Sermons on Wildernesses:

We Are Called

Contributed by Samuel Wilder on Mar 10, 2005

God has called the church to be something more than we’ve somehow become. It’s time to understand and accept the call...again!

How do you answer the phone? “Hello?” “This is Sam (or whatever your name is).” “Yeah?” “Hey!” (usually if you have callerID)” “Talk to me.” “Wazzup?” Choosing to ignore it. Each of us here could get the same phone call and yet have a different response. But what if God calls? How do we ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:18

Denomination: Baptist

Bread Of Life, Cup Of Redemption

Contributed by Samuel Wilder on Mar 11, 2005

Communion is more of an Easter moment than we realize. This time of year we can hear the last supper story fresh and realize its significance.

Communion is more of an Easter moment than we usually stop to realize. In Matthew 26, Matthew brings Jesus into the last portion of his life before the cross. He shows us how Jesus was clearly preparing his disciples for his death and, as well, his resurrection. Jesus has spoken about his death ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 26:17-30

Denomination: Baptist

Leaving The Land Of "Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda"

Contributed by Samuel Wilder on Jul 14, 2008

We all have a past, but we don’t have to live there. The grace of God is bigger than our regrets!

We’ve all made mistakes and bad choices. We’ve done things we wished we could forget but somehow the memories of our past sins and temporary stupidity come back to haunt us and when that happens they turn into regrets; they become things we start to second guess: “What if I would have…” “Maybe I ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:7-8

Denomination: Baptist

Prayer - A "Gotta" Not An "Oughta"

Contributed by Samuel Wilder on Jan 9, 2005

Too often we let things keep us from one of the most important things - prayer - and we need to make prayer a priority.

“Prayer -- a GOTTA, Not an OUGHTA” -- James 5:13-16, John 17 January 9, 2005 I was looking at a past issue of Pray Magazine, a great magazine that is about, in the editors’ words, “encouraging a passion for Christ through prayer.” As I perused some of the articles I ...read more

Scripture: James 5:13-16

Denomination: Baptist

Let There Be A New And Better Way

Contributed by Samuel Wilder on Jan 9, 2005

Making changes is tough and too often we do what Moses did and snap back to doing things the way we’ve always done them, but that’s not always God’s way!

“Let There Be a New and Better Way” – Numbers 20:8-12 January 2, 2005 Read Numbers 20:8-12 Ask: Do you notice anything wrong in that passage? Look again… – God tells Moses to gather up three things: Aaron, his brother and “assistant pastor”; the staff, the symbol of Moses’ work as ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 20:8-12

Denomination: Baptist

The Creator's Mark Is Everywhere Series

Contributed by Samuel Wilder on Nov 10, 2008

This is a sermon on becoming the creative people God has made us to be and learning to give thanks for God’s mark of creativity upon all of creation.

Four Psalms of Thanksgiving Psalm 104 – God’s Mark is Everywhere November 9, 2008 ____________________________________ Reading of Psalm 104, using designated readers in the congregation (use video loop of creation scenes): • Verses 1-4 • Verses 5-13 • Verses 14-18 • Verses 19-26 • Verses ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 104:1-35

Denomination: Baptist

God's Great Love Is Worthy Of Our Thanks

Contributed by Samuel Wilder on Nov 24, 2008

In Psalm 107 we find four ways that God has specifically blessed that call us to be thankful, and the cool thing is these four ways were brought to life by Jesus.

(From Pastor Aaron Burgess, SermonCentral.com) Thanksgiving is the act of expressing specific gratitude to God for the blessings he has bestowed upon us. Thanksgiving is the outward and inward communication of how grateful we are for all the things God has given us, whether those things are ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 107:1-43

Denomination: Baptist

Real Life Requires Crucifixion Series

Contributed by Samuel Wilder on Sep 20, 2010

Running through Paul's writings is the power of the cross and our need to turn from our sinful nature and desires. This sermon speaks to that power and that need in our lives.

Do you know what I once was? I was once an enemy of God. I was once what Paul called, in Eph. 2:3, an object of God’s wrath, that is, his anger, his righteous indignation. I was wasting my life gratifying the cravings of my sinful nature as I turned down the voice of morality in my head ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:16-26

Denomination: Baptist

Diving Deeper Into Life Series

Contributed by Samuel Wilder on Oct 18, 2011

We need to start living life as the precious gift from God it truly is. Deeper living from a deeper understanding!

This past Wednesday, Scott Evans Dekraai, got out of his car in Seal Beach (CA) shot a man who was sitting in his SUV talking on his cell phone then entered a beauty salon where his ex-wife worked and opened fire, shooting at point blank his ex-wife and eight other people. Six died immediately, two ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 139:1-24

Denomination: Baptist

From Eden's Fall To The Wilderness Of Grace (Trusting God's Plan)

Contributed by Jm Raja Lawrence on May 25, 2024

Today, we'll explore how sin disrupts our relationship with God, His unwavering provision in our wilderness journeys, and the promise of restoration and grace through Christ, guiding us from Eden's fall to divine redemption.

From Eden's Fall to the Wilderness of Grace (Trusting God's Plan) Introduction: Deuteronomy 8:15-18; Genesis 3:9-10 Dear brothers and sisters, today we will make a long journey through the Scriptures to perceive our relationship with God, the effect of sin, and how transforming His grace ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 3:9-10, Isaiah 59:2, Romans 3:23, Psalm 51:11, Deuteronomy 8:15-18, Exodus 16:14-15, Exodus 17:6, Matthew 6:31-33, Genesis 3:15, Romans 5:8, 2 Corinthians 5:17-18, Revelation 21:4, 1 Kings 19:11-12, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Hosea 2:14-15  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Number Your Days

Contributed by Mike Parry on Feb 23, 2006

We can learn from the mistakes of the Children of Israel wandering in the wilderness. We can echo the Psalm of Moses to "Number Your Days."

“Number Your Days” FCC – February 19, 2006 Text: Numbers 10-14 Introduction: We are continuing our Old Testament Challenge. The last couple of weeks we have been in Exodus studying how God used Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt towards the Promised Land. They were no longer slaves but free. ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Feeding More Than 5,000

Contributed by William Mouser on Aug 1, 2005

This miracle shows Jesus to be the same God who fed his people in the wilderness, and foreshadows the blessings and productivity that flow from communion with Christ.

Feeding More than the 5,000 Ps. 78:1-7, 12-25, Neh. 9:16-20; Rom. 8:35-39, Matt. 14:13-21 The feeding of the 5,000 is the only miracle of Christ that appears in all four gospels. It gets its name from the fact that Jesus fed people and from the mention of the number 5,000. However, this is ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 14:13-21

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Want To See God More Clearly? Open Your Ears!

Contributed by Daniel Habben on Jul 27, 2014

God reveals himself to us through his Word so that we understand that a wilderness with God is better than a paradise without him.

I want to start this morning with an eye test. If you’re wearing glasses, take them off. Cover or close one eye and look at the eye chart (projected onto the wall). How far down the chart can you read? Now try your other eye. If you can make out the letters right above the red line at the ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 33:12-23

Denomination: Lutheran

The Faith Of The People

Contributed by Don Baggett on Jun 29, 2010

Most of the time, the Hebrew people haven't demonstrated a lot of faith. In the wilderness, they were constantly murmuring, but in this text, God speaks of their faith.

“The Faith of the People” Hebrews 11:29-30 When you think about the Hebrew people that Moses led through the wilderness for 40 years, you don’t think of them as being “faith people.” And, they really weren’t. The Bible tells us that all those, who were over 20 ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:29-30

Denomination: Baptist

Led By The Spirit ... To Be Tempted?

Contributed by Michael Stark on Apr 22, 2017

Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted. The Word is precise in stating that He was led by the Spirit. Why does the Spirit of God lead anyone to be tempted?

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ But he answered, ‘It is written, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11

Denomination: Baptist