Sermon Central
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Mark 10-16: Jesus And The Home Stretch
Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Oct 19, 2015 (message contributor)
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1. The Lords Supper: A Spiritual Banquet
Contributed on Mar 7, 2016
By first looking at the mechanics of the Lord’s Supper, we can then move on to understand the truths associated with it.
The Lord’s Supper: A Spiritual Banquet (Mark 14:22-25) 1. Mark’s account is by far the shortest account of the Lord’s Supper. Even Paul’s account in I Corinthians 11 is longer. The Lord’s Supper has always been an important and distinctive part of Christian worship. Early in church ...read more
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2. When Your Friends Dont Get It
Contributed on Feb 22, 2016
One of the most important qualities that makes us a good friend is the ability to listen and then understand what our friends feel.
When Your Friends Don’t Get It (Mark 14:1-9) 1. A woman goes to a bank in NYC and takes out a loan for $5,000. She leaves her Rolls Royce as collateral. They carefully park it in their garage, confused as to why a millionaire would take out a loan for only $5,000. Two weeks later, she ...read more
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3. The Complexities Of Divorce And Remarriage
Contributed on Oct 19, 2015
Jesus did not deal with all the particulars of marriage, divorce, and remarriage, but he did make it clear these matters are not to be taken lightly; they are profoundly serious in nature. More like a lesson than a sermon
The Complexities of Divorce and Remarriage (Mark 10:1-12) 1. A young cook in France, Jean Luc, decided that the French would enjoy feasting on rabbits and decided to raise rabbits in Paris and sell them to the finer restaurants in the city. Jean Luc searched all over Paris seeking a suitable ...read more
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4. Disenchanted And Sincere: Side By Side
Contributed on Feb 29, 2016
The contrast between Judas and the other disciples was not obvious, until their hearts were revealed.
Disenchanted and Sincere: Side by Side (Mark 14:10-21) 1. We have all met negative, cynical, bitter folks who claim to follow Christ but really don’t like Him and they don’t love His people. They may profess to be seekers or questioners, or are rethinking their faith. In reality, ...read more
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5. We Need A Shepherd
Contributed on Mar 15, 2016
Sincerity is not enough: We need an active Shepherd to follow, One worthy of our allegiance.
We Need A Shepherd (Mark 14:26-31) 1. A flock of sheep are grazing in a field, happily going "baa baa" to one another and discussing life as usual when suddenly they hear a "moo mooooooooooo!" They look around &see only sheep. They carry on grazing as before. "Moo moo!" One sheep can hear ...read more
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6. Jesus’ Shrewd Side
Contributed on Jan 4, 2016
Part of being Christ-like is knowing when and how to be shrewd.
Jesus’ Shrewd Side (Mark 11:27-12:13) 1. A lady lost her handbag in the bustle of Christmas shopping. It was found by an honest little boy and returned to her. Looking in her purse, she commented, "That's funny. When I lost my bag there was only a $100 bill in it. Now there are five $20 ...read more
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7. Displeasing Jesus
Contributed on Oct 26, 2015
There are many ways people to displease our Lord, but even His most sincere followers can trouble Him in unique ways.
Displeasing Jesus (Mark 10:13-16) Blog stories: “Today, I went to my new job at a pre-school. I was really excited because everything was going so well, and a little boy even said he was drawing a picture of me. He even gave it to me when he was finished. Well it was me, but I was also on ...read more
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8. The Great Tribulation
Contributed on Feb 8, 2016
Even though nearly 2,000 years have gone by, Jesus wants his disciples of all time to understand how this era of human history ends. And that includes you. Let’s answer three basic questions that arise from a reading of this text.
The Great Tribulation (Mark 13:14-22) 1. Eschatology is the study of the Bible’s teaching about the End Times — it is about the end of the world as we know it; culminates in New Heaven and New Earth. 2. A friend says to a seminarian, “What subjects are you studying at ...read more
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9. The Curious Case Of The Rich Young Ruler
Contributed on Nov 2, 2015
It is not about God grading on a curve, it is about being accepted because we have believed in and follow Jesus.
The Curious Case of the Rich Young Ruler Mark 10:17-31 1. Those of us with little hair cannot have bad hair days. But many equivalents. 2. One blogger wrote: “Today, I was at work, nonchalantly spinning my keys around my finger when they flew off and hit a glass cabinet. Broken glass ...read more
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10. Three Of The Oldest Church Traditions
Contributed on Nov 9, 2015
Because the disciples were very human, and because human nature hasn’t changed, they exemplified three established traditions that are every bit as common in the church today.
Three of the Oldest Church Traditions (Mark 10:32-45) 1. We all live within the boundaries of routines and patterns; but they do not always hold true. 2. Two old friends bumped into one another on the street one day. One of them looked forlorn, almost on the verge of tears. His friend asked, ...read more
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11. Was Blind But Now I See
Contributed on Nov 17, 2015
Many of us would probably rate our ability to see as our most important sense, but spiritual sight is even more important.
Was Blind But Now I See (Mark 10:46-52) 1. We all experience countless disappointments in life. Some blogs: Today, I got a call from a potential employer. They spent five minutes explaining job duties and I listened with anticipation. Then they spent five minutes explaining why I wasn't the ...read more
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12. Forewarned Is Forearmed
Contributed on Feb 1, 2016
Jesus warns his followers about hard times near at hand, in the current age, and in the future end times. Today we will look at the “then” and the “now.” Next time we will begin to address the “later.”
Forewarned is Forearmed (Mark 13:1-13) 1. A woman blogs, “Today, I learned that my daughter's gerbils are not afraid of the vacuum cleaner.” 2. That is not normal. All animals should be afraid of the vacuum cleaner. And all people should know how to spell it. One c, two ...read more
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13. Jesus The Struggler
Contributed on Mar 21, 2016
Sometimes we so emphasize that Jesus is the Son of God (fully divine) that we forget He is also the Son of Man (fully human). At Gethsemane, we see Jesus’ human nature struggling with the perfect will of God — for our sakes!
Jesus the Struggler (Mark 14:32-42) 1. We all do goofy things. “Today, I took a picture of the combination to my new lock so I would always have it on my phone if I ever forgot it. I put my phone in my gym locker, locked it with the new lock, then promptly forgot the ...read more
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14. The Triumphant Sacrifice
Contributed on Nov 30, 2015
Jesus triumphant procession into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday seems straightforward enough, but the implications of this special event — documented in all four Gospels — run so deep that we may not have uncovered them all.
The Triumphant Sacrifice (Mark 11:1-11) 1. "Children’s Letters to God" series, actual authentic letters written by kids to God: "Dear God, I read the Bible. What does ’begat’ mean? Nobody will tell me. Love, Alison." "Dear God, did you mean for the giraffe to look like ...read more
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15. Jesus, The Tree Killer
Contributed on Dec 7, 2015
When Jesus cursed the fig tree, this served as an object lesson to teach us about the dangers of unbelief and the blessings of trust in the Lord.
Jesus, the Tree Killer (Mark 11;12-14, 20-25) 1. I have a Christmas joke for Geeks. Q: What do you get if you cross an iPad with a Christmas tree? A: A pineapple! 2. Christmas trees help set an atmosphere, do they not? 3. Do you remember the Charlie Brown Christmas? He buys this ...read more
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16. The Power Of Contrast
Contributed on Jan 25, 2016
There is nothing like a contrast to make the point; Jesus used the idea of contrast to highlight Who He is, and to distinguish external religion from true devotion.
The Power of Contrast (Mark 12:35-44) 1. Illustration … a few years ago,. Trying to tell someone about the Windfarm on I-65 in NW Indiana. This person had never seen the big windmills, and was thinking of a place with 3 tiny windmills on US 31.. or the types farmers use to pump water ...read more
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17. Temple Tantrum
Contributed on Dec 28, 2015
The Cleansing of the Temple was chosen for inclusion in the Gospels not as just information, but is amazingly rich in meaning.
Temple Tantrum (Mark 11:15-19) 1. One guy made a New Year’s resolution without much meaning. He resolved he would never shovel snow again. Since he lived in Miami Beach, Florida, it was a resolution he no doubt kept! 2. Besides the most common resolutions — like losing weight, ...read more
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18. The Second Coming In Retrospect
Contributed on Feb 15, 2016
Are we living in a way that anticipates the Lord’s return?
The Second Coming in Retrospect (Mark 13:24-37) 1. Aerocondor was experiencing money problems in Peru and needed to cut back expenses. So, rumor had it they hired two blind pilots. Story soon spread about these pilots, but no one believed it. So one day the plane was loaded and up came the ...read more
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19. Vertical And Horizontal Love
Contributed on Jan 18, 2016
Today’s text leads us toward an answer toward life’s biggest question: What is God’s main goal for me on earth?
Vertical and Horizontal Love Mark 12:28-34 1. Bernie and Esther were not the most religious Jews and in fact they really only went to Temple once a year. As they were leaving the Temple, the Rabbi said, "Bernie, it sure would be nice to see you and Esther here more than once a year!" "I know," ...read more
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20. Death And Taxes
Contributed on Jan 11, 2016
The ability to answer wisely may not persuade the hardened opponents of the Gospel, but God can use those answers to glorify himself and perhaps to reach out to others who hear the discussion.
Death and Taxes (Mark 12:13-27) 1. I cannot say I enjoy making payments. Fortunately, I do not have a car payment, but I have a mortgage and I have bills. 2. Ministers are considered self-employed for purposes of social security, but employed by the church for purposes of income tax. 3. ...read more