In Sermons: showing 766-780 of 903

Why Tragedy? Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 12, 2021

Job is a comedy, for in spite of all the tragedy, it has a happy ending. So life is a comedy. No matter how tragic life becomes because of freedom, God will make sure that evil will be overcome.

Elie Wiesel, who survived Hitler's blood bath for the Jews, as devoted his life to telling the world of this tragedy that he feels surpasses hell in its horrors. His books have motivated others to write so that there now exists a holocaust literature. There are books, plays, articles, and ...read more

Scripture: Job 1:6

Suffering Is Not Good Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 12, 2021

Suffering is not good, but thank God He will work with us, even in that which is not good, to bring forth what is good.

We have special seats as we watch the drama of Job unfold. God has, by this opening chapter, invited us into the balcony to watch the whole thing from a heavenly perspective. We get to see from the view of God and Satan, and who knows how many millions of celestial spectators. It is a sort of ...read more

Job The Righteous Sufferer Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 12, 2021

All of us will experience suffering, but few if any will have to go the route of Job. His severe experience can help all of us make our less severe journey smoother.

One of the first impressions I gained at the Baptist General Conference annual meeting in Green Bay was that Christians are perpetually suffering. Every day we were reminded of leaders in our conference who are fighting with cancer. Just in our small denomination there are hundreds who have ...read more

Scripture: Job 1:1

. Happy New Year Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 12, 2021

Jesus knew the importance of being happy, and that is why He begins His greatest sermon with a list of ways to be perfectly happy on earth for those who would follow Him and be citizens of the kingdom of heaven.

Edwin Markham in his poem The Shoes Of Happiness tells the story of a king in Istanbul who was ill. He called his wise men together to find a cure. They studied the situation and announced that only one thing could cure him, and that was for him to wear the shoes of a perfectly happy man. Off ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

The Burden Of The Cross Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 12, 2021

In this last beatitude Jesus provides His disciples with a defensive weapon to penetrate the fog of persecution. He promises great reward in heaven to those who will press on in the dark, knowing the light is still shining beyond.

Florence Chadwick was the first woman ever to swim the difficult and cold 21 mile stretch of water between Catalina Island and the California coast. She failed on her first attempt because of poor vision. After 15 hours and 55 minutes of numbing cold she asked to be taken out of the water. A ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:10-12

Fighters For Peace Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 12, 2021

The peacemaker must take the same risks as the warmaker. It costs Jesus His life to be a peacemaker, and this is the price many have paid to bring peace between God and man, as well as between men.

One of the paradoxes of life is the fact that the peacemaker must be a fighter to be effective. Edwin Markham just before his death in 1940 remarked that his fondest hope had not been realized. He had wanted to write a poem that would dispense the armies of the world. Unfortunately, peace is ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:9

The Heart Of Happiness Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 12, 2021

No one claims to be adequate for the task of even explaining this beatitude. Preachers apologize for their audacity in even presuming to try and preach on this text.

Two soldiers were on a transport going overseas. Standing on the deck they gazed out across the vast expanse of water. One who had never been near the ocean said, "That's the most water I've ever seen in all my life. Did you ever see so much water?" His companion responded, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:8

Happiness Through Hunger Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 11, 2021

Men become desperate when they hunger and thirst, and all the energy of their being is concentrated on one goal-to satisfy their need. This sounds like misery, and it is, but it is in the spiritual realm another example of the paradoxical misery that leads to happiness.

A woman leaving church said to the pastor, "Thank you for that sermon, it was so helpful." The pastor said, "I hope it was not as helpful as the last one." "Why what do you mean," she asked. "Well," he said, "that last sermon lasted you three ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:6

Happy Are The Merciful Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 11, 2021

The merciful are willing to identify with others and their need. They are willing to get involved with people because they look upon all men as potential brothers in Christ. They are the light of the world, and the salt of the earth.

The tallest Methodist church in the world stands in the loop of Chicago. Skyscrapers of offices are around it, but stretching still steeper into the sky is the slender steeple symbolic of man's aspiration to reach God. Sometime ago bells were installed in this steeple in order to peal out a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:7

The Mighty Meek Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 11, 2021

Meekness is that attitude of God when He said, "Come now let us reason together." All through the Bible the appeal is to be meek and gentle, for this is the only reasonable way to face life.

A dejected coach entered a telephone booth after losing out in the high school basketball tournament. When he discovered he didn't have a dime he called a passing student: "Hey! Lend me a dime so I can call a friend." The student reached into his pocket and pulled out two dimes. He ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:5

Happiness In Sorrow Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 11, 2021

Blessed are those who mourn is just too clear, and Luke makes it even more clear when he writes, "Blessed are you who weep now for you shall laugh." This is so clear and obvious that it is hard to understand.

The soloist asked the visiting preacher what his subject was. She wanted to follow up with an appropriate message in song. When he hesitated she told him to never mind, she would listen and select something appropriate. When he concluded his sermon she sang, "Sometime, Somewhere, We'll ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:4

Prosperity In Poverty Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 11, 2021

The poor in spirit are those who, be they rich or poor in this world's goods, are detached from them, and dependent upon God.

After his return from church one Sunday, a small boy said, "You know what mommie? I'm going to be a preacher when I grow up." "That's wonderful," said his mother. What made you decide you want to be a preacher?" The boy said thoughtfully, "Well, I'll ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:3

What Is Happiness? Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 11, 2021

Both Jesus and Paul make it clear that it is more than a right to be happy, it is a duty. It is part of our commitment to Christ to overcome all that would make us unhappy.

Epictetus, the ancient philosopher said, "If a man is unhappy, this must be his own fault, for God made all men to be happy." A Christian writer, St. Bernard, said something similar. "Nothing can work me damage except myself; the harm that I sustain I carry about with me, and never ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

Elijah The Prophet Of Fire Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 11, 2021

Elijah broke into the atmosphere of human history like a comet. We have no story of his birth or background. His coming was as sudden and mysterious as was his going in the flaming chariot.

Elijah was the Luther of the Old Testament. He was God's man of the hour to begin a reformation and lead the children of Israel back to God. For about 50 years devotion to God had been decreasing. Ahab was now king in Israel, and he was more wicked than all who had gone before him. He married ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 18:20-40

Queen Of Sheba Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 11, 2021

We want to focus our attention on a woman of the Bible who is probably the most brilliant of them all. We do not know if the Queen of Sheba was beautiful or plain, but the record is clear, she was a brain.

Emma Hart Willard founded the first permanent institution of higher learning for women in America. None of the usual courses for women were even offered. There were no cooking or needle work classes. Instead, she offered zoology, geometry, trigonometry, and other subjects thought to be beyond the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 10:1-13