 | Don't Believe Everything You Hear
(Redick) It doesn’t really matter whether you're deceived about eating carrots or reading in dim light. It won't hurt you one bit to stay out of the pool after lunch or to avoid spicy food. But if you go through life believing these religious, the consequences can be eternal. |
| Why Are There Earthquakes, Tsunamis, and
Other Natural Disasters? Romans 8:18-25 (Redick) ...There is an answer in the bible - a very clear one – for these kinds of perplexing questions. But many are ignorant of it because they don’t seriously study the Bible anymore and those who aren’t ignorant resist it because it involves two things that modern man in general has rejected: The literal Genesis account of man’s origins and what I call mankind’s dirtiest little secret – sin. |
| Jesus, Jairus, and the Woman with the Doctor Bills Mark
5:21-43 (Redick) Anyone’s religion (or even anyone’s lack of religion) will work when there a human way to cope. It is only when facing the reality of death, for which man has absolutely no solution, that his religious systems break down. At that point, like no other time in life, man realizes that he needs more than a comfortable religion. He needs a savior. |
| The Resurrection Can Lift You up
(Redick) The resurrection lifted Mary out of despair, Peter out of guilt, and the disciples out of fear. It can do the same for us living today. |
| How Could a God of Love Order the Extermination of the
Canaanites? (Redick) ...sometimes in reading through the Bible people are puzzled when they come upon God’s orders to the ancient Israelites, as they entered Canaan, to drive out the inhabitants of that land and in certain cases, completely exterminate them – an act that included the killing of men, women, and children. |
| Classic Christianity 2
Corinthians 5:17 (Walker) As long as I had that old ’55 I carried a case of 30 weight Pennzoil in my truck. One quart every 200 miles. She was a smoker... If I drove that car today in California I would do life without parole in San Quentin. But she had a nice grille. |
| Forty Thousand Pounds of Deviled Ham Lost
at Sea Matthew 8:28-34 (Redick) The sight of 2000 pigs thundering down a hill and plunging into the sea is a heart rending sight for some, but when you hold that picture up to the many human souls that will someday be cast over the precipice into the lake of fire, what happened long ago on that day outside Gadara doesn’t seem nearly as bad. |
| Common Sense Proverbs 2:1-11
(Redick) Some folks call it "horse sense." We all know what horse sense it, right? Oscar Wilde said horse sense is what keeps horses from betting on people. |
| The Rich Man and Lazarus Luke
16:19-31 (Walker) Heaven and hell are eternal addresses based upon what we do in this life and the decisions we make regarding the teller of this story - Jesus Christ. Whether we surrender to Him or just play games. |
| Like a Kid in a Candy Store Ephesians
1:3 (Walker) We go to Winco, Walgreens, K-mart, Ace Hardware, Wal-mart, Sam’s Club, Target and Safeway with a shopping cart. But sometimes, we come to Church without so much as an open hand to receive or an open mind to be surprised. |
| I Want a Heart Like God Psalm
51:10 (Walker) David’s prayer is that God would "create" in him a "pure heart" – a heart that can not exist on its own, a heart that can only be created by God. A heart that doesn’t exist, unless God creates it from nothing and makes it something. |
| With God's Help You Can Change 1
Timothy 4:7 (Redick) God has placed within each one of us the ability to develop habits that will deliver us from a long life of drudgery and self-denial. It is a bright spot – a silver lining in the cloud. |
| Storm Warnings Matthew 16:2-3
(Redick) Our hearts go out to those who have suffered in the tornado disaster in the Gulf states. I want to say nothing this morning that would disparage the people of the stricken area or the relief effort that continues as I speak. Yet with this disaster we’re reminded once again of how fragile life on earth really is, how little we actually control the forces of nature around us, and how easy it is to go to bed one night feeling secure and wake up the next morning utterly destitute. |
| Don't Feed the Hand that Bites You Romans
13:14 (Redick) When you make provision for something, you provide for it. If someone were going to stay at my house for a couple of weeks, I would stock up on some extra groceries, clear out a room, and maybe move in an extra bed. If this visitor were an old friend, I might clear out my schedule so that we would have time to spend together. In short I would feed him, provide for him, and do all I could to make him comfortable. In this passage Paul says that we shouldn’t do that for the flesh and its lusts. |
| The Enjoyment of a Life of Joy
Philippians 4 (Walker) Just because His Spirit makes it accessible doesn’t automatically mean we are going to experience it. As with all the "fruit of the Spirit", it is dependent upon our friendship and our acknowledgment of the Lordship of Jesus. We have to act in dealing with the things that steal away our joy. |
| Sound Counsel for the Second Coming Matthew
24:36-44 (Walker) September 11, 2001, was just another same ol' same ol’ day in NYC, and the Pentagon. Food had been taken out of the freezer for dinner that night to defrost. Parents dropped their kids off at day care, hugging them good-bye, and promising them McDonald's for dinner. Husbands and wives went their own way kissing each other good-bye and planning to watch a few sitcoms that evening. Then the planes came. |
| The Lord's Supper: A Vital Memorial for
All Christians Matthew 26:26-29; Luke 22:17-21; 1 Corinthians 11:25-30
(Redick) "...What Jesus and His disciples were eating on that occasion was the Passover meal - that commemorative supper that brought to mind the night Israel was delivered from Egyptian bondage. That memorial was commanded by God and had been observed by the Jews since the days Moses. It was an observation unique to the Old Testament and to the Jews. Christians do not observe it because it is not immediately relevant to us. Neither is it commanded of us. Jesus however, was a Jew under the Law of Moses so He did observe it, every year of His earthly life. And on this particularly occasion He used it to institute a new memorial that would be for Christians based on an event that was about to happen – the shedding of His own blood for the forgiveness of the sins." |
| Everyone Who Finishes Wins 2
Timothy 4:6-8 (Walker) Look with me at the end of one man’s race. Its’ the kind of race we're talking about today. His race is almost over. It was a hard race - harder probably than any of ours. It was a race with a lot of scars. Some stitches were required along the way. But it was also a race with tremendous victories, and the final victory was at hand. |
| You Can Stop Worrying Matthew
6:25-34 (Redick) That’s the way we are. We tend to worry about things that have no eternal significance. The tax man frightens us more than the word of the Lord! |
| What Does
Jesus Have to Offer? Hebrews 8:1-3 (Walker) What does Jesus have to offer? Just everything that matters... |
| Even the Dogs Feed on the Crumbs Matthew
15:21-28 (Redick) Perhaps you can see where someone might jump to the wrong conclusion about Jesus after reading this passage. But I would urge caution. Careful study often yields aspects of a passage that the casual reader misses. There is more going on here than appears on the surface. |
| What Child is This? Isaiah
9:6-7 (Redick) Amid the predicted strife and anguish that poured from Isaiah’s pen, were these words of great hope – not only for Israel’s future but for the future of the world. |
| I Can Do This! Romans 12:1-2
(Walker) We have in Jesus Christ everything it takes to live these verses. |
| The Beautiful Gifts of Grace and
Baptism Romans 6:1-4 (Walker) Grace is the undeserved and unearned favor of God richly bestowed upon the saved over and over again in many marvelous ways. It is a glorious gift! |
| Facing Tough Times Philippians
1:12-26 (Redick) Though we cannot always control the circumstances of life, we are never without choices in how we will respond. A true Christian need not wring his or her hands in despair. With God on our side we can face adversity with confidence. |
| Put Out into the Deep Water Luke
5:1-11 (Redick) Jesus’ words to Peter, "Put out into the deep water" are significant. They challenged Peter to step beyond the comfortable level of human wisdom and understanding into the realm of extraordinary faith and risk and uncertainty. As a result, when this event was over, he and his companions stepped into a level of relationship with Jesus that they hadn’t known existed. That last phrase, "they left everything and followed Him" means that they left their fishing business – their comfortable, familiar livelihood – behind them and put out into the deeper waters of faith. |
| Mind Your Own Business - 1
Thessalonians 4:11 (Redick) If we, as believers, are going to accomplish anything worthy of our Lord, we must work together. That cannot happen, though, unless we work hard at getting along. Involved in our getting along is a balance between knowing when it is time to speak up and when it is time to mind our own business. |
| Work Out Your Own Salvation Philippians
2:12-13 (Redick) Salvation is not like a mutual fund where you make your payments and leave the rest to someone else. It is more like an investment fund where you are the manager. You interact with it daily - hourly. You make the choices. You determine the distribution of funds. It is fully hands-on work. |
| Early Pictures of Christian Baptism 1
Peter 3:20-21; 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 (Redick) I don’t know for sure whether God prefers digital or film but after spending many years reading and studying this Bible, I’ve come to the conclusion that He really likes pictures. |
| Noah: One in a Million Genesis 6
(Walker) Noah, without so much as a college course in wood-working – was one in a million! |
| Four Characteristics of Godly Mothers
Selected passages (Redick) I called my mother last night to verify this story but it seems that when she was pregnant with me she was accidentally hit in the stomach by a line drive baseball. It hurt her but apparently I was no worse off for the incident. (Some today might argue that!) I was snug and safe in my little world inside my mother’s body. |
| Are You Fired Up or Fizzled Out? Acts
3 (Redick) Does it have to be that the longer one is in the faith, the less he or she is filled with amazement and enthusiasm over the things God is doing in the lives of those around? Does the fire for God have to go out of our lives? And if it does go out, whose fault is it? Is it just a function of familiarity or time spent in church, or is it something more personal? |
| How to Live a Significant Life 1
Corinthians 9:24-27 (Redick) Paul didn’t settle for mediocrity in his spiritual life. We shouldn’t either. |
| The Great Drama of Eternity - Our Free
Will Joshua 24:15 (Walker) Why in the world, with so much at risk with our eternal soul, would God knowingly give us free will? Doesn’t He know that with free will we can and will at times choose to sin? Doesn’t He know that with free will we can make the wrong choice? Doesn’t He know that without free will we could serve him perfectly all the time? |
| Stephen: A Gracious Hero's Story Acts
6:1-8:3 (Redick) It’s hard for us to understand, looking from earth’s perspective, why God would allow the earthly life of one person to be sacrificed for the sake of the eternal life of another. It seems almost unfair – until you realize that as a result of Stephen’s death, both he and his persecutor, Saul, would be with Christ forever. |
| The Generous Landlord and the Jealous
Workers Matthew 20:1-16 (Redick) God was going to do something among men that had never been done before, and Jesus was getting His disciples ready for it. God was going to extend His wonderful grace beyond the Jews who had been God’s people for 1500 years and give the Gentiles who had long turned their backs on their Creator the opportunity for redemption. The benefits of Christ would be offered to Jew and Gentile alike. Both would be treated equally. Both would be offered eternal life. And the Jews were going to be jealous! People get jealous like that today, too. |
| A Serious Warning from Jesus about Greed
and Possessions Luke 12:1-21 (Redick) Greed is the inordinate desire to have more. An attitude of greed says, if some is good, more is better and still more is best. More, more, more, more is the motto. Soon the desire to accumulate more totally crowds out everything else. As Jesus put it in Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount, "You cannot serve God and Money." There isn’t enough room in one life for both. |
| The Truth About the Babe in the
Manger John 1:1-18 (Redick) Do you recognize your Creator in His day of visitation? Who are you looking at as you gaze in your mind’s eye at the babe in the manger? Are those God’s eyes looking back at you, reaching out to communicate His love for you? I hope you understand that they are. |
| Remember Your Creator (A
Funeral Message) Ecclesiastes 12:1-7 (Redick) We can do little to stop the oncoming effects of old age on all of us, but we can prepare for what is beyond it, because for the Christian, what happens here is only for a season and when that season is over, there will be the removal of pain and suffering. Then one day, there will be a reconstituting of the decayed body and a resurrection to eternal life. |
| Making Sure Our Worship Connects John
4:19-25 (Redick) Worship is addressed to God. It isn’t addressed to you and me. So it’s not a matter of being bored with the sermon or not liking the style of the music. When those things become major issues that keep us from worshipping, we need to ask whether we’re focused on God or on ourselves. |
| Reasserting the Foundations of
Marriage Various Texts (Redick) Will we ultimately lose marriage in our culture? If we continue to drift away from God’s truths revealed in the Bible it is a very real possibility. But even if marriage is abandoned by the society, Christians must not abandon it. We must be strong and resolute, first in keeping our own minds clear about what God’s standards are so our own marriages will hold together and second, holding forth openly to those who are caught up in the gathering darkness around us. |
| Wake Up to Your Mortality
Matthew 24:39 (Redick) It is dangerous to think that God will send a special wake up call to help a person avoid the consequences of negligence. That’s not the way it works. "But what about that Gingery guy?" you ask. "Didn’t he get a wake up call from God?" |
| Graveside Service for 73 Year Old Christian Widow (Redick) |
| Better to Go to a Funeral than a Festival
Ecclesiastes 7:2 (Redick) (Bonus
Message) It's good to enjoy life and have fun - the kind of good clean fun that God approves of. The Bible doesn't tell us we should never go to a concert. It doesn't tell us we can't have fun. But it is easy, especially when we are young, to push the realities of life and death so far out of our minds when we're having a good time that we begin to live like there is no death and no eternity. That my friends, is a dangerous thing. |
| Is the Baptism Associated with Salvation
in the New Testament Water Baptism? Various Texts (Redick) Surely had Peter intended to imply something besides water as the medium for baptism, he wouldn’t have chosen a figure that involves more water than any other event in history! |