Sermons on Effort That Is Worthless:

Rely On The Holy Spirit

Contributed by Christian Cheong on Apr 25, 2008

God’s message to the people of Israel reminds us of the need to rely upon His Spirit in the work we are doing today. We need to pray, trust Him and offer what little we have. Success is assured, not by human efforts but by the power of His Spirit.

Zech 4:6 “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,” says the LORD Almighty. The will of God will never lead to where the grace of God cannot keep you. • When He calls us to do a task, He will give us the strength to do it. • When He calls us to move, He will show us the way. • Whatever God ...read more

Scripture: Zechariah 4:6-10

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The Failed Journey

Contributed by John Rohrbeck on Aug 2, 2008

No matter how well we think we have made preparations, there are times that we fall short of our goal. It is not through our own efforts that we will attain eternal life - it is only through obedience to God’s plan and acceptance of Jesus as our Savior.

Wednesday evening – How do we put that in perspective? We thought we had a plan. We were taking the youth to the Real Life Church in Macon to their Judgement House presentation called “the METH Effect”. I had called earlier in the week to try to make a reservation and was told that the earliest ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:21-23

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Obtaining Grace From Above

Contributed by Oyewole O. Sarumi on Jul 10, 2012

This life is a struggle, and remains a struggle until God comes to help a man. If God refuses to help a man, life can be full of unprofitable labours, unfinished tasks, and thorny pathways. To progress in life, you may need new methods, new efforts, new i

Obtaining Grace from Above Text: Psalm 84:11, Heb. 4:16 Ps 84:11 11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly. NKJV Heb 4:15-16 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 84:11

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Assurance Of Our Salvation Series

Contributed by David Owens on Jul 29, 2019

Paul assures us that if God went to such effort to save us when we were his enemies, how much more will God continue to save us from his wrath now that we are God's children. This should cause us to rejoice!

Introduction: A. Perhaps you are a history buff and have studied the history of the Civil War. 1. There are literally thousands of powerful and personal stories that come out of those dark days 2. I want to share with you the amazing story of Sam Watkins, a young man from Columbia, Tennessee ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:6-11

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

No Sweat!

Contributed by Michael Stark on Mar 21, 2020

Worship, true worship, worship that honours God, flows from the Spirit of God through the life of a follower of Christ who seeks to be pure and holy. True worship requires no effort on the part of the worshipper. Rather, it is the effortless response of that one who seeks the True and Living God.

“[The priests] shall have linen turbans on their heads, and linen undergarments around their waists. They shall not bind themselves with anything that causes sweat.” [1] God is concerned about the smallest facet of the lives of His children. It is not an insignificant matter to speak of the ...read more

Scripture: Ezekiel 44:18

Denomination: Baptist

Letting Go Of The Unknown

Contributed by Charlie Roberts on Jan 14, 2024

When we worry and trust only in our self effort and don’t trust in Gods endless capabilities, Even though by the world’s standards we may achieve some form of success, we are spiritually all sitting in the poorhouse and starving ourselves to death!

Letting go of the Unknown As we go through life, we learned to deal with different things involved with Adulting! Some are known and some are unknown. The ones that we know about we think that we can deal with usually and when we can’t we call on the Lord and expect him to come running to our ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:28, Psalm 143:8, Mark 6:34

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Faithfulness Produces Grace – Ruth, Part 3 Series

Contributed by T.j. Conwell on Oct 23, 2022

God still provides, even when we think there is no hope. But - don’t miss this - WE have to make an effort! Ruth went to work, she did not just wait for God’s blessing – she set out to survive and God honored that through Boaz!

“Faithfulness produces Grace” – Ruth, Part 3 Ruth Sermon Series, Part 3 Ruth 2:1-17 Introduction - Last week we set the foundation of Ruth around some very difficult times -- Famine causes a family to move from God’s land, disobeys God’s commands - Week 1 exposed a hard lesson – and one that ...read more

Scripture: Ruth 2:1-17

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Overcoming Opposition By Prayer

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Feb 6, 2005

Where do you see yourself in this picture? Are you being pelted by unfair criticism as you are serving Christ? If so, keep on going and God will reward your efforts. Or do you recognize yourself as one who tends to be critical of others? If so, it’s time

Overcoming Opposition By Prayer (Nehemiah 1:4-11) Illustration: There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health. --Proverbs 12:18 Critics talk much and do little that is constructive. They are more interested in trying to make themselves look ...read more

Scripture: Nehemiah 1:4-11

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Person God Uses

Contributed by Bob Soulliere on Jan 16, 2010

One man lost a valuable watch wile working in an icehouse. He searched diligently for it, carefully raking through the sawdust, but did not find it. His fellow workers also looked, but their efforts, too, proved futile. A small boy who heard about the fr

Acts 4:1-35 The Person God Uses In Directions, James Hamilton writes; Before refrigerators, people used icehouses to preserve their food. Icehouses had thick walls, no windows, and a tightly fitted ...read more

Scripture: Acts 4:1-35

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Turning Your Worst Experiences To Your Best Legacy

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Nov 26, 2007

God over-turned and overcame the opposition of the Jews and the Romans allowing Paul’s worst time to become His best enduring legacy. Challenge - Can we, like Paul trust and obey God even when our best efforts for Him seem to initially fail?

Turning Your Worst Times to Your Best Legacy (Acts 22) We see a lot of reality shows on TV today but perhaps my favorite is Bridezilla. It amazes me how what should be the best time of a young woman’s life turns out to be her worst legacy. The show chronicles the life and experiences of young ...read more

Scripture: Acts 22:1-26

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

His Presence Or Presents?

Contributed by Ajai Prakash on Dec 15, 2009

During Christmas season we often say, “God’s presence is more important than presents.” But the amount of time and effort we spend on shopping for gifts may indicate otherwise. So, what would Christmas be like if we truly celebrated God’s presence?

Opening illustration: Oswald Chambers once wrote: “It is not God’s promises we need, it is [God] Himself.” At Christmastime we often say, “God’s presence is more important than presents.” But the amount of time and effort we spend on shopping for gifts may indicate otherwise. In certain parts of ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 2:24-29

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

What Is Your Calling? (Part 2) Series

Contributed by Ajai Prakash on Mar 10, 2016

Are you going to take the effort to listen to God? How has your faith panned out for God? Will you step out even when God tests your faith by making the most difficult sacrifices in your life? Do you obey God at every level?

Opening Illustration: Narrate the story of our call to the USA as missionaries. Introduction: The Lord's call for Abram to journey to the Promised Land is often equated with a call to missionary service. For the missionary, there is a sense where God has called them from the ease and security of ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 12:1-9

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Christ The Vine

Contributed by William R. Nabaza on Dec 19, 2012

I. EXORDIUM: Are you fruitful? II. AUDIENCE PROFILE: Believers III. OBJECTIVES: To show that CHRIST will take care of us in bearing fruits, divine effort thru us. IV. TEXT: John 15:5-6 (New Living Translation, Second Edition) “Yes,

I. EXORDIUM: Are you fruitful? II. AUDIENCE PROFILE: Believers III. OBJECTIVES: To show that CHRIST will take care of us in bearing fruits, divine effort thru us. IV. TEXT: John 15:5-6 (New Living Translation, Second Edition) “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who ...read more

Scripture: John 15:5-6

Denomination: Pentecostal

Nation-Shaking Prayers

Contributed by John Gaston on Nov 5, 2012

We need more than a favorable election, we need a national revival. This message shows how Daniel harnessed the power of prayer by 1). Setting his face to seek God. 2). Agonizing in prayer, and 3). Giving each new crisis a new effort in prayer.

NATION-SHAKING PRAYERS Daniel 9:2-7, 11, 13, 17-23 INTRODUCTION A. HUMOR: Election in 2 Days; Memorable Jokes 1. "Over the weekend, President Obama announced that he was running for a second term as president of the United States. There’s a brand-new campaign slogan — ’Give me four more years ...read more

Scripture: Daniel 9:2-23

Denomination: Assembly Of God

3. The Breastplate Of Righteousness Series

Contributed by Stephen Aram on Dec 1, 2019

Our modern culture is desperate to feel good about itself. But God has provided a true way to feel good about ourselves, to feel good because we are doing good, and to find God's forgiveness when our own efforts fall short.

We are continuing to look at what the Apostle Paul called the whole armor of God. In his letter to the Ephesian Church, chapter 6, he talked about our world as a battle field. And he wasn't picturing the kind of battle like that occurred when we began our attack on Iraq, where our forces ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-17