Sermons on J Vernon Mcgee:

The Blessed Hope

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on May 28, 2006

It is the "blessed hope" because: 1. God is in control. 2. There will be final justice. 3. We have hope. 4. We have the power to overcome.

I remember sitting in an auditorium listening to a woman who was supposed to be an expert on the second coming of Jesus Christ. She had charts and a very large painting of Jesus returning to the earth. She was explaining how the church (the believers and followers of Jesus) would be “raptured” ...read more

Scripture: Titus 2:11-14

Denomination: Methodist

New Wineskins

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on May 15, 2005

1. Wineskins were made to be filled with wine. 2. New wine calls for new wineskins. 3. Wineskins were made for pouring.

Blaise Pascal was a French mathematician and philosopher. In his writings, which were entitled Pensees, he traces the logical progression of his thought on many subjects. But something happened to Pascal which was beyond logic and rational thought. After his death, his servant found a piece of ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:1-13

Denomination: Methodist

Broadway Series

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on May 29, 2005

Why is the narrow way the road less traveled? Because 1. It is difficult. 2. It is against the majority. 3. It includes persecution.

Jesus said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). (A spontneous skit can be done here. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:13-14

Denomination: Methodist

Blessed Are The Hurting Series

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jun 19, 2005

A look at the Beatitudes and how an understanding of the Kingdom of God, present and future, helps us to face the difficulties of life.

Mary Lewis tells this story: “Alexander M. Sanders, Jr., is the Chief Judge of the South Carolina Court of Appeals. When his daughter Zoe graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1992, he told this story that happened when she was just three years old. Sanders came home from work one ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:20-23, Luke 6:27-31

Denomination: Methodist

Faith & Future

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jan 8, 2006

1. Our faith in the future is built on God’s faithfulness in the past. 2. Our faith determines our Future. 3. We need to build an altar of faith for future generations.

An old Chinese proverb says, “May you live in interesting times.” That has certainly been the case for the world this past year. Mark Bowden, editor of The Gazette in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, offered this observation about the year we have just come through: “The world was wracked with pain in 2005, ...read more

Denomination: Methodist

Desperate Housewives And Their Spouses

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jan 15, 2006

Successful marriages are built on: 1. Self-giving, rather than self-fulfillment. 2. Building each other up, rather than tearing each other down. 3. Continual growth, rather than taking the relationship for granted.

Henry David Thoreau, the writer and naturalist, once said, “Most men lead quiet lives of desperation.” If you believe television, most housewives do as well. In the show, Desperate Housewives, Susan Mayer, Lynette Scavo , Bree Van De Kamp, Gabrielle Solis and Edie Britt lead us through a ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:1-12

Denomination: Methodist

There Is Hope

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Dec 5, 2004

We have hope because of: 1. Who we are. 2. Whose we are. 3. Where we are.

On November 21, 1943, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote a letter to his fiancee, Maria von Wedemeyer, while he was imprisoned by Hitler during World War II. In the letter, he talked about a spiritual lesson he was learning from his life as a prisoner. He wrote: “A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 12:14-21

Denomination: Methodist

Here Is Joy

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Dec 19, 2004

The things that rob us of joy are: 1. Living a life of isolation. 2. Living for the material world. 3. Living without Jesus.

How much money would it take to make you happy? A million dollars? Two million? Jack Whittaker, 57, won the largest undivided jackpot in U. S. History — $314.9 million — two years ago. But Jewel Whittaker, Jack’s wife, told the Charleston Gazette, “I wish all of this never would have happened. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:1-14

Denomination: Methodist

Me Almighty

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Feb 1, 2004

When you think you could do a better job than God, You need to remember: 1. There is one God, and you are not him. 2. God’s job is harder than you think. 3. Our goal should be to be like God, not to be God.

On our plane trip out to San Diego this summer they showed the film Bruce Almighty with Jim Carey. Besides being hilarious, it had a real message behind it. Carey plays Bruce Nolan, a local Eyewitness News TV reporter in Buffalo, New York. He is discontented with almost everything in his life, ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:18-25

Denomination: Methodist

What On Earth Am I Here For? Series

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Feb 22, 2004

1. Why am I alive? -- To be loved by God. 2. Does my life matter? -- I was made to last forever. 3. What is my purpose? -- To get to know God.

(Note: The outline and some of the content of this sermon are from Rick Warren’s Forty Days of Purpose material.) In the scripture we have read today, Paul is speaking to a group of Greek philosophers. Now these men were not atheists or agnostics. Neither were they anti-religious. In ...read more

Scripture: Acts 17:22-24

Denomination: Methodist

The Homecoming

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Sep 1, 2002

It is interesting to try and identify with the three characters in the story: 1. The prodigal. 2. The older son. 3. The father.

I realize that I have recently preached on this passage of scripture, but I feel compelled to speak on it again. The reason is that while on vacation I picked up Henri Nouwen’s excellent book entitled: The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming. It is one of those books that pulls you ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:11-32

Denomination: Methodist

Someone's Knocking

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Sep 8, 2002

When we read Rev. 3:20 we need to ask: 1. To whom is he speaking? 2. What is his purpose? 3. What should be our response?

I recently finished reading Dallas Willard’s book The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives. Willard is the kind of writer that leaves you saying, "That makes so much sense." But I was struck by an illustration he used toward the end of the book regarding William Holman ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:14-22

Denomination: Methodist

Experiencing The Joy Of Worship

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Mar 13, 2003

1. We need to get in touch with our Creator. 2. We need to get in touch with eternity. 3. We need to get in touch with hope.

Someone has written about the difference in worship styles in story form, using a bit of humor: “An old farmer went to the city one weekend and attended the big city church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was. ‘Well,’ said the farmer, ‘It was good. They did something ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 5:9-14

Denomination: Methodist

A Crucified Will

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Mar 30, 2003

When it comes to dying to ourselves: 1. Jesus is our example. 2. Willfulness is our problem. 3. Crucifixion is the answer.

In Luke 20:17-18 Jesus tells one of his most mysterious parables. He begins by quoting Psalm 118:22: “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone.” And then he says, “Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.” What a strange ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:1-14

Denomination: Methodist

Making Disciples: The Gift Of Teaching Series

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on May 5, 2003

1. Teaching imparts truth. 2. Truth brings about maturity. 3. Maturity brings about usefulness.

We are emphasizing spiritual gifts in our church because we believe that every Christian’s life should be used by God for kingdom purposes. God’s plan is that his people, first of all, take on his character and likeness, and then be a part of the divine conspiracy — the transformation of the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20

Denomination: Methodist