-
The Stony Path (Lenten Series)
Contributed by Gordon Pike on Mar 13, 2022 (message contributor)
-
1. Hearts Of Stone
Contributed on Mar 13, 2022
There are several places in the Bible where God has promised to give us new hearts … hearts for Him alone … but in order for Him to give us new hearts, hearts of flesh, hearts for Him alone, He has to break our hearts of stone.
[Note: The theme for this Lenten series is "stone." I have stones at the church and each week the people are asked to pick up a stone and hold it during the service and then place it at the foot of a wooden cross placed at the front of the sanctuary. Each stone has a meaning. On the ...read more
-
2. Monumental
Contributed on Mar 13, 2022
We must not forget the blessings of the past because they serve as powerful reminders that whatever we face now or in the future as individuals or as a church, God is able
[NOTE: This series uses stones as visual cues for our journey through Lent. This is actually the first sermon in the series. Each week, I have the ushers make sure that everyone has a stone. I ask them to hold the stone during the service and then, at the end, I ask them to come forward and ...read more
-
3. Drop It
Contributed on Apr 3, 2022
I stand before you this morning a condemned man … every bit as guilty as that poor woman caught in the act of adultery. I don’t know whether or not Jesus wrote their sins in the sand but He certainly knows my many sins and I do know that my sins were swept away that day on the cross.
[Pick up little stone.] Yeah … there’s been a lot of jokes about the risk I’m taking by handing out stones before the sermon. Look at the stone in your hand. Yeah … getting hit by a rock this size could hurt … especially if it hit me in the head or hit me in the eye or something, amen? I guess ...read more
-
4. Cornerstone
Contributed on Apr 3, 2022
Placing the stone in your hand at the foot of the cross means that you are willing to no longer see yourself or the world as the guiding force at the center of your life and remind you that Jesus is the Cornerstone that guides our hearts, our thoughts, and our actions.
Cornerstone. The “cornerstone” is the first stone that is set when you start building with stone or brick. It’s the most important part of the building because the position of all the other stones or bricks are determined by the cornerstone. [Hold up piece of paper or bulletin.] Imagine that ...read more
-
5. Rock Solid
Contributed on Apr 5, 2022
Faithful people of every age have stood up and professed Jesus as their Savior and their Lord because of the foundation of their faith … the love of God as shown to us by His Son, Jesus Christ, becoming another stone laid atop many other stones.
[Note: The title of this series is "The Stony Path." Each sermon has a theme or uses the image of a stone. As the people come into church, they are given a stone to hold during the service. At the end of the service, they are asked to place their stones at the foot of a wooden cross ...read more
-
6. Missing Stones
Contributed on Apr 11, 2022
We no longer have to go to the Temple made of stone to worship God and be in God’s Presence because He resides in the Temple of our hearts.
[Note: Every week, I've been handing out stones and then asking them to put their stone at the foot of the cross at the end of the sermon. This week, I asked them to keep their stone to remind them of what the other stones represent. So, at the start of this sermon, point to the pile of ...read more
-
7. Rolling Stone
Contributed on Apr 23, 2022
There are lots and lots of ways that we can put Jesus in a tomb and roll a stone over it, but there is no tomb strong enough, my friend, no stone too heavy that Jesus can’t smash it to pieces.
[Remember ... the members have been placing stones at the foot of the cross for the past seven weeks of Lent and the pile of stones around the bases has gotten pretty impressive ... powerful visual. But when they come in on Easter morning, the stones are all gone.] [Read Luke 15:11-24.] You’ve ...read more