Sermons on Cultural Adaptation:

Opening Up To The Lord

Contributed by Davon Huss on Mar 28, 2016

Things that were opened for these two disciples (Outline and some material adapted from Bob Russell from Lookout Magazine under the Living Word article for September 30, 2001; other material adapted from Sermon Central Contributors, thanks!)

HoHum: When times are hard, I have trouble praying. When that happens, I go walking in a deserted place and talk with the Lord while I walk. This seems to help. On these walks I am able to open myself up to the Lord, express myself. “He walks with me and he talks with me and He tells me I ...read more

Scripture: Luke 24:13-35

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Called To Be Rebels Series

Contributed by Pat Cook on Jan 16, 2006

Looking at Jesus’ Temple cleansing, we can see He was a social revolutionary and a rebel against the culture, even the religious culture. This sermon calls people to rebel as well, as long as they’re obeying God.

John 2:13-25 – Called to be Rebels You may have heard of Emily Post. She was born in the early 1870’s and died in 1960. She was the Martha Stewart of her day. Although she wrote a syndicated newspaper column and for a time also hosted a radio program, what made her famous was her book, called ...read more

Scripture: John 2:13-25

Denomination: Baptist

Mistakes About Grace

Contributed by Davon Huss on Sep 17, 2016

3 common misconceptions about grace (Material adapted from the book, God Attachment, chapter 10 The Risk of Grace)

HoHum: Take library card out of wallet. This is a membership card to the Public Library. Do you have a library card? If you don't already have one, you should get one. One of the great things about a library card is that it is available to everyone. It doesn't matter if you are young or old. It ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:4-9

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

My Self-Esteem And What Became Of It

Contributed by Michael Stark on May 2, 2019

Self-esteem is detrimental to the health of the Christian and to the health of the church. Christians must cultivate humility of spirit that permits them to serve Christ and to serve their fellow saints.

“If there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:1-4

Denomination: Baptist

American Idol

Contributed by Eric Bain on Oct 27, 2007

This is a very interactive sermon that looks at what an idol really is in our contemporary culture. It’s different than you might think!

American Idol Exodus 20:4-6 © 2007 Eric Bain NOTE: This sermon is available in audio format at www.sanctuary-church.com NOTE II: For this message I passed out tiny containers of Play-doh to everyone in the congregation. I had them make sculptures representing their "idols." At the end of the ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 20:4-6

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Which Side Of The Cross Are You On? Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Jun 20, 2005

Titus ministered in an area where the culture influenced the Christian community with immorality, independence, and idleness. These same character traits exist in our culture as well - placing Christians on opposite sides when they don’t need to be.

Wouldn’t it be great if everyone in the church was like you? I’ve heard it said before that “church is great – except for all the people.” The fact is, the church is the people – imperfect members of the human race who came to Christ from various backgrounds and dysfunctions. Sometimes I wish ...read more

Scripture: Titus 1:1-16

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

A Simple Prayer For Complicated Times

Contributed by Otis Mcmillan on Dec 3, 2020

In a culture that wants to hear and tell lies and are obsessed with who has what and how much they have, this prayer is a breath of fresh air. Our culture is very self-centered but Agur's prayer is God-centered.

Lessons From The Prayer of Agur Proverbs 30:7-9 Introduction: In recent years a lot of public attention has been focused on prayer. Our courts have banned prayer from public schools, public functions, and public display. And as we've seen in protest, regardless of opposition, it hasn't ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 30:7-9, Matthew 6:33

Denomination: Methodist

Heart Trouble

Contributed by Scott Spencer on Jul 15, 2014

The Scripture teaches that persecution comes from every side to those who live like Jesus. Living for Jesus is radical. It is intrinsically counter-cultural. To walk like Jesus we walk against the flow of our culture.

Heart Trouble Mark 15:1-20 Jesus before Pilate 1 Early in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole Council, immediately held a consultation; and binding Jesus, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate. 2 Pilate questioned Him, “Are You the King of the ...read more

Scripture: Mark 15:1-20

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Our Calling For Tomorrow

Contributed by Dr. Jerry N. Watts on Jan 2, 2012

The USA culture is in trouble - and the reason is, for the most part, the church culture in the USA is in trouble. The calling for followers of Christ and the Church of Christ is to show Jesus so the world can KNOW Jesus. This message speaks to our call

Our Calling for Tomorrow Philippians 3:1-15 * Over the past couple of weeks I have digested large portion of written material by a 20th century preacher/prophet/revivalist named Leonard Ravenhill. He was indeed a man, the likes of which we have not seen in many years. Witnesses say that when he ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:1-15

Denomination: Baptist

The Centrality Of The Word Series

Contributed by Davon Huss on Oct 14, 2014

A sermon on the importance, the centrality, of the Word, the Bible, for the church (Material adapted from Daniel Overdorf's book, Rediscovering Community, Word Driven chapter)

HoHum: Timothy Paul Jones- With high hopes we had moved to a new youth ministry position. On my first Wednesday evening at this church, I received my first hint that this task might be more difficult than I’d imagined. After a couple of games, I gathered the students for some worship ...read more

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Servanthood Series

Contributed by Kent Lenard on Sep 8, 2003

This Sermon is an adaptation from John Maxwell’s Book, "The Twenty-One Indispensable Qualities of a Leader."

Servanthood Matthew 20:28, Luke 1:68-75, 1 Pet 4:10, 1 Corinthians 13 :1-3, Mark 9:35 August 19, 2003 I. Another thing that we have to realize as Christians is that servanthood is at the top of the list of things that we are to develop, but it doesn’t just apply to being a Christian, it ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 20:28, Mark 9:35

Denomination: Baptist

God Is God Of All

Contributed by L. Paul Lafferty on Mar 16, 2006

We can trust God with every part of our lives. This primarily deals with money but can be adapted.

Introduction: We are sometimes fooled into believing that we can take control from God. Proposition: YOU CANNOT. All you can do is determine which side of God’s will you end up on. Interrogative Sentence: Who rules your life? Once again there is a pat answer. Transitional Sentence: God ...read more

Scripture: 1 Chronicles 29:11-12

Denomination: Pentecostal

Got That Sinkin' Feeling

Contributed by Cameron Horsburgh on Oct 20, 2002

The importance of Spiritual Growth, and how to go about it. Concentrates on the importance of the Bible, but could easily be adapted.

Introduction Story about the sinkholes. (Taken from Gordon Macdonald’s Ordering your Private World.) Sinkholes occur because cavities under the ground become exposed. Sinkholes will occur in our lives if we do not keep them ‘filled up.’ I want to talk to you today about a problem I have seen many ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:46-49

Denomination: Holiness

Our Place In Heaven

Contributed by Mark Engler on Dec 7, 2004

Sermon I preached for the funeral of a very faithful woman of God. Can be adapted for any faithful Christian.

Title: Our Place In Heaven Theme: Heaven Text: John 14:1-6 By: Mark Engler, Mt. Vernon Christian Church, Mt. Vernon, MO INTRODUCTION We’ve come here today with a purpose on our mind, haven’t we? Some may say that the purpose we came with was to bury and pay our final respects to our loved one. ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-6

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Times Of Refreshing Series

Contributed by Davon Huss on Apr 29, 2002

A sermon on Acts 3:16, 19 (Adapted from Charles Spurgeon Sermon on Acts 3:19)

Sermon for 4/28/2002 Acts 3:16-19 Introduction: For years, the opening of "The Wide World of Sports" television program illustrated "the agony of defeat" with a painful ending to an attempted ski jump. The skier appeared in good form as he headed down the jump, but then, for no apparent reason, ...read more

Scripture: Acts 3:19, Acts 3:11-20

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ