Total Sermons: 34
The Final Word
The end of a book is very important. Sometimes I will read the conclusion before I read anything else just to see what the author is truly concerned about.
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He Will Be Their Peace
The prophet Micah makes an amazing prediction: But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, our of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient time (Micah 5:2).
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God Loves the Lost
Jonah is the most reluctant prophet of all--even more reluctant than Moses! When God calls Jonah, he does not hesitate or cogitate. He immediately takes off in the opposite direction. Why is Jonah so ready to run from God?
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Let Justice Roll Down
Prophets are people who predict the future. At least, that is what many people think. But prophets do more than forecast events. All of the prophets were engaged in their world, speaking to God's people, and wrestling with the issues that grieved the heart of God.
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The Unfaithful Wife
Hosea the prophet is instructed by God to marry a promiscuous woman. Hosea loves Gomer, and they have a family together. Their relationship is difficult, and she deserts him and their boys. The heartbreak of Hosea illustrates the heartbreak of God.
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The Fiery Furnace
God's people are continually being tested in regard to their faith. The prophet Daniel records in narrative form a series of such tests. One of them has to do with King Nebuchadnezzar and a golden image of himself that he sets up for all people in Babylon to worship. Three Hebrew men refuse to bow down to this silly idol. The punishment is death in a fiery furnace. The king offers them a second chance, but they tell him to go jump in the lake. "We will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
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Orthopedic Opportunities
"Can these bones live?" the prophet was asked. He was surveying a valley full of the sun-bleached remnants of a defeated army. "O Sovereign Lord, you alone know," replied Ezekiel. The dried bones were a picture of the defeated, uprooted, and exiled people of God. When the exiles were taken to Babylon, many of them wanted to hope for a swift return to Jerusalem and an immediate restoration of their former way of life. That was not to happen, and Ezekiel told them so. He told them that Jerusalem would fall and that they should find their peace with God in their new country of residence.
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The Plans I Have for You
Jeremiah has been called the "weeping prophet." He was a sensitive soul who had a very difficult job--telling the truth in a time of terrible heartache. God called Jeremiah and gave him his message of doom for Judah and Jerusalem. Jeremiah knew that he would be opposed from the very first, that his message would be unpopular and his critics would be fierce
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Here Am I, Send Me
The Prophet Isaiah is all about sending and being sent. God does the sending and we are the ones being sent. Our lives are defined by our response to God's call and our obedience to the mission he has for us. Isaiah himself experienced a very dramatic moment when things became crystal clear for him. He saw the Lord, and he heard the Lord asking, "Whom shall I send?"
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Reframing Love: The Roses Will Bloom Again
The Song of Solomon is a song of intimacy and passion. While this song is about a relationship between a man and woman, there is a parallel of the love and passion that God has for us. God pursues us. Because of the abuse and sinful ways the world has twisted love; we shy away from the open discussion of passion. For intimacy and passion to flourish between human beings and God, or from person to person, there is a need for some ground rules.
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