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Other pastors sermons feed my soul and ease my preparation! I hope the
sermons here will do the same for you. Whether you use the outlines to
preach or to fine-tune your delivery, or find a thought that leads you
into the development of another sermon. I'll be thrilled if your
ministry becomes more effective.
As much as I would like to take credit for the contents of all these
sermons I can't. I am simply the conduit through which these some of
these messages pass. I am profoundly indebted to the work, study, and
creativity of others. I am, through these messages fulfilling the the
admonition of Paul to Timothy "And the things that thou hast heard of me
among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be
able to teach others"
Please feel free to pass them along to faithful
men. |
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This
classic chapter contains one of the most meaningful allegories in
the Bible. It is another one of those great "I am" passages recorded
by John that points to the deity of Jesus Christ. The foundational
principles for living the Christian life--abiding in Christ and
bearing fruit--are recorded in this chapter. We will see where we
should draw our strength? Your motivation? Your purpose? What vine
are you attached to?
With so much bad news, can there really be any good news? Yes! The
good news is that sin can be dealt with. You don't have to be
selfish. Guilt and anxiety can be alleviated. There is meaning to
life and hope of life after death. The apostle Paul says in Romans
1:1 that the good news is the gospel, which is the good news of God.
That is what the book of Romans is all about.
Timothy was the apostle Paul's son in the faith and a leader in the
church at Ephesus. Paul founded that church (Acts 19) but by the
time he wrote his second epistle to Timothy the church and its
leaders were characterized by doctrinal error and sinful behavior.
Paul sent Timothy to Ephesus to rectify the problems in that church.
Romans 12 contains very practical instructions that the Lord can use
in our lives as we respond in obedience to them. They are listed one
after another, beginning in verse 9 and continuing through verse 21.
There are more than twenty separate exhortations in those verses.
Elijah is a man on a mission, declaring himself a servant of �the
Lord, the God of Israel,� when all around him are evidences of
blatant Baal worship. Without preparing his audience for the
warning, he makes the ominous pronouncement: �No rain�not even
dew�for years, unless I say so.�
When a person trusts in Christ in faith, whether they realize it or
not, they have been enrolled in the �school of faith. And faith must
grow. Consequently, as Christians, we never know what may happen
next because God, who works all things together for good, uses our
trials as tools to promote spiritual growth and maturity.
Exactly what does our heavenly Father want to develop within us?
What is that "image of His Son"? I believe the simple answer is
found in Christ's own words. Listen as He declares His primary
reason for coming "For even the Son of man came not to be ministered
unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."
Biblical joy, consists of the deep and abiding confidence that all
is well, regardless of circumstance and difficulty. It is very
different from worldly happiness. Biblical joy is always related to
God and belongs only to those in Christ. It is the permanent
possession of every believer ; it is not a whimsical delight that
comes and goes as chance offers opportunity. Joy and Godliness
Some modern conceptions of God are not entirely wrong, just skewed;
others are as far from reality as one can travel. Once we assume
that we can construct an idea of God beginning with man, that is,
�from the bottom up~� anything is possible. We are capable of doing
this even with our Bible in one hand and a personal agenda in the
other.
When we face death we are like a hen before a cobra, incapable of
doing anything at all in the presence of the very thing that seems
to call for the most drastic and decisive action. "There is, in
fact, nothing we can do, say what we will, dance how we will, we
will soon enough be a heap of ruined feathers and bones,
indistinguishable from the rest of the ruins that lie about. It will
not appear to matter in the slightest whether we met the enemy with
equanimity, shrieks, or a trumped-up gaiety, there we will be.
What are you doing with your life all the gifts, talents,
opportunities, energy, relationships, and resources God gave you?
Did you spend them on yourself, or did you use them for the purposes
God made you for?� Preparing you for this question is the goal of
these messages.
Revelation is not the hiding, this book is the revelation. And what
does it reveal? What does it uncover? It reveals instruction to the
church about the need for holiness. It reveals the amazing power and
glorious overcoming strength of Christ and the Christian over sin
and Satan. It reveals the ultimate triumph of believers who are
killed for the cause of Christ. It reveals the glory of worship. It
reveals the end of human history. It reveals the final political set
up of the world. It reveals the triumph of God's saving purpose. It
reveals the career of Antichrist and the final battle of Armageddon
and the alignment of the nations of the world. It reveals the need
to fight the forces of evil patiently. It reveals the glories of
Christ's Kingdom on Earth and in the new heaven and the new Earth.
It reveals the triumph ultimately of God's saving purposes, no
matter what Satan endeavors to do. It reveals the victory of Christ
over all powers, human and demonic. It reveals the final end of
Satan and the final end of sin.
In Acts 15 the Jerusalem council was held. The Jewish believers came
to the conclusion that they would accept Gentile believers as those
who belong to Jesus Christ. But it all began in Acts 10. In Acts 10
we see principles that God uses when He deals with everyone in an
evangelistic situation. We will see how God prepares the receiver of
the gospel (Cornelius), and the messenger of the gospel (Peter). At
the perfect time, God brings the two together. These principles are
important for our own understanding of how God prepares His
messengers (Christians) to communicate the gospel to prepared
receivers at a divinely prepared moment.
Stephen was selected to be one of the seven men responsible for the
business of the early church in order to free the Apostles for
accomplishing the priority of preaching, teaching, and praying.
Introduced to us in Acts 6:5, Stephen then becomes the main subject
for the remainder of the sixth chapter and the entire seventh
chapter. He is a very important individual, and even though we think
of Stephen as a martyr and know very little else about him, the
wealth of information that is here in this passage opens up to us an
in-depth perception of this man's character.
Jesus emphasized that the Spirit would be sent from the Father to
the disciples. They knew that Christ came from the Father and would
be going back to the Father. Christ also emphasized that the Holy
Spirit is equal to Himself. The Holy Spirit is fully God. So since
the Holy Spirit is God and has been with God from all eternity, He
is a qualified witness.
Life is filled with choices, choices that affect us on an everyday
basis in everything we do which means our everyday choices are not
without significance. Our choices affect others and us in dramatic
ways whether we see it immediately or not. While earth remains, no
man will mock God by changing for even one time these laws of the
harvest. This study is not meant to intimidate us from making
choices, for even a failure to make choices is a choice. Rather, it
is designed to motivate us to wise choices that we may redeem the
time.
Our real idea of God may lie buried under the rubbish of
conventional religious notions and may require an intelligent and
vigorous search before it is finally unearthed and exposed for what
it is. Only after an ordeal of painful self-probing are we likely to
discover what we actually believe about God.
One of the great days in the history of the church was the
conversion of Saul of Tarsus. The importance of this conversion is
indicated by the fact that it is mentioned three times in the book
of Acts--chapters 9, 22, and 26. Paul also alludes to it many times
in his Epistles. The conversion of this particular man became the
pivot on which his life and the history of the church turned. In
tremendous measure we are indebted to this man for what we know
about God and salvation because his Epistles detail this
information.
What is worship? Let me give you a definition: Worship is honor
paid to a superior being. It means to give homage, honor, reverence,
respect, adoration, praise, or glory to a superior being.
On the Day of Pentecost Peter said something very important. He
preached that God made Jesus "both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36).
Peter willingly confessed Christ before others. Christ said,
"Whosoever, therefore, shall confess me before men, him will I
confess also before my Father, who is in heaven" (Matt. 10:32).
Telling the lost about Christ is a mark of the true believer. Are
you a witness for Christ? Be involved in the lives of your family,
neighbors, and co-workers so they can hear and see Christ.
Paul declines giving a technical definition of love; instead, he
provides us with a description of love, one especially pertinent to
the Corinthians. The first two statements describing love in verse 4
are general. Paul then advances to things not characteristic of
love.
Too many who have embraced the user friendly trend have not
carefully pondered how user-friendliness is incompatible with true
biblical theology. It is, at its heart, a pragmatic, not a biblical,
outlook. It is based on precisely the kind of thinking that is
eating away at the heart of orthodox doctrine. It is leading
evangelicalism into neo-modernism and putting churches in the fast
lane on the road to apostasy.
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Abiding in Christ
The Vine and The Branches
The Vinedresser
Abiding in the Vine - Part 1
Abiding in the Vine - Part 2
The Friends of Jesus - Part 1
The Friends of Jesus - Part 2
Hated Without a Cause - Part 1
Hated Without a Cause - Part 2
Abiding in Christ
Acting on the Good News
The Preacher of Good News
The Person of the Good News
The Provision, Proclamation, Privilege, and Purpose of the Good News
Marks of True Spiritual Service - 1
Marks of True Spiritual Service - 2
Marks of True Spiritual Service - 3
Advice to a Young Disciple
Elements of a Strong Spiritual Life (1)
Elements of a Strong Spiritual Life (2)
Motives for Sacrificial Ministry (1)
Motives for Sacrificial Ministry (2)
Seven Sayings of Christ From the Cross
Introduction to Cross Words - Luke 23:32
Forgive Others - Luke 23:43
Help Others - Luke 23:43
Care for Others - John 19:26-27
Ask God - Mark 15:34
Admit Your Need - John 19:28-29
Be Assured - John 19:30
Let it Go
Daniel Between A Rock and a Hard Place
The Forgotten Dream and the Unforgettable Daniel
Faith and the Furnace
Duties of Practical Christianity
Duties of Practical Christianity - 1 (Romans 12:9)
Duties of Practical Christianity - 2 (Romans 12:10-12)
Duties of Practical Christianity - 3 (Romans 12:13-15)
Duties of Practical Christianity - 4 (Romans 12:16-21)
Elijah
Standing Alone in the Gap
Boot Camp at Cherith
Advanced Training at Zarephath
Standing in the Shadow of God
The God Who Answers by Fire
A Man of God : A God of Promises
God's Cure for Depression
When God Says That Enough
Watch Out for The Enemy
A No Death Contract
Conclusion
Faith in Adversity
Faith Under Fire
The Concept of A Focused Faith
Consequences of a Wrong Focus
The Downward Spiral
Confession of Sin
The Upward Trail
Commit It To The Lord
Concentrate on God's Word
Improving Your Serve
The Art of Unselfish Living
The Servant as a Giver
The Servant as a Forgiver
The Servant as a Forgetter
Thinking Like A Servant
Portrait of A Servant 1
Portrait of a Servant 2
The Influence of a Servant
Perils of Being a Servant
The Epistle of Joy
Elements of Joy - Part 1
Elements of Joy - Part 2
Elements of
Joy - Part 3
Lies About God
He is The God You Want Him to Be
There are Many Paths to God
God is More Tolerant Than He Used to Be 1
God is More Tolerant Than He Used to Be 2
God Has Never Personally Suffered
Life After Death
Peeking Behind the Curtain
The Descent into Gloom
The Ascent into Glory
You Have Arrived
The Intermediate State
Living in the New Jerusalem
When Hades is Thrown into Hell
When the Curtain Parts for You
Knowing Where You Will Be Tomorrow
Life With A Purpose
What Drives Your Life
The Reason for Everything
What Makes God Smile
The Heart of Worship
A Place to Belong
When God Seems Distant
It Takes Time
Protecting Your Church
What Matters Most
Experiencing Life Together
Cultivating Community
Created to Become Like Christ
Transformed by Truth
Transformed by Trouble
Marks of a Healthy Church
Marks of an Effective Church - Part 1
Marks of an Effective Church - Part 2
What in the World is the Church To Be - Part 1
What in the World is the Church To Be - Part 2
What God Wants the Church to Be - Part 1
What God Wants the Church to Be - Part 2
Doing the Lord's Work the Lord's Way - Part 1
Doing the Lord's Work the Lord's Way - Part 2
Psalms
Psalms 1 -The Two Paths
Psalms 2 - No Contest
Psalms 23 - The Shepherd Cares for His Sheep
Psalms 23 - The Shepherd Guides His Sheep
Psalms 23 - The Shepherd Provides for His Sheep
Psalms 23 - The Shepherd Keeps His Sheep
Revelation
A Jet Tour A Jet Tour of the Book of Revelation
Salvation Reaches Out (Acts 10)
Salvation Reaches Out - Part 1 Acts 10:1-20
Salvation Reaches Out - Part 2 Acts 10:11-33
Salvation Reaches Out - Part 3 Acts 10:34-35
Salvation Reaches Out - Part 4 Acts 10:
The Salvation of the Gentiles--Part 5
The First Gentile Church
Seasonal Sermons
First Responders to the Birth of Christ - CHRISTMAS
The Last Word - CHRISTMAS
Peace on Earth Good will Toward Men - CHRISTMAS
What a Gift - CHRISTMAS
What About Santa Claus?- CHRISTMAS
The Significance of the Resurrection - EASTER
Responding to the Resurrection - EASTER
Hannah - A Godly Mother - MOTHERS DAY
Psalms 78 - A Challenge for Fathers - FATHERS DAY
Kenosis What a Gift - CHRISTMAS
Sharpening the Focus of the Church
Building the Church
Building the Church
Single Sermons
A Glimpse into Eternity - Luke 9:27
The Rejection of Christ - John 1:11
The Soliloquy of the Soul - Psalms 103:1-5
A Token for Good - Psalms 86:15-17
Jabez, A Man who Prayed - 1 Chron. 4:9-10
Discouragement - Various Scriptures
Forgetting God - Various Scriptures
A Christian Response to Terrorism
How to Overcome Sin
He Must Increase, I Must Decrease
Casting Your Cares
The Consequences of Sin
Christ the Shepherd ; Shepherds Today
The Doubt We Try To Hide - John 20:24-32
Sickness - John 11:3
What is the Gospel - Various Scriptures
The Convicting Ministry of the Holy Spirit - John 16:8-11
Total Forgiveness - 1 Timothy 1:15-16
Regeneration - Titus 3:3-4
Living A Life of Purpose - Walking with the Lord to Jerusalem
Sifted By Satan - Luke 22:31-32
Authentic Faith
What Is Your Life - James 4:14
Broken Cisterns and Living Water - Jeremiah 2:2-14, John 7:37
Devastation of Divorce
Assurance of Salvation
Charismatic Experiences
Dispensation of the Grace of God
Dung Pile of Human Righteousness
Hannah and Samuel
Kingdom of Heaven
Security of the Saints
Significance of the Resurrection
The Lord's Supper
Homosexuality
Who do Men Say That I Am?
Stephen: Profiles in Courage
Stephen Profiles in Courage - 1
Stephen Profiles in Courage - 2
Stephen Profiles in Courage - 3
Stephen Profiles in Courage - 4
The Conviction of the Spirit
The Convicting Ministry of the Holy Spirit
The Laws of the Harvest
We Reap Only What Has Been Sown
We Reap In the Same Kind as we Sow
We Reap At A Later Season than when we Sow
We Reap More Than We Sow
We Reap In Proportion to What We Sow
We Reap Only if we Persevere
We Can't do Anything About Last
Year's Harvest, But We Can About This Years
The Knowledge of the Holy
Thinking Rightly About God
God is Incomprehensible
The Holy Trinity
The Miracles of Jesus
Turning the Water into Wine
Healing of the Nobleman's Son
Deliverance of the Demoniac in the Synagogue
Healing of Peter's Mother-in-law
The First Draught of Fishes
Cleansing the Leper
Healing the Paralytic
Healing of the Man at Bethesda
Healing the Man with the Withered Hand
Healing of the Centurion's Servant
Raising the Widow's Son From Nain
Casting out of the Dumb and Blind Spirit
Stilling the Storm
Healing the Demoniac at Gadara
Healing the Woman with the Issue of Blood & The Raising of Jairus'
Daughter
Healing of the Two Blind Men
Casting out the Speech Impaired Spirit
Feeding of the 5000(+)
Walking on the Water
Delivering the Syrophoenician's Daughter
Healing the Deaf and Dumb Man
Feeding the 4000(+)
Healing the Blind Man at Bethsaida
Casting the Demon Out of the Lunatic Boy
The Coin in the Fish's Mouth
Healing of the Man Born Blind
Healing of the Woman with the 18-Year Infirmity
Healing the Man With Dropsy (Edema)
The Raising of Lazarus
Healing the Ten Lepers
Healing Blind Bartimeaus
Jesus Curses the Fig Tree
Healing of Malchus' Ear
Second Draught of Fishes
The Mystery of God's Will
A Process and A Puzzle
God's Decreed Will
God's Permissive Will
From Theory to Reality
Fleshing Out the Will of God
The Sovereignty of God
Read God's Lips
The Mercy of God
God's Immutability
Can God's Will Make Us Holy
Surprised By God
Closed Door, Open Door
A Better Way to Look at God's Will
The Qualities of a Great Missionary
The Qualities of a Great Missionary 1
The Qualities of a Great Missionary 2
The Qualities of a Great Missionary 3
The Qualities of a Great Missionary 4
The Rapture - Will You Escape the Tribulation?
Great Expectations - Introduction to the Biblical Doctrine
Translated -Snatched-Raptured!
Kept From The Hour
The Great Tribulation
The Rapture : Who Say's Its Obscure?
Historical Arguments
The Transformed Life From Saul to Paul
The Transformed Life - Part 1
The Transformed Life - Part 2
The Transformed Life - Part 3
The Transformed Life - Part 4
The Transformed Life - Part 5
True Worship
True Worship - 1
True Worship - 2
True Worship - 3
True Worship - 4
True Worship - 5
True Worship - 6
True Worship - 7
True Worship - 8
Unless the Lord Builds the House
The Supreme Confession
I Will Build My Church - Part 1
I Will Build My Church - Part 2
Offending Christ
What is Love?
Love is...
Love is not... Part 1
Love is not... Part 2
Four Characteristics of Love
When The Church Becomes Like The World
The User Friendly Church
OT Expository Series
Prophet to the Northern Kingdom Amos
From Fear to Faith Habakkuk
No faithfulness, no loyalty, no love, no acknowledgement of God.
Hosea
Misplaced priorities in our lives can be diagnosed and treated
Haggai
Repent and return to the Lord, God will restore Joel
The Reluctant Servant Jonah
Malachi rebukes Israel by asking seven rhetorical questions. Malachi
The Responsibility that comes with a Relationship with God. Micah
The Judgment on Nineveh Nahum
The Sin and Destruction of Edom Obadiah
Comfort and encouragement to the returned remnant Zechariah
Judgment in the Day of the Lord Zephaniah |
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