Sermon Outline:
"What To Do When You Come Up Empty." John 21: 1-14

1.) Hear His Voice;
2.) Heed His Command;
3.) Hasten To Meet Him; and
4.) Hook Up With Others Who Know Him.

He Turns Losers Into Winners

He Turns Losers Into Winners
     John 1:35-42

Brooks and Blessings

1. Jabbok, where Jacob wrestled with God	Gen. 32:22
2. Eshcol, where the 12 spies of Israel cut down a sample of the marvelous fruit of the Promised Land	Num. 13:23
3. Sinai, the stream at the base of the mountain where Moses disposed of the golden calf Israel had made	Deut. 9:21
4. Besor, where David and his mighty men camped briefly en route to do battle with the Amalekites	1 Sam. 30:9
5. Cherith, where Elijah was fed by ravens	1 Kings 17:3-4
6. Kishon, where Deborah and Barak defeated Sisera	Judg. 4:13
7. Kidron, which the Savior crossed en route to Gethsamane	John 18:1

Willmington, H.L.: Willmington's Book of Bible Lists. Wheaton, IL : Tyndale, 1987, S. 43

Brides

1. Eve, bride of Adam, married in Eden	Gen. 3:20
2. Rebekah, bride of Isaac, married in Beersheba	Gen. 24:67
3. Rachel, bride of Jacob, married in Haran	Gen. 29:18
4. Zipporah, bride of Moses, married in Midian	Exod. 2:21
5. Ruth, bride of Boaz, married in Bethlehem	Ruth 4:13
6. Esther, bride of Ahasuerus, married in Persia	Esther 2:16
7. Mary, bride of Joseph, married in Nazareth	Matt. 1:24
8. Bride at Cana	John 2:1
9. The Church, bride of Christ, to be married in heaven	Rev. 19:7

Willmington, H.L.: Willmington's Book of Bible Lists. Wheaton, IL : Tyndale, 1987, S. 43

The Restless Seas of Time

1. Noah’s ark, used to save humanity during the Flood	Gen. 7:1
2. Moses’ ark, the tiny boat in which Moses, aged three months, was placed to escape death	Exod. 2:3
3. The ship Jonah boarded to go to Tarshish	Jon. 1:3
4. The boat James and John were in when Christ called them to follow him	Matt. 4:21-22
5. Peter’s boat, which Jesus used to preach from	Luke 5:3
6. The boat Jesus used to tell his parable on the sower and the seed	Matt. 13:2
7. The boat in which Jesus rebuked the angry sea	Matt. 8:24
8. The boat Jesus entered after walking on the sea	John 6:21
9. The boat in which Paul was shipwrecked en route to Rome	Acts 27:41

Willmington, H.L.: Willmington's Book of Bible Lists. Wheaton, IL : Tyndale, 1987, S. 41

Mountains of Faith!

Consider Preaching the Way God Moved at Various Mountains

Mountains in Scripture:

1. Arat (Genesis 8:4): Where the ark of Noah landed.
2. Carmel (1 Kings 18:19): Elijah challenged the priests of Ball
3. Ebal (Deut. 11:29; 27:9-13): Where the curses of Israel (if the people disobeyed) were pronounced; located in Samaria
4. Gerizim (Deut. 11:29; John 4:20-21): Where the blessings of Israel (for obedience) were pronounced, and where the Samaritians later build their temple: located opposite Mount Ebel.
5. Gilboa (1 Sam 31:1-6): Where Saul was defeated by the Philistines and killed along with Jonathan, his son: located on the eastern side of the Plain of Esdrealon
6. Gilead (Gen. 31:20-49): Where Jacob and Laban made their covenant; located southeast of the Galilean Sea.
7. Harmon (Matthew 17): Where Jesus was transfigured; located southwest of Nazareth
8. Hor (Numbers 20:25-29) where Aaron died; located northeast of Kadesh
9. Horeb: The Sacred Mountain chain of which Sinai was the summit; located in the peninsula between the Gulf of Aqabah and the Suez (A) Exod: 3:1 - Here Moses received his commision at the burning bush (B) Exod 17:6 - Here Moses brought water out of the rock. (C) Exod 32-33 - Here the people watied as Moses spent 40 days on Mount Sinai (D) 1 Kings 19: - Here Elijah fled from Jezebel.
   
10. Lebanon (1 Kings 5:6-14): Where the cedar and cypress timber was cut for Solomon's temple: a snowclad mountain range extending in a northeasterly direction for a hundred miles along the Syrian Coast.
11. Moriah (Gen. 22:2; 2 Chron. 3:1): Where Abraham almost sacraficed Isaac and where Solomon build teh temple
12. Nebo (Deut. 3:27; 34:1-4): The Summit point of Mount Pisgah, where Moses viewed the Promise Land; located east of teh Jordan River
13. Olives: just east of Jerusalem (A) 2 Sam 15:30 - David crossed this during his flight from Absalom (B) Luke 19:41 - Here Jesus wept over Jerusalem (C) Matt. 24-25 - Jesus preached his final discourse
14. Pisgah (Num 22-24; Deut. 34:5-6): where Balaam attempted to curse Israel and where Moses was buried; located east of the Jordan River.
15. Sinai (Exod. 20:1-17): The summit of Mount Horeb where Moses received the Ten Commandments.
16. Tabor (Judge 4:6-15): Where Deborah and Barak descnded to defeat Sisera; located in Gilee, east of Nazareth.
    

Willmington, H.L.: Willmington's Book of Bible Lists. Wheaton, IL : Tyndale, 1987, S. 209

The Lords Prayer

Matthew 6:9-13

⁹"This, then, is how you should pray:
" 'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹Give us today our daily bread.
¹²Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
[For thine is the Kingdom, and the power,
and the glory forever. Amen.]


Consider dividing up the passage by verses and preaching it.

Evidence of an encounter...

A few days ago I read Genesis 32:22-32. Here we find the story of Jacob's wrestling with God. I began to wonder during the times in my life when I have wrestled with God what have I longed for. Part of my wrestling with God, like Jacob, is a desire to be blessed. If we are honest...all of us, at one time or another, have wanted something from God.

One of the blessings that Jacob finds is amazing. God changes his name from Jacob to Israel. It is as if he generates a brand new identity as a result of his encounter. We all hopefully become "new creaters in Christ"

Also, Jacob becomes closer to God by wrestling with him. Even beyond the actual wrestling, for Jacob to ask God His name is to try and learn more of him. We all come to know God better as a result of wrestling with Him through the ups and downs of life.

However, what I have overlooked time and time again in this passage seemed to stop me in my tracks the other day. When I wrestle with God, like Jacob,I long to have evidence of my encounter with Him. In vv. 24-25 God touches the socket of Jacobs hip and he is no longer the same. When I think about it, Jacob's walk begins to change. You see the change in his name was important, but you would have to talk to him in order to find out his name. How amazing would it be if people knew we had been touched by God by the way we walked? That there was something in the way we carried ourselves that set us apart. Something about the way we lived our lives.

They say our life should be a sermon. Not one that is preached through our words but lived out through our actions. What's your walk looking like today?