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Brad's Sermons |
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| Author: | Brad Miller | Created: | 10/30/2007 2:53 AM |  | | Archive of BCC Sermons by Brad |
| Sunday August 24, 2008 "The Cost of Baptism" John 1:19-29 | |
| By Brad Miller on8/25/2008 10:22 AM | |
| So, just what was John the Baptist doing?
I think the Pharisees had a logical question. What is this thing called “baptism” and what power did it hold over these people who had experienced it? If John wasn’t the messiah, then exactly what was he doing?
Baptism is seen as a uniquely Christian event by many, but it has it’s roots in Jewish tradition. Ritual cleansing baths were required before people could take part in certain ceremonies. The Assenes, a Jewish sect that lived in the desert surrounding the Dead Sea are one of those groups who believed in ritual baths as part of their spiritual disciplines. The Assenes were thought to be the orignators of the Dead Sea Scrolls found in Qumran in Palestine in the late 1940’s and subsequent excavation has yielded much information about their daily lives and their faith practices. One of those was the use of a ritual bath, possibly as a prelude to every meal that they ate. The purpose of the daily baths is not ent ... |  | |
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| | Sunday August 17, 2008: "We Call Ourselves Disciples: People of the Book" 2 Timothy 3:14 - 4:5 | |
| By Brad Miller on8/18/2008 12:47 PM | |
| When Paul wrote the words to Timothy that we just heard, he might just as well have been writing to us. It is powerful advice that Paul passes on, and it is advice that can benefit us, just as it surely benefited Timothy those many, many years ago.
It is simple advice: remember what you have been taught and never forget the importance of the source of what you have been taught: the Holy Scriptures. Paul describes all scripture as inspired by God and always useful for the people of God undertaking God’s work. Then he goes on to explain just exactly why it is so important to hold fast to the ancient scriptures, as well as the Gospel of Jesus Christ. At the heart of the argument is the fact that people don’t always want to hear tough messages, difficult instruction. Too often we hear what we want to hear. But Paul is firm: hold fast to the teachings of scripture so that God’s kingdom might be realized on earth, so that God’s work might move forward.
In the co ... | | |
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| | Sunday August 10, 2008 "We Call Ourselves Disciples: The Good Confession" Matthew 16:13-19 | |
| By Brad Miller on8/11/2008 11:54 AM | |
| “I believe in God the father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried.
On the third day he arose from the dead, he ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father almighty. Hence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Amen”
How many of you here know what that is? Many of us grew up reciting it every Sunday in church. It is the “Apostles Creed” and has for a long, long time been one of the most succinct statements of faith in all of Christianity.
How many of you here believe every word of it?
If we were to go through the creed li ... | | |
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| | Sunday July 20, 2008 "Picking Your Spot" Acts 9:20-31 | |
| By Brad Miller on8/7/2008 2:36 PM | |
| July 20, 2008
“Picking Your Spot”
Acts 9: 20-31
We are a suspicious bunch, aren’t we?
Oh, I’m not talking specifically about you and me, but more about humans in general. And in this 21st century world, we have been taught that there is a lot to be suspicious about, haven’t we?
Personally, I’m suspicious of anyone who wants to give me something for free. Especially if they need to take my credit card number, just so it’s on file if I decide to upgrade my free stuff to something more expensive in the future.
I’m suspicious of anyone who begins a sentence with, “You, know, I like you, so I’ll tell you what I’m gonna do,”…. I am doubly suspicious of the same person that ends that same sentence with, “And I’m not gonna make a dime on this deal.”
I’m suspicious of politicians that claim that they have all the answers to correcting the economic downturn; lower gasoline prices; ... | | |
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| | Sunday July 13, 2008 "Figured It Out Yet?" Matthew 8:23-27 | |
| By Brad Miller on8/7/2008 1:51 PM | |
| This seems to be as straightforward a passage as we are going to find. It is a passage that is meant to invoke a feeling of awe. It is a passage that gives us insight into the fears that rightly gripped the disciples, and maybe us, too. It is a passage that gives us insight into just who Jesus is.
But I’m not sure it succeeds on all those points. Now, don’t get me wrong – if I really get into this story, I am in awe of the power of Jesus. If I really put myself in the boat with Jesus and the disciples, I can admit that my fear level would be just as high as the disciples. If the spray on my face and the rolling waves suddenly stopped leaving us safe and calm, I might also ask myself, “Just who is this man I am following?”
But how often do we really get in the boat? Not often enough, I think. We come to worship, we read our Bible, we say our prayers. But how often do we really spend our time sorting out just exactly who Jesus is? We are Christians, of c ... | | |
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| | Sunday July 6, 2008 "Faith Like A Child" - Message by Lauren Evans, Director of Youth, BCC | |
| By Brad Miller on7/9/2008 9:45 AM | |
| | Faith Like a child, seems a bit backward doesn’t it….Why would we want to spend our time worrying about becoming more child-like, when we have finally made it to adult hood. When I was a kid I couldn’t grow up fast enough. I wanted to drive a car like my dad and go to work and get money like my mom. I wanted to make my own rules, my own bedtime, and not have to answer to anyone. Well here I am, and I must say that some parts of being an adult are nice. I can get in my car and drive to the store if I have a sudden urge for mint chocolate chip ice cream. I can stay up late, and I don’t have to finish all of my vegetables. Why would I want to go back to being completely dependent; to wearing whatever my mom put on me, sharing my toys and having to take a nap everyday…wait a minute- a nap would be kind of nice right now.Jesus tells the disciples in Mark that the kingdom of God belongs to the little children. He goes on to say that anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter ... | | |
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| | Honoring Our Past | |
| By Brad Miller on7/2/2008 11:46 AM | |
| | I did something this morning I haven’t done for awhile. I simply took some time and walked around the church building and really looked at things. This little walk was prompted by the board meeting of last month. All of us were asked to really take a look around at the church and ask ourselves if there were things that needed our attention. Are there places that could be spruced up, repaired, updated, renovated? And then we were asked to let our “Building Enhancement Committee” what we saw and what our opinions are about renovations around the place. The committee will take all these ideas and opinions and begin to ask some hard questions: should we undertake a building enhancement renovation project? If yes, what should our priorities be? If yes, what can we afford? They are going into this with an open mind and a clean slate. Only time will tell what the outcome will be. They go into this work with the idea that we must keep our purpose of honoring, worshipping and serving God at the center of an ... | | |
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| | Sunday June 29, 2008 "The Miracle of Bartimaeus" Mark 10: 46-52 | |
| By Brad Miller on6/30/2008 10:38 AM | |
| Sometimes I think our biggest problem as humans is that we don’t always say what we mean, or do what we say. I bet all of us have been on both sides of this conversation: “How are things going with you?” “Good, thanks, and you?” “Not bad.”
But how many times when greeted this way have you wanted to really lay out was what going on: how work was a pain, how the kids have been sick, how money is tight at the end of the month…? And who knows, it may be that the person on the other side of the conversation is not really coming clean, either.
Alright, alright, it’s just social convention. No one really wants to hear about all your little ailments and aches and pains and what a jerk your boss has been.
Once a few years ago I had a few minutes between appointments and so I decided to call my father. He answered and I asked, “How are you doin’?” And he started to tell me his problems…and c’mon, I was just being polite. I started to laugh, ... | | |
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| | Sunday July 22, 2008 "The Miracle at Mt. Carmel" 1 Kings 18:20-40 | |
| By Brad Miller on6/25/2008 9:43 AM | |
| Last summer, traveling in Palestine and Israel with 18 pastors from around the United States, I was blessed to be able to visit many, many places of importance to our faith. All around Galilee, we were able to walk where Jesus walked, see with our own eyes the sites of some of Jesus greatest preaching, teaching and healing. In Bethlehem, we visited the church of the Nativity, the place of Jesus’ birth; in Jerusalem we visited the church of the holy sepluchre, site of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. We walked the Via de lo rosa, the way of the cross that Jesus walked toward his death. We sat on the beach where the resurrected Jesus made breakfast for his disciples and urged Peter to “feed my sheep.”
And we saw the places where miracles took place: the place where Mary was visited by the Angel Gabriel, where Jesus cured the Gerosene demoniac, where the paralytic man was cured by the pools of Bethsaida, where blind Bartemaias was given his sight.
So many pla ... | | |
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| | Sunday June 15, 2008 "The Miracle at Bethsaida" John 5:1-18 | |
| By Brad Miller on6/18/2008 11:11 AM | |
| What do you think the proper response to a miracle ought to be?
Well, I suppose there is no one perfect answer to that question, but in general, I would think that awe would be high up on the list. In my mind, it always seems to me that if I was to witness what I would consider to be an undeniable miracle, that I would be in awe of what God can do. And if it was a miracle that was beneficial to me, that changed my life in a positive way, I would think gratitude would be something that I would experience.
But it is not always the case.
It seems that there is sometimes a great burden to being the recipient of a miracle. Why was I saved? Why was my cancer cured? Why was I provided for in my darkest hour? What meaning do I draw from being the recipient of a miracle? What does it say about God that I was blessed in this way?
I bring this up today because on one level, the story of the Miracle at Bethsaida is a str ... | | |
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