Concordia Sermons

Jesus gives us words in His teaching and He is the Word made flesh. Thus, it is vital that we hear and practice His words. In this message we talk about the nature and character of Jesus’ words – how they are perfect – and how they call us both to faith and to action.

The story of the Bible moves from God’s Creation to Our Fall to Christ’s Redemption to the Final Restoration. In the introduction to this series, we look at how Christ undoes the curse of our Fall into sin by becoming cursed on a cross.

Many of the Psalms were written by King David, Israel’s greatest king. But as great as David was, the Psalms express a yearning for another king – one who is even greater than King David. Psalm 96:7 says, “O LORD, save the king!” As Christians, we know that this prayer was answered when God sent a king named Jesus who saved us.

In the Bible, wisdom is defined not just as knowledge, but as the ability to make right choices. This is why wisdom ultimately comes from God! For when choices in life become difficult, God can give us wisdom to choose what is best even when we, by ourselves, do not know what to do.

As Christians, we know we are called to be forgiving people. Yet, when someone wounds us deeply, we often struggle with wanting to get revenge. In Psalm 137, the Israelites have been carried off into exile by the Babylonians. They too struggle with revenge as they gleefully envision Babylon’s destruction. How can our feelings of revenge be turned into God’s purpose of redemption?

Life can throw a lot at us at once! Sometimes, what life throws at us can become so overwhelming that we begin to lose our joy. We become sad. Psalm 55 is honest about sadness, about the questions sadness asks about God, and about how sadness leads people to want to run away, all the while asking God for help in the midst of sadness.

Psalm 23 is perhaps the most famous passage in all of Scripture. In it, people have found deep comfort, usually in midst of some sort of grief. This Psalm teaches us about faith and reminds us that faith is found in someone with whom we are very comfortable, even if what that person leads us through is not comfortable at all.

Even if we don’t like it, most of us have had to endure the feeling of guilt over something we know we did wrong. The cure for guilt is not self-pity, self-debasement, or self-loathing; it is repentance. Psalm 51 invites us to get honest about our sin, but it also invites us to trust in our Savior.

It is not difficult to be thankful when we have a lot to be thankful for! But what if we are in trouble? What if disaster has struck? In Psalm 34, the Psalmist invites us to take a long view of thankfulness, understanding that even if we experience momentary troubles, finally, the LORD will deliver us by faith. For that, we can be thankful!

A glance at a beautiful sunrise or a gaze at a lofty mountain can inspire a sense of awe. In Psalm 19, while a sense of awe is declared at God’s creation, the Psalmist reminds us that our ultimate awe should be in how God has chosen to reveal Himself to us in His Word.

Leadership courses will often teach people that before they lead anyone else, they need to be able to lead themselves. This is the heart of self-control. Jesus, even when His desires may have tempted Him toward sin, controlled Himself and won a decisive victory. Is there a battle to sin that you consistently lose? The answer to the loss is Christ’s forgiveness. The call of Christ going forward is to self-control.

In a world that is often “hard-knocks,” gentleness can be an overlooked virtue. Yet, as the story of Rehoboam demonstrates, gentleness not only helps people, it endears them to you. To whom do you need to demonstrate gentleness so your relationship with them can be strengthened?

The old saying goes, “Behind every great man, there is an even greater woman.” The story of Esther reminds us, “Behind ever great woman, there is a faithful man.” Mordecai challenges Esther to do everything she can to defend her people, even though it might cost her her life. On Father’s Day, men need to consider: what are they doing to call their wives and families to faithfulness?

Most of us have traded true goodness for what we think is “good enough.” In Jesus’ encounter with a rich man, He challenges this man to see what and who is truly good and to consider that he, as a sinner, is lacking in true goodness.

The parable of the Good Samaritan is merely synonymous with what it means to be kind. But kindness not just lies in what the Samaritan does, but in who he does it for – for the Jews and the Samaritans hated each other. Are you kind only to those who are kind to you? Or does your kindness extend beyond the boundaries of your normal social circles?

Patience is hardest to practice in the midst of fear. This is the lesson Saul learned. Saul is instructed to wait on the prophet Samuel to make offerings to the LORD. But when Saul sees that the Philistines are upon he and his people, he makes the offerings himself rather than waiting for Samuel. Because of this, his household does not remain kings over Israel. When has your lack of patience led to disaster?

Jesus has come to bring peace. But before He brings peace, He has peace. He is peacefully sleeping in the back of a boat while His disciples are terrified by a storm. But on that storm He pronounces a command: “Quiet! Be still” (Mark 4:39)! Over what areas of your life does Jesus need to pronounce a similar command?

The apostles encountered much persecution as they spread the gospel, especially from jealous Jews. Yet, immediately following the persecution they encounter in Acts 13, we read, “The disciples were filled with joy in the Holy Spirit” (Acts 13:52). How can we have joy even when life is at its worst?

The love of a mother is unique. For many, the love of their mothers is steadfast, unconditional, and forgiving. In this way, a mother’s love mirrors God’s love. At the head of the fruit of the Spirit is love. Why is this at the head? Because “if I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1).

If you parent a young child, you’ve probably been told by more than one person: “They grow up so fast.” And it’s true! In the short time that you have to raise your family, how do you leave a legacy? Jehoshaphat left a spiritual legacy by encouraging families to stand before the Lord (verse 13). But his father also left him a legacy of faith: “He walked in the ways of his father Asa and did not stray from them; he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD” (2 Chroniciles 20:20). How do we leave a positive legacy for our families?