Sermons From My Heart

Do any of you have a special toy or stuffed animal or blanket? Why are they special? Boys and girls, all of us have something special that comforts us. For you, it’s a special toy or a favourite stuffed animal or blanket. For many of us adults, it’s something like a doughnut and cup of coffee from our favourite coffee shop!  The one thing that all of us as believers have is the Holy Spirit. It gu...

What would qualify a person as a “real Christian?” What daily practices would they have to observe? What would they have to know? These questions and others like them would be interesting topics for an information session or a class for new believers. There is one basic thing that each and every Christian must have to be a real Christian. It is the Holy Spirit. John 14:1-21 is another part of Jesu...

“Let not your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know and the way you know.” Isn’t that comforting? It is not surpri...

How many of you have seen the movie Saving Private Ryan? It’s a war film set during the invasion of Normandy in World War II. The film is about U.S. Army Ranger Captain John H. Miller (who was played by Tom Hanks) and his squad as they search for Private First Class John Francis Ryan (who was played by Matt Damon). Private Ryan was the last surviving brother of four servicemen. Captain Miller lost...

Ladies and gentlemen, we are in a spiritual war. We’re fighting an unseen enemy. He uses deceit, deflection and disguise. It’s getting worse and the devil is becoming much more real. We have to take this seriously because we have a crisis on our hands. We have to do something to prevent disaster. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sermons-from-my-heart--2423678/su...

Do you enjoy working on jigsaw puzzles? They can be a lot of fun. The pieces of the puzzle are in many different sizes, shapes, colors. If you look at one piece of the puzzle, you don't get very much of the picture, do you? No, the pieces are not very important by themselves, but when they are all joined together and become one, they show the total picture. A jigsaw puzzle can teach us an importan...

Revelation 21:10,22-22:5 gives us a vision of the New Jerusalem, especially the heart of the Celestial City. We have a chance to explore its origin, appearance, exterior, dimensions, materials, characteristics, brilliance and blessings. The entire city will be a holy temple where God and the Lamb dwell, and whose inhabitants will be priests who serve God. The Celestial City will descend from heave...

Have you ever wondered if God really speaks to people and tells them what to do? If so, all you have to do is read the Bible. It is full of stories of God telling people what to do. We see one of these stories in Acts 16:9-15. Paul wanted to go to the Roman province of Asia. He was convinced that this was the next step of the strategy for reaching the Gentiles, but God had other plans. When the Ho...

How many of you have been part of sad goodbyes? Perhaps it was because of an adult child leaving home. Perhaps it was because a visitor was leaving, or perhaps it was because you were getting ready to leave after visiting someone. Perhaps it was because of the death of a family member or friend. Regardless of the situation, sometimes goodbyes are not easy. The reading from John 14:23-29 was part o...

The passage from Revelation 21:1-6 is one that is often read at funerals. It offers comfort to the family and friends of the deceased person, but it also offers hope for the future for the living and the dead. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sermons-from-my-heart--2423678/support .

In Acts 11:1-18, the disciples told Peter that he had some explaining to do. The disciples in Jerusalem had heard that Peter ate with and associated with the Gentiles. In their eyes, that was illegal and/or embarrassing because the Jews always kept themselves separate from the Gentiles. Jews considered the Gentiles to be “unclean.” Instead of debating his accusers, he told them the remarkable stor...

In the passage from Acts 11:1-18, Peter had some explaining to do to the rest of the apostles. They heard the reports about Peter preaching to Cornelius and his family, and they were not happy. The Jews believed that as God’s chosen people they were the only people who could receive the Holy Spirit and the Good News. The idea that the Gentiles could receive the Holy Spirit was extraordinary and co...

The fourth Sunday of Easter is designated as Good Shepherd Sunday. It might seem strange to us that an entire Sunday every year is given to a single image of Christ and God, especially one that is culturally remote from most modern Christians. The prophets predicted that the Messiah would be a shepherd to His people. Jesus referred to His followers as His sheep. Become a supporter of this podcast:...

The theme of the Easter season is redemption. Jesus died to save us from our sins and to restore our relationship with God. The readings from Acts 9:1-20 and John 21:1-19 are good examples of Jesus' work of restoration. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sermons-from-my-heart--2423678/support .

The words “Alpha” and “Omega” are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In this passage they point to the eternity of Christ and to His all-inclusive power. Jesus is the boundless, timeless and powerful One. Unlike humans and everything else, God doesn't have an age--there was never a time when He didn't exist! But even though He has no beginning or end, He still chose to be born on ea...

Have you ever noticed that people aren’t always receptive to the Good News of the Gospel? We’re living in a world where it is increasingly forbidden to share the Good News with a desire to win converts. The situation is getting to the point where the only place where the Gospel can be proclaimed is in a church. This problem isn’t new. The disciples were some of the first victims of this type of pe...

Picture the scene in John 20:19-31. All the disciples except Thomas are in a room behind locked doors at night. It was common for early Christians to meet at night. In times of persecution they were forbidden to meet during the day, so they had to meet at night. The disciples are scared. They saw their leader brutally killed, and they are afraid that they will also be killed. In more ways than one...

Has anyone told you something that was so amazing that you could not believe it? Sometimes people like to tell us things that we can’t believe. For example, some people might have told you that there is no such thing as the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus. Even the Bible has stories in it that are true even though they are hard to believe. For example, Thomas the disciple refused to believe the other...

The passage from John 20:1-18 is the key point of our faith because it is about the Resurrection. Christ’s resurrection is the basis of our faith. Without it: 1.The Gospel would be meaningless. 2.Forgiveness of sins would be hopeless. 3.Present life would be joyless. 4.Godly living would be fruitless. 5.Future life would be worthless. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/po...

What is so good about Good Friday? That is the question many of us probably ask when Good Friday comes around every year. After all, what is good about a day that commemorates Jesus' horrible torture and execution on a Roman cross? Good Friday is a dark day in some respects because it commemorates the day that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, but it is also a bright day in other ways because...

In John 13:31-35, Jesus is teaching his disciples about humility, acceptance and love. This particular passage occurs just after Jesus has washed the disciples' feet, and after Judas has left to betray Jesus. Judas' departure began the process by which Jesus was glorified by God. Jesus knew that Judas' actions would result in victory over sin and death, but the disciples didn't realize it even tho...

Who do you see God as? Do you see Him as the Son of God, or do you see Him as a great teacher or a prophet? Do you see Him as a fraud? If so, you’re not alone. People have asked the same questions throughout history, and we see an example of this in John 8:51-59. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sermons-from-my-heart--2423678/support .

The events in John 8:21-30 occurred just before Jesus’ crucifixion. Throughout His ministry, He sought to bring people back to God, but many people refused to listen to Him. That’s the nature of sin. All sin is a rebellion against God. All sin is evidence of poison. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sermons-from-my-heart--2423678/support .

Many of you are probably familiar with O. Henry’s love story called The Gift of the Magi. The story is about a young couple named Della and Jim who are very much in love with each other, but they are very poor. Each of them has one precious possession. Della has beautiful long hair. Jim has a gold watch that he received from his father. On the day before Christmas Della had exactly one dollar and...

In Luke 15, Jesus tells three parables that make the same point. God loves the lost. The lost sheep, the lost coin and a lost son are part of a trio whose members are of increasing value. The lost sheep was one of one hundred, the lost coin was one of ten, and the lost son was one of two. In the first parable, Jesus is the shepherd; in the second, he is the woman; and in the third he is the father...