Sermons on Drawing Near To God:

A Memorial Service

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Oct 7, 2020

Death once was something people seemed afraid to discuss. But times have changed, & books about death & out of body experiences are best sellers, indicating that fear of death still holds many in its grip.

MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK Musical Prelude & Pictures of Deceased Welcome & Appreciation of the Family to those Present Scripture Reading & Prayer Congregational Singing Obituary, followed by Memories of the Deceased Special Music Congregational ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10, Hebrews 2:15, Revelation 14:13, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

"live Like You Were Dying" Series

Contributed by David Henderson on Oct 27, 2020

Tim McGraw sings a song where he says that one of the things he would do when bad news came along was go skydiving. I did it. Crossed it off my bucket list.

FUTURE TENSE “Live like you were Dying” Philippians 1:20-26 Tim McGraw sings a song where he says that one of the things he would do when bad news came along was go skydiving. I did it. Crossed it off my bucket list. The song was inspired by an incident in Tim McGraw’s life. His father, Tug ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:20-26

Denomination: Baptist

Philemon (Nasb)

Contributed by Steven W. Satterfield on Jan 24, 2021

Salutation, Philemon’s Love and Faith, Plea for Onesimus, a Free Man

The Gospels were written by Matthew the tax collector, Mark, Dr. Luke and John (unique Greek) Acts was written by Dr. Luke. The rest of the New Testament is comprised of letters. The Book of Acts ends with Paul in prison in Rome. Four letters – Philippians, Philemon, Colossians and Ephesians – ...read more

Denomination: Vineyard

Go Thy Way-The Parable Of The Workers In The Vineyard Series

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Feb 21, 2020

Jesus gave this parable to His disciples after the rich young ruler had come running to Jesus but had walked away. Look for the "go thy way" in the text--it may surprise you!

Introduction: Just after the rich young ruler came running to Jesus, and walked away, Jesus gave this parable about workers in a vineyard. This was one of the last parables Jesus ever told. The immediate context stems from the disciples’ reaction to what Jesus said to the rich young ruler. Peter, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 20:1-16

Denomination: Baptist

If You Struggle With Depression And Suicidal Thoughts There Is Hope

Contributed by Justin Steckbauer on Apr 2, 2021

Depression, suicide, discouragement... Are you disturbed, wrought with depression, and teetering on the brink of self harm? Hopelessness, well, I've known it well.

Depression, suicide, discouragement... Are you disturbed, wrought with depression, and teetering on the brink of self harm? Hopelessness, well, I've known it well. Depression, yes, it's been a constant companion on my life journey. So if you struggle with these very real problems, ...read more

Scripture: John 14:6

Denomination: Salvation Army

Circle Component #1 Series

Contributed by Steve Ely on Apr 20, 2021

Who is in your circle? Are they the right people? Why? What are the people in our circles supposed to do? We will discover that those who are close matter most!

Circle Check Pt. 2 - Circle Component 1 I. Introduction They are present in every generation since it was invented. Whether it was in black and white or in color they are the mainstay of our airwaves. Leave it to Beaver. Andy Griffith. MASH. The Brady Bunch. The Partridge Family. Good Times. ...read more

Scripture: Romans 14:13

Denomination: Pentecostal

Remember The Cross

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 8, 2021

The battle cries of our national history have been, “Remember the Alamo,” and “Remember Pearl Harbor.” Why in the world should we remember great defeats? It is because, like the cross, they become great defeats out of which came greater victories.

A couple of bank robbers hit a small country bank one lazy afternoon when the staff was small. They herded everyone into the vault at gunpoint. Then they gagged the teller and bound him hand and foot. They began to stuff the money into bags when they noticed the teller squirming and trying to talk ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Girded Saints

Contributed by David Dunn on Jan 20, 2026

Girding precedes armor; readiness begins with being held together so faithfulness can endure pressure without collapse.

There is a kind of readiness that feels loud. It announces itself. It comes with urgency, energy, momentum. People speak faster. Plans multiply. Language sharpens. For a long time, many of us assumed that kind of readiness was faithfulness. If someone was energized, they must be ready. If ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 3:7, 1 Peter 1:13, Ephesians 6:14, 1 Samuel 17:38-40

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Leadership

Contributed by Steven W. Satterfield on Dec 22, 2024

Doctor of Ministry paper for https://seminary.erskine.edu/

This “The Minister as Leader” paper interacts with my readings and appropriate biblical texts and theological resources. I will address my strengths and weaknesses as a leader. For my weaknesses, I will provide a preliminary plan to address them and strengthen my leadership. My strengths are ...read more

Scripture: Luke 16:10

Denomination: Vineyard

Mary, Did You Know? Series

Contributed by D. Dewaine Phillips on Jul 17, 2021

Based on the song "Mary, Did You Know." Was Mary in need of salvation, although she bore the holy Christ child? Did she ever know why the child she delivered had come into the world? This message seeks to answer these questions.

The title for our message comes from a song written by the Christian comedian Mark Lowry, and originally sung by the Christian vocalist Michael English; and the song is entitled, “Mary, Did You Know?” One stanza of the song says: Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day walk on ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:26-29, Luke 2:15-19, Luke 2:33-35, Luke 24:1-10

Denomination: Baptist

Gone Fishing

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Mar 17, 2023

What did the disciples do after Jesus' miraculous resurrection? They went fishing! But this passage teaches us that it’s okay to get on with our lives while waiting for Jesus to make it clear what it is we are to do for him.

I’ll bet not one of you can tell me exactly what happened to the disciples after that first Easter morning, and in what order. And it’s not surprising. I would have had a hard time putting together a chronology of events if I hadn’t had to preach on the subject, and even then there’s a little ...read more

Scripture: John 21:1-17, Matthew 28:19-20

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Palm Sunday

Contributed by Jerry Cosper on Mar 28, 2023

this message emphasizes the importance of Palm Sunday as compared to Easter Sunday.

Here we are coming together on what is celebrated as the first day of Holy week. We called today Palm Sunday. The church attendance on Palm Sunday is usually not as numerous as the attendance will be on Easter Sunday. And yet today is the day that began the week of Jesus's final journey ...read more

Scripture: Zechariah 9:9, Luke 19:30, Matthew 21:9, Psalm 118:26, Matthew 22:37-39  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Estate Planning

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Apr 16, 2023

When you know you’ll have to depend on your friends when your luck goes sour, you build in as much good will as you can along the way.”

Levi was puzzled. The last time Jesus told a story about a rich man whose steward was mismanaging the estate while the owner was away, the owner kicked the guy out and brought in a new men. He understood that. It was like God was the rich man and the Pharisees and the priests were the stewards, and ...read more

Scripture: Luke 16:1-12

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Dangers Of Social Media

Contributed by David Henderson on Aug 12, 2024

The strains of life for many of us can be difficult. You may ask, with all the success Simone Biles has had, her success, with so much to be proud of, how she could possibly have so many struggles.

The Dangers of Social Media & How to Find Real Happiness Mattthew 5: 10-12 Our Summer Olympics began two weeks ago and one of the high points for Team USA is that we have won a total of medals of 105 medals: 31 of those being gold. Simone Biles has earned 4 medals, 3 being gold. All of this ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:10-12

Denomination: Baptist

Priorities Series

Contributed by Jeffery Anselmi on Oct 8, 2021

Our world is obsessed with being busy. It can be hard to slow down and take time to prioritize Jesus.

INTRODUCTION • Busyness is not just about put in too many hours on the job. • Just as people struggle with overworking, so they can also struggle with staying busy when they are not working their “day job.” • There is a constant state of busyness between work and everything else that fills our ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:38-42

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ