Sermons on Sam Cooke:

Settling Series

Contributed by Pat Cook on May 16, 2005

3rd in long series on Joshua. This is about the temptation to settle in, to give up when it gets hard, to accept less than the best.

Joshua 1:12-18 – Settling In an old Peanuts cartoon, Lucy demanded that her brother Linus change TV channels and then threatened him with her fist if he didn’t. "What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?" asked Linus. "These five fingers," said Lucy. ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 1:12-18

Denomination: Baptist

All Sold Out Series

Contributed by Pat Cook on May 16, 2005

4th in long series on Joshua. It speaks of Rahab the prostitute, and why God picked her to help His people.

‘BE092902 PLAYING ON GOD’S TEAM 4 There’s No “I” In Team. (Opening SLIDE) When was the first time you saw the gift of tongues or prophecy in operation? Some of you without much church background don’t have a clue what I’m talking about! You’ll know more in 30 minutes. - Others of you have ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 2:1-21

Denomination: Baptist

The Time Came Series

Contributed by Pat Cook on May 16, 2005

1st in Christmas series based on Galatians 4:4 - why the time was right for Jesus to come. This is one describes the right time CULTURALLY - one language.

Galatians 4:4 – The Time Came (With a healthy dose of help from John Eldredge.) “In the beginning.” It might just as well say, “Once upon a time.” It’s a wonderful phrase, full of legend and myth, promise and mystery. And it’s a sort of invitation, too. “Come here, let me show you something…” ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 4:1-5

Denomination: Baptist

God Can Even Use Governments Series

Contributed by Pat Cook on May 16, 2005

2nd of series based on Galatians 4:4 - why Jesus came when He did. This one shows the time was right POLITICALLY - God used the Roman system. God is the Way-Maker!

Acts 14:26-27 – God Can Even Use Governments A young African boy listened intently as the missionary teacher explained why Christians give presents to each other on Christmas Day: “Because it’s an expression of our joy over the birth of Jesus and our love for one another”. When Christmas ...read more

Scripture: Acts 14:26-27

Denomination: Baptist

It's About Time Series

Contributed by Pat Cook on May 16, 2005

3rd in series on Galatians 4:4, describing how Jesus came at just the right time. This shows that the time was right SPIRITUALLY - He fulfills our needs as the Law never could.

Galatians 3:23-4:7 – It’s About Time When was Jesus born? The one that Isaiah called Wonderful - when was this child born, and when was this Son given? There are many ways to answer that question. Was Jesus born on December 25th? For about 1800 years, that has been the date assigned to ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Christmas Bread

Contributed by Pat Cook on May 16, 2005

The relevance of Bethlehem, with thoughts gleaned from other sources. Good for a Christmas communion service.

Matthew 2:1-12 – Christmas Bread A Jewish lady named Mrs. Rosenberg who many years ago was stranded late one night at a fashionable resort - one that did not admit Jews. The desk clerk looked down at his book and said, "Sorry, no room. The hotel is full." The Jewish lady said, "But your ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12

Denomination: Baptist

Surviving Christmas

Contributed by Pat Cook on May 16, 2005

Life is hard. Sometimes so is Christmas. This is about more than surviving it.

Luke 1:26-38; 2:1-7 – Surviving Christmas These two Grand Mananers took a ferry off the island and went deep into the woods on the mainland, searching for a Christmas tree. After hours of subzero temperatures and a few close calls with hungry wolves, one Grand Mananer turned to the other ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:26-38

Denomination: Baptist

The Superior New Covenant Series

Contributed by Matthew Cook on May 28, 2005

God’s New Promise

The Superiority of the New Covenant May 22, 2005 Center Point Baptist Church Introduction Present the following illustration on promises kept: Several years ago, I made a promise to my eldest son – that I would build him a fort to play in, and it would be done before I had to make a 6-month ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 8:7-13

Denomination: Baptist

This Is My Church!

Contributed by Rich Cook on Jun 21, 2005

Church just doesn’t happen. The church will be vibrant and fruitful if I (all of us) make it happen.

This is my church Purpose: The work of the church won’t just happen. It takes all of us doing what God would have us do. 1. Nehemiah bullets · Background of the fall of Israel (God had promised Israel that if they would obey him, He would always protect them and prosper them. But after David came ...read more

Denomination: Nazarene

Offer Them Water

Contributed by Rich Cook on Jun 21, 2005

To refocus the church on our primary job: taking the Water of Life to a world without Jesus.

Offer them water Purpose: To refocus the church on our purpose: "Go into all the world, preaching the Gospel." 1. (Hold up an ordinary glass of water) Let’s talk about water for a minute. A regular lukewarm glass of water isn’t very appealing. It doesn’t sound very good, does it? But run 4 or 5 ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Denomination: Nazarene

Why The Miracles?

Contributed by Rich Cook on Jun 21, 2005

A sermon based on the book, "Surprising Insights from the Unchurched" by Thom Rainer. Jesus’ miracles drew a crowd. Why isn’t the church drawing a crowd?

Why the miracles? Purpose: Jesus cared for people enough to do something about it. People saw his love in his actions and responded to him personally. 1. Why did Jesus perform miracles? Why did he heal the lame, the blind, the diseased? It was just a few here and there. He couldn’t have healed ...read more

Scripture: John 2:1-11

Denomination: Nazarene

Just A Happy Meal

Contributed by Rich Cook on Jun 28, 2005

To illustrate how Jesus can do so much with our little. God doesn’t ask how much we have. Instead, like He asked of Moses, He asks "What do you have I can use?"

Just a Happy Meal Purpose: To illustrate how Jesus can do the impossible with our little. 1. Read John 6:1-5. Why did Jesus ask Philip? Of all the disciples, why Philip? Philip was from Bethsaida, a town just nine miles away. If anyone would know a human solution to this problem, it would have ...read more

Scripture: John 6:1-13

Denomination: Nazarene

The Bible - A Light And A Map Series

Contributed by Rich Cook on Jun 28, 2005

The first of a three-part series on the Bible. Without God’s Word we’re lost in the world. Using the illustration of a little boy who gets lost in Mammoth Cave, this message shows the importance of having a light and a map. (General Sermon, but used on

Bible - A light and a map Purpose: To illustrate the importance of the Bible 1. Max, the lost Boy Scout in Mammoth Cave. Max’s Boy Scout troop took an end-of-the-summer trip to Mammoth Cave. They didn’t take the lame 90-minute family tour. They took the 6-hour "Wild Cave" tour. In this tour, the ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 119:19-130

Denomination: Nazarene

The Bible - Is It True? Can We Trust It? Series

Contributed by Rich Cook on Jun 28, 2005

The second in a series on the Bible. Every Christian must answer the question: Is the Bible true? When we accept its truth, we must obey its instruction.

Bible - Is it true? Can we trust it? Purpose: Showcasing the absolute truth of the Bible. 1. There is a great push in today’s world for tolerance. Tolerance used to mean, "Everyone has a right to an opinion." · Some people like the Red Sox, some like the Yankees. · Some people like Mexican food, ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:14-17

Denomination: Nazarene

No Rules! Just Right! (Life Without The Rulebook) Series

Contributed by Rich Cook on Jun 28, 2005

Third in a series on the Bible. This message looks at life without the guidelines found in the Bible. We might think we want a life of complete freedom, but without boundaries we creep into danger.

No rules. Just right. (Life without the rulebook) Purpose: To illustrate life with no rules (living outside the truth presented in God’s Word) 1. Ever play Monopoly? (hold up Monopoly board) What if you had never played Monopoly before, you had never even seen it, and somebody gave you a board, ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:16-32

Denomination: Nazarene