Christian Sermons from Calvary Chapel Greenmeadow, North Kingstown, RI

There are people listening to us everyday who want to understand the gospel, but it is hard for many to adapt their way of thinking to something so radically different from what they already know. Your personal salvation story is the best place to start.

Our lives should be a living sacrifice to God, being willing to do whatever He calls us to do. It is impossible for God to be glorified through us if we are on the throne. Loving God means choosing to put Him on the throne of our lives and trusting Him.

Like the Greeks mentioned in these three versus, there are people all around us who want to see Jesus. Can they see Him in us? We should spend time with Him so that we bear a resemblance to Him, then pray for a chance to witness to those who seek Him.

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, He was fulfilling another prophesy. God always confirms His work through His Word and Jesus is shown to be the Son of God by fulfilling every prophecy writing about Him from Genesis to Revelation.

Like David, Mary refused to give to Jesus that which had cost her nothing. We should all be willing to sacrificially give Him the best that we have (not just financially) and that requires a heart of worship, which comes from spending time with Him.

The Pharisees saw Jesus and observed His miracles, so they had head-knowledge of who He was, but they lacked the heart knowledge for Jesus to make a difference in them. We must respond to His calling with our hearts and our minds.

Death brings suffering and a stench, but Jesus brings joy and the fragrance of life. We must roll away the stone that hides the rotten parts of our lives and let Him in to heal us. We are all dead in our sins if we have not accepted Christ.

Just as Jesus called for Mary, He calls for us by name. Our response to Jesus should be immediate like hers. This is for our benefit and is a witness to those who are watching. He calls us to spend time with Him because He loves us unconditionally.

God has His own timetable that we don’t know anything about it. This is why we must trust Him and not lean on our own understanding. We need to have both faith that He is able--and belief that He will--do things beyond our understanding.

God loves us individually and unconditionally, but His love does not mean that He removes our infirmities. He wants us to call on Him when we, or our loved ones, are in need. This establishes our relationship with Him. We can always trust His purposes.

This well know passage contains three things we must do and one promise of what God will do. If we trust wholeheartedly in God alone, realize that our understanding is insufficient, and know the Lord in all our ways, He will keep us on the right path.

The Bible says that to be ready to enter the Kingdom, you need to be lowly in heart. Are you ready to meet the supreme creator? Are you where you ought to be? Will He know you when He sees you? Make it your top priority to decide to follow Him.

The Jews wanted to stone Jesus to death for blasphemy since He claimed to be God. All must stop and examine the evidence to see that Jesus' claims were true. Do not put your faith and trust in people. Unless He is God, His sacrifice is meaningless.

Salvation, being a gift, is not something earned, so it cannot be unearned. Jesus says that no one can snatch us out of His hand (His hands bear the scars of the price He paid for us). It makes no sense to ask whether we can lose Him; He cannot lose us!

Jesus' sheep are His precious possessions, but to be one, requires salvation. The mechanism of salvation involves both God's sovereignty and personal responsibility. We need to do our part as commanded, and then we will hear His voice and follow Him.

God is good and He is merciful. Knowing that His goodness and mercy are always chasing after us, whether we are having a good day or bad, is astonishing! But the good news gets even better: He prepares a place for us to live with Him in eternal pleasure!

When God sets the table, there is a sense of peace, even when our enemies surround us. Peace comes when we change our focus from ourselves to what Christ has done. He has blessed us so greatly that our cup overflows in response as we bless others.

The rod and staff of our faithful shepherd bring us comfort. The rod is used both to fight-off enemies and to correct us when we are wrong. The staff is a sign of support and also provides guidance to wayward sheep. Likewise we should comfort others.

Job demonstrated integrity by staying true to God in the midst of suffering. Men of integrity have character, because they know they belong to God, certainty because they know God is in control, and confidence because they know God is the judge.

Although the world does not want to hear about Jesus, it is drawn to the idea of sacrificing oneself for another. We call those that risk their lives for us "heroes," but Jesus did more than that. He intentionally died for us. So should we die to self.

Sometimes we ask, "If the Lord is with me, how did I end up in this mess?" Often it is because we did not listen to Him, but there are times when He will use the mess to bring about something good. There is a greater power with us than with the enemy.

Things have not changed much since the psalm was written; we all still need to be restored and led to places of peace. His leading will sometimes make us feel unsure and may even bring us through places that are dark, but they always exit into light.

It is interesting to note that the Shepherd’s Psalm comes just after the Psalm of the Cross. The cross was necessary for Jesus to be able to deliver us from evil. We get the benefit of a peaceful, content life when we want only what He provides us.

False teachers come as heretics, charlatans, and false prophets, but all come to steal, kill and destroy. Jesus comes to give us life--not just the afterlife, but abundant life here and now. Knowing Father and Son is the key to this plentiful life.

When we recognize our weaknesses and our need for a shepherd, it is comforting to know that Jesus protects us and calls us when we stray. Nothing compares to hearing His voice in our hearts. Do we still listen for the voice of the shepherd?