Sermons from Sweet Home

Do you sin less?

Warning: This is an offensive lesson. John says we cannot be born again Christians and continue living in habitual sin. This message is offensive because there is a strong flavor of cultural Christianity in our communities where Jesus is great, but we don't conform our lives to Him. Unfortunately there is also a false theology regarding grace that makes self-acclaimed Christians believe that since they are saved by grace, their sin doesn't matter anymore. 
But, like Solomon says, "nothing is new under the sun". Paul struggled with this same mindset in the early churches: What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? (Romans 6:1-2) True born again disciples of Jesus indeed cannot continue living lifestyles of sin. this does not mean that they are sinless, but simply that they sin less. 

Why did God create, and what did He do before?

These are two important questions that are somewhat clouded in mystery. Yet the bible does seem to give us some revealed clues. 

Why God doesn't answer prayers (Easter Message)

Sometimes our experiences contradict what the Bible promises. One of these promises is God's promise to listen to our prayers and answer them. Yet, we sometimes hear nothing from God. So there is this contradiction, God promises to listen and answer, yet sometimes we get no answer. We pray and only hear the crickets outside...
What does the Bible say about God's silence and what does Easter have to do with it? 

The Attitude that gets you to the Top

The Early Christians wrote a song about Jesus. It contains lyrics that illustrates the attitude that Jesus had as he endured life on Earth and his ultimate persecution and death. Although Jesus was treated like a nobody, the song says He is now somebody...for sure. In actual fact, He is the highest authority in the Universe, every knee will bow down to Him and confess His name. Jesus is at the top!
How did he get there? He didn't get there through worldly means. In actual fact he did the opposite of what the world does. The world says as you step on the ladder of success you need to step on people to get to the top. Jesus didn't do that. Jesus had a different attitude which earned him the top seat above all things. If you would like to know what that attitude is, and you would like to adopt the same attitude, then tune into this lesson. 

Why Worry?

One of the basic struggles that we face is worrying, or we can even call it anxiety. Jesus addresses this effectively in his sermon on the Mount. Generally we pursue money because we believe money will take care of our worries. And it does take care of some worries, but not all of it. Jesus contrasts money with God and says faith in God is a better option than pursuing money. Instead of putting your worries by the feet of money, put it by the feet of Jesus.

Acts 21:27-36 Agabus was Right, Again!

Although Paul's first few days in Jerusalem seemed peaceful, it didn't last longer than a week. In this text we see Paul being brutally attacked and captured. Why? What is their problem with him?

Acts 21:17-26 Paul Arrives at Jerusalem

Paul has eagerly desired to go to Jerusalem, even though everybody begged him not to go. Even the Holy Spirit warned him that prison and hardships are waiting for him there. But nevertheless Paul went. In this text we see Paul meeting with the leaders of the church. I wonder what they have to say?

Do you love the world?

John tells us that we cannot love both God and the world. What does it mean to love the world? Surely the "world" is not the people or the place, right? Yes, the "world" refers to Satan's philosophy of life that is caught up in pleasure, possessions and positions. Surely we can enjoy the pleasures of life, surely we should work to achieve positions in society, surely having possessions is not a bad thing. Right! But the problem comes in when we love these things, when we love pleasure, fame, money and all it can provide us. It is at that point that we need to be concerned about our relationship with God. 

Do you walk as Jesus did?

The great apostle John tells us that those who claim to to be in Christ should walk as Jesus did. What does that mean? Can anyone ever walk exactly like Jesus did? Jesus obeyed God fully, but specifically Jesus obeyed on command of great significance: the command to love. In this lesson the topic of love takes center stage, because people of God always put love first. 

How to live a stupid life and become insane

In this satirical sermon it is made clear that the best way to end up with a broken life and broken mind is to neglect and reject the word of God. The steps to insanity are pretty simple: Don't believe in the devil, don't trust what God says, don't love the truth, and don't memorize Scripture. If you obey these four rules you are guaranteed to experience a messed up life.