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Showing 1126 to 1150 of 1409 results

1126. Prison Theology: Bait and Bail

Philippians 1:12-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In a world more inclined to take up the sword than take up the cross, let’s begin today with a recognition of the power of the cross, the most recognizable symbol of Christianity. When you think of Islam you think of a crescent, even though technically Islam does not have a symbol – the crescent is the symbol of Pakistan. But still, when you think of Islam, you think crescent. When you think of Judaism, you think star of David. When you think of Christianity, you think . . . cross. The Logos has a logo ...

1127. An Announcement from Our Lord

Isaiah 61:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

It is always interesting to read what children write. Sometimes they are completely candid. This candor shows in a list someone has made of children’s letters to Santa: “Dear Santa, “Could you come early this year? I’ve been really super good, but I don’t know if I can last much longer. Please hurry. Love, Jordan.” Now there’s an honest young man. “Dear Santa, “Mommy says that you only bring presents for good little boys. That isn’t fair. (Signed) Brian.” Sounds like Brian has already failed the test for ...

1128. Building a New Team

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

When Vince Lombardi was hired as head coach of the Green Bay Packers in 1958, the team was in dismal shape. A single win in season play the year before had socked the club solidly into the basement of the NFL, and sportscasters everywhere used it as the butt of loser jokes. But Lombardi picked and pulled and prodded and trained and disciplined the players into becoming a winning team. They were NFL champions in three consecutive seasons, and took the game honors for the first two Super Bowls. Lombardi was ...

1129. Getting to a Teachable Moment

Mark 15:1-15

Sermon

Craig MacCreary

I spent part of a recent Sunday talking with a public school teacher who was quickly coming to the end of her rope. Talented, dedicated, one of the good people, she found herself with the class from hell and her life coming apart at the seams. We were well beyond being a non-anxious, fully individuated, differentiated presence. In short, we were at critical mess rather than critical mass. I have taught enough confirmation classes and have had experiences in the classroom in other forums to identify with ...

1130. Je Suis Jesus

1 Corinthians 7:1-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Thirty years ago, the big hit movie, the “it” teen adventure film, was called “Back To The Future” (1985). It starred Michael J. Fox and in that now classic film, time travel was made possible by a machine called the “flux capacitor.” This machine was “hot-wired” to the hottest car of that age, a “DeLorian.” Does anyone remember the year that far-distant, fantastic-future-time-traveling teen hero lands in? 2015. Today. Looking back at the vision which that 1985 movie projected, it is hard not to feel ...

1131. The Story Worth Living

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Who doesn’t love the “Indiana Jones” series of movies? Harrison Ford was in an airplane crash last week, and it was the head-liner for all the prime time media. Ford is a good actor and seems to be a decent guy. But mostly he and his “Indiana Jones” screen persona seem to hit the “hero” jackpot. Ford’s crash landing, and his amazing survival, made for media gold. Ford made an emergency landing of his vintage airplane on a golf course, managing not to hurt anyone else or damage any homes or property. And he ...

1132. Everything Must Go: “Abandon Ship!”

1 Chronicles 29:1-9

Sermon

James Merritt

In America, it is called a dollar. In England, it is called a pound. In Europe, it is called a euro. In Israel, it is called a shekel. In China, it is called a yen. Different countries call it different things, but we all know it is money. It is everywhere. Money has been around forever. Interestingly, we didn’t start using paper money until the mid-1600’s, before that it was gold, silver, and bronze. Before that it was a unit of weight like barley or bread. By itself money really is nothing. It is just ...

1133. Determining Your Destiny

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

James Merritt

A well-to-do man and his family of five lived in a plush, gated neighborhood in a wealthy urban community. He was a righteous man, by all accounts. A volunteer worker in the student, faithful to his wife, never missed one of his son’s baseball games. “I’ve never met a better man than that one,” someone was overheard saying of him at church. “It’s amazing how the Lord has blessed him.” At night, when the man turned into his neighborhood, he would always catch a glimpse of a young lady on the far street ...

1134. Can One Become Two?

Matthew 19:1-12

Sermon

James Merritt

A couple in Sweetwater Texas had a lot of potted plants, and while watching TV the weatherman predicted a cold front coming through. The husband suggests that they bring in the potted plants. The wife goes outside to bring them indoors to protect them from freezing. It turned out that a little garden grass snake was hidden in one of the plants and after it got warm, it crawled out on the floor. The wife saw it just as it went under the couch and she begins screaming hysterically. Her husband who had gotten ...

1135. When You Reach the Rejection Hotline

Acts 4:1-22

Sermon

King Duncan

Is there anything harder on the ego than being rejected? I suspect that is one reason many married persons are happy they are no longer playing the dating game. It hurts too much when someone rejects you. “What’s wrong with me?” is the question we inevitably ask. Charles R. Boatman tells about a strange, new twist on this ancient ritual. He notes that traditionally, the male of our species makes the first approach in the dating game. Men have developed all sorts of pick-up lines to interest the women they ...

1136. A Few Remaining Tremors

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

James Merritt

I will call him “Ray.” I met Ray back when I was a student pastor, in another church, here in Atlanta. He and his wife kind of took me in and we became the best of friends. As a matter of fact, he was instrumental in helping me and Teresa finally get together. I never dreamed I would tell you this story about Ray. It had been almost 25 years since I had seen or heard from Ray and out of the blue he called me when we were moving into the home where we now live and graciously offered to purchase the light ...

1137. Shockproof

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

James Merritt

Dawn Smith Jordan was selected Miss South Carolina in 1986 and was the second runner up to Miss America that year. An event took place the year before that caused an emotional and spiritual earthquake in her life that shook her to the very core of her being. On May 31, 1985, her 17-year-old sister, Sherrie, was kidnapped while walking from her car to the mailbox. She was just two days from her high school graduation. They didn’t hear anything for a few days and then they received a letter in the mail from ...

1138. Wanna Fight?

Mark 9:38-41

Sermon

King Duncan

“Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us . . .” What a message this is for our society: “whoever is not against us is for us . . .” That’s not the current theme in our society, is it? It’s us against them . . . Democrats against Republicans . . . Illegal ...

1139. A Cry in the Dark

Luke 21:25-36

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

"Screw your courage to the sticking-place," says Lady Macbeth to her doomed husband in Shakespeare's tragedy, "and we'll not fail." But fail they do and no amount of courage in the world can save them or turn them into heroes. Courage is a funny thing. It's a bit like happiness: the more you seek it, the more you demand it, the more you try to call it up, the less it shows its face. Words can stir us to courage but only when they are grounded in confident expectation and hitched to unshakable values or ...

1140. Deliverance from Carnality

Illustration

Michael P. Green

The story is told of Handley Page, a pioneer in aviation, who once landed in an isolated area during his travels. Unknown to him, a rat got aboard the plane there. On the next leg of the flight, Page heard the sickening sound of gnawing. Suspecting it was a rodent, his heart began to pound as he visualized the serious damage that could be done to the fragile mechanisms that controlled his plane and the difficulty of repairs because of the lack of skilled labor and materials in the area. What could he do? ...

1141. First, Get Their Attention

Illustration

Michael P. Green

There is a story about a man who wanted to train his mule. The first thing he did was to pick up a big stick and hit the mule a resounding wallop between the ears. As the mule staggered about, someone said to the owner, “What is the matter? Why did you do that?” And the man said, “In order to teach a mule, you must first get his attention.” That may not be true of mules, but there is a good deal of truth in it when dealing with humans. For any communication to be effective, interest must first be awakened ...

1142. Consuming One Another

Gal 5:14-15

Illustration

Michael P. Green

A zookeeper tossed a hot dog into a snake pen. Two snakes immediately began to devour the stick of meat, one on either end. When the two met at the middle, the snake with the larger mouth kept on going and consumed the other! We are reminded in this passage that people are often like these snakes, consuming one another with unkind words when they disagree on an issue.

1143. A Hot Foot Washing

John 13:1-17

Illustration

Michael P. Green

When you go to another to wash his feet, or when another comes to wash your feet, be concerned as to the temperature of the water! Some come with boiling hot water. They are so angry, so upset, so distracted by something that has happened in the past—and so mad about it—that they come to the other person and say, “Here, stick your feet in here!” Nobody wants to have his feet washed with boiling water. Some go to the other extreme and come with ice water. They are so righteous, so holier-than-thou, so above ...

1144. Porcupine Marriage

Humor Illustration

Michael P. Green

Someone has likened adjustment to marriage to two porcupines who lived in Alaska. When the deep and heavy snows came, they felt the cold and began to draw close together. However, when they drew close they began to stick one another with their quills. But when they drew apart they felt the cold once again. To keep warm they had to learn how to adjust to one another—very carefully.

1145. God's Nail

Illustration

Michael P. Green

The story is told of a carpenter who was nailing shingles on the roof of a house. He lost his footing and started to slide off. As he was sliding he began praying, “Lord, oh, Lord, help me!” Still he kept sliding. Again the man prayed, “Lord, oh, Lord, help me!” He kept sliding until he got to the edge and a nail sticking up caught hold of his pants. After he came to a stop he said, “Never mind, Lord. The nail’s got hold of me now.”

1146. I'm 8' 4"

Illustration

Michael P. Green

We all frequently compare ourselves favorably with someone else. We all think of someone we consider to be less mature, less competent, or less able than we are. That person is a great comfort to us because he or she enables us to keep our self-image intact by saying, “Well, at least I’m not like so-and-so.” The only problem with determining our self-worth by comparing ourselves with others is that we are using the wrong measuring stick. A little boy came up to his mother one day and said to her, “Mother, ...

1147. Getting A Mule's Attention

Illustration

Michael P. Green

There is a story about a man who wanted to train his mule. The first thing he did was to pick up a big stick and hit the mule a resounding wallop between the ears. As the mule staggered about, someone said to him, “What is the matter? Why did you do that?” The man said, “To teach a mule, you must first get his attention.” That observation may or may not be true of mules, but there is a good deal of truth in it when applied to humans. Interest must be awakened before learning can occur.

1148. Herod’s Death

Acts 12:19b-25

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

Verses 19b to 23 are a kind of footnote to the previous section, adding nothing to the main thrust of the narrative, but giving a point of reference to secular history (cf. Luke 3:1f.). They do, however, contain the salutary warning that God is on the throne to judge as well as to save. The section ends with a note on the progress of the gospel and the return of Barnabas and Paul to Antioch. 12:19b–23 The death of Herod Agrippa I is recorded also by Josephus (Antiquities 19.343–352). The two accounts are ...

1149. Paul’s Vision of the Man of Macedonia

Acts 16:6-10

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

Nothing is said of any plans Paul might have had for what they would do once they had seen how the Galatians were getting on (though we might guess that he had set his sights on Ephesus, the capital of the province of Asia; cf. v. 6). Instead, the emphasis is entirely on the divine guidance that took them to Macedonia. The story is told with a minimum of detail, which only heightens the impression that they were carried along, as it were, by the irresistible wind of the Spirit, much as Paul and Barnabas ...

1150. In Corinth

Acts 18:1-17

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

Corinth was the most important city to which Paul had come since leaving Syrian Antioch, and he stayed there longer than in any other city (as far as we know). Luke tells us of the establishment of the church in Corinth, but nothing of its life. For this we must turn to Paul’s letters. So little does Luke say of this church that he has opened himself to the charge of being less interested in Corinth than in Macedonia and Ephesus (Rackham, p. 322). There may be something in this, but the reason lies more in ...

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Showing 1126 to 1150 of 1409 results

1126. Prison Theology: Bait and Bail

Philippians 1:12-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

1127. An Announcement from Our Lord

Isaiah 61:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

1128. Building a New Team

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

1129. Getting to a Teachable Moment

Mark 15:1-15

Sermon

Craig MacCreary

1130. Je Suis Jesus

1 Corinthians 7:1-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

1131. The Story Worth Living

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

1132. Everything Must Go: “Abandon Ship!”

1 Chronicles 29:1-9

Sermon

James Merritt

1133. Determining Your Destiny

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

James Merritt

1134. Can One Become Two?

Matthew 19:1-12

Sermon

James Merritt

1135. When You Reach the Rejection Hotline

Acts 4:1-22

Sermon

King Duncan

1136. A Few Remaining Tremors

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

James Merritt

1137. Shockproof

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

James Merritt

1138. Wanna Fight?

Mark 9:38-41

Sermon

King Duncan

1139. A Cry in the Dark

Luke 21:25-36

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

1140. Deliverance from Carnality

Illustration

Michael P. Green

1141. First, Get Their Attention

Illustration

Michael P. Green

1142. Consuming One Another

Gal 5:14-15

Illustration

Michael P. Green

1143. A Hot Foot Washing

John 13:1-17

Illustration

Michael P. Green

1144. Porcupine Marriage

Humor Illustration

Michael P. Green

1145. God's Nail

Illustration

Michael P. Green

1146. I'm 8' 4"

Illustration

Michael P. Green

1147. Getting A Mule's Attention

Illustration

Michael P. Green

There is a story about a man who wanted to train his mule. The first thing he did was to pick up a big stick and hit the mule a resounding wallop between the ears. As the mule staggered about, someone said to him, “What is the matter? Why did you do that?” The man said, “To teach a mule, you must first get his attention.” That observation may or may not be true of mules, but there is a good deal of truth in it when applied to humans. Interest must be awakened before learning can occur.

1148. Herod’s Death

Acts 12:19b-25

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

1149. Paul’s Vision of the Man of Macedonia

Acts 16:6-10

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

1150. In Corinth

Acts 18:1-17

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

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