... a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert" (43:18-19). The past actions of the Hebrew people had to be put behind them; they needed to begin anew. Reconciliation is only complete when we put ... ?" She said, "No one, sir." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again" (John 8:10b-11). Jesus' words to the woman point to the future. The past is forgiven. Let us move on, drop the past baggage, ...
... never meet the right person. Others may choose to abstain from marriage to devote their life to serving God. The Bible says in Genesis 2:18 “it is not good for man to be alone,” and therefore God created woman. And it is true we were not created to be ... was Paul’s famous take on things. But it’s true that some of the great saints of the Bible Daniel, Elijah, Elisha, Paul, John the Baptist, and (of course) Jesus never married. You should never feel that you don’t fit in the church if you are single. ...
... reality if only we would commit to forgiveness, justice, and love for one another. King shared the dream of the prophet Isaiah (40:3-5), also proclaimed by John the Baptist (Luke 3:4-6) that ... one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be ... Dream: A Vision of Hope for Our Time (New York: Doubleday, 2004), pp. 18-19. 4. David Ussishkin, "Big City, Few People: Jerusalem in the Persian Period," Biblical Archaeology Review, July/August 2005, 31:4, p. ...
... ask ourselves if we are ready? It is a day of harrowing gloom. Who can stand in the face of such a day? The poet, John Donne, thought about the end of the world and what it might mean to us personally in one of his Holy Sonnets (1633), when he ... evil? We begin by repenting — trusting, as Joel said, that "... the Lord became jealous for his land, and had pity on his people" (Joel 2:18). We take matters into our own hands as well. Joel's prophecy also reminds me that the food we plant is desired not only by ...
... faith would take care of their needs (Luke 10:1-9), and in addition they shared out of a common purse (John 12:6). Mutual aid is different than charity. True charity expects nothing in return, especially because it is often directed toward those ... than an obligation. It is joy. Jesus admonished the people to "Love your neighbor as yourself," which is drawn from Leviticus 19:18. Among the most famous passages which illustrate the intention of the group to practice mutual aid and assistance is this verse from ...
... Yahweh, proved that his God was the only one with power. You can read the details of that encounter in 1 Kings 18. But here in chapter 19, Elijah is anything but pumped up from his resounding triumph in the name of God. In fact, ... about recently: During the recent presidential election, we learned a little about Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, John Edwards. One of the things we heard was that the Edwardses had a lost their son, Wade. At sixteen years of age ...
... have not because you ask not.” In 1962 a 14‑year‑old boy by the name of Robert White wrote to President John F. Kennedy’s personal secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, requesting the President’s autograph. Within a few weeks Evelyn Lincoln honored the boy’s request ... http://www.sermonsplus.co.uk/Mark%2010.46‑52.htm. 2. “A Couple of High Climbers” by Carole Bula, Time, June 18, 2001, p. 62. 3. Dr. R. L. Hymers, Jr., http://www.rlhymersjr.com/Online_Sermons/12-02-01AM_TwoPairsOfEyes.html. 4. Spirit, ...
... to carry out the Great Commission. Listen to what Jesus tells the Disciples in the Upper Room on the night He was betrayed and arrested. John 14:15-27 (NRSV) [15] "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. [16] And I will ask the Father, and he will ... the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. [18] "I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. [19] In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you ...
... "It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." And in 1 Kings 6:13 "I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel." In John 14:18 Jesus said, "I will not leave you orphaned...." Page after page of Scripture shows us God's Faithfulness. We have turned away. We have been the ones who have been unfaithful. God has never turned away from us. God has consistently and constantly sought to bring us back ...
... special about "The Play?" With 53 seconds left in the game, Stanford was down 17-19 and stuck in their own backfield. It was fourth down, 17 yards to go. But miraculously the Stanford QB (anybody know who?...John Elway) rallied, got the first down, and Stanford marched down the field. In four plays they got to the 18 yard line. With eight seconds to go, the field goal kick was up and good. Stanford had won the game, 20-19, and the crowds started going crazy. But the game wasn't over. There were still four ...
... house? 1. Craddock Stories (St. Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 2001). 2. “The Seamier Side of Life” by Michale Mohr, Newsweek, August 18, 1997, p. 14. 3. Chonda Pierce, It’s Always Darkest Before the Fun Comes Up (Grand Rapids, MI.: Zondervan, 1998), ... and Grieving Specters. Appalachian Tales: Strange, True & Legendary (Asheboro, N.C.: Down Home Press, 1994), pp. 5-6. 5. Chuck Shepherd, John J. Kohut, and Roland Sweet, The News of the Weird (New York: Plume, 1989). 6. Pastor Phil Formo, http://www.stlukes. ...
... . God's goodness and mercy aren't there to judge and condemn, God's goodness and mercy are there to set us free from the baggage we've been lugging around so long. We all know John 3:16, we can quote it in our sleep. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. ... Mercy will follow us all the days of my life. And like little Hannah said, "We need someone like that." 1. Leadership, Vol. 18, #3 2. Leadership, Summer 2003
... . He turned his life loose. It was not a decision that was determined by his friends they tried to oppose it and it was not a decision determined by his enemies. He looked at them and said, “You’re not taking my life; I’m giving my life.” In John 10: 14-18, Jesus asserted that no one could take His life from Him; he chose to lay it down. (6) And here is the wonderful conclusion of the matter: he gave his life willingly that you and I might have life abundant. The bank once sent author Max Lucado an ...
... God had, too. She was thirsty beyond measure and needed to drink deeply of what only god can offer. Let's look at her story in John 4:5-29. (NRSV) [5] So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his ... , and come back." [17] The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; [18] for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!" [19] The woman ...
... the time that he had learned from the wise men. [17] Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: [18] "A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they ... never melts, a Scrooge whose heart is never touched and remains hard as stone and cold as ice. He may be the one John Calvin was thinking of when he came up with the theology of the Total Depravity of Humanity. In all of Christian history, there may ...
... all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. [18] Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. In my humble ... A. The Apostle Paul reminds us that we are not only children of God but heirs to the Kingdom. And remember, in Gospel of John, at the Last Supper, Jesus told the Disciples and through them, us, "I no longer call you servants....now I call you friend." ...
... the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, [18] so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches ... because there on our own Road to Damascus we discover that Jesus died for us, just like He died for Paul and Peter, James, John and everyone else. And that changes our lives. So you see, this Book is not only God's story it is Our story. Stanley ...
... Nicodemus' actions are almost comical. And a bit ironic as we'll see as we hear Jesus message to Nicodemus. Let's look at the passage, John 3:14-21 [14] And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, [15] ... God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. [18] Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the ...
At the tender age of 18, I was appointed to my first church. On Saturday following my first Sunday there, the main man in that congregation, a husband, a father, ... our hurt. God raised him from the dead.” Slowly a sense of quietness and peace filled the room. III. Resurrection Wins “Jesus said, ‘I am the resurrection and the life”’ (John 11:25). “We are dust and to dust we shall return. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory.” Almost all religions teach some form of immortality. Most ...
... at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. [17] In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. [18] But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. [19] After ... do all his research which changed and improved farming techniques. Booker T. Washington Used it and we all Gained from it. Basketball coach John Wooden may have said it best, "Don't let what you can't do interfere with what you can do!" The same holds ...
... so Christ can make a difference through you. 1. Therefore....A sermon by, Pastor Vince Gerhardy, St Luke's Lutheran Church, Nambour - 29th September, 2002 2. "Low Pay, Long Hours, No Applause," Philip Yancey, CHRISTIANITY TODAY, (November 18, 1988), p. 80. 3. John H. Unger, Brandon, Manitoba. Leadership, Vol. 11, no. 4. 4. Joseph F. Mlaker in Fresh Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching (Baker), from the editors of Leadership. 5. Thomas Merton in The Spring of Contemplation. Christianity Today, Vol. 41 ...
... child for the Pharisee in today's passage from Luke. Let's look at that passage and you'll see what I mean. Luke 18:9-14 (NRSV) [9] He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: [ ... , the whole Pharisee movement was a holiness movement. They were trying to live a holy life, pleasing to God in all ways, just like John and Charles did in England. Jewish law said every person was to fast once a week as a sign of repentance for their sin. ...
... re like one of the illusions where everything seems to be moving, it's all a trick of the eyes. They are what John Eldredge in his book "Wild At Heart," calls "posers." In the sixties we called them "plastic." My son just calls them phonies. ... a good job it makes all the difference in the world. B. Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit you choose. (Proverbs 18:21 MSG) There may have been no truer words spoken or written. What we say to our children and youth and to each other and about ...
... I love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge. (Psalm 18: 1, 2) But thou, O Lord, art a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. (Psalm 3:3) It’s a matter of trust ... I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and shall find pasture” (John 10:9). It is the picture of our being with the Shepherd, and belonging to His flock. Moffatt translates the phrase “in the house of ...
... of starving masses dying daily in Africa; and I wondered to myself: Did they, then, lose? I thought of youngsters - 17,18,19,20 - men hardly needing to take the razor to their faces - who are lying buried namelessly from Vietnam to Guadalcanal ... is also important to God. The image of Caesar may be on the coin, but God’s image is on our souls. We belong to Him! (Lloyd John Ogilvie, Life Without Limits, Word Book Publishers, pp. 227-228) It is not likely that we will ever give in the right way until we accept ...