Sermons on Containment:

Water Into Wine

Contributed by Helen Allen on Feb 4, 2006

God wants us to taste the fine wine of his abundant blessings

As John tells the story in his gospel, Jesus and his disciples are invited to the wedding in Cana only days after Jesus’s baptism in the river Jordan. He has only known the disciples for about three days and he has not performed any miraculous signs as yet. His first miracle will take place in a ...read more

Scripture: John 2:1-11

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

This Holy Thursday

Contributed by Dennis Bliss on Mar 23, 2005

A reflection of the sacred paschal meal and the significance of ordained ministry

Holy Thursday During the next three days, the most sacred seventy- two hours the liturgical calendar, the church will celebrate the feast and source of our salvation, namely the paschal death and resurrection of our blessed Liberator, Jesus of Nazareth. Tonight we initiate this ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Funeral Sermon For Jim Blair

Contributed by Greg Baskerville on Mar 24, 2005

This is a sermon I delivered for a beloved member of our congregation who passed away after a short illness. He was baptized only a few years earlier after he had retired.

GOSPEL: Matthew 5:1-8 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-8

Denomination: Congregational

God Loves All The Little Children Series

Contributed by Kevin Ruffcorn on Feb 12, 2007

Jesus shares several pieces of Good News. One is that God is with us in the midst of tragedies and scarcity. Another piece of Good News is that Happiness can be experienced in the midst of the struggles of life. Luke’s sermon on the plain tells us how.

Luke 6:17-23 “God Loves All the Little Children” INTRODUCTION “Work hard!” “Dream Big!” “The world is your oyster to crack and grab the pearl.” We grow up hearing these phrases and others like them. “America is the land of opportunity,” we are told. “Anyone can become president.” We hear ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:17-23

Denomination: Lutheran

The Acts Of The Holy Spirit Series

Contributed by Darryl Martin on Feb 17, 2007

Part two of a study of the book of Acts.

Context: When we left off we were looking at the Day of Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit which was referred to in Prophecy as “The Promise of the Father”. We also covered a portion of the message that Peter preached on that day. This morning we will carry on from that point. ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:22

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Three Portraits Of Christ

Contributed by Roger Thomas on Feb 22, 2007

We don’t have any photographs of Jesus. That’s good and bad. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have any pictures. In fact, I would suggest that we have three portraits of Christ in the book of Revelations.

Dr. Roger W. Thomas, Preaching Minister First Christian Church, Vandalia, MO Three Portraits of Christ Revelation 1, 5, 19 Introduction: We don’t have any photographs of Jesus. That’s good. If we did, we would probably turn them in to idols. Superstitious folk have enough trouble would ...read more

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Filled To The Brim

Contributed by Jeff Budzinski on Feb 24, 2007

I want to talk about the 1st miracle Jesus performed and the life lessons we must learn from the scriptures. We will learn to look to Jesus, He is the answer. We must do what He says. The most important thing is to be filled to the brim with the Word an

Introduction · Last week we discussed what we needed to do to maintain a pure heart. · We learned that we must be speaking and mediating on the Word daily, placing the Word into our heart & removing the contaminates that stop the blessing. · We discussed that we must be God pleasers. We must be ...read more

Scripture: John 2:1-12

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Liberalism Vs Legalism

Contributed by Thomas Miller on Feb 27, 2007

Many want to clean the outside of the believer, when the inside is what Jesus put the most emphasis on. I call it visual sins.

Liberalism VS Legalism Two of the Deadliest Sins A Church received a resume for a Pastor’s position. While reading up on his history they noticed that he had a record. He had been arrested, his doctrine was considered very controversial and on occasions he was run out of town. Fights erupted ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:12-14

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Life Essentials

Contributed by Chanon Mullens on Mar 13, 2007

God has provided us new tools for our new life; and these are essential to our Christian walk.

In life, there are certain physical things that we need to survive. These things include but are not limited to food, water, clothing and shelter. There things we need, however, to help us survive emotionally as well. Some of these things include but are not limited to love, security, a sense of ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:1-9

Denomination: Baptist

Jesus' Gift Of Peace

Contributed by John Vella on Jan 31, 2007

The roles of fear and peace in our lives.

Sixth Sunday of Easter - Year C May 13th, 2007 Readings: * Acts 15:1-2, 22-29 * Rev. 21:10-14, 22-23 * Jn. 14:23-29 Jesus’ Gift of Peace Another Look Sometimes it is a good thing to take a second look at basic realities in our lives. We can either get some new insight into life or at least, we ...read more

Scripture: John 14:23-29

Denomination: Catholic

Imitators Of God Series

Contributed by Kevin Ruffcorn on Jun 17, 2006

Transformed by God’s grace, we walk before others, including our families, exemplifying the fruits of the Spirit

Ephesians 5:1-2, 8-14 “Imitators of God” INTRODUCTION Is faith a verb or a noun? Most of us would identify “faith” as a noun. The Christian faith is a set of theological principles to which we give assent and adhere. For example, we believe in the truth that Jesus Christ lived, died and rose ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:1-21

Denomination: Lutheran

The Rock That Doesn't Roll Series

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jun 19, 2006

The Christian has decided to build his life on Christ, the Corner Stone.

The Rock that Doesn’t Roll (I Peter 2:4-10) 1. "Children’s Letters to God" series, actual authentic letters written by kids to God: "Dear God, I read the Bible. What does ’begat’ mean? Nobody will tell me. Love, Alison." "Dear God, did you mean for the giraffe to look like that or was it an ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:4-10

Denomination: Independent/Bible

"Why Is There So Much Suffering In The World?"

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Jun 28, 2006

God is able to use the mystery that suffering often brings. Yet, some people quickly reach the end of their rope when they encounter adversities. The Lord’s grace is sufficient for any weakness, confusion or problem.

"Why is There So Much Suffering in the World?" John 9:1-9:38 "It was neither that this man sinned or his parents, but in order that the works of God might be displayed in him." (John 9:4) Many people fail to understand God’s greater purposes for physical suffering. Instead of allowing the ...read more

Scripture: John 9:1-28

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Gospel Of Judas- An Authentic Copy Of An Ancient Lie?

Contributed by Alex Mcfarland on Jun 28, 2006

It had been less than 24 hours since National Geographic had broken their story, “The Lost Gospel.” Yet as I spoke at an open-forum “Q & A” the next day at a Virginia college, the first question I got was, “Is this new Gospel accurate? I mean, what other

The Gospel of Judas- An authentic copy of an ancient lie? by Alex McFarland It had been less than 24 hours since National Geographic had broken their story, “The Lost Gospel.” Yet as I spoke at an open-forum “Q & A” the next day at a Virginia college, the first question I got was, “Is this new ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 24:35

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Love Costs Series

Contributed by Kevin Ruffcorn on Jul 9, 2007

While traveling to Jerusalem, a Samaritan village refuses to welcome Jesus and his disciples. Instead of judgment, Jesus demonstrates to his followers overwhelming compassion and reminds us of how he moves in our lives.

Luke 9:51-62 “Love Costs” INTRODUCTION The stories that we have of Jesus give us snapshots of Jesus, his life and his ministry. Snapshots are powerful communicators. They can, however, limit the information they convey, or massage it. We only see the story that is contained within the frame ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:51-62

Denomination: Lutheran