In Sermons: showing 16-30 of 88

God's Call On Your Life Series

Contributed by Wes Richard on Sep 10, 2008

The unique literary structure of Ezekiel’s vision points to the importance of ingesting God’s word in obedience to His call

God’s Call on your Life Ezekiel 2:8 – 3:4 If you haven’t read from Ezekiel recently, these verses probably strike you as the strangest thing you have read in a while. Here is the story of a man whom God told to eat a scroll – paper, ink, and all. And he says it was sweet as honey. I ...read more

Denomination: Brethren

Hold The Ropes Series

Contributed by Wes Richard on Aug 25, 2008

Like the paralytic in Mark 2, school kids need someone to hold the four ropes for their encouragement and success in school.

Holding the Rope Mark 2:1-12 One of the stories we read in VBS was the story of the man who was completely helpless. He couldn’t walk; he couldn’t use his hands. The only way he could get anywhere was when his friends carried him. Then the news got around that Jesus was healing people. ...read more

Scripture: Mark 2:1-12

Denomination: Brethren

Lessons From Lamentations Series

Contributed by Wes Richard on Jul 21, 2008

Through calamities and suffering we can learn about God’s judgement, about our own sin, and about God’s renewing power.

Lessons from Lamentations Lamentations 3:1-3; 19-24; 40-42 For the past couple of weeks, we have been inundated with reports of the floods in the Midwest. The reports about Iowa are of special interest to Sue & me, since we come from there, so we perked up our ears when we heard names of ...read more

Scripture: Lamentations 3:1-42

Denomination: Brethren

Seek The Welfare Of The City Series

Contributed by Wes Richard on May 27, 2008

Jeremiah’s message to seek the welfare of the city applies to the church’s urban setting of drugs, violence, and alienation.

Drugs bring Death Unless you have been out of town for a long time, you know that lots of things have happened in our city during the past several months. Some are hopeful, some confusing, and some are troubling. In addition to recent acts of violence, we hear charges of racism, ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:1-14

Denomination: Brethren

Four Principles For Following Jesus Series

Contributed by Wes Richard on Apr 1, 2008

What might happen if our church were to follow the Starbucks example and temporarily close its doors to examine the way we follow Jesus?

Starbucks Opens A new Starbucks has opened, of all places, at St. Rita’s Medical Center. We had never tasted Starbucks coffee, so last Wednesday we stopped in to see what it was like. With all the flavors and sizes and prices up on the board, it wasn’t easy to decide what we would order ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 13:1-6

Denomination: Brethren

Seeking The Son

Contributed by Wes Richard on Mar 31, 2008

As people of the resurrection we should be seeking the Son even as new flowers seek the sun and a compass needle orients itself to north.

One of the little surprises I enjoy every spring is seeing the sprouts of new life burst out of the ground. Some of you may have noticed the little crocuses by the front door of the church. Already before the snow was completely gone, I saw their green shoots breaking through the soil. And even ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:1

Denomination: Brethren

When Shipwreck Threatens Series

Contributed by Wes Richard on Nov 26, 2007

Scripture offers three anchors when life is headed for shipwreck

Last Tuesday, I began preparing this sermon. During that day, three people experiencing shipwreck came sailing into my life. Let me tell you about one of them. His name is Bill. I decided to replace the broken door on the church storage shed while the weather was still warm and was crossing ...read more

Scripture: Acts 27:20-25

Denomination: Brethren

In Whirlwind And Storm Series

Contributed by Wes Richard on Jul 9, 2007

God speaks through storms, whether meteorlogical or personal and he proclaims victory in the end

As most of you know, a dozen of us returned a few days ago from Louisiana after spending a week with Brethren Disaster Service repairing a couple of houses. The stories we heard from people who lived in those houses helped us understand how difficult life has been for them for the past two ...read more

Denomination: Brethren

A Godly Mother Series

Contributed by Wes Richard on May 14, 2007

I John provides a description of character traits for godly mothers.

A Godly Mother I John 4:7-12 This is the day set aside for recognizing what our mothers mean to us. Last week when I was writing a letter to my mother to send with her card, I recalled the letters she sent to me over the years – in college, in Japan, and even since living in Lima. She hasn’t ...read more

Denomination: Brethren

I Have Seen The Lord Series

Contributed by Wes Richard on Apr 9, 2007

The resurrection of Jesus transforms individuals, families, and whole societies and it can change your life as well.

Even though today is Easter Sunday, I realize that you may have lots of things on your mind, including the deadline for filing your taxes with the IRS. I hope that none of you has the problem one guy has, though. A tax accountant told our son about a guy who wanted to declare the loss of his ...read more

Scripture: John 20:1-18

Denomination: Brethren

Welcoming Sinners Series

Contributed by Wes Richard on Mar 26, 2007

The story of the adulterous woman helps us see that we should welcome sinners just as Jesus did

We have been preaching through the book of John. Early in the book we sense the tension between Jesus and the religious leaders that led up to Jesus’ death. If there was anything that rankled those religious leaders, it was the way Jesus welcomed all kinds of people, especially those regarded ...read more

Scripture: John 8:1-11

Denomination: Brethren

When The Truth Of Jesus Dawns Series

Contributed by Wes Richard on Mar 16, 2007

The story of Nicodemus helps us see that until the truth of Jesus dawns on us, we remain in the dark.

Because of Daylight Savings Time, some of you probably feel like you got up an hour early today. Some of you may be here and not even know it because you are not awake yet! I’ve told this little story before, but I’m going to tell it again because it helps to make a point I want to make ...read more

Scripture: John 3:1-16

Denomination: Brethren

Introducing Jesus Series

Contributed by Wes Richard on Mar 4, 2007

John 1 describes three ways in which Jesus was introduced to the world. Now it is our turn.

The Pastor/Spouse retreat Sue and I attended last week was an incredibly rich time. We got to hear a wonderful speaker and learned to know 50 other pastors and spouses a little better. I want to tell you what happened on Monday night as we heard stories about what God is doing in other ...read more

Scripture: John 1:1-51

Denomination: Brethren

Fight The Good Fight Series

Contributed by Wes Richard on Jan 9, 2007

Paul identifies three requirements for leaders who are engaged in fighting the good fight.

A few moments ago we commissioned this congregation’s Leadership Team. These are people who have accepted the call of God to carry out specific tasks as leaders in the life of the church. There will be new things to consider as they make the transition from serving as board members to members of a ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:18-20

Denomination: Brethren

Walking In God's Ways Series

Contributed by Wes Richard on Dec 27, 2006

Jesus taught us how to walk in God’s ways

On our journey through the Bible, we have come to the book of Micah. Some of you may not be familiar with this little book at all, and others may be wondering why we would focus on Micah at Christmas. Some of Micah’s words may be more familiar than you realize. In January 1977, when President ...read more

Scripture: Micah 4:1-4, Galatians 5:16

Denomination: Brethren