Sermon Central
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Following Jesus In The Real World (Gospel Of Mark)
Contributed by Timothy Peck on Oct 9, 2002 (message contributor)
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1. The Voice
Contributed on Oct 9, 2002
Four ways Jesus speaks with authority to break through into our lives.
One of my favorite movies is the Indiana Jones movie The Last Crusade. It’s the story of Indiana Jones and his father’s quest for the holy grail, the legendary chalice that Jesus used in his Last Supper with his disciples. In one of the final scenes, the ancient temple they’ve found the chalice in ...read more
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2. How It All Begins
Contributed on Oct 9, 2002
The topic, prelude, context, and focus of Mark’s story about Jesus.
(Note: This sermon was introduced with scenes 1 and 2 of "Traveling Light," a full length play based on the Gospel of Mark from Lillenas). When you start something new, it’s always good to start at the beginning. Have you ever gone someplace and felt like you walked in on the middle of something ...read more
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3. The Master's Touch
Contributed on Oct 9, 2002
Three touches of Jesus that we need in our lives.
Note: This sermon was introduced with the Michael Card song "The Gentle Healer." Think about the words to the song we just sang: "Your touch is all I need, and when your hands are on this child, your healing I receive." Today we’re going to talk about the touch of Jesus. We’ve been in a series ...read more
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4. Pursuing The Good Of Others
Contributed on Oct 31, 2002
consequences of what happens when we model ourselves after Jesus in seeking the good of others.
Note: This sermon was introduced with scenes 12 & 13 of "Traveling Light" Jesus pursued the good of other people. He did it in his healings; he did it in his teachings. Jesus poured his life into the lives of others. Ultimately Jesus pursued our good by dying in our place, taking upon himself ...read more
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5. Understanding People's Unresponsiveness
Contributed on Jan 16, 2003
A surprise, a realization, an encouragement and a reality check for understanding why more people don’t respond to the Christian message.
After I became a Christian, I wanted to find a way to share the good news of Christ with my non-Christian friends and family members. I was convinced that if I could find just the right approach, just the right technique, all of my unbelieving friends would come to faith in Christ. At first I ...read more
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6. The Paradox Of God's Kingdom
Contributed on Jan 16, 2003
Four paradoxes of God’s kingdom from the parables of Jesus.
Life is filled with paradoxes. Now a paradox is simply a statement or idea that appears to be contradictory. One of the most famous ancient paradoxes was described by a Greek author named Epimenides. Epimenides tells us of a Cretan who utters the words, "All Cretans are liars." Can you see the ...read more
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7. Occupied Territory
Contributed on Jan 16, 2003
Principles about demonic activity drawn from Jesus’ encounter with the man possessed with a legion of demons.
Note: This sermon was introduced with the drama "The Price of Pigs" Today we’re going to look at a story that’s likely to make us uncomfortable. It’s the story described in the drama, the story of a man who was delivered from demonic possession. It’s a story of demons being sent into a heard of ...read more
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8. Running On Empty
Contributed on Jan 16, 2003
Following Jesus will cause us to feel overwhemled because we will want to meet other people’s needs, but when we give Jesus what we have, God multiplies its effect far beyond our expectations.
I know what some of you are thinking today. Some of you are thinking, "Only 17 shopping days left before Christmas." Others of you are wondering just how you’re going to get that Christmas letter out in time. You’re thinking, "Perhaps it should be a New Year’s letter instead." Let’s face it: ...read more
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9. The Heart Of The Matter
Contributed on Jan 16, 2003
The heart of our problems are deeper than superficial behaviors. Before we can change, we need our hearts to be changed.
Why do people treat each other so badly? Why do spouses break their wedding vows? Why do people act out in violence and hatred toward others? Why do racism and hate crimes still exist in our world? Why are people filled with greed? Why do we act with treachery and deception toward each ...read more
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10. The Outer Limits
Contributed on Jan 16, 2003
When we follow Jesus, he will lead us beyond our comfort zone with people, especially people we are not naturally drawn to.
Note: This sermon was introduced with a scene from "Traveling Light" All of us have limits and boundaries that make us uncomfortable if we go beyond them. I was reminded of this back in November when my oldest son and I went to the Promise Keepers "Passage" event at the Anaheim Pond. At one ...read more
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11. Giving To Caesar, Giving To God
Contributed on Aug 5, 2003
We owe our nation our support, but we owe God our wholehearted devotion.
As you all know, our nation is at war. We’ve been expecting it to come for several weeks, but this week it finally came. And whenever war comes, it comes as a tragedy for all involved. And the dilemma for me as a pastor is what to preach about today. I’m sure many pastors will be interrupting ...read more
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12. Living In The Now
Contributed on Aug 5, 2003
Instead of living in the future, God wants us to live in the now in light of the future.
During the first Gulf War in 1990 and 1991 I noticed that many pastors in our communities changed their preaching during the conflict. No matter what they’d been preaching about prior to the conflict, it seemed like pastors throughout our nation decided that the conflict in Iraq would be a great ...read more