Cross Bow

Introduction

I recently turned on the news and found myself confronted with another one of those stories that have become so common; my great fear is that ...

Cross Over

Introduction

It was an ordinary day of commuting Cameron Hollopeter. The 20-year-old film student made his way down the steps into a New York City subway ...

It's About the People

Introduction

Recently our church softball thoroughly trounced our opponents. The game ended with what's called the mercy rule: when one team is ahead ...

Why Would a Good God Send People to Hell?

Introduction

I thought long and hard about a clever, lighthearted way to introduce this morning's message. I thought about praying for a really hot day ...

Taming the Beast

Text: Genesis 4:1–16
Topic: How to battle envy

Introduction

A few years ago, two high school girls in California—well liked, talented and ambitious—attended ...

Redneck Christmas

Editor's note: The following monologue is delivered in character by a shepherd named Larry. There was a live nativity scene on stage for the Children's ...

You Need a Good Priest

Introduction

I could tell that he had been badly injured in the accident. I'm no medical expert, but I could tell by the pallor of his skin that he was ...

Weighing Others Heavy

Text: Exodus 20:13; Matthew 5:21–24; Romans 12:14–21; Romans 13:8–10
Topic: How to apply the sixth commandment

Introduction

The sixth commandment ...

We Don't Have Men Like That

Introduction

[Editorial comment: Sunukjian delivers this sermon as a first-person narrative. References to props or stage directions will appear in italics.] ...

Working Out the Working In

Introduction.

Let's suppose that our music minister Daniel and I get together for lunch to talk over some of the special services we're planning this month. ...

Choosing What Is Best

Introduction

There were about 20 of us: the engaged couple, their parents, the bridesmaids and groomsmen who were going to be in the wedding the next day, ...

Releasing Resentment

Text: John 21:15–22; 1 Corinthians 13:5
Topic: How we forgive those who hurt us

Introduction

It may have been King David's lowest moment: His son Absalom ...

What Do Men Want? What Do Women Want?

Introduction

When the Bible describes how the world was created, it uses the word good a lot. It says, "God created light" and "saw that the light was ...

Doing Justice

Introduction

I want to talk to you about a concern that lies at the heart of the Prophets, but let's start with a question. Think about the basic human ...

Letters from Dad

Introduction

I'd like to talk on this Father's Day to the men. There will be obvious relevance to women as well, but my express purpose today is to speak ...

The Forgiveness of God

Introduction

"God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself." He came in flesh to forgive us—to run down the road from heaven to earth and say ...

What God Wants from You More Than Anything Else

Introduction

What does God want from you? What does he expect? Do you know?

That's a question that every person has to answer. Because if there is a God—and ...

The Problem of Discrimination

Introduction

The physician of the soul, as of the body, must be capable of doing three things. He must be able to diagnose the malady, to prescribe the ...

The Love Connection

Text: 1 John 2:1–11
Topic: How to walk as Jesus walked

Introduction

First John is a book of assurances. It tells us what God wants his people to know. ...

The Love That Brought Him

Introduction

One of the greatest Georgians who ever lived was Bishop Arthur Moore, the beloved Methodist bishop of our state. Bishop Moore once said that ...

For Better, but Worse

Introduction

When the great Chicago Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this past summer, he began a speech as ...

An Unmistakable Mandate

Introduction:

Dr. Jim Moore, Pastor of St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Houston, tells of a trip to the store with his family. They decided to buy ...

What's Driving You

Introduction

I've always enjoyed reading the stories of successful people and finding out what it is that makes them tick. What I find completely amazing ...

Encouraging to the End

Introduction

This past week, my dad was in a serious car wreck. He was t-boned by a small car, and his pickup rolled over three times and landed in a deep ...

Hilarious Hupotasso

Introduction

This is a hot button issue: the woman's role in church and family. Feelings are running high, and we all bring a certain bias with us.

First, ...

The Most Beautiful People on Earth

Introduction

The latest rage in reality TV is the makeover show, in which a team of experts are brought in to transform somebody's wardrobe, car, backyard, ...

A Sacred Romance

Sermon One

Introduction

A few months ago, Karen and I went to the movies. We were in the mood for a romantic comedy, so we went to see a film called Love, ...

Doing It God's Way

Sermon Two

Introduction

More than ever, people want to know what love is. More than ever, people are confused. Last Sunday, we introduced this series by ...

A Holy Longing

Sermon Three

Introduction

When I was doing youth ministry, we had a standard joke that whenever kids began to lose interest and drop out, all we had to ...

God's Great Idea

Sermon Four

Introduction

Before we leave this series called "Love and the City," we need to say something about marriage. It seems there's an awful lot ...

Managing Your Relationships

Introduction:

When Jerry Seinfeld began his comedy show (you may have heard of it; it was called Seinfeld), he paid one of his New York buddies what he ...

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Believers

In the first chapter of Peter's second epistle, he makes a bold promise, an astonishing guarantee. He says, in effect, "If you make an effort ...

What Should I Do?

Introduction

A man reached retirement age and decided that he would help his wife by taking over some of the cooking chores. He began to make notes as ...

Walking in Love

Introduction:

One of the most common metaphors in the NT for living a life of obedience to God and service to others is "walking the walk." Paul uses ...

A Woman's Worth Is Never Done

Introduction:

A woman of keen mind and understanding heart gazed at Whistler's portrait of his mother. "It is a remarkable painting of a very lovely ...

Digging Deeper in the Spiritual Life

There is a recurring theme throughout the Gospel of Matthew—there is a difference between being religious and spiritual. We spent 12 weeks in the ...

Basic Christianity

One of the characteristics of religious cults is their tendency to preach what C.S. Lewis called "Christianity And." Christians lose their effectiveness, ...

How to Rear Excruciatingly Perfect Children

Several years ago a couple named John and Luanne "Doe" wanted to have a baby, but were unable to conceive. They found a solution at a fertility clinic: ...

Learning to Love

Toward the end of W.C. Fields' life—in fact, while he lay on his deathbed—a friend stopped by to see him and was rather surprised to find ...

Love Is Something You Do

Jesus said to his disciples,

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you , so you must love one another. By this all men will know ...

How to Be Filled with God's Love

The primary difference between Christianity and other religions can be described in one word: LOVE. Think about it—what other world religion places ...

A Good Imitation

Occasionally, when you read the Bible, you'll come across a verse that jumps out and overwhelms you by virtue of its sheer impossibility. For example, ...

Dare To Be Different

We've just begun a new series from 1 Peter called "InCourage." It's about bold living in tough times. The purpose of this series is to encourage you ...

A Perfect Alternative to Revenge

It has been said that few passages of Scripture summarize Christian ethics more succinctly than today's passage. It could also be said that few passages ...

Belonging and Becoming

The relentless creativity of God has affected my life in such a consistent manner that I'd like to share with you what I'm learning.

The plane I got on ...

Learning to Love

I'm going to speak about learning to love. What I have to say may pertain to many of you who are married, but if you're not married, hang in there, ...

Freedom

by John Stott

There are two reasons why I have chosen the topic of freedom. The first is that everybody is thinking and talking about freedom today, and ...

Friendship

In this passage our Lord calls us his friends and gives us four tests or proofs, or signs of the friendship. Two signs or proofs are on his side and ...

Rising to the Occasion

We have come today assembled by a great tragedy, yet in the midst of life's most difficult moments the gracious and merciful hand of God is still ...

God's Design for Marriage

I saw a cartoon some time ago in which a preacher had prepared the pulpit area like a fortress. He was peering through the crack of a machine gun nest. ...