Sermons and Biblical Studies

Topics: Communication; Death; Family; Friendship; Honesty; Love; Relationships Reference: 2 Corinthians 1:3–7 When my dad had died eight years earlier, Michael had stood by me. When the sympathy cards stopped coming and I began the terrifying freefall into grief, Michael had been my parachute. Now I stood vigil with him at his father’s deathbed. I … Continue reading “DEATHBED
CONVERSATION”

Topics: Children; Christ as Shepherd; Healing; Motherhood; Redemption; Repentance; Rescue; Salvation; Sin References: Psalm 91:14; Luke 15:3–7, 11–32 On a cold February night in 2001, Erika, age one, somehow wandered out of her house and spent the entire night outside. When her mother, Leyla Nordby, found the little girl, Erika appeared to be totally frozen. … Continue reading “THAWING
A FROZEN TODDLER”

Topics: Abortion; Desires; Dreams; Fulfillment; Goals; Hope; Ministry References: 1 Samuel 1:1–11; Psalm 20:4; 37:4; 139:13–16 “Being single at forty-two, I’m realizing I may never have a child,” says singer Kathy Troccoli. “But God has repeatedly brought me stories from women who have chosen life over an abortion as a result of hearing a song … Continue reading “SINGING
TO SAVE BABIES”

Topics: Afterlife; Death; Despair; Funerals; Hopelessness References: 1 Corinthians 15:12–32; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 African Muslims have a unique funeral custom. Close family and friends circle the casket and quietly gaze at the corpse. There’s no singing. No flowers. No tears. A peppermint candy is passed to everyone. At a signal, each one puts the candy … Continue reading “WHEN
LIFE DISSOLVES”

Topics: Atheism; Death; Hard-heartedness; Repentance; Stubbornness References: Acts 3:19; Hebrews 3:7–8 When my father was in intensive care, a priest was sent, presumably to administer last rites. After ascertaining the purpose of the visit, my father quickly dismissed the priest and sent him out. The doctor later said, “They say there are no atheists in … Continue reading “UNREPENTANT
TO THE END”

Topics: Aging; Assurance; Eternal Life; Evangelism; Future; Ministry; Mortality; Seekers; Witnessing References: Ecclesiastes 8:8; Matthew 20:1–16; Ephesians 5:15–16; Hebrews 9:27; James 4:14; 1 Peter 1:24; 2 Peter 3:11–12 “Last Minute Ministry” began when a friend of Pastor Chuck Kent asked him to visit his dying ninety-two-year-old great-grandfather in the hospital. The elderly man, Elwyn, was … Continue reading “HOPE
FOR THE DYING”

Topics: Choices; Death; Decisions; Meaning; Mortality; Worth References: Psalm 89:46–48; 90:12; Matthew 6:19–21; Luke 12:13–31; Hebrews 9:27; James 4:13–15 Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything—all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure—these … Continue reading “WHAT’S
REALLY IMPORTANT”

Topics: Achievement; Death; Materialism; Meaning; Riches References: Job 27:16–17; Psalm 39:6; Ecclesiastes 2:26; Matthew 6:19–21; James 5:3 Sudden loss often simplifies life. For example, a man who found himself in a hospital bed wrote: I came to realize I no longer really cared for what the world chases after, such as how much money you … Continue reading “LESSONS
IN A HOSPITAL BED”

Topics: Affliction; Life; Loss; Meaning; Perseverance; Purpose; Suffering References: Matthew 10:39; Mark 12:30; Philippians 4:13 When Jewish psychiatrist Viktor Frankl was arrested by the Nazis in World War II and put in Auschwitz, the infamous death camp, he was stripped of everything: property, family, possessions—and a manuscript he had spent years researching and writing on … Continue reading “WHY
GO ON LIVING?”

Topics: Aging; Choices; Consequences; Death; Future References: Deuteronomy 32:29; Job 14:5; Psalm 39:4; 90:12; Romans 3:23; 5:12–19; 6:23 How long will you live? Researchers with the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center say they have developed a test that predicts your chances of surviving with 81 percent accuracy. They begin with zero, then factor in … Continue reading “HOW
LONG YOU’LL LIVE”