Category: sermons
The Challenge of Being Prepared
Note from sound team: Part of this week’s recording was interrupted during scripture reading, please refer to Mark 13 for the missing material.
Note from Pastor John: I want to correct one statement I made in this sermon that I later found was incorrect historically. I stated that the first “abomination that causes desolation” in Daniel 9:27, 11:31, and 12:11 referred to a time when a Roman emperor erected an altar to himself in the temple of Jerusalem, which happened before the first Temple was destroyed.
There were two errors in this statement:
- The altar was to the pagan god Zeus, not himself.
- This happened in 168 B.C., which is long after the first Temple was destroyed. Thus, this happened in the second Temple (the one Herod expanded and remodeled for the Jews during Jesus’ time), and no destruction followed this. However, it was still considered an “abomination,” which Jesus’ hearers would have known about from their own history.
Hope this helps!
The Challenge of Influence
As we are trying out different recording methods, the recording this week is lower in quality than usual. Our apologies for the inconvenience.
The Challenge of Greatness
The Challenge of Suffering
The Challenge of Caring
The Challenge of Hope
The Challenge of Listening
The Challenge of Change
Helping Your Friends and Family Find God
HELPING YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY FIND GOD
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 1 Peter 3:15-16
THE LIE:Â That it’s all up to _____
Why? Because God loves your friends and family
___________________________________
The first church: And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:47
[God] has planted eternity in the human heart… Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NLT)
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns! Isaiah 52:7 (NLT)
Jesus said to his followers, “There are many people to harvest but only a few workers to help harvest them. Pray to the Lord, who owns the harvest, that he will send more workers to gather his harvest.” Matthew 9:37-38 (NCV)
Who are the two people you most want to ___________________?
1.
2.
1. Prepare your ____________
“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.”
2. Prepare your ____________
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”
Internal stages of answering tough questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.     Â
“Good people think before they answer.” Proverbs 15:28a (NCV)
Resources:
* Give Me an Answer by Cliffe Knechtle
* Edgewater’s “Hot Potatoes” teaching series from Summer 2008
3. Prepare your ____________
“But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”