Sermons by “Rev. John R. Larson”
I Am the Lord
But there is a solution to a world where uncertainty rules about what comes next. There is a solution to a world where darkness and light battle. There is a solution to lives where the temptation to be destroyed seems so delectable. The solution is God. Into every hopeless situation and cunning deception, God shows Himself present.
View SermonLet’s Talk
You are treasured and cherished. The heart of God in the sending of Jesus, His great sacrifice and complete victory, tells us that we are never an afterthought. His love doesn’t come to us when it is convenient for Him or He’ll get to us when He can fit in the time. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” is first seen in what Jesus has done for us.
View SermonTaking Hold
Take hold of Christ. He gives you a new identity. In faith He makes you whole. Paul says, “Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.” (II Corinthians 3:5) In our reading, Paul says, “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” (Philippians 3:12b) Grab His death and know that by that death your life is new and clean and restored. Lay hold of His resurrection. Just as Jesus lives forever so you too will live forever. You have a new identity. You are His.
View SermonWhat’s So Great About Jesus?
It is when you and I know the intense weight of our sin that we hunger to find the answer of “What’s so great about Jesus?” When we know that we have not been the holy people of God, that we have let the devil have his way with us, when we are filled with guilt and remorse over poor decisions and sinful actions, we want to know if Jesus is great enough to deal with our failure.
It is when we are struggling and fearful, when we are anxious and afraid and we don’t want to even see what is going to come our way tomorrow that we have to know if Jesus is great enough to deal with our fears.
When our life is on the decline and it becomes apparent that our life on earth, and our time with our family and friends is coming to a close and we are going to die, we truly want to know what is really so great about Jesus.
View SermonHell is for Accountants
Grace goes beyond mere equality. Grace looks for the opportunity, the right moment. Grace reaches out to love, not just equally, but rather to love extravagantly. All through life we should be wonderfully surprised by God who is generous to us now and forever.
View SermonThe Hardest Thing You’ll Ever Do
The hardest thing that you’ll ever do is also the best thing you’ll ever do. The hardest thing is forgiveness. And the best thing is forgiveness. The word forgiveness means “to release”. It is just the opposite of keeping. You don’t bear a grudge. You don’t keep the anger and bitterness growing. You do the hardest thing that you can ever do – you forgive. You release that grudge, that hatred, that anger, that pain, and forgive another for what they have done. You’ll be free again. Your life will have peace. St. Paul, treated very poorly by quite a few people in his life wrote, “Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong.” (I Thessalonians 5:15)
View SermonGod’s Little Ones
Do you want to be great? Do you want a place in heaven? Then your confession of your need for God has to be your foundation. I can’t fix myself, and you can’t either. I can’t make my life right. I can’t clean up the mess that I’ve made. I’m broken. I’m mortal. I’m a child. I need a Savior. I need Someone who can fix, heal, clean and make me immortal. Jesus takes a child and puts them right in the middle and says, “Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” It is like when Jesus says in John 3, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” (Verse 3) To get into God’s reign you have to start over.
View SermonGetting It All Wrong, Or…
Pastor Ginkel, in that same e-mail that mentioned Gerideane, had this little word of wisdom: 1,000 years from now…
…it will not matter at all whether
You lived in a mansion or a shed; You ate steak or cold cuts; You drove a Cadillac or an Escort; You had a doctorate or signed your name with an X
…what will matter a great deal is whether
You believed in Jesus as your Savior from sin; You remained faithful to Jesus until death; You witnessed to Jesus by word and deed; You earnestly prayed for souls and Kingdom growth.
View SermonGod’s Plea
Therefore!! What a little particle in the English language. He bases his plea on everything that he has said to this point. He built up his argument and then gives his appeal. If God is going to ask that you give yourself totally to Him then He, first, had to give Himself totally to you. He did. Jesus, willingly, sacrificially, gave Himself fully in body and mind and soul to you so that you would be God’s child. You would be forgiven and healed from all your soul-pain and that you would be certain of life on earth and life in heaven because Jesus gave His life for you. Therefore is a great word. It tells us about Jesus and what He has done.
View SermonTo Us? To Him!
The motive, I hope, is not self-glory, but love for others. I am asking you to support this project in many ways. I want you to be in prayer that this renovation would be used for decades to come so that children and youth and adults would come to a vibrant faith and would grow in that faith. I pray that as those who have skills in music and singing can grow in their love for God, they would share their enthusiasm and faith with us. Verses 14 and 15 of this psalm read, “May the Lord make you increase, both you and your children. May you be blessed by the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” The psalmist’s concern was for the hearer and for those coming later.
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