Sermons on Close Encounter:

The First Church And Our Church Series

Contributed by Jon Earls on Apr 6, 2013

First in a series of sermons on the first half of the book of Acts

I would like for you all to turn with me to Acts 29… Of course there is no Acts 29! Before we look at the beginning of Acts I want to look at the last two verses of Acts – chapter 28:30-31: 30 Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, 31 ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:1-8

Denomination: Holiness

Jesus' Answer To The Question Of Divorce

Contributed by H.b. Charles Jr. on Apr 16, 2013

"Jesus' Answer to the Question of Divorce" is an exposition of Matthew 19:3-10, where Jesus responds to questions about divorce and remarriage. It explains the Lord Jesus' explanation of the proper grounds of divorce.

Matthew 19:3 states the occasion of the text: And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” The Pharisees were the moral examples, religious leaders, and theological scholars of the day. With few exceptions, they ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 19:3-10

Denomination: Baptist

Get Right Or Be Left Series

Contributed by Thomas Swope on May 10, 2013

A study of the book of Romans chapter 1 verses 17 to 32

Romans 1: 17 – 32 Get Right Or Be Left 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:17-32

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

4 Essential Building Blocks For Marriage Series

Contributed by Ralph Juthman on May 15, 2013

Marriage matters to God. And because it does, we must make sure we’re doing marriage His way.

EXTREME HOME MAKEOVER HPC EDITION 4 Essential Building Blocks for Marriage Genesis 2:18-25 Marriage matters to God. And because it does, we must make sure we’re doing marriage His way. INTRODUCTION Without a doubt, marriage and the family unit appears to be in trouble. Some would even ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 2:18-25

Denomination: Pentecostal

Fame To Shame Series

Contributed by Erik Estep on May 16, 2013

Today in our passage of Scripture we’re going to see the story of one of the great heroes of the Bible...Samson. But as you track his life you’ll see that there were some missteps that moved him from fame to shame. And it’s my hope that we can look at t

“Fame to Shame” Judges 16: 15-22, 28-30 May 5, 2013 Intro: Mike Tyson was no doubt the MOST feared fighter of the 1990s. Even his nickname’s scary--Iron Mike! Mine pales in comparison--Elmo. Tyson was so dominating he started his career off by winning 19 straight fights by ...read more

Scripture: Judges 16:15-30

Denomination: Baptist

“theophilus; The Beloved Of God” Series

Contributed by Ralph Jenkins on May 16, 2013

God loves us and we are His friends

“Theophilus; the beloved of God” We began our study last week on the Book of Acts and we saw that the “Acts of the Apostles” or rather the “Acts of the Holy Spirit” through the apostles was founded on their belief. The apostles and the first church believed ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:1

Denomination: Baptist

Godly Giving

Contributed by Gordon Curley on May 25, 2013

Principles on Giving. (PowerPoint slides to accompany this talk are available on request – email: gcurley@gcurley.info)

SERMON OUTLINE: (1). Illustrations of Godly Giving (vs 1-9): #1: The Macedonians (vs 1-5) #2: Jesus Christ (vs 9) (2). Hindrances to Godly Giving (vs 10-15): #1: Procrastination (vs 10-11a) #2: Hesitation (vs 11b-12) #3: Overreaction (vs 12) #4: Exception (vs 13-15) (3). Principles Regarding ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:1-24

Denomination: Brethren

Does God Care About Money? Series

Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on May 20, 2012

We may not like having our cages rattled when it comes to issues of money and especially when it comes to giving. People are often offended by the question, ‘How much do you make?’ The question God is most likely to ask us is ‘how much did you give?’

There are things we do now that matter later more than we realize they will. Mickey Mantle once said, ‘If I would have known I would live this long I would have taken better care of myself’. A healthy faith is knowing now what will matter then. This morning is a very important ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:19

Worry Worry Worry

Contributed by Troy Borst on May 31, 2012

Jesus would tell us worry subtracts. Jesus would tell us seek Him. Jesus would tell us mind your heart.

WORRY, WORRY, WORRY LUKE 12:22-34 INTRODUCTION… www.experienceproject.com I was perusing the internet this week and found experienceproject.com that has an entire section of the website called “I worry too much.” Worry must be one of those universal emotions and conditions that ...read more

Scripture: Luke 12:22-34

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Lawsuits Series

Contributed by Bruce B. Miller on Jun 7, 2012

A biblical view of how Christian's should respond to lawsuits.

Lawsuits 1 Corinthians 6 I’ve changed the names and a few facts of the stories that you will hear today. Bill sounded incredibly upset and shocked on the phone. He told me he returned from vacation to find he was locked out of his own company. The man with whom he was forming an agreement, ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:1-20

Denomination: Evangelical Free

Dealing With Crisis To The Glory Of God Series

Contributed by Scott Kircher on Jun 17, 2012

How do we deal with situations with Wisdom and for the glory of God?

Dealing with Crisis to the Glory of God Daniel 2:1-28, 45b-49 Dealing with a Crisis to the Glory of God requires Wisdom (Daniel 2:14; Proverbs 9:10; James 1:5) How do we become Wise? Wisdom begins…With a Reverence for the Lord Wisdom grows …With a Humility for ourselves Wisdom grows… As we humbly ...read more

Scripture: Daniel 2:1-49

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

How To Get To God

Contributed by H.b. Charles Jr. on Jul 2, 2012

"How to Get to God" is a message on the sixth "I Am" statement of Jesus recorded in John 14:5-6. Jesus claims to be the only way to God. It is an exclusive, credible, logical, and generous claim.

HOW TO GET TO GOD John 14:5-6 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:5-6 The Gospel of John ...read more

Scripture: John 14:5-6

Denomination: Baptist

No More Excuses Series

Contributed by C. Philip Green on Jul 5, 2012

If we want to be all that God has called us to be as a church and as individual believers, we must stop making excuses and take that step of faith in obedience to God. Like Moses, trust in His power, plan, provision, and precepts.

In his book, Something Else to Smile About, Zig Ziglar writes about his brother, the late Judge Ziglar, who loved to tell the story of a man who went next door to borrow his neighbor’s lawnmower. The neighbor explained that he could not let him use the mower because all the flights had been ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 4:1-31

Denomination: Evangelical Free

"The Legalist Only Has Law" Series

Contributed by Clark Tanner on Jan 4, 2010

Jesus has no cheerful words for the legalist. Is your faith in your strength? Is your trust in your keeping of the law; the rules? Go and do it. That’s all He can say to you.(Lk 10:37)

(Part 1 of 2 in a study of the Parable of the Good Samaritan) “And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” 27 And he answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:25-37

Denomination: Orthodox

Urban Legend: God Won’t Give You More Than You Can Handle Series

Contributed by Scott Kircher on Jan 10, 2010

Looks at the Spiritual Urban Legend that God doesn’t give you more than you can handle and discusses the reasons that we often face more than we can handle and what God does through that in our lives

Spiritual Urban Legends God will never give you more than you can handle Numbers 11:4-6, 10-23 Luke 10:38-42 God allows us to face more than we can handle so we learn to… Carry each other’s burdens (Numbers 11:17; Galatians 6:2) Rely on God’s strength (Numbers 18-23; 2 Corinthians 1:8-9; Daniel ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 11:4-23

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational