Sermon Central
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God In The Gospel
Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Aug 9, 2008 (message contributor)
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1. The Gospel
Contributed on Aug 9, 2008
Paul summarizes 1) His authority (his right to speak), 2) His message (the truths he speaks), and 3) His motive (his reason for speaking).
For some time know, the world has been in anticipation of the current Summer Olympic games in Beijing China. One central issue surrounding these games has been the issue of freedom and human rights violations in China. Chinese Communist leaders have been heavily criticized for their crackdown on ...read more
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2. Defection, Deception & Destruction Of The Gospel
Contributed on Aug 18, 2008
1) PAUL’S WONDER ABOUT THE GALATIANS’ DEFECTION (Galatians 1:6) 2) PAUL’S WISDOM REGARDING THE FALSE TEACHERS’ DECEPTION (Galatians 1:7) 3) PAUL’S WARNING OF GOD’S DESTRUCTION (Galatians 1:8–9)
This week, a U. S. soldier who was deported after his refugee claim was dismissed in Federal Court. This is nearly three years following his arrival in Canada and he may now face a number of consequences for army desertion. Robin Long, believed to be the first military deserter to be sent back to ...read more
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3. The Gospel & Who We Are
Contributed on Aug 23, 2008
The Gospel is not about 1) Pleasing People; 2) A Human Centered Message; 3) A Human Devised Message, but a 4) Christ Centered Message.
Now that the Olympics are wrapping up in Beijing, one of the strangest events took place. International Olympic Commission President Jacques Rogge said that Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt was disrespectful to his rivals. He saw it as a disrespectful display of Ego as Usain won gold in the men’s ...read more
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4. Proof Of Gospel Conversion
Contributed on Sep 8, 2008
Paul shows how certain events before he was saved, when he was saved, and after he was saved all prove his message was received from God and how we can testify to God’s radically changing grace.
Recently, Liberal leader Stéphane Dion — sat down with Michael Coren for a one-hour interview on his TV program, The Michael Coren Show. Within the first 10 minutes of the discussion he made several mentions of God. Coren noted: “These weren’t passing phrases or clumsy slang but obvious, absolute ...read more
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5. Affirmed In The Gospel
Contributed on Sep 14, 2008
Paul shows his 1) His Coming, 2) His Companion, 3) His Commission, and 4) His Commendation that he was of one truth and one spirit with the other twelve apostles.
Over this past week’s political campaigning, certain staffers made mistakes, and their mistakes became public. A satirist depicted a puffin bird flying by and droppings falling on a political opponent. Elsewhere, an email sent in response to comments made by the father of a recently killed soldier ...read more
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6. Deviation From The Gospel
Contributed on Sep 21, 2008
In Galatians 2:11-13 Paul explains Peter’s deviation from the gospel. In this we see 1) The Clash, 2) The Cause, and 3) The Consequence
A Domino a rectangular tile with a line dividing its face into two square ends. A popular way of playing with dominos is lining them up end to end and knocking them over. This domino effect is fun to watch when handling the physical tiles but, if it occurs metaphorically in worldwide financial ...read more
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7. Response To The Deviation From The Gospel
Contributed on Oct 19, 2008
Concerning justification by faith alone we see Paul’s 1) REACTION 2) STATEMENT AND 3) DEFENCE
After a big event like a political campaign, leaders are called to justify their actions. They are asked why they choose to ignore certain polling advice, why they choose certain policies while ignoring others and choose the talking points as they did. For some they saw the majority victory that ...read more
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8. Justification Through The Gospel By The Triune God
Contributed on Nov 3, 2008
1) A believer’s experience of the Lord Jesus Christ, 2) of the Holy Spirit, and 3) of God the Father are incontrovertible evidence of having been graciously made acceptable to God through personal faith in the perfect, complete work of Christ.
If you are a fan of classic TV, you will remember the show Bewitched. It was an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972. The show stared Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York (1964–1969), Dick Sargent (1969–1972), Agnes Moorehead and David White. It ...read more
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9. Justification By Faith
Contributed on Nov 16, 2008
We see 1) what true biblical faith does, 2) what works cannot do. and 3) Positive Hope in Jesus Christ
In the final days of US President Bush’s term of office, he has been trying to reconcile warning factions in the Middle East. Conflict between the Israelites and their neighbors has been hostile from their first existence. Many negotiators and presidents before them have tried and failed to broker ...read more
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10. The Promise Of Justification
Contributed on Nov 23, 2008
The superiority of the covenant of promise in seen in 1) ITS CONFIRMATION2) ITS CHRIST-CENTEREDNESS 3) ITS CHRONOLOGY & 4) ITS COMPLETENESS
The transition of terms between US President Bush and president elect Obama has an interesting ping pong of promises. Bush has to decide what he can do now that won’t be overturned in two months by Obama. A traditional end of term practice is Presidential pardons, where the president is allowed ...read more
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11. Why Then The Law
Contributed on Dec 2, 2008
Paul now shows the inferiority of the covenant of law-in regard to 1) Its Purpose, 2) Its Mediator, and 3)ITS ACCOMPLISHMENTS
This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent. For most people it just means that the Christmas buying season is in full swing. A common practice for advertisers to encourage people to buy before a particular time is to offer something with the phrase “for a limited time only”. I mentioned how it seems ...read more
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12. Son Of God
Contributed on Dec 8, 2008
We see 1) What we were, 2) What God did, 3) What God has made us
One of the hardest things about looking forward to Christmas morning is the anticipation. Especially for kids, it seems to take forever. You often get the reasonable question of “how many more sleeps until Christmas morning? Now for many of us it makes a big difference what family you visit on ...read more
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13. The Coming Of The Messiah
Contributed on Dec 21, 2008
1) The Elements, 2) Reason and 3) Benefits of Christ’s Coming.
When was Jesus born? No, not on December 25. Though Christians had adopted that date by A.D. 336, Christ was born “when shepherds watched their flocks by night.” In other words, most likely in the spring. And no, He wasn’t born in the year 1 A.D. The Bible tells us that Herod the Great ruled ...read more
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14. Leave The Old
Contributed on Dec 28, 2008
We must 1) Forsake our Former life, 2) Understand our Present Life and 3) Live for our Future Life
At year end tends to be a time of extremes. Some fall into one extreme of debauchery and falling back into a lifestyle that they were redeemed from. Or the other extreme, like that of the Galatians, of falling into a type of legalism of trying to earn their favour with God. The Galatians has ...read more
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15. A Fresh Start For A New Year
Contributed on Jan 4, 2009
In Galatians 4:12-20, God shows: 1) The Godly Example. 2) The Godly Focus. 3) The Deadly Distraction. & 4) The Godly Objective
Dr. Yoel Abells in his article this week, Avoiding the failure trap of New Year’s resolutions wrote this: (A New Year) is an opportunity to reflect on days past and to consider the future. Typically at this time, each of us makes resolutions --commitments to change something (or multiple things) ...read more
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16. The Crescent, The Star & The Cross
Contributed on Jan 12, 2009
Paul contrasts two sons, two mothers, two covenants and two Jerusalem’s between Legalism and faith.
As Israeli tanks are advancing on Gaza and Hamas militants continue to fire rockets at Israel, both sides continue to ignore international calls to stop the conflict. Israel has even warned it would escalate its assault. Since the present Israeli military advance on Gaza, the Palestinian death ...read more
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17. Free At Last
Contributed on Jan 26, 2009
In Galatians 5:1-6, we see Liberty 1) Defined (Gal. 5:1) 2) Defended (Gal. 5:2-4) and 3) Described (Gal. 5:5-6)
In 1963 American civil rights proponent Martin Luther King said: "So let freedom ring. From the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire, let freedom ring. From the mighty mountains of New York, let freedom ring. From the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania, let freedom ring. But not only that; let ...read more
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18. The Character Of False Teachers
Contributed on Feb 1, 2009
In Galatians 5:7–12 Paul gives us tell tale warning signs to watch out for in false teachers in order not to fall into their trap.
One of Aesop’s Fables is about a wolf in sheep’s clothing. A wolf had his eye on a certain flock of sheep, but he couldn’t get any of the sheep he wanted because of the vigilance of the shepherd and his dogs. Then he saw the skin of a sheep that had been flayed, so he put the skin on as a ...read more
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19. Called To Freedom
Contributed on Feb 8, 2009
Paul gives four purposes of God’s call to the freedom of loving Him: 1)To oppose the flesh, 2)To serve others, 3)To fulfill His moral law, & 4)To avoid harming others.
In the lead-up to the 2010 Winter Olympics, Vancouver is experiencing a construction boom. But there is growing concern that all the money being thrown around in the chase for skilled labour has led to an increase in drug use among construction workers. So construction companies and the ...read more
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20. Spiritual Warfare: The Flesh Vs. The Spirit
Contributed on Feb 15, 2009
1) The Warfare Command (Galatians 5:16), 2) The Warfare Parties (Galatians 5:17), and 3) The Warfare Warning (Galatians 5:18).
One of the most tragic elements of warfare is the event of collateral damage. Often in military operations, civilians are caught in the crossfire. Whether it is in Palestine or Iraq, civilians often get hurt between two fighting forces. Sometimes, one side, usually the weaker one, deliberately puts ...read more
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21. The Awfulness Of Sin-Sexuality & Idolatry
Contributed on Mar 2, 2009
The first two works/deeds of the flesh here in Galatians 5, fall generally into the two pitfalls of: 1) Sexuality (Galatians 5:19), and 2) Religion, (Galatians 20a)
People mark off times and celebrations in different ways. In Belgium (since 1394, in Binche), Brazil (a four-day celebration in Rio de Janeiro), Italy (in Venice, six months of celebrating in the 18th cent., now 12 days), Trinidad and Tobago (featuring a daylong competition among calypso bands), ...read more
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22. Struggling With Sin
Contributed on Mar 9, 2009
The 1) Relational Struggle (Galatians 5:20b-21a) and 2) Personal Struggle (Galatians 5:21b) with sin.
A political career marked by unfulfilled promise came to an end Friday as Ontario Conservative Leader John Tory announced his resignation following a devastating by-election defeat Thursday. Although he was able to succeed as CEO of Rogers Cable Inc., managing partner at his family’s law firm, and ...read more
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23. The Fruit Of The Spirit
Contributed on Mar 15, 2009
In Galatians 5:22–23 Paul lists nine representative characteristics of the godly fruit produced by the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life.
What qualifies someone for a task? There is a story of the testing of a candidate for missions work: One snowy morning at 5:00 a.m., a missionary candidate rang the bell at a missionary examiner’s home. Ushered into the office, he sat three hours past his appointment time waiting for his ...read more
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24. Bear With One Another
Contributed on Mar 29, 2009
We are called to 1) Restore the Broken 2) Relieve the Burdened 3) Repent of Bragging & 4) Respect your Boundary
This week on the Fox network show Red Eye, comedian Greg Gutfield mocked reports from Canadian military generals, that the Canadian army has been so overstretched, that after the Afghanistan deployment, they would require an operational pause to repair and refit the military. What made the comedy ...read more
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25. Lessons From The Soil: Sowing & Reaping
Contributed on Apr 20, 2009
1) The Precept, 2) The Principle behind the Precept, 3) The Promise, 4) The Procedure
As we continue to deal with the fallout of the collapse of international financial markets one thing is clear: Unbridled greed does not work. Incentive to innovate and work hard in the long run results in prosperity, but short cuts, and unrestrained greed results in loss and ruin. Quote: J. A. ...read more
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26. Artificial Righteousness: Glorifying In The Flesh
Contributed on May 4, 2009
Glorifying in the flesh is a form of Artificial Righteousness which is motivated by 1) Religious Pride, 2) Cowardice, & 3)hypocrisy.
The news has been filled with week with statistics, world wide reports, deaths and fear from the H1N1 human influenza virus, previously known as swine flu. One of the most distasteful elements of this situation has been the various reactions to it. Minute by minute coverage from many news agencies ...read more
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27. Boast In The Lord
Contributed on May 18, 2009
1) Power: to free people from the world’s bondage, 2) Power: do what the flesh cannot do, & 3)Power: to bring salvation.
I had an interesting event happen this week that perhaps you can relate to. In performing a martial arts drill I was instructed to hit a pad while an opponent was instructed to push me off balance. All went well until one of the pushes caused me to spin around and at the exact same time another ...read more
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28. The Gospel
Contributed on Aug 9, 2018
In Galatians 1:1-5, the Apostle Paul explains these facts of the Gospel in stating: 1) His authority (his right to speak) (Galatians 1:1-2), 2) His message (the truths he speaks) (Galatians 1:3–4), and 3) His motive (his reason for speaking) (Gal.1:5).
Martin Luther (1483-1546), is known by many as the father of the Reformation. Luther had tried everything he knew to be a good Christian. He wrote:?"I was a good monk and kept my order so strictly that I could claim that if ever a monk were able to reach heaven by monkish discipline I should have ...read more
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29. Defection, Deception & Destruction Of The Gospel
Contributed on Aug 11, 2018
In Galatians 1:6–9 we see the dangers of: 1) Defection (Galatians 1:6), 2) Deception (Galatians 1:7), and 3) Destruction (Galatians 1:8-9) of those who would pervert the Gospel of Grace.
Every culture has unique expressions that can seem foreign to others. For one who is astonished, the British have the expression that one is “gob-smacked.” “Gob” is slang for “mouth.” To be smacked is to be slapped with an open hand. So someone who is “gob-smacked” opens his mouth, claps his hand ...read more
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30. The Gospel & Who We Are
Contributed on Aug 18, 2018
In Galatians 1:10–12 the Apostle Paul shows presenting the Gospel is not about 1) Pleasing People (Gal. 1:10); 2) A Human Centered Message (Gal.1:11); nor a 3) A Human Devised Message (Gal. 1:12a), but a 4) Christ Centered Message (Gal.1:12b).
Canada is presently in a fierce diplomatic fight with Saudi Arabia. The government’s confrontation over several human rights issues has resulted in Saudi Arabia, to cut off diplomatic ties, withdraw students and begin a trade war. Critics say that this conflict is over the issue of Saudi Arabia ...read more