real hope. We need to know God will.

Walking with God

The lowest attended meeting at a church is often a prayer meeting. Why? Maybe its because true prayer causes us to walk with God truthfully. We talk with Him while He knows the truth about us. We listen to Him tell us what we may not want to hear. We pray without seeking His will over ours. We demand from the One with whom we can't demand. Walking with God will always involve prayer. True prayer seeks His will. Knowing His will means that we must hear from Him. Lots of people don't want to know God that well. How about you?

The Promise of Abraham

Abraham received a promise from God, but first he was obedient to what God called him to do. He left the land he was living in and his family to go to a place that God had for him. God makes a promise to us. He tells us to believe in His Son and we will have life eternal. It seems that all of God's promises follow that pattern. We start with obedience and God's promise is fulfilled. Salvation isn't the only promise God makes to us.Wouldn't you like to know about His promise is to you?

Radical Commitment

Many Christians have become casual in their faith. Being casual means that they think their faith is very little about their commitment and very much about God's commitment to them. While God is committed to His people. God also expects extreme commitment from His people. Casual faith will never lead us to the throne of God. Casual faith will never give us revival. This study is to call us to radical commitment.

Helpful Hints for Being a Great Dad

Father's is losing its significance. Many children are growing up without fathers. Many of the males who fathered these children never knew how to become men. The lack of manhood leaves the whole human race at a loss. Moms are trying to be mothers and fathers to their children. This leaves the boys without a role model to show them how and girls without a role model to show them who they should marry (if marriage is in their future). This message is not comprehensive in teacher males how to be dads. It is just a few hints that can get males to become the men they need to be to be great dads.

Your Works Will Never Save You

The wave of suicides tell us that people are looking for more than they were getting. Many of these people appear to be successful, famous and able to get just about anything they want. They have been working for something that can't fulfill the need in their hearts. Faith seems like such a simplistic answer to their problem. Do complex problems require complex answers or can a simple answer actually work? Working for your salvation doesn't work- even if you are religious about it! Life comes from accepting what God has for you. It is more than the world could hope to deliver.

Distractions from Commitment

Many godly people have been distracted from an earlier commitment to God. David, Solomon, Simon Peter and many people you may know. What distractions made them forget their commitment to the Lord? That is the subject of this study.

What Kind of Faith Saves You?

Salvation is not merely something that happens to us when our physical bodies die. Salvation is something that we possess without merit and without work the moment we are saved. Though their is no time schedule. We have a promise from God responded by faith that God declares righteous so that we have His inheritance now and forever more.

Loving the Things of This World

This world is not our home but it is the world we are born into. It affects who we are if not for the Spirit making us alive to God. It is hard to shake off the world's values even after becoming Christians. Those values keep us from worshiping God in spirit and truth. This study addresses this problem.

The Seal of Righteousness

Does God let people into heaven because of their hard work in serving Him or because of their faith? That's the topic Paul addresses in Romans 4:9-12. In this message we discover that we belong to the Lord: signed, sealed and delivered.

Things God Hates (Part 2)

I love to eat, but I don't love to eat everything. The mere aroma of some foods turns my stomach. God loves the worship of His people, but He doesn't love all worship. Some worship turns His stomach (so to speak). What worship is that? It includes the things He hates.

Blessed Are the Forgiven

Knowing you are forgiven is a blessing but it isn't the whole blessing. Forgiveness is the key that opens the door to what God has for you. Forgiveness is essential to your righteousness. Righteousness enables you to walk with God, hear God and know His purpose. And we all need to know His purpose.

Things God Hates (Part 1)

The Bible says that God watches the proud from afar. The Bible says that God hates haughty eyes. Pride will keep us from many things God has for us. Pride will make us proud of going through the motions rather than truly worshiping.

Your Life's Definition

When the name Benedict Arnold is mentioned, what do you think of? How about Lee Harvey Oswald or John Wilkes Booth? Most of us think of people who were defined by their sins. However, should we think of Bathsheba in the same way? She was the mother of five sons. One of those sons was Solomon. She is an ancestor of Jesus. Moms could learn a lot from her example.

The Lack of Fellowship

Worship is an opportunity to have fellowship with God. However, many people come to worship without preparing to meet God and worship Him. Therefore, they want the people leading worship to do something exciting. They seek emotional support, comedy, entertainment and friends without seeking God Himself. This message is just one way to prepare to worship God.

Faith Is Counted as Righteousness

Can you call Jesus your Lord while holding onto a known sin? Can you have all that God has planned for you while knowingly unfaithful to Him? This message speaks to these issues.

The Law before Time

Why are Christians so bored with God? I believe it's because they have failed to hear what He has said to them. They fail because they are distracted by sin, unaware of righteousness and forget about the judgment that awaits everyone. That is the work fo the Holy Spirit when He delivers God's word. The word of God changes everything. That's the law before time.

You Gotta' Have Faith (Part 2)

Years ago an evangelist told me, "You got to believe it is so when it isn't so, so it will be so because with God it is already so." I asked how do you know that it is already so with God. He said, "You need a word from God." "How do you get a word from God?" I asked. His eyes twinkled as he said, "Now, that's the hard part." This is the second part of my message delivered on a Wednesday night. It attempts to answer the question: How do I get a word from God?

You Gotta' Have Faith

Too many Christians think that faith is something that they must produce on their own. They do not realize that faith is a gift from God. They live lives of defeat and frustration when they try to produce something that only God can give them. So, how do they get this faith? This is the topic of this sermon.

O Lord, Why Are You So Far Away?

God has great plans for us. So, why is it that those great plans and God Himself seems to be so far away? Could it be that you are doing something that is keeping you from what God would like to give you? This message explores areas in your life that separate you from God and His plans.

The Meaning of the Cross

Mankind was created in God's image. He was created in peace with God and longs to restore that peace. His efforts to make peace with God have come from creating religion rather than re-establishing the relationship. So, God did for man what he couldn't do for himself. The relationship created by the work of the cross gave man victory, peace, forgiveness, purpose and life. It seems too good to be true but how could anyone not listen if it could be true? This is the meaning of the cross.

The End in Mind

We should take precautions to protect our children and ourselves in schools and churches. These actions are merely prudent. However, this will only address the symptom rather than the disease. Jesus said that we would have tribulation in this world. The world is full of evil and that evil will find a way of committing heinous acts. This could bring us to despair if not for the fact that Jesus ended the previous statement with, "But be of good courage, I have overcome the world." Jesus is the answer to the evil in the world. He has given us the responsibility of sharing Him with the world. He has promised that we would do more than He did by seeing more people come to know Him. People are changed by a relationship with Jesus. The responsibility is on us to share Him with the world.

The Just and the Justifier

Is Jesus sacrifice on the cross an act of God's justice or an act of God's mercy? The answer is "yes." Justice is served when Jesus died on the cross. Mercy was given to us because Jesus died on the cross. God gives us mercy every day of our lives. That won't be true when we leave this world. Our works will never earn us our salvation but they will definitely earn us our condemnation. God is both the just and the justifier.

There Is a Fountain

The Ark of the Covenant contains the Ten Commandments. They represent the righteousness of God and stand as a condemnation against all mankind since all have sinned. The Ark is covered by a lid called the "Mercy Seat." Jesus is that Mercy Seat whose blood would be spilled to quell the wrath of God. He has been put forward by God to be a propitiation for those who receive Him by faith. The story is one that bring peace to the believer for there is no peace in the lives of those who have no relationship with God.

The Glory of God

We were created in God's image. That image included His glory. Sin caused that image to be marred. We have fallen short of His glory. Yet, God seeks to restore His glory within us. So, Jesus is justifying us by giving a gift without regard to what we do. Jesus died for everyone: even the people who will never trust in Him. He died for those who were making themselves His enemies. Thus, He redeems us so that we will again reflect God's glory.

But Now

We all have markers in our lives. We were in school and we graduate. We didn't have a job and now we do. We get a dog. We get married. These markers tell the story of what we were (or what we were doing) and now. Paul has been telling us that we cannot become righteous by the law. No one can seek justification on their own record. However, now, with the presence of Jesus Christ we can be righteous for we accept His righteousness when we accept Him. Jesus paid it all so that we would become His. The price wasn't paid and now it is.

Can We Handle the Truth?

The bill lies unpaid on the dresser. The lump in your breasts is never examined. The feelings of guilt are never resolved. Many times we don't do anything because we do not want to face the truth. We don't want to face the fact that we can't pay the bill. We are afraid of what the doctor will tell us if we get examined for the lump in the breast. We keep hoping that the feelings of guilt will just go away. Eventually, we all have to face the truth. Sometimes we face them when its too late.

God Looked Down

When God looked down He saw humanity in desperate need. We needed a Savior. When God looks down now, He sees humanity in desperate need. We need the Savior.

The Ground Is Level at the Foot of the Cross

Does everyone get into heaven the same way? Are all the religions equally valid? There are many who would say that even the Jews will get a special deal with God. Can that be true? Let's see what the Bible says.

A Bright Light in a Dark Room

If God is going to be faithful to His mission and to us whether or not we are faithful to Him, then, why be faithful?

God's Unwavering Faithfulness

God is faithful even if we aren't. He is faithful to His mission to redeem creation. He is faithful to His word. He is faithful to us. He is faithful to save us even if we are unfaithful. He gives grace. He forgives. He seeks for us to come home. His faithfulness is truly unwavering.

Paying It Forward

This message has three points: God chose the Jews. He also chooses the believers today. How does He do it without violating free will? The sign of the covenant is baptism today. There are three reasons we are baptized. We are to carry the gospel to the world. We do this with words and with changed lives. The secret to a changed life is in forgiveness.