Last Sermons

What will happen to your soul when you die?
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Rev. Fr. Wesley Tetsuji Kan, Pastor

Redemption Lutheran Church

I must confess: what follows does not heed the given instructions. It is supposed to be different from the hundreds I’ve delivered in the past but Lutheran pastors are taught to preach every sermon as if it is his last. Perhaps the question should be, “what sermon would you preach if it is the last one the reader will hear?” Now we’re talking about serious stuff, your death. What will happen to your soul when you die? As a Christian you answer it will go to heaven. Why? You answer, “because I am saved.” Why do you need to be saved?

So many pastors talk about being saved but rarely explain why you need to be saved. Every sermon should tell you clearly that you are a sinner, a wicked being marked for eternal damnation, yet you seldom hear this critical proclamation.

This omission is incomprehensible. It is like having a disease and the physician avoiding all talk about that disease and its lethality. This kind of omission is more harmful in theology than in medicine. You are being saved through faith alone and understanding is part of faith. Therefore, being fully convinced that you are a sinner is absolutely crucial to being saved. But repeatedly hearing about sinfulness and eternal damnation that results from sin are so offensive that most preachers rarely mention it. Most sadly, because you don’t hear why you need to be saved, you end up not hearing the full Gospel and risk straying from saving faith.

Sin is the disease and forgiveness is the cure. Forgiveness results from what Christ endured on Good Friday: His suffering, bleeding and dying for mankind. Salvation flows from forgiveness. And He suffered this purely out of love for you.

Christ’s resurrection does not save. His resurrection was absolutely necessary because, by raising Christ back to life, God the Father declared that the Son’s sacrifice satisfied mankind’s sin debt. The Bible repeatedly demonstrates the crucifixion’s importance over the resurrection. The limited space here does not allow for more than one example. (Contact me for more references.) In 1 Corinthians 1:23 and 2:2, St. Paul wrote that he preached Christ crucified and not knowing anything among them except Christ crucified. He omitted any mention of the resurrection. Most certainly Paul believed in and preached Christ’s resurrection, but because the forgiveness of our sins results from crucifixion, he omitted resurrection here.

The soul-saving Gospel is that we are all sinners who need to be saved from the wickedness resulting from what we are and do. Since it is impossible for us to save ourselves, Jesus Christ, God the Son, died for us and purchased our forgiveness through His sacrifice. But this gift can be received only by faith. What is faith? It is more than believing. The part that most forget is trust or reliance. “Saving faith” means placing your whole reliance upon Christ’s bleeding death, and upon absolutely nothing else.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.

April 20, 2019No comments
Read Psalm 90:12; Ezekiel 33:2
Donnie Jackson

Donnie Jackson, Pastor

Springfield Community Church

A famous preacher said that he always wanted to preach as if he knew that he was dying and preaching as if he was preaching to a dying crowd. We never know when we will be called to face the Lord. We need to stay prepared as if we are going to die the next moment…and work like we have a long time to live. I dreamed I had to face the ancient of times and it is not a very comforting thought. No matter, we still have to face God. We read in Hebrews 9:27 “And it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” I think this is the way we should live every day. The Psalmist tells us to number our days.

But what would I say if this was my last sermon? I have given this a lot of thought and I think maybe the following is the way I would preach:

The first thing I would do is talk to my family. And since you are all my family, I think I should assure you that I am ready to go if God calls me home. I remember the time and I can take you to the place where I surrendered my life to Him. It was the first Sunday in September of 1963. I have made many mistakes but God has always been there to pick me up when I fell. Many leave their loved ones wondering if they will ever see them again. I would like to say a special thanks to my mother and dad for showing me the way. I remember how our former pastor, that has already gone home, told me how I should live. He told me what John 6:37 said. “… him that cometh to me I will no wise cast out.”

The next thing I would talk about is my new home. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:8, “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” Jesus said He is going to prepare a place for me. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 are the most precious words to the Christian.

The last thing I would do is tell everyone that is reading this today that Jesus came to save you. Luke 19:10 says, “For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” I would tell you that God loved you so much that He gave His only Son and His Son was willing to die for you and me. I would tell you that there is nothing like the love of Jesus. I would tell you that Jesus paid the full price for your sins on the cross. (John 19:30, “It is finished.” The Greek translation means “Paid in full”).

We are not guaranteed another minute, let alone today. Today is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, “For He saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee; behold now is the day of salvation.”

I might not have another chance to preach to you. If you don’t know Him, why not come to Him now while there is still breath in your body? Ecclesiastes 11:3 says, “…if the tree fall to the south, or the north, where the tree falleth, there it shall be.” I say it this way, “As the tree falleth, so shall it be.” There will be no time to get saved after you are looking in the face of God that is demanding judgment.

This might be the only chance I have to preach to you. I challenge you to search your heart and prepare just in case this is the last opportunity you have to seek the Lord.

God loves you….Pastor Donnie Jackson

April 20, 2019No comments
Won’t you please put your faith and trust in Him today?
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Steven Kyle, Pastor

Hiland Park Baptist Church

Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I say to you,
will seek to enter and will not be able. 

Luke 13:24

This verse tells us there is only one door to heaven…and it is narrow. These words of Jesus are not politically correct in our age of religious pluralism. If Jesus came to America preaching this message today, He would be labeled a radical and would probably be arrested. In fact, that’s exactly why the Jews arrested Him and executed Him 2,000 years ago. To say there is only one way to heaven is an unpopular stance today. Most people think there are many ways to get to heaven.

Once a man told me getting to heaven was like flying from Little Rock to Dallas. I could fly American Airlines, and he could fly Delta, and somebody else could fly Northwest or Southwest airlines, but we’d all get to the same destination. Doesn’t that sound logical? I told him that sounded logical, but when you get on an airplane, you could never be 100% certain it would arrive at the intended destination; it could be diverted by weather, hijacked, have mechanical problems, or even crash. I told him I am booked to fly on Jesus Airlines and it’s the only one in the universe with a 100% on time arrival record!

Most Americans believe it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you are “sincere.” Well, radical Muslim suicide bombers are sincere in their beliefs, and they are wrong. You can be sincere–and be sincerely wrong.

For Jesus (or any of us) to insist there is just one way to heaven seems too narrow-minded in this age of enlightenment. But look at His words again in verse 24. He didn’t speak of different doors, or different airplanes. He didn’t say, “enter through one of the narrow doors.” He spoke of THE narrow door.

Other scriptures confirm there is only one way to heaven. Jesus said, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). Now, let me misquote this verse the way most folks believe. Jesus said, “I am one of the ways, part of the truth, and one kind of life. No one comes to the Father unless they are religious and good and kind and sincere in whatever it is they believe.” Jesus didn’t say He was ONE of the ways or even the BEST way; He said He was the ONLY way.

The people in this passage were at the door; they were even knocking on the door. Almost getting into the door won’t get you into heaven. When it comes to your eternal salvation there is only one door…Jesus Christ! Acts 4:12 tells us, “…there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Won’t you please put your faith and trust in Him today?

April 20, 2019No comments
The Roman Road
Joe Lay

Joe Lay, Senior Pastor

Woodlawn United Methodist Church

When I was in Seminary, a professor shared with me a set of scriptures in the Book of Romans, which is referred to as “The Roman Road.”

First, we are Recognized By Sin. Romans 3:10 says, “As the scriptures say, ‘No one is good – no one in all the world is innocent.’” And Romans 3:23 says, “Yes, all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious ideal.”

What that Scripture is saying is that we are recognized by our own sin. Unless we have been saved, we are sinful. Now who all does that include? Read it again silently to yourselves. No one is good. No one in all the world is innocent. All have sinned. All fall short of God’s glorious ideal. Well, that makes it pretty clear, doesn’t it?

Second, we are Ruined By Satan. Romans 5:12 says, “When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. His sin spread death throughout all the world, so everything began to grow old and die, for all have sinned.”

Third, we are Remembered By The Son. Romans 5:8 tells us, “But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

God did an amazing thing when He sent His Son to die for us. God’s love is unconditional. He just loves us so much that He gave His Son not knowing if we would accept Him and be forgiven. Despite our sinfulness, Jesus remembered us and gave His life for us so that we might be forgiven.

Fourth, we have been Rescued By The Savior. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

This scripture is saying that all we can ever earn, spiritually speaking, is sin and death. There is no way we can earn our own salvation. What do we have that is valuable enough to pay for our sins? Nothing.

But God in His unconditional love for us has provided a way for us to be forgiven. The free gift of salvation is offered to us by the grace of God. It is nothing we have done or could have done, but is simply offered to us out of the goodness of God.

Fifth, we are Redeemed By Salvation. Romans 10:9-10 says, “For if you tell others with your own mouth that Jesus Christ is your Lord and believe in your own heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Now that’s pretty clear, isn’t it? Then the scripture goes on to say, “For it is by believing in his heart that a man becomes right with God; and with his mouth he tells others of his faith, confirming his salvation.”

There are two key words that stand out in that scripture. Believe and Confess. If you believe in something, you won’t hesitate to talk about it. But if you’re not quite sure, you won’t say anything for fear of being wrong. If you believe in your heart and confess with your lips, you will be saved!

April 20, 2019No comments
If God is for us, who can be against us?
Hayward Miller

Dr. Hayward L. Miller

Living Word Church

There is an awesome life giving truth that has changed my life. It is not a new truth, in fact it was expressed to Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, John, Jesus and Paul. It became real to me when I read it the way Paul said it, If God is for us, who can be against us? Rom 8:31(b) NKJV.

I believe that statement has put mankind on a mission of answering and having an overcoming walk every day. It is in the form of a question so that everyone can answer it for themselves. You see, God put within every human being the nature of something bigger than themselves, and the longing of something more. When we try to fill that incompleteness without God we fall short or feel we have not hit the bull’s eye of fulfillment and purpose. Oh, we have times of happiness and fulfillment but it never lasts. Over time we want more and more and from that desire of “want” and we never feel totally satisfied. So what do we do? We ask this question, what is stopping me or is against me that blocks my satisfaction and fulfillment in living my God given purpose?

That question of satisfaction and purpose is not new but started in a garden and ended in a garden. It started with the first Adam and ended with Jesus Christ. It is answered by “TRUST” in saying, “not my will and purpose to be fulfilled but Lord Your will and purpose.” The first Adam thought, God was holding out on him by not letting him eat from one of the trees in the garden. It was not the tree that got him and mankind in trouble, but the disobedience to the will and purpose of God. The heart that said God is not totally for me! Then Jesus Christ came, known also as the second Adam, came and completed His will and purpose, hung on a tree that brought everything back to mankind redeeming us. Because of what Jesus Christ did on that tree I can say to you with total confidence, If God is for us, who can be against us?

What do I do? Know that God is 100% for you! He has given you and is giving you His life giving purpose and best. Did He not send His Only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to save you and make available by receiving Him, life and a life more abundantly? That Resurrected Life is available to you every day in every way. God being God, always has more! He has given you His Spirit that will live in you daily and will make you more than a conqueror. Knowing all of that is true, we can make the answer to the question personal and real, “If God is for me, who can be against me? Nothing and No One can stand against the power and love of God and win.” Just read Romans Chapter 8 verses 26-39 and receive the answer!

Bible References: Gen 15:1; Deut 33:29; 1 Sam 17:45-47; Isa 54:17; Jer 1:19; John 10:28-30; 1 John 4:4; Ephesians 1:7-21; Ephesians 2:1-10; Rom 8:26-39

April 20, 2019No comments
The Way Back Jonah 3:1-10

Mike Claunch, Pastor

St. Andrew Baptist Church

Jonah had gone a long way from God: He left the will and presence of God, traveled across the Mediterranean, went to the bottom of the sea, and rode who knows how far in the belly of a whale.

But our text tells us that our reluctant prophet found the way back. The people of Nineveh had gone a long way from God as well. Their ancestors had known the One True Living God. They descended from Noah who found grace in the eyes of the Lord. But they had forsaken the God of Noah and fashioned for themselves gods of their own choosing and worshipped them in perversity and promiscuity.

They also find the way back.

You may be looking for a way back. The way back can be summarized in one word: repentance.

The Book of Jonah offers us TWO PICTURES OF REPENTANCE.

Jonah 2:7-9 shows us that Jonah himself repented of disobeying the Lord.

The People of Nineveh also repented when Jonah preached to them. In fact, both the king and the people joined in a fast, wore sackcloth, and abandoned their wicked ways.

The Bible shows us repentance is not an accessory. Repentance is a necessity. Throughout the Old Testament God called to His people, “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions.” (Ez. 18:30) Hosea tells us that Israel went into captivity because they refused to repent. John the Baptist proclaimed, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” Jesus preached, “Repent, and believe in the gospel.” The disciples, Peter, Paul, John, all preached the message of repentance.

Repentance is a constant theme in the Bible for two reasons. First, Repentance is necessary for salvation. Jesus said, “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:1-5) But Repentance is also necessary in the Christian´s life: to restore broken fellowship (1 John 1:9), to grow in Christ (2 Cor. 7:9-10), and to avoid or end the chastisement of the Lord (Heb.12:6).

The Book of Jonah shows us well THE ESSENCE OF REPENTANCE. Genuine repentance produces heart-wrenching sorrow, not over the consequences of sin but over the fact that we have sinned. Genuine repentance always leads to total abandonment of the sin and going a new direction.

What happened in Nineveh? The people believed God´s Word. They repented. They were heart-broken over their sin. They abandoned their wicked ways. “Then God saw …that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them.” They found the way back.

What happened to Jonah? Jonah repented also. His heart was wrenched because of his sin. He told God he would obey. “So the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.”

Some say, “You can´t keep a good man down.” That is not quite right. “You can´t keep a repentant sinner down.”

Sin will bring you down; but repentance will bring you back up. Be heart-broken over your sin; utterly forsake it; march the opposite direction to Christ. God will raise you up.

Repentance is the way back.

April 20, 2019No comments
Beyond Futility
Brian Prewitt

Brian Prewitt, Pastor

Palo Alto Church of Christ

What sustains you in your vocation? Whether you are talking about your career, marriage, life at home, friendships, or hobbies, each of us can reflect on what it is that sustains us for the long haul. It’s a struggle. Many things that we think will sustain us too often don’t. Spending a career chasing money leaves us feeling the weight of “golden handcuffs.” We work to become the king of the hill, and then find out that it’s lonely at the top. Our bodies fail, feelings fade, and we encounter the weight of disappointments in relationship after relationship, in pursuit after pursuit.

The Bible has a word for this feeling: “vanity.” It’s what the writer of Ecclesiastes (given the Hebrew title “Koheleth”) writes about at the beginning of his book. But we might use another word today: “futility.” And so James Kugel translates the opening verses of Ecclesiates this way: “‘So futile,’ says Koheleth, ‘everything is so futile!’ What does a person ever gain from all the effort he expends on this earth? One generation goes off and another comes in, but the earth stays the same forever.”

Whether it’s our career or family or the many other relationships we have in life, it is a very normal thing to encounter this feeling of futility in “the big boring middle of the long book of life.” Faced with this, we can seek satisfaction in thrill-seeking, or perhaps we can just retreat to our couches and assume that this is just as good as it gets. But there is another way, and it’s a way forward that can change everything.

Jesus said in John 10.10 this: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.” The gospel of Jesus Christ is here to bring life. Jesus gives his life to pay the price for our sin and failings so that we don’t have to pay that price. Jesus is alive, and thus declares his victory over sin and death. Feelings of futility exist because we live in a sinful world, and the victory that Jesus is claiming, now in part, and completely in the future, is a victory that casts aside futility. In Jesus there is purpose. In Jesus there is meaning. In Jesus there is hope. In Jesus there is a present. In Jesus there is a future.

We can discover our need for Jesus when we encounter our own sin and brokenness. We can discover our addiction, anger, pride, or lust and in doing so discover that we need a savior. But the Ecclesiastes writer reminds us that we can also discover our need for Jesus in the ordinary malaise that we can encounter on any given day. In our feelings of boredom in our job, in frustrations with long-term bad patterns in our marriage, in feelings of failure in the direction of our children’s lives, in countless ways where we see futility, we discover the place where Jesus can offer hope.

Jesus came to give abundant life, now and later. Whether you struggle in deep sin or rebellion, or just struggle with feelings of futility, put your trust in Him. He is the answer that you need.

April 20, 2019No comments
The Minds of the Wise Think About Funerals
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Rev. Cory D. Colvary

Pastor, Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCA)

Life is short. Eternity is a very, very long time. The wise man remembers this. I am 46 years of age. Just in the past couple of years, my 44 year old cousin Mike died, one of my closest childhood friends Tony died at 46, my father-in-law died, and my own Dad died after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Life is short.

My own wife has recently battled thyroid cancer and I experience various aches and pains in my body now that never used to be while my vision weakens. Frankly, these are “the hoofbeats of death.”

The Bible says, “The minds of the wise think about funerals, but the minds of fools think about banquets” (Eccl. 7:4). Death forces us to put aside issues like, Who won American Idol, the Biggest Loser or the NBA championship? Rather, death presses us to ask questions that truly matter like, What is life for? What lasting significance does life have? Are my relationships with others right? But especially, is my relationship with God right? Eternity is a very, very long time.

The Bible says, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him” (Heb. 9:27-28).

Note that the day of our own funeral has been “appointed” by God. We will “die once.”
God reminds us that after our death “comes judgment” when the risen Lord Jesus Christ will usher the righteous into glory and cast the wicked into hell, forever.

God also tells us that Jesus Christ “died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people.” On the Cross, Jesus drank the cup of God’s wrath, the punishment of Hell itself, in the place of, on behalf of, as a substitute for, God’s people—that we might be reconciled to God our Father as His adopted children forever.

Having been risen from the dead, God promises that the Lord Jesus “will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him” through faith. In that Day our bodies will be raised and put on immortality. Since Jesus already dealt with the punishment for sins on the Cross, the believer no longer has to fear God’s judgment in terror but can look forward to that Day with peace, joy and confident hope, knowing God himself “will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more” (Rev. 21:4).

The basic message of the Bible is: Jesus Christ came to save the sinners, the ungodly. There is an old saying, “When a man knows he is going to be hanged soon, it wonderfully focuses the mind.” The day Jesus was crucified on a Roman cross, a criminal hanging on a cross next to Him put his faith in Christ. Christ said to him, “This day you shall be with Me in Paradise.” That proves that the good news of the gospel is that we are not saved by our good works but through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.

Life is short. Eternity is a very, very long time. The wise man remembers this.

April 20, 2019No comments
Nothing More to Say
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Scott Roberts, Pastor

Panama City 1st Church of the Nazarene

I often wonder what my life might be like if I live a hundred years. I’m not sure King Solomon was a hundred when he wrote this, but I imagine he had lived through a myriad of experiences as a king. He built great buildings including the Temple in Jerusalem, planted wide vineyards, and expanded the borders of Israel further than ever before. And he even wrote great classics that people still read today. He made it a point to busy himself with all the many different activities he could experience if a person had limitless resources. It was like a great experiment. How far could I sail across the world without falling off? It could be an exciting life full of action and adventure, even romance. Solomon wanted to experience it all. At first Solomon’s experiment had an unexpected conclusion summed up in his words, “Meaningless! Meaningless!” he said, “All is meaningless!” Fortunately, he came to a better conclusion to his life experiment later: “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). Solomon came to believe that life is heading somewhere, and that somewhere is into the presence of God who created us. One day we will each stand before the Lord and give an account of how we lived. Consequences relative to every choice we make will be given. Solomon deduced that if we want good things then we’ll “fear” or respect God and His expectations of us, or face the negative consequences at the end of our days. Fortunately, Solomon’s words aren’t the last words God gave to the world. If that were the case, we all would be doomed forever. We read in the Scriptures that came later, “All have sinned and fall short (present tense) of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We all have a history of not following God’s commands such that there aren’t enough good things we could ever do to outweigh the bad. The biggest sin we make is to live our lives as if there is no God. How that must feel like a slap in the face of God! The good news is that even if we forget or ignore God and His wishes, God has not forgotten us. Knowing that we need serious help to get on course with Him and to keep following the course that leads to genuine life, God sent His Son into the world. The Son gave His entire life for us so that we might land safely on God’s wonderful shore. All He asks is that we let Him in the boat with us and do His work well. And even when we fail Him, He remains true to us. The name of God’s Son is Jesus the Christ. We know the world is not flat, but life is still full of so many dangers. And with every passing day we come closer to the end of this journey. If we will pay attention to where we are heading and invite Jesus into the boat, He will make sure we land safely on the other side.

April 20, 2019No comments
To Whom It May Concern
Cole Bailey

Cole Bailey, Pastor

Lighthouse Church

It is not by coincidence or chance this letter has found its way into your hands. It has found its way to you so that you can learn a truth that will change your life forever!

Like you, there was a time in my life when I was searching for truth, not what everyone around me said was “good” or right. I was starving for real truth. I had traveled around the world many times over. Along the way I had met very good people with some very good ideas. However, I needed something more than a “good idea.” I needed something that I could confidently base my life on. It had to be something real! Something big enough to settle once and for all in my heart and mind that there was more for me. I had to know “Is there more to life than this?” More than the daily grind, more than getting an education, a career, a family, a retirement. Was there more than simply waiting to die? I had to know! If that sounds like you, I am going to challenge you to do something bold! I am going to challenge you to put this page down and do something most people are afraid to do! Stop right now and simply pray this prayer privately: “God if you’re real, prove it!” Do what you need to do in my life to show me that you are who you say you are. It was a simple prayer like this that changed my life forever!

My eyes began to open to all the times in my life’s past that God had sent people, situations, and protection, but I was too blind to see it. Oh, Jesus became very real to me! Over the next few months again and again He would send people across my path. These people had no idea what I had been praying privately, but He put them in my path to guide me to the love of Jesus Christ. Soon after I began to pray, He sent a Christian into my life and that person invited me to his church. It was there that I received the greatest gift anyone could ever give….Salvation! Since then I have dedicated my life to helping people just like you find the very person we are all truly searching for. Speaking from experience I can say, it’s true that we often try everything else and yet still come up empty. You might be thinking, could it really be that simple? If you’re seeking truth, the answer is yes!

Jesus really lived, He really died and He really rose again, so that you could have something so much better than religion. You can have a life changing relationshipo with Him!

Take a moment and pray with all your heart, and ask Jesus to forgive you and your sins and set your feet on the path to an amazing life with Him. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

Blessings: Cole

April 20, 2019No comments,