Sermon Central
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Jerusalem Jews For Jesus: Acts 1:1-8:4
Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jun 23, 2008 (message contributor)
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1. Jerusalem Jews For Jesus Intro Part One
Contributed on Jun 23, 2008
Our Faith has roots that go back to the beginning: we are connected.
Jerusalem Jews for Jesus, Part One (Acts 1:1-8, part one) 1. Sometimes we do not know as much aobut people as we think. 2. A true story from Reader’s Digest: Recently my girlfriend, Karen, got a job at a local hardware store. "The owners don’t want us hanging out with our friends," she ...read more
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2. Jerusalem Jews For Jesus Ii
Contributed on Jul 2, 2008
Our Faith has roots that go back to the beginning: we are connected.
Jerusalem Jews for Jesus II (Acts 1:1-8, part two) 1.True story from Reader’s Digest: Our surname, Stead, rhymes with bed, but people often say steed, like the horse. One day a business associate of mine came over to the house and was greeted by my mother. "Is Mr. Steed in?" the woman ...read more
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3. On The Up And Up: Jesus'ascension
Contributed on Jul 7, 2008
esus’ Ascension is connected both to the Resurrection and the Second Coming of Christ. It is an extension of the Gospel and a foundational belief that has important ramifications.
On the Up and UP: Jesus’Ascension (Acts 1:9-11) 1. It can be tough to say “Goodbye.” 2. It was hard when our daughter moved to Washington or our son went away to Bible College. 3. Indeed, if you are like me, you will probably ever see most of the people with whom you graduated high ...read more
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4. The Notables Of The Early Church
Contributed on Jul 14, 2008
he Church is made up of God’s people. This was true from the beginning and is true today. But who were those people who made up the earliest church?
The Notables of the Early Church (Acts 1:12-14) 1. Following Jesus Christ has never meant deserting the human race and living in seclusion -- or putting on an image of otherly-worldness -- if there is such a word. True, some Christians have chosen to live this way, like the Amish. But most have ...read more
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5. Bringing God Into Our Decisions
Contributed on Jul 23, 2008
Much of life is out of our hands, but our lives are greatly influenced by the choices we and others make.
Bringing God Into Our Decisions (Acts 1:15-26) 1. This was a very rough week for many people. 2. The Williams family had a traumatic time. 3. We had 8 surgeries in the church family within a 7 day period, all during one of our two busiest weeks of the year, camp time. 4. I have been ...read more
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6. He Was There All The Time
Contributed on Aug 5, 2008
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not merely a New Testament phenomenon; it is stealthily sprinkled throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. This is one way we know it is true.
He Was There All the Time (Acts 2:14-36) 1. Some people have a lot of nerve. Take this late-breaking odd news item: KOLKATA, India (Reuters) - An Indian man who took an impersonator to court to get a divorce faces legal action after his real wife found out, lawyers said Friday. Sanjib ...read more
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7. Bringing In The Net
Contributed on Aug 11, 2008
Although the people had rejected their Messiah, a path back was possible. They had to change their attitude, become followers of Jesus, and enjoy the blessings of salvation if they were to align themselves to God’s will for them.
Bringing in the Net (Acts 2:37-40) 1. I have been a juror a number of times. Although I do not look forward to the time commitment, I have found my experiences interesting. 2. I have noticed, however, a variety of qualities in the cases prepared by both the prosecution and defense. ...read more
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8. The Earliest Church And Modern Times
Contributed on Aug 18, 2008
The church must adjust to the times and circumstances, but she should never forsake the basics.
The Earliest Church and Modern Times (Acts 2:42-47) 1. Some people just don’t get it. 2. From Reader’s Digest: After booking my 90-year-old mother on a flight from Florida to Nevada, I called the airline to go over her needs. The woman representative listened patiently as I requested a ...read more
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9. Our Surprising God
Contributed on Aug 26, 2008
Isn’t life based solely upon the laws of nature and cause and effect? Most of the time, yes -- but sometimes God surprises us.
Our Surprising God (Acts 3:1-10) 1. This week has been a rough, depressing week for many people. 2. Keith & Aimey Williams were through an awful ordeal… 3. Last week, a teenager in our community committed suicide after losing a brother a year ago in an accident… 4. Hundreds of Engineers and ...read more
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10. Will Israel Repent?
Contributed on Sep 2, 2008
God’s dealings with Israel provide us with an object lesson about sin, repentance, and responsibility.
Will Israel Repent? (Acts 3:11-26) [Note: I only got halfway through this sermon in 1/2 hour; I ended up doing this in 2 parts; the "second part" is found in the next sermon in my "Jerusalem Jews for Jesus" series]. 1. Have you ever wondered why Jews have such hesitations about ...read more
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11. Israel's National Choice
Contributed on Sep 8, 2008
God can "make it so."
Israel’s National Choice (Acts 3:19-26) 1. As a child, I remember when the original Star Trek program was introduced. Although we had a black and white television, the word was that those with color TV’s could see that Mr. Spock was greenish. 2. Marylu and I watched Star Trek, the Next ...read more
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12. The Stubbornness Of Human Nature
Contributed on Sep 15, 2008
What seems obvious to some seems unlikely to others, especially when confronted with the claims of Christ.
The Stubbornness of Human Nature (Acts 4:1-22) 1. Some people are hard to reason with and won’t take "no" for an answer. 2. Patsy Dancey tells this story: Hospital regulations require a wheelchair for patients being discharged. However, while working as a student nurse, I found an elderly ...read more
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13. When Foundations Shake
Contributed on Sep 22, 2008
When Christians get serious about their faith and venture beyond their comfort zones, they have a much deeper appreciation for the support God gives them.
When Foundations Shake (Acts 4:23-31) 1. In his book Fuzzy Memories, Jack Handey writes: "There used to be this bully who would demand my lunch money every day. Since I was smaller, I would give it to him. Then I decided to fight back. I started taking karate lessons. But then the karate ...read more
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14. Death By Motive
Contributed on Sep 29, 2008
Matters of sin and righteousness are not merely matters of behavior, but also matters of motive.
Death By Motive Acts 4:32-5:11 1. As many of you know, we Vasiceks temporarily housed a pet pig for over 6 months. 2. So when this Australian story hit the press on Friday, I noted it. CANBERRA (Reuters) - A pony-size pig who held an Australian woman hostage for 10 days inside her home ...read more
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15. Complications: The Need For A Meandering Church
Contributed on Oct 6, 2008
The church must hold true to the fundamentals of the faith, but she needs to constantly adapt, meander, and reinvent herself.
Complications: The Need for A Meandering Church (Acts 5:12-18) 1. Bernard Goldstein tells this story: One of my pet peeves as a musician in a symphony orchestra is trying to follow the unpredictable beat of famous guest conductors. I didn’t realize how strongly the rest of the musicians felt ...read more
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16. Chapter Of Firsts
Contributed on Oct 15, 2008
Serving the Lord means walking into the unknown. We may have many unique experiences.
Chapter of Firsts (Acts 5:17-41) 1. Kokomo is called the City of Firsts…. If you ’ve ever been to the Sieberling Mansion, AKA, The Howard County Museum just two blocks from here, you’ve probably seen the list of Kokomo’s firsts. 2. "City of Firsts" inventions 1894 - Elwood Haynes makes ...read more
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17. Flexing To Adjust To What Is
Contributed on Oct 20, 2008
The early church was comfortable with innovating and changing its methodology; even today, Biblically grounded churches have freedom to adjust to the times as long as the truth of Scripture is not sacrificed in the process. Our text provides us with a mo
Flexing to Adjust to What Is (Acts 6:1-7) 1. This was in Friday’s news: LAGOS (Reuters) – A father took his 20-year old son to an Islamic court in northern Nigeria for idleness, asking that he be sent to prison for refusing to engage in productive activities, state news agency NAN said ...read more
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18. Guilty Until Proven Guilty
Contributed on Oct 27, 2008
As followers of Jesus, we must argue our case fairly, even when our opponents do not. They do not set our agenda.
Guilty Until Proven Guilty (Acts 6:8-15) 1. Many changes come to us a step at a time. I came across of illustration of this regarding trapping wild pigs. You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come ...read more
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19. That Same Old Song And Dance
Contributed on Nov 3, 2008
When we are bound by stubborn patterns, we can become hostile when our stubborn ways are exposed.
That Same Old Song and Dance (Acts 7: 1-53) 1. It is natural for all of us to get absorbed in our own worlds; as a result, we often lose sight of the big picture. 2. Our nation’s current economic meltdown is causing us to rethink life and the way we do things in this country. 3. But God’s ...read more
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20. The Martyr's Testimony
Contributed on Nov 10, 2008
God is very good at confusing us and leaving our heads in a spin, but He knows what He is doing, even if we can’t figure it out. But eventually his plan becomes clear, either in the distant future (eternity) or in retrospect (in this life).
The Martyr’s Testimony (Acts 7:51-8:4) 1. According to an AP article yesterday (Nov. 8), "WASHINGTON – The nation’s jobless ranks zoomed past 10 million last month, the most in a quarter-century, as piles of pink slips shut factory gates and office doors to 240,000 more Americans with the ...read more