Sermons From My Heart

Have you ever heard of the saying, “Every dark cloud has a silver lining”? If so, then the story of the loaves and fishes is a good example. Let me explain. This story happens just after the death of John the Baptist. When Jesus heard that his cousin was beheaded, he did what some of us do when a friend or relative dies-he went off to a quiet place to think, pray and grieve. Unfortunately, to para...

Good morning boys and girls! Are you having a good summer? What fun things have you been doing? Have any of you taken any trips? Are any of you planning on taking any trips this summer? I’m going to take you on a little trip this morning. I want you to close your eyes and imagine for a moment that you're part of the crowd in the story. We’ve been listening eagerly to Jesus' words all day. We’ve tr...

Memory is an important part of our lives. Our past forges our future. We celebrate national holidays so we can remember our moments of triumph and be bonded together by them again. We remember birthdays and anniversaries for the same reason. Psalm 105 is filled with the memory of what God has done. The psalmist seeks to excite the people’s gratitude by recalling God’s goodness to them in former ti...

Have you ever tried to describe a difficult or abstract concept to someone, especially when you know that the person you are speaking to doesn’t know anything about what you are talking about? If you have, you know what Jesus is trying to do in these five parables from Matthew 13:31-33,44-52. Jesus is trying to describe the abstract concept of God’s Kingdom in terms that his audience could underst...

Have you ever wondered why God allows bad things to happen to his people? Well, God uses all of our circumstances to work for our good when we have faith. In other words, when we are Christ-like, God can take the negative circumstances of our lives and use them for our good, especially if using them for good fulfills his will for our lives. It’s like an oyster taking a grain of sand-something that...

Imagine for a moment that you discovered that you had a long-lost relative who made you the heir to their estate. They left you riches beyond count, your financial worries are over and you do not have to worry about the future. If that scenario happened, how would you feel? What would you do? Would you do anything differently? What would be different about your daily activities, practice, habits,...

Those of you who have tended lawns and gardens know how important it is to keep weeds under control. You have to pull them out or use chemicals. It’s a lot of hard work, especially if you have to figure out what is a weed and what is a good flower or blade of grass. After all, sometimes the difference is not obvious because some weeds look like good flowers or grass and vice versa. At times like t...

The parable of the wheat and the darnel answers two questions: How can good and evil coexist in this age? What should we do about it? The key to understanding this parable is to think in pairs: there are two planters, two plants, two plans and two prospects. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sermons-from-my-heart--2423678/support .

When I worked at a local lumber mill several years ago, part of my duties included grading lumber. By that I mean separating lumber according to its qualities as determined by both the National Lumber Grading Authority rules and common sense. In other words, I was separating good lumber from bad lumber. Some of this was done before the lumber was planed, and some was done after. The parable of the...

How many of you have planted a garden? If you have, you know that there is a lot of work involved such as preparing the soil, pulling weeds, and watering the soil. Perhaps the most important task is planting seeds. There are at least two ways to plant the seeds. One is to kneel on the ground and plant the seeds. Another way is to walk along and scatter the seeds, and that’s the example Jesus used...

The first seven chapters of the Book of Romans have focused on the power of sin in our lives, and they have set the stage for chapter 8 by discussing Paul’s ideas about sin. Romans 8:1-11 is an entrance into friendly territory. It talks about the Holy Spirit, which was not mentioned in the previous seven chapters. In chapter 8 alone there are 21 specific references to the Holy Spirit because this...

Have you ever noticed that there are always some people who can never be satisfied or happy with anything? Jesus did, and in Matthew 11:16-19,25-30 he compared the people of his day to children who can’t be satisfied by any game or activity, whether it is festive or sombre. Their actions reflected their lack of wisdom. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sermons-fr...

There is an interesting contrast in Matthew 11:16-19,25-30. Jesus is contrasting Man’s Law with God’s Law. Man’s Law was formed as the result of the Ten Commandments. God gave the Ten Commandments to the Jewish people to guide them through the moral traps of life, but well-intentioned people added on to the law until it became its own trap. Religious professionals prided themselves on their observ...

There is one struggle that all of us as Christians have. It is the struggle between knowing what is right and doing what is right. In other words it is the conflict between good and evil. Believers have the ability to sin because of the legacy from Adam that we can’t do anything right. The conflict Paul is talking about in Romans 7:15-25 is a form of spiritual warfare. It is like the game of tug-o...

Have you ever thought that God was asleep during your time of need? Perhaps you called out to God at that time, but you didn’t hear an answer. Psalm 121:14 says that “He who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps.” He is always there, but we must remember that He will answer our requests in His own time and in His own way. Sometimes God uses the storms of life to teach us something or to acc...

In Genesis 22:1-14, God tested Abraham. He wanted to know if Abraham would sacrifice the son he and Sarah waited for. Abraham obeyed God’s call. He was taught to believe in God and His simple word. Abraham must have been torn between sacrificing his son and the promise God made. Abraham believed that if Isaac was sacrificed, God would raise him from the dead. Satan tempts people to bring out their...

How many of you have a welcome mat outside of the front door of your house? A welcome mat usually has two purposes. It's used to encourage people to wipe their shoes off so that they won't track dirt or mud into your home or business. It’s placed outside your door as a sign to let people know that they are welcome to come in. In Matthew 10:40-42, Jesus talks about welcoming people. Generally, Matt...

What Jesus is telling us to do in the reading from Matthew’s Gospel is similar to the famous Golden Rule- “Do unto others”. A cup of cold water is a gift that everyone can give because it is the smallest of gifts. Even this, the smallest of gifts, is precious to the person receiving it, because sometimes it is the gift of life. We are to do this for everyone we meet, because the recipient could be...

How do we see our possessions and our fellow man? Are we selfish, or do we share? Do we love others as Christ loves us? These are important questions that Luke makes us think about in Acts 4:32-37. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sermons-from-my-heart--2423678/support .

Have you ever met people who thought they were better than others? Well, we as Christians know that is a bad attitude to have. No one is better than anyone else. We are all the same before God. He judges Jews and Gentiles alike-impartially and righteously-on the basis of their levels of understanding of his law. That is what Paul is saying in Romans 2:12-24. Become a supporter of this podcast: htt...

What happens when you realize that you can do something the boss can’t, or when someone who works for you suddenly surpasses your ability or status? The result is often instant conflict or role reversal. We see a good example of this in the passage we heard from Genesis 21:8-21. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sermons-from-my-heart--2423678/support .

All of us have sins hidden in the back of our minds and in the corners of our hearts. These private sins give us grief any time they come to the surface of our thoughts. Even though they might have been forgotten by others, and even though we have been forgiven by God, the sins still bother us. The apostle Paul offers us this assurance: “Sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under...

The passage from Matthew 10:24-39 is part of Jesus’ larger missionary discourse to his disciples. In this section, he talks about committed discipleship in the face of conflict. Jesus said that he came “not to bring peace, but a sword.” Jesus’ sword is the word of God. Jesus came to divide his people into two groups-those who are saved by grace and those who reject him and are condemned to spend e...

Last Sunday we read Matthew’s version of the Great Commission. Today, we read Matthew’s version of an earlier commission, one where Jesus sent the disciples into the world in pairs to preach, heal, cast out demons and raise the dead. They were not men of rank and office. They were plain men of good sense, fair character, great honesty with favourable opportunities of ascertaining the facts to whic...

When I was a child, I had a paper route. Six mornings a week, I delivered newspapers to over a hundred customers before I had breakfast. One of the first sections that my customers looked at was the news, especially the front page. This was in the days before the Internet and email, so the newspaper was one of the main sources of news and information. Some of them also read the sports section to s...