Bufe Karraker's Sermons

Bufe talks about how to check messengers today who say they have a new message from God. He points out how we need to stick with the scriptures. Jesus is the bringer of abundant life, he is the restorer of our relationship with God, and he is the only Savior that can save us from our sins. Bufe talks about a recent scare he had when he had kidney stones. Half way through the audio, the children's group present an advent program with music. The children's choir leader sings the solo, 'And the Gift Goes On.' I apologize that the audio stops abruptly at the end. 1 John 4

Bufe sees us locked in a war. A common problem is the spiritual immaturity of Christians today. Bufe talks about King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles with a vast army coming his way. Listen to see how the king reacted and what he did about it. Are you a mature Christian? Do you praise the Lord just around believers or also around unbelievers? Or does your pride get in the way? Or does your unbelief stop you from praising the Lord? Do you have the wrong perspective and then can't praise God? Bufe gives us 5 praise builders in the prayer of Jehoshaphat. John 14:1-14, 2 Chronicles 20

Bufe tells a true story about WWII and quotes some Shakespeare at the beginning about the Tides of Life. Are you bound in the shallows or are you lifted up when the power of the tide is moving? Bufe talks about Jesus and his disciples in Gethsemane after the Last Supper. Jesus asked Peter, James and John to stay up with him and pray. Instead they fell asleep The tide of opportunity was there and they missed it. They missed the opportunity to grow in character, to grow as children of God and to grow in friendship with Jesus. They missed the opportunity to serve Him. How easy for us to be so busy in what we are doing that our priorities aren't straight. Or we put off a decision for Christ. Matthew 26

Bufe talks about Romans 6 and our freedom from the power of sin which is now dead as a result of belief in Jesus Christ.  The benefits include holiness and everlasting life.  Bufe encourages us by the fact that apostle Paul wrote Romans and Paul wrestled with life and sin.  Bufe talks about justification - God sees me just as if I never sinned.  He also talks about sanctification which is an on-going process that will never end while you are on this planet.  It is a process of being willing to allow God to be in charge of our lives and allowing the new nature to function in a way that pleases the Lord.  We are to be no longer slaves to sin, but slaves to righteousness.  If God is for us, who can be against us?   Romans 6-7, Romans 8:31-39

This was the Sunday after Easter.  Bufe talks about the power of the Gospel.  The good news brings people into a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  There is only one way to God and that is through Jesus Christ.  The gospel exposes the inadequacy of human wisdom.  Everything we need is found in Jesus Christ.  The Truth is a person and that person is Jesus Christ.   Romans 5, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, Ephesians 2

Bufe talks about Jesus after the resurrection.  The disciples were gathered in a room with the doors locked 8 days after the resurrection.  Thomas was the only disciple who had not seen Jesus yet and refused to believe until he, himself, saw Jesus and touched him.  Bufe talks about Thomas' encounter with Jesus after the resurrection and what Jesus said to him.   Thomas believed because he saw Jesus.  Millions of us believe even though we didn't see Jesus.  Bufe says it would be good to reflect on why we believe that Jesus rose from the dead.  Bufe mentions the book by Frank Morrison, "Who Moved the Stone?"  We all have free will and many of us can choose not to believe even though there are compelling reasons to believe in the resurrection.  And even those who say they believe, don't live like they do believe.  Bufe talks about some of the reasons we do believe in the resurrection.  There are 2 ways to look at the world around you - you can look at all the pain and problems in the world - or you can look at the world with Easter as the starting place.   Luke 23, Matthew 27, 1 John 3, 2 Peter 3:9, 1 John 4

At that time there were between 17 and 20 million unmarried women in the US.  I'm sure there are more.  And millions of unmarried men.  And this type of population was showing annual growth.  The most common view around the church at that time is that marriage is best and to be married is normal.  Singles are incomplete and unfinished.  Bufe helps us look at it in another way using biblical references.  Jesus talks about blood families and spiritual families.  Very interesting moment where Bufe talks about my brother, Phil, who was raising his daughter by himself after a divorce.  Bufe points out Jesus, Lazarus, Mary and Martha are all single.  Bufe talks about the different Greek words for love and their meanings.  Bufe gives 5 guidelinbes for singles:  1. Seek God's total plan for your life.  2. Live with quality now.  3. Cultivate deep, caring relationships.  4. Be cautious about marrying.  5. Stay morally and sexually pure.  Guidelines for the Church: 1. Value the singles.  2. Develop sensitivity toward singles.  3. As a church, we need to integrate singles into the full fellowship.  4. Involve singles in your social circles.  Bufe talks about loneliness at the end of this message.  We are all lonely, because we've all been kicked out of Eden.   Mark 3, Philippians 4:11-13

Bufe quotes 3 secular sources, a Conservative Mind by Russell Kirk in 1953, Psychology Today Magazine in April 1989, "Wealth, Can You Ever Have Enough?" and Eric Severeid's article in 1967 in Look Magazine where he quotes Edmund Burke.  Bufe talks about first taking care of your relationship with God and the only way to do that is through the Lord Jesus Christ.  Having had that change of life, we need to look at the authenic goodness of a man when he walks with God.  Jesus was the answer to the world's problems in 1989 and he's the answer to the world's problems today!    Galatians 5:16-26

This was Palm Sunday in 1991.  Bufe looks at Jesus' final week in life.  He talks about the Sanhedrin Court made up of Pharisees and Saducees.  He shares the 'prophecy' of Caiphus, "Let this one man die for the people.  Why should the whole nation perish?".  Bufe talks about there being a right time, The Passover, for Jesus to die on the cross.  He explains what Passover was and why the people celebrated it every year.  Bufe talks about the dinner a few days before Jesus' death with risen Lazarus at the dinner.  He talks about the love of Mary for Jesus when she washed Jesus' feet with her hair and annointed them with expensive perfume.  Bufe talks about Palm Sunday and the triumphal entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem.  He points out, according to a census, the number of lambs killed at Passover were 256,500 and the minimum number of people covered by one lamb's blood were 10, so at least 2,564,000 people were there. John 11, John 3, Psalm 118, Zeccharia 9:9, John 8:12  

Christians are living letters from Christ.  God gives us the power to tell others about God's grace and love.  Our only power and success comes from God.  Bufe talks about Moses and how he led the people out of Egypt.  He talks about how Moses' face would shine with the glory of God after speaking with God.  If Moses' face shined during the time of the Law, shouldn't our faces shine even more in the age of Grace with the Holy Spirit living within us?  Do you brightly reflect the wonderful glory of God? 2 Corinthians 3-4, Exodus 34  

Bufe looks at the clues of the emotional state of Jesus as He nears the cross.  He wept, He hurt, His impending death was like the ticking of a time bomb inside Him.  Pain is pain and Jesus felt it in His anxiety.  Anxiety causes us to cry out to the Lord.  But Jesus also had compassion for others during that time.   Mark 13, Hebrews 5:7

Bufe shares Four Great Notes of the Christian Faith which includes the reality of the resurrection being key to your belief in Jesus.  Also, the cross was a necessity.  Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins.  And the message of salvation should be sent throughout the world.   Luke 24, Isaiah 53, Acts 2:38  

The subtle influences of the New Age Movement are with us every day.  Word had recently leaked out that Ronald and Nancy Reagan were into astrology.  Bufe talks about how easy it is for us to slip into the mystical and experiential and not stay focused on the reality.  You can approach truth from two angles.  You can be concerned about content only.  You can approach truth from the other extreme, only experience.  You need both.  Bufe talks about the Definition of the New Age Movement, the Deception of the New Age Movement, and the Defense against the New Age Movement.  He talks about the New Age Consciousness that the New Age Movement preaches.  Wholistic, Synergistic, Networking, Oneness, Energy, Transformation are words that they use.  Shirley McClain wrote the book "Out on a Limb" where she says we are co-creators with god.  She believes that we are all gods.  Bufe suggests we read Unmasking the New Age by Douglas Groothuis.  He says that the New Age Movement believes:  1. Everything is one.  2. All is god. God is an impersonal energy force.  3. We are god.  4. There needs to be a change in consciousness.  We need to be enlightened.  5. All religions are one.  Christ is replaced with Christ-consciousness.  6. There is cosmic evolutionary optimism in the New Age.  As Christians, our hope for the world is for the individuals and them coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  The New Age has its roots in the Garden of Eden - promises that you will not die (reincarnation) and that you will be like god.  Bufe talks about the book "Chariots of the Gods" and how it was influenced by New Age Movement.  The book, "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" was influenced by the New Age Movement.  A Course in Miracles is a part of the New Age Movement.  The Mormon religion was started with the same message, you can become a god.  As Christians, the scripture teaches man was created in God's image, but man has a downside - Man is separated from God.  We see Jesus as the God-Man.  God is the designer and creator and He holds us accountable because He is the creator.  We believe the Bible is truth revealed by God to man.  We need to know our creator personally.   Ephesuians 6:12, Genesis 3, 2 Corinthians 11, 2 John 7, John 16:8, Hebrews 9:27

This is the Sunday after Bufe's son, Randy (RD), died.  Randy was very gifted in the area of music, playing the piano, singing, arranging, and had been working at the church as music director.  Bufe thanks all the people who expressed their love and concern during that difficult time.  Bufe opens his heart to the congregation and shares how children of God have great strength during the most difficult times.  He talks about healing and faith in God's healing.  He talks about coming back to the Word of God and believing that God is sovereign, God is in charge.  We can ask God to heal us or others, but we need to remember that God knows the end from the beginning, He knows the whole story and we need to trust Him in the answer to our prayer.  Bufe reminds us that we cannot get out of this world alive.  Death is the last enemy of every person on this earth.   Bufe tells a story about Chuck Estabrook, a friend, who was affected deeply by the death of Bufe's daughter in 1969.  Chuck dedicated his life to the Lord and affected many young lives through Youth for Christ.  The deciding issue with how you react to the death of a loved one is faith.  Bufe also tells the Christians they need to pay attention to their responsibilities as a Christian.   1 Corinthians 15:50-58, Romans 10

Bufe tells the story about Artful Eddie, a lawyer during prohibition, part of the Al Capone gang.  It's a story about a father and son and the risky love of the father for his son.  Bufe talks about the last week of Jesus' life.  It was at a dinner party in Bethany.  It was the home of Simon the healed Leper.  A woman came in and poured expensive perfume on Jesus.  Bufe asks us to look at 4 people: Simon the healed Leper, Lazarus who had been raised from the dead, Jesus, and the woman with the perfume.   When was the last time you did something risky in the name of love?  The impulsive things in life sometimes open great doors.  Bufe ends with the end of the story of Artful Eddie. Matthew 26, John 11, 1 John 5

Bufe talks to the men during this service.  The Christian ethic is the reciprocal ethic.  There are obligations and responsibilities for a Christian husband.  Before the gospel came, women had no rights unless you were royalty.  Today most men don't have any training before becomiong husbands.  But the Word of God has something to say about how husbands should treat their wives.   Men are to be understanding of their wives and thoughtful of their needs.  Husbands are to honor their wives as the weaker sex.  Treat her with value and esteem.  Don't take your wife for granted.  Remember your wife has equal spiritual rights.  She is your full partner is receiving God's blessings.  If men fall short in these responsibilities, their prayers will not be answered.   Bufe also points out when you are loving your wife, you are loving yourself.  He ends the message talking about forgiveness, how God forgives us and we need to forgive each other.   1 Peter 3, Matthew 6, Ephesians 4, Ephesians 5

Bufe talks about the mercy of God.  Most of us don't think too much about the mercy of God in the Old Testament.  We tend to think it is shown more in the New Testament but it is also in the Old Testament.  Bufe tells about Moses and the people in the wilderness.  We need to understand the justice of God to understand the mercy of God.  Bufe talks about 3 Hebrew words for mercy that God uses in Exodus 34.  God's love is constant and unconditional.  God displayed that love in the New Testament by sending His Son to die on the cross for our sins.  The dilemma to understanding Jesus' death on the cross is understanding that it is at the cross that justice and mercy meet.   Exodus 32-34, Isaiah 49:15, Isaiah 55:6-7, Micah 7, Psalm 103

Bufe joins the Men's Choir with a song that is one of his favorites. Victory in Jesus I heard an old, old story,How a Savior came from glory,How He gave His life on CalvaryTo save a wretch like me;I heard about His groaning,Of His precious blood's atoning,Then I repented of my sinsAnd won the victory. ChorusO victory in Jesus,My Savior, forever.He sought me and bought meWith His redeeming blood;He loved me ere I knew HimAnd all my love is due Him,He plunged me to victory,Beneath the cleansing flood. I heard about His healing,Of His cleansing pow'r revealing.How He made the lame to walk againAnd caused the blind to see;And then I cried, "Dear Jesus,Come and heal my broken spirit,"And somehow Jesus came and bro'tTo me the victory. I heard about a mansionHe has built for me in glory.And I heard about the streets of goldBeyond the crystal sea;About the angels singing,And the old redemption story,And some sweet day I'll sing up thereThe song of victory.  

Bufe reads what happens on an average day in America.  Lots of energy, money, and trauma going on each day just in our country.  But then think about the rest of the world.  We only live in part of the world.  Jesus died for the whole world.  We need to tell the whole world about Jesus.  The world has lots of needs - hunger, loneliness, bewildered with life, but the most important need they have is for salvation through Jesus Christ.  Jesus talked about the waiting harvest.  We are the people who have to go to work in the harvest.   Psalm 136, Matthew 9:38-39, Luke 7, Mark 1, John 4

Do you focus on the real reason for Christmas?  Or do you focus on the parties, celebrations, and decorations?  There's nothing wrong with any of that, but as believers, we have responsibility to celebrate the real reason for Christmas. We need to share with others the good news of Christmas, the coming of Jesus, God in flesh, to the world.  We should be spell-bound and astonished about the Christmas story.  Spend time praising God during Christmas.  Ask yourself, 'Am I a cultural Christian only?  Or are you a Biblical Christian?'   Luke 2