Sermon series
The Overcoming Series
Overcoming Fear of the Future
Esther 4:12-16 – December 29, 2002Current headlines tell a chilling story: “Americans Revel Under Watchful Eyes” “Riots Erupt in Bahrain” “The High Cost of Peace” “Thousands of Troops Head for Gulf” “Terrorism on the High Seas” “Kuwait Prepares for War” “Predictions in Perilous Times” The last headline is arresting, at least for those of us raised on the King […]
Overcoming Loneliness
Isaiah 7:14 & Matthew 1:22-23 – December 22, 2002“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a […]
Overcoming Lingering Bitterness
Genesis 45 – December 15, 2002On Thursday morning, November 21, as the sun was peeking over the horizon in the port city of Sidon in southern Lebanon, Bonnie Penner Witherall was up early. On this day she was going to work at the prenatal clinic that offered medical services to the Muslim women from a nearby refugee camp. Tensions were […]
Overcoming Discontentment
I Corinthians 7:17-35 – December 8, 2002Ever since the beginning of creation, when the first creatures came from the hand of God, there has always been someone, somewhere, unhappy with his position in the universe. It all started with an angel named Lucifer, the brightest star of the heavenly firmament, who was not satisfied to be the apex of God’s creation. […]
Overcoming Materialism
I Timothy 6:17-19 – November 24, 2002If you are rich, this sermon is for you. There aren’t many sermons directed at rich people, but this one is. My text is a word from the Apostle Paul to the rich Christians in the church at Ephesus. The first phrase of verse 17 makes it very clear: “Command those who are rich in […]
Overcoming Boredom
Ecclesiastes 9:10; Colossians 3:17 – November 17, 2002A ten-year-old boy was asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Influenced by the threat of nuclear war and the reality of terrorist attacks around the world, the boy thought for a moment and then replied with just one word: “Alive.” All of us join him in his wish. The love […]
Overcoming Disappointment
Ezra 3 – November 10, 2002The year is 537 B.C. The place is Jerusalem. The Jews have just returned from a long captivity in Babylon. Some have been gone from their homeland for 70 years. Others have been gone for 50 years. They were sent into captivity as part of God’s judgment on generations of disobedience. Now at last the […]
Overcoming a Judgmental Spirit
Romans 14:1-12 – November 3, 2002Christians love to fight over our deeply-held beliefs. Unfortunately, sometimes we fight for things that don’t matter very much. Once upon a time a man took a walk and came to a bridge. When he got to the middle of the bridge, he saw a man standing on the rail, obviously about to jump. The […]
Overcoming Self-Importance
II Kings 5 – October 20, 2002This is the story of a soldier who met God. As we will see, this is one of those biblical stories that at first glance may seem rather remote from life in the 21st-century, but in the end proves the old adage that the more things change, the more they stay the same. From this […]
Overcoming Insecurity
Matthew 10:29-31 – October 13, 2002I am actually writing these words a few days after I preached this sermon on Sunday morning. The current headlines tell a grim story: “North Korea Admits Nuke Program” “No Suspect Sketch in Sniper Case” “Bush Signs Iraq Resolution” “Indonesia Questions Two in Bali Blast.” Let’s take the last story first. The explosion in a […]
