This past Sunday I preached from Colossians 4:2-6 and unpacked these two simple points:
1) Evangelism is for Everyone
2) Evangelism Happens Every Day
You can listen to the message here. John Dickson’s book, Promoting the Gospel, was a valuable resource as I prepared for this message. I highly recommend it.
This Sunday, I invited my friend, Matt Perman, to speak to my church on how the gospel relates to the workplace from Colossians 3:22-25. You can listen to his message here.
I’m excited about Matt’s new book coming out in September called, What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Changes the Way You Get Things Done. I encourage you to check out his blog as well.
This past Sunday I preached from Colossians 3:18-21. In this passage, Paul gives us 4 Family Rules, but behind each of these rules is the One who has fulfilled every one of them. Jesus Christ came to do what we could not do. He came to undo what Adam and Eve had done in the fall. The fall affected everything, not just us as individuals but it affected all our relationships including marriage and family life. Jesus came to restore these broken relationships through his death on the cross. He came to make us new. Our old self is dead and gone and our new self is alive. And we bring this new self into our relationships, into our home life.
For those of you who are interested, you can now listen to my sermons on-line here.
Here’s a simple Sermon Prep Sheet I’ve created that might be helpful for some of you. It’s nothing new, but rather a collaboration of thoughts gathered from more experienced preachers and communicators than I over the years.
Yesterday I got to see Tullian Tchvidjian preach at Southern Seminary. I love his focus on the gospel of grace. Toward the end of his message he asked an interesting question: If Christ accepts me based on his righteousness and not mine, then what is my motivation to do good? In other words, if I have a great day, I’m accepted, if I have a bad day, I’m accepted. So why do good? He answered the question with a quote from Spurgeon:
When I thought God was hard, I found it easy to sin; but when I found God so kind, so good, so overflowing with compassion, I smote upon my breast to think that I could ever have rebelled against One who loved me so, and sought my good.
In other words, the deeper I go into the gospel, the greater my motivation toward obedience. I encourage you to watch this message and be amazed again at God’s grace for desperate sinners like you and me.
My friend, Chad Nuss, with a good reminder for preachers, teachers and hearers of God’s Word:
In this classic scene, Buzz is convinced his role is to save the galaxy. However, Woody knows who Buzz really is and is trying his best to get through to him. This is what preaching is all about. Preaching is not primarily about what we are supposed to do or not do. Preaching is about reminding us of our identity. We are like Buzz, convinced we are good, spiritual people. The preacher comes to us like Woody, yelling at us to get us to see we are really sinners separated from God without Christ. But once we become followers of Christ, the preacher continues to come to us like Woody, yelling at us to remember who we are in Christ. Christianity is not about a list of do’s and don’ts. Christianity is about identity. We cannot change what we do until we change who we are. Preaching reminds us of who we were without Christ and who we are in Christ. Preaching reminds us that we can’t save the galaxy because we can’t even save ourselves. Only Christ can do that.
Recently I gave a message on the 5th Commandment – Honor your father and mother. Here’s one segment where I adapted Tedd Tripp’s concept of the Circle of Blessing (from Shepherding a Child’s Heart) and brought out our need for the gospel. I also want to give a shout-out to Tony Kummer whose idea I borrowed from this bible lesson for kids.
You can listen or watch the entire message here:
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If you’re a member of LBC, I just found some links to a few sermons by our friend and former student pastor, Lisle Drury! Take a listen and send him a word of encouragement! He’s doing a great job serving as Pastor of Sojourn’s J-Town Campus.
The best preachers and teachers take profound, meaty truths and break them up into little, understandable bites so their listeners can “get it” and do something with it. I love what John Stott says in his well-known book, Between Two Worlds:
To preach instead over people’s heads, is to forget who they are. As Spurgeon once commented, ‘Christ said, “Feed my sheep … Feed my lambs.” Some preachers, however, put the food so high that neither lambs nor sheep can reach it. They seem to have read the text, “Feed my giraffes” ‘ (p. 147).
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