Brian's Sermons

Philippians 1:12-30 In the last two weeks of our study of Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi, we have gotten all the way through the introduction and prayer. Today we will dive into the body of the letter. As we do, remember that Paul didn’t write this letter to right some kind of wrong; he is writing to thank them for their gift and to encourage them during a time of struggle. When you’re struggling, you’ll find that there are several kinds of people. The first kind really doesn’t care. They are simply self-absorbed. They say, “How are you doing?” and when you start to answer, they wait until you take a breath and interrupt to tell you their own story of woe. There are the well-meaning people who just don’t have the words to say to encourage you, but they feel like they need to say something anyway. They are the ones who you thought were your friends and then they say something so insensitive that you can’t believe anyone would say it, let alone a Christian friend. ...

Philippians 1:3-11 I’m not really a collector or a saver – moving as often as we do, I know better than to try to save too much stuff . But one thing I do save – this I keep in a drawer in my desk, usually down to the left where it’s easy to access. It is a stack of letters, each of them encouraging. I am so encouraged when I see someone move from being a skeptic to a believer. I am so encouraged when I see someone who is a “pew sitter” become involved in ministry, sharing Jesus with others in real ways. As a pastor, part of the pain of moving is not getting to see the progress continue. We are in our second week looking at Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi, a letter most of us have come to know simply as “Philippians.” The church in Philippi was very special to Paul. It was during Paul’s second missionary journey when he met Timothy and invited him to come along with him. In Acts 16, we read that while they travelled, Paul had a vision in which a man from Macedonia beg...

Philippians 1:1-2 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all of God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons; Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. When I was a senior in high school, I received a strange letter in the mail. Those were the days when mail carriers still brought something other than bills and circulars and announcements that “you are pre-approved” for “our plan to drive you into deeper debt” and other such junk mail. The thing that made this letter strange was that I recognized the writing on the envelope, but I couldn’t place it. There was no return address, but the writing was so familiar that I just knew I had seen it before. I just wondered: Who is this letter from?* When we read Greco-Roman letters, they make this matter a little easier; the writer identifies himself at the outset of the letter. So we know that Paul and Timothy wrote it. Paul was Timothy’s mentor ...

John 20:24-29 Every year around this time, back in Millersport, the local newspaper was always interesting to read. They would go to every length to write an April Fools’ Day cover story that would be both believable and audacious at the same time. One year they wrote a story claiming that Buckeye Lake was being sold and marketed as a party lake with floating bars everywhere and even the possibility of a new “clothing optional” island being built ( http://buckeyelakebeacon/news/2009-03-28/front_page/001.html ). NBC4 out of Columbus picked up on the story and gave it more credence by doing a live spot on location. Now, if you read the whole article, it got more and more unbelievable, to the point where, at the end of the article, they publicized a town-hall meeting at a non-existent middle school where they were offering “free beer.” Yet there were some who fell for the joke, hook, line, and sinker. “This can’t be true! But I read it in the paper, so it must be true…” Aside from...