LifeSpring Sermon Blog

A Wedding and a Banquet

David Lose calls this parable "an ugly parable" for good reason.  It has wedding invitees that turn down the king's invitation to his son's wedding banquet, violence, distruction of a city, and kicking a poor man out of the banquet who actually accepted the invitation.  The sermon explores what is going on in another one of Jesus' parables.  This one was addressed to the Jewish religious leaders who had rejected Jesus.

Lost Sheep

This sermon comes from Jesus' parable about a shepherd who leaves 99 sheep, safely pastured, to go find one lost sheep.  Listeners would have seen the believed the shepherd in the story to be foolish for putting the 99 at risk.  Whch helped drive home Jesus' major point about the importance of a single person in the mind of Christ. The sermon explores the way Jesus regarded the "little one."

Setting Priorities

In Matthew 13:44-46 Matthew recounts the two parables that Jesus told about "treasure" that people found and spent their whole wealth in order to possess.  It's a stunning idea, and Jesus connects it to the value of the Kingdom of God.  Those who recognize the wealth of the kingdom go on to sell everything to possess it.  As a result we have the stories today of Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, and a host of other people who went on to give their lives for the work of God.  That is this the concern of this week's sermon.

Sin and the Lord's Prayer

This sermon completes the Lord's Prayer series.  It looks at the last two phrases in the prayer, "forgive us our sins" and "lead us not into the time of trial."  The sermon emphasizes the way in which a forgiveness ethos is characteristic of the kingdom of God.

Praying for Bread

This sermon looks at the third concern of the Lord's Prayer - daily bread.  It looks at the role that bread plays throughout the Bible and asks what the implications are of a disciple of Jesus caring about bread for others and not merely for self.

Thy Kingdom Come

This sermon is the second in the current series about the Lord's Prayer.  This sermon looks at Jesus' prayer for God's Kingdom to come and for His will to be done on earth in the same way it is done in heaven.

Our Father

This sermon begins a 4-week series on the Lord's Prayer from Matthew 6:7-15.  The sermon lays a foundation for the remainder of the series as well as examining the opening phrase of the prayer, "Our Father....hallowed be thy name."
For resources mentioned in the sermon go to our website to find two printable documents.
The Lord's Prayer as a model for Your Prayers.
Prayer Beads and the Lord's Prayer.

Lustful Eyes

This sermon looks at a second of the "antitheses," that section of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus repeatedly said, "You have heard it was said.....but I say to you."  In each of these antitheses Jesus explains that God's right intentions regarding the commands had been perverted.  Today's sermon explores, "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery,' but I say to you, don't even lust."

Simmering Anger

The text for this sermon come from Matthew 5:21-26 and is the opening of a section of the Sermon on the Mount called the "antecedents" because Jesus repeatedly says, "You have heard it said before that...." followed by Jesus' expostion of what God's real and true intention was vastly different than what the religious leaders were saying.  Today's sermon examines the issue of simmering anger.  "You have heard it said that you shall not kill, BUT I say to you, don't even be angry with your brother (simmering anger) or call him a moron."

A City on A Hill

This sermon comes from Matthew 5:13-16 and is the place where Jesus says to his disciples, "You and you alone are salt and light."  The sermon looks at how being salt and light reshapes a person's life in their discipleship to Jesus.  By being salt and light we bring glory and praise to God.  This is our divine purpose.