Sermons on Jim Croce:

Grace And Peace

Contributed by Jim Keegan on Jan 3, 2023

Paul begins every one of his thirteen letters with these words of blessing: “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” It’s arguably the greatest of all the biblical benedictions, but it goes mostly ignored.

Franklin Roosevelt was greeting guests at the White House one evening as they came through the reception line. He disliked this ritual, however, since everyone always spoke their rehearsed lines without actually listening to what was said. So, feeling mischievous that evening and to test his ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:4-8, Romans 5:1

Blessings In Disguise

Contributed by Jim Keegan on Jan 18, 2023

Hand-in-hand with God’s blessing there is always testing to deepen our bonds of intimate love and trust. Those two forces work together for our good.

We see in this familiar passage two of the foundational stories of the Gospel: Christ’s blessing by God, followed very closely by his temptation. These are also the two universal realities of the spiritual life: both blessings and trials. After his baptism, Jesus saw the Spirit descending on ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

The Problems And Consequences Of Half Obedience Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Aug 9, 2022

King Rehoboam provides a striking example of what half obedience can lead us into.

- This sermon series will start with Rehoboam and go through the Babylonian captivity. - Rehoboam is the son of Solomon. TIMES THAT HALF OBEDIENCE CREATES PROBLEMS: 1. When we listen for what we want to hear. - 2 Chronicles 10:1-19. - Asks for three days, listens to the wrong counselors. ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 10:1-19

Denomination: Baptist

A Picture Of A Backslider Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Aug 9, 2022

In this sermon series about various kinds of backsliding situations, King Asa provides a straightforward backsliding warning.

- This is a picture of a backslider and there are many elements here that are in many backsliding stories. I should note as we start that every spiritual journey is unique, so I’m not saying that every backsliding story has all these elements. But I do think there is a lot in this story that ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 14:1-15

Denomination: Baptist

When God’s People Partner With The World Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Aug 9, 2022

King Jehoshaphat makes a seemingly small step in the wrong direction that ends up creating a situation he's stuck in. He's a great example of where our backsliding came lead us.

THE STRONG START: Jehoshaphat walked with the Lord. - 2 Chronicles 17:3-19. - Detail the various things the passage describes. A FIRST STEP: We try to secure God’s blessings with a little bit of compromise. - 2 Chronicles 18:1. - We’re going to unpack all the consequences of this wrong step ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 17:3-19

Denomination: Baptist

Finding God In A Moment Of Crisis Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Aug 9, 2022

Even when we're trying to honor God, we may come a daunting crisis of faith.

A MOMENT OF CRISIS: Even when you’ve been trying to honor God, there still may come a daunting crisis. - 2 Chronicles 20:1-2. - The enemy army was only about 15 miles away. - He had pursued spiritual reforms (19:4-11). Why isn’t God protecting us? FIRST RESPONSE: Where we start often shows ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 20:1-30

Denomination: Baptist

The Failure Of A Borrowed Faith Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Aug 9, 2022

King Joash had signs of faith in his life - but did they really belong to him or his uncle?

“RAISED IN CHURCH”: Joash had a faith-filled upbringing. - 2 Chronicles 24:1-2. - 2 Chronicles 23:18-21; 24:4-14. - Other passages that we aren’t going to look up: a. Rescued at age one when his wicked grandmother slew all his brothers. b. Raised secretly around the temple by his uncle ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 24:1-2

Denomination: Baptist

Four Kinds Of Half-Heartedness Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Aug 9, 2022

King Amaziah's story gives us four examples of half-heartedness.

FOUR KINDS OF HALF-HEARTEDNESS: 1. DO RIGHT BUT NOT WHOLEHEARTEDLY. - 2 Chronicles 25:1-4. - What an eloquent and straightforward statement of half-hearted belief. - This is not belief that says that God doesn’t exist or that the Word of God isn’t true. No, they will publicly respect those ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 25:1-2

Denomination: Baptist

The Danger Of Success Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Aug 10, 2022

King Uzziah provides a dramatic examples of great success and the poison that success can bring into our lives.

SUCCESS: King Uzziah sought God and God elevated Uzziah. - 2 Chronicles 26:1-15. - Uzziah seeks God. - vv. 4, 5, 15b. - Types of success mentioned: a. Rebuilding and restoring cities. - vv. 2, 6b. b. War. - vv. 6a, 7, 11-15a. c. Brought tribute. - v. 8. d. Construction. - vv. ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 26:1-23

Denomination: Baptist

The Fear Of God

Contributed by Jim Keegan on Aug 11, 2022

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” as the Book of Proverbs stresses repeatedly. May we seek to live as God-fearing people who humble our hearts in reverence of His glory and live in faithfulness to His will.

The year was 1845. A man named Carl Steinman was fascinated by volcanoes, and going against the advice of his guide, he ventured to the edge of a dormant volcano while visiting Mount Hecla in Iceland. Although it had last erupted over fifty years earlier, the guide noticed there had been ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:12-13

Who Is Going To Follow God? Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Aug 12, 2022

King Ahaz provides a surprising contrast to the kingdom of Israel as we see a dramatic example of the limits of our traditional morality.

IT'S OBVIOUS, RIGHT? “Good people” are more likely to follow God. - We have a traditional morality with “good people.” The respectable citizens are more likely to follow God. TWO EXAMPLES: 1. KING AHAZ HAD A GOOD HERITAGE BUT TERRIBLE BEHAVIOR. - 2 Chronicles 28:1-4, 16-25. - Came from a ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 28:1-27

Denomination: Baptist

Where Revival Starts Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Aug 12, 2022

King Hezekiah's powerful actions point us to where revival starts.

Where Revival Starts: - v. 2 – Hezekiah did what was right. - As we discussed last week, his father Ahaz was a terrible king. - Revival cannot be scheduled. It’s when God moves. 1. It starts with God’s house. - 2 Chronicles 29:3-9. - We so often look at the world and complain at their ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 29:1-36

Denomination: Baptist

The Antidote To The ‘kindly Grandfather’ God Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Apr 16, 2024

This passage is a stark contrast to the "kindly grandfather" image of God that many had. What are the specific ways that shows up here?

JUDGMENT-FREE ZONE: Many people like to think of God as a kindly grandfather. - Ezekiel 5:1. - There is a popular conception of God as a kindly (and slightly senile) grandfather in the sky. He’s not going to rebuke you for anything you’re doing. He’s going to ask if everyone had a good time. And ...read more

Scripture: Ezekiel 5:1-17

Denomination: Baptist

When Money Isn’t Valuable Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Apr 29, 2024

This verse depicts a scene where formerly-valued gold and silver becomes worthless. What can we learn about money from this scenario?

EZEKIEL'S PROPHECY: There will time when money won’t be valuable. - Ezekiel 7:19. - Earlier in the chapter (vv. 1-6), multiple references to the End. Other references in this passage to economic instability (vv. 12-13 on property). - Disaster and catastrophe will come upon this people. This ...read more

Scripture: Ezekiel 7:19

Denomination: Baptist

Do I Want God To Forgive Me As I Forgive Others? Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on May 20, 2025

Jesus puts forward challenging words in the second half of v. 12 - calling us to ask for forgiveness in the same way we have forgiven others. Verses 14-15 emphasize the expectation from God that we will forgive others as part of having been forgiven by Him. What happens when we live this out?

DOES THIS SCARE ME? Do I want God to forgive me as I forgive others? - Matthew 6:12b, 14-15. - I said last week as we unpacked the first half of v. 12 that we often don’t put a lot of thought into what that actually means. In that case it had to do with making confession of our sins a regular ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:9-12

Denomination: Baptist