Sermons and Biblical Studies

Topics: Bible; Questions Reference: Proverbs 17:22 Q.     What kind of man was Boaz before he married? A.     Ruthless. Q.     Who was the greatest financier in the Bible? A.     Noah. He was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation. Q.     Who was the greatest female financier in the Bible? A.     Pharaoh’s daughter. She went down to the bank of the … Continue reading “BIBLE
QUIZ”

Topics: Conscience; Guilt; Regret Reference: Hebrews 10:1–4, 22 Sarah was very rich. Her income was $1,000 a day, but she had also inherited $20 million. That was in the late 1800s. By today’s standards Sarah would have been a billionaire. But Sarah was also miserable. Her only child died at five weeks. Then her husband … Continue reading “MANSION
FOR THE DEAD”

Topics: Anxiety; Depression; Failure; Hope; Hopelessness; Insecurity; Insignificance References: Proverbs 13:12; Ecclesiastes 1; Matthew 5:3–5; 1 Corinthians 1:26–31 Peanuts cartoonist Charles Schulz often reflected on the sadness of life through his characters. He seemed to love losers; even Charlie Brown’s baseball idol, Joe Shlabotnik, was the worst player in the pros, and with that came … Continue reading “LOVING
THE LOSERS”

Topics: Despair; Dreams; Hope; Potential; Vision Reference: Proverbs 13:12 Our Little League coach had a picnic for the team at the beginning of the season. After we ate hot dogs and hamburgers, he gave us a pep talk. “How many of you have a dream to one day play in the major leagues?” he asked. … Continue reading “STEALING
DREAMS”

Topics: Jesus Christ; Love; Regret; Sacrifice References: Romans 5:8; 1 Peter 3:18 Ivan, a Vietnam veteran who lives in Denver, is tormented by something that happened more than three decades ago. While in Vietnam, Ivan’s squad befriended some Vietnamese village children who visited the men daily to peddle candy. Ivan became like a father to … Continue reading “REMEMBERING
KIM”

Topics: Addiction; Depression; Despair; Drugs; Pleasure; Purpose References: John 4:13–14; 1 John 2:15–17 “Life has not been worth living for me. That’s the honest truth.” That’s what former New York Yankees slugger Darryl Strawberry said in response to Circuit Judge Florence Foster’s question about why he used drugs. —Jack Curry, “Strawberry Still Missing and Faces … Continue reading “DARRYL
AND DRUGS”

Topics: Birth of Christ; Christmas; Last Things; Second Coming Reference: Revelation 22:20 When Pastor David Peterson was preparing a sermon, his little daughter came in and asked, “Daddy, can we play?” “I’m awfully sorry, sweetheart, but I’m right in the middle of preparing this sermon. In about an hour I can play,” her dad said. … Continue reading “GOOD
THINGS AHEAD”

Topics: Attitudes; Circumstances and Faith; Confidence; Encouragement; Overcoming; Perseverance; Persistence; Perspective; Problems; Trust; Victory References: 2 Corinthians 5:7; Hebrews 10:36; 12:1–2 A man stopped to watch a Little League baseball game. He asked one of the youngsters what the score was. “We’re losing 18 to nothing” was the answer. “I must say, you don’t look … Continue reading “COMING
TO BAT”

Topics: Advocate; Comfort; Encouragement; Friendship of God; Presence of God; Security in God; Support References: Psalm 16:8; John 14:27; 2 Corinthians 7:6; 2 Timothy 4:17; Hebrews 13:5–6 In Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities, a story of the French revolution, a grim procession of prisoners was making its way on the streets of Paris … Continue reading “HOLDING
MY HAND”

Topics: Comfort; Death; Dependence on God; Faith; Guidance; Helplessness; Hope; Loss; Overcoming; Presence of God; Tragedy; Trust References: Psalm 23:4; 2 Thessalonians 3:16 Don Moen’s praise song “God Will Make a Way” affirms God’s sovereign involvement in our lives. Here’s how that song was written: Several years ago, Moen was awakened in the middle of … Continue reading “GOD’S
WAY IN TRAGEDY”