Sermons on Power
Troubling Truth | Acts 17:1-9
Pastor Ron introduces us to Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica as he begins a new sermon series entitled “A Better Life Now”. Discussion Questions 1. Suffering and Death were great hurdles or obstacles for the Jews to believe Jesus was Messiah. What are some of the common hurdles or obstacles for people today to believe Jesus is who He says He is? 2. How does the gospel trouble you? 3. Jealousy was a problem here. (Note: Prov.14:30; James 3:16: Mark 7:22)…
The Highest Court | Acts 25:1-22 (When we face injustice)
Have you ever faced injustice? Have you ever been treated unfairly? Maybe a boss mistreated you at work, or a family member or friend did not treat you right. Maybe you can think of a family member or friend who has experienced injustice. My dad told me the story of how he was let go from his job for something he had not done, and it was painful for him. Maybe you’ve faced something similar. As we look at the…
Part 8. “S” – Speak Prophetically | Amos 5:21-24
On the morning of Thursday, February 3rd, 1994, a room of political and religious elite gathered in the ballroom of a swanky hotel in downtown Washington DC. Members of Congress were there, as was the President and Vice President, Bill Clinton and Al Gore, Hilary too. But there was also someone there you might not expect, Mother Teresa. An 83-year-old nun from India, Mother Teresa had spent a lifetime caring for the poor and needy in the slums of Calcutta,…
Part 1. A Vision of Flourishing | Genesis 1-3 (Faith & Politics Sermon Series)
If you were to describe our nation’s political landscape, how would you depict it? Would you describe amber waves of grain and a fruited plain like America the Beautiful sings? Or maybe more likely, you would describe a barren desert with a tumbleweed blowing by, a snake slithering under a rock, and a lone cactus. I imagine most of us today feel politics are more like a desert than a field of wheat. But what if, as you were looking…
Power Part 2. Economic Power | Acts 19:23-41 (riot at Ephesus)
“Power is the ability to make something of the world.” Paul first introduces religious power in Acts 19 when he is in Ephesus. As Paul was doing ministry there God, was doing something powerful. Acts 19:11-12 (ESV) 11 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. God was doing amazing things…
Power Part 1. Religious Power | Acts 19:11-22 (The Sons of Sceva)
Anglican theologian N. T. Wright tells the story of one of Britain’s most promising political leaders in the 1960s, George Brown. When he was a young man, [George Brown] said, he knew that things had to be changed. British society was in a mess; someone needed to get to the levers of power and make things happen, make things different. So he went into politics. But in local politics, even once he’d been elected to council office, he discovered that…
An Upside-Down Church | Acts 17:1-9
My wife and I watched the Broadway Musical Hamilton last summer on Disney+. All the songs are brilliant, but I was reminded of one of them as I thought about today’s sermon. Have you heard the one about the battle of Yorktown? Washington is trying to defeat General Cornwallis, and he sends Lafayette and Alexander Hamilton to capture two key positions. In the musical, as they’re going into battle, they sing about what they’re trying to accomplish. They’re trying to…
Wise Words | Proverbs 18:21
On a Podcast I listened to recently one of the speakers talked about barnacles. Did you know that the U.S. Navy reports Barnacles can slow down nuclear-powered ships by as much as 40%? Barnacles diminish the arrow-dynamics of boats, get inside engines, add weight on the hull, and can even crack the hull with smaller vessels. Barnacles expand and breed constantly and the navy spends $500 million a year to scrape barnacles off ships. Are your words the nuclear energy…
Politics | Jeremiah 29:4-14 (Faithful Presence)
Today I’m preaching on politics. I was just at my fourth Ockenga retreat at Gordon-Conwell and this was our topic. My goal today is not to convince you to vote for a candidate or issue or to review this week’s news but to help us all process how the Bible calls believers to think about politics. Today’s sermon is not comprehensive, but hopefully you’ll find it helpful, or at least thought-provoking. If you want to have a friendly conversation about…
Just Power | Micah 3
When you think of “power” what do you think of? The pink energizer bunny? Your local power station? Powerade? Maybe you think of superheroes and villains each have a power they can wield to either help or hurt humanity. Maybe you think of your boss or the President. Each one has power. What is power? Is power the strongest person in the room? Is power violence? Power can mean a lot of things but when I say power today I’m…