Sermons on Jim Patrick:

What Is The Importance Of The Wound In Jesus’ Side? Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Feb 16, 2024

What are the connections between the wound in Jesus' side and the wound in Adam's side for the creation of Eve?

- This sermon series is examining several of the parallels between the early chapters of Genesis and the late chapters of John. In particular, we are largely talking about the way that Jesus is “re-creating” things. - On the subject for today, there are actually four parallels within the larger ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 2:18-25, John 19:34

Denomination: Baptist

Why Do Bad Things Happen To People Trying To Be Faithful To God? Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Aug 16, 2022

King Hezekiah has tried to be faithful and yet a frightening attack from the Assyrians is headed his way. Why would God allow that and what can we learn from Hezekiah's response?

BUT KING HEZEKIAH WAS FAITHFUL: Why do bad things happen to people trying to be faithful to God? - 2 Chronicles 32:1. - Dismiss the idea of “why do bad things happen to good people?” with a discussion of the fact that none of us are good people. - This verse uses the word “faithfully” and that ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 32:1-23

Denomination: Baptist

How Gone Is Too Far Gone? Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Aug 19, 2022

Manasseh does great evil as king. Is he too far gone for God to forgive?

WAS MANASSEH TOO FAR GONE? 1. HIS FATHER SET A GODLY EXAMPLE. - 2 Chronicles 29:1-32:33. - Sin nature within all of us, no matter how we’re raised. - Each of us must choose the path we will take. Our parents can’t live for us. - This is one of the greatest tragedies of parenting. Certainly ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 33:1-17

Denomination: Baptist

When A Teenager Held Back God’s Judgment Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Aug 29, 2022

Josiah stands strong for what's right and, in the course of doing that, holds off God's judgment on a nation.

When a Teenager Held Back God’s Judgment: 1. Sometimes it takes a new generation to move back toward God. - 2 Chronicles 34:1-3. - He’s a young man: eight when he begins to rule and sixteen when he begins seeking the Lord. - It’s easy for us to berate and deride the younger generations, but ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 34:1-33

Denomination: Baptist

When You Reach The End Of The Line Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Aug 31, 2022

Exile is imminent because of the judgment of God. What does the final chapter before that teach us?

CYCLES AND CRASHES: This era of Israeli history comes to a final descent. - 2 Chronicles 36:1-14. - Let’s talk for a moment about cycles vs crashes. Cycles are those ups and downs that are part of everyday life. They are what we expect. Things are a little better then they’re a little worse but ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 36:1-23

Denomination: Baptist

In This Together

Contributed by Jim Keegan on Sep 30, 2022

We need each other in order to become whole and to live in the fullness of God’s blessing.

In May of 1953, two men became the first in history to summit Mount Everest: Edmund Hillary, a New Zealand beekeeper and explorer, and a man named Tenzing Norgay, his Sherpa guide from Nepal. Hillary’s name remains famous for this inspiring achievement, but how many of us remember Tenzing Norgay? ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 17:8-13

The Gospel Of Might Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on May 4, 2022

The arrest of Jesus puts a spotlight on the "Gospel of Might" versus the "Gospel of Jesus." What are the differences? And how does the backward stumbling that's described there sum it all up?

THE GOSPEL OF MIGHT: By all outward indications, Jesus is in a losing situation. - John 18:1-11. - Pieces of this outward situation: a. Jesus has a betrayer with inside information. - John 18:2. b. Jesus is in an enclosed area. - John 18:1. - It’s an olive grove and they went “into it,” so ...read more

Scripture: John 18:1-11

Denomination: Baptist

The Forgotten Trial Of Jesus Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on May 17, 2022

This overlooked portion of the trial of Jesus reveals a deep lesson on power.

- Talk about how this is the forgotten part of the trial, as well as the overall pieces of the trial. - There are basically three pieces to the religious trial and three pieces to the civil trial: 1. Religious trial. a. Here before Annas. b. Before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin (Matthew 26:57-68; ...read more

Scripture: John 18:12-24

Denomination: Baptist

When We Fail Jesus Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on May 27, 2022

A look at Peter's betrayal and what we can learn from it concerning the times we fail Jesus.

OVERCONFIDENT FAITH: Peter fails Jesus three times. - John 18:15-18, 25-27. - Sometimes we have false confidence. - We think too highly of ourselves or too lightly of sin or Satan. - What was at the heart of Peter’s denials? a. Fear of death? b. There was a convenient way out (just lie)? c. ...read more

Scripture: John 18:15-27

Denomination: Baptist

Five Challenges With Finding The Truth Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Jun 9, 2022

Pilate's iconic "What is truth?" question is the centerpiece of a passage that highlights several of the ways that we struggle with truth in our lives.

PILATE ASKS A GREAT QUESTION: “What is truth?” - John 18:38a. - Many ways to take it: sincere, sneering, lost, confused. - But at the end of the day, it is an essential question. - It’s not enough to be sincere in our beliefs, we need to sincerely believe something that’s true. - What about ...read more

Scripture: John 18:28-40

Denomination: Baptist

Blessings In Disguise

Contributed by Jim Keegan on Jan 18, 2023

Hand-in-hand with God’s blessing there is always testing to deepen our bonds of intimate love and trust. Those two forces work together for our good.

We see in this familiar passage two of the foundational stories of the Gospel: Christ’s blessing by God, followed very closely by his temptation. These are also the two universal realities of the spiritual life: both blessings and trials. After his baptism, Jesus saw the Spirit descending on ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

God Is Love

Contributed by Jim Keegan on Oct 19, 2022

God wants us to live in the blessing, joy and peace of knowing that we’re his beloved children.

1 Corinthians 4:3-5; 1 John 4:9-18 (selected verses) I spent a summer while I was in seminary as a student minister at Acadia National Park in Maine, where I was assisted by a young volunteer named Martha. Martha was an old soul, wise beyond her years. I say that because during that summer ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 4:9-18, 1 Corinthians 4:3-5

The Big Problem With The Pharisees, Sadducees, And Herodians

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Feb 22, 2022

All three of these groups dealt with the same problem: hypocrisy. How do we combat that?

ACROSS THE BOARD: The Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians all get the same criticism. - Matthew 16:11; Mark 8:15. - In our passage we see the Pharisees and the Sadducees criticized. Let’s add another group before we move on. - In Mark 8:15 we have a similar passage. This is after the feeding ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 16:5-12

Denomination: Baptist

Blessed With Every Blessing

Contributed by Jim Keegan on Mar 2, 2022

We’re thoroughly blessed and cherished--absolutely, unconditionally and infinitely--by God, the great Lover of our souls. What would your life look like if you lived believing that wholeheartedly?

Henri Nouwen, the late Dutch Catholic priest, had a very interesting life and ministry--teaching courses on spirituality at Harvard and Yale, spending a year at a Trappist monastery, serving as a missionary to the poor in South America, and finally, coming home in the closing chapter of his life ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-8

How To (Mis)interpret The Bible

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Mar 9, 2022

While this passage teaches about divorce, it also provides an interesting case study in how believer manipulate what the Bible says for their own benefit. We'll look at five aspects of that.

- Probably the most obvious way to preach this passage would be to preach a sermon about what the Bible says about divorce. That’s an important subject, but I’m interested in something else as I dig in. - This passage provides an interesting case study into how we interpret (or, more accurately, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 19:1-12

Denomination: Baptist