In Sermons: showing 16-30 of 72

Not What They Expected Series

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Dec 30, 2019

How much do you remember about John the Baptist? Camel hair clothing, locust diet, or loaner lifestyle? While those are memorable, John is arguably one of the most significant people in Jesus’ life and ministry. See how the unexpected surrounded John's birth.

While at the children’s hospital this summer in California, my wife Nikky and I were sitting in the atrium to the main entrance one day when I noticed a man in a black suit and an ear piece walking around. He was looking all over the place and talking to people. As I watched him I leaned over to ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:5-25, Luke 1:39-45, Luke 1:57-66, Luke 1:67-80

Denomination: Lutheran

Give Thanks Always?

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Dec 30, 2019

When will you give thanks? Our thankfulness is so often dependent upon the circumstances of our lives. Find a continual source of gratefulness in God and what he has and continues to do for you in Christ Jesus.

What do you see? Is the glass half empty or is the glass half full? The answer is, “Yes” since both are true. But we sometimes use that expression to describe a person’s outlook on life. Are you a glass-half-full kind of person – the optimist, OR are you a glass-half-empty kind of person, the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17

Denomination: Lutheran

The King Keeps His People Safe Series

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Dec 30, 2019

How can you be sure? When it comes to heaven, how can you be sure that you’re going to make it? Christ the King gives us the sure confidence that heaven awaits us as he turns us to the power of his love in the past, present and future.

How can I be sure? You’re looking at the sign that says “Best Price Guaranteed” but how can you really be sure? So you pull out your phone and go to Amazon just to make sure that you’re really getting what you were promised. You stand there looking at a car or a new appliance. You want to make ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:31-39

Denomination: Lutheran

Waiting And Ready For Heaven Series

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Dec 30, 2019

The dreaded waiting room - filled with anticipation and uncertainty. What if you could take away that uncertainty - knowing what the outcome was going to be? Great! That's what God does as we wait for heaven. He reveals the outcome and it's glorious!

Do you enjoy the waiting room? I’ve had a lot of experience in waiting rooms throughout the years. As nice and comfortable as hospitals and doctors’ offices attempt to make them, I don’t know of anyone who really looks forward to sitting in a waiting room. It is always a place filled with ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:18-30

Denomination: Lutheran

Judgment Day Reveals The Righteousness Of God Series

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Dec 30, 2019

If the guilty go free we call it a travesty, an injustice, unfair. Yet, the Bible says that on Judgment Day the guilty will go free? How can God do that? Is that fair or right? It’s because of God’s righteousness that guilty sinners go free on Judgment Day.

It just didn’t seem right or fair. The evidence of guilt was overwhelming. The witnesses had poured in one after another recounting firsthand of destructive and damaging conversations and actions. Fingerprints were found everywhere that clearly connected the person standing before the judge to ...read more

Scripture: Romans 2:1-16

Denomination: Lutheran

Right With God Through Faith In Jesus Series

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Dec 30, 2019

Are you good enough? Good enough parent? spouse? student? friend? How about in your relationship with God? Are you good enough? Discover the freeing truth of the gospel that proclaims that in Christ Jesus you are not just good enough, you're perfect!

Let’s see if you can finish this saying, “If at first you don’t succeed… try, try, try again.” Maybe you had a parent, a coach or a teacher that said something like to you, trying to encourage you not to give up on something that they thought you could or needed to learn to do – write your name, ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:16-17

Denomination: Lutheran

Praise The Lord! What? How? When?

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Dec 30, 2019

What does praise look like? We attach the word "praise" to types of music, styles of worship, and certain actions. But what does the Bible actually say about praise and how God's people praise him?

When you think of “praise,” what comes to mind? You might think of something that takes place in a church or in a worship service. Maybe you might think of certain actions. Maybe you’ve heard the joke about the woman who in the middle of the sermon stood up, lifted up her hands and said, “Praise ...read more

Denomination: Lutheran

Fighting A Losing Battle Or Fighting A Battle Already Won?

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Dec 30, 2019

Do you feel like you’re fighting a losing battle? Maybe you feel that way as a Christian especially when you look at the world around you which seems to b growing more and more defiant of what we believe and what the Bible teaches. Are we fighting a losing battle?

Do you ever feel like your fighting a losing battle? Maybe it’s the battle with a diet that as hard as you try it just don’t seem be helping you to loose any weight. Maybe it’s the battle with a teenager, trying to get them to put their dishes INTO the dishwasher not just BY the dishwasher. Or ...read more

Denomination: Lutheran

The Fork In The Road

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Dec 30, 2019

The “fork in the road” - decisions that we make - some of them seemingly insignificant and others monumental with lasting impact. Psalm 1 gives us two ways - one leads to destruction, the other to blessing, prosperity and righteousness. What is the path that leads to each?

Each day and throughout the day, we come to many forks in the road – decisions that we have to make. Many of those decisions are we might consider momentary. They won’t have a huge, long-lasting impact on our lives. But other forks are rather monumental because of the impact that they are going ...read more

Denomination: Lutheran

"all The Church Cares About Is Money." Series

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Oct 7, 2019

Money is powerful! The amount of money we have allows or prevents us from having or doing certain things. Jesus understand the power of money as a prime competitor for our hearts. The church echoes Jesus' warning as we see what he was willing to pay for our eternity.

We learn very early on in life that when you walk into a store and you see something that you would like to buy, what is one of the first things that you look at? You look at the price tag. You want to know how much money that thing is going to cost you and if you have enough money then to buy ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:19-33, 1 Timothy 6:9-11, 2 Corinthians 9:6-8

Denomination: Lutheran

"the Church Is A Bunch Of Hypocrites." Series

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Oct 7, 2019

People's experience with those in the church is often their first experience with Christianity. What are we to say when that experience was less than positive? How are we going to respond?

“I don’t mind Jesus, it’s his followers I can’t stand.” “You wouldn’t believe the way that I was treated when I went to that church.” “I’ve seen the way that Christians act when they’re not at church.” “The church is a bunch of hypocrites.” What’s your first reaction when you hear comments ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:1-5, Matthew 5:14-16, Mark 2:13-17

Denomination: Lutheran

"i Have More Important Things To Do Than Come To Church." Series

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Oct 7, 2019

Is church really worth our time? Our time is inherently valuable so we want to make sure that we are spending our time on things that have value. Is church one of them?

The 9-5, Monday-Friday, 40 hour per week, weekends off work week seems to be a thing of the past for many people. Various start times and shifts throughout the day and night, rotating schedules and “on call” demands have certainly redefined what a “normal” work week looks like. You combine that ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Matthew 10:28-39, Matthew 16:24-26

Denomination: Lutheran

"i Don't Get Anything Out Of Church." Series

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Oct 7, 2019

People come to church with certain expectations. But are those the expectations that God wants us to come with, or are they are our own expectations? See how God's promises far exceed our expectations for church.

“I don’t get anything out of it.” You’ve probably heard it as a reason for someone no longer going to church and maybe you’ve actually had the thought yourself. You walked out of church and thought, “I just don’t feel like I got anything out of it.” People come to church with certain ...read more

Scripture: Romans 10:14-17, Luke 18:15-17, Isaiah 55:8-11

Denomination: Lutheran

"you Don't Have To Go To Church To Be A Christian" Series

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Oct 7, 2019

This common reason for not coming to church shows two fundamental misunderstandings: 1) what is a Christian and 2) what is church. Help someone see that being a Christian means being part of a church.

People are not going to church as much as they used to. I could give you the statistics, but I don’t think that I need to because you’ve probably personally observed or experienced it yourself. You may have seen it with your own family members, your co-workers, your friends, in the conversations ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:23-25, Ephesians 4:11-13, John 8:31-36

Denomination: Lutheran

Ministry Is Not Meant To Be A One-Man Show

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Aug 28, 2019

Do you need help? We rarely like to think that we do. How did Moses respond when someone said that he looked like he needed some help. Moses’ example is a great reminder of the help that God provides for us in those whom God has placed around us in our church to carry out the ministry together.

“Do you need some help?” When someone asks you that question, what is your natural reaction? I think that our natural response might be a bit defensive, “No. I’ve got it. I’m fine” whether we really are or not. Why is that? There is a little part of us that doesn’t want to admit that we need ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 18:13-27

Denomination: Lutheran