John 1:1-18, John 1:19-28, Isaiah 61:1-11, Isaiah 65:17-25, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28
Sermon Aid
E. Carver McGriff
... grateful for what I do have in life and quit feeling sorry for myself because I have a few problems and could use a little more money. And most of all, be thankful that God cares about me and is here at my side. John 1:6-8, 19-28 · Love Requires Character Theme: It's hard not to be a cynic these days. There are times when we wonder if every one of our valued institutions of society is rife with corruption. Many people, it seems, no longer care about such matters. Society is more accepting and permissive of ...
... damaging and unfair criticism. "Sometimes I think I'll just give it up and go become a ______." It's hard to be patient with our health: that long illness we did not anticipate, medical treatment which does not work out, conflicting opinions, escalating expenses, wear and tear on our loved ones. It's hard to be patient with our exercise program. I want to be like Mike, but I don't have time to be in the gym four hours a day. I thought the video said that if I did Stepmaster, I would have firm thighs. I knew ...
... to be rich men with no desires nor poor men afraid to seek what we desire. He wants us to have ears straining to hear his word and hearts longing for his love. Much of the steam for the reformation in the days of Martin Luther came from his burning desire to open the ears and hearts of Europe once again to God's Word and love. In Luther's day, too, many Christians were either surfeited with their own good works and therefore did not listen, or they were living like frightened rabbits and therefore did not ...
... as obedient trust in our living Lord. I have a minister friend who has had some extraordinarily traumatic and impossibly difficult times in his life. And yet, with beautiful simplicity and faith and obedience he says, "If God never answers another prayer for me, I'll serve and love and trust him anyway!" He has long since learned that it pays to count on God. No wonder Job was able to say, at last, "Though God slay me, yet will I trust him!" God's only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, would come many years later ...
... with her second child, and to make matters worse her husband was out of town on business. "Jane took me to the hospital and then took my daughter to live with her until my mother arrived from out of town." Marveling on their friendship and Jane's loving, caring attitude, she said, "Even friends I knew longer or was closer to did not offer to help like that." There is more to Jane that just being helpful to others with special needs, although that is an important part of who she is. Her friends describe ...
Luke 1:39-45, Luke 1:46-56, Micah 5:1-4, Hebrews 10:1-18
Sermon Aid
John R. Brokhoff
... 's unborn child leaped for joy when Mary, pregnant with Jesus, comes to visit. Christmas is a joyous celebration, but will we be happy because of gifts, of family reunions, of vacation from school or because Christ is born? Would we leap for joy at Christmas if no loved ones came to visit or if there were no gifts to open? Outline: Why at Christmas we will leap for joy -- a. Who is being born: Christ the Lord. b. What the child will accomplish: "A Savior who is Christ the Lord." 3. A maiden's Christmas song ...
Revelation 7:9-17, Acts 13:13-52, Acts 9:32-43, John 10:22-42
Sermon Aid
John R. Brokhoff
... tender and compassionate verses of the Bible. None other than Almighty God himself dries the tears of those who have suffered on earth. In love God wipes away tears as a dear mother comforts her weeping child. And it is not some tears, but "every" tear is wiped away. ... two be one? How can one plus one make one? Sermon: How one and one make one. a. The two are one in essence: being, life, love. b. The two are one in truth. c. The two are one in will or purpose. Epistle: Acts 9:36-42 1. A Good Shepherd: then ...
1 Corinthians 12:1-11, Isaiah 62:1-12, John 2:1-11
Sermon Aid
John R. Brokhoff
... everyone no one is left out v. 7. b. Spirit gives the gift v. 11. c. These abilities are not natural endowments but gifts. If gifts no one can claim credit for them or be proud of them. WORSHIP RESOURCES Psalm Of The Day: Psalm 36:5-10 "Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens." (v. 5) Prayer Of The Day: "Lord God, you shared your glory and led many to faith by the works of your Son. As he brought gladness and healing to his people, grant us these same gifts and lead us also to perfect faith ...
Isaiah 50:1-11, Luke 22:14--23:56, Philippians 2:1-11
Sermon Aid
John R. Brokhoff
... only death but even death, on a cross. This was the most horrible and humiliating form of death ever devised by man. It was so cruel that it was reserved only for the worst non-Roman criminals. Jesus went to the depth of humiliation and showed his matchless love by dying on a cross. 3. The name (v. 9). As a result of this horrible death, God honors Jesus with not a name but with "the name." In Biblical thinking a name denoted the nature and character of the person. The name given to Jesus was "Lord" which ...
1 Timothy 2:1-15, Jeremiah 8:4--9:26, Luke 16:1-15
Sermon Aid
John R. Brokhoff
... the lowest price. 3. Save habitually for tomorrow's needs. 3. A saint and his money (16:10-13). Need: People need guidance on how to handle their money. Is it a virtue to be poor and a sin to be rich? Should a Christian despise money? Isn't the love of money the root of all evil? In the text Jesus has advice about money. He says that money can be your god. For a disciple this is an impossible situation, for no one can serve two gods. Should a Christian then not strive to accumulate possessions? Where do you ...
1 Timothy 6:11-21, Jeremiah 32:1-44, Luke 16:19-31
Sermon Aid
John R. Brokhoff
... his family. d. Hear the Word v. 31. The Word of God, the Bible Law and Prophets and the Incarnate Word in Jesus teach us to love one another by caring and sharing. 2. The poverty of abundance (16:19-31). Need: In this parable we have a description of wealth and ... death. c. The reason for going to hell v. 25. Dives on earth had no concern for his needy fellowmen. This means he had no love for God or man. Hell is the place for the loveless, hard-hearted, and cruel. d. Hell can be avoided vv. 27-31. To cause ...
2 Timothy 3:10--4:8, Jeremiah 30:1--31:40, Luke 18:1-8
Sermon Aid
John R. Brokhoff
... we see the nature of their characters. In which of these characters do you see yourself? This sermon uses a biographical approach and requires imagination. Outline: Are you in this drama? a. Widow a woman with a concern. b. Judge a man without a heart. c. God a loving Father who vindicates. 2. The power of persistence (18:1-8). Need: How long should we pray for the same favor? How long is "long"? We have a tendency to grow weary in praying about the same need or problem. Jesus told this parable to teach us ...
... might hurt his hands. Why do daddies wear these? What do they protect? (hands) Do you see how big they are? Daddies hands can do a lot of things. They can work hard, but they are also big enough and gentle enough to hold us, to love us, and to keep us safe. So God created dads to love us and to hold us." Application: So God made dads for a lot of things: To be strong and provide for us, to be someone to look up to, to make choices for us until we can make them for ourselves, and to ...
... late date. After all, I'm not a magician nor an orthodontist -- I'm God. Take your brother Aaron along. He'll follow you. He'd love to try public speaking. He's a ham and enjoys getting up in front of crowds. Take a gamble, Moses. I'll be with both ... myself. God answered, 'I'm glad you asked.' To which I replied, 'Oh-oh.' 'Well,' God said. 'It's like this. Just tell my people I love them and I know their suffering. I'm not blind, nor callous, nor insensitive. Tell them that what makes a place holy isn't the ...
... , faithful followers of the Christ. You are here to celebrate the nativity of your Lord. In the name of the Christ you worship and adore, I bid you welcome. Some are here because they once believed and would like to believe again. You come with the "remembrance of love and peace and shared hopes over many years now gathered into one great longing,"1 a longing to be with God, to become whole; a longing that the emptiness you now know too well might at last be filled. In the name of the Christ you long for ...
... no evidence, save the emptiness. He has no proofs, no photographs, no scorched places on the earth caused by a burst of resurrection energy. He doesn't even have straight the biblical background on all this. All he has is an empty place where the body of the one who loved him used to be. But it is enough: "He saw and believed" (John 20:8). Now we can understand why, from John's point of view, it was so important to record who won that footrace to the tomb. John wants us to know that the very first believer ...
... Anger can be positive and have a rightful place in life. As the examples show, God, Jesus, and Paul are angry at evil, at false worship of God, at what distorts the good news. The Bible speaks of God hating evil and loving good. As one prayer goes, "God, let me love what you love and hate what you hate." The thing though is to avoid becoming a negative, destructive hater. Anger. I don't think there's any doubt about it, anger is the most common and the most destructive emotion there is. Contrary to popular ...
... will of God. Who knows, maybe those things are the will of God, but if they are then we are left to explain why a loving God wills for those bad things to happen. A number of people mistakenly refer to Harold Kushner's best-selling book as Why Bad Things ... going to stop doing what we do. We are going to be treated badly from time to time, but we are going to keep believing that love will win out. People will abuse the welfare system, but that doesn't mean we are going to turn our backs on those we are called ...
... own demise seems to have more to do with "what the world does to those who follow God's way ... The world does not love you if you question its ways. It may even kill you...."7 That is not speculation, but a summary of the evidence. Consider those ... call to risk it all in the making of a better world will not register with most of us. Yet, in the end, the extent to which love is known in the earth and peace reigns on the earth is directly related to the extent to which we open our lives to the possibility ...
... . It has the ring of, "How much can I sin and still go to heaven?" This is an attempt to justify the presence of sin in our lives instead of trying to eliminate it. This is an effort to bargain with God, to renegotiate the terms. Jesus said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37, 39). We are simply asking that the requirements be softened a bit. Is it not enough that we make as much room for God ...
... temptations to overcome is this tendency to give things to each other that we hope will become community property. "I bet Dad will love this bright yellow tie and I am sure he will wear it often. If not, it does happen to go well with my favorite ... as if they were our own. On this night God chooses to be with us so that we might be with one another. May God's love shape our relationships. May God's wisdom guide our decisions. May God's glory touch our ordinary lives. And may God's gift this night live ...
... , but can you explain what electricity is? We may not be able to understand or explain the Trinity, but we do know God loves us, cares for us, and saves us when we repent and believe in Christ as Savior. Aids To Understanding Various analogies have been ... To say anything more about God is to limit him. Anything additional you might say about God is only an attribute. If you say, "God is love," you are correct, but God is also truth and justice. It is like looking at the sun and the rays of the sun. The sun is ...
... he will work for him another seven years, he may marry Rachel in seven days. And so Jacob agrees, and in seven days he marries Rachel, the love of his life. But all this is a sordid affair. Laban uses and abuses Jacob to achieve his own ends. And while it may be said ... (2 Corinthians 11:23-28). And yet Paul can proclaim, "We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). As Jacob experienced abuse at the hands of Laban, we too ...
Mt 26:14–27:66 · Phil 2:5-11 · Is 45:21-25; 50:4-9 · Ps 31
Sermon Aid
Russell F. Anderson
... a cruel cross to reconcile the world to God. The one preached judgment and retribution on one's enemies but the other proclaimed love and grace. Which Jesus do you want? Matthew 27:37 Titilus. On the cross the Roman government hung the titilus, the sign that ... death with resignation - we can meet death with faith 3. Christ met death with a shout of victory and so can we. God shows his love for us in that he was willing to confront death head-on in the person of his Son. In so doing, God released the faithful ...
Exodus 3:1-22, Jeremiah 15:15-21; 20:7-18, Matthew 16:21-28, Romans 12:1-8
Sermon Aid
Russell F. Anderson
... , shame, remorse? According to the wisdom of the age, that's a horrible load to dump on someone else. Such coals of white hot love can purify our soul and turn us back to the Lord. Gospel: Matthew 16:21-28 The Messianic secret. After Peter's great confession, featured ... strength ..." (v. 4); Psalm 63:2-6, 8-9 "So I will bless you as long as I live" (v. 4a); Psalm 26 "O Lord, I love the house in which you dwell" (v. 8a). Prayer Of The Day: O Lord, keep us faithful to our calling to be your witnesses in a world ...