Heroes & Villains in the Bible

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John Mark was at the centre of the dispute between Paul and Barnabas. What led to that, and what happened afterward that made Paul praise John Mark as one of his chief comforts and helpers? And what can we learn from Mark’s story, and the fact that he eventually wrote the gospel that bears his name?

Acts 15:36-41 (NLT) ; 使 徒 行 傳 15:36-41 (CUVS)

You can also download Pastor Ryan’s sermon notes (not a transcript).

Or, you can get real-time audio captions when you listen with these apps:

Image by Johan Bolhuis from Pixabay

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The thief who was crucified next to Jesus was a criminal, a villain. Yet through the loving sacrifice of Jesus, the hero, he was not condemned but given new life. (sermon by John McGregor)

Luke 23:32-43 (NLT) ; 路 加 福 音 23:32-43 (CUVS)
John14:1-4 (NLT) ; 約 翰 福 音 14:1-4 (CUVS)
Psalm 107:1-16 (NLT) ; 詩 篇 107:1-16 (CUVS)

There are no sermon notes for this sermon, but you can get real-time audio captions when you listen with these apps:

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Balaam was a prophet who used his gift to earn money by uttering blessings and curses. (Yes, that used to be a thing.) He also had a donkey, who was wiser than he was.

2 Peter 2:12-16 (NLT) ; 彼 得 後 書 2:12-16 (CUVS)
Numbers 22:4-6 (NLT) ; 民 數 記 22:4-6 (CUVS)

You can read more of Balaam’s story here:
Numbers 22-24 (NLT) ; 民 數 記 22-24 (CUVS)

You can also download Pastor Ryan’s sermon notes (not a transcript).

Image by Ansgar Scheffold from Pixabay

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King Uzziah is mostly known from the passage where Isaiah first sees a vision from God. But there is more to his story. Only 16 when he became king, he ruled for 52 years with the help of his advisor, Zechariah. Things went well until they didn’t …

Isaiah 6:1-3 (NLT) ; 以 賽 亞 書 6:1-3 (CUVS)
2 Kings 15:1-7 (NLT) ; 列 王 紀 下 15:1-7 (CUVS)
2 Chronicles 26 (NLT) ; 歷 代 志 下 26 (CUVS)

You can also download Pastor Ryan’s sermon notes (not a transcript).

Photo by Valario Davis on Unsplash

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Deborah is the only female prophet and judge mentioned in the Bible. She obeyed a message from God that resulted in the end of the Canaanite threat to Israel, although she was not a warrior or the one who delivered the final victory. Her heroism was in responding in faith to a call to do what she never expected.

James 1:5-8 (NLT) ; 雅 各 書 1:5-8 (CUVS)
Judges 5 (NLT) ; 士 師 記 5 (CUVS) – Deborah’s victory song
Judges 4 (NLT) ; 士 師 記 4 (CUVS) – Deborah’s story

You can also download Pastor Ryan’s sermon notes (not a transcript).

Image by Maruti Soni from Pixabay

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Are Ananias & Sapphira heroes or villains? One the one hand, they donated a lot of money to the church’s ministry of caring for the poor. On the other hand…they lied about it. Why would they do that?

Matthew 6:1-4 (NLT) ; 馬 太 福 音 6:1-4 (CUVS)
Acts 4:32-35 (NLT) ; 使 徒 行 傳 4:32-35 (CUVS)
Acts 5:1-10 (NLT) ; 使 徒 行 傳 5:1-10 (CUVS)

You can also download Pastor Ryan’s sermon notes (not a transcript).

Photo of man by 青 晨 on Unsplash
Photo of woman by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

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The Hero of the Week is Jonathan, son of King Saul, crown prince of Israel, and close friend of David, the anointed king. He is a model of genuine friendship, and this is his story.

Proverbs 18:1, 12, 19, 24 (NLT) ; 箴 言 18:1, 12, 19, 24 (CUVS)
2 Samuel 1:17-27 (NLT) ; 撒 母 耳 記 下 1:17-27 (CUVS)

You can also download Pastor Ryan’s sermon notes (not a transcript).

Photo by Duygu Güngör on Unsplash