Sermons on Close Encounter:

God's Worldwide Mission Series

Contributed by Freddy Fritz on Dec 13, 2008

Isaiah teaches us that the Messiah’s worldwide mission is to preach good news, to replace shame with honor, to make an everlasting covenant, and to bring great joy.

Scripture Today is the Third Sunday of Advent. Our Scripture reading in this Advent season brings us to Isaiah 61:1-11. In this text we read about God’s worldwide mission. This text teaches us what God’s Anointed One will do when God comes down. And it also teaches us what we will do when God ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 61:1-11

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Carpenter And His Timber Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Dec 14, 2008

Just as this amateur carpenter used rejected timber to repair a door and inserted misfit timber into a cabinet gap, so God uses rejected people and misfit churches to build the Kingdom.

I love to watch buildings take shape. I guess it’s the frustrated engineer in me, because that is what I would be involved with if the Lord had not, some fifty years ago, told me to build churches and souls instead of structures. But I love to see buildings take shape. There is a special joy in ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 61:1-11

Denomination: Baptist

Mission Impossible

Contributed by Gregory Mc Donald on Dec 15, 2008

THERE’S A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JUST OBEYING GOD ON THE OUTSIDE, AND OBEYING FROM A THANKFUL, JOYABLE AGREEABLE HEART

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE Numbers 22 As we look at the 22nd chapter of Numbers, we see the Israelites nearing the end of their wandering in the desert. They had just beaten up, killed, and plundered the Amorites and now they are camped in the plains of Moab near Jordon. This is the place where they ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 22:1-41

Financial Sacrifice Series

Contributed by David Welch on Dec 29, 2008

First of three messages on giving out flowing our of a broader teaching on sacrifice.

“Financial Sacrifice” Every Christian serious about a deeper walk with God and greater impact in our world must incorporate spiritual exercises as a way of life. I.What is sacrifice? Sacrifice is a willingness and sometimes even eagerness to give up something valuable for something or someone we ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:19-21

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Taming The Tongue

Contributed by Matthew Grise on Dec 30, 2008

How Genuine Faith Reveals Itself in Our Speech

JAMES LIVING THE REAL LIFE: CULTIVATING A FAITH THAT WORKS TAMING THE TONGUE JAMES 3:1-12 INTRODUCTION Turn, if you would, in your Bible to James chapter 3. We now turn our attention to one of the most practical matters that James deals with in his letter to the Jewish Christians scattered ...read more

Scripture: James 3:1-12

Denomination: Baptist

Back To Bethel

Contributed by Troy Borst on Dec 31, 2008

A new year means you again have 365 days to better yourself in a particular area before the next year rolls around. This morning, we will be looking at a passage that relates to these feelings of wanting to start fresh, setting goals, and making a clean

BACK TO BETHEL GENESIS 35:1-15 INTRODUCTION… “Kids’ New Years Resolutions” (www.bluefishtv.com) Today is the first Sunday of 2009 and you may have been thinking about New Year’s Resolutions. Most people do. With a New Year, comes the opportunity for a fresh start. There is something about ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 35:1-15

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Living A Life That Makes A Difference In 2009

Contributed by William Jones on Dec 31, 2008

A call to return to God and His mission in 2009.

Living a Life that Makes a Difference in 2009 Haggai 1:8b, 9 (Message) “…rebuild the Temple. Do it just for me. Honor me. You’ve had great ambitions for yourselves, but nothing has come of it.” Good morning and Merry Christmas! And I will through in a Happy New Year as well! This morning I ...read more

Scripture: Haggai 1:8-9

Denomination: Baptist

Driving Nehemiah Series

Contributed by Jim Drake on Jan 3, 2009

Why are you where you are right now? God has placed you there for a purpose. What is stopping you from leading the way to accomplish that purpose?

http://brushforkbanner.blogspot.com As you remember, we finished Ezra back in the first week of July. So it’s been 6 months since we spent time with our remnant. I miss them. As we’ve talked about before, Ezra and Nehemiah were originally two parts to the same book. Ezra wrote it, but he used ...read more

Scripture: Nehemiah 1:1-4

Denomination: Baptist

Fog And Jelly Beans

Contributed by Denn Guptill on Jan 4, 2009

A look at how we would live if we knew that our life was about to end. This was a message for the first Sunday of the New Year

Having grown up in the Maritimes and spending most of my teens years around boats and ships of one description or another I am fairly familiar with fog, especially when you consider my formative years were spent in Saint John or as we fondly remember it CFBC, Canada’s Fog Bound City. And some fog ...read more

Scripture: James 4:13-17

Denomination: Wesleyan

Preparing For A God Visit - Part 2 Series

Contributed by Matthew Stoll on Jan 7, 2009

Sermon to prepare for the 40 Days of Community campaign, introduces the purposes and encourages people to get involved to experience God at work.

Next Sunday we will begin day one of the 40 Days of Community, it’s our kickoff Sunday (six week series called "What on Earth Are We Here For?"). We aren’t doing this just for something to do this fall, giving us one more thing to keep ourselves busy with church. Our leadership has chosen to do ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:42-47

Denomination: Methodist

True And False Hope

Contributed by Bruce Ball on Jan 8, 2009

A message about two types of hope; one from Jesus and the other from Satan. And a cautionary reminder that, since we all seek hope, we must be very careful on which one we choose.

A man had not been feeling well and went to his doctor for a check-up. After the examination, the doctor left the room and had the nurse call the man’s wife into his office. She came in and the doctor said the husband was going to die, but there was hope. He said, ‘Your husband needs constant ...read more

Scripture: Titus 2:13-14

Denomination: *other

A Wise Woman Saves The Day Series

Contributed by Ben Mandrell on Jan 14, 2009

A wise man learns to control his temper.

Note: This is the sermon manuscript that Ben carried into the pulpit. Feel free to use it in any way to advance the kingdom of God. Days of David: A Wise Woman Saves the Day 1 Samuel 25 Englewood Baptist Church Sunday evening, May 4, 2008 With our third son on the way, I have been re-reading ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 25:1-39

Denomination: Baptist

I-Give Series

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Jan 18, 2009

The early church sold their lands to help the poor and needy amongst them. Were they setting the pattern for a communist commune? Were they socialists? Or was there something more basic going on here?

OPEN: The past two weeks we’ve been talking about iPods. Ever since Apple Computers began marketing these miniature music machines in 2001 they’ve been a popular item with both adults and kids alike. iPods have been marketed in various shapes and sizes and colors, and there are all kinds of ...read more

Scripture: Acts 4:15-37

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Giving The Perfect Gift Part Ii Series

Contributed by Chris Carroll on Jan 19, 2009

On that first Christmas, God gave the perfect gift in the form of Jesus the God who Saves. And we know that the gift He has given us has the name Jesus or Joshua which means Jesus Saves and that He will is great and is the Son of the Most High and is the

Friends, God has given the perfect Christmas gift, and now it is our turn to give back to Him. Sure we could spend our time this morning wondering how God was able to cause a ordinary girl to become pregnant through the Holy Spirit. But to be honest, I don’t know how he did it. And Mary did not ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:26-45

Denomination: Baptist

Kingdom Call

Contributed by Todd Catteau on Jan 19, 2009

An introduction to the Kingdom parables of Matthew 13.

Walking in the Reign: A Study of the Kingdom of God Introduction – January 18, 2008 Introduction: Begin a new series on the Kingdom of God, called Walking in the Reign The kingdom is a dominant theme in the Bible from the Old Testament through Jesus’ preaching and in to the rest of the NT OT – ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:10-17

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ