Category Archives: Sermons

What to Look for in a Minister (1 Thessalonians 2:1-12)

Posted on June 28, 2023 by salooper57

Imagine that you are a first century citizen of the great, free city of Thessalonica. You are from a land-holding family, you have money, status, and leisure—none of which ordinary folk have in any measure. Your friends are all from … Continue reading →

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Signs, Signs, Everywhere a Sign: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Posted on June 18, 2023 by salooper57

Many of us have been taught to think of “work” as a theologically dirty word. Work is what people do who don’t know Christ and are trying to bribe their way into heaven. But notice that Paul does not see faith and work as opponents but as friends. Faith produces work, as surely as fire produces heat, Congress produces deficits, and the Detroit Tigers produce disappointment. Continue reading →

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First Stone in an Avalanche

Posted on June 13, 2023 by salooper57

Easter celebrations frequently focus on the fact that we will continue to live after we die. As true as that is, it’s important to realize that most people believed that before Jesus rose from the dead. They believed that humans … Continue reading →

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A Fruitful Fiasco: Introduction to 1 Thessalonians

Posted on June 11, 2023 by salooper57

This introduction to 1 Thessalonians (the series is titled, Hopeful) goes back to Acts 17, where Luke narrates the exciting story of Paul’s arrival in – and hasty departure from – Thessalonica. We will look at the background of the … Continue reading →

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Your Labor in the Lord Is Not in Vain (1 Cor. 15:58)

Posted on June 4, 2023 by salooper57

Kevin Looper shows us why the work we do in the Lord is worthwhile.

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Forgiveness: Doing What Cannot Be Done

Posted on May 21, 2023 by salooper57

Jesus said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks will come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and to be thrown into the … Continue reading →

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How to Do What Can’t Be Done (Philippians 4)

Posted on May 14, 2023 by salooper57

Some of the things that need to be done to make our relationships healthy are things we cannot do. But they are things we could do if we learned how to live “in the Lord.” The New Testament uses that … Continue reading →

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Here Comes the Bride: The Church as the Bride of Christ

Posted on May 7, 2023 by salooper57

Many of us (I suspect this is especially true of men) have trouble connecting with the image of the church as a bride. But this is, perhaps, the richest of all biblical metaphors of the church. It is full of … Continue reading →

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Church as Temple and Priesthood (1 Peter 2:4-10)

Posted on April 30, 2023 by salooper57

Melissa Highsmith was kidnapped by a babysitter when she was just 22 months old. Her kidnapper changed her name and raised her as her own in the city where she was born, but Melissa never had an inkling about her … Continue reading →

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Alien Residents (1 Peter 2:11-12)

Posted on April 23, 2023 by salooper57

In 1 Peter 2:11, Peter calls the people of Jesus “foreigners and exiles.” They have green cards. They’re here on work and student visas. It is not their ambition to settle down, though if they can make this a better … Continue reading →

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