Sermons for Non-Christians
“…Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
“How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.” - Philippians 8:30-31
If you had ONE shot…
A member came up to me after my Easter message this year and said “THAT’s a sermon that every non-Christian should hear. This should be easily findable and shareable.” He wanted to be able to point some non-Christians (or perhaps “not-YET Christians) to that one in particular.
I’ve had that experience before myself, sitting in a powerful message with a great preacher and thinking “my friend [INSERT] should hear that one.” Sometimes it perfectly answers a question or concept that I bungled or felt inadequate to impart to them in a previous conversation. I try to send those to them and say “here, this person said it WAY better than I did.”
All Sermons (Not) Created Equal?
Hey, I’m my own worst critic: not every sermon hits it out of the park. Even when some are profitable, it’s not always the basics that a newcomer needs to hear. Since we normally teach through books of the Bible at Refuge, some passages are for teaching and equipping the congregation more than answering questions of non-Christians. And while we never fail to mention Christ, and the essentials of what salvation through Jesus means, not every sermon addresses the basics, or “Gospel 101”.
Over twenty years of ministry and ten years at Refuge, I have paused on topical weeks and holidays to make sure we’re specifically addressing the newest people in the room, as well as the cultural questions, contemplations, and contrary arguments that come from a basic consideration of Christ and the Christian faith. Whether it’s engaging them yourself, or sharing them with a friend, I submit these humbly in the hope that they are helpful.
Neo-Covenant
My own testimony of faith, and how the God who can do anything used a modern movie to move me toward his timeless message.
2. The God Who IS
A meditation on what we’re really looking for, versus what we should be looking for, and whether or not we’re looking even matters.
3. The Real Jesus
Culture likes to speak of Jesus as a “good man” or “good teacher”. But if we actually look at what he said, that opinion falls flat. An honest assessment leaves us with three choices: Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic, or the LORD he claimed to be.
4. The Greatest Gift
A short message explaining that the Christmas message isn’t a story of a God who decided to intervene in human history 2,000 years ago, but a meticulously planned and providential event that has unfolded throughout time since the beginning of all things… and upon which all history and reality pivots.
5. The Gospel of Change
Life and Death. God or no God. Belief contrast with non-belief. Who we are versus who we should be.
This message explores the binary nature of some fundamental issues of life we all wrestle with and what Christianity defines as the needed change the the good news of Jesus both calls for and causes.
6 - 8. Knowing the Truth (Parts One to Three)
The next few messages provide three different, accessible angles to look at the same gospel through four short verses: the classic John 3:16, plus 2 Corinthians 5:20 and Matthew 28:19-20 (the Christian’s Great Commission). They can be engaged as one-offs, but together they help explain:
A. WHAT God has done and why it matters
John 3:16 seems obvious at face value, but each word actually opens up - or answers - a world of questions.
And it doesn’t mean what many might assume it means…
B. Who WE are in light of that revelation
What IS a Christian anyway?
The world may have a LOT of assumptions, but there are reasons for how they think, how they live in the world, and why they act the way they do (or are supposed to). Why does scripture use words like “aliens” and ambassadors? And what do they really mean when they say “be reconciled to God”?
C. Why Christianity is Worthy of Consideration
What does it really mean to “believe” something?
Is belief just a feeling? Does it lack reason? Is it all subjective? Even Christians misuse and misspeak about what words like “belief” and “truth” even mean. This message illuminates poor arguments and reasoning about religions, and how Christianity is the most reasonable to believe.
9. In Good Company
Sometimes a non-believer feels different from everyone one else in the room, assuming that these Christians either have some ability or facility to believe that they don’t, or some lack of questions or doubts, or perhaps worst of all: that these Christians think they’re somehow better than them. This message seeks to dispel those misconceptions and level the playing field, reassuring them that in every way they are truly “in good company.”
We’ll keep adding basic presentations of God and the gospel here as they may be profitable!