Sermon Central
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Pentecost
Contributed by Kevin Ruffcorn on Jun 5, 2007 (message contributor)
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1. Life And Death
Contributed on Oct 2, 2016
Passover: the blood of the lamb and unleavened bread signify God's sacrifice of the lamb and God's deliverance.
Life and Death” INTRODUCTION Three weeks ago we commemorated the fifteenth anniversary of 9/11. Our activities were not confined to memorializing those who lost their lives on that tragic day. We also acknowledged the profound effect that 9/11 has had on us as individuals and our ...read more
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2. Being A Pest
Contributed on Nov 18, 2010
The tenacious widow serves as a lesson about prayer for us. God doesn't mind if we are prayerful pests. He'd much rather have us pray for any reason or any occasion than have us remain silent.
Luke 18:1-8 “Being a Pest” INTRODUCTION Prayer is one of the core spiritual disciplines of the Christian life. Billions of Christians have prayed throughout the millennia (along with those of other faith traditions). Thousands of books have been written on the subject of ...read more
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3. Empowered For Ministry
Contributed on Jun 29, 2011
Called to continue his ministry, Jesus empowers his disciples with his Holy Spirit so that they can accomplish his will.
Acts 2:1-21 “Empowered for Ministry” INTRODUCTION There has been a lot of talk lately about the end times. In May we had the group that thought that Judgment Day would come on May 21st, and plastered the country with billboards with that message. (I now understand that ...read more
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4. Strength In Weakness
Contributed on Jul 7, 2009
God does not promise nations or his children a charmed life, but he does prmise to give us strength, be with us in the struggle, and see us safe to the other side.
2 Corinthians 12:2-10 “Strength in Weakness” INTRODUCTION “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” We have all heard ...read more
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5. Imitators
Contributed on Aug 10, 2009
God wants us to copy him. We can live no better life than to have a life with godlike characteristics.
Ephesians 4:25-5:2 “Imitators” INTRODUCTION One of my favorite subjects in school was history. Not only is the study of history completely devoid of any algebraic equations or geometric theorems, but it is also filled with people and stories from which we can learn so much. History ...read more
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6. The Shape Of Hope
Contributed on Aug 9, 2011
The shape of hope is not wishful or positive thinking, but rather action
Romans 8:12-25 “The Shape of Hope” INTRODUCTION Some of the greatest Christian hymns are songs of hope: “My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less,” “Rock of Ages,” “Oh God, Our Help in Ages Past,” and many more. Christians are a people of hope. ...read more
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7. Perseverance
Contributed on Jul 13, 2013
Perseverance is needed in one’s walk of faith.
Galatians 6:7-16 "Perseverance" INTRODUCTION One of the most difficult times, for parents, is when they need to give their children the ability to make decisions on their own and experience the consequences of their decisions. There are a lot of prayers that go up at this time. Parents ...read more
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8. Forgiven To Forgive
Contributed on Sep 13, 2011
As challenging as it may be Christians are called to place no limitations on their forgiveness of others.
Matthew 18:21-35 “Forgiven to Forgive” INTRODUCTION The self-help industry is a multi-billion dollar business. There are millions of people, like you and me, who are willing to shell out significant amounts of cash in order to attain the nirvana of success. They develop ...read more
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9. Getting Along Together
Contributed on Sep 9, 2008
Jesus gives his followers rules for the community to live by. They are good rules as we strive to live our Christian lives together in ministry and fellowship
Matthew 18:15-20 INTRODUCTION For the last several Sundays, we have been seeing examples of great faith and discussing how such faith applies to our lives today. In the story of Jesus beckoning Peter to walk on water, we learned that great faith involves getting out of the boat. The story ...read more
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10. Living Sacrifices
Contributed on Sep 13, 2011
Paul invites his readers to respond to God's steadfast love and overwhelming grace by offering ourselves as living sacrifices--worshiping God by what we say and do.
Romans 12:1-8 “Living Sacrifices” INTRODUCTION Paul is a man who stands in awe of God. He is amazed at God’s steadfast love, overwhelming grace, and unconditional forgiveness. In his introductory treatise to the Romans—a testament of what he believes—he has ...read more
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11. The Hand Off
Contributed on Jun 23, 2008
Jesus calls his disciples and then sends them out to continue his ministry of preaching, teaching, casting out demons and healing.
Matthew 9:35-10:8 “The Hand Off” INTRODUCTION There are times the people image Jesus traveling around Judea and Galilee in something other than the traditional dress of the time. Instead of a loose fitting coat and sandals they picture Jesus clothed in blue tights, with a red cape and a ...read more
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12. Creation And Chaos
Contributed on Aug 1, 2016
God questions Jobs ability to question the Creator of the Universe.
Job 38:25-27, 41:1-8, 42:1-6 “Creation and Chaos” INTRODUCTION How do you build trust? Job had lost his trust in God. God had let him down. God had allowed these terrible things to happen to him and to his family. God was faced with the challenge of rebuilding Job’s ...read more
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13. God's Answers To Suffering
Contributed on Jul 26, 2016
God asserts God's divine wisdom and talks about the limits of Jobs understanding.
Job 31:35-37; 38:1-11 “God’s Answer’s to Suffering” INTRODUCTION When we encounter a speed bump on the road of life, we often find ourselves asking, “How did that get there?” or “Why did I hit that speed bump?” It is our human nature to ...read more
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14. Living In A Broken World
Contributed on Nov 17, 2009
The calamities that Jesus prophesizes will be a prelude to the end times are here. They always have been. This passage gives us a glimpse of how we are to live in a broken and sin filled world.
Mark 13:1-8 “Living in a Broken World” INTRODUCTION I’m not a big advocate of “The good ol’ days,” but there are times. There are times when I long for the days where we always left our doors unlocked, rather than locked, bolted and secured with an alarm system. I long for the days when ...read more
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15. Tenacious
Contributed on Sep 13, 2011
God does not giv e up on us. He keeps showering us with his love, grace and mercy.
Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32 “Tenacious” INTRODUCTION During the Battle of Britain, in World War II, Winston Churchill has been quoted as saying, “Never give up, never give up, never give up!” I have always thought these words rang true for Christians as we walk as ...read more
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16. Authority Issues
Contributed on Oct 9, 2011
The religious leaders questioned Jesus' authority. We know Jesus has authority, but does he really have authority over us?
Matthew 21:23-32 "Authority Issues" INTRODUCTION God is a God of abundance and diversity. Looking around the worship area, it is obvious that we are very different people. We like to make things easy, though, so we often condense our diversity down to the basic essentials and say that ...read more
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17. An Unaccepted Message
Contributed on Sep 21, 2009
The people who lived at the time of Jeremiah could not accept his message. Many people who heard Jesus preach could not accept his words. Today people, including ourselves, find it difficult to believe in a god of steadfast and overwhelming love.
Jeremiah 11:18-20 “An Unaccepted Message” INTRODUCTION One of the most challenging jobs, or callings, is that of a prophet of change. Certainly, the Old Testament prophets, like Jeremiah, realized the enormity and difficulty of their task. Jeremiah lived in the seventh century B.C., and ...read more
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18. The Tyranny Of Mine
Contributed on Oct 9, 2011
We claim our kingdoms and possessions and call them "mine." God lays claim to all and calls us to acknowledge it as his.
Matthew 21:33-46 "The Tyranny of Mine" INTRODUCTION Two friends were walking in the forest one day when suddenly they stumbled upon a large grizzly bear who decided that they looked like a good snack. The two started running away when all of a sudden one of them stopped. The other said, ...read more
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19. The Invitation - Refused And Accepted
Contributed on Oct 9, 2011
Our Lord issues an invitation to come and live in his kingdom. Many are distracted and refuse the invitation. The invitation is extended to all people.
Matthew 22:1-14 “The Invitation—Refused and Accepted” INTRODUCTION Tens of millions of people sat glued to their televisions on April 29, 2011 in order to watch the wedding of the decade. This was the day that Prince William and Kate Middleton were married. Of course ...read more
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20. Celebration Of Grace
Contributed on Jul 14, 2009
God pours out his grace upon us. Because of this, we have much to celebrate.
Ephesians 1:3-14 “Celebration of Grace” INTRODUCTION Imagine what it would be like to uncover priceless treasures and riches beyond your wildest dreams. What would it feel like? What would a person be thinking? How would a person react? In February 1923, Howard Carter made one of the ...read more
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21. Eating Humble Pie
Contributed on Aug 8, 2016
Job realizes that he is only mortal and human.
Job 42:7-17 “Eating Humble Pie” INTRODUCTION The ending of Job reads like it was written by an American screenwriter. American plays and movies almost always have to have a happy ending. For forty-one chapters we have walked with Job through his suffering. The storyteller ...read more
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22. Bloom Where You're Planted
Contributed on Nov 22, 2011
God gives us talents and abilities and asks us to use them
Matthew 25:14-30 “Bloom Where You’re Planted” INTRODUCTION Alexander Solzhenitsyn was a prisoner in Russia. He was on a program of hard labor and slow starvation. One day he felt like giving up. He felt his life could not make a difference. He sat down on a bench ...read more
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23. Greeater Works Than Jesus
Contributed on Jun 5, 2007
Jesus gives his followers a powerful promise when he says that they will accomplish greater works than him. How can we do something greater than walk on water?
John 14:8-17 “Greater Works Than Jesus” INTRODUCTION Words and phrases leap out at you, at times, when you are reading the Bible. This was certainly true for me in this gospel lesson for Pentecost Sunday, the birth of the Church. I was struck by Jesus statement that his followers will ...read more
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24. Hope In The Midst Of Suffering
Contributed on Jul 21, 2016
Job struggles with his mortality. He blames God for his suffering, yet speaks of God's faithfulness.
Job 14:7-15, 19:23-27 “Hope in the Midst of Suffering” INTRODUCTION In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes, “And now faith, hope and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13). Paul is certainly correct. Life ...read more
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25. Reconciled
Contributed on Aug 6, 2013
We are reconciled—brought into a right relationship—in all aspects of our lives through the life, death, resurrection of Jesus.
Colossians 1:15-28. "Reconciled" INTRODUCTION I did quite a bit of traveling this past week, in parts of this country with which I was unfamiliar. Thankfully, I knew where I needed to go, and I had my trusty GPS "Gidget" to show me the way. I can't imagine what a mess I would have been ...read more
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26. Dying To Live
Contributed on Aug 14, 2008
Jesus invites us to a great faith than one where we hang on to the sides of the boat for the storm to pass. He invites us to get out of the boat and walk on water.
Matthew 14:22-33 “Dieing to Live” INTRODUCTION The story of Jesus walking on water is a familiar story to most of us. I first heard the story in Sunday School and I remember thinking to myself how neat it would be to be able to walk on water. I really wasn’t very interested in feeding a ...read more
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27. Rooted In The Faith
Contributed on Aug 6, 2013
The roots of faith in the work of Christ on the Cross enable us to withstand the strong winds and storms of life.
Colossians 2:6-15 “Rooted in the Faith” INTRODUCTION During the football season a sub-specie of Homo sapiens arises called the armchair quarterback. These are people who may or may not have ever played football, and may or may not know how to throw a football, but do know ...read more
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28. Overwhelmed By Forgiveness
Contributed on Jul 19, 2010
Forgiveness is a powerful force in our lives and in the lives of others. When the woman understood that she was truly and completely forgiven, she was overwhelmed. Her response was a radical demonstration of extravagant love.
Luke 7:36-8:3 “Overwhelmed by Forgiveness” INTRODUCTION Video presentation “Forgiveness” I often wonder what I would say if I were approached by someone and asked these questions and others like them. What would you say? The responses of the people on the ...read more
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29. New Life
Contributed on Aug 6, 2013
Everything is transformed in our lives because of the cross of Christ. The old life is dead and gone. We are now living a new life.
Colossians 3:1-11 “New Life” INTRODUCTION The tale of “The Ugly Duckling” begins, when a mother duck's eggs hatch. One of the little birds is perceived by the other birds and animals on the farm as a homely little creature and suffers much verbal and physical ...read more
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30. Energized
Contributed on Jun 17, 2014
The Holy Spirit comes upon the disciples and energizes them for mission and ministry. The church is born and the Spirit continues to energize God’s people to this day.
Acts 2:1-21 “Energized” INTRODUCTION We are creatures of habit, and we go through most of our lives on cruise control. Occasionally, though, something out of the ordinary happens and we are immediately inquisitive. • We make it from the #303 to the #101 and only ...read more