Concordia Sermons

As if raising a family wasn’t difficult enough in and of itself, families face many crosswinds that make things even more difficult: in-laws, divorces, blended families, custody battles, financial hardships, and on and on the list goes. In this message, we look at the hardships that Noami faced with her family and then discuss what God’s Word has to say about some of the hardships we face.

The average sitcom is 22 minutes. In 22 minutes, parents in a sitcom family must have a problem with their kids, confront the problem, struggle through the problem, and fix the problem. Family problems in real life are not so easily fixable. How do you parent for the long haul? How do you struggle through disagreements with each other and make hard decisions on how to raise and discipline your kids? The preacher of Hebrews reminds us that raising kids takes time, and we often don’t see the fruits of our hard fought battles until “later on” (verse 11).

Before there were cities, before there was pop culture, before there were wars, before there was poverty, before there was even sin, there was the family. God brought Adam and Eve together as husband and wife and encouraged them to have children. This is home base for all of society. This is where it all begins. In a world where the value of family is being questioned, how can we winsomely hold the concept of family – and, more importantly, our own family – sacred?

Rev. Dr. Dale Meyer

The story of Palm Sunday is the story of Jesus using a simple thing – a borrowed colt – to make a big statement. No matter how simple we may be, Jesus can use us too to do big things for His glory!

What do you do when you you’ve experienced a terrible tragedy or loss and you feel like you will never be able to smile again? Paul, himself in the middle of a very difficult time as he languishes in prison, is able to write, “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4). We can learn from Paul’s joy as we seek to be joyful!

Even people who seem to have strong faith sometimes doubt. This was the case even with John the Baptist. John the Baptist wondered out loud if Jesus was the Messiah. Perhaps you struggle with doubt and you wonder if you can ever be forgiven for your doubt. Jesus spoke to John’s doubts lovingly. He speaks to our doubts in the same way.

Even people who seem to have strong faith sometimes doubt. This was the case even with John the Baptist. John the Baptist wondered out loud if Jesus was the Messiah. Perhaps you struggle with doubt and you wonder if you can ever be forgiven for your doubt. Jesus spoke to John’s doubts lovingly. He speaks to our doubts in the same way.

One of the saddest parenting stories in the Bible is that of David and Absalom. Years of neglectful parenting finally resulted in Absalom’s rebellion and death. By the time David sees what has happened, it is too late. What can we do as parents today to escape regrets tomorrow? And how do we deal with regrets for past mistakes we have made as parents?

Marriage is meant to be a beautiful picture of how Christ loves His Church. Because of sin, however, this picture can be distorted and, tragically, sometimes even destroyed. How do we recover the picture of love God desires and has designed for our marriages? Paul answers, “Be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).

The first section of the book of Judges has been focused on outside threats to Israel: threats from the Midianites and the Moabites and the Canaanites and the Philistines. The final part of the book of Judges focuses on the threats from within Israel. In the words of the famous Pogo comic strip: “We have met the enemy and he is us.” Micah undermines his faith by keeping an idol that sets off a chain of tragic events. In what ways are you undermining your own life?

Samson was a man of great talent. He had strength and he had political savvy. But he did not have any character. He fell into sin again and again. Even the most talented people crash and burn if they do not have the character to support their talents. In what ways do you fall short in your character?

We have come to expect that politicians will make campaign promises they cannot keep. Jephthah made a promise that he should not have kept, but did, and it ended up costing him the life of his daughter. Jephthah tried to control God’s actions with a foolish vow. Is there any ways in which we try to control God’s actions?

It was Franklin Roosevelt who famously said in his first inaugural address, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Gideon was a man who was always afraid. Many people know the story of Gideon’s test of God with a fleece. Far fewer people know, however, that before Gideon tested God with a fleece, he tested God with an offering. It seems as though Gideon had a hard time trusting God, always asking God to prove Himself because Gideon was always frightened. In what ways are we frightened?

The first major judge in Judges is a woman! And she is strong. She spearheads a battle against Jabin and reveals that her commander, Barak, is a coward. Deborah is an example of how heroes come in all shapes and sizes, and do not always look or act the way the world thinks they look and act.

“The definition of insanity,” the old adage goes, “is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” The book of Judges is set during a time when Israel fell into the same sins over and over again – and got the same result of judgment. What “insane” things do we do over and over again of which we need to repent?

Because it is embarrassing, it can often be tempting to try to keep our sin a secret. But Jesus reminds us that all our sins will eventually be brought to light. Therefore, we are called to confess our sins and guard our lives.

Christmas is meant to be a happy time of year! Yet, for many, it is stressful and sad. How do we endure the downs of this season? The preacher of Hebrews gives us the answer: by fixing our eyes on the reason for the season.

During this time of year, it’s not too tough for jealousy to take root. We see what gifts others are buying their families and we can be tempted to try to keep up, or to compare the gifts we receive with the gifts other receives. In 2 Corinthians 10, Paul warns against comparison, instead encouraging contentment in Christ.