Sermons on Mulberry:

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

Entering The Harvest Field

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jun 12, 2005

Jesus: 1. Saw the crowds. 2. Had compassion. 3. Called to his disciples.

The story goes that Mark Twain loved to go fishing, but he hated to catch fish. The problem was he went fishing to relax, and catching fish ruined his relaxation, since he had to take the fish off the hook and do something with it. When he wanted to relax by doing nothing, people thought he was ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:35-38

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

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

Redemptive Relationships: Our Relationship With God Series

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Oct 13, 2003

If we are to enjoy our relationship with God, we must realize 1. God is for us. 2. You have to want it. 3. You have to enter into it completely.

Ferdinand Magellan was the Spanish explorer who led the first expedition to sail around the world. As he approached the tip of Argentina, in the year 1520, he came to the region he named Tierra del Fuego (land of fire), because there were natives on the shore tending several large fires. But as ...read more

Scripture: Acts 17:24-28

Denomination: Methodist

The Coming King

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Dec 3, 2002

This parable of Jesus tells us to: 1. Be Alert. 2. Be Prepared. 3. Be Filled.

I can still remember the excitement and confusion in the 1980’s which surrounded the publication of a booklet by Edgar Whisenant, a former NASA engineer, entitled 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988. He sent his book out free to people all over the United States. There must have been ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:1-13

Denomination: Methodist

Unbelieving Believers

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jan 18, 2004

We need to make three commitments: 1. Reading the Word of God. 2. Believing the Word of God. 3. Applying the Word of God.

On July 28, 1982, Keith Green, a Christian songwriter, was killed at the age of 28 in a small plane crash. Two of his children were with him and also died in the crash. Keith Green was from a Jewish background, but grew up reading the New Testament. He walked with Christ for seven years, and ...read more

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

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

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

The Gift Of Faith Series

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on May 18, 2003

In order to grow in faith you need to have the right concept of 1. God 2. The World 3. Yourself.

There were many dramatic answers to prayer in the recent war with Iraq. The short duration of the conflict, the relatively few lives lost, the recovery of many of our POW’s, and many more things of which we are not even aware. I watched the interview with two helicopter pilots who were shot down ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-6, 1 Corinthians 12:9-10, Acts 3:1-10

Denomination: Methodist

I Believe In The Resurrection Series

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jul 20, 2003

1. The resurrection of Christ is more than a story. 2. It is the core doctrine of the Christian faith. 3. It is the distinguishing mark of Christianity.

In one of the great novels by George MacDonald, a Scottish writer from the 1800’s, an agnostic questions a young clergyman and asks, “Tell me honestly, do you really believe one word of all that? Did you ever notice how these Christian people, who profess to believe that their great man has ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:3-20

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