Sermons

This passage deals with the apostle Paul praying earnestly for the salvation of his fellow Jews, and with the tension between God's choosing and human responsibility. Paul grieves that the people of Israel rejected the Messiah despite receiving remarkable privileges such as adoption, the glory and the covenants, and he pleads for their salvation, for which he would trade even his own life. Going beyond mere love for his own people, this raises an important question about how God's plan and human response intersect.

The sermon clearly distinguishes the relationship between God's absolute sovereignty, human nature and grace. Through the examples of Esau and Jacob, it shows that God's choosing rests on his will rather than on human deeds, and it explains the power of God's grace to lead people to repentance even though all humans are evil by nature. It also points out that even an evil instrument like Pharaoh is used to display God's power and proclaim his name, and it sheds light on how human hardness of heart should be understood within the context of God's patience and judgment.

Finally, through the idea of the 'remnant,' the sermon leads believers to reflect on where they stand now. It stresses the reality that even among the many people inside the church, some survive with true faith and some do not. Reminding us that God patiently kept a seed to the end for salvation, not for judgment, it leads the reader to think deeply about whether they are truly surviving faithfully as a 'remnant' who has received God's mercy, and how that choice shapes their daily life and life of faith.

This passage deals with the apostle Paul proclaiming God's love out of an unshakable conviction, even amid suffering and persecution. Just as David was not afraid when he stood against the giant Goliath, believers must believe that if God is for them, no one can be against them. At the heart of it is the conviction that no tribulation, persecution or famine in the world can separate us from the love of Christ.

God predestines us, calls us, justifies us and glorifies us. This is not our merit but unconditional grace, yet believers must be thankful for this grace and live according to God's will. We must not see suffering as mere suffering, but believe that God helps us carefully in spite of our weakness. Satan's attacks and the world's threats cannot bring us down, because Jesus Christ is at the right hand of God, interceding for us.

We must admit our weakness and draw nearer to God. Forgetting gratitude and loving the world more can cut off our relationship with God, so we must remember that those who keep the faith to the end are the ones who were predestined. When we go forward boldly, sure that God works all things together for good, rather than complaining in the midst of suffering, the Holy Spirit helps us. When we believe this and live boldly, can we drive back Satan's attacks and more than conquer?

This passage deals with the apostle Paul's attitude of counting suffering as not worth comparing with glory, and with the spiritual maturity revealed through the severe trials Job went through. It stresses that suffering that is hard to understand by the world's standards is in fact the process of growing into God's image, and something that believers who hope for Christ's glory must rightly bear. In particular, while Job's friends interpreted his suffering as simple cause and effect, Job acknowledged his own weakness and God's greatness and kept his faith without wavering.

When believers endure without leaving God, the suffering they go through leads to a blessing that cannot be compared with the glory to be revealed. But many lose hope and complain because of the reality they can see and their present discomfort, and often fail to understand the confession of the spiritually mature Job. The Holy Spirit helps us in this weakness, intercedes with groanings that cannot be uttered, and holds on to us so that we can keep our faith to the end.

When we remember that the suffering we go through is ultimately a process used for God's glory, we can endure without fear. Do you acknowledge that a life that bears present trials and waits for an eternal hope that is not seen is true maturity of faith?

This passage deals with how the disciples were changed from fear to boldness through the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and makes clear that the Holy Spirit is not a mere phenomenon but the one who fully gives God's power and wisdom. Those who receive the Holy Spirit can be freed from the power of sin and death and enjoy true freedom, and this makes us reflect on our own reality: like a prisoner behind bars who is afraid of freedom, we cannot break free from the familiar bondage of sin. God does not bring about salvation by force; he has left people to choose and take responsibility for themselves, so we must choose the life of the Spirit by following the Holy Spirit's leading.

Amid the fierce conflict between the mind of the flesh and the mind of the Spirit, the sermon stresses that those who are led by the Holy Spirit are the true children of God. Believers who have received not a spirit of bondage but the Spirit of adoption know the Father's will, work alongside him, and enjoy the privilege of becoming heirs. But this privilege comes with a spiritual battle: bearing suffering with Christ and fighting off the desires of the flesh. The Holy Spirit testifies that we are God's children, and guards and leads us against the temptations of the world and evil spirits.

If living by the Holy Spirit's leading is the way to be recognized as God's children, we must look at which spirit is ruling us now. What choices are we making to leave behind the comfort of familiar sin, put to death the deeds of the body by the power of the Holy Spirit, and move toward life?

Through the apostle Paul's confession of the fierce battle within him between the law of sin and the law of God, the passage reveals how weak and self-centered human beings are. Paul came to recognize sin through the Law, yet he still gives in to the temptation of sin in his members and struggles, and this shows that the same is true of believers who have received Christ. We often mistake ourselves for 'good people' on the grounds of our moral superiority or good deeds, but true goodness comes from God and cannot be a matter of human standards.

The sermon uses the life and tragic death of Pastor David Wilkerson as an illustration, dealing with moments of pain and testing that human logic cannot understand. He devoted his whole life to drug addicts and gang children, but in the end his life ended in a car accident. Many people would easily take this as an unfair judgment or as God abandoning him, but the preacher stresses that this is an attack by Satan meant to make us doubt God, and that the moment every human way fails is exactly when God's love wins. Even in the hardships we face and in the shadow of death, we must remember that God is with us and that he has a plan.

We have lived believing in our own goodness, but when a great trial actually comes, we find our joy gone and ourselves resenting or doubting God. In this conflict, we must reflect on whether we are still judging situations in a self-centered way, or living in trust of Christ's will and God's sovereignty. When we see Pastor Wilkerson's death, what is the first thought that comes to us?

Much like the way a nation's constitution governs its citizens, this passage explains the role God's Law plays in exposing and ruling over human sin. The apostle Paul makes clear that the Law does not give salvation but is a tool that makes us aware of sin only while we are alive, and he teaches that believers who have died with Christ are in a state of grace, no longer under the rule of the Law.

Using marriage as an illustration, it explains that just as the legal bond ends when a spouse dies, believers, whose old self has died with Christ, are cut off from their relationship with the Law and enter a new marriage, under grace. But it points out that many believers are trapped in legalism, boasting of things like early-morning prayer or offerings, or living weighed down by guilt, and so are not enjoying true freedom.

The sermon warns believers not to cut off their relationship with God by binding themselves to rules or devotions of their own making, and reminds them that the purpose of the Law was to expose sin and bring us to Christ. It urges believers to admit their weakness, believe in the grace of Christ, and live lives that bear the fruit of righteousness rather than sinful passions. It asks what believers are holding on to so that they live not as slaves of the Law but as children of grace, enjoying true freedom.

This passage deals with the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who were thrown into the furnace for refusing to bow down to the golden image set up by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Risking death, they refuse idolatry and show their firm faith that they will obey even if God does not rescue them. Their refusal to give in, even before the king's threats, reveals their identity as people who have already died with Jesus on the cross.

The sermon stresses that believers must be not slaves of sin but servants of righteousness. Just as the apostle Paul urged us not to present our members as instruments of unrighteousness, believers must offer their bodies to God and strive so that sin does not rule over them. The miracle of four people walking together in the furnace shows that Jesus Christ is with them, and this is a promise that God is with believers when they keep his word and obey. God does not judge believers who are under grace by the Law, and he helps them turn their wrong lives around.

Believers must choose what kind of faith they live by from day to day, and whether they will use their members as instruments of righteousness or of unrighteousness. Jesus' exhortations to the seven churches show what eternal life and rewards are given to those who overcome. When believers abide in grace with gratitude and obedience, God walks with them to the end and leads them into his kingdom. How must believers strive so that sin does not rule over their bodies, and what faith must they keep for the blessing of eternal life?

In this passage Paul changes direction and explains how believers whose sins have been forgiven should live. Having until now stressed the condition of sinners and the need for grace, Paul now urges those who have been declared righteous to live with perseverance and with a heavenly hope. Sanctification is not simply living a morally good life; it comes about through a life of knowing God's will and obeying out of a loving heart.

But the misunderstanding can arise that because grace abounds, it is all right to sin more. Paul says firmly that we who died to sin cannot live in it any longer. This helps us grasp the meaning of baptism: that we died and were buried with Jesus on the cross and have entered into the new life of the resurrection. What matters is not a formal baptism, but believing that, united with Christ, our old self was crucified and the body of sin was put to death.

Just as God held back the pursuing Egyptian army when the Israelites crossed through the middle of the Red Sea, believers also face suffering and temptation in this world. But God protects and leads us, and this shows that even Satan's plans play out under God's sovereignty. Believers must grasp this truth deeply and live according to God's will, not the world's judgment.

As people who have died and risen with Christ, we must not become slaves of sin but enjoy freedom. When we overcome our sinful nature by the Holy Spirit's leading and live with our minds set on the things of heaven, we can be protected from Satan's attacks. Then how should we put this amazing grace and the fact of our union with Christ into practice in daily life?

This passage deals with the miserable condition of humanity, over which death came to reign because of Adam's sin. Through the disobedience of one man, Adam, all his descendants came to be sinners under the power of death, but it proclaims the contrasting truth that through the obedience of Jesus Christ, the last Adam, many receive the blessing of being made righteous and of eternal life.

The sermon points out the foolishness of people who try to gain salvation by relying on the Law, and stresses that the Law is nothing but a rotten rope that actually exposes sin. It makes clear that true salvation comes not by human effort or righteousness, but by having our sins covered and being declared righteous through God's grace, completed on the cross. It also warns that believers who have received this grace must see their lives change through inner transformation and obedience, and that false faith means a state of never truly being changed.

The sermon reminds us that the true way of salvation is for believers to leave behind the wall of the Law and come under the grace of Jesus Christ, enjoying peace and rest. We must admit our sinful nature and live as those covered only by the blood of Christ, set apart from the world and holding a heavenly hope. Confident that God will lead believers when they hold on to the truth without doubting, the sermon asks why, when it is time to come to God, we must come boldly without hesitating.

This passage introduces the Puritans' settlement in America and the origin of Thanksgiving, explaining how they were able to give thanks to God even amid severe tribulation and persecution. Just as the success of farming depends on the weather and on God's sovereignty, it stresses that human life too is governed by God, and that it is right to give thanks to him.

The sermon deals with how believers who have peace with God through faith should look at the tribulations of the world. Tribulation is painful, like pressing out the juice of grapes, but through it we learn perseverance and, by way of proven character, come to hope. Just as a diamond shines after going through polishing, the sufferings of believers are understood as a precious process that gives glory to God. It also explains that the Holy Spirit gives perseverance and hope in the midst of tribulation and pours God's love into our hearts.

Just as the atoning love of Jesus Christ saved sinners, believers must know this grace and be able to rejoice even in tribulation. It presents a life that is not afraid of the world's persecution, holds firmly to the love of Christ and perseveres as the place of true thanksgiving. The sermon asks what true joy believers gain when they live not with pretended thanks, but sure of God's love and hope through the proven character that suffering brings.

Through Abraham's believing and obeying God's promise, this passage deals with how salvation came not through the Law but through faith. Even when it was impossible for him to father Isaac at a hundred years old, Abraham did not doubt God's word, and even in the extreme test of offering Isaac on the altar of burnt offering he trusted God. The sermon stresses that although Abraham sometimes made wrong choices out of human anxiety and weakness, in the end he realized that human effort is futile and reached a mature faith that relies on God alone.

In particular, it sheds light in depth on the painful inner conflict and spiritual battle Abraham must have gone through as he offered Isaac. Through the way his spirit, even amid physical pain and fear, focused on God and found peace, it shows that true faith lies in overcoming emotional conflict and looking wholly to God. It also explains that Abraham's faith was not only for his own sake, but so that it would be counted as righteousness for all believers who believe in Jesus Christ as well.

The sermon asks believers to learn, in suffering and trials, the patience of waiting for God's timing rather than trying to solve things by human strength. It leads them to reflect on how a pure faith in the God who raises the dead makes a life steadfast, and the reader looks back on what they are holding on to in their own life, and how that faith is growing through suffering.

Today's passage deals with the story of how, when Abraham fully believed God's promise even when it seemed he would have no descendants, God counted his faith as righteousness. It makes clear that Abraham, going beyond the limits of the flesh, believed that Christ would come and rejoiced, and that because of this all the believers of the Old Testament were declared righteous by faith.

The sermon points out the pride of people who mistakenly think they gained salvation by their own efforts or deeds, and boast of it. Stressing that grace is not the wages of those who work but the gift of God, who justifies the ungodly, it warns against thinking of devotion as payment for grace. It also explains that when we rely on Christ and persevere through suffering and trials, we can confirm Christ's work within us.

We need to think deeply about how we are receiving the grace of salvation we were given freely, and with what attitude we should live in order to keep that faith.