Sermon Central
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The Final Week
Contributed by Jeff Strite on Jan 10, 2021 (message contributor)
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1. Not The Jesus They Wanted
Contributed on Jan 10, 2021
The crowds were looking for a Christ who would "remain" and lead them into glorious earthly kingdom, but Jesus was talking about being "lifted up" and not being with them forever. The Jesus they wanted wasn't the Jesus they were getting.
I’m told these were actual answers that children gave in Sunday School: “Noah’s wife was called Joan of Ark.” “The epistles were the wives of the apostles.” “Moses got the 10 Commandments at Mt. Cyanide.” “King Solomon had 700 wives and 300 porcupines.” “The men who followed the Lord were called ...read more
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2. The King Is Coming
Contributed on Jan 2, 2021
Kaiser Wilhelm II entered Jerusalem through the Jaffa gate mounted on a beautiful white horse. Nearly 2000 years before, Jesus had entered Jerusalem through the Eastern gate mounted upon a humble donkey. Two dignitaries entered the same city in two different ways. Why the differences?
OPEN: The last emperor of Germany was Kaiser Wilhelm II and, in 1898 he decided to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. At the time, the once great Jerusalem was in serious need of attention. So 6 months before the Kaiser’s scheduled arrival, the Sultan replaced the mayor of Jerusalem with a more ...read more
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3. Believe In Me, I'll Save The World
Contributed on Jan 17, 2021
Jesus gave the people one final notice before focusing on His disciples before going to the cross. What reasons does Jesus give to believe in Him and how do we need to respond? Check out these thoughts from our Family Minister, Scott Jewell
When I was a child, I had visions of grandeur. I wanted to be the hero who saves the world. I liked watching cartoons about heroes- I got up on Saturday mornings to see Super Friends and Mighty Mouse. On weekdays, I got home from school in time to watch Thundercats and Heman. I like ...read more
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4. Washing Feet Reveals The One
Contributed on Jan 25, 2021
When it came right down to it, Jesus was the one who paused to wash everyone's feet before the Passover meal. What does this action reveal about those who were there and what should we learn from this event? Consider these thoughts from Scott Jewell, our Family Minister.
When I graduated from the seminary in the 90s, I was given two reminders that day. The first was a diploma, to show that you’ve completed their training to lead. The second was a towel to remind you that to lead is to serve. To further reinforce that idea for all students, they placed a ...read more
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5. It’s What’s Inside That Counts
Contributed on Jan 31, 2021
Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would be our helper and be "in" us... but what does that mean? What difference could the presence of God's Spirit make in our lives?
OPEN: I read a true story about a woman was pregnant with her first child, and her 4-year-old nephew came over to visit. She allowed him to place his hand on her belly and feel the baby kick. And he had this puzzled look on his face and said, "How’s that baby gonna get out of there?" She ...read more
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6. The Power That Empowers
Contributed on Feb 6, 2021
Jesus said the Spirit would convict the world of Sin, Righteousness, and the Coming Judgment. What does that mean, and what difference can it make to us?
OPEN: A woman was taking her mother for a drive, and whenever she went over the speed limit… her mother would give her a hard time. Well. she dismissed her mother’s advice; but it wasn’t long before a State Trooper pulled her over and gave her a ticket. As the policeman was walking away, the woman ...read more
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7. The Prayer Of Love
Contributed on Feb 14, 2021
John 17 is the longest prayer of Jesus in the entire Gospels. It's sometimes referred to as Christ's High Priestly prayer... but I regard that as being a far too sterile description of what is truly Jesus' prayer of love for His bride.
Children have very simple views of life… and of love. The following are children’s views on the topic of love. A 7 year old said – “If falling love is anything like learning how to spell, I don’t want to do it. It takes too long.” A 5 year old boy – “Once I’m in kindergarten, I’m going to find me ...read more
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8. Who Are You Looking For?
Contributed on Feb 20, 2021
Jesus loved to ask questions (the Gospels list at least 135 of his questions). The most powerful question Jesus asked in this text was "Who are you looking for?" Who they were looking for tells us a lot about the people in this story.
About 10 years ago, there was a sight-seeing tour in Iceland that lost one of its sightseers. She was no where to be found. Panicked, they called in the police and the search began. Hours later (about 3 in the morning) they discovered that the woman they were searching for had been there all the ...read more
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9. The Significant Man
Contributed on Feb 28, 2021
We think of Jesus being on trial before Pilate, when really it was Pilate who was being challenged by Jesus. What did Jesus say to Pilate that shook this governor and challenged his entire view of life?
Eight years ago (2013) Time magazine featured a study that proposed to name the 100 most significant people in history. This study's authors filtered through over 9000 names and came up with this list, and these are the TOP 10 of that list: 1 Jesus (it’s intriguing that Time magazine would ...read more
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10. Behold The Man!
Contributed on Mar 5, 2021
The only man who seemed to know who Jesus was was Pilate, and he says things that make you think he's reading from a script... God's script. Why would that be?
A group of people volunteered to do a parachute jump for charity. On their first day of training, the instructor made an important point about preparing for landing at 300 feet off the ground. One woman asked “How do you know when you’re at 300 feet?” The instructor smiled and said: “Good ...read more
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11. The Day They Cancelled Jesus
Contributed on Mar 13, 2021
The cancel culture has swept our nation... and destroyed lives, careers and futures. But the actions of those of the cancel culture are as old as history. They cancelled Abel, and the prophets... and they even cancelled Jesus. Or at least they thought they had.
OPEN: There is a phenomenon that is quickly sweeping through our country that’s called the “Cancel Culture.” It’s a mindset that demands that if anyone says or does something that someone else finds offensive, THAT PERSON must be silenced and destroyed. As a result people have lost their jobs, ...read more
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12. What Do You Do With A Dead Jesus?
Contributed on Mar 20, 2021
When Jesus died, no one expected Him to rise from the dead. But if you don't believe Jesus is coming back from the dead, what do you do with a dead Jesus?
OPEN: Back when I was in High School, I had a poem by John Donne on a poster on my wall that looked like parchment paper. It was cool, and the words sounded impressive. The last few words of the poem read this way: “Each man's death diminishes me, for I am involved in mankind. Therefore, send ...read more
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13. Seeing Is Believing
Contributed on Mar 27, 2021
Peter, John and Mary Magdalene all saw the empty tomb... but they all came away with different conclusions. What can we learn from these first three witnesses of the risen Christ?
On May 4, 1865, after weeks of his body being on display in Washington D.C. and a few other cities, Abraham Lincoln was “laid to rest” in a cemetery near his home in Springfield, Illinois. But Lincoln didn’t "rest in peace." In 1876, there was a plot to raid his grave and steal his ...read more
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14. No Doubt
Contributed on Apr 3, 2021
The famous opponent of Christianity - Voltaire - actually believed the dead could be raised. He believed in a famous scientist of the day who maintained he had done just that. Voltaire rejected Jesus and His real resurrection and embraced a scientist and his false claim.
Back in 1694, a man named Voltaire was born in Paris France. Voltaire was a famous writer, philosopher and intellectual of the day, but he was best known for was his hatred of the church of his day. He devoted himself to attacking and ridiculing Christianity at every opportunity, and he was a ...read more