Stephen saw a chance to say what the Israelite leaders needed to hear. His sermon established three points:

1.Christ and His kingdom are the main point of God’s progressive plan, not the temple.
2.God has always blessed Israel throughout its history, regardless of whether it had a temple.
3.Israel has a long history of attempting to frustrate God’s plan and has always consisted of two groups: the righteous and the rebellious.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sermons-from-my-heart--2423678/support.

Matthew 14:22-33 is a story about taking a leap of faith. Peter took a leap of faith by literally getting out of the boat when he heard Jesus’ call. This same call goes out to all of us today. We are called to take a leap of faith when Jesus calls us. It means getting out of the boats that we call our comfortable lives. Peter left the safety and security of the boat to face the uncertainty of Jesus’ call. When we leave our boats, we have to keep our focus on Jesus. Peter began to sink when he took his eyes off of Jesus, and like Peter, we will fail in our mission if we lose sight of the reason for our mission-Jesus.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sermons-from-my-heart--2423678/support.

When I led a weekly worship service at a local nursing home a few years ago, I talked about memories and how they can be both good and bad, depending on the memories. I talked about how Joshua told representatives of the twelve tribes of Israel to take 12 stones from the Jordan River and make a monument after the Israelites entered the Promised Land. This monument was intended to help the Israelites remember God’s faithfulness to them during the forty years that they wandered in the wilderness.

The writer of Psalm 85 also talks about memories. Memories give us hope. For example, people who are grieving the loss of a loved one are often comforted by their memories of their loved ones. Memories let us recall with gratitude what God has done in the past, and they give us the hope that God will do good things for us again in the future. That makes our present sorrows and sufferings bearable.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sermons-from-my-heart--2423678/support.

Imagine for a moment that you're part of the crowd in the story of the miracle of the loaves and fish. You've been listening intently to Jesus' words all day. You've traveled a long distance. It's been a long day, you're tired and hungry, and you realize that you didn't bring anything to eat. You have heard Jesus tell his disciples to find food for the people. To make matters worse, you realize that the only food available to feed the people is five small loaves of bread and two small fish. You see Jesus take the food, bless it and give it to the crowd. After the meal, you see the disciples gather up the broken, leftover pieces---enough to fill twelve baskets.
God the teacher feeds our minds. He teaches us not only through His Word, but also through the priest, the celebrant, the organist and choir, the lesson readers-in fact, He teaches through EVERYONE who does his work in the church family. His teaching materials (teachings, laws, etc.) are never used up. In fact, they are multiplied because those of us who are taught by Him can go out and teach others. By doing so, we do our part to fulfill the Lord's Great Commission, namely "Go forth into the world and make disciples of all nations".

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sermons-from-my-heart--2423678/support.

Have you ever heard of the saying, “Every dark cloud has a silver lining”? If so, then the story of the loaves and fishes is a good example. Let me explain.

This story happens just after the death of John the Baptist. When Jesus heard that his cousin was beheaded, he did what some of us do when a friend or relative dies-he went off to a quiet place to think, pray and grieve. Unfortunately, to paraphrase the words of that great Scottish poet Robbie Burns, Jesus’ best laid plans were led astray by God.

You see, Jesus wasn’t the only person who was mourning the death of John the Baptist. His followers were also in mourning. They had lost their powerful leader. If he could be killed, then no one was safe-not even Jesus. They were seeking a new leader.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sermons-from-my-heart--2423678/support.

Good morning boys and girls!

Are you having a good summer? What fun things have you been doing?

Have any of you taken any trips? Are any of you planning on taking any trips this summer?

I’m going to take you on a little trip this morning. I want you to close your eyes and imagine for a moment that you're part of the crowd in the story. We’ve been listening eagerly to Jesus' words all day. We’ve traveled a long distance. It's been a long day, we’re tired and hungry, and we realize that we didn't bring anything to eat. We have heard Jesus tell his disciples to find food for the people. To make matters worse, the only food available is five small loaves of bread and two small fish. Surely that won’t be nearly enough to feed 5,000 men plus women and children! We see Jesus take the food, bless it and give it to the crowd. After the meal, we see the disciples gather up the broken, leftover pieces---enough to fill twelve baskets.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sermons-from-my-heart--2423678/support.

Memory is an important part of our lives. Our past forges our future. We celebrate national holidays so we can remember our moments of triumph and be bonded together by them again. We remember birthdays and anniversaries for the same reason. Psalm 105 is filled with the memory of what God has done.

The psalmist seeks to excite the people’s gratitude by recalling God’s goodness to them in former times. He urges us to always give thanks to God regardless of our circumstances. We are to give thanks for everything He has done in the past, especially in delivering His people from bondage into freedom. We are to rejoice because He is holy. Gratitude looks back on the many tings God has done in our lives and recalls how good and kind He has been to us, especially through trials, challenges and disappointment.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sermons-from-my-heart--2423678/support.

Have you ever tried to describe a difficult or abstract concept to someone, especially when you know that the person you are speaking to doesn’t know anything about what you are talking about? If you have, you know what Jesus is trying to do in these five parables from Matthew 13:31-33,44-52. Jesus is trying to describe the abstract concept of God’s Kingdom in terms that his audience could understand.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sermons-from-my-heart--2423678/support.

Have you ever wondered why God allows bad things to happen to his people? Well, God uses all of our circumstances to work for our good when we have faith. In other words, when we are Christ-like, God can take the negative circumstances of our lives and use them for our good, especially if using them for good fulfills his will for our lives. It’s like an oyster taking a grain of sand-something that irritates the oyster-and turning it into something of great value-a pearl.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sermons-from-my-heart--2423678/support.

Imagine for a moment that you discovered that you had a long-lost relative who made you the heir to their estate. They left you riches beyond count, your financial worries are over and you do not have to worry about the future. If that scenario happened, how would you feel? What would you do? Would you do anything differently? What would be different about your daily activities, practice, habits, and outlook? How would knowing that your future is absolutely secure change your present? This is what the Apostle Paul is describing in Romans 8:12-25

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sermons-from-my-heart--2423678/support.