Sermons on Celestial City:

Discouraging Comfort Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Apr 1, 2021

The book of Job makes clear that one of life's greatest tragedies is that believers do not comfort and encourage one another, but rather are often discouraging. That is what we see Job's friends being to him.

Emilie Lorning in her novel, Swift Waters, tells the story of a young single pastor who fell in love with a beautiful young woman in his congregation. She learned to play the chimes in the tower of the church, and when she learned the pastor's favorite hymn, she would play it frequently. ...read more

Joyful Saints Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Apr 1, 2021

A saint is not determined by what they are, but by where they are. If they are in Christ, that is the bottom line. The degree of holiness varies tremendously, but all who are in Christ are equally saints.

Roger Fredricksen, a well-known pastor in my hometown of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, wrote a book titled God Loves The Dandelions. In it he tells of how he and his wife Ruth were at a small cabin on the lake in Minnesota. They had just finished reading the book of Philippians with all its powerful ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:1-11

The Power Of The Resurrection Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Apr 2, 2021

Never has a death sentence been reversed after it was already executed so that the condemned was restored to life. This was the most unique event in history, and the power of it was awesome, and it changes everything.

John Scott Harrison was the only man in the history of our nation who was the son of one president and the father of another. A man of such distinction you would think would be treated with great respect in his death, but the fact was, nobody was safe in 1878 when he died. Body snatching was at a ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:1-16

Bridging The Gap Or Christ In The Workplace Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Apr 2, 2021

My struggle to bridge the gap between Sunday and Monday changed my whole perspective on life and made me a skeptical Christian. I mean this in a good sense. I became skeptical of easy and pat answers that Christians spout off that do not fit the reality of people's everyday lives.

I haven't always worn a suit to work. A couple of days after I married Lavonne I got my first job in working my way through college. It was at the John Morrell Meat Packing Plant In Sioux Falls, South Dakota. After a summer of that we went off to Bethel and I got a number of jobs. I worked in ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 12:1-14

A Hill With Three Crosses

Contributed by Christopher Arch on Apr 2, 2021

This is a sermon I preached for Easter.

Title: “A Hill With Three Crosses” Script: Lk. 23:32-43 Type: Easter/Evang. Where: GNBC Easter Sunday 2021 Intro: The story is told of a Southern Gospel group that was called “The Resurrections”. The story took place back in the early 1970’s. It seems as though the singing group were going ...read more

Scripture: Luke 23:32-43, Luke 23:32

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The Reversal Of Revenge Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Apr 3, 2021

Paul's message is that the Christian can shift the balance of power to the side of righteousness by leaving vengeance to God and concentrating on doing good. Never is doing good more needed than when you feel like revenge.

The Revolutionary War was complicated by the fact that it was often also a Civil War. Families were on both sides of the conflict. William, for example became the governor of New Jersey because of the influence of his famous father. The shocking thing was that William wanted to be loyal to the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:19

Ordinary People Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Apr 3, 2021

Everybody in this book is ordinary. Obed, the baby who gives the book a happy ending, does not grow up to do anything of significance that we know of. There are no great battles, no miracles, and no profound theological statements in this book. Not one person in this book was above ordinary.

What woman do you know who has had a thousand men propose to her from fisherman to millionaires; from the penniless on the bowry to the prince of a royal European family? And who was still getting regular proposals after she was 70 years old? There was such a woman, and her name was Evangeline ...read more

Scripture: Ruth 1:1-18

Lesson 29r. The Practice Of Endurance (James 5:7-11) Series

Contributed by John Lowe on Apr 3, 2021

The Need for Patience. Given the oppressions mentioned in vv. 3-6, James encourages Christians to be patient until the coming of the Lord, and he cites the farmer, the prophets, and Job.

Text: James 5:7-11 (NIV) 7Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. 8You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9Don’t grumble ...read more

Scripture: James 5:7-11

Denomination: Baptist

The Big Surprise

Contributed by Richard Tow on Apr 5, 2021

This Easter message focuses on the DISRUPTION that Jesus's presence brought into the lives of the selfish priests and Pharisees at His first Advent, their response to the disruption (murdering Jesus), and the SURPRISE Jesus's resurrection was to them and even to the disciples.

Today we celebrate the greatest event in the history of mankind: the resurrection of Christ. Nothing has ever happened that influences the destiny of mankind like that one event. Alexander’s defeat of the Persians changed the course of Western civilization. It was a significant turning point in ...read more

Scripture: Luke 21:34-36, John 3:16, Revelation 1:18, John 20:15, John 2:12-25, Matthew 27:62-66, Mark 8:34-37, John 11:47-48, Matthew 23:27, 1 Corinthians 15:1-58, 2 Corinthians 2:14, Acts 1:11, Matthew 28:1-20  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Charismatic

Excellence Excludes Excess Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Apr 5, 2021

Paul says this is what Christian leaders are to be. They are not to be people who get captured by the culture, or by circumstances. They are to be people who are stable and consistent in their commitments regardless of changes in life.

As I read Barbara Shields book Winners-Women And The Nobel Prize, I was so impressed by the life and leadership of Agnes Gunxha, better known as Mother Teresa. As I read of her life and ministry I kept seeing her fulfilling the requirements that Paul lays down for one to be an elder, or leader, in ...read more

Scripture: Titus 1:5-9

How To Be A Successful Nobody Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Apr 6, 2021

Jesus did not expect the lad to feed the five thousand. All He needed was for the boy to give what he had. It is up to us to do our best, and up to Christ to do the rest.

Years ago a very famous organist was giving a recital on a new organ. The wind was pumped by a small boy behind a screen. The boy pumped his heart out at this recital, and he was glad for the intermission half way through the program. Out in the vestry of the church the boy looked up at the great ...read more

Scripture: John 6:1-13

The Battle For Success Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Apr 6, 2021

Paul is convinced that failures can become successes. He knew this for he was one of the most successful failures in history. One of the great themes of literature and the Bible is this theme of success out of failure.

In the 35 years following the Civil War 3 success writers towered high above all others, and they became successful by writing about success. All 3 were ordained men. One of them was Russell Conwell who was the pastor of the Baptist Temple of Philadelphia. He delivered his famous lecture over ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:1-15

Can These Bones Live?

Contributed by D. Dewaine Phillips on Apr 13, 2021

For Israel, “the exile had become not only their physical but national burial site. Their hopes, dreams, glories, and nationalism had been entombed in an alien land.” The question for a dying nation: “Can These Bones Live?”

I want to begin our message with one woman’s testimony of her visit to a chilling archaeological site in Peru. Erin Lyyc says of her approach to the location, “Against the parched Andean earth [are] flecks of brilliant white. Drawing closer, there are hundreds – [no] thousands – of what look from ...read more

Scripture: Ezekiel 37:1-14

Denomination: Baptist

Jesus Prays (Week 2 Of 4): Your Name Series

Contributed by Troy Borst on Apr 14, 2021

Wherever you are at, the challenge for us today is to lean into bearing the Name of God.

JESUS PRAYS (WEEK 2 OF 4): YOUR NAME John 17:6-12 #JesusPrays INTRODUCTION As we begin today, I want to jump right into the Scriptures. READ JOHN 17:6-12 (ESV) I have manifested Your Name to the people whom You gave Me out of the world. Yours they were, and You gave them to Me, and they have kept ...read more

Scripture: John 17:6-12, Exodus 23:20-24, 1 Kings 8:10-21

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Seeing Your Work As A Mission Series

Contributed by Steve Malone on Apr 14, 2021

In this message we will see that the key to living out your work as a mission is to be... 'N.I.C.E.R'

Seeing Your Work As A Mission 20/20 Vision OKAY – welcome to week five in our series, ‘20/20 Vision’ A series about have visual acuity, about seeing things clearly in regards to 6 extremely important areas of your life and mine. Jesus, The Church, Ourselves, Our Relationships, Our Work and Our ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 1:27-28, Colossians 3:23-24

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ