Tag Archives: sermons

by | March 11, 2017 · 5:20 pm

“My Jesus I Love Thee:” Sermon In Song

Song Sermons

One thing I love doing is taking old hymns and turning them into sermon outlines. Frankly, many of the old songs of the church were nothing more than condensed sermons put to music. They were not only meant to give us a means to sing praise to God, but to learn of His character, of his goodness and grace.

Last week I explained to the congregation at the church where I pastor that the songs we sing should be known and understood. I mean, how profitable is it if we stand as a group and sing something that makes no sense? What kind of corporate praise can we offer to our God if we cannot relate to the lyrics? It is so much better when we can all stand and sing from the bottom of our hearts the words of a hymn that means something vital to our soul!

An Outline

The following is an outline which I will be using soon, maybe even this Sunday. The outline is based on the song “My Jesus I Love Thee” by William Featherston (1864).

Please note, Featherston wrote this poem when he was between the ages 11 and 16 (he died age 27, long before the song became well-known). Adoniram Judson Gordon (founder of Gordon College and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) added the melody. How many teens do you know these days who could write something like this?

On a different note, how many teens could God use if they would only let Him?

“My Jesus I Love Thee”

  1. My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine; (Jn 21:15-17)
    For Thee all the follies of sin I resign; (2 Tim. 2:19)
    My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou; (Ruth 2:10)
    If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now. (The Place of Regeneration)
  2. I love Thee because Thou hast first loved me, (1 John 4:19)
    And purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree; (1 Peter 1:18-19)
    I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow; (Mt 27, Mk 15, Jn 19:2)
    If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now. (The Place of Realization)
  3. I’ll love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death, (Job 13:15)
    And praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath; (Job 33:4)
    And say when the death dew lies cold on my brow, (Ps. 116:15)
    If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now. (The Place of Resignation)
  4. In mansions of glory and endless delight, (Jn 14:2)
    I’ll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright; (Rev 21:23)
    I’ll sing with the glittering crown on my brow, (2 Tim 4:8)
    If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now. (The Place of Revelation)

I would love to know what you think of this, especially after you read the biblical references.

What do you think of topical sermons like this? Expository preaching is something I regularly do, but I also think we need to mix up the delivery styles every so often. Doing it this way – a song sermon – is not only a good way to explain a song, but doing so with Scripture helps reinforce the truth the next time the song is sung.

Head’s up, South Soddy Baptist! You might be hearing this sermon tomorrow morning 🙂

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by | July 29, 2016 · 8:07 am

Four Observations On Isaiah 46:3-4

Sermons

In preparation for preaching in Africa, I’ve been going through some older outlines of sermons trying to stir up some thoughts. In the process I came across this one.

Here are just four simple point based on the following passage in Isaiah. I don’t usually preach from the New Living Translation, but for today that’s the translation I’ve decided to use.

Read the text, then take the points to heart.

Bel and Nebo, the gods of Babylon, bow as they are lowered to the ground. They are being hauled away on ox carts. The poor beasts stagger under the weight. Both the idols and their owners are bowed down. The gods cannot protect the people, and the people cannot protect the gods. They go off into captivity together.

“Listen to me, descendants of Jacob, all you who remain in Israel. I have cared for you since you were born. Yes, I carried you before you were born. I will be your God throughout your lifetime–until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.” – Isaiah 46:1-4 NLT

1. If God is a burden to you, you’ve got the wrong god!

2. False gods sap our strength; the True God sustains us.

3. The True God doesn’t need saving.

4. You’re never too old to be a child of God.

Have a blessed day!

 

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by | March 27, 2016 · 11:55 pm

Easter Sermon for 2016

My voice was rough because of the weather, and many in the congregation were doped up on Benadryl (because of allergies). Yet, it was a joy to preach once again about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior.

The following was recorded on Easter Sunday morning at Riverside Baptist Church, Chattanooga, TN.

I didn’t use an outline…I just wanted to tell the story as the Spirit led me.

image1

Click on the picture of Chattanooga to listen.

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by | November 7, 2015 · 11:03 am

The Christian’s Life

Another Sunday is just around the corner, and many pastors, including myself, are putting the finishing touches (as best we can) on sermons to be delivered. Many of us will put in long hours of study and contemplation in preparation for those few moments during which we expound God’s Word.

What is your duty? What is your responsibility as the parishioner, the church member, or simply the Christian who randomly wanders in to hear some preaching?

As William Gurnall (17th century English clergyman) said…

“The Christian’s life should put his minister’s sermon in print.”

Please, dear Christian, don’t waste what you hear; put it into print with your life.

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by | October 21, 2015 · 10:22 am

Check Out the New Archive!

In case you haven’t noticed, there is a new tab featured at the top. It is an archive of sermons that I have preached both at church and on the radio. They will start with the most recent and work back – at least to when I started recording (and I might leave a out a few). I will keep adding older ones as I have the time to upload and link them.

It's not easy writing with a mouse.

It’s not easy writing with a mouse.  Click on the real tab at the top of the home page, not the highlighted part in the picture (in case you were confused).

If any of these sermons are a blessing to you, feel free to share them as you like. Of course, I always welcome feedback of all kinds (as long as it’s not hateful), including questions, comments on delivery, etc.

Why am I doing this? Well, it’s hard to ignore the obvious opportunity of getting the preached Word of God out into the world. For crying out loud, when might I ever get to physically expound the Bible in most of the places from which I have readers? This way what I preach from the pulpit in Chattanooga can be heard in nearly 130 countries!!

That is AWESOME!

I am not the greatest preacher, nor will I ever pretend to be. Quite frankly, it could be argued that my writing is better than my speaking (at least I think so). However, some people respond differently to different styles of delivery and personality. Maybe at least this way someone will hear the Truth of the Gospel in such a way that it might stick when it only bounced off before.

Most of the recordings you listen to were simply recorded on my iPhone placed on the pulpit. One day I would love our little church to have some more high-tech recording capability, even video, but it is what it is.

Oh, and by the way, happy Back to the Future Day!  If anyone would like to take me for a ride in a DeLorean, I’m all for it 🙂

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by | September 15, 2015 · 6:02 pm

ALL Lives Matter (the sermon)

This past Sunday morning I preached a sermon. The title of the message was “All Lives Matter,” and it was based on a story found in Acts 8, the one about the Ethiopian eunuch (probably the first gender-neutral Christian, incidentally).

I don’t claim to be the best preacher in the world. As a matter of fact, I was sick this last weekend, so my voice and my energy level left much to be desired. However, people were surely praying for me, for I had all the energy I needed for the moment, then collapsed in exhaustion 5 minutes after the sermon was over. A few people even came up to me and thanked me for what I preached.

Would you take a listen? (That’s Southern for: Please, would you listen?) There’s a lot of stuff still being said about whose lives matter, but if the truth be known – as I hope this message will lovingly explain – all lives matter, and John 3:16 proves it.

Just click on the picture or the link to listen. http://riversidesermons.sermon.net/main/main/20490920

photo (64)

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by | August 24, 2015 · 10:26 pm

The Inexpensive Option

No Upgrade

Yesterday I asked your opinion about upgrading. Most of you thought is was not a great idea because of price, and I agree.

Of course, if I had some sponsors I would jump at the chance to spruce up my old blog. Who knows what I could do to the appearance if I had access to cool upgrades. But for $99 a year? I don’t think so, at least not on my budget.

One of the reasons I asked about the upgrade was the ability to directly upload audio. Several of you suggested that links would be just as effective, and free.

Sermon.net

A while back I started using a free (up to a point) service for storing and sharing sermons: Sermon.net. It has worked just fine for uploading sermons and sending them to our church’s Facebook page (we don’t have a website). Once the recording is uploaded to Sermon.net, all you have to do is click on an icon to share it.

It was only tonight that I figured out how to make use of the tiny WordPress icon.

The Sermon

I still wear a suit on Sunday morning - because I want to :-)

I still wear a suit on Sunday morning – because I want to 🙂

So, try it out, if you’d like. I have uploaded and linked (for free) Sunday morning’s sermon from Riverside Baptist. It is part of a series of messages through the Book of Acts.

They Had Been With Jesus – Acts 4:13

Please leave a comment! I’d love to hear your thoughts.

 

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by | March 30, 2014 · 10:30 am

Did I Preach That?

How many of you remember Steve Urkel? He was a fictional character on the ABC/CBS television sitcom Family Matters. Aside from being annoying and always capable of messing things up, he had a unique catchphrase: “Did I do that?”

UrkelI was reminded of Urkel when I happened to listed to a sermon I preached last year. You see, I had asked Siri to randomly play music on my iPhone while I was driving (I wasn’t talking). After a few random songs came and went, a sermon I preached a year ago queued up.

I posted this message a while back, but I am going to do it again. As I listed to it I almost had the feeling of listening to a totally different person – not me. It was almost like, “Did I preach that?” But, that’s how the Spirit works sometimes. I may have not needed that message for myself until just yesterday.

The following sermon was recorded while we were remodeling our sanctuary. We held services in our gym. This sermon was second in a series through the book of Ephesians. The part of the sermon that really spoke to me this time was the part towards the end…”But God…”

“The Holy Spirit in Ephesians”

To bring you up to date, I am now doing a study through 1 Corinthians on Sunday evenings at Riverside. The following was preached  on March 23, 2014.

1 Corinthians 2 (Mysteries)

As I see it, I may never be able to travel the world preaching God’s Word, but as long as we still have the internet I’m gonna take advantage of this opportunity. I’m not the greatest preacher, and certainly not the only one you can access online, but at least I’m getting the “message” out to some, right?

God bless you, friends. Have a great Lord’s Day!

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by | March 3, 2014 · 8:58 am

The Hands of God

Good Monday, everyone!

bibleYesterday morning at Riverside I preached a sermon entitled “The Hands of God.” I would like to give the basic outline, along with an edited version of the recording sent to the radio. The recording was made before Sunday, but the message was essentially the same.

There are several things about the hands of God worth noting.

  1. They Created Man (Gen. 2:7). As much as we would like to think that we are self-made, there is a Hand that formed us from the dust of the earth. We are not like the rest of creation which was simply spoken into existence; we were fashioned by the loving, artistic hand of the Creator, and His fingerprints are all over us.
  2. They Contain the Believer (John 10:27-29). The believer should never worry about his salvation. He should never worry about being stolen away. Thank God that we are in His hand, and nothing, not even ourselves, can remove us from His omnipotent protection.
  3. They Chastise the Child (Prov. 3:12; 13:24; 22:15; 19:18; Deut. 8:5; Rev. 3:19). God is not a Father who encourages “time outs;” He knows how to apply loving discipline to our seats of instruction. If more parents would worry less about the world’s wisdom and suggestions and follow the wise instruction of Scripture, we might not have as many entitlement-claiming, over-grown bratty children running the streets demanding their own way.
  4. They Carry the Broken (Isa. 40:11). Praise the Lord for His mercy and love! As the gentle shepherd who must sometimes break the leg of the wandering lamb, God must discipline us. However, it is then that He carries us close to his bosom where we learn to love being in His presence.
  5. They Catch the Stumbler (Psa. 37:23-24). There are times when we stumble, but because He is holding our hand, we will not “utterly” fall.

As Jonathan Edwards preached in 1741, it is a “fearful thing to fall into the hands of an angry God.” But as a child of God, there is no better place to be. David said, even after he had sinned, “Let me fall into the hand of the Lord…” (1 Chron. 21:13). He knew the truth that brought comfort, a comfort the world does not know, “The LORD will not cast off his people…” (Psa. 94:14).

Listen to the Radio Version below:

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by | February 1, 2014 · 6:00 am

Radio Sermon (Thou Art Good)

If hearing my Southern accent and pronouncification of words makes me sound illiterate or grates your nerves, then by all means skip the attached audio. On the other hand, if hearing my Southern accent reminds you of heavenly manna for the ear, click the link and be fed.

Seriously, I know what it’s like to listen to someones’s voice, someone whom you’ve read, only to be disappointed by hear. Reading my posts may have given you the idea that I sound like Charlton Heston, and if that’s the case, the you will certainly be disappointed. But if by reading my posts you have come to the conclusion I may sound like Pee Wee Herman, then you’ll be amazed – I actually sound more like Dave Ramsey (the financial guy).

Today, as I have done several times in the past, I am going to share with you the sermon that will air this Sunday on a local AM radio station. You get to hear it before everyone else does!

This recording was made in my study using a large diaphragm microphone and a digital Tascam 8-track recorder. I then edited it on my computer with Audacity, a free audio editing program. The process takes longer than recording on my iPhone, but the end product sounds better.

Also, on this recording I include a song from the Sonlife Quartet, a group I played bass with back in the late 90’s.

“Thou Art Good, and Thou Doest Good”

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