Thoughtful Reflections on Faith and Life
Introduction As I begin my last sermon as your pastor, let me take you back to what was almost my last sermon ever. It was almost thirty years ago. I was in seminary and was doing a placement as part of my Field Education. In general, I was a very nervous public speaker. This was … Read More “A Great Choice” »
Galatians 5:13-15 Introduction What is real Christianity? How would you answer that? I have heard many Christians accuse other Christians of being fake Christians. I, myself have been accused of being a fake Christian. Usually this happens when a person becomes extremely passionate about a certain aspect of the faith, so much so, that they … Read More “A Great Commandment” »
Galatians 4:21-31 Introduction A number of years ago, I was able to track down who my birth father was. For many people, that might be a traumatic event, but I found it to be a great adventure. Although he was dead, I was able to at least know who my birth family were. The highlight … Read More “A Great Lineage” »
Galatians 4:8-20 Introduction I want you to think of people who have had the most impact on you. It may be a pastor or a teacher or an employer. It could even have been someone in the community who had a public presence and you looked up to them. How did they carry themselves in … Read More “A Great Transparency” »
Galatians 3:19-29 Introduction I want you to think about different jobs that you have had over your lifetime. What did it look like when you would first show up to work? What that looked like may or may not depend on how long you had been in that position. There are two scenarios in particular … Read More “A Great Transition” »
Galatians 3:1-14 Introduction How do you respond when you get frustrated, especially when you get frustrated with a person? There are all sorts of things that people do. Some people bite their lip so they do not say something they might regret. Some people go for a run or do some other exercise to blow … Read More “A Great Example” »
Galatians 2:15-21 Introduction You receive a phone call or an email by someone telling you that they are giving you a brand new car. Not only are they giving you that car, they are paying for your insurance, all car maintenance, and even the gas for as long as you own that car. They tell … Read More “A Great Offer” »
Galatians 2:11-14 Introduction One of the virtues that is universally respected is that of courage. Of course there are different kinds of courage. For example, it takes some courage to eat a pepper that you know will be extremely hot. You know there is pain on the other side but you choose to do it … Read More “A Great Courage” »
Galatians 2:1-10 Introduction On January 1, 1942, the Grand Alliance was formed. This was an alliance between Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union. The beginning of the war was Britain and France against Germany. Unfortunately, France was defeated leaving Britain only supported by her Commonwealth. In June, 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union … Read More “A Great Cooperation” »
Galatians 1:11-24 Introduction One of the genres of books that I enjoy reading is that of biography. Sometimes it is a biography of a pastor or theologian, sometimes a military leader, sometimes a politician. Have you ever wondered what qualifies someone to have a biography written about them? Of course we are all free to … Read More “A Great Story (That Glorifies God)” »
Galatians 1:6-10 Introduction One of the most popular online activities for many people these days is watching short videos, whether they are TikToks or Instagram reels or YouTube shorts. The actual content of these short videos can vary but some of the most popular videos are of people doing very stupid things. You can watch … Read More “The Great Atonishment” »
Galatians 1:1-4 Introduction Today we start a new series, one on Paul’s letter to the Galatians. I have some great fondness toward this letter. It is possibly Paul’s earliest letter and even the earliest Christian writing that we have. But beyond all of that, this letter gets to the heart of the gospel. Paul was … Read More “The Great Rescue” »
Galatians 5:22-23 Introduction What would you rather be? Good or great? We think of historical figures such as Alexander the Great, Alfred the Great, Peter the Great, Catherine the Great. Who were the historical figures who were just good? A number of years ago, there was a very popular leadership book that was called From … Read More “Being Good” »
Galatians 5:22-26, James 5:7-11 Introduction As we look at each of the fruit of the Spirit, I want you to imagine them for a moment as purely human virtues to work at rather than a work of God. All of these would be difficult to accomplish, but I think patience would be one of the … Read More “Waiting For Patience” »
Galatians, 2 Corinthians 13:10-12 Introduction The next section for the fruit of the Spirit is that of peace. Peace. That is something that is on many people’s minds right now. We have seen this on the global scene. The United States has been trying to bring about peace in the Ukraine-Russia war. But the peace … Read More “Living in Peace” »
2 Corinthians 8:1-2 Introduction Have you ever wondered what people will say about you after you die? After the funeral, while they are drinking coffee and eating egg salad sandwiches, they will say something like: “He/she was a very ________ person.” While we can not be boiled down to just one characteristic, there is probably … Read More “Overflowing With Joy” »
Colossians 3:13-15 Introduction We are beginning a new series on the fruit of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5. This passage is pretty amazing. Paul pushes back against a Christian faith that is purely rules-based. What Paul argues about in Galatians is that the Christian life, instead of being about obedience to a certain … Read More “Be Clothed in Love” »
Galatians 1:11-24 Introduction I am always amazed at the diversity of personalities among people. Two of the categories that exist are those who are easy going and who are able to agree to disagree, and those who have very strong convictions and exclaim: “Here I stand, I can do no other.” Of course these are … Read More “Learning From Paul” »
Galatians 4:4-7 Introduction There are people who will say that they have attended church, had a bad experience, and never want to go to a church again. I do not want to minimize that bad experience and churches need to come to terms with the fact that people do experience church trauma. I would only … Read More “You Mean I’m Adopted?” »
Galatians 3:27-29 Introduction We have been going through the Queen Street Baptist Church mission statement. I made the strange decision to go through it backwards. That seems strange because it would seem that one builds on the other, with the easier parts first and the harder parts later. So being welcoming is relatively easy but … Read More “A Welcoming Community” »
A devotion based on Galatians 1:6-7. These verses are key to the entire letter to the Galatians. Paul was upset the Galatians were considering abandoning the true Gospel of God. The Gospel that Paul preached was that people can become Christians through the grace of God, apart from any rules or rituals. After Paul left the … Read More “Devotions: Galatians” »
I have been studying Galatians came across one of the most interesting passages in the Bible: “You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other … Read More “Cutting Off False Teaching” »
Galatians 5:16-26 Introduction What should the Christian life look like? That is not an easy question to answer and every tradition has struggled with it. I can see this in my own church background. I grew up in a church where there were no expectations about lifestyle or behavior. There were no sermons about what … Read More “The Fruit of the Spirit” »
This sermon was preached on Oct. 3 2010 at Woodford Baptist and First Baptist Church Meaford. A Unique Gospel Galatians 1:6-9 Introduction What would it take for you to want to curse someone? Perhaps for some people it would be as simple as getting stuck behind a slow driver when you are in a hurry. … Read More “A Unique Gospel” »
