Sermon Central
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Men In The Life Of Jesus
Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 17, 2021 (message contributor)
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1. Peter-A Daring Disciple
Contributed on Mar 17, 2021
Peter dared to do what the others never dreamed of doing. Safety first was their motto. But Peter was an impulsive risk taker, and his impulse in this very unusual setting was to step out onto the water.
Back in 1959 Ford Motor Company admitted they made a big mistake in making the Edsel. It cost 250 million to bring it to market, and they lost 200 million during the 2 and 1/2 years they produced it. It was the number one lemon in the history of the U. S. auto industry. But smart owners turned ...read more
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2. Joseph Of Arimathea
Contributed on Mar 17, 2021
In taking Jesus to His new tomb Joseph was fulfilling the prophecy of Isa. 53:9, which said, "Men made His grave with the criminals, and He was with the rich in His death."
The danger of making a hero out of a man who does a great thing after a long time of doing nothing is that you give the impression that there was nothing lost by doing it that way. A man lives a life of sin, or of indifference to God's will, and suddenly he sees the light and is wondrously ...read more
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3. Joseph Of Arimathea The Corageous Coward
Contributed on Mar 18, 2021
It took the crisis of the cross to change his cowardice into courage. Sometimes it takes a crisis to bring out a man's true faith.
A fireman who was half dead from exhaustion and smoke inhalation, with face dirty and uniform covered with grime, staggers past the crowd and is almost deafened by their shouts and cheers for him. He has just come from a burning building where, at the risk of his life, he climbed to the third ...read more
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4. John The Greatest
Contributed on Mar 18, 2021
It is of interest to note that John was the first person to recognize that Jesus came into the world to give His life as a sacrifice. He saw Jesus coming toward him and he said, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."
It takes all kinds to make a world is an old cliché, and like many old clichés there is a lot of truth to it. God so made our physical world that it just won't work without differences. Issac Asimov points out that energy can only be turned into work when you find it in greater ...read more
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5. Matthew The Tax Collector
Contributed on Mar 18, 2021
Matthew was a rebel who had fulfilled his dream in the world, and who realized it was not satisfying. He calls himself the publican, however, in his Gospel, because he rejoices that he is a trophy of grace.
Someone said, you never could take your money with you, but some can remember when the government would let you keep some while you were still here. It is hard for many to believe that our country was founded partly to avoid taxation. As bad as taxes are, however, only two classes of people ever ...read more
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6. Simon The Zealot
Contributed on Mar 18, 2021
Under different circumstances Simon would run a blade through Matthew, and Matthew would live in fear of Simon, but Jesus makes them partners in the Gospel. A left-winger and a right-winger united in Christ.
We want to look at an Apostle of whom we would know nothing if the New Testament did not tell us of his political affiliation before he became a believer. If a man was called Simon the Democrat or Simon the Republican, you would not be able to draw many conclusions about him because these terms ...read more
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7. John-Son Of Thunder
Contributed on Mar 18, 2021
When John wrote his Gospel the other three were already written and well known. They are so negative on John that he probably thought there was little he could add, so he ignores himself all together in his own Gospel.
A farmer in Georgia was sitting on the porch of his tumble-down shack. He was ragged and barefoot when a stranger stopped for a drink of water. Wishing to be agreeable, the stranger said, "How was your cotton coming on?" "Ain't got none," replied the farmer. ...read more
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8. Defective Disciples
Contributed on Mar 18, 2021
Practically every one of the Apostles, including Paul, is pictured as being wrong in an argument at some point. The 3 best known are specifically mentioned as being out of God's will in their attitudes toward others.
It is not without good reason that many people say they never argue about politics or religion. The ignorance and intolerance of men in relation to these subjects is such that they almost always lead to contention and anger rather than helpfulness and understanding. The average person, who does ...read more
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9. Apostolic Intolerance
Contributed on Mar 18, 2021
If pride and a sense of exclusiveness and spiritual privilege could lead the Apostles to go wrong, it is not only likely, but inevitable that the same will be true of all of us.
It is not intolerant to expose an oppose error. If a newspaper prints an article naming you as a spokesman for the Ku Kulx Klan it would not be intolerant for you to write them and tell them of their error. Likewise, if a man preaches that God’s Word teaches a man can be saved by works, it is not ...read more
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10. Andrew The Ordinary
Contributed on Mar 18, 2021
Nobody but Jesus can know just how a great an impact this ordinary man has had in history, and in the kingdom of God. All we know for sure is that he is one of history's most famous ordinary men.
Colonel Bottomly was rising to the level of general in the United States Air Force. He was a proud self-sufficient man who needed nobody. He felt that if you could succeed without God you didn't need Him. As he rose in power he began to feel he could do as he pleased, and he did. He bombed ...read more
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11. Philip
Contributed on Mar 18, 2021
Philip, like all the other Apostles, was unique. He had his own strengths and weaknesses. He is another proof that Jesus can and does use people of all different natures.
If Simon the Zealot was a right-winger and Matthew the Publican a left- winger, Philip was a cautious middle of the roader. He had both liberal and conservative leanings. His background was one of mixed influence. His name, for example, tell us something of his home life. Philip is a Greek name, ...read more
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12. Peter The Son Of Lightning
Contributed on Mar 18, 2021
Peter made mistakes, but he was not stupid. He never stuck with a mistake when he saw it for what it was. He was a great man just because he could retreat as fast as he advanced when he saw he was going the wrong direction.
Some years back a young girl was caught out in a thunder storm as she rode her bicycle. She made it to the top of the hill and then headed down as fast as she could go. When she got home she told a strange tale. Every time there was a flash of lightning blue flames ran across her handle bars. Had ...read more
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13. Thomas The Doubter
Contributed on Mar 18, 2021
Thomas got tagged as the doubter because of his one experience. On this basis he gained a reputation as if he was a skeptic. The fact is we have as much evidence on record as we need to call him Thomas the dedicated defender.
Sometimes popular ideas about biblical characters are so accepted that one is compelled to go along with them almost as if they were inspired, but they are often arbitrary and superficial. No one ever calls John the Baptist John the doubter, yet his experience of doubt was far more serious than ...read more