Sermons by Darryl G. Klassen

PURE RELIGION: HEARING AND DOING   Evangelicals used to think it was cool to say, “I don’t have a religion, I have a relationship with Jesus.” We understand what they meant: they were trying to say that they were not merely good for goodness’ sake, or that their behavior did not save them from sin – they were saved by grace.              When you define religion as a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that relate humanity to spirituality, and thus rules for morality, you can see why “religion” may be off-putting.             I tend to argue the opposite side. We need religion. In fact, we are very religious people. Years ago, at a dinner with friends, I countered a young woman’s argument that religion was a hindrance to faith. I responded by asking if she prayed regularly, read her Bible, went to worship services, and so on. She said, yes. I said, you are very religious. Her definition of “religious” was that it was stodgy, legalistic, and dead. My definitio

THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH Heritage Service October 9, 2022   Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”                What’s the word that stood out for you in that verse? Probably, death. We don’t like to talk about death. The older we get, the more we think of our mortality. Death is a universal experience. We are all going to die. A preacher began his sermon by glaring out over the congregation and proclaiming in a very loud voice: “Every member of this church is going to die.” Most of the congregation looked pretty somber at this, and he was about to proceed when he noticed that one man in the front row was smiling back at him. So, he decided to say it again, more loudly this time. “I said – every member of this church is going to die!” And he hit his fist on the pulpit this time for emphasis. Well, the rest of the congregation looked even more grim, but the

HOW TRIALS BECOME TEMPTATIONS   James has taught us to count it all joy when we face trials of various kinds. That’s pretty unusual for the average person. But Christians have the promise that trials will produce in us maturity and wisdom. God allows trials to come into our lives to help us grow.              Someone in James’ church must have asked a provocative question in response to “God allowing trials.” If God allows trials into our lives, does that mean that God is the reason we struggle with temptation? And if God tempts us, does that mean that he is the reason we sin? Is God responsible for our sins?               Remember that the Greek word for “trials” or “tests” is the same word for temptation. So, you can understand why the person may have asked this question. God allows trials but he does not tempt us. James wrote,  “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast (endures) under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to