Sermon Central
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Parables & Miracles
Contributed by David Dykes on Aug 31, 2011 (message contributor)
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1. Jesus Is Still Performing Miracles
Contributed on Aug 31, 2011
Jesus heals Peter's mother-in-law and drives out demons. A discussion of how Jesus fulfilled Messianic prophecy.
INTRODUCTION We’re in a series from Matthew studying the Parables and Miracles of Jesus. Every time you come to church you can be sure that the main theme is Jesus. And remember, there’s a parable in every miracle and a miracle in every parable. Today we’re going to look at ...read more
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2. If His Eye Is On The Sparrow...
Contributed on Aug 31, 2011
Jesus uses the example of the sparrow to give us three powerful reasons why you can say, “I’m not afraid.”
INTRODUCTION The title of this message is inspired by the famous gospel song by the same name. It is one of the most loved Christian songs in the world and was made famous by Ethel Walters, who used it as the title of her autobiography. Many other singers have recorded it and it enjoyed a ...read more
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3. A Sabbath Parable
Contributed on Aug 31, 2011
God’s commandments aren’t to be a burden to us; they are principles help us enjoy life. And when we trust His Word, we experience His life-changing power.
INTRODUCTION For the past year we’ve been studying the Parables and Miracles of Jesus in the Gospel According to Matthew. In this passage today, we are going to consider a Sabbath parable and in the next message we’ll consider the Sabbath miracle. Many people are confused about the ...read more
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4. Reading The Signs Of The Times
Contributed on Aug 31, 2011
Just as the Pharisees didn’t read the clear signs of the first coming of Jesus,many people today are missing the clear signs that point to the second coming of Christ. Four spiritual signs that are too bold to miss.
INTRODUCTION When you hear the phrase, “It’s a sign of the times” what comes to your mind? If you’re into music you might think of the #1 hit song in the 1960s by Petula Clark, “It’s a sign of the times, that your love for me is getting so much ...read more
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5. Don't Waste Your Life
Contributed on Aug 31, 2011
A comparison of the wasted life vs. the surrendered life.
INTRODUCTION A dairy farmer went to buy a new pickup truck. He had seen an ad in the paper about discounts and factory rebates, so he decided to trade in his old clunker. He chose a new model and was ready to write the check for the full amount. The salesman said, “Wait, I haven’t ...read more
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6. Is Heaven For Real?
Contributed on Aug 31, 2011
Seven answers to seven questions about what heaven is really like.
INTRODUCTION Today, I’m going to be talking about Heaven. A man died and went to Heaven. St. Peter asked him, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” The guy said, “Well, I tried to help other people.” “Can you give me an example?” “Sure. Once I was in ...read more
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7. Can We Know When Jesus Will Return?
Contributed on Aug 31, 2011
While there is no way to name a specific date, Jesus gave three clues as the general time when we should be looking for his return.
INTRODUCTION A little boy came home from his first day in school. His mother met him and asked, “What did you learn today?” He replied, “Not enough, I guess. They want me to come back tomorrow.” In this message I hope you will learn the lesson something about the Second ...read more
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8. The Miracle That Never Happened
Contributed on Aug 31, 2011
The night He was arrested, Jesus could have called for twelve legions of angels to rescue Him from the mob's hands—but He didn’t.
INTRODUCTION In light of all the economic news about the debt ceiling and Wall Street’s wild ride, you might have missed the news of the death of a very important American recently. If you ever sung or danced to the song “Hokey Pokey,” you might be interested to know that Larry ...read more
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9. Taking His Yoke Is No Joke
Contributed on Aug 16, 2012
How taking the yoke of Jesus is the key to life.
INTRODUCTION I’ve got to admit I am REALLY excited about sharing this message with you! This is one of my favorite passages of scripture in the Bible and I’ve quoted it hundreds of times, but I’ve never devoted an entire message to it. Now, I realize sometimes people who hear ...read more
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10. The Prince Of Peace Carries A Sword
Contributed on Aug 16, 2012
What Jesus DIDN'T mean when He said, "I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." A study of how this part of scripture is commonly misunderstood.
¬¬INTRODUCTION It’s been a memorable weather week, for the first time since they started keeping records, 49 of the 50 states had snow on the ground at the same time. Northwest Florida even had snow – the only state without snow was Hawaii. There is usually always snow on the top of ...read more
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11. Are You A Part Of God's Forever Family?
Contributed on Aug 16, 2012
Jesus uses the example of His biological family to teach that we can be a part of another family, a spiritual family and how we can be a part of God’s forever family.
INTRODUCTION Families have always mattered to God. Before He created the nation or the church, He created a family. Someone said families are like fudge candy—mostly sweet, but with a few nuts! We’re going to talk about being a part of God’s forever family today. Today is ...read more
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12. God's Final Harvest
Contributed on Aug 16, 2012
The good news about the parable of the weeds is we don’t have to speculate about the meaning, the Lord gives us a full interpretation. Four personal lessons we can apply to our lives.
INTRODUCTION In Matthew 13 Jesus tells seven classic parables about the Kingdom of heaven. Last week we studied the parable of the Sower, which also is recorded in Mark and Luke. Today we’re going to examine the parable of the “Wheat and Weeds,” which appears only in Matthew. ...read more
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13. How To Multiply Your Influence 100x
Contributed on Aug 16, 2012
The parable of the sower is a picture of the seed of the Word of God. There is amazing potential in that seed, but we must provide the right kind of soil for it to grow.
INTRODUCTION This is the 40th message in the series I call “Parables and Miracles.” The word “parable” means, “to throw alongside.” A parable may be an analogy or metaphor where Jesus lays down a natural truth and then throws a spiritual truth alongside it. ...read more
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14. Little Is Much When God Is In It
Contributed on Aug 17, 2012
God delights in using small things for great purposes. How the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast apply to our lives.
INTRODUCTION Matthew 13 contains seven parables Jesus gives about the Kingdom of heaven. Most of His stories are based on agriculture, because all the people living in Galilee understood gardening. If you’re a gardener, these parables make more sense to you than to the non-gardeners. Let ...read more
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15. Sell Out And Buy Up!
Contributed on Aug 17, 2012
How the parable of the hidden treasure and the parable of the pearl represent two different ways people come into a relationship with Jesus Christ.
INTRODUCTION Matthew 13 contains seven parables about the Kingdom of heaven. Today we’re going to examine the short twin parables of the treasure buried in the field and the valuable pearl. As we talk about the Kingdom of heaven, you must remember only thing necessary for a kingdom is a ...read more
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16. God's Dragnet
Contributed on Aug 17, 2012
A look at the parable of the net in three stages and personal applications of this truth.
INTRODUCTION In Matthew 13, there are seven parables Jesus told about the Kingdom of Heaven. We looked at two long parables, the Parable of the Sower and the Parable of the Wheat and Weeds. Then we looked at four short parables, the mustard seed, yeast, a buried treasure and a pearl of great ...read more
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17. The Only Word Jesus Doesn't Understand
Contributed on Aug 17, 2012
The miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 and the one word Jesus doesn’t understand: ONLY and three lessons we can learn from this miracle.
INTRODUCTION I’ve entitled this message, “The ONLY Word Jesus Doesn’t Understand.” Words can be hard to understand, especially English words. For instance, someone wrote: “English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; a pineapple is ...read more
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18. And First Place Goes To...
Contributed on Aug 19, 2012
How greatness in the Kingdom of God is determined by our level of service to others.
INTRODUCTION I admit my humor is a little corny sometimes, but bear with me for a moment. See if you can answer these questions: (1) What do you call a chicken crossing the road? Poultry in motion. (2) What do you call a boomerang that doesn’t work? A stick. (3) What do you call four ...read more
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19. That's Not Fair! No, That's Grace!
Contributed on Aug 19, 2012
The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard is a picture of God's grace.
INTRODUCTION One of the most common internet urban myths spread by emails is that Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, once spoke to a high school graduation and shared some practical life rules. Bill Gates never did that. But California educator, Charles Sykes, DID create the rules attributed to Bill ...read more
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20. A Camel Through A Needle: A Parable Of Impossibility
Contributed on Aug 19, 2012
In the parable of the rich young ruler, he was on a quest to find what was missing in his life, a quest everyone is on.
INTRODUCTION What do you think this red paperclip is worth? Do you think I could trade this red paperclip to someone for a house? You say, “Impossible!” What if I told you someone actually traded a red paperclip for a house? I’m not making this up. In 2005, a Canadian named ...read more
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21. Grace: The Gift That Keeps On Forgiving
Contributed on Aug 19, 2012
We love to talk about how God has forgiven us, but we sometimes choke on the idea of forgiving others.
INTRODUCTION People often speak about a certain kind of gift as a “gift that keeps on giving.” It’s used often, but do you know its origin? In 1924, Victor Talking Machines trademarked that phrase to promote the sale of their talking machines, later called phonographs. This was before cassettes ...read more
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22. God's Beautiful Symphony
Contributed on Aug 19, 2012
Like instruments in an orchestra playing the same piece of music, so should all the members of the church and when the church is out of tune, it can get ugly. Four ways Jesus tells us we can tune up our lives.
INTRODUCTION I really enjoy listening to a great symphony orchestra performing classical music. One of my favorite composers is Johann Sebastian Bach. His most famous composition was “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.” Here’s a little bit of trivia about Bach that you might ...read more
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23. Mountain-Moving Faith
Contributed on Aug 20, 2012
Mountains come in all shapes and sizes. Jesus has a better idea than climbing a mountain. He says you can move a mountain. But sometimes instead of moving the mountain, God moves you.
INTRODUCTION It’s a true story; only the names have been changed to protect the embarrassed. Little Tommy attended first grade Sunday School faithfully. He loved his teacher, Mrs. Smith. Mrs. Smith told great Bible stories, and she would always end the story by saying, “And, boys and ...read more
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24. Why It's Easier For "Bad" People To Go To Heaven Than "Good" People
Contributed on Aug 20, 2012
The parable of the two sons and how they describe our life in relationship with the Father.
INTRODUCTION If you’re currently looking for a job, you need to be careful when you fill out the application form. Here are some actual statements from job application forms. One person wrote, “I served as an assistant SORE manager.” When asked about his education, one ...read more
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25. Has Jesus Touched Your Eyes?
Contributed on Aug 20, 2012
There is a blindness even more debilitating than physical blindness. It is the blindness that occurs when people with perfectly good vision REFUSE to see what God is doing.
INTRODUCTION Today we’re going to examine a miracle in which Jesus gives sight to two blind men. I’ve known several people who are physically blind and I’m always amazed by what they can do without sight. Growing up in Alabama, one of the most celebrated sports heroes in our ...read more
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26. Where Does God Live Today?
Contributed on Aug 20, 2012
God's collective address, the church, and God's individual address, a believer. A discussion about how the things Jesus did in the temple courts are the things He wants to do in us today.
INTRODUCTION Everybody seems to be on a diet these days. Scientists are making amazing discoveries every day about nutrition and diet. If you’re struggling to lose weight these recent scientific findings may help you. Scientists have discovered: (1) If nobody sees you eat food, it has ...read more
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27. The Rejected Stone
Contributed on Aug 20, 2012
Uncovering four foundational truths about the character of God in Jesus' Parable of the Tenants and a corresponding personal lesson we can apply to our lives.
INTRODUCTION The title of this message carries a double meaning. We’re going to learn that Jesus was not only the rejected SON; He was also the rejected STONE. A guy who was crossing the street to visit his neighbor. As he started to cross the street, a car was bearing down on him, so ...read more
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28. You Invitation To The Royal Wedding
Contributed on Aug 20, 2012
The parable about how the Jews rejected Jesus offers a spiritual application for us as well.
INTRODUCTION Everybody loves a wedding. A little girl was attending her first wedding with her mom. She was in awe at the decorations, candles and music. She was thrilled when the bride came walking down the aisle dressed in a flowing wedding gown. She leaned over and asked, “Mom, why is ...read more
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29. Show Me The Money!
Contributed on Aug 20, 2012
Jesus' response to the Pharisees and the Herodians when they tried to trick him with a question about taxes.
INTRODUCTION Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding, Jr. starred in the 1996 movie, “Jerry McGuire.” Tom Cruise played a sports agent with only one client. Cuba Gooding, Jr. played an NFL receiver who made the line, “Show me the money, Jerry! Show me the money!” famous. In our ...read more
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30. The Miracle Of The Cross
Contributed on Aug 20, 2012
The cross symbolizes how God can take all the bad things in our lives, and transform them into something good.
INTRODUCTION It’s been a hot, hot summer! Tyler usually averages five days a year where the temperature goes above 100 degrees. This summer we set a new record with 47 consecutive days over 100. How hot is it? Potato farmers are digging their potatoes out of the hot ground and you ...read more