Ccr Sermons

The Reality of Christmas Part Two: Death & Resurrection By Louie Marsh, 12-18-2022   Intro. Last slide bad santa   “7but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:7–8, ESV)   1) Jesus became a SERVANT to save me.   “7but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. (Philippians 2:7, ESV)   2) He did this by BECOMING a human being.   . 8And being found in human form… (Philippians 2:8a ESV)   Notice the choice of the verb, not was, but became: entered into a new state. Likeness. The word does not imply the reality of our Lord’s humanity, as μορφή form implied the reality of His deity. That fact is stated in the form of a servant. Neither is εἰκών image employed, which, for our purposes, implies substantially the same as μορφή. See on Col. 1:15. As form of a servant exhibits the inmost reality o

THE REALITY OF CHRISTMAS Part One: Christmas Is Serving, Phil. 2: 5-7a By Louie Marsh, 12-11-2022   Last Intro slide – mustache!   Intro.  Today we start our Christmas series of sermons by looking at what Christmas is supposed to be all about!  Remember that when you look at Christmas from a Biblical point of view you aren't concerned with what day or month it took place - since we aren't told that.  Instead you are concerned with what happened - and what it means.   CHRISTMAS =  SERVICE   1) Christmas means I should THINK like Jesus   “5Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,” (Philippians 2:5, ESV)   “16“For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16, ESV)   “2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2, ESV)   2) Christmas means I should ACT like Jesus.   Do no

3 Tough Questions Part 3 Did Jesus REALLY Rise From the Dead? By Louie Marsh, 12-4-2022   Christmas series - slides   “11and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”” (Acts 1:11, ESV)   1) ASK the right questions.   “18“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18, ESV)   Is there LIFE AFTER DEATH? “19For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. 20All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. 21Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth?” (Ecclesiastes 3:19–21, ESV)   2) REALIZE that this is perso

3 Tough Questions #2 Is Jesus the ONLY Way? By Louie Marsh – 11-27-2022   Today we’re going to talk about the ONE thing about Christianity that bothers people the most today! Nice religious teachings are ok – but saying Jesus is the only way to God – That’s offensive!  So lets look at it!   “6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, ESV)   1) Do All Roads LEAD TO GOD?   Today the Politically Correct thing to say is YES – but that’s not what Jesus said – and that breaks the one sacred rule in our culture – you must never be intolerant!!  Why does Jesus Say this – why are we told to worship the one true God – not the mush God of popular culture?   Other Religions say, "I'll show you how to find the truth."                 Jesus says, "I AM  the truth!"   Other Religions say, "I'll show you the way to salvation." Jesus says, "I AM  the way to salvation!"   Other Religions say, "I'll show you how to become enlightened.” Jesus

3 Tough Questions Why Does God Allow Evil? Louie Marsh, 11-20-2022     Mao Zedung Born: December 26, 1893 Died: September 9, 1976, Beijing, Responsible for between 40 and 80 million deaths – most scholars settle around 65 million deaths.   Joseph Stalin Born: December 18,1878 Died: March 5, 1953, Kuntsevo Dacha, Moscow Responsible for between 6 and 23 million people dying.   Adolph Hitler Born: April 20, 1889, Died: April 30, 1945, Berlin, Nazi Germany Responsible for at least 17 million deaths.   TOTAL – OVER 100 MILLION!   HOW CAN YOU BELIEVE IN A GOD WHO LET’S THIS HAPPEN?   Where Does Evil Come From?   1) Satan decided to REBEL against God.   “13You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; 14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’” (Isaiah 14:13–14, ESV)   2) We have DECIDED to go our own way.   “4But the serpent said to the woman, “Y

Life Under the Sun Part 12: The End of the Matter By Louie Marsh, 11-13-2022     1) SERVE GOD  while you can.   “1Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”;” (Ecclesiastes 12:1, ESV)   George Gallup has pointed out that if you were born in 1900 you would barely outlive your midlife crises - the average lifespan then was 47 years old! The father born in 1940 found the odds against his making it to retirement as the average life span was 63 years of age. But if you were born in 1980 you can expect to live until you are 73 years of age   “35So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.” (John 12:35, ESV)   2) GET READY to deal with the challenges of aging.   “2before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return

Life Under the Sun, Pt. 11 How to Enjoy a Meaningful Life By Louie Marsh, 11-6-2022     I Need to Be…   Be BOLD Be JOYFUL Be GODLY   How to Enjoy a Meaningful Life   1) Instead of trying to control everything – GIVE CONTROL to God.   “1Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.” (Ecclesiastes 11:1, ESV)   2) Instead of being a tightwad – be GENEROUS!   “2Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.” (Ecclesiastes 11:2, ESV)   3) Instead of drifting – be PURPOSEFUL!   “3If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie. 4He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.” (Ecclesiastes 11:3–4, ESV)     4) Instead of Doubting God – DOUBT YOUR DOUBTS!   “5As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God wh

Life Under the Sun, Pt. 10 Steps to Christlikeness By Louie Marsh, 10-30-2022 Drop Kick Me Jesus (Through The Goal Posts Of Life.) Written by Paul Charles Craft I Don't Care if it Rains or Freezes 'Long as I Have My Plastic Jesus Sittin' on the Dashboard of my Car a.k.a. "Plastic Jesus" by Ernie Marrs I've Been Roped And Throwed By Jesus In The Holy Ghost Corral. I Went Back to My Fourth Wife for the Third Time and Gave Her a Second Chance to Make a First Class Fool Out of Me by Rev. Billy C. Wirtz Hand me the Pool Cue and Call Yourself an Ambulance (- it’s not real) Things aren’t always what they seem. The same is true of us. A story from American Indian folk lore – a brave one day found an eagle’s egg had fallen out of its nest, since he couldn’t reach the nest he decided to put the egg in the next of a prairie chicken. After a while the eagle hatched and was raised by the mother prairie chicken to be one of her brood.           The eagle lived his life thinking and acting just like a prairie chicken, not

Life Under the Sun Pt. 9 Living a Life that Works! By Louie Marsh, 10-23-2022     4 PHILOSOPHIES OF LIFE THAT DON’T WORK: MATERIALISM WOKE HUMANISM FATALISM   GOD’S WAY DOES WORK!   1) God is there & HE CARES for me!   “1But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God. Whether it is love or hate, man does not know; both are before him.” (Ecclesiastes 9:1, ESV)   2) God has only given me so much TIME.   “2It is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean, to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As the good one is, so is the sinner, and he who swears is as he who shuns an oath. 3This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all (Ecclesiastes 9:2–3a, ESV)   3) God says evil lurks in MYHEART.   . Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live,

Life Under the Sun, Pt. 8 How To Influence People Wisely By Louie Marsh, 10-16-2022   1) I’ll keep my mind CLEAR by focusing on Christ.   “1Who is like the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing?... (Ecclesiastes 8:1a, ESV)   There’s nothing better than being wise. Knowing how to interpret the meaning of life. Eccl. 8: 1a (Mes)   Example of Unclear Mind that needs focus on Christ – The Scales of Good and Evil Cliff Pickover Clifford A. Pickover received his Ph.D. from Yale University's Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. He graduated first in his class from Franklin and Marshall College, after completing the four-year undergraduate program in three years. His many books have been translated into Italian, German, Japanese, Brazilian, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, and Polish. The Good! Buddha Baha'u'llah - Baha'is Dalai Lama Jesus Christ Moses Mother Theresa Abraham Lincoln Martin Luther King Mohandas Gandhi Carl Djerassi -- "Father of the birth control pill."   2) I must have the J

Life Under the Sun Part 7: Some Wise Advice By Louie Marsh, 10/9/2022 Intro – pics – last one church pic How To Follow Jesus   1) I should focus on my CHARACTER not my appearance.   “1A good name is better than expensive perfume… (Ecclesiastes 7:1, GW)   This is hard – story of my dirty shirt in college and the solution! Appearance means not your clothes but the way you appear outwardly – station in life, looks, job, titles, society, etc.   2) Being with God is better than BEING HERE!   “1…the day of death than the day of birth. 2It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.” (Ecclesiastes 7:1–2, ESV)   …the day you die is better than the day you are born.  It is better to spend your time at funerals than at festivals. For you are going to die, and you should think about it while there is still time. Eccl. 7:1b-2 (NLT)   I'm torn between two desires: Sometimes I want to live, and sometimes I long to go

Life Under the Sun, Pt. 6 When Things Are Going Well… By Louie Marsh, 10-2-2022 Introduction – Malawi Trip   In the Old Testament when did Israel get into the most trouble? When things were going well, not when things were going bad. There’s a lesson there!   1) REMEMBER God is in Control!   “1There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it lies heavy on mankind: 2a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them, but a stranger enjoys them. This is vanity; it is a grievous evil.” (Ecclesiastes 6:1–2, ESV)   2) RECOGNIZE that enjoyment is a gift of God.   “7All the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied.” (Ecclesiastes 6:7, ESV)   We work to feed out appetites; Meanwhile our souls go hungry. Eccl. 6:7 (Mes)   3) RESIST complacency.   Without God Truth is…   DEBATABLE   “8For what advantage has the wise man over the fool? And what does the poor man have who knows how to conduc

The first sermon in a three-part sermon series from Hebrews 11. This sermon focuses on Sarah and her story in Genesis 11-25. 

Life Under the Sun Part 5: How to Really Grow Spiritually By Louie Marsh, 9-4-2022   Malawi pics = last one hand washing.   TO REALLY GROW SPIRITUALLY I MUST DO 5 THINGS   1) Drew near & LISTEN.   “1Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil.” (Ecclesiastes 5:1, ESV)   WHY? Because God is   “14For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it.” (Job 33:14, ESV)   “Everything happening, great or small, is a parable whereby God speaks to us, and the art of life is to get the message.” - Malcolm Muggeridge     “19Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:19, ESV)   “Everything difficult indicates something more than our theory of life yet embraces.” - George MacDonald       2) Speak less, LISTEN more!   “2Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be

Life Under the Sun Part 4: Focus on What Really Counts By Louie Marsh, 8-28-2022   Opening slides – last one coffee machine.   THREE OPENING QUESTIONS:   1) Am I telling myself THETRUTH about possessions?   “1Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them. 2And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive. 3But better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 4:1–3, ESV)   “15And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”” (Luke 12:15, ESV)   2) Am I heeding GOD’S WARNINGS about priorities?   “4Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after