Sermons on Relationships (Page 2)
The Heart | Proverbs 4:23
Have you ever had one of those moments where you’re listening to a teaching or reading or watching a documentary and something “clicks” in your mind? You finally “get it” and the way you think has changed? Maybe it’s a radical “paradigm shift” or just a “aha moment.” Something is different. I had one of moments this fall when I began reading Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp. This is a book on parenting, but he starts with the…
Family | Proverbs 23:22-25
For our Christmas series this year—Wisdom for the Holidays—I’ve extended our time in Proverbs. I’ve done this because we could all use a little help navigating a fun but sometimes difficult time of year. The first week I spoke on gifts, the second week on drinks, and this week I’m talking about family. For many of us, spending time with family, whether our nuclear family (immediate)—parents and children—or our extended family—in-laws, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc—is a big part of…
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…
The Wrong Path – Adultery | Proverbs 5:1-23; 6:20-35; 7:1-27
Adultery may feel right but it leads to terrible consequences. Understand what’s so tempting about it, how we can avoid it, and why we can be forgiven through Jesus Christ.
A New Society | Ephesians 6:1-9
Have you ever received a letter from someone that was 4 or 5 pages? What do you do? You read it right? Most of us would read the whole letter. We would never just read one paragraph each week for 12 weeks. The book of Ephesians is a letter. The problem is that we have taken many weeks to study it and sometimes we get lost in the details and lose track of the main point. So, today, before…
Marriage Part 2: Husbands | Ephesians 5:25-33
Today we are finishing our two-part series on marriage. Last week I spoke to the wives and this week I’m speaking to the husbands. If you missed last week, I’d encourage you to go back and listen to it because tonight’s sermon is half the story. Even if you’re not a wife, it’s helpful to understand the wife’s role, or if you’re not married how you can encourage your married friends or prepare for marriage. Husbands, I’d encourage you to…
Marriage Part 1: Wives | Ephesians 5:21-24
Today’s sermon is the first part of a two part-series out of Ephesians on marriage. This week I’m talking to wives and next week I’m talking to husbands. All I have to say to wives is that you’re awesome. The end… I’m just kidding, but when I told my plan to several Cornerstone women about preaching on wives one week and husbands the next I could tell it made them each a little nervous. But if you think you’re nervous.…
The Certain Gospel: Divorce & Remarriage | Luke 16:18
I think I’m a bit naive. When I chose preaching on divorce and remarriage this week I thought it would be an easy sermon. I mean I’m preaching on one verse, right? How hard can it be? Don’t the majority of pastors and scholars agree about what the Bible has to say on divorce and remarriage? No they do not. The more I studied this topic the more I realized I don’t know, but I’m still going to try and…
The Certain Gospel: Eat, Drink, Talk | Luke 5:27-32
The first sermon I can remember on Jesus eating and drinking with sinners was at the first church-planter’s conference I attended. In March 2013, I attended the Nineveh Project, which was the 4C’s (our denomination’s) church planting conference. It was in Revere Massachusetts and I went because Monica and I had taken a class on church planting the previous summer. I met the Conference Minister Ron Hamilton there and he told me he heard Monica and I studied Westford in…
How He Prayed: He Prayed for Us | John 17:20-26
Do any of you have friends who have an in-home camera? You can buy some of them that connect to an app on your phone. I want you to imagine for a moment that on Black Friday you purchased the SpaceTime 2000 NestCam with a crystal clear picture and audio feed. You install it in the ceiling-corner of your dining room. It works great, but one day when you tune to check in on Fido, you see a different scene.…
What We Believe: Sin & Mankind | Genesis 1:26-27; 3:8-9
Bernie shared a little story with me this week about a farmer who never wanted to go to church, in spite of being asked by his wife over and over again. One day, when his wife was just too tired to go, he decided to make her happy by going to the service. When he got back, his wife asked, “How was it?” The man replied, “Good.” So she asked, “What did the pastor preach on?” He answered, “Sin.” She…
Gently Restore | Matthew 5:23-24, 18:15-20
Today I want us each to recall to mind a relationship we have trouble with. I want us to think of the name of an individual, a person, who we are currently in conflict with, or have been in conflict with before. Think of a family member you love but keep fighting with, a neighbor you keep arguing with, a coworker or supervisor you can’t work with, or a brother or sister in Christ who just rubs you the wrong…