Sermons on Jim Elliot:

God’s Goal In Bringing Hardship Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on May 20, 2020

It's shocking to many that God sometimes is the cause of hardship in our lives. When that happens, what is He hoping to accomplish?

“HE SAID WHAT?!”: Sometimes hardship is from God. - Amos 4:6-12. - This passage might have been shocking to you. “What do you mean God did all these things?” Today we sometimes think of Him exclusively as a kindly grandfather who would never say a cross word to anyone. That, however, is not ...read more

Scripture: Amos 4:6-13

Denomination: Baptist

Who Cares About The Poor? Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on May 27, 2020

God slams Israel for their actions, primarily trashing their treatment of the poor. What do we learn about how to respond in our own lives?

A PERPETUAL TRUTH: The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. - Amos 5: 7, 10, 11, 12. - It’s a cliché for a reason. It’s the way of the world. - The poor typically get trampled. - Let’s look briefly at the specific accusations levied by God against Israel. a. v. 7 – “You who turn ...read more

Scripture: Amos 5:4-17

Denomination: Baptist

The Problem With Wanting Jesus To Come Back Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on May 29, 2020

Israel cried out for the day of the Lord to come, but God warned them that they didn't really want that. Today many Christians say, "I just wish Jesus would come back!" but is that something we're actually ready for?

WHEN THE WORLD DEPRESSES US WITH ITS EVIL: “I just wish Jesus would come back!” - Amos 5:18-20. - The point of v. 19 is things going from bad to worse. - There are two illustrations. - In the first, a man runs from a lion. But then, exhausted, he runs right into a bear. - In the second, a man ...read more

Scripture: Amos 5:18-27

Denomination: Baptist

The Problem With Prosperity Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Jun 3, 2020

The leaders of Israel were enjoying their prosperity. What does God have to say to them?

BLINDING: Money is not evil, but it is dangerous. - 1 Timothy 6:10. - The dangers of money are not a new problem. Here we are way back in the Old Testament and we see the same thing (although back then it was probably a lot smaller percentage of the population). - It’s a telling passage and it ...read more

Scripture: Amos 6:1-7

Denomination: Baptist

The Good News And The Bad News About God Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Jun 9, 2020

We all like to make our own estimations of what we think God is like. This passage is a reminder to us that we must accept God for who He is, not who we wish He was.

- Opening image: the result explosion of Facebook avatars. They are cute and fun and I don’t have a problem with them. But if I may make a gentle observation: some of you don’t look like you think you look! - I’m sure some people intentionally upgraded their appearance, but there are others who ...read more

Scripture: Amos 7:1-9

Denomination: Baptist

When We Ask God To Go Away Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Jun 16, 2020

There are times when we instantly reject the message of God because it offends us and hurts us. We don't even want to consider it's true. But what happens when we ask God to go away?

- Image: a broken mirror with most of the pieces missing. - Maybe do the image as a drawing on a piece of butcher paper, with four of the ten pieces colored in blue to look like a mirror. - Discuss how little of yourself you would know if you had such a limited mirror. We look at ourselves and ...read more

Scripture: Amos 7:10-17

Denomination: Baptist

Longing For The Good Old Days

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Jun 19, 2020

Many Christians long for a bygone era of glory - the early church, perhaps, or the 1950s. This sermon looks at that desire to go backward and where we should focus instead.

LONGING FOR THE "GOOD OLD DAYS": 1. THE EARLY CHURCH. - Acts 2:1-4, 41-47; Acts 15:1-41; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13. - Probably the first time that comes to mind is the early church as the “good old days.” - And as we look at Acts 2:1-4, 41-47, there is much to rejoice in. - But we have to ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10

Denomination: Baptist

Would God Ever Take Away His Word? Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Jun 24, 2020

What would it mean if God withdrew the knowledge of His Word?

- Unpack vv. 11-12 and the threat to take away the word of the Lord. - We don’t really know what to do with that. Let’s try to figure it out. WHAT MIGHT THAT LOOK LIKE? 1. Rejecting God’s truth, people do what they want. 2. Things start falling apart. 3. The consequences of their sin make ...read more

Scripture: Amos 8:9-13

Denomination: Baptist

Taking Evangelism Off The Table

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Feb 19, 2019

A shocking survey result from a recent Barna demands that we reassess why evangelism is so essential.

A SHOCKING SURVEY RESULT: In a recent Barna survey, nearly half of practicing Christian millennials said that evangelism is wrong. - Matthew 28:18-20. - After more than 20 years of being a pastor, it’s rare than I read anything that makes me say, “Whoa.” I’ve read too many “debased culture” ...read more

Scripture: John 14:5-7

Denomination: Baptist

How Can God Do ‘exceeding Abundantly’ Great Answers Through Me?

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Feb 20, 2019

The Macedonians were used mightily by God through their offering. But what did they do before the offering that enabled such generosity?

A PRAYER QUESTION: How can God do “exceeding abundantly” great answers through me? - [Put this passage in the outline] Ephesians 3:20 – that phrasing is from the KJV – “Now unto [H]im that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:1-5

Denomination: Baptist

In Giving, Where Is The ‘enough’ Line? Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Feb 21, 2019

Paul doesn't just say, "Tithe and you're good." Rather, he encourages the Corinthians to "excel in the grace of giving." What does that mean exactly? And what does grace have to do with giving?

IN GIVING, WHERE IS THE "ENOUGH" LINE? Many Christians would say, “Tithe and you’re good.” - There is a natural tendency in almost all of us to want to know where the line is. It might be so we don’t cross it. It might be so we can cross it. But we want to know where the line is. - ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:6-9

Denomination: Baptist

Paul’s Vision For The Church Helping Each Other Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Mar 1, 2019

Paul gives instruction on how the church should help each other.

TWO WAYS: The American way is everyone is on their own; Paul’s vision is that we are there for each other. - 2 Corinthians 8:10-15. - Galatians 6:2. - The American way emphasizes the rugged individual. You pull yourself up by your bootstraps and you mark a path of success for yourself. You are ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:10-15

Denomination: Baptist

A Missing Piece For An Uplifting Church Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Mar 12, 2019

This passage models for us what encouragement looks like. How can my church become more encouraging?

WHY IT MATTERS: Encouragement is precious because it’s relatively rare. - 2 Corinthians 8:24. - There are some sermons where you have to spend the majority of the message explaining the idea. This is not one of those messages. - This is a straightforward concept. We know what encouragement is. ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

A Motivation To Give For Small Givers Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Mar 26, 2019

We are called by Paul to be cheerful givers. That seems ridiculous to many! This passage, though, gives us a great starting point for making that generous attitude happen.

IT JUST SEEMS RIDICULOUS: How can anyone be a cheerful giver? - 2 Corinthians 9:7. - Paul tells us that God loves a cheerful giver. That’s all well and good, many of you are thinking, but who exactly is joyful about giving to the offering plate? It’s hard for many to believe that there are ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:6-7

Denomination: Baptist

Finding God's Blessing After We've Been Wandering Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Oct 18, 2019

This sermon discusses the need to return to God, not just return to doing good. Is religious activity enough to get God's blessing?

- Background on the book: - Addressed to the Jews who had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon in 538 B.C. Two years later they started to work on the temple, but opposition led that to be put aside for 16 years. - This opening statement comes right after the restarting of the temple project. - ...read more

Scripture: Zechariah 1:1-6

Denomination: Baptist