2006
The Divine Potter & His Clay – 12/31/06
This morning I would like to elaborate on some of the truths I emphasized last Sunday in my Christmas Eve message. They are found in what is perhaps the most ignored chapter in the entire Bible. The facts contained in that chapter are despised by every non-Christian who is aware of them. Christians who have difficulty accepting all of the Bible as being the divinely inspired Word of God are repulsed by what Paul has written and so they will not accept certain passages as truths.
Joy to the World! The Lord Has Come – 12/24/06
Although he only caught a quick glimpse and hadn’t seen her since that beautiful sun drenched autumn afternoon, he couldn’t get the young woman out of his mind. In his entire eighty two years of living on this planet, nobody had even come close to making such an intense positive impression on the old widower. And no one, including the man himself, would ever have imagined he would be having such astonishing feelings for a total stranger.
Is She or Isn’t She? – 12/10/06
While working on this morning’s message I was reminded of a TV commercial that was very well known a while ago. The manufacturer must have spent millions of dollars promoting their new product. In addition to being touted on the television and radio and in the print media; the stuff they were trying to sell to America’s women was plastered all over the place. Pictures of beautiful women smiled at us from roadside billboards and posters in drug stores as well as in subway cars and on busses.
Now Ask Yourself This Question – 12/3/06
For quite some time there hasn’t been a day go by that I wasn’t often aware of how blessed I am to live in America. When I think of my grandchildren and compare their quality of life with that of children in places such as Darfur, Palestine, Israel, Iraq and other areas, I immediately silently thank the One through whom all my many blessings flow. This morning I would like to look closely at the problem and end my message by asking each of you one simple question.
An Eternal Thanksgiving – 11/18/06
I can’t help chuckling whenever I think about a question and comment one of my daughters recently entered in my web page guest book concerning my last sermon. I really appreciated it because hers was the first of several internet feedbacks I received concerning that particular one. You may recall it was the one in which I suggested some college professors are intellectual schizophrenic’s.
Fight to Win! – 11/12/06
I don’t have a clue who the woman was, but apart from my wife, she was the only other person at the event that I’m still able to remember. Aside from that woman communicating just “three short words” I can’t recall anything else spoken that morning, even by the annual well known key note speaker, whoever it may have been. Today, a good twenty five years later, memories of the respect I had for that young woman still keep popping into my mind.
That All Important First Question – 11/5/06
It has often been suggested that the first thing we always should do whenever we start to read the Bible is to ask ourselves the question: “what is God saying to me?” In other words, what truth is contained in these particular bible verses I’m about to read that God wants me to understand and apply to my life? Although this may sound like a good idea, don’t believe it. The devil himself couldn’t give us a worse iron-clad rule as to how to study the Bible.
The End of Christian Bystanders – 10/22/06
The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that some of the greatest sins that have been, and still are occurring in our world, are those committed by Christian bystanders. These are the folks, who, although they knew or suspected evil was occurring, remained silent. They sat on the sidelines, and did nothing.
Knowing and Doing – 10/8/06
don’t know about you folks, but I wasn’t all that surprised to learn about the latest sex abuse scandal on Capital Hill involving a homosexual congressman hitting on young male pages. Knowing that there are such people in the Congress no Christian sitting on either side of the political isle who holds to the belief that the Scriptures are the divinely inspired Word of God should have been taken by surprise when another variation of the same sexual prevision comes to light.
What’s Your Heart’s Desire? – 10/1/06
While working on this mornings message I was reminded of something a priest friend shared a long time ago with a group of men and myself concerning the introduction of a new practice into the Catholic Mass. Today, at a particular point in the Mass, it’s traditional for Catholics to reach out and extend their right hand to shake with those folks standing closest to them and offer each other what they refer to as “passing the peace.”
Do We Really Need a Plan? – 9/10/06
I want to preface my remarks this morning by saying that in case some of you folks weren’t able to find the time to read and meditate on the first ten verses of the fourth chapter of James and try come up with a plan on how to resist the devil as I had suggested last week, it’s probably a good idea to consider if we even need such a plan in the first place. That’s what I would like us to consider this morning.
A Plan For Biblical Resistance – 9/3/06
I would like to preface my remarks this morning by refreshing your memory about the greatest menace facing every human being on our planet. Unfortunately, it isn’t as obvious as global terrorism or some kind of lethal virus or a biological weapon of mass destruction. Nevertheless, it’s a threat that eclipses all others combined; a peril which can have eternal consequences. I’m referring to a truth the Apostle Paul warned the Ephesians Christians about more than two thousand years ago.
An Upside-Down Kingdom – 8/20/06
This past May I preached a message in which I spoke about a very opinionated man who wanted to be a pastor more than anything in the world. He and his wife had become disenchanted with the local churches and were close to writing them all off. Nevertheless, a few years previously he had sensed that God was calling him into the Christian ministry.
Coping With Feeling Miserable – 8/13/06
he reality of one of the points I made in last weeks message was driven home to me a few days later. Last Tuesday was one of the most enjoyable days of my life. The combination of visiting with part of our family from Alaska in the morning and then being able to sit in my yard and quietly relax and study was an experience I enjoyed immensely. In fact, I fell asleep that night feeling very happy and couldn’t help thanking God as I had been doing on and off the entire day.
His Truth is Marching On – 8/6/06
Make no mistake about it; as soon as a person experiences the new birth and becomes a Christian he or she also becomes a special target of Satan. It as though the devil has locked onto that new follower of the Lord as a missile is programmed to lock onto a specific target. We should constantly remind ourselves of the reality of what we are up against as the Apostle Paul did with the first Christians.
Getting Yourself Out of the Dumps – 7/30/06
Some folks believe it’s a sure sign a person is either mentally ill or on something if they talk to themselves. I can’t say I believe them but that’s their business. Other people see nothing wrong with it. In fact, they readily admit to speaking to themselves often. These folks claim it’s therapeutic. It helps them to get troubling things off their chest and to organize and sort other things out.
Vanquishing the Spirit of Fear – 7/16/06
We live in an country which is plagued by religious hucksters. Guys like Benny Hinn and Hal Lindsey have made tons of money exploiting, not only the naive, but also some of the most timid of God’s children. Christians who have been environmentally influenced, or those which are genetically predisposed towards being fearful, have often suffered great anxiety because they or a loved one has bought into the teachings of these men.
The Cry of the Watchman – 6/26/06
When I look outside at our parking lot and around our sanctuary this morning, it’s obvious we have room for more cars and people. Especially lots more people. Some churches in our area are packed. They have several worship services. Others are making major renovations and expanding their facilities to fit the worshipers in. Some churches are thriving while others seem to be floundering and just spinning their wheels.
The Cannibals in Our Midst – 6/11/06
The availability of health care for all Americans promises to be a hot issue in the upcoming state and national elections. Millions of people have no health insurance coverage because they can’t afford to purchase it. Driven by the polls and with an acute awareness of the concerns of their constituents, politicians are promising to fight to make sure no one in our country goes without adequate health care and they ought to.
A Father’s Day Promise – 6/11/06
Last Thursday morning as I was driving over to visit with John Hong, I did so with a heavy heart. My sister Margaret had gone home to be with the Lord several days previously. My thoughts and prayers were focused on her children and other loved ones who would be attending the wake that afternoon and evening and her funeral the following morning.
Breaking the Shackles of Loneliness – 6/4/06
There are many lonely people in our world and I can’t help feeling sorry for the ones the Lord has caused to cross paths with me. These folks are missing out on so much of the enjoyment of life because of their loneliness and I’m particularly saddened if the person is a Christian.
The Danger of Alter Calls – 5/28/06
Several years ago a young woman named Ashley accepted a coworker’s invitation to attend a worship service at the woman’s church. The contrast between the liberal church she was forced to attend until she turned eighteen and her friend’s church was as different as night and day. For instance, this preacher also told about God’s angry side which was something Ashley had never heard of before.
An Idiot’s Guide to Treating God with Contempt – 5/21/06
Several years ago I found myself in a nice home visiting a middle aged Christian couple. I soon discovered that they had been growing increasingly disenchanted with the contemporary evangelical and fundamental churches in the Burlington area. So much so, that they were seriously considering writing every one of them off.
Unlocking Secret Knowledge – 4/30/06
Last week we looked at Satan’s response to the devastating blow inflicted upon him by Christ’s resurrection. As a result he stepped up his assault on the early Christians. Satan fanned the spirits of hatred which had already successfully imbedded themselves into the hearts and minds of the Jewish religious leaders (Eph. 2:2). So much so, that, through these men, He unleashed a hellhole of persecution upon Christ’s Church.
What Would Satan Do? – 4/23/06
In my message of a few weeks ago I related an account of a fictitious young family. They had been traveling southbound on the interstate headed towards their favorite campground on the Main coast. Along the way their car got a flat tire and so they pulled over onto the shoulder. While the father struggled to get the tire off the rim, the mother and their three frightened little children took everything in.
The Gift of Listening – 4/2/06
Imagine this scenario. It’s a beautiful summer day and a dozen friends are sitting in the shade of a big sugar maple. They were about to start their weekly bible study. All eyes were on the teenage boy who was attending for the first time. The kid’s reputation of being a know it all wise guy had preceded him.
Belched Out of the Bowels of Hell – 3/12/06
I think we would all probably agree that there have been occasions when we were engaged in a conversation and we acted contrary to the way we usually do. For instance, instead of speaking out about something that we disagree with and expressing our own view as we normally would, sometimes we said nothing.
Following God Fully – 3/5/06
Christians making their way through this dark sin infested world must always be vigilant. If we don’t follow God fully we are very apt to fall into a satanic snare and have a hard time getting out of it. Not only do we dishonor God when we get ourselves into one of these things but we also miss out on receiving wonderful blessings which He has planned and made possible for us to obtain if we follow Him fully.
Those Puzzling Blessings – 2/19/06
Throughout our lifetime we’ve received so many blessings that it’s impossible to count all of them as the well known song suggests. We just can’t remember every one of them, can we? Perhaps when we enter into eternity we will have access our minds hard drive, so to speak and then be able to count and name all of them.
Heaven’s Clock – 2/12/06
This morning I would like to pick up where I left off last week. You may recall how I had said that the Lord made Joseph wait thirteen long years before finally letting him out of prison and then making him the number two man in ancient Egypt. He also made David wait a long painful time before He allowed him to occupy the kings’ throne.
Experiencing the Love of God’s “Not Yet” – 2/5/06
Regardless of your age I know that if I were to ask you how many prayers you have prayed in your lifetime you wouldn’t have a clue anymore than you know how many stars are in the sky. Probably the best you could come up with is that there’s a lot.
It Isn’t Over Until It’s Over – 1/22/06
Have you ever bumped into a former Christian coworker or neighbor that you hadn’t seen in a long time and were shocked to learn that he or she doesn’t attend church anymore? Now I don’t mean the kind of professed Christian who assures you that they haven’t given up on God, such as the ones that tell you that they still pray and read their Bible.
Love’s Perfect Delays – 1/15/06
Last Friday as I was working on this morning’s message, my thoughts were interrupted by Ray, the man who takes care of our church’s bookkeeping. The conversation reminded me of the reality of one of the points I stressed in my New Year’s message. Every circumstance, both the good and the bad that our loving Father has planned for us to experience this year will be unique.
Do You Love Me? – 1/8/06
As usual, all last week I had been thinking and praying about what message the Lord wanted me to bring to you folks this morning. As usual, all last week, our Sovereign Lord allowed me to experience severe demonic opposition which came in the form of troubling thoughts and distracting circumstances designed to thwart the crafting of my sermon.
You Have Not Passed This Way Before – 1/1/06
As we enter into this New Year, I’m reminded of something that was said during an event that occurred thousands of years ago. After Moses had died, God commissioned his assistant Joshua to take Moses’ place and lead the Jews into the Promised Land.
