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Showing 526 to 550 of 2332 results

526. Prepare the Way - Sermon Starter

Mark 1:1-8

Illustration

Brett Blair

... the Lord! And then there was John himself. Being the same age as Jesus they grow up together, played together, yet as they reached adulthood they were different in so many ways. When John began his ministry he lived in the desert solitude of Judea, a rugged desert wilderness. He fed on honey and wild locust and dressed in garments of camel hair. He constantly brooded over the scriptures, especially the prophetic ministry of Elijah, after whom he modeled his own ministry. Nor was John a respecter of persons ...

527. UpTime

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... shutting down all our systems. If we are genuinely "not making time for God," but rather seeing all time as God's time, we should be prepared to be surprised by God even when we are at rest. The disciples thought they were escaping to a "deserted place" with Jesus. Instead, they had a short, restful boat trip and then witnessed the miracles of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, feeding the 5,000 and the divine Christ walking on water. Which experience do you think left the disciples more rested and refreshed in ...

528. The Longest Journey Is the Shortest Distance

Acts 17:22-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... to gain any headway. 1. A sense of direction: Our spiritual journey gets off on the wrong foot when we make the mistake of looking for God's presence and purpose somewhere "out there." Instead of traveling off to some isolated mountaintop or deserted island, consider that Jesus spent the bulk of his spiritual journey, his earthly mission, in the ordinary towns and villages of his native Palestine. He taught and preached and performed miracles in the most humdrum of locations in neighborhoods, at the docks ...

529. John 20:19-31 [Genesis 2:5-24]

John 20:19-31 [Genesis 2:5-24]

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... making sure we understand the significance of the symbol of Eden. How desperately the church needs some fresh thinking on the symbol of primeval nature or "Eden." Traditionally we have located the Garden of Eden as a special spot on this planet, somewhere right in the midst of where Desert Storm took place. Yet if ever the verse "Your God is too small" were making its force felt in the church, it is today. We now know not only how vast a galaxy is (a galaxy is so big that a light ray takes 100,000 years to ...

530. Matthew 14:22-33

Matthew 14:22-33

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... role. In Matthew's version, Jesus first actively dismisses the disciples and then the gathered crowd itself. Not only do these actions clearly reassert Jesus' leadership position before the gathering, it also allows Jesus time to finish what he has come to this "deserted place" for in the first place some time alone in prayer. After sending the disciples back off across the water in a boat and then back to the surrounding villages by land, Jesus ascends a mountain for a period of private prayer. Matthew ...

531. John 20:19-31 [Genesis 2:5-24]

John 20:19-31 [Genesis 2:5-24]

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

532. Acts 8:26-40

Acts 8:26-40

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... personage not only tells him where he should head Gaza but exactly which route he should follow to reach it the "desert road." Clearly the encounter between Philip and the traveling eunuch was not simply fortuitous, but was divinely orchestrated. There could hardly ... perceived as "Good News" by the Ethiopian. Amid the magic of the moment, they now suddenly come upon "some water" on this desert road. In his enthusiasm, the eunuch asks, "What is to prevent me from being baptized?"(v.36). Scholars have noted the ...

533. Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... done and taught." The mission they had carried out was none other than Jesus' own. Jesus' response to his apostles' return is also unique to this moment in Mark. Jesus calls for his disciples to take a rest by going with him to "a deserted place." Unlike Jesus' individual retreats for prayer (cf.1:35; 6:45-46), this appears to be a more physically prompted call for rest. Many exegetes note that by showing this concern for his disciples' physical welfare, and by specifically mentioning the fact that "they ...

534. John 6:56-69

John 6:56-69

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... by the synagogue establishment and by a large number of so-called disciples. What began as a chapter focused on a quest for faith (6:1-36) concludes with a scene of ultimate rejection (6:66). The profoundly personal and painful nature of this desertion is suggested by the change in location and audience cited between verses 59-60. Whereas the debate about Jesus' imagery of bread and blood took place among the Jews "in the synagogue in Capernaum" (vv.41-59), the scene in verse 60 focuses on Jesus' own ...

535. John 21:1-19

John 21:1-19

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... , son of John" (v.15). Then he asks Peter if he loves him "more than these," a reference to the other disciples gathered around the fire, and an implicit reminder of Peter's boasting only days earlier: "Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert you" (Matthew 26:33). Some scholars suggest, however, that Jesus' reference is not to the disciples but rather to the boats and nets nearby, representative of his former profession which he has now, apparently, resumed. Jesus poses his question ...

536. Mark 1:1-8

Mark 1:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... that cries in the wilderness, who proclaims the repentance message, and John personally baptizes all who come to him. The Jordan River was not just a handy source of water for these baptisms. Though a true wilderness, this area was not a lifeless desert. The presence of the Jordan provided water for life and made it possible for the people to stay and listen to John's words. With the swiftly running, cleansing waters of the Jordan in the wilderness, both purging and purification were possible. Scholars ...

537. Tested, for God’s Sake

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Mike Ripski

... First Sunday in Lent story, it is not God who tempts or tests Jesus, it is the devil. The Holy Spirit leads Jesus into the desert wilderness in order to be tempted, tested. Because the by-product of a test is that we learn who we are and who we aren ... I’m going to do when I graduate. I tell them I’m going to be a doctor. That pleases them and they stop asking.” In the desert wilderness, Jesus is alone. He fasts. He wants the hunger of his body to join the hunger of his soul for God and God’s Will for ...

538. Thin Spaces

Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon

Mike Ripski

... it awe or reverence. I wonder if we these words have much meaning for us today. How many of us have had an experience that the biblical witnesses call holy fear? II. Holy Fear Once upon a time there was a man who lived in the middle of a desert. Really, he didn’t live there. He was a prisoner there. For you see, somehow in times past the man had acquired the habit of following his shadow, and only his shadow. He followed his shadow without question. Every morning when the sun came up he began walking in ...

539. We Become His Son

John 3:14-21

Illustration

King Duncan

... dwellers." These people live much as the characters of the Old Testament did. During a heated argument, according to this story, a young Bedouin struck and killed a friend of his. Knowing the ancient, inflexible customs of his people, the young man fled, running across the desert under the cover of darkness, seeking safety. He went to the black tent of the tribal chief in order to seek his protection. The old chief took the young Arab in. The chief assured him that he would be safe until the matter could be ...

540. Proper 16

John 6:25-59, 1 Kings 8:22-61, Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... if they saw him ascend to heaven? (v. 62) Jesus goes on to explain that his words of eating his flesh were not to be taken in a materialistic way "flesh is of no avail." (v. 63) His words give spirit and life. In spite of this explanation, many desert Jesus and as they leave, Jesus asks the 12 if they also wish to leave. Peter answers in a confession similar to that at Caesarea Philippi "You have the words of eternal life ... you are the holy one of God." THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS Gospel: John 6:56-69 1. Many ...

541. The Wilderness

Mark 6:30-44

Illustration

Mickey Anders

I have always been fascinated by the amount of ink the Bible gives to wildernesses and deserts. Have you noticed that? Hagar, Moses and Elijah go to the wilderness and find God. Moses was walking in the wilderness when he came upon a bush that was burning but not consumed. The ... crowds followed him there. When Jesus was tempted, he had gone into the wilderness for 40 days. And here we find Jesus and the disciples feeding the 5,000 in the wilderness. This "desert place" theme is a prominent one in the Bible.

542. Can The Church Count On Me?

1 Chronicles 29:3

Sermon

James Merritt

... Nehemiah 10:39 that says, "We will not neglect the house of our God." (Nehemiah 10:39, NASB) The word neglect in the Hebrew language literally means "to let go" or "to let loose." It is a word that describes how someone would desert his wife for another woman. It literally means to "forsake" or to "desert." It is obvious that one way you can forsake your church is simply don't show up or come spasmodically, or come only when you are in the mood or come only when it is convenient. I will deal with this more ...

543. Here Today Gone Tomorrow

Genesis 5:21-24, Hebrews 11:5

Sermon

James Merritt

... , "and he died." The last words of verse 5 read, "and he died." Verse 8 says, "and he died." Verse 11 says, "and he died." Verse 14 says, "and he died." Verse 17 says, "and he died." Verse 20 says, "and he died." Yet right in the middle of this desert of death stands a lily of life, a little flower, called Enoch. Interestingly very little is said about Enoch. In fact, more is said about Enoch in the New Testament than we find in the Old. There are fifty-one words in the Old Testament about Enoch, but ninety ...

544. When I Am Tempted

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... of time and he had inflicted, at least one, defeat on every opponent he had ever faced. Then, in the other corner was Jesus Christ. Without question, he probably would have been the underdog. He had nothing to eat for forty days. He had been out in the hot desert with no food, no water and He was battling Satan and all the forces of hell totally alone. Satan throws three of his best punches against Jesus Christ and if either one of the them had landed, there would be no hope for you and no hope for me ...

545. Jesus, The One And Only

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me." (Jn. 15:26) I believe Jesus should be the favorite subject of the man of God. When Philip sat down with the Ethiopian eunuch in the desert, the Bible says, "Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him." (Acts 8:35) I want you to be able to look back and when anyone says to you, "What did James Merritt preach to you on his last Sunday?" I want you ...

546. The Maybe Moment

2 Samuel 11:1-15

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... by a light breath." Christian experience, however, reveals that any maybe moment is the right time to pray. In the fourth and fifth centuries, there were some Christians who moved out into the Egyptian desert to live in monk-like solitude as a form of martyrdom and devotion to God. There is a story from one of those desert fathers that tells something about praying during the maybe moment. According to the story, an old man was living in a temple when some demons came and told him to leave, claiming the ...

547. A Pair of Ducks and Abundant Life

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

King Duncan

... to see this morning. A medical doctor, W. Beran Wolfe, once wrote, “If you observe a really happy [person] you will find him building a boat, writing a symphony, educating his [children], growing double dahlias in his garden, or looking for dinosaur eggs in the Gobi Desert . . . To find happiness we must seek for it in a focus outside ourselves.” It is the person who has a purpose for living, it is the person who is giving of himself or herself, who is the happiest. Anything that you save, you will lose ...

548. Standing Tall in the Lord

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... to work against him, but each time Athanasius returned from exile he was that much more determined to defend the true faith. During his exiles he wrote many important treatises, including The Life of Antony, a biography of Antony of the Desert, one of the first desert monks and a precursor to monastic life. Through tenacity, perseverance, and the fact that he was able to outlive almost all his opponents, Athanasius, in the end, was able to prevail. He died in 373, living his last seven years in relative ...

549. Be Reconciled — To Christ and Others

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... do 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 ... . Too many times people live in the past; they have never learned to forgive themselves. Reconciliation is very much a desert experience. We may enter the process with some significant reservations. But let us remember that Paul did the same thing ...

550. New Creations in Christ

Revelation 21:1-6

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... things differently. Where before I saw only darkness, I now saw stars and fireflies. When before I felt only pain, I now discovered a new door to joy. While before I could see nothing worthwhile, now I found much at which to marvel. Where before I lived in a desert of doubt and despair, now I found a fountain of faith, and where in the past I was irritated at people, now I saw something wonderful in them, something that reminded me of the stranger and I rejoiced." The old man left trying not to think of the ...

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