Second Presbyterian Church Sermons

We must trust the Bible as God’s Word because… I. Narrated (vv. 3, 6, 7, 9, 10, 19, 21, 24) The Bible is verbally narrated by the Holy Spirit. Knowing: The first reason we can trust the Bible is God spoke it. It can be too easy to glide over the words, “The Lord said. . .” But to do so impoverishes us. This is remarkable! Being: That the Lord of heaven and earth would...

To become a citizen of the people of God means drawing near to Jesus, and when you draw close to Jesus, you must grow closer to others and around a mission that brings shalom. I. Redemption (vv. 1-8) After his many powerful works of redemption in the face of ungrateful and faltering faith, God tells his people how he expects them to live. Knowing: The Lord reminds his people of four thin...

Because the gospel is the best news, we must embrace and share it. I. Share (vv. 2-8) Knowing: In our text, the Spirit has recorded patterns for sharing and embracing the gospel. We learn them by unpacking the verbs: Lived (vv. 1-6) : The first and most important way to share the gospel is by living it. Moses’ father-in-law Jethro had “heard of all that God had done for Moses...

This text shows us three specific ways we can live a life greater than self-promotion. To live a life that gets a name for God, you must… I. Fight only the Lord’s battles (vv. 8-10) Knowing: Genesis 3 reminds us that Satan brings the battle to us. Like the Amalekites, Satan and others may fight cheaply, but we must always fight the way God directs. Being: For one, we must fi...

In this passage, the Israelites are asking, “is the Lord among us?” God shows that he is among us in at least three ways. I. We Accuse Him (vv. 1-4) The first exhibit we can enter into evidence that God is among us is that we accuse him. Knowing: The very fact we bring accusations against him, proves we believe he is there. What prompted the Israelites’ anger is another...

Because God is our Creator-Redeemer, we must rest in the assurance of his present provision, past faithfulness, and future promise. I. Present Provision (vv. 21-26) By providing a Sabbath, God teaches his people how to rely on him as a benevolent king. Knowing: By providing his people’s daily needs as he did, God taught them the daily rhythms of work and rest that he instituted at...

Because the Lord blesses us when we deserve judgment, we must love him. I. Grumbling There are 4 marks of grumbling as a result of “redemptive amnesia” in this text, 3 explicit and 1 implied. Knowing: The marks of grumbling in the Israelites’ lives — and ours — are dissatisfaction with what the Father has currently provided for us (vv. 1-3); displacement , that i...

The Israelites were suffering from a kind of “redemptive amnesia.” They forgot the way God provided for them in the past. Their circumstances merited a response from them just as they do for us today. I. Physical Deprivation (vv. 22-23): Humble Yourself In times of physical deprivation, we must humble ourselves. Knowing: The most obvious form of healing we need from God right now...

Jesus’ resurrection is relevant for our lives today, because it brings… I. Courage for the Frightened (vv. 1-5) God provides courage for the followers of Jesus in the midst of their fear. Knowing: When Mary Magdalene and the other women and arrive at the tomb, nothing is as they expected it to be: the stone is rolled away, Jesus’ body is gone, and they encounter angels. Luk...

The words “thank you, God” should be the essence of our response to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I. Attributes (vv. 1-15) We must thank God for his attributes, because they relieve us from intimidation. Knowing: Moses indicates the end of each stanza with the repetition of God’s most holy name, YHWH, translated “O Lord” and repeated twice in each final couple...

Because, in Christ, we can expect great things from God, we must attempt great things for God. I. Expect great things from God We must expect great things from God because he is sovereign over human hearts (vv. 17-18), false gods (v. 24), and all of creation (vv. 16, 19-28). Knowing : The folly of the Egyptians’ hard hearts is demonstrated by the fact that they pursued the Israelit...

The apostle of Peter is writing to the church at Rome where Christians are experiencing great trials. They are being persecuted in various ways. I’m sure some of them are beginning to doubt their faith, so Peter is writing to encourage them and explain to them that their suffering serves a purpose in God’s plan. God is going to use this suffering to strengthen their faith, to prove to...

Christ calls us to live courageously because he is with us. I. With us in Trauma (13:17-18) We must live courageously, because Christ is with us in trauma. Knowing: The Israelites could have made it to the Promised Land in less than two weeks, but God shepherded them patiently, gently, and mercifully by taking them on a different route, because they were a people who had been abused for generation...

Because Jesus is getting us out of bondage, we must constantly lead our followers to him as the only way out. I. By Words We must lead our followers by retelling the same message that has saved us. Knowing: As the Lord had instructed in reference to the Passover, this ceremony for redeeming the firstborn was to be used as a catechizing aid for children. A firstborn child would inevitably ask what...

I. Who’s in and who’s out? The Syrophoenician woman in this passage is a cultural outsider but we see that God reaches out to the outsider to bring them into his kingdom. How can you practically be the kind of person who reaches out to those who likely feel like an outsider? II. What does it take to be an insider? The Syrophoenician woman becomes an insider, not by proving she belongs...