Sermons on Close Encounter:

Perfect Obedience.

Contributed by Dr. Jerry Morrissey on Dec 24, 2000

First Sunday after Christmas Year C.

First Sunday after Christmas Year C. Luke 2: 41-52 Lord of the Lake Lutheran Church The Rev. Jerry Morrissey, Esq., Pastor Thank you Lord Jesus for your perfect obedience as a free gift which is our freedom from slavery to sin and death. Amen. Title: “Perfect Obedience.” Mary and Joseph find the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:41-52

Denomination: Lutheran

Inescapable Love

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Dec 27, 2000

Lessons from the life of Hosea. God’s love is beyond reason, inescapable and tough.

As I thought about the messed-up life of Hosea this week, I logged onto the Jerry Springer web site to check out the kind of topics he had been wallowing in lately. Some of the program titles read like this one on August 28: “Surprise, I’m Cheating.” The caption describes the show this way: ...read more

Scripture: Hosea 1:1-10

Denomination: Methodist

Fooling The Magician

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Dec 30, 2000

We fool the magician (Satan, the master illusionist) by refusing to believe the illusion, pulling back the curtain and trusting the unseen reality.

Some of you may have seen David Copperfield perform his magic. His act includes a lot of glitzy conjuration, including: levitating himself, being sawn in two, and making things appear and disappear. Using illusion, he has carried the art to the extreme. He has “walked through” the Great Wall of ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 73:1-28

Denomination: Methodist

The Ark - A Portrait Of Christ Series

Contributed by Eddie Snipes on Dec 30, 2000

The historical flood points to the spiritual truth of Jesus’ redemption on the cross. This sermon looks at the message we are taught in the flood.

The Ark - a Portrait of the Cross One thing that is vital to understanding scripture is to keep the end in mind as you study. If you lose sight of the big picture, you will miss the spiritual applications or be in danger of taking scripture out of context. God is working out His plan and He sees ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 8:7-12, John 14:6-7

Denomination: Baptist

Can You Be Intelligent And Not Believe In Evolution?

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Dec 30, 2000

A consideration of the intellectual difficulties with the theory of evolution.

It was voted by the Associated Press to be the top story of 1999: the Kansas Board of Education’s decision to de-emphasize some aspects of the teaching of evolution in Kansas’ schools set off a firestorm of controversy. >>>”Events began in 1995, when the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 1:27

Denomination: Baptist

In The Beginning

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Dec 31, 2000

Creation tells us that we are valuable to God, accountable to God, and that there is a purpose to our existence.

The story goes that one day a group of scientists had a meeting and decided that humans had come so far that they no longer needed God. After reaching their decision they appointed one of their number to go and explain to God that his services were no longer required. He said, “God, we’ve ...read more

Denomination: Methodist

Moses In The Muddle

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Dec 31, 2000

Moses was a mortal, a mediator, a mentor and a man of God.

A cartoon showed Moses coming down from the top of Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments written on stone tablets in his hands. He’s giving a report to the children of Israel and says, “It was hard bargaining — we get the milk and honey, but the anti-adultery clause stays in.” That is seen as bad ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 11:1-15

Denomination: Methodist

Thanks Pop! Series

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jan 3, 2001

Thanks dad for being a servant leader and being a witness to me about who Jesus is!

Thanks Pop! Thesis: Thanks dad for being a servant leader and being a witness to me about who Jesus is! Introduction: In our society today we have a disillusioning phenomena happening – It’s 40% of all households today have no father in them. The fatherless trend in families have caused many ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 20:12

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Love - Fruit Of The Spirit

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Jan 3, 2001

The one thing that ought to be evident when they see us as Christians is Christlike love in our lives.

MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER CENTRAL CHRISTIAN, BROWNSVILLE, TX In his letter to the Galatians, chapter 5, vs. 22, the apostle Paul writes these words, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness & self-control." And this ...read more

Scripture: John 8:1-11, Galatians 5:22

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The End

Contributed by Clark Tanner on Jan 5, 2001

Everyone wants to know the end of a story. That alone makes people candidates for hearing the gospel.

Although I’m sure there are exceptions, it has been apparent at least in my own personal observations, that people need to see things through to a finish. Just a few years ago a man named Vernon Howell and his deluded followers attacked ATF agents. Then they barricaded themselves against the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 26:57-58

Denomination: Orthodox

Overcoming The Obstacles Series

Contributed by Bill Prater on Jan 12, 2001

Like the Israelites of old, many of us find ourselves staring at an obstacle of some kind that stands between us and the spiritual goals we have set for ourselves for the new year.

NAVIGATING THE NEW YEAR Overcoming the Obstacles Bette Nesmith had a good secretarial job in a Dallas bank when she ran across a problem that interested her. Her thought was, there must be a better way to correct typewriter errors? Having had some art experience, she knew that artists who ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 6:1-20

Denomination: Baptist

How Does Christianity Work?

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Jan 14, 2001

The question isn’t, "Does Christianity Work?" The important question is "How?" What is there about Christ’s teachings that make a real difference in our lives?

MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER CENTRAL CHRISTIAN, BROWNSVILLE, TX A. Thanksgiving Day is over, & if you have been to the mall, you know that the Christmas shopping season is well on its way. But let me ask you, "What gift can you buy for people well up in years who already have ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:16-18

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

God's Protection In Times Of Danger

Contributed by Howard Harden on Jan 18, 2001

As a father would protect his children, Psalm 121 suggests three ways God protects us from danger.

When I was a boy, my family’s home was broken into three times. Valuables were stolen, memories gone. We realized how unsafe and unprotected we truly were. After the third time, my father decided that this would never happen again. He began to turn our little house into a fortress. For ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 121:1-8

Denomination: Baptist

Building Walls That Last

Contributed by David Simmons on Jan 18, 2001

How the church can develop a passion for fulfilling her mission

COWBOY FOOTBALL Well, God is still in control. I learned that this past Monday night. God still is a Cowboy fan, I’m convinced. Only God could take the bottom dwellers of the league, the Dallas Cowboys, and help them pull out a victory against the “Super Bowl bound, 100 million dollar,” ...read more

Scripture: Nehemiah 2:11-18

Denomination: Baptist

Making Something Of Bad Apples

Contributed by David Simmons on Jan 18, 2001

God has given each of us the opportunity, the freedom to choose for ourselves so he could have a genuine relationship with us.

Well… I have to confess that for some time now, I have been harboring a deep-rooted fear. It began several years ago as a 22 year old Summer Youth Worker. Our pastor had left; we were in an interim period, and it looked as if I might have to step in and preach on Father’s Day. But you know you ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 3:8-24, 1 Corinthians 15:21-22

Denomination: Baptist