The Best Is Yet to Come: Sermons Reflecting the Gift of Grace

by Walt Gerber

Overview

Countless people have said of Walt Gerber that it was from him they "first heard grace preached." Walt, a popular pastor in the heart of Silicon Valley, loved Jesus, prayer, people, and the Bible, and this shows in every one of these fifty sermons, prayerfully chosen from among the hundreds he gave.

Walt was a Silicon Valley titan of the most unassuming kind. He had no website. No blog. No Twitter. No social media of any kind. He never published a book or developed a technology. But as senior pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church for twenty-eight years, Walt was a titan of grace . He had a way of speaking, like no one else, directly to listeners' hearts through his sermons. Caring, relational, and compassionate, Walt was more concerned about "the ultimate heresy of making God boring," as he put it, than with church growth. But the church did grow under him-from 2000 members in 1974 to 5500 members in 2002. People flocked to hear Walt present his God as he knew him . . . full of love, grace, kindness, and fun.

For each sermon, relevant Scriptures and discussion questions are provided, making this book ideal for personal devotions or small-group study.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781632695215
Publisher:	Deep River Books Llc
Publication date:	01/24/2020
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Walt Gerber began his ministry on the heels of a divorce, in an era when that was a likely disqualifier. He suffered from panic attacks triggered by public speaking, and had his share of physical ailments, as well as a constant struggle with anxiety. Walt attended Occidental College for his undergraduate degree and continued his graduate studies at Princeton Theological Seminary, San Francisco Theological Seminary, and the University of Southern California. Before arriving as senior pastor at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Northern California, he spent fifteen combined years in ministry in San Marino, Redondo Beach, and Malibu. He considered himself a beach bum through and through. His hobbies included cars, motorcycles, dogs, and exercise. Time with family and friends was always a priority. Sharing God's grace was Walt's passion.

Table of Contents

Preface 11

Introduction Paul Gerber 15

Sermon 1 "The Key to Everything" 19

Proverbs 3:5-6 April 30-May 1, 1994

Sermon 2 "Warning! Religion May Be Dangerous to Your Spiritual Health" 25

Romans 2:17-18, 25-29; 3:21-22 October 7-8, 1989

Sermon 3 "If I Should Wake Before I Die" 33

1 Peter 1:3-7, 13 March 29-30, 1997

Sermon 4 "House of Saints or Hospital for Sinners?" 41

Luke 15:25-32 May 16, 1976

Sermon 5 "When You've Totally Blown It" 45

Luke 22:54-62 October 14-15, 2000

Sermon 6 "What to Do When You Feel Anxious" 51

John 10:1-18 May 24, 1981

Sermon 7 "Surviving in the Wilderness" 59

Exodus 2:11-22 January 19, 1986

Sermon 8 "Cultivating the Ability to Forget" 65

Philippians 3:10-15 May 18, 1986

Sermon 9 "Death Is Swallowed Up in Victory" 71

1 Corinthians 15; 2 Timothy 1:10 March 26, 1978

Sermon 10 "Someone Is Watching over You" 79

Mark 6:45-52 December 16, 1979

Sermon 11 "Your Incredible Potential as a Christian" 85

Ephesians 3:14-21 September 21, 1980

Sermon 12 "When Jesus Deals with Immorality" 91

John 8:1-11; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 September 16, 1979

Sermon 13 "Trust Me with Your Nothingness" 97

John 6:16-21, 36 September 9, 1979

Sermon 14 "Do People Really Change?" 103

Jeremiah 1:5; 18:1-5 February 19, 1989

Sermon 15 "When You Feel Overstressed" 111

John 8:13-20 May 17, 1981

Sermon 16 "Genuine vs. Phony Faith" 117

Matthew 16:1-4, 13-18, 24-27 February 16-17, 1991

Sermon 17 "The Barnabas Touch" 125

Acts 15:36-41; Philippians 2:1-5 May 19-20, 1990

Sermon 18 "There Is a Place for You" 131

1 Corinthians 1:26-29; 12:12-27 May 7, 1989

Sermon 19 "God's Answer for Chronic Fatigue" 137

Deuteronomy 5:12-15; Isaiah 58:13-14 May 23-24, 1992

Sermon 20 "Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?" 145

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 October 30-31, 1999

Sermon 21 "Prayer Transforms Merely Existing into Living" 153

Luke 11:1-13, 18:1-8 March 21, 1982

Sermon 22 "When You Have Waited for God Long Enough" 159

Hebrews 10:35-11:1; Psalm 40:1-5 January 25-26, 1992

Sermon 23 "A Love Bigger Than Our Secrets" 165

John 4:7-26 October 16-17, 1999

Sermon 24 "Learning to Listen to Each Other" 175

Matthew 13:13-14; Ecclesiastes 5:1-2 October 16, 1983

Sermon 25 "God, I'll Do It, but Not Yet" 181

James 4:13-17; Romans 13:11-14 January 14, 1979

Sermon 26 "A Day Full of Surprises" 187

Matthew 25:34-46 May 1-2, 1999

Sermon 27 "Our Search for Satisfaction" 193

Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 June 15-16, 1991

Sermon 28 "Discovering Indescribable Joy" 201

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; John 15:9-11 February 5-6, 2000

Sermon 29 "Does God Give Personal Guidance to Believers?" 207

James 1:5: Psalm 32:8 January 20-21, 1996

Sermon 30 "Living in the Present" 213

Matthew 6:25-34; Mark 10:14-16; Philippians 4:4-7, 10-13 September 23, 1984

Sermon 32 "Time to Fall in Love Again" 225

Ephesians 6:19-20; James 4:1-3 November 6-7, 1993

Sermon 33 "Jesus Heals Our Diseases … But He Uses Us!" 231

Matthew 8:1-27 November 3-4, 1990

Sermon 34 "Living Beyond the Survival Mode" 239

John 15:1-8 May 13-14, 2000

Sermon 35 "Time Out!" 245

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 November 25-26, 1989

Sermon 36 "God Is Listening … Talk to Him!" 251

1 John 5:13-15 February 15-16, 1992

Sermon 37 "Divorce and Marriage" 259

Matthew 5:27-32, 1 Corinthians 7:10-16, Luke 10:2-10 November 2, 1980

Sermon 38 "Giving: A Spontaneous Response to Love" 265

2 Corinthians 9:6-15; Luke 12:13-34 December 6, 1987

Sermon 39 "Life Can Be More Than Survival" 273

Joshua 3:7-13; 4:1-9, 21-24 May 29, 1988

Sermon 40 "Greatness in the Sight of Men or God?" 281

Matthew 20:20-28 April 27-28, 1991

Sermon 41 "When All Else Fails, Read the Instructions" 287

Psalm 1 September 25-26, 1999

Sermon 42 "Stepping-Stone or Stumbling Block?" 295

1 Corinthians 8:1-3, 9-10 May 29, 1977

Sermon 43 "The Power of Weakness" 301

1 Corinthians 2:1-5; 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 March 28-29, 1992

Sermon 44 "Call Me a Servant-Don't Treat Me Like One" 307

2 Corinthians 4:5-18 March 28, 1982

Sermon 45 "When Commitment Conquers Comfort" 313

Esther 4 February 12, 1989

Sermon 46 "Being Civil in an Uncivil World" 321

Matthew 12:33-37 April 19-20, 1997

Sermon 47 "Living Without Fear" 327

Various Scriptures September 15-16, 2001

Sermon 48 "New Beginnings" 335

John 8:1-11 November 6-7, 1999

Sermon 49 "Disappointed with God?" 345

Ephesians 3:13-21 December 4-5, 1993

Sermon 50 "Hoping When It's Hopeless" 351

John 11:1-6, 11-27, 38-44 March 5-6, 1994

Life with Our Dad 359

A Word from Walt's Dad 363

Acknowledgments 365

Appendix 1 Sermons by Scripture Order 367

Appendix 2 Sermons by Topic 371

Endnotes 377