Sermons from 2021 (Page 2)
High Road, Hard Choice
Esther 4 Our reading will be Esther chapter four, it’s 17 verses. And we pick up where we left off last week, the edict to exterminate all the people of God who were exiled in the Persian Babylonian Empire will be exterminated on a certain day. And so the edict standing, is the context where we pick up in chapter four. It says, when Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and…
A Picture of Grace
Acts 4:32-37 Please remain standing and turn in your copy of the scriptures to the book of Acts. Our reading will be Acts chapter 4, verses 32 to 37. Hear the word of the living God. Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul. And no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power, the apostles were giving…
Seed VS Seed
Esther 2:19 So our reading will be Esther chapter two, verse 19, through the end of three. I believe there’s 15 verses there. Let’s hear the word of the living God together. It says, now when the virgins were gathered together the second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate. Esther had not made known her kindred, or her people as Mordecai had commanded her, for Esther obeyed Mordecai just as when she was brought up by him. In…
Prayer and Providence
Acts 4:23-31 Please remain standing and turning your copy of God’s word to the book of Acts. Our reading will be Acts chapter four, verses 23 to 31. In this series of snapshots in the book of Acts, there’s always a pattern, a pattern of an event, the healing of a lame man. There’s a defense of that act, Peter’s sermon. There’s the challenge from the authorities. And so they get Peter and John hauled in before the Sanhedrin. There’s…
Mordecai, Hegai, and…God
Esther 2:1-18 Let’s hear the word of the living God beginning at verse two of Esther. It says, after these things, that’s code for a whole bunch has happened. We’ll speak of that in a moment. After these things, when the anger of King Ahasuerus had abated, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her. And the king’s young men who attended him said, let beautiful young virgins be sought out for the…
We Cannot But Speak
Acts 4:13-22 Please remain standing and turn in your copy of God’s word to Acts chapter four. Our reading will be the fourth chapter verses 13 to 22. I lost my voice, excuse me, I drank a swallow of water. Try another one here. Let’s see if we can do this. All right, Acts chapter four, beginning at verse 13. Let’s ask for God’s blessing, pray with me. Our Lord, we thank you for your word. We pray that as…
Crisis in the Kingdom!
Esther 1:10-22 Let’s give our attention to God’s word. Esther chapter one, beginning at verse 10. On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman and Biztha and Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carcas, the seven eunuchs, who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal crown in order to show the peoples and the princes her beauty, for she was lovely…
Inclusive and Exclusive
Acts 4:1-12 Please remain standing and turn in your copy of the scriptures to Acts chapter four. Our reading will be today, verses one through 12. Remember the pattern in the book of Acts is generally an event takes place. So it was the healing of the man born lame. Then there’s an outrage from the officials. So Peter and John will be held accountable for that today. There’s also an explanation, a sermon, and then we’ll see next week…
Pomp and Providence
Esther 1:1-9 We’ll be reading in a moment or two Esther chapter one verses one through nine. So we’ve just finished Daniel. Daniel was a young exile, exiled, I guess, in 586 or so, and his whole life was spent, 80 years or better, in service to all the different rulers over the Babylonian and then Persian Empire. Esther is going to be a little later, but Esther is a Jew in Susa, the capital of Persia, and she and…
Somethings Old; Somethings New!
Acts 3:11-26 Please remain standing and turn in your copy of the scriptures to Acts chapter three. Our reading will be chapter three, verses 11 through 26. As you make your way there, I remind you of the pattern we see in the book of Acts. There’s an event like the lame man being healed. There’s an explanation of the event. That’s our passage today. Peter’s sermon. Then there’s a response from the pagan community. Peter and John will be…
Working Wonders
Acts 3:1-10 Please remain standing and turn in your copy of God’s word to Luke, I’m sorry, Acts. Still got it in my head. Acts chapter three. Today we will be looking at chapter three verses one through 10. I know it says in your bulletin one through 26, but I’m like the little boy at Thanksgiving whose eyes were bigger than his stomach. And there’s no way I could get through all that today. So just the first 10…
Not Even a Whimper
Daniel 11 Turn in your copy of the scriptures to Daniel chapter 11. We’re going to read the entire chapter. I think it’s about 45 verses. Yep. And it’s a tough one. It’s a doozy. So fair warning. While you’re making your way there, remember we are studying the book of Daniel. Daniel was exiled from Israel in I think he was in the 597 crowd, and we’re in about the year 530 BC, so he was a teenager, had…