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The
SermonCentral.com Weekly Newsletter
—December 30, 2003
Theme: John 7: A Different Kind of Man
My
Prediction for 2004
Dear SermonCentral
Member,
‘Tis the season for predictions. If you browse the supermarket checkout
line, you may see several tabloids with these predictions for 2004:
- Christopher
Reeves will walk again. He will experiment with a new “mind over
matter” treatment in 2004.
- Jennifer
Anniston and Brad Pitt split before they have children in 2004.
- Demi Moore
and Ashton Kutchner are going to end it, and Demi and Bruce Willis will
get back together.
I don’t
know if these predictions will come true (though the Demi/Ashton breakup
is a pretty safe bet), but I would like to make a prediction of my own.
I predict that Mel Gibson’s new movie “The Passion
of The Christ” will spark a renewed and great interest in
Jesus.
As a result I have written two eight-page booklets to aid your church
in helping people learn more about Jesus. Both booklets tie into moments
in the movie, and they both have licensed images from the movie.
We want you to be able to put them into as many people’s hands as
possible. Therefore, we are not selling them for a profit. You can buy
100 of them for only $19.00! Click on a booklet to get more information
and to get them while they last.
 
Your Partner,
brian@sermoncentral.com
Forward
this e-mail to your minister friends so they can subscribe to the FREE
SermonCentral.com newsletter, too.
They just need to click on this link to sign up: www.sermoncentral.com.
In
This Issue
1.
Top 5 Sermons On John
7: A Different Kind of Man
2. The
Passion of The Christ
3. Top
5 Illustrations On John
7: A Different Kind of Man
1.
Top 5 Sermons On
John
7: A Different Kind of Man
Why Jesus Divides Us
by Mike Jeffress: John 7:43-43
John chapter seven tells us about Jesus going to Jerusalem to celebrate
the Jewish holiday festival known as the Feast of Booths, also called
the Feast of Ingatherings and Feast of Tabernacles. Together with Passover
and Pentecost, more
The Secret Agent Of Change
by Joel Smith: John 7:37-39
While visiting Grand Coulee Dam, my family and I were surprised to see
that the visitor’s center was dark. It was a sunny day, so we thought
the center might have tinted windows, but as we got closer we realized
there were no lights on. We went in more
Spewing Forth Living Water
by Neil Olcott: John 7:37-44
I once read in a 1989 Reader’s Digest the following; A 747 was halfway
across the Atlantic when the captain got on the loudspeaker: "Attention,
passengers. We have lost one of our engines, but we can certainly reach
London with the three we have more
Where There’s Rivers
by Derrick Strickland: John 7:37-39
It was the feast of tabernacles, a feast that represented God’s provisions
for his people in the wilderness wanderings and during this feast there
was a special ritual that I believe Jesus used to reveal how he was the
fulfillment of what they were more
Thirsty?
by Paul Decker: John 7:37-39
A man is crawling through the Sahara desert when he is approached by another
man riding on a camel. As the rider approaches, the crawling man whispers
through his parched lips, ”Water. . .please. . .can you give. . .water…”
more
2.
The Passion of The Christ
The Passion of The Christ Sermon Series - Free
We want to help you prepare for the release of The Passion of The Christ.
We put together a team of pastors and authors - who saw a private screening
of the movie - to write sermons inspired by The Passion. We have
two series for you to download:
Experiencing the Passion of Christ.
1. Experience Pure Love
2. Experience Complete Forgiveness
3. Experience Ultimate Wholeness
4. Experience Everlasting Life
The Passion: True or False?
1. Jesus is the Son of God – True or False?
2. Jesus is the Only Way to God – True or False?
3. Jesus Died for You – True or False?
4. Jesus is Alive – True or False?
Click
here to download these sermon series.
Passion
News – Rated R
Mel Gibson’s new movie “The Passion of The Christ”
will likely receive an R rating. Should Christians avoid seeing it because
it is rated R? This is up to each person's personal convictions, but it
should be an informed conviction.
The reason the movie is rated R is because of the graphic violence portrayed
in the scourging and crucifixion of Jesus. Gibson said, "I think
we have gotten too used to seeing pretty crosses on the wall, and we forget
what really happened. We know that Jesus suffered and died, but we don't
really think about what it all means. Hey, I didn't realize it either
when I was growing up. The full horror of what Jesus suffered for our
redemption didn't really strike me. But when you finally see it and understand
what He went through, it makes you feel not only compassion, but also
a debt. You want to repay him for the enormity of His sacrifice. You want
to love him in return."
In this case, R shouldn’t stand for “Restricted” –
it should stand for “Realistic.”
Passion Outreach Idea – Purchase a Block of Passion Tickets
Purchase a block of tickets for a showing of the movie at a local theater.
Make tickets available for sale to church members, equipping them to invite
others to the movie. Follow up with various opportunities to help attenders
process what they've experienced after watching the movie. For more information
on theater locations or how to purchase a block of tickets call
1-800-332-0965.
—————
Visit
Our Sponsors
Passion Outreach
Is Your Church Ready for Perhaps the Biggest Outreach Opportunity in the
last 2000 years? Visit www.ThePassionOutreach.com
for outreach tools, ideas and resources for "The Passion of The Christ"
movie!
—————
3. Top 5 Illustrations On John
7: A Different Kind of Man
BUT
I NEED WATER!
A man is crawling through the Sahara desert when he is approached by another
man riding on a camel. As the rider approaches, the crawling man whispers
through his parched lips, ”Water. . .please. . .can you give. . .water…”
“I’m sorry,” replies the man on the camel, “I don’t
have any water with me. But I’d be delighted to sell you a necktie.”
“Necktie?” whispers the man. “I need water!”
“They’re only four dollars a piece.”
“I need water.”
“Okay, okay, two for seven dollars.”
“Please! I need water!” the man exclaims.
“I don’t have any water, all I have are ties,” replies
the salesman, as he heads off into the distance.
By now the man has lost all track of time, crawling through the desert
seemingly for days. Finally, nearly dead, with clothes tattered and skin
peeling under the relentless sun, he comes to an oasis with a restaurant.
Summoning his last bit of strength he staggers to the door and confronts
the headwaiter.
“Water. . .can I get. . .water,” the dying man pleads.
“I’m sorry, sir. Neckties required.
”Have you ever really been thirsty?
When you are thirsty, there is not much else you can think about, like
appropriate clothing attire for fine dining.
When you are thirsty, you cannot get it out of your mind.
It is all you think about.
SOURCE: Paul Decker in “Thirsty?” on www.sermoncentral.com
A HUNGER THAT WON’T GO AWAY
“I somehow sensed that destiny was waiting…a hunger had been
birthed in my heart that just wouldn’t go away. The gnawing vacuum
of emptiness in the midst of my accomplishments just got worse. I was
in a frustrating funk, a divine depression of destiny…I just sensed
that something awaited us from God.”
SOURCE: The God Chasers: My Soul Follows Hard after Thee by Tommy Tenney.
Destiny Image Publishers, 1998. Chapter 1.
INDESCRIBABLE CHRIST
Dr. S.M. Lockridge was the Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, San Diego
CA from 1953 - 1993. He entered heaven in 2000. He is well-known for a
passage out of his sermon titled “He’s My King”:
“He’s enduringly strong, He’s entirely sincere, He’s
eternally steadfast. He’s immortally graceful. He’s imperially
powerful. He’s impartially merciful. He’s God’s Son. He’s
a sinner’s savior. He’s the centerpiece of civilization. He
stands alone in Himself. He’s unparalleled. He’s unprecedented.
He’s supreme. He’s preeminent. He’s the loftiest idea in
literature. He’s the highest idea in philosophy. He’s the fundamental
truth in theology. He’s the miracle of the age. He’s the only
one able to supply all of our needs simultaneously. He supplies strength
for the weak. He’s available for the tempted and the tried. He sympathizes
and He saves. He guards and He guides. He heals the sick, He cleans the
lepers. He forgives sinners, He discharges debtors, He delivers captives,
He defends the feeble, He blesses the young, He serves the unfortunate,
He regards the aged, He rewards the diligent, He beautifies the meek.
Do you know Him?
Well, my king is the king of knowledge, He’s the well-spring of wisdom,
He’s the doorway of deliverance, He’s the pathway of peace,
He’s the roadway of righteousness, He’s the highway of holiness
He’s the gateway of glory, He’s the master of the mighty, He’s
the captain of the conquerors, He’s the head of the heroes, He’s
the leader of the legislators, He’s the overseer of the overcomers,
He’s the governor of governors, He’s the prince of princes,
He’s the king of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
His life is matchless. His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting.
His love never changes. His word is enough. His grace is sufficient. His
reign is righteous. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Well. I
wish I could describe Him to you. But He’s indescribable. Yes. He’s
incomprehensible. He’s invincible, He’s irresistible. I’m
trying to tell you, the Heavens cannot contain Him, let alone a man explain
Him. You can’t get Him out of your mind. You can’t get Him off
of your hands. You can’t outlive Him, and you can’t live without
Him. Well. The Pharisees couldn’t stand Him, but they found out they
couldn’t stop Him. Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him. Herod
couldn’t kill Him. Death couldn’t handle Him and the grave couldn’t
hold Him. That’s my king!
He always has been, and He always will be. I’m talking about He [who]
had no predecessor and He [who] has no successor. There was nobody before
Him and there will be nobody after Him. You can’t impeach Him, and
He’s not going to resign. We try to get prestige and honor and glory
to ourselves, but the glory is all His. Thine is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever, and ever, and ever, and ever. How long is that?
And ever, and ever, and ever, and ever, and when you get through with
all of the forevers, then 'Amen'."
“Oh I wish I could describe him to you.”
Contributed by: SermonCentral PRO
Crystal-Clear Water
“Some time ago I saw a travelogue on television concerning a group
of explorers who were searching in Africa for a vanishing tribe. In the
course of their travels they came across some natives who for centuries
had made their home on the banks of this one particular river. This in
itself did not cause wonder, until they were showed the polluted stream.
It was filled with dirt and every contamination imaginable.
The natives had developed a method of swishing over the top of the water
to get the bigger chunks out before scooping it up to drink. One of the
explorers took his canteen and poured out a large cup of crystal-clear
water and handed it to one of the aged women of the tribe, whose face
was as wrinkled as a prune. She took the cup, pressed it to her lips,
and didn’t put it down until she had drained it. Then through an
interpreter she said that she had never dreamed that there was anything
in this world as sweet and wonderful as that.
I thought then: how like the world without Christ! They too drink from
polluted streams—just swishing the ‘chunks’ out of the
way because they have never known anything better. However, when they
finally taste the crystal waters of eternal life, they proclaim that they
never before realized there was anything so sweet and wonderful. That
old woman was forced to go back to her polluted waters. But, thank God,
we who have partaken of the ‘living waters’ of salvation need
never go back.”
SOURCE: Our Daily Bread
GETTING THE AIR OUT
In one of his meetings, D.L. Moody was explaining to his audience the
truth that we cannot bring about spiritual changes in our lives by our
own strength. He demonstrated the principal like this:
“Tell me,” he said to his audience, “how can I get the
air out of the tumbler I have in my hand?”
One man said, “Suck it out with a pump.”
But Moody replied, “That would create a vacuum and shatter it.”
Finally after many suggestions, he picked up a pitcher and quietly filled
the glass with water. “There,” he said, “all the air is
now removed.” He then explained that victory for the child of God
does not come by working hard to eliminate sinful habits, but rather by
allowing Christ to take full possession.
Contributed by: Ritch Grimes
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