Sermon for Christmas 2019 from Bethany in Wanchese. " O Holy Night"

Thanksgiving. Listen to the news, the economy of the US today is the best in the world, yet we still treat each other horably. Who or what is to blame? What can we do? Change the president, change congress, change the gun laws, change the definition of sin, change what ever you want, but until their is a change of heart, which only Jesus can do, there will be no change of real and eternal consequence.

Luke 17: 11-19

Gene Garrison of the Dare/Currituck Camp gives Bethany an update on the Gideon Ministry. Psalm 119

"What Does it Take to Become a Veteran" Retired Coast Guardsman, Edward Mann brings the word on Veterans Sunday at Bethany in Wanchese. NC

Scripture 2 Timothy 2:3 - 4

1 Timothy 1:12-17. Ginger Shackelford shares her testimony, on Laity Sunday at Bethany.

Matthew 11:28-30, 2 Corinthians 6: 14-17

The scriptures today use the example of a yoke to describe relationships each of us may have with other people and with God. They may be applied to many areas across our life.

Isaiah 6: 1-8 A question I have asked before and maybe you have asked yourself. Why are you here today, in this worship service?

Most Christians meet on the first day of the week to celebrate Christ’s victory over sin & death. We celebrate our salvation, & the promise of everlasting life. Now that’s reason for celebration! But there are chores to be done at home, books to read, movies to see, video games to play, sports to watch, and web sites to surf. What motivates us to abandon the television and postpone a visit to the beach in order to worship?

Storms Matthew 14: 22-32

Sometimes the sea is calm and the wind blows softly. But other times the wind grows strong, the sky becomes dark, and we find ourselves in the midst of a bad storm. We know that's the way life is. Today our mind is on a natural disaster: a hurricane. It could be a typhoon, earthquake, drought, volcano, flood, tidal wave, or a tornado. Insurance companies call these “acts of God,” Often, particularly down in the islands the people who are killed are the weak, the old and the helpless. Does God set out to kill the weak and the powerless? I don’t believe that.

Hurricanes are as much a part of the weather as a pleasant day in September. It is just a natural part of weather. It is a part we don’t like. These storms are destructive and they hurt and kill.

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 10:3-4, Jeremiah 1:10, 2 Timothy 4:3, Acts 7:54-60

This is a message about strongholds. A stronghold is an argument against the knowledge of God. Strongholds are of Satan and are based on the pretense of logic. There are personal strongholds in believers and non believers. There are corporate or social – strongholds, when a business, a school system, or an entity in our society embraces ungodly world views and there are strongholds in some leaders and governments.

2 Kings 5: 1-19

Naaman was the commander. He had many victories to his credit. He had a certain perception of himself as a result of his success as a warrior. I think we can tell this by how he expected to be treated and how he reacted when Isaiah did not come to him personally, but sent someone else to talk with him. We may not perceive ourselves to be a great warrior, but we all have some perception, some image in our minds of who we are