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The Preaching Ezine (the newsletter of Preachology.com)


Issue #019, January 31, 2010

What's in this Issue:

  • Happy New Year
  • Sermon on "Jesus Is The Light of Men"
  • New sermons, outlines, and illustrations link to preachology.com!
  • You could have your own sermon web page on Preachology.com!!
  • Still Coming Soon! ...PREACHOLOGY BIBLE INSTITUTE...


Hello,

Mark Hollingsworth here. Hope you are having a great New Year so far. I certainly hope and pray you have a great and prosperous year for the glory of the Lord.

2 Tim. 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

Happy New Year!
from the Hollingsworth Family.

2 Tim. 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;


Sermon Notes:

Jesus Is The Light of Men by Jim Fryer

John 1:4-5
John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
John 1:5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

When I was a very young boy I would watch Television on Sunday mornings. There was this program that I remember that began by lighting a candle with the word something like, it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. I am not certain but I think it was “The Lutheran Hour.” I don’t remember a word of the programs but the lighting of the candle made a deep impression my little mind.

The passage we are looking at today talks about THE Light.

Notice:

1. Light has as its source life.

Jesus possesses life. He was not given life. He is life. He is the source of all life. Evolution teaches that life came from some far away source of a murky pond that after a few million or billion years life just happened to show up. Now I know that that is a little sarcastic. But there is not credible evidence that life just shows up.

There is nothing anywhere in the record of history or the history of scientific discoveries that ever shows life coming from nothing. Even though scientific research has disproved spontaneous generation, it still has to have some way for life to be “generated” from nothing. Here is the biblical position: Life comes from life. Life does not originate from Christ, he is life.

2. Life is the light to guide us.

Now if we believe that Jesus is life then we can understand how life becomes a light. What are you looking for in your every day existence? Are you not looking for things that bring significance? Can we not call that significant thing life or lifestyle?

If our search of significance takes us to some meaningful lifestyle can we not conclude that life is the source for the “guiding light” of every day existence? The Bible says, that in HIM (Christ) is life and that life becomes the light of men (who are searching for meaning).

3. The light that life gives can be rejected.

Who in their right mind would reject light if they were in the total darkness? As a young boy I visited Carlsbad Caverns. When we reached the deepest part of the caverns they would warn us that they were going to turn out the lights. When they did darkness fell on that part of the trip. I don’t mean it was dark. I mean it was D A R K !!!!

Who, being lost in that cavern, would not follow the slightest glimmer of light? The reasoning would be that the light came from its real source, that being life.

Yes, the great responsibility of all believers is to send the light into the world of darkness. In so doing you will attract those who are seeking life. This is the purpose of the next portion of scripture that tells us about John the Baptist.

Notice:

John 1:6-9
John 1:6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
John 1:7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.
John 1:8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
John 1:9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.


What's New at Preachology.com?

Let me remind you once again preachers and teachers that you can now have your own Preachology sermon web page. If you submit 15 or more sermons on the "Your Sermons" page, I will then move your sermons to a page of your own where you can continue to add sermons and invite your family, friends, and followers to view your work. When they visit your page, they can make comments about each of your sermons.

Several preachers have now submitted 15 sermons and have their own sermon web page. They have submitted some great sermons. Check them out and then get your own page!

Coming Real, Real Soon! ...PREACHOLOGY BIBLE INSTITUTE...

I was hoping to have our Bible Institute up and running in January but it looks like February because of all the details necessary to take care of to get it off the ground.

In the near, near future you can start and/or continue your ministry education right here at Preachology Bible Institute. We will have a Certificate Program and a Diploma Program, depending on whether you just want to study the Bible and receive a certificate of achievement or whether you want to pursue a diploma that can lead to a bachelor's, master's, and/or doctor's degree. Look for all the details on this ezine and on our website very soon.

There are more outlines at the "Bible Study Outlines" page where I share my skeleton outlines and there are more outlines at the "Your Skeleton Outline Page" where you can share your great skeleton outlines with all of us.

I also just recently added some more material at preachology.com on the FREE SERMON ILLUSTRATIONS page. There is also new material at the YOUR SERMONS page. There are new sermons there from several different preachers.

Go to the... Free Sermons ...page to get the new sermons and come often because we will soon add more. Take a look. There are some new sermons there now.

Subscribe to my free newsletter and receive even more sermons, outlines, notes, and ideas on a regular basis emailed directly to you. If you subscribe, you will also be able to access "The Preaching Ezine" archives where you will find even more sermon material (not on the website), sent out in the past. I'll also give you a free copy of E. M. Bounds book "Power Through Prayer."

Click here to subscribe to...The Preaching Ezine.


YOUR SERMONS, OUTLINES, and ILLUSTRATIONS:
Preachers, let's be an encouragement to other preachers by sharing our sermons and outlines and commenting positively about other preacher's sermons.

I love to read other preacher's sermons as devotionals for my own personal spiritual growth and also to get ideas for developing sermons of my own.

Go to the... Your Sermons ...page to submit your sermons and outlines and be a blessing to other preachers. There are some new sermons there right now!

Go to the... Your Skeleton Outlines ...page to submit your skeleton outlines and be a blessing to other preachers. There are some new skeleton sermons there right now!

Go to the... Your Illustrations ...page to submit your sermon illustrations and be a blessing to other preachers. There are some new illustrations there right now!


Until next time... here, there, or in the air!

Well, that's about it for now.

Do you have any comments, ideas, or feedback? I'd love to hear from you personally. You can either reply to this ezine or go to the form on the "Contact Me" page on my website and tell me what you think.

Yours for Powerful Preaching,



Mark Hollingsworth

Preachology Home Page