Why will God let you into heaven? Have you ever thought about that question? Over the past twelve or so years in ministry, I have asked that question of dozens of people. Common responses include: People often respond with some sort of “moral resume” in a sentiment that says, “God, will let me into heaven…
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Atheist illusionist Penn Jillette once said, “I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize. I don’t respect that at all. If you believe that there’s a heaven and hell and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life or whatever, and you think that it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially…
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No book of the Bible deals with suffering with more honesty and wisdom than this book. Today we conclude with this series by looking at the final chapters in this book. Through the first 37 chapters of Job, God has been silent. Job has not heard from God. He’s heard from his so called friends….
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This Sunday we’ll conclude a short sermon series on the book of Job. Even though the subject of suffering is a dark one, Job is able to find hope. In the midst of excruciating pain, he is able to confidently declare: “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand…
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When tragedy strikes, what do you do? You seek counseling. It may be with a professional therapist or it may be with your family and friends. Whoever it is, you seek them out primarily because you’re looking for comfort. In a few texts from Job, we’re going to look at three counseling models. Each one…
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I had no idea what 2016 had in store for the Dainsberg family. One thing I never imagined was having to accompany my four-year-old daughter in an ambulance as she was transported to Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee. I didn’t see that coming. Those were the darkest days of my life. The cloud of that horrific…
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From Matthew 2:1-12, to find joy at Christmas we need to: 1) Slow down The Magi’s question and statement is worth examining: “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Think about this statement: There aren’t clear answers…
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Many people look forward to the Christmas season with great expectations. But for some, Christmas comes and goes and leaves them feeling empty and disappointed. So how do we avoid this? How do we avoid missing Christmas? One reason Christmas disappoints is that people keep Jesus as an “appetizer” rather than making him the “main…
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“Born of the virgin Mary,” so goes many an ancient creed. Modern people can sometimes snicker at the idea, but God thought it important enough to make it a point of emphasis in the Christmas story (See Matthew 1:18-25). Why is Jesus’ birth from the womb of a virgin so important? If Jesus is just the…
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Often times, we look forward to Christmas with great expectations. But frequently, Christmas comes and goes and leaves us feeling empty; like we missed out on it. Part of the reason for that stems from what we’re looking for and how we’re trying to obtain what we want at Christmas. Imagine being the first readers…
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