South Union Sermons

Bottom line: In due time Jesus will come again. We have God’s Word on it. In the mean time Jesus’ light will transform us. We have God’s Word for it.

Peter gave firsthand eyewitness testimony of his seeing the coming glory of Jesus in his kingdom when Peter saw Jesus on the Mt. of Transfiguration. He then tells his readers that we have an even more sure word than his eyewitness testimony. We have God's Word on it. We have a "more sure word of prophecy." It is "for sure" Jesus is coming again. And we are "more sure" because God has given us His Word on it. In the mean time, we need to keep our eyes on the Daystar (Jesus) and let Him transform us in heart, mind, and soul.

Bottom line: Leading your family in light of perilous times starts with the “but yous.”

Paul told Timothy several times, "But you, Timothy..." He instructed Timothy (and it's good instruction for us) to 1) Steer clear of the false, 2) Stick close to the model of the faithful, and 3) Stay committed to the Word.

If we are to establish or grow churches, if we are to make an impact on our communities, if we are to change eternity, it will be one person at a time, one life at a time. It is people that are near and dear to the heart of God.

What does it mean that Jesus received sinners and he ate with them?

1. Jesus was not afraid of people’s sin.

2. Jesus knew the sins of people, and He was not afraid to be touched by them.

3. He did not care about popular opinion or reputation.

Bottom Line: To a fan the things of God are optional, but to a follower they are how we live so that we may preach the gospel to the world.

Do we talk a good game when it comes to our commitment to Jesus or do we truly follow? As Tony Evans says, "[Jesus] calls you to be his follower right now, where you are, with whatever you have - not later, somewhere else, with a little bit more."

Bottom line: Apply wisdom to your timing so that you can make the most of the time you spend before it comes to an end.

Life has neither a pause button nor a rewind button, so make the most of the time that God has allotted to you. Time is your most valuable asset. It is infinitely more valuable than money. Don’t waste it, lose it, or abuse it. And when it comes to time you cannot make it or save it. You can only spend it and invest it; walk wisely in this world making the most of your time.

Bottom line: Honestly answering the question, “What is the wise choice?”, leads to better results.

When we make better decisions, we live with fewer regrets. And when we make wise choices, we live with better results. We all want better results in life, marriage, finances, careers, etc., so let's commit to asking, answering, and honestly doing the answer to the question: What is the wise thing to do? And while we're asking, let's evaluate the source of our wisdom. Is it from above or from below? The source of our wisdom will determine whether it is actually wise in God's eyes or not.

Bottom line: You and I were created for the purpose of pointing others to Christ.

Purpose isn't out there waiting for you. God already gave it to you. Purpose is less about what we do professionally and more about stepping into the person God created us to be.
No job can ever truly fulfill our deep desires to make a difference in the world or to find meaning in our days. Only Jesus can fulfill that.

Moms are awesome and influential. But here is one thing we must know: our mom’s faith is not a surrogate or a substitute for our own faith. She may be influential in us trusting Jesus for ourselves personally, but her faith can’t be our faith.

Why can we trust and believe in Jesus? Because we have historical reasons, scriptural reasons, spiritual reasons, and testimonial reasons. Since we have ample reason to believe and trust, let's trust Him as Savior and live out that faith in such a way that we extend the "baton of faith" to the next generation.

Bottom line: We overcome or avoid spiritual complacency when we do it again, i.e. seek God with our whole heart.

In the story of King Asa, we see his complacency when he seeks what God can give him, e.g. peace, healing, etc., instead of seeking God. This is the zone the spiritually complacent live in - seeking the things and blessings that God can give instead of seeking the God who can give the blessings. To overcome or avoid spiritual complacency we must submit to, draw near to, and humble ourselves before God. When we do that He lifts us out of the rut of spiritual complacency.

Bottom line: When we seek God with our whole heart we find Him.

Is it possible that our testimony could be “Once lost, now found” (i.e. found by God) but somehow now in our lives we feel like we have lost God, i.e. we’re not as close as we once were, we go through the motions, but the sense that God is near, close, at hand, intimate, etc. just isn’t there?

Finding God in revival, closeness, intimacy, etc. means that we let go of and turn away from our idols and sin, renew our place at the altar (who is Jesus), and seek Him with our whole self in worship, prayer, and His Word.