Sermon Central
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Joseph (Genesis 37-50)
Contributed by C. Philip Green on Aug 20, 2011 (message contributor)
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1. Disappointed Dreamer
Contributed on Aug 20, 2011
Don’t let anything stop you from pursuing your God-given dreams, not rejection nor reversals, because in God’s sovereignty, our setbacks are but stepping stones to success.
Before I get into my message today, I want you to pick a number, any number. Did you pick a number larger than a million? If not, then why didn't you? In 1998, Larry Page and Sergey Brin picked the number one followed by 100 zeroes while they were still graduate students at Stanford ...read more
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2. Unqualified Leader
Contributed on Aug 27, 2011
Trust Christ with your life today, and let Him make you into the leader He wants you to be. Let Him give you a heart for God. Let Him save your family, and let Him make you a real and genuine Christian on the inside as well as the outside.
Peter Falk (1927-2011), who died just this last June, will always be remembered for the role he played as an eccentric, sloppy detective in the TV series called “Columbo.” More often than not, he played dumb, but that put his subjects off guard, and he was always able to solve his ...read more
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3. When Life Isn't Fair
Contributed on Sep 1, 2011
When life is unfair, put your faith in the Lord; be faithful to Him; and if things get worse, keep your faith in the Lord. Don’t stop trusting the One, the only One, who is absolutely trustworthy.
One of my favorite stories, which I’m sure I’ve told before, is about a young paratrooper who was learning to jump. He was given the following instructions: First, jump when you are told; second, count to 10 and pull the ripcord; third, in the unlikely event that it doesn't open, pull ...read more
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4. Dungeons And Dreams
Contributed on Sep 8, 2011
When you face an uncertain future, be certain that God is in control and that He cares for you; be certain that He will not forget the dream He has for you, nor will He forget you.
There is a little church in Galena, Kansas, where it is customary for people celebrating birthdays to come to the front of the sanctuary. There, they give a special offering while the congregation sings “Happy Birthday.” On the other hand, if you’re a little shy, you can ...read more
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5. Useful & Fruitful
Contributed on Sep 24, 2011
Even in the place of your affliction, trust the Lord to use you for His glory; trust Him to make you forget your pain; and trust Him to make you fruitful as you live your life for Him.
In 1969, in a science lab in New Jersey, Canadian physicist Willard Boyle and his colleagues invented the concept of an electronic eye. Using their knowledge of mathematics and the behavior of light they provided the science behind digital cameras known as a charged-coupled device or CCD. The CCD ...read more
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6. Turning Burdens Into Bridges
Contributed on Oct 1, 2011
True healing in our relationships begins when, in reliance upon God, we recognize our own sin with a remorse that leads to full repentance.
Sometime ago, an ad appeared in a Kansas newspaper, which read: “We will oil your sewing machine and adjust the tension in your home for only $1. (Leadership, Fall 1986, p.46). Wouldn’t that be nice, getting a quick fix for the tension in our homes or in any of our relationships? As we all ...read more
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7. Antidote For Anxiety
Contributed on Oct 7, 2011
If we want to overcome our fears, then we must always remember: God is faithful and we are forgiven.
In an issue of the AARP Bulletin, readers were asked to respond to the question: What’s your strategy for coping with stress? The answers ranged from “eat a chocolate chip cookie” to “have a stiff drink.” But Don Betz of Oakdale, Minnesota, offered his own unique solution. Every January 1st, ...read more
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8. Real Change
Contributed on Nov 3, 2011
If we were doomed to live the same life over and over again for eternity, would we choose the life we are living now? If not, then how can we make real change? We do it when we submit to God’s discipline. Then with Christ’s help, admit and quit our sin.
William Alexander, in his book The $64 Tomato, asks the question, “If you were doomed to live the same life over and over again for eternity, would you choose the life you are living now?” It’s a thought-provoking question, but not so much as the implied follow-up question: “If the answer is no, ...read more
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9. Real Reconciliation
Contributed on Nov 12, 2011
If we want real reconciliation and healing in our broken relationships, then we must confess our own sins to one another; we must forgive those who sinned against us; but none of that is possible until we truly believe that God is in control.
Stewart Ruch, a pastor in Wheaton, Illinois, talks about the “huge gap” between the ideal and the real in our everyday lives, using a family outing as an example. You see, every fall his family likes to go apple picking. Now, for the Ruch family, the ideal day for apple picking is ...read more
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10. Rx For Discouragement
Contributed on Nov 18, 2011
If we want to overcome discouragement and despair, then we must believe the good news, believe God’s Word, and be with God’s people on a regular basis.
An optimist and a pessimist were at the coffee shop where the optimist commented, “Isn’t this a wonderful, bright, sunny day?” The pessimist replied, “Yea, but if it doesn’t stop soon, all the grass, flowers and crops will dry up. Two days later, it’s ...read more
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11. God's Best
Contributed on Nov 23, 2011
Trust God in the test, because He gives His people the best. The world can only give its people cheap junk that doesn't last, but God give His people real wealth that lasts forever. So choose to live for Him not for the things of the world.
Years ago, there was a near-sighted professor who was an expert in entomology. His office walls were covered with pinned and framed insects. One day his students decided to play a practical joke. They took the body of one bug, the legs of another, and the head of yet another and glued them all ...read more
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12. Optimistic Outlook
Contributed on Dec 28, 2011
When we rely on the promises of God, we can look ahead with confidence; we can look up with commitment; and we can look around with compassion.
John Ortberg, in his book If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat, cites a medical study in which 122 men who had suffered their first heart attack were evaluated on their degree of hopefulness and pessimism: “Of the 25 most pessimistic men, 21 had died eight ...read more
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13. The Blessing
Contributed on Jan 5, 2012
If you want your future to be better than your past, don’t give into your passions. Instead, rest in God’s provision of a King, King Jesus, the Lion from the tribe of Judah, who died to save us from our sins.
Pastor Donn Moomaw was preaching in Bel Air, Maryland, where a lady came up to him after a sermon and said, “Oh, Reverend Moomaw, I just have to tell you that every sermon you preach is better than your next.” He thanked her and then went home to think about it. It’s not ...read more
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14. A Good Cry
Contributed on Jan 12, 2012
Go ahead, have a good cry if you need to. Then let your tears draw you close to others and to God.
There is a new trend in China’s changing culture, which I find very interesting. The trend is a Cry Bar and it’s spreading to several major Chinese cities. The first Cry Bar opened eight or nine years ago (2003) in the city of Nanjing with only a sofa, a few tables, and tissues – a lot of ...read more