Category Archives: Sermons

Sermons

Thankful to God

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In his book Band of Brothers, Stephen Ambrose traces the path of the 101st Airborne division through World War II. His story is so riveting, it would be turned into a hit HBO miniseries directed by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks — probably one of the greatest war dramas ever made.

Ambrose provides a detailed account of what it was like for soldiers to parachute behind enemy lines on D-Day and the opening weeks of combat. By the end of June, under almost non-stop gunfire, the men “had not had a bath or shower or an opportunity to shave. Many had dysentery; all were continually drenched with sweat. Their hair was matted from dirt and dust made worse by the profuse sweating caused by wearing their helmet constantly.”

On June 29, 1944, the 83rd Infantry Division came to relieve the 101st. Their fresh uniforms and clean faces were a sight to behold. Sergeant Pat Christianson said of the replacements, “They were so clean looking…even the paint on their helmets looked as if they had just been unpacked. The impact of seeing [us] was a shock to them.”

The Apostle Paul’s team of evangelists and friends must have looked a lot like the 101st Airborne division, filthy and weary from combat. Some were in chains. Others wore permanent scars on their back. Yet as a whole they stood strong, encouraged one another, and brought regular comfort and prayer for one another.

Several months ago, I preached on the final verses of Colossians, where Paul sends greetings and gives words of encouragement to his “band of brothers.” In this sermon, I shared…

  • Things I’m thankful for in my first year at Calvary Church
  • What Paul’s greeting tells us about church life in the first century
  • Two friends who were a big help to Paul
  • Why ethnic diversity is a good thing in a local church
  • How a church can become a “band of brothers” 

Here’s the audio link…

Thanks for listening. You can find more sermons on my sermon hub page. 

Sermons

Salt and Light

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Most of my life, I’ve been interested in nautical things. I’m not exactly sure why. Maybe it’s because I grew up on the beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline. Maybe it’s because I received a gift from my Aunt Shay of a carved captain figure that I always liked. Maybe it’s because my mom used to read me the classic story of Scuppers the Sailor Dog.

Some of the nautical stuff I’ve collected includes ships, sailors, and lighthouses. And of all the lighthouses, one of the most spectacular is the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in North Carolina.

First constructed in 1802, Cape Hatteras now stands 198 feet tall with its distinctive black and white spiral design. It is the tallest brick lighthouse in the United States.

Dawson Carr in his book on the Cape Hatteras lighthouse poetically describes why this building was necessary. He says the Diamond Shoals of the Atlantic seaboard “waited there like a spider whose web ensnares the unwary who dare to pass too closely.” Only a lighthouse could help ships “stay safely away from this ship cemetery” (p. 32).

There’s no telling how many lives have been saved by the Cape Hatteras lighthouse over the last two hundred years.

I think of that lighthouse when I hear Jesus’ words in Matthew 5. “You are the light of the world…A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others.”

Just as a lighthouse prevents ships from coming too close to shore and running aground on dangerous shoals, so we are called to be salt and light, living distinctively from the world around us. That’s what Paul has in mind as he comes to the final chapter of his letter to the Colossians.

Several months ago, I preached on this passage at Calvary Church. Together, we learned…

  • How to develop the habit and mindset of prayer
  • How we can pray for one another
  • Trusting God when he closes a door
  • What to do when you’re surrounded by darkness
  • A challenge not to waste the precious time God has given us

The message has now been uploaded to my podcast and you can listen using this link:

Thanks for listening. For a complete list of sermons, please visit my sermon hub page.

This article may contain affiliate links to help me earn credits toward future Amazon books. Thanks for shopping!

Sermons

Walking Worthy From “9-to-5”

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I once worked with a supervisor who was highly driven, but could sometimes be insulting. Sometimes they were harsh or short tempered. They kind of made you feel like the proverbial parent you could never quite live up to. They tended to come into meetings telling you what they wanted, but rarely asking for input. They were not hesitant to remind you who was in charge.

This could be demoralizing to other team members, sucking the air out of the room and sometimes even bringing people to tears. Employees still had a responsibility to respect and obey their leaders, but there was just a general lack of grace from the leader. In contrast, God says in Colossians 4:1 that those in authority should lead “justly and fairly,” knowing you also have a Master in heaven.

If you think about it, we spend more time working and supervising others than almost any other human activity. Yet how many of us have developed a theology of work? One helpful passage to look into is Colossians 3:22-4:1. In this section, we learn…

  • How work is one of our greatest acts of devotion toward God
  • Respecting those in authority
  • Staying faithful in the little things
  • Thoughts on slavery in the Bible and our American founding
  • Instructions for those who manage and supervise
  • A great quote by Martin Luther King Jr. on our work

I preached on this passage several months ago at Calvary Church. Here’s the link:

Thanks for listening! You can find more sermons on the Sermon page of this blog. 

Sermons

Built to Last

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When Heidi was born, Natalie and I decided our little four door Saturn compact car wasn’t going to cut it for a family of four with all the baby and toddler gear in tow. There was only one thing to do. It was time to take the plunge and enter the minivan world.

We searched for used cars online and visited a couple dealerships, then settled on a 2005 Toyota Sienna. It was a great van. We bought it with just under 40,000 miles on it, and put another 200,000 miles on it. We drove it to work, to church, to doctor’s appointments, hospital visits, camping trips, and cross country road trips.

Over time, the van began to break down. Hubcaps rolled off. The automatic door broke. The back windshield wiper snapped. The axel and suspension went bad. Emissions needed repairs. The engine was still purring like a cat, but the van was showing its age and other repairs began to add up. Eventually, it just didn’t make sense to keep pouring money into it. After driving that minivan for almost fifteen years, we agreed it was time to trade it in for something newer. A mechanic at our church said any other model would have died a long time ago, but these vehicles were “built to last.” We eventually bought another minivan, another Toyota Sienna but eleven years newer with less miles on it. We like our “newer” van, but nothing will replace that 2005 silver Toyota Sienna in our hearts. It was like part of the family.

There’s a parallel here with marriage. Marriage is not always easy. As you get more miles, little things may start to break down, and there may be some bumps along the way. What’s important is that you keep Christ at the center of your relationship. Marriage is God’s idea, and any husband and wife who depend on the Holy Spirit and follow the instructions in God’s Word can have a marriage “built to last.”

Some time back, I preached on Colossians 3:18-19, which gives excellent counsel to husbands and wives. Together we learned…

  • The secret to a lasting marriage
  • Does a wife really have to “submit” to her husband?
  • How husbands can learn to love like Jesus
  • An important caveat – “do not be harsh”

Here’s the sermon audio if you’d like to follow along. Consider it a “tune-up” to keep your marriage running smoothly for years to come!

Thanks for listening. For a complete list of all my sermons, please visit the Sermon Hub on my blog.

Sermons

The Word in our Worship

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The “Worship wars” may have reached their height in the 1990s, but churches still struggle how to remain both doctrinally rooted and culturally relevant.

It’s good to incorporate newer, more modern songs in our repertoire, but we would be remiss to erase all the older hymns from our collective memory. It can be a challenge because some of the language can be antiquated, and sometimes their music style has not aged well. But I believe worship is best when we can find a blended form of both traditional and contemporary, uniting together newer and older songs.

As Bob Kauflin put it, that our worship should be “rooted and relevant.” Rooted in Scripture and 2,000 years of Christian tradition, yet relevant with new songs and melodies and styles continuing to express our hearts before God and to symbolize that the growth and spread of the gospel continue.

There may be different styles, different lengths, and different topics, but most importantly, the church needs to sing, and our minds should be focused on the Word. Meditating on it, reciting it, mulling it over, making new connections, recounting old stories, and overall letting the word of Christ dwell richly in us the whole time we are singing. Every time the church gathers to sin is an opportunity to teach and admonish one another.

To learn more, check out my sermon on Colossians 3:15-17. In this message, we learn…

  • How I respond when people ask what denomination our church is
  • How to find peace in Christ
  • What does it mean for the word of Christ to “dwell” in us?
  • A brief history of praise and worship
  • Finding balance between the traditional and contemporary
  • The centrality of scripture in our worship

Thanks for listening! For a complete list of sermons, please visit the Sermon page.