Sunday Sermons

Pastor Jerry answers some questions in this sermon on praise. (See Chapter 10 in Hear Me Now for how praising God was one mark of Jerry’s life.)

“Can we really trust God’s sovereignty and see his glory in difficulties, in hurtful relationships, and in life-altering events? Can Christ be exalted in life and in death?” Pastor Jerry answers these questions with a resounding “yes” and backs up his “yes” with a long list of Scriptures and a few family stories.

Pastor Jerry reminded listeners that the central, unchanging purpose of life is bringing glory to God. One life verse of Jerry’s was Ephesians 1:12: “…in order that we…in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.”

Being very open and vulnerable with the congregation was an important part of Pastor Jerry’s shepherding (see Chapter 7 in Hear Me Now). He shared his hardships and his joys. And one of his greatest joys was being a grandpa. The congregation got used to him regularly showing pictures of his grandkids. Very unapologetically, he also instituted the recognition of grandparents on Grandparent’s Day!

This sermon begins with him sharing his philosophy of being a grandparent. Then he begins a series in the book of 1 Kings, Chapter 12, when there was a divided kingdom in Israel. He reminds listeners that change happens all the time and asks three questions to guide us in making wise decisions during times of change.

Chapter 7 in Hear Me Now is about the mark of shepherding. One of the main ways Pastor Jerry shepherded Grace church was to preach about key truths he was learning as he followed Jesus, the Good Shepherd.

In this sermon Pastor Jerry shares his desire to be known as a man and pastor who was “full of grace and truth.” His key vision for Grace Church was that it would be a church “full of grace and truth.” He emphasized how God’s grace saves us, sustains us, and never runs out; and how God’s truth is absolute, infallible, and protective. Pastor Jerry taught over and over again through the years to humbly learn from Jesus, our perfect model of both grace and truth (John 1:14). As humans, he pointed out how we will tend to tilt toward either grace or truth, and he suggests practical helps on how we can work to develop a Christlike balance.

This Easter sermon is a classic example of how often Pastor Jerry said “hear me” or “hear me now” while preaching. It is also a notable example of his use of an object to illustrate his main idea (see Chapter 4 of Hear Me Now).

Everyone at church this Sunday received a small white flag when they entered the sanctuary. Jerry used it to illustrate the main idea of his sermon: surrender. After he detailed the reasons for surrender and the responses to surrender, he called for new believers and disciples to surrender to Jesus 100 percent and wave their white flag. Many congregants still have their flag as a reminder that surrendering to Jesus is the pathway to victory.

Chapter 6 in Hear Me Now is on humility. Weakness humbles us; it pushes us to the end of ourselves. Weakness can be physical, emotional, or just an overwhelming circumstance or task that God has allowed.

In this sermon, Pastor Jerry shares his weaknesses and some things he was learning including how to stop thinking like the world, how to embrace weaknesses, and how to experience God’s power in weakness. Jerry stated that there are two powers: the power of God through the Holy Spirit or the power of our own self-sufficiency.

Chapter 8 in Hear Me Now details the mark of leadership and is full of stories about how Pastor Jerry trained and sent out ordinary people to lead in the cause of Christ.

At the beginning of this sermon, Jerry briefly talks about two associate pastors who were preaching more frequently. Besides equipping these young leaders and providing preaching opportunities, Pastor Jerry also showed them how to deal with the pressures of leadership.

He wasn’t planning to preach this particular Sunday but admits that “this message is for me.” It came during a time when he was feeling extra pressure and needed to be refreshed, renewed, and sustained by drinking deeply of the living water of the Holy Spirit. He was the first to kneel and pray at the open altar of prayer this Sunday.

After a funny introduction based on football, Pastor Jerry switches to the serious subject of deception, false teaching, and the many ways Scripture is twisted in our world today. He explained how the Israelites were easily deceived by their neighbors, the Gibeonites, and how we can be easily deceived too. He provides examples of deception in our culture and how to uphold the absolute truth of God’s Word with love and respect.

“Hold in an intolerant way the absoluteness of truth, but do it in the aggressive practice of love,” Jerry said. This sermon is just one example of the many ways Pastor Jerry emphasized that we must love God and love our neighbor, documented in Chapter 5 of Hear Me Now.

This message begins a small, varied set of Pastor Jerry’s sermons that were preached over thirty years. (Some of these old cassette tapes recordings are not perfect, but the message is nevertheless clear.) Each message points to the extraordinary nature of God.

This sermon is part of a series titled “Journey With Jesus.” It was preached after a trip Pastor Jerry and his wife, Jane, made to Israel in 1997. The first chapter of Hear Me Now details Pastor Jerry’s developing years. He shares about a time in high school when he came face to face with the authority and divinity of Jesus. He was shaken and amazed at the claims of Christ. That day God called him to full-time, vocational ministry.

Pastor Jerry loved to preach at Easter. He called it the “Super Bowl for Christians.” This sermon continues to illustrate Jerry’s impactful preaching and teaching and his masterful use of easily remembered key phrases, words, and objects (see Chapter 4 in Hear Me Now).

The key word in this sermon was door: the open door of the empty tomb, the closed door of your life, and opening your life to the open door. This sermon also illustrates how unexpected disruptions can happen when you are preaching—even at Easter when the sanctuary is full to capacity, and there are many visitors! Pastor Jerry handled the unexpected disruption with humor and finished strong.