Category Archives: Sermons

The One Who Is Able (Ephesians 3:14-21)

Posted on September 17, 2023 by salooper57

This message was preached in March of 2020, during the pandemic. It celebrates God’s power and his love. I hope you will be encouraged by Paul’s great prayer as you listen to this sermon. (Listening time: 20:10.) Feel free to … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Faith, Prayer, Sermons | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Finally, Brothers and Sisters (2 Corinthians 13:11)

Posted on September 10, 2023 by salooper57

Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. I want to remind you of something we learned a couple of weeks ago. … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Church, Church Life, Encouragement, Sermons, Spiritual life | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Vital Attraction (Titus 2:9-10)

Posted on September 3, 2023 by salooper57

In Leviticus 19:2, God says to his people, “Be holy for I, the LORD your God, am holy.” More than one famous Bible scholar has pointed out this could be translated, “Be different for I, the LORD your God, am different.” Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Mission, Sermons | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Church Member’s Checklist (1 Thessalonians 5:12-15)

Posted on August 20, 2023 by salooper57

Repair admonishment do not happen as often as they should, or as often as God intends, in the contemporary church. We are not close enough, do not love each other enough, do not trust each other enough to admonish. If someone does admonish, the usual result is anger, division, and departure. So, we cannot start with admonishment. We must start with love, intimacy, and trust, and that takes time to develop. Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Church, Church Life, Sermons, Spiritual life | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

I Thessalonians 5:1-11- Don’t You Know?

Posted on August 13, 2023 by salooper57

I want to close by speaking to those who have used distrust and hatred to protect themselves. I know that you’ve had to protect yourself from some bad things. You didn’t choose distrust and hate; you were forced into it. But distrust and hate are killing you. There is another way. Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Encouragement, Sermons | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

How to Get Caught Up (1 Thess. 4:13-18)

Posted on August 6, 2023 by salooper57

Writers have used lots of ink and preachers have spoken millions of words to talk about “the rapture.” This is the passage behind all that teaching. Paul did not write this to satisfy people’s curiosity about what will happen in the future, but to encourage people in the present. Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Encouragement, Sermons | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why Have 40 Million Americans Stopped Attending Church?

Posted on August 5, 2023 by salooper57

A former youth pastor once said to me: “I’ve seen kids do well” – in terms of faith – “whose parents were genuine Jesus-followers. I’ve seen kids do well with addicted, abusive parents who don’t know God. But I’ve never seen kids do well whose parents talk like they’re Christians but live like they’re not.” Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Family, Mission, relationships, Sermons, Worldview and Culture | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mind Your Own Business (1 Thessalonians 4:9-12)

Posted on July 30, 2023 by salooper57

A recent survey found that only 21% of non-Christians have a positive attitude about the church. We won’t win those people unless we win their respect, and we won’t win their respect by mocking them on the one hand or mimicking them on the other. Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Lifestyle, relationships, Sermons | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

God on the Shelf (1 Thessalonians 4:1-8)

Posted on July 23, 2023 by salooper57

…we can do this without judging, belittling, or looking down on others, but that does not mean we can do this without being judged, belittled, and looked down on. Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Lifestyle, Sermons | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Good News Church (1 Thessalonians 3:6-13)

Posted on July 16, 2023 by salooper57

This leads to a question that each of us must answer for ourselves: Does my faith have holes in it? I think the answer is almost certainly, “Yes, it does.” But then we must discover where those holes are and what is causing them. Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Sermons, Spiritual life | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment