Browse 251 Sermons

Jesus had compassion on the crowds of people who followed him and his disciples when they were trying to rest. Even though the people were primarily Jewish and considered themselves to be God's "chosen people," they were like sheep without a shepherd, and Jesus had compassion on them.

The instructions Jesus gave to the twelve disciples when he sent them out into the world provide us with great comfort when we do our own evangelism, especially for those times when what we are telling them could require a drastic change in their mindset regarding salvation.

In the United States of America we celebrate our many freedoms, especially today on July 4. But as grateful as we are for those freedoms, we often see corruption in our government and leaders. This corruption and concern is nothing new, as we find out from Psalm 82, which tells us that God still holds them accountable and reminds us that He is working through our government and leaders for our eternal benefit.

Like the disciples on the boat during the storm, we can often wonder if Jesus cares about the problems in our lives, with our friends, and even in our communities and countries. The truth is he cares so much that he lived and died for us, and as true God he is all knowing and all powerful, ruling over everything for our good.

Jesus used parables of scattering seeds, plants growing, and harvesting crops to describe the kingdom of God. From those parables we understand that Christ's kingdom, which is God's rule in our hearts, and the invisible church, which is made up of all believers, grow through people proclaiming the Word of God. When everyone has come to faith according to God's plan, Christ will return to "harvest" the souls of all believers. We also see that the entire world, including unbelievers, benefit from the works of the invisible church.

When reading through the Bible, it may seem like God is sometimes playing favorites with those who are saved and those who are not, especially those people who at times worked against Christ. However, through several parables Jesus explains the key differences between those people, and we see how it applies to us today.

The Athanasian Creed, which was prepared to assist the Church in combating heresies in the church, declares that whoever rejects the doctrine of the Trinity and the doctrine of Christ is without the saving faith. But how do we know if we have that saving faith?