Sermons and Biblical Studies

Topics: Conversion; God as Father; Salvation; Unconditional Love Reference: John 3:16 David Mains, director of Chapel Ministries, was sitting in a dental chair when his orthodontist asked David if he would go with him to see a movie. “I’ve seen this film five times already,” said the orthodontist, “and each time I break down and … Continue reading “TERMINATOR
HITS HOME”

Topics: Conversion; Example; Kindness; Love; Mercy; Patience; Self-control References: Matthew 5:14–16; 1 John 4:7–11 Gavin and I were helping my pastor guide thirty lively teens through an all-night “lock-in” at church. Early in the evening, Gavin challenged me to a game of table tennis in the fellowship hall. Our game quickly heated up. With the … Continue reading “LOVING
TRACY TO CHRIST”

Topics: Human Condition; Reconciliation; Repentance; Sin Reference: James 5:16 Sin is the best news there is, because with sin, there’s a way out. You can’t repent of confusion or psychological flaws inflicted by your parents—you’re stuck with them. But you can repent of sin. Sin and repentance are the only grounds for hope and joy, … Continue reading “THE
GOOD NEWS OF SIN”

Topics: Last Things; Peace with God; Watchfulness Reference: Matthew 25:1–13 On July 25, 2000, Air France Concorde flight 4590 crashed on takeoff in Paris. A hundred passengers were killed along with nine crew and four people on the ground as the Concorde banked, stalled, and then plunged to the ground, exploding on impact. The cause … Continue reading “LANDING
TOO LATE”

Topics: Enemies; Forgiveness; Love; Mercy References: Matthew 5:38–48; Luke 23:34 Missionaries brought the gospel to cannibals in Africa in the nineteenth century. Some missionaries, such as Bishop Hamilton, were eaten. His two sons went to Uganda to replace him. Eventually they baptized and gave Communion to men who had digested their own father’s flesh. The … Continue reading “LOVING
CANNIBALS TO CHRIST”

Topics: Dependence; Help from God; Intercession; Jesus Christ; Prayer; Relationships; Trials References: Ephesians 3:20; Philippians 4:6; 2 Timothy 4:17; 1 Peter 5:7 A motorcade carrying the security service chief of Gaza came under bullet fire from Israeli troops in the midst of the Israeli-Arab conflict in April 2001. The frightened security official called Yasser Arafat … Continue reading “IT’S
WHO YOU KNOW”

Topics: Confession; Forgiveness; Freedom; Grace; Guilt References: Romans 10:9–10; 1 John 1:9 “Guilty Plea Sets Inmate Free” was the headline of a story in the Chicago Tribune about a man who was imprisoned eight years before cutting a deal with the state’s attorney so that the time he served satisfied his sentence. What struck me … Continue reading “GUILTY
BUT FREE”

Topics: Cross; Jesus Christ; Sacrifice; Salvation References: John 15:13; Philippians 2:5–8 I was leading a beach mission with children on the sands of Scarborough, North Yorkshire, when a Royal Air Force Lightning jet flew by, skimming the surface of the sea before it turned and flew inland. A minute or two later it returned and … Continue reading “A
PILOT’S SACRIFICE”

Topics: Forgiveness; God’s Love; Reconciliation; Sacrifice References: Romans 5:9–11; 2 Corinthians 5:14–21 In January 2001, Seiko Sakamoto, a Japanese plasterer in a Tokyo subway station, fell into the path of an oncoming train. Lee Su Hyun, a Korean student in Japan, leaped down on the tracks to save Sakamoto. Both Hyun and Sakamoto were killed. … Continue reading “HEALING
HARD FEELINGS”

Topics: Conversion; Evil; God’s Holiness; Hatred; Humanism; Racism; Sin References: Proverbs 14:12; Romans 3:9–26 Many Germans who had immigrated to the United States were sitting in a theater when the movie Psyche was shown. The propaganda movie, produced by Hitler’s Third Reich in 1940, followed the invasion and Blitzkrieg through Poland. Whenever a Polish person … Continue reading “SHOCKED
INTO BELIEF”