Sermon
Notes

Brian Thiel

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Since 2009 about 50 new sermons every year have been preached at Grace Christian, mostly within  a 30 minute time span.  I try to notice when too much squirming is going on and wrap things up.  Surely, few readers would care to read 700+ sets of sermon notes.  So the ones listed below are simply a few examples of the many series that have been preached.

All of these sermon notes should be read as a memoir of one preacher's spiritual journey through the scriptures.  These are examples how Christians in this age can be guided the Bible teachings to be loyal to our calling in Jesus Christ.

The congregation's involvement in reading the Bible passages takes place on all Sundays when any participant who cares to do so reads aloud from their own choice from the dozens of translations that are published.

For both copyright and practical reasons, the various passages of the Bible that were read aloud cannot be reproduced here, so you are encouraged to secure versions (translations) of your choice for your own reading.  One neat way to compare scores of different translations is go online to BibleGateway.com. I use it for nearly every sermon to help locate a reading that seems to connect the author's idea with today's readers. Sometimes comparing the different readings helps us all grasp the idea more fully.  And... some versions seem to be more suited to silent reading while others are easier to read aloud in public. It is a great blessing that these many biblical translations in English have been published.

Thanks for checking out these pages. I hope it stimulates you to always investigate the Word of God for yourself and never to just count on what somebody else says it says.  By doing it that way you may find your own insights far exceed the ones I have expressed here.  

In my teens and twenties at Bible College and Seminary I studied Greek and Hebrew and actually translated myself (under the professor's tutelage) John's Gospel and the book of Ruth.  But that is equivalent only to being able to read a 'Dick and Jane went up the hill' kind of elementary reader.  It does, however, help in researching the original message an author was telling in his language and which the translators have so studiously and skillfully given to all of us in our tongue. --BT

Jesus' Way Is Like No Other Way

This series mostly follows John's gospel as he describes the personal encounters Jesus had with a variety of people.  All of those encounters continue to be contemporary and full of meaning for every Christian or anyone inquiring about Jesus' Way. Here are some examples (PDFs) you can download from the series.

• Leaving Everything Behind   
      Matthew (Levi) & Zacchaeus
• Are You Sure You Are Saved?  
      How to Tell and Not Leave any Big Questions Unanswered
• Jesus-Beyond Expectations 
      The crippled man at the pool for 4 decades

The apostle Paul and later the apostle John write passionate letters the churches of the Roman province of Asia (modern Turkey) when they were being accosted with false teachings in a time that was devoted to highly sensuous paganism.

Those times were similar to the rampant immorality of our times.  But a difference is the severity of the opposition Christians then.  It was much worse compared to what Americans have endured, so far.  However, Christians in other places in our times are experiencing intense opposition, severe persecution and some cases of martyrdom.

A sobering fact is this... being a loyal Christian typically makes a person seem like a kook or worse an actual heretic to the prevailing culture and sometimes a traitor to the rulers.  We all gotta' deal with it.

1. Protected by God - Ephesians 6:10-20
2. Lavished with God's Gifts - Ephesians 1:3-14
3. Knowing Christ Changes... US - Ephesians 1:15-23, 4:1-3
4. Togetherness Versus Correctness - Ephesians 2
5. Powerless Off the Grid -  Ephesians 3

1. Don't Put Too Much Stock in Circumstances
       Philippians 1:12-20, etc.
2. Appreciate Everything
       Philippians 1:3-9, 3:7-9, 4:11-13
3. Whose Are You? Slaves & Saints
       Philippians 1:1, 2:7, Isaiah 42:1, 53:12  
4. Choosing What NOT To Be
       Philippians 2:5-11, Mark 9:2-9, Joshua 24:14-27  

The Great Invasion is about "God's intentional intervention into human history and how that affects all mankind. Sermons with similar themes have been preached during the Christmas and Easter seasons over the years.

1. An Ancient Plan
2. Centuries of Preparation
3. The Big Surprise
4. A Tragic Failure (Or An Unlikely Victory)
   All four of the above are combined in one large PDF file (444K).
       You can download the whole group here.
   
5. The Darkest Day in All History -- Palm Sunday
6. No Bones About It  --  Easter Sunday
7. The Final, Enduring Victory: Life Without Fear -- Sunday After Easter
8. Ancient Prophecy, Mysterious Sign  --  Christmas

Glory of the Ordinary

This series was about many lesser known people of the Bible who are wonderful examples of faithful living and serve as great role models. The Bible does not glorify people, it tells the plain truth about all of them. However, there are elements of the lives of these people where they showed faith, courage, self-control, and other virtues that are important to know about for all of us today.  All these people can serve as realistic models for us, who also have our shortcomings and are not going to be rich, famous or powerful either!

From these titles, can you tell which Biblical person is the subject of the message?  Have your Bible handy to look up the Scripture texts, because that is the most important thing to for you to do... reading it for yourself in God's word.

1. The Glory of the Ordinary
2. Little Things Mean a Lot
3. A Woman Who Said, "I Will Go, NOW!"
4. The Fox Who Outfoxed the Fox
5. The Girl Who Wouldn't Go Home
6. A Family That Welcomed 'Outsiders'
7. Who Was Little Jimmie?
8. The Man Who Prepped His Cousin
9. Remembered for Her Wisdom Not Her Past
10. The Farmer Reformer
11. Truth Seekers Willing to Change
12. Friends for Life (and More)