Sermon Preview - Sin's Kryptonite Part IV - Lust, Gluttony & Greed

"But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness..."
Matthew 6:33a

     This Sunday we'll be talking about the last of the Seven Deadly Sins and boy are we ending this series with a bang!  This week we are taking on Lust, Gluttony and Greed.  These three represent possibly the biggest stumbling blocks for Christians (especially those in the United States) so get your popcorn ready!

     In our country we are surrounded by a culture of consumerism that lies to us and tells us that bigger and more is always better.  We are fooled into believing that getting what we want will always result in our happiness.  It is these lies that are at the heart of each of these three sins.  Each sin is in one way or another indicative of an out of control desire.  But if these three are so big and bad, especially for Americans, what good news can there be?

     Judging by the above picture you can infer that either the solution has something to do with the Magic Kingdom and Disney World (wouldn't that be fun?) or that we'll be going in a direction that has something to do with kingdoms.  I'm voting for the latter, but you'll have to show up to find out!

Sin's Kryptonite (Part 2 - Wrath)

"In your anger do not sin"

Ephesians 4:26a

          Who doesn't get angry on occasion, right?  Well anger, or more correctly wrath (the feeling of anger acted upon) can become enough of a problem for people that its impact upon human life can be deadly.  Not simply through murder and war, but anger/wrath can even be deadly for the person harboring the emotion!  With such a dangerous predicament on our hands, what can be done to neutralize this deadly sin?  The answer is simple, forgiveness.

          Of course as the saying goes, easier said than done, right?  So what advice does the Bible give us to turn this good advice into practical and helpful practice?  Well if I told you that, then you wouldn't need to listen to the sermon!  Suffice it to say that our faith as Christians definitely offers simple and easy tips toward overcoming anger before we find ourselves being drastically transformed into this guy!