Sermons From My Heart

Wise men, women, boys, and girls are still searching for Jesus. There are people who want to help -- people like pastors and Sunday School teachers. There is no map to help us find Jesus and there is no star to follow, but we do have the Bible. We can find the way to Jesus by reading God's Holy Word! The Bible is the map and star that will lead to Jesus. All of us should read it every day to make...

A birth is a great adventure. it doesn’t matter if it’s the Messiah’s birth, our birth, or the birth of one of our children. Birth is a great mystery, and God is the giver of that life. At Christmas time, we celebrate the mystery of the greatest birth of all-the birth of Jesus. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sermons-from-my-heart--2423678/support .

Have you ever heard of the old saying, “Good things come to those who wait”? If so, the story of Simeon, Anna and the baby Jesus in the temple in Luke 2:22-40 is a good example. The coming of Christ involved all manner of waiting on God. A young maiden, a dying man and an old widow all model hearts yielded to God. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sermons-from-my...

ave you ever stumbled around in the dark-either at night or during a power outage? It’s not a very pleasant experience, is it? Darkness is associated with a number of unpleasant things. When we are in the dark, we tend to move slowly or wander aimlessly. We tend to be scared in the dark, mainly because we can’t see the dangers that would be apparent if it were light. There is something about darkn...

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God”. This is John’s version of the nativity story. It doesn’t begin with shepherds and angels and a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. John’s nativity story takes us back to the beginning of creation and time, and it echoes the creation story in Genesis. In John’s Gospel, the very God who created the heavens and the earth and who...

Do you know that God speaks to his people? It’s true. He speaks to us today just like he spoke to his people in the past. God spoke at various times and in various ways. He spoke to people such as Adam, Noah, Abraham and Moses. He spoke through thunder; the sound of a trumpet; in a still, small voice or in visions and dreams; in human form and angelic visitations; through foreshadowing and parable...

December can be a hectic month. Calendars fill up with end-of-year activities, social obligations, holiday preparations and celebrations. The stress of the season begins to take its toll. Temptations to overdo and overspend begin to mount. All of these things can edge God out of the celebration of Jesus’ birth. How can we keep from losing focus during this busy season? What can we do to keep Jesus...

In our Old Testament reading today, we heard from someone that we rarely hear from during the church year-the prophet Micah. Like John the Baptist, Micah prepared the people for the coming of the Messiah. He did so through his prophetic words. His prophecy is a vision for a life lived in the divine presence, and it’s this vision that we need to keep in our thoughts as we prepare to remember both C...

Mary, Elizabeth, and Elizabeth’s unborn child were among the many people who at that time were hoping and praying for the long-awaited Messiah to come. The only difference is that Mary and Elizabeth and Elizabeth’s unborn child, who was John the Baptist, knew when and how the Messiah was coming. The promise of new life was being fulfilled after many centuries. It brought a sense of joy to many peo...

Does it seem strange to you that some of the first words in Luke 3:7-18 are harsh and critical, especially during this season of Advent? Do they seem harsh and critical during a time when we are preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus? Well, they are harsh and critical, because John the Baptist had a strong message for his audience, and he has the same message for us. During the season of Advent...

In this passage we just heard from Luke’s Gospel, John the Baptist’s message does not sound unlike the one we hear on the street corners in every large city in the land. “This is the Word of the Lord. Repent and believe.” Most of us ignore those people we hear from time to time on the street corners of great cities, while John the Baptist catches our attention. The message is not what is said. The...

At first glance the passage from Luke 21:25-36 seems to be out of place during Advent. After all, most of us think of Advent as a time to prepare for Christmas. That is only partially true. Advent is also a time to remember and prepare for Christ’s Second Coming, and that preparation includes watching for the signs of his return. On the Third and Fourth Sundays in Advent the readings will focus on...

Every king must have a kingdom. It is there that we come into play. God’s kingdom is all around us and we are called to give faithful witness to it. We are members of the kingdom and we are called to show others this glorious kingdom that they too are a part of even if they don’t realize it. Revelation 1:4-8 has four descriptions of Jesus: 1.The author of grace and peace 2.The faithful; witness 3....

This coming Sunday-November 25, 2018- is a very special day in our church year. It will be Reign of Christ Sunday, and that’s the day when we celebrate the fact that Christ is the King of our lives. Now there are good kings and there are bad, evil kings. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sermons-from-my-heart--2423678/support .

The conversation between and Jesus and Pilate allows John to proclaim in his Gospel that Jesus is a king with a divine authority. Jesus was accused of plotting to overthrow the government, and he was being questioned by Pilate. This gave Jesus a chance to tell his side of the story. Jesus argues that his kingdom is founded on truth. This is in contrast to earthly kingdoms which are founded on powe...

It is amazing what can be accomplished with a clear cut sense of purpose! I know of no one who ever rivaled Jesus Christ for a sense of purpose. He came for one reason, and one reason only...and He never lost sight of His mission. Those who hindered Him, even friends, soon understood that His focus was unwavering and strong. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/serm...

We’re getting closer to the end of our church year. In fact, Sun., Nov. 25, 2018 is Reign of Christ Sunday, which is the church’s equivalent to New Year’s Eve. As we draw closer to the end of the church year, our Gospel readings begin to emphasize the signs of Christ’s Second Coming. In fact, Jesus talks about some of these signs in Mark 13:1-8. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spre...

Nov. 11, 2018 is a special day in a special year. It is the day when we pause to remember and give thanks for those who fought in wars past to preserve our freedom and those who still work to protect our freedoms today. This year we also remember the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I. Anniversaries are times of celebration and reflection. In particular, Remembrance Day is a...

What kind of legacy do you want to leave when you die? If you knew that today was the last day of your life, what would you do? Are you prepared to spend eternity with God? There are times when we need to stop and look at our lives, what we are doing and whether or not it’s worth the time and effort. We need to decide if our lives have any sense of accomplishment or purpose. Become a supporter of...

The story of Ruth and Naomi and the Parable of the Widow’s Mite provide some very interesting contrasts between the Christian’s way and society’s way. Both are stories of how God uses the culture of Jesus’ time to do his will in our society and teach us how we are supposed to care for each other. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sermons-from-my-heart--2423678/su...

There are a lot of rules in the Bible. It may sometimes be difficult to remember all of them. If we can just remember and obey the two commandments that Jesus said were the most important, all of the rest would follow. Then we would enjoy life the way God intended it. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sermons-from-my-heart--2423678/support .

Have you ever tried to describe a difficult 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’s Gospel reading. Jesus is trying to describe the abstract concept of God’s Kingdom in terms that his audience could understand. Becom...

The passage from John 11:30-47 shows Jesus at some of the highest and lowest points in his ministry. Jesus was told a few days earlier that his friend Lazarus was sick, but he waited for two days before he and the disciples went to the home of Mary and Martha, who were Lazarus’ sisters. By the time he arrived, Lazarus had been dead for several days, so it’s not surprising that Mary and Martha were...

Have you ever had problems or trials in your lives? We often have times of trial and difficulty in life. Sometimes they are the result of things we have done, and other times they are caused by God. All of us know what it is like to be hurt. It is part of all cultures, and it can only be cured by a powerful potion. In the case of believers, that potion is faith. Christian hope is grounded on the r...

How do you deal with distress, sickness or trouble? Sometimes we offer suffering or sick friends our own remedies as though we are the experts. Even Christians can deal with sickness and distress poorly. They ignore the reality of their troubled fellow Christians by saying, “God will heal-just pray.” They reduce trouble to only the physical when problems might be emotional, mental, relational or a...