Sermon Dishonesty

Judge for yourselves. Here is a sermon sample from a website:

http://www.sermonsearch.com:80/content.aspx?id=13641

(Sermon)Following is an excerpt of "Daddy, Please Slow Down (14 of 17)" by Andrew McQuitty.

This content is part of a series. Daddy, Please Slow Down (14 of 17)E. Andrew McQuitty2 Samuel 13 and 14Introduction: A. ILLUS: 1. Ruth rode on my motor-bike/ directly in back of me;/ I hit a bump at sixty-five/ and rode on ruthlessly. That catchy little poem humorously describes a not-so-funny reality in our culture: many get going so fast in life that they leave their loved ones behind--and don't even realize it until it's too late. I think that's especially true of Dads. 2. According to U.S. News and World Report (10/28/85, pp. 46-49), 53% of teenagers report spending less than thirty minutes a day with their fathers. Of 1,000 teenagers interviewed, 25% do not discuss their daily activities with their parents, 42% had not received parental words of praise during the past twenty-four hours, 50% had not gotten a hug or kiss, and 54% had not heard the words I love you.B. Fathers in the fast lane1. Why is this? Many dads are just out of time. Pressured to do all and be all--a success in his career and a leader and a husband as well as a father, the typical dad today passes himself coming and going. He's a father in the fast lane, passing everyone on the freeway of life. And then he hits a bump. Maybe it's a health crisis, a problem with one of the children, a marital infidelity. Because he's been going so fast for so long, that one bump is enough to dislodge his wife or his children or both. Suddenly, he's tooling along the road of life alone, wondering what went wrong.2. Folks, that's precisely what happened to King David in our study of 2 Samuel, He was throttling along at a high rate of speed, conquering enemies, building kingdoms, enriching his treasuries. He was phenomenally successful. He was going hazardously fast. Then, his Harley hit a bump called Bathsheba. The impact tragically impacted his family, and he rode on minus three of his sons. What caused the destruction of David's family was not primarily the bump, but the high rate of speed with which he hit it. The Lord used the bump to discipline David into being a better father. The lesson for us dads from the life is David is, simply, slow down. This morning, let's look at what life in the fast lane did to David as a father--and how we can avoid following suit. I. David's life in the fast lane caused him to be. . . A. Out of line1. Scripture: a. Review 11-12. David's great sins flowed from his lifestyle of spiritual apathy, self-indulgence, and rationalization. As we've seen, that lifestyle made him vulnerable to a pretty woman bathing on a rooftop and to the mentality that justified covering adultery with murder. b. Result: 13, 14. Amnon and Absalom merely took some pages out of their father's playbook! These two were teenagers when they saw David model manipulative and treacherous behavior, cover up his sin, deny responsibility, and ignore the hurt that resulted from his actions. Thus when Amnon saw a beautiful woman, he figured he ...
There are 15270 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 3000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $3.50 or 1 credit

***
Here is a sermon from a WELS congregation's website:

http://www.holycrosstucson.org/Sermons/fathers%20Day%202007.htm

Father's Day Back
2 Samuel 13 and 14

Daddy, Please Slow Down

How many saw the story about the man strapped in his wheel chair getting the back of it stuck in the grill of a truck. The driver unaware, and in a hurry, fired up the rig and drove off. The truck was finally pulled over, and man rescued unharmed other than the fright factor. According to U.S. News and World Report, 53% of U.S. teenagers claimed they spend less than thirty minutes a day with their fathers. 25% did not discuss their daily activities, 42% had not heard parental words of praise in the last twenty-four hours, 50% had not gotten a hug, and 54% had not heard the words I love you.Why is this? Pressured to be and do everything in their career, be the coach of the kid's team, as well as a leader in the community or their church, a parent and a spouse, we often find ourselves in the fast lane, passing everyone else on the freeway of life. And then we hit a bump. Maybe it's a health crisis, a problem with a teenager, or marital infidelity. Because we've been going so fast, for so long, that one bump is enough to dislodge the entire family. Suddenly, we are riding the road of life alone, wondering what went wrong.That's precisely what happened to King David in our study of 2 Samuel, He was conquering enemies, building kingdoms, and enriching his treasuries at a phenomenal rate of speed, until he hit a bump in the road called Bathsheba. His sin tragically impacted his family, as he rode on, minus three sons. So, this Father's Day let's look at and learn what life in the fast lane did to David as a father, as well as the mercy of our heavenly father, who used David to build the greatest earthly Kingdom Israel has ever known. The lessons are as simple as what I heard and saw from a young child being dragged through the grocery store. At the beginning of aisle 8 I heard her crying Daddy, Please Slow Down. At the end of aisle 9 I saw her smiling and sitting proudly in the cart as dad pushed her slow enough past the mac and cheese boxes so she could put some in the cart. David's life in the fast lane caused him to get out of line with scripture. Earlier, God had Samuel tell us how David's sins came directly from his spiritual apathy, self-indulgence, and rationalization. It's a lifestyle that made David prone to the temptation of adultery, and a mentality that justified covering it with murder.The result was Amnon and Absalom merely took a page out of their father's play book! They had seen David model manipulative behavior, cover up his sin, deny responsibility, and ignore the hurt he caused others. So when Amnon saw a beautiful woman, he figured why not. That was Dad's strategy? Amnon raped his half sister Tamar which angered her full brother Absalom, who remembered Dad liquoring up and murdering a man in the way of the woman David wanted. So Absalom got Amnon drunk and murdered him.Watch out parents. What we rationalize, excuse, or even practice in moderation can tempt our children to indulge in excess. David seemed to think he could live one way and raise his sons another way. Not! Children can be impressed by our words but they are impacted by our lives. When it counted, Amnon and Absalom didn't ask what would Dad say? They simply did what Dad did. David's life in the fast lane meant he was no longer communing with God, writing psalms or giving God the glory. His life was out of line with Scripture. His sons simply followed David's ungodly ways.David's life in the fast lane also caused him to be out of touch with his sons. So out of touch was David, he ended up giving them permission to perpetrate their crimes. He allowed Tamar to go to Amnon and all his sons to go to Absalom's party where Amnon died! David didn't spend enough time with his children to really know them. Being out of touch made him incapable of practicing proper discipline.Absalom hated Amnon for raping Tamar. But Absalom waited two years for his dad to be a father. Even though it said clearly in Leviticus, and Deuteronomy Amnon's rape meant he was to be stoned or exiled, David, did nothing. And what about his daughter Tamar? After her molestation, she lived the rest of her life in desolation never marrying or having children which was an ultimate defeat and disgrace. Father's apathy sent a clear message of I don't care. Absalom despaired and took matters into his own hands.David wept when he heard Absalom murdered Amnon. But David didn't see what a monster his indecisive behavior created in the heart of his son? Absalom had already lost respect for David when he did nothing to discipline Amnon for the rape. Perhaps Absalom thought the murder of David's first born son, Amnon, would at least get a rise out of Dad! But no! Absalom was crying out for discipline, limits, and strength from his father. What he got was weakness and indecision. All this only fueled Absalom's plan for a full-blown revolt against his dad.According to most o chapter 14, David would have been content never to see his son again. His solution was to become an absentee father. Besides, David was a busy man. He had more important issues to take care of than a son who didn't like him. It took Joab and his scheme with the widow to shame David into just allowing Absalom back into Jerusalem. But even then, David wouldn't see Absalom for two years after he had been gone the precious three!All together it had been seven years since Absalom had any contact with his father. When Joab, who was responsible for getting Absalom back to Jerusalem couldn't get him an audience with the King Absalom burned Joab's fields. As time progressed, Absalom's hurt at his rejection and anger over David's lack of being a father boiled up into a civil war within Israel between the supporters of Absalom and David. This led to the grisly death of Absalom when his neck got caught in an oak tree and Joab's men finished him off. Dads in the fast lane often have less contact with their children. The lack of contact minimizes the conflicts which make it seem like things are O.K. But we don't keep kids out of trouble by leaving them alone! Problems don't go away because we avoid dealing with them. They usually get worse. Parental apathy is devastating to a child. Why? Because the opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.So parents, as we get our lives back in line with scripture, remember Galatians 6:7,8, DO NOT BE DECEIVED: GOD CANNOT BE MOCKED. A MAN REAPS WHAT HE SOWS. THE ONE WHO SOWS TO PLEASE HIS OWN SINFUL NATURE, FROM THAT NATURE WILL REAP DESTRUCTION; THE ONE WHO SOWS TO PLEASE THE SPIRIT FOR THE SPIRIT WILL REAP ETERNAL LIFE. Godliness is making the outside line up with the inside. It is being what you want your kids to think you are! If we can't find, or don't make, time to shore up our own spiritual integrity, we are simply going too fast. Everyday our thoughts, words, and actions sow seeds God says will come to fruition. What seeds are we sowing? Seeds of lust, materialism, greed, bitterness and hatred? Or seeds of purity, righteousness, generosity, love and forgiveness? They all grow.Parent's, it's time we get back in touch with our children. Time alone does not heal if not accompanied by active, purposeful steps toward healing. We have to listen, and we should have something constructive to bring to the discussion. It's like the son raised by his grandparents. As a graduation present he went to see his father in N.Y. It was the first time in 20 years, since Dad divorced and left when he was 4. Walking to lunch in Manhattan the young man said, "I hear a cricket." His Dad called him crazy. But the boy insisted, reached into a concrete planter and pulled out a cricket. Dad asked, "How did you do that?" The boy said, "It all depends on what you're listening for. Then the boy took a handful of change and threw it on the sidewalk. Twenty people stopped. Ten were on their knees in seconds. The boy said, see, "It all depends on what you're listening for."Parents doing things for our children, is no substitute for doing things with our children. TV shows and movies may solve a family crisis in one sitting, but real people don't. It takes time, and lots of it. Teachable moments, heart to heart talks, and stories our children will tell their children do not occur on cue. They happen in the context of simply being together. Being together a lot! This is one where raising children and the golfers struggling this weekend have something in common. Error increases with distance. But the opposite is also true: Success increases with proximity. Show me a parent close to their child, and I'll show you an effective parent.Yes, life moves pretty fast for most of us, but if we are here today, out of control does not mean out of hope. There still is time to slow down! One of the great things about slowing down is that even when we hit a bump, nobody falls off! Parents getting their lives in line with scripture, in touch with their children as they spend time with them will still hit some bumps along the way. But having slowed down, the bump won't be fatal. We'll take our children with us down the road of life, until we enjoy eternal life together. Instead of Daddy please, how much more Godly to hear thank you Daddy for slowing down.Back

Here is the author's bio -


Bio for Andrew McQuitty
Dr. McQuitty spent his high school years in Paris, TX where his father served as Senior Minister of a Presbyterian church. He is a graduate of Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL and of Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, TX. Andy earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from Dallas Theological Seminary in 1997, receiving the C. Sumner Wemp Award in personal evangelism as well as the John G. Mitchell Award for outstanding scholarship and effectiveness in ministry. Andy has served as a youth pastor in Washington state, and as Associate Pastor of a Bible Church in Garland, TX. As Sr. Pastor of Irving Bible Church since 1987, he transitioned the church to a contemporary style of ministry with a strong emphasis on world missions and the arts. Under his leadership, IBC has grown from 300 to 1,500 in worship, with extensive children's and youth ministries. Andy is an avid reader, golfer, gym rat and writer. But his favorite pastime is passing time with his family. Andy is husband to Alice and father to Julie, Elizabeth, Bonnie, Jonathan and Jeffrey.
Find all content by this author.


***
Pastor Curt Grube lists the sermons as if they are his own. The sermon page has a link for sending the "new" ones.

Here is "In God We Trust" from the sermon website:

http://www.sermonsearch.com/content.aspx?id=25451

(Sermon)Following is an excerpt of "In God We Trust" by James Merritt. In God We Trust
James Merritt
Proverbs 3: 5-605-29-05Introduction1. At first glance, I thought it was a great victory. The past week a Federal Appeals Court ruled that the phrase "In God We Trust" on a government building, does not violate the separation of church and state. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Richmond, Virginia, ruled on May 13th that the national motto may remain on the facade of a county government building in Lexington, North Carolina.2. Then listen to what the court has to say and I am quoting Judge Robert King. "The Fourth Circuit has 'heretofore characterized the phrase 'In God We Trust' when used as the national motto on coins and currency as a 'patriotic and ceremonial motto' with 'no theological or ritualistic impact.'"3. Quite frankly, if those four words, "In God We Trust" have "no theological or ritualistic impact" then you could just have easily substituted Mickey Mouse for God.4. It raises for me a big "why?" I don't mind telling you that there are a lot of "why" questions that I carry around every day. For example:* Why are there Interstate highways in Hawaii?* Why are there floatation devices under plane seats instead of parachutes?* If a 7-11 is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, why are there locks on the doors?* Why is it that when you transport something by car it is called a shipment, but when you transport something by ship it is called cargo?* Think about that little indestructible black box they use on airplanes - why can't they make the whole plane out of that same substance?* Why is it when you are looking for an address you turn down the volume on the radio?* Why do they sterilize needles that they use for lethal injections?* Why did Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?* Why do they call it a tv set when you only get one?* Why do they lock gas-station bathrooms - are they afraid somebody is going to clean them?5. I want to raise two questions today. Why should we trust in God and if we really do trust in God, what would that mean for the way we live our lives? I am going to be very honest with you. It is a lot easier for me to stand up here and tell you to trust God than it is sometimes for me to trust God. I heard about a little boy who was envying his older brother's new bicycle and since he wanted a new bicycle too, he went to his big brother and asked him how to get one. His older brother said that he had prayed for this bicycle and he suggested that his little brother start praying for a new bicycle as well. After thinking about it for a little while, he realized his older brother was a lot better at prayer than his was, so he went back to him and said, "I've got a better idea. Why don't you just give me your bicycle and you can ask God for another one?"6. I could give you many reasons why you ought to trust God, but let me just give this one to think about. When we trust God, God guides us. God doesn't make Xerox copies ...
There are 18730 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 3000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $3.50 or 1 credit

Here is the Pastor Grube's "In God We Trust"

http://www.holycrosstucson.org/Sermons/pentecost_5_2007.htm

Pentecost 5
Proverbs 3:5-6
In God We Trust
As a country, we have a motto that appears in different places having to do with our government. You see it on documents, buildings, and on our money. "In God We Trust"Individuals and groups have worked hard in recent years to remove that phrase, but so far have been unsuccessful. As one Judge wrote, "The Fourth Circuit has 'heretofore characterized the phrase 'In God We Trust' when used as the national motto on coins and currency as a 'patriotic and ceremonial motto' with 'no theological or ritualistic impact.'"But wait a minute: If those words have no theological or ritualistic impact, why do we use them? Such a question probably belongs with, why are there interstate highways in Hawaii? If a place is open 24 hours, why do they have locks on the door? Why do they use sterilized needles for lethal injections? And if they can make an airplane's little black box indestructible, why can't they make the whole plane out of that stuff? Rather than speculating, rather than turning the 4th of July into a political rant, come with me today to the book of Proverbs as we consider trusting in God.Let me start by admitting, it's a lot easier to stand up here and tell you to trust God than it is sometimes, even for me to put it into practice. It's like the boy who envied his sister's new I Phone. Since he wanted one too, he asked her how she got it. She told him she had been praying for one, and suggested he start doing the same. He thought about it for a bit and responded, it's obvious you are a lot better at this praying thing than I am, so why don't you just give me your phone, and you pray for another.Now before we do the same with this Trust In God theme, let's get to our text. The passage we are going to look at is one of the more practical and helpful passages in all of the Bible. God used one of the wisest man who ever lived, Solomon, to record His words saying, TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND LEAN NOT ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING; IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM, AND HE WILL MAKE YOUR PATHS STRAIGHT. (Proverbs 3:5-6)There are really two simple parts to this passage - our part and God's part. Our part is trusting. God's part is guiding. When God has Solomon write TRUST IN THE LORD, He is having Solomon use a Hebrew word that literally means to "to lie down on" or "to stretch out on." For example last night when we went to bed, what did we do? Did we cautiously approach our bed, poke it a little to see if was real? Did we first put one foot in and wait to see if it would hold us. I suspect we simply laid down, stretched out, with our full weight on the mattress, never giving it a second thought. That is the same approach we take when it comes to trusting God.Thus God finishes the first phrase TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART. We are to put our whole heart into trusting God, because if our trust is only half-hearted, what is the other half? Doubt. There really is no such thing as half-hearted trust. You either trust God totally or you don't really trust God at all.We all know what an important part trust plays in relationships if they are going to hold together. If one spouse doesn't trust the other one that marriage is in for some rough sailing. It's like fictitious story about Adam and Eve. It starts out like Genesis where Adam wakes up one day to find this beautiful woman God had given him called Eve. Everything was fine until Eve began to get suspicious about Adam staying out late. She confronted Adam, asking him if there might be another woman involved? Adam assured her she was only one God had made for him. Not satisfied with his answer she tossed and turned till Adam fell asleep. When he awoke he found Eve poking him in the chest counting his ribs.There is a reason why God demands total trust and that is because, He deserves nothing less. Think about it. His Holiness makes it impossible for Him to fool us, because He cannot lie. His infinite wisdom makes it impossible for Him to fail us. He cannot make a mistake. Trusting in Him will never let us down.We are also told, LEAN NOT ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING.(Proverbs 3:5)This part of the verse centers around the Hebrew word "shan-ann", which means "to support yourself by leaning on something or someone else." While God never suggests we simply put our mind in neutral or ignore common sense, he is saying do not support yourself, do not build your whole life simply around what we think or what we feel we ought to do.For whenever we put what we think ahead of what God says, we will be walking in darkness, not the light. God has Solomon add in v.7 DO NOT BE WISE IN YOUR OWN EYES. (Proverbs 3:7) And there is a reason for this statement. God explains it through Jeremiah in chapter 10 where the prophet declares, I KNOW, O LORD, THAT A MAN'S LIFE IS NOT HIS OWN; IT IS NOT FOR MAN TO DIRECT HIS STEPS. (Jeremiah 10:23) In other words, anytime we decide we are going to take matters into our own hands, call our own shots and leave God totally out of it, we are headed for disaster.Any of us who have been around for a few years have learned the Godly thing to do may not always be the reasonable thing to do, or what somebody else thinks you ought to do. People thought Noah was crazy to build a boat on dry land. Who didn't question Joshua marching around Jericho seven times. When David fought Goliath, Saul wanted him to use a sword and a shield, but God gave him a sling shot and a rock. But not one of these great heros of faith were disappointed in the outcome of trusting in God, and neither will we be.IIGod seals this deal when He has Solomon write in v.6 IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM, AND HE WILL MAKE YOUR PATHS STRAIGHT. I hope we didn't miss the emphasis here? We are to acknowledge the Lord in all our ways. That means, in our social, financial, recreational, vocational life, and personal life, we are to acknowledge God.The word "acknowledge" literally means to "recognize" or "to see". Simply put, in every part of life, look for God. It doesn't matter whether we are going to play or pray, work or worship, go on vacation or to our vocation, acknowledge the Lord? It's about letting God be seen through us. It's about letting God speak through us. It's about God working through us.Even though the promise, HE WILL MAKE YOUR PATHS STRAIGHT may seem conditional, it isn't. As our Epistle reading reminded us, YOU ARE ALL SONS OF GOD THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS. There is that trust thing again. And then the rest of the verse, FOR ALL OF YOUR WHO WERE BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST HAVE CLOTHED YOURSELF WITH CHRIST. Trusting totally in the Lord, or Clothed with Christ, HE WILL MAKE YOUR PATHS STRAIGHT.Think about that for a moment - We can live our life on one of three levels. Level 1 is - I do what I want to do, which is where most of the world lives today. Level 2 is - I think I do what I ought to do, which is where a lot of Christians live today, but that is not the highest level. The highest level is - I do what God leads me to do. That comes from this ultimate trust in Him.One last example comes from the connections some of you have with the Air Force, Navy, or other branch of the military. An aircraft carrier is one of the tiniest landing strip a pilot will ever negotiate, and it's always, to some degree, a moving target. The real key to a successful landing is not the captain of the ship, it's not the technology of the plane, or the pilot, but the LSO officer, usually an experienced pilot who observes the incoming planes and signals the pilot at the last minute to set it down, or to pull back on the stick and try again. Pilots must put themselves totally in the hands of the LSO. For us who are HEIRS ACCORDING TO THE PROMISE (Galatians 3:29) life is like waking up everyday on the deck of the U.S.S. God. Some days the sailing is smooth. Other days we fly through some real turbulence. But every day we carry our cross or, IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM. (Proverbs 3:6) We don't LEAN ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING (Proverbs 3:6) Instead, every day, including our last one we trust in the divine LSO THE CHRIST OF GOD (Luke 9:20 ) Peter confessed in our Gospel reading. He will see to it our trust in and commitment to His ways leads to a safe landing every time.

***

Here is the bio for James Merrit, who wrote the sermon -

Bio for James Merritt
A 21st century prophet, Dr. James Merritt, pastor of Cross Point Church near Atlanta, Georgia and host of the television broadcast Touching Lives. Sharing God's powerful message through a powerful medium, Dr. Merritt's purpose remains to bring lost souls to a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. Powerfully saved at the age of nine and accepting the call to preach at the age of twenty-one, Dr. Merritt received his undergraduate degree from Stetson University and his Master of Divinity and Doctorate of Philosophy degrees from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. In June of 2000, Dr. Merritt was elected as President of the Southern Baptist Convention which currently hosts a membership of well over 15.8 million individuals and over 40,000 churches across the United States. Dr. Merritt has also previously served on numerous committees for the Southern Baptist Convention including Chairman of the Executive Committee and the President of the Southern Baptist Convention's Pastors Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Each week, viewers from around the country listen to the pure and simple presentation of the gospel message. Dr. Merritt's messages resound with a resonating call for personal evangelism and are characterized by their expository instruction. Delivering the transforming gospel, Dr. Merritt applies its relevance to your life!
Find all content by this author.