... to the prophet Isaiah, "I have seen their ways, but I will heal them; I will guide them and restore comfort to them" (Isaiah 57:18). Advent is a time to set aside the myth that each of us can live however we want to live with no consideration of ... be comforted, a time to afflict, and a time to be afflicted. Advent is an "all-of-the-above" kind of season. And it belongs to John the Baptist, who helps us to understand that what happened on that first Christmas 2,000 years ago HAS to make a difference in what ...
... wanted to know which was the greatest Commandment. When Jesus gave him the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4 and Leviticus 19:18), the scribe simply noted that here was the whole matter. He observed that these simple, direct phrases had far more ... he said, "we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God be with him" (John 3:2). Jesus then shared with Nicodemus the secret, "You must be born anew" (3:7). Nicodemus had come under cover of darkness to avoid prying ...
... disciples became indignant when they heard what James and John were up to. It was a power play, a strategic maneuver, and the other disciples resented it. We are drawn to power, to wield it over another. Mankind has always looked for greater and greater means to wield authority. The ultimate expression for our generation is found in the development of the atomic bomb. What could be more powerful than to harness the power of the atom. Let me suggest this: On May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens in Washington. At 8 ...
... said, and all the shoppers survived the tornado without incident. Why did Larry Fore speak to the shoppers with such authority? Because 18 years before that day, Larry had survived a more devastating tornado. He had been through the danger before, and he knew how ... for--his lost wallet? His own bumps and bruises? No, he was concerned about the welfare of the young man who had attacked him. Mr. John knew the love of Jesus. Do you know that love? Is God still trying in vain to get through to you? Do you have a ...
... because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. (John 14:18-20) “I am the resurrection!” Jesus said. He also said, l “I am the life!” What did He mean? Well, in the Greek there are two ... might say, “I never knew what real life was until I fell in love!” This is life with a capital “L.” Jesus said in John. 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” The ...
... you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:30-31) That sounds like the end of the story, doesn’t it? But then, chapter 21 comes along, and it is almost as if ... comes to Salem, the high priest Melchizedek comes out and they share a meal together in the Valley of the Kings, (Gen. 14:18) which means that “My army won’t fight your army.” In the familiar 23rd Psalm, when it says that, “Thou preparest a table ...
... to the spirit, another miracle in contrast. See it now in your mind. Another maid at another time, not five years old, 18 perhaps, fresh from the simple life of Nazareth, overwhelmed by what was happening to her. A baby in a room, a ... , a thing of redemption. That’s what it’s all about – this Christmas business. Miracles in contrast. When the writer of the gospel of John told his Christmas story, and we read it in our scripture lesson this morning, he didn’t do it like Matthew and Luke, he didn ...
... (4:4) he states, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice." He writes to the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18), "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." We can ... found the light at the end of the journey. Still, many dark nights remain and, thus, we must be like John the Baptist in pointing society toward the light. Racism, anti-Semitism, poverty, ignorance, and arrogance which still exist in abundance, ...
... air currents. They even had "echo-location" devices to scan for suicide swimmers in the port and $18 million dollars worth of mechanical sniffers for nuclear, biological and chemical bombs. Yet, with all of these ... is just as secure as God himself is. That is why Jesus ends by saying these words, "My Father, who has given them to Me is greater than all." (John 10:29, NASB) We already know the Bible says that salvation is God's gift to us. Did you know that once you receive that salvation you become a ...
... , and he cannot comprehend why his parents have betrayed him by handing him over to suffering. How hard it was for us to explain to John that we were going to see that he went through his operation because we loved him. We tried to help him realize that the surgery ... . "Don’t I have the right to do with you people of Israel what the potter did with the clay?" Jeremiah heard God say. (18:1, TEV) The story of the potter was written about 600 B.C. when Judah had a weak king, Jehoiachin, and had fallen under ...
... it, Barnabas was the one who had presented Paul. Barnabas was somebody. When famine swept Jerusalem, Barnabas had brought money down from Antioch to feed Peter, James and John. And when Peter came out of jail he had nowhere to go, so Barnabas arranged for Peter to stay with Barnabas' sister, Mary, and her boy, John Mark. Now can you imagine an 18-year-old young person traveling with two racehorses like Paul and Barnabas? They moved fast. They threw their money and power around like they were limitless. The ...
... he came to himself he said, 'How many of my father's hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! [18] I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; [19] I am no ... love, but it's not. God IS going to continue to love us "Anyway" and "As Is" because that's God's nature. God is love as John said. But if we leave the door shut and locked then we won't reap the fullness of God's love. We won't experience the benefits ...
... haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. [18] They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, [19] thus storing up for themselves the treasure ... him with at least 25 kids hanging all over him. And I don't know who had a bigger grin on their face, those kids or John. John is no wimp, no weakling at all. He could take you down in a New York minute with his tree trunk arms. But it's not ...
... you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah (Matthew 16:18-20). Today’s lesson follows that one immediately. From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and ... up our cross daily and following Jesus? 1. Tony Evans’ Book of Illustrations (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2009). 2. John Ortberg, Who Is This Man? (Kindle Edition). 3. James R. Maxwell in Laughter Really Is the Best Medicine: ...
... fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' " (Luke 12:18-20) Sudden illness such as heart attacks, strokes, or accidents in our homes or in our cars, or events we might never imagine can ... death is not for us the end of life. We face death with Christ's own assurance that we shall never die. "Do you believe this?" (John 11:26) "She said to him, 'Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world' " ( ...
... . For God so loved….YOU! *The photo for this sermon is taken from a prize winning quilt as seen on Quilt Inspiration. http://quiltinspiration.blogspot.com Based on the Story Lectionary Major Text John the Apostle Explains Jesus’ Identity (John 1) God Creates (Genesis 1) Minor Text The Word of God Appears to Abram (Genesis 15:1; Genesis 12:7; Genesis 18) The Word of the Lord Appears to Elijah (1 Kings 19) The Word of the Lord Calls Samuel (1 Samuel 3) Psalm 33: Creator God Psalm 119: The Word of the Lord ...
... shepherd (John 10:16).” The sheep will recognize his voice, Jesus said, because he was willing to lay down his life for him. That too is part of being the shepherd king. The implication at least in part is that these other sheep may be part of the nations, but Pilate is evidently not part of the flock. He asked, “What is truth?” not recognizing that the Living Truth was standing before him. He did not recognize his master’s voice. When Jesus told Pilate “My kingdom is not from this world… (18:36 ...
... live the new tradition of service in all that we do and say. Good FridayIsaiah 52:13--53:12Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9John 18:1--19:42 Why Does The World Suffer? Why does the world suffer? Why do pain, problems and suffering exist in such abundance? We all ... of life has been before him, wherever he was all along. He only needed to empty himself enough in order to see it. What did John see and thus believe that day? He saw that the tomb was empty. He realized that his life was full, cluttered with many things. For ...
"Bring them ... to me." - Matthew 14:18 One of the best known stories of Jesus concerns the feeding of five thousand persons. To assuage the appetites of that many ... that they had more than they had thought they had, they also learned, I think, that without the Lord it wasn't worth very much. Elsewhere Jesus says, "Without me you can do nothing." (John 15:5) It's a long leap from that to this: "With God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26) Is it not reasonable, then, that God who is a doer and wants to ...
... From a sermon "Number One in the Nation" by Don Emmitte. 3. Faith Popcorn & Lys Marigold, Clicking--17 Trends That Drive Your . . . (New York: HarperBusiness, 1997), p. 107. 4. James E. Carter, Layman's Bible Book Commentary, Volume 18 (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1984), p. 28. 5. Elaine St. Johns, quoted in Dawnings: Finding God's Light in the Darkness, ed. Phyllis Hobe (Waco, TX: Word, 1981), pp. 36-37. Cited in Richard Exley. Strength for the Storm (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999), pp. 66-68.
... say to someone who had endured such tragedy? What hope could you share with them? But the story is not over. At 18, he gets a girl pregnant and has a daughter. Now, he has child support payments to make and no job. Finally, he ... . Pastor, I really need to kill somebody.” Most pastors, before hearing such a story, would have planned to say something along the lines of, “John, God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” For some reason, now that you have heard this story as well, that doesn’ ...
... after. It is claimed that this street is the only one that leads to Go. The name of the street is Jesus. In the Gospel of John, Jesus makes seven statements beginning with the words “I am” to tell us in His own words not just who He is, but what He is. ... to be very important in their lives, but 75% of them believe that many religions can lead to eternal life. Only 18% believe that they practice “the one true faith.” Listen to this. Nearly 50% of the most strongly committed evangelical Protestants ...
... Jesus chose to give up his life for countless believers, all of whom were unworthy, that would seek to follow in his footsteps. But then John goes on and presents the great challenge for all of us. He puts it very clearly: “We know love by this, that he lay ... and yet refuses help?” (1 John 3:16-17). Then, using powerful words, John makes more generic his teaching and challenge: “Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action” (1 John 3:18). John knew the tendency for all ...
... ) The Book of Job (The Parable of God’s Sovereignty) Psalm 78: I Will Speak in Parables Matthew’s Witness to Jesus’ Parables (13:1-53; 18:10-14 and 23-25; 20:1-16) The Parable of the Sower The Purpose of the Parables The Parable of the Weeds Among Wheat *The ... IT is not stasis or stagnant. But it is always growing, always changing, always moving, always becoming….. much as in John Wesley’s idea of sanctification. The world will be “covered” in faith, once the mustard takes root and spreads. The ...
... ) felt as good to you as it did to me. It was a real spiritual high. For what was happening last Sunday, what with everybody happy and enjoying each other, was a lot like what was happening for the very first Christians when they actually encountered the Risen Lord (John 20:18; Luke 20:52-53; Mark 16:20; Matthew 28:9). I know that is the way I felt last Sunday. With all of my brothers and sisters worshiping, not just because it was Easter and the thing to do, but here because you all believe in Jesus Christ ...