IntroductionWe’re working our way through a study of the Epistle of James—lesson by lesson.  Last week, we discovered the writer of James was the brother of the Lord Jesus.  He was the biological son of Mary and Joseph and grew up in the same household as Jesus.  At first, he didn’t believe in Jesus.  But after Jesus died and rose from the grave, James believed and became one of the leaders of the early Christian church.  The Epistle of James is short—only 5 chapters—but it is packed full of powerful, practical wisdom.  The reading today is a perfect example.&nbs ..read more

IntroductionToday, I'm begin a study through the Epistle of James.  James is a power packed letter filled with practical advice for living as a Christian in an unchristian world.  Therefore, we are going to take out time and work our way through the letter slowly, lesson by lesson so we don't miss anything, because everything in this letter is important.  I invite you to follow along each week as we learn everything we can from this short but important book in the New Testament.  Let's start at the very beginning. James 1:1 This letter is from James, a slave of God and of ..read more

IntroductionPalm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week.  Holy week is the most sacred period in the whole year for Christians.  We will read the story of Palm Sunday from the Gospel of John today.  Now before we do, I want you to consider something. The Gospel of John is 21 chapters long and gives the details of Jesus 3 years of public ministry.  Of those 21 chapters, 10 of them tell what happened during Holy Week—the last week of Jesus’ life.  So almost half of the Gospel of John is about Holy Week.  And it all starts on Palm Sunday. As we read the story ..read more

The IntroductionI have now preached twenty-three sermons from Jesus Sermon on the Mount from Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7.  Leave it to a Methodist preacher to take one of Jesus’ sermons and turn it into 23 sermons.  But Christ’s teachings are so important it was worth soaking in each one. Let's list Jesus' lessons from the Sermon on the Mount: He said you are to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. And Jesus said He didn’t come to abolish the Old Testament Laws but to fulfill them.  So therefore, we should live righteously—just as He lives righteously. We shou ..read more

IntroductionI’ve been preaching through Jesus Sermon on the Mount from Matthew chapters 5-7.  These are the key precepts of Jesus’ message, revealing His core values for  His followers My sermons for the last three weeks have been quite challenging.  I assure you, I would rather preach cheerful sermons.  But the texts from Jesus Sermon on the Mount have required I speak some harsh truths. Matthew 7:13-14 revealed the highway to hell is broad because many people follow it, but the pathway to life is very narrow and only a few ever find it. Last week I preach ..read more

IntroductionWe are nearing the end of our series on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount—just a few more weeks to go.  Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount our Lord’s foundational teaching in the New Testament.  It outlines the ethics of the Kingdom of Heaven.  If you want to be a Christian, you should understand these principles in Jesus' sermon. I challenge you to go back over Jesus’ sermon, found in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7.  You can find the sermons I’ve preached on it here on this blog over the last 21 or so weeks.  These could be a resource for you as you study Jesus’ core teac ..read more

IntroductionI couldn’t sleep last night.  I was very tired.  I worked outside in my garden all day Saturday and I was physically tired.  I went to bed early.  I fell asleep fast.  But I woke up just a couple hours later with this sermon and you on my mind.  In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus said we all have a choice to make.  Listen to what He said.  Matthew 7:13-14 13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the r ..read more

IntroductionThis is the 19th sermon I have preached from Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount.  Leave it to a preacher to turn Jesus' one sermon over 19 sermons!  Actually, this is not unlike what the Twelve Disciples would have done.  Jesus preached this Sermon on the Mount as an overview of His core teachings.  Then, the Twelve would have gone town to town to share His lessons, explandning upon them much ass I have in this series. The sermon today is based on just one verse.  And I bet it is one most of you have memorized.  Can you guess it? Matthew 7:12 12  ..read more

IntroductionWe’ve been working our way through Jesus Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapters 5-7. His sermon is a precious treasure filled with wisdom and truth.  So far, we’ve covered 16 topics.  Each one is like a precious pearl in a beautiful necklace.  I encourage you to go back and study them.  Treasure these teachings for their priceless wisdom.  Incorporate them into your heart and live their principles in everything you do. Today, we will look at one single verse; three short sentences from Matthew 7:6. Matthew 7:6 6 “Don’t waste what is holy on people wh ..read more

IntroductionAs is our tradition each year at this time of the year, I want to review highlights and achievements of our church over the past year and also look forward to what I think should be our priorities for the coming year.  But, this is also a sermon.  It is a chance for me to share the Word of God in Holy Scripture and encourage you in your personal faith.  So I want to begin with the Scripture God placed on my heart today, something I believe should always guide Christians, and something I believe we should pay particular attention to this 2,024th year of our Lord. Joh ..read more