Sermons on Bill Anders:

Waiting For The Second Marshmallow

Contributed by Bill Sullivan on Aug 12, 2004

Temptation is inevitable, but sin is not. We can learn to resist temptation and delay gratification.

Waiting for the Second Marshmallow TCF Sermon June 27, 2004 Opening illustration with marshmallows: invite three or four from congregation who really like marshmallows - give each one a marshmallow. Ask them to hold it, wait until I’ve walked all the way around the auditorium. If they can ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:11-13

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Prayer For Boldness Series

Contributed by Brian Bill on Sep 7, 2004

Friends, we must pray for boldness as we declare God’s truth in a spirit of love and grace.

John Ortberg tells the story about a man who wanders into a small and cluttered antique shop. In the midst of all the knickknacks and junk, he notices what looks like an ancient Chinese vase lying on the floor. On closer inspection it turns out to be a priceless relic from the Ming dynasty whose ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:18-20

Denomination: Baptist

A Prayer For Love Series

Contributed by Brian Bill on Sep 7, 2004

In the midst of internal squabbles and pervasive selfishness, Paul’s primary request is for believers to experience an overabundance of love.

A week after purchasing a pair of glasses for her husband, the wife decides to take them back to the optometrist. The person behind the counter wants to know the reason for the return so she asks, “What seems to be the problem, mam?” To which the wife replies: “I want a refund for these glasses…my ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:9-11

Denomination: Baptist

A Prayer For Wisdom Series

Contributed by Brian Bill on Sep 7, 2004

While we can benefit from some of the wisdom that whirls around us, to be truly wise we need the wisdom that comes from above.

Recently a survey was done with a group of kids. This is how they responded to the question, “What do you think wisdom is?” Rocky, age 9, said, “Wisdom is wearing a hat when feeding seagulls.” 9-year-old Carol commented, “Never ask for anything that costs more than $5 when your parents are doing ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 3:1-15

Denomination: Baptist

Becoming A Servant Series

Contributed by Brian Bill on Mar 26, 2003

In contrast to our self-seeking ways, Jesus is the personification of servanthood. Just as He came to serve and not to be served, we’re expected to do the same. Becoming a servant means that we swim against the cultural current and follow the model of t

Becoming a Servant Q. What do you call a chicken crossing the road? A. Poultry in motion. Q. What do you call a boomerang that doesn’t work? A. A stick. Q. What do you call four bullfighters in quicksand? A. Quatro sinko. Q. Where do you find a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 20:20-28, John 13:1-17

Denomination: Baptist

Understanding Your Shape Series

Contributed by Brian Bill on Mar 26, 2003

Since we’ve been saved so that we can serve, it’s important for us to understand how God has wired us. When we serve in ways that maximize who we are, and what we’ve been given, the church will be fortified and we’ll experience fruitfulness and fulfillmen

Understanding Your Shape During experiments aboard the space shuttle “Columbia,” scientists discovered that there are twenty-six lakes underneath the Sahara desert. It’s heartrending to think of the people who are starving and dying of thirst because these hidden resources have not yet been ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1-8

Denomination: Baptist

Defrosting Your Spiritual Assets Series

Contributed by Brian Bill on Mar 26, 2003

In order to serve according to our giftedness, we must make sure that we not only understand spiritual gifts, we must discover, develop and deploy our gift mix. Since ignorance about this topic may be a chief cause of retarded spiritual growth, it’s impe

Defrosting Your Spiritual Assets A man from Illinois decided to travel to Wisconsin to go duck hunting. He shot and dropped a bird, but it fell into a farmer’s field on the other side of the fence. As the flatlander climbed over the fence, a dairy farmer drove up on his tractor and asked what was ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:1-31

Denomination: Baptist

Using What God Has Given Series

Contributed by Brian Bill on Mar 26, 2003

God gives each of special abilities and expects us to be faithful in using what we’ve been given. Instead of “hiding” our gifts we’re to invest them in kingdom service. There’s no getting around the fact that we are responsible for what we’ve been given

Using What God Has Given A man from out east had always dreamed of owning a cattle ranch and had finally saved enough money to buy his dream spread in Wyoming. His best friend flew out to visit and asked, “So, what’s the name of your ranch?” His buddy told him that he had a really hard time ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30, Matthew 25:14-25, Romans 12:6-8

Denomination: Baptist

Hannah: A Model For Motherhood Series

Contributed by Brian Bill on Mar 26, 2003

Using What God Has Given A man from out east had always dreamed of owning a cattle ranch and had finally saved enough money to buy his dream spread in Wyoming. His best friend flew out to visit and asked, “So, what’s the name of your ranch?” His buddy

Hannah: A Model for Motherhood In a recent Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, Calvin is standing by his mother’s bed when he says, “Hey, Mom! Wake up. I made you a Mother’s Day card.” His mother was very pleased and started to read it out loud. “I was going to buy a card with hearts of pink and ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Ruth: A Loyal Love Story Series

Contributed by Brian Bill on Mar 26, 2003

This morning we’re going to listen to a loyal love story from the Book of Ruth. Many people have said that the Book of Ruth is the most beautiful short story ever written. It’s an account of anxiety, fear, love, and commitment that inflames the imagin

Ruth: A Loyal Love Story I like looking at old scrapbooks. For most of us, our family picture albums are stored away in boxes somewhere. Whenever I pick up one of my mom’s old albums, the ancient black and white pictures start to fall out, and I get to relive the memories of my youth all over ...read more

Scripture: Ruth 1:1-22

Denomination: Baptist

Samson: Dealing With Fatal Flaws Series

Contributed by Brian Bill on Mar 26, 2003

In our series called, “Keeping the Story Alive,” we’ve looked at Hanna, Gideon, and Ruth. Today, we’re going to focus on Samson as we seek to deal with our own fatal flaws

Samson: Dealing with Fatal Flaws I love what happens when children retell Bible stories. Here are a few of my favorites: The first three books of the Bible are Genesis, Exodus, and Laxatives. Noah’s wife was called Joan of Ark. Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt by day, but a ball of fire by ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Esther: Maximizing Ministry Potential Series

Contributed by Brian Bill on Mar 26, 2003

One of the most exciting stings in all of literature is found in a true story that has been preserved for us in the Bible. It contains some romance and a lot of action and has a plot that contains more twists than a treacherous mountain road. If you’re

Esther: Maximizing Ministry Potential Beth and I enjoy watching movies but we don’t always like the same kind. She usually prefers the love stories while I go for the action-oriented ones. On rare occasions, we find a movie that has both romance and action. Actually, even though I often make a ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Forgiving The Unforgivable Series

Contributed by Brian Bill on Apr 2, 2003

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” The Cross is the only place we can find forgiveness. It doesn’t matter what we’ve done, or how often we’ve done it, we can be forgiven - not because we deserve it, but because we don’t.

Forgiving the Unforgivable The last words of a dying person are normally never forgotten. A person’s closing comments often reveal their pain and agony. Some enter eternity without saying anything, while others utter sentiments that disclose their values, priorities, and innermost ...read more

Scripture: Luke 23:32-34

Denomination: Baptist

Last Second Salvation Series

Contributed by Brian Bill on Apr 2, 2003

“I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” The story of the thief receiving salvation is the most amazing example of saving faith in the entire Bible. It’s never too late to turn to Christ and even the worst of sinners can be saved at

Last-second Salvation Last Sunday I mentioned that it’s much easier to preach about forgiveness than it is to practice it. This was made very clear to me right after the second service when I was talking to a 9-year-old boy. He had a scratch on his forehead and I asked him if he had gotten into a ...read more

Scripture: Luke 23:39-43

Denomination: Baptist

Final Words Of A Family Man Series

Contributed by Brian Bill on Apr 2, 2003

“When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, ‘Dear woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’” In the midst of His pain and recognizing that He is about to die for the

Final Words of a Family Man In the days before expectant fathers were allowed in the delivery room, four dads-to-be gathered in a Minneapolis hospital waiting room while their wives were in labor. The nurse arrived and announced to the first man, “Congratulations, sir. You’re the father of ...read more

Scripture: John 19:25-27

Denomination: Baptist