Sermons by Michael Howell (Page 8)
Michael Howell
You’re invited!
Luke 14:1-24 People make all kinds of excuses for refusing to accept Jesus. In the Parable of the Great Banquet, Jesus shows us that unless we accept him, we will never eat at the great banquet in the kingdom of God. We’re all invited. But will we be there? It all depends on how we respond to Jesus.
The Greatest Treasure
Matthew 13:44-46 Jesus tells two stories to teach us that life forever with God through Jesus is the most precious thing in the whole world. If we really believe this is true, we’ll be willing to give up everything to get what Jesus offers us.
The Parable of the Four Soils
Matthew 13:1-23 The parable of the soils challenges us to ask the question, “which soil am I?” How do we respond to Jesus and his word? Is my heart fertile soil for Jesus’ words?
Blessed Assurance
Romans 4:13-25 Because our justification rests entirely on grace, we can be sure that we are right before God. This assurance changes everything. It gives us a secure identity, it frees us from having to find assurance elsewhere, and it gives us true joy!
No Boasting
Romans 3:27-4:12 Paul continues his argument that all human beings can only be made right with God by faith in Christ, pointing to Abraham, whose faith was “credited to him as righteousness.” Because our righteousness does not depend on our works, boasting is excluded.
Samson
Judges 13-16 In this message, we explore Samson’s life in five “episodes.” We see a man with incredible strength, but who is otherwise, impulsive, self-centred and vengeful. Samson’s story causes us to ask some serious questions of ourselves. Above all, Samson points us to Jesus, the far better Saviour, who in his weakness delivers us from our great enemies.
No one righteous
Romans 3:1-20 Paul concludes his long charge against humanity, showing that all are under the power of sin. This text leaves us feeling the weight of our sin and our need for Jesus, who alone can make us right with God.
A Mighty Warrior?
Judges 6-8 We can learn from Gideon’s story at two levels. When we look at Gideon the warrior, we see how God taught this weak man lessons about God’s presence, promises and power, before using him to deliver God’s people. But when we look at Gideon the worshipper, we see a man who failed miserably, leading God’s people to worship foreign gods rather than the one true God. From here, things only get worse for God’s people.
A new day dawns
John 20:11-18 John’s Gospel records Mary Magdalene’s encounter with the risen Jesus. Today, we reflect on the significance of what Mary saw, heard and said that first Easter Sunday, and celebrate, with Mary, this fact – Jesus has risen!
Worshiping created things
Romans 1:18-32 Why does every single human being need to put their trust in Jesus? In Romans 1-3, Paul answers this question. He proves that true righteousness can only come through faith in Christ. Today we look at part one of his argument – the messed up state of our world is proof that we have suppressed the truth about God and that he is angry at sin.
The right(?) man for the job
Judges 3:12-30 The story of Ehud is designed to make us laugh, especially at the cartoonish king of Moab, Eglon. And yet even as we laugh, we’re also forced to think, about our greatest problem, our unlikely deliverer and our mighty God, who laughs at those who stand opposed to him (Ps. 2:4)
God’s good news
Romans 1:1-7 In Paul’s greeting to the church at Rome, we learn about Paul’s message and his mission. Listen as we think about why Paul wrote Romans and why it is such an important letter for us to read today.