All the Sermons

The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge, but He frustrates the word of the unfaithful. ~Proverbs 22:12 “This is what the Lord says, He who made the earth, the Lord who formed us and established us—The Lord is His name: “Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” ~Jeremiah 33:2-3 “Ask and it will be given you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” ~Matthew 7:7-8 He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the Kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “though seeing they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.”” ~Luke 8:10 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But the wisdom that comes from Heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, ful...

The one who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious has the king as a friend. ~Proverbs 22:11 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. ~Matthew 5:8 Principle 4 from Celebrate Recovery: “Openly examine and confess my faults to myself, to God, and to someone I trust.” Step 5 from the 12 Steps of Recovery: “We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.” Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. ~James 5:16 The only way to become pure is to remove the impurities. That is what confession, making amends and forgiveness is all about. Gold, silver, even water, are not pure in their natural state. Their impurities need to be removed through a process that involves intense heat and careful vigilance on the part of the one in charge of the process to purify. We are the same. Some of us may come to Christ with more impurities than others, but we are all impure. “All have sinned a...

Like a madman shooting firebrands or deadly arrows is a man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I was only joking!” ~Proverbs 26:18-19 One day, I went to the house of Shemaiah, who was shut in at his home. He said, “Let’s meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let’s close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you—by night they are coming to kill you.” But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Or should one like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!” I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me. Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who have been trying to intimidate me.” ~Nehemiah 6:10-14 Are you familiar with the story behind the book of Ne...

A generous person will be blessed, for they share what they have with the poor. ~Proverbs 22:9 Remember the words our Lord said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” ~Acts 20:35 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he or she has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. ~1 Peter 4:9-10 One of the comments that I hear so often from those who are volunteering to serve at our Good Neighbor Food Pantry is: “I’m the one blessed.” Here they are, out in the weather, giving of their time, serving those in need and, walking away from the event feeling as though they are the blessed ones. I think that’s the way it is meant to be. God intended that giving of ourselves would bless us, the givers as well. Jesus knew and understood this. That is why He said that it is “more blessed to give than receive.” He knew that as you give, focused on blessing others, you will receive push back of the positive ...

The wages of the righteous brings them life, But the income of the wicked brings them punishment. ~Proverbs 10:16 The days of the blameless are known to the Lord, and their inheritance will endure forever. In times of disaster they will not wither; in times of famine they will enjoy plenty. But the wicked will perish. The Lord’s enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish—vanish like smoke. ~Psalm 37:18-20 Have you ever read the book, “The Portrait of Dorian Gray?” It’s a story about an attractive young man, who allows his portrait to be made by an artist who is very taken with his appearance. Part of Dorian’s appeal is the fact that he is just a very nice young man along with the physical attractiveness. He is at the beginning of his adult life and is just at the beginning of learning the ways of the world. As the story progresses, Dorian begins to be exposed to temptations. At first, he resists, but eventually, he succumbs to one or more, yet, oddly enough, he nev...

He who sows wickedness reaps trouble, and the rod of his fury will be destroyed. ~Proverbs 22:8 Do not testify against your neighbor without cause or use your lips to deceive. Do not say, “I will pay him back for what he did!” ~Proverbs 24:28-29 “But I tell you that men will have to give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” ~Matthew 12:36-37 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction. The one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. ~Galatians 6:7-8 As those of you who are gardeners know, it’s pretty common to attach an empty seed package to a stake at the end of a just planted row to identify what to expect in the harvest. If you didn’t get what was expected when harvest time comes round, the company that you purchased the seed...

The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. ~Proverbs 22:7 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. ~Romans 13:8 We already know about the importance of paying off our debts, or the importance of trying to stay out of debt altogether. We’ve discussed these principles before. Paul, however, turns the tables a bit when it comes to thinking about being in debt spiritually. That’s what I thought it would be worth exploring today. When we are in Christ, we are the richest of people. Our Heavenly Father has created, and in reality owns, everything. As His children, how can we be any richer than that? Yet, here is the difference. In the seen world, those who are rich, meaning that they have many possessions, rule over the poor. In the unseen world, we who are rich serve the poor. God has His eye on the poor, they have a special place in His heart. He calls us to care for th...

There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord. The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord. ~Proverbs 21:30-31 Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed. He answers him from His Holy heaven with the saving power of His right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm. ~Psalm 20:6-8 Do you remember these proverbs from past discussions? “All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord.” “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” “The Lord works out everything for His own ends—even the wicked for a day of disaster.” God is certainly in the planning business. He is involved with our plans, especially in how they become enmeshed with His. When we commit our plans to Him, He loves to help, but when our plans are to work against Him, they will not succeed i...

As a north wind brings rain, so a sly tongue brings angry looks. ~Proverbs 25:23 The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested Him by asking Him to show them a sign from heaven. He replied, “When evening comes, you say, “It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,” and in the morning, “Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.” “You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulteress generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away. ~Matthew 16:1-4 “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning.” “Rain before seven stops by eleven.” “When doors squeak and floors creek, rain will be here within the week.” Do any of you remember hearing any of these growing up? You probably know more than that or know them a little differently. They are based on observable appearances in the sky and eart...

The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable—how much more so when brought with evil intent. ~Proverbs 21:27 “A son honors his Father, and a servant his master. If I am a Father, where is the honor due Me? If I am a Master, where is the respect due Me?” says the Lord Almighty. “It is you, O priests, who show contempt for My name. “But,” you ask, “How have we shown contempt for Your Name?” “You place defiled food on My altar. By saying that the Lord’s Table is contemptable. When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty? “When you bring injured, crippled or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?” says the Lord. Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a ...

The righteous one takes note of the house of the wicked and brings the wicked to ruin. ~Proverbs 21:12 The wise attack the city of the mighty and pull down the stronghold in which they trust. ~Proverbs 21:22 Then a mighty angel picked up a bolder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: “With such violence, the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again. The music of harpists and musicians, flute players and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No workmen of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again. The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world’s great men. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray. In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been killed on the earth. ~Revelation 18:21-24 “The righteous one takes note of the...

Pursue righteousness and love and find life, prosperity and honor. ~Proverbs 21:21 Remember those early days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in the great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised. For in just a very little while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved. ~Hebrews 10:32-39 Our son Matt had...