Sermons on False Expectations:

Look Like Light, Taste Like Salt

Contributed by Troy Borst on Apr 6, 2017

In explaining life following Jesus (discipleship), Jesus uses two elements from everyday life to explain His expectations and the results of being a disciple. The first is salt. The second is light.

Look like Light, Taste Like Salt MATTHEW 5:13-16 #discipleship READ MATTHEW 5:13-16 [congregation reads along aloud] "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:13-17

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

God Is Able

Contributed by Bishop Prof. Julius Soyinka on Nov 15, 2016

God is able to exceed your expectation, He is able to do exceedingly above all you can ask or imagine. God is able to do the humanly impossible in our lives

GOD IS ABLE Study Text: Ephesians 3: 14 - 21 Introduction: - The word “Able” refers to the power one has by virtue of inherent ability and resources. - “Able” describes that which has sufficient or necessary power, means, skill, or resources to accomplish an ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:14-21

Denomination: Pentecostal

A Satisfying Meal Series

Contributed by D Marion Clark on Oct 29, 2012

Following Jesus is not easy. Sometimes what he expects of us seems too difficult; sometimes it just doesn’t seem to make sense. It is then that we need to obey.

Introduction You have heard the term Christ-figure. It is a literary term for a character in a story who is like a savior or sacred figure. Those of you who have read John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath might remember Jim Casey, a fallen preacher who helps migrant workers. It is no ...read more

Scripture: Mark 6:30-44

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Nonviolence In Early Christian Thought Through The Fourth Century

Contributed by Daniel Keeran on Apr 3, 2019

If nonviolence is indeed the teaching of Jesus in the New Testament, we would expect to find it in the earliest writings of Christians including and after the apostles and prophets of the Lord. What do we find?

If nonviolence is indeed the teaching of Jesus in the New Testament, we would expect to find it in the earliest writings of Christians including and after the apostles and prophets of the Lord. What do we find? First Century There is no example or teaching in the New Testament that Christians can ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:27-28

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Abraham- No Child, No Problem--Or So They Thought Series

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jan 13, 2021

The LORD had promised Abram and Sarai a child. After ten additional years, and no child, they decided to help God out. The results weren't exactly what they expected.

Introduction: Genesis 15 has the story where Abram asked God a question after God had told him, “I am your shield and your exceedingly great reward (Gen. 15:1, paraphrased). Abram’s question was “What will You give me? I’m childless, and the only heir I have is Eliezer of Damascus (Gen 15:2, ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 16:1-16

Denomination: Baptist

Tempering Our Understanding Of Miracles

Contributed by Michael Koplitz on Mar 21, 2023

Miracles do happen. However, not all the time. Faith can be shattered by the expectations of miracles occurring. Not all prayers can be answered. Tough lesson I learned early on.

Tempering our Understanding of Miracles John 11:1-45 Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz John 11:1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus ...read more

Scripture: John 11:1-45

Denomination: United Methodist

No One Will Take My Place

Contributed by Rev. Samuel Arimoro on Feb 28, 2025

God has a divine assignment for each of us, and He expects us to fulfil it. However, when people fail in their calling, God can replace them with someone else.

NO ONE WILL TAKE MY PLACE By Rev. Samuel Arimoro Main Text: 1 Samuel 16:1 "And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:1, Revelation 3:11, Matthew 25:28, Acts 1:20, Esther 4:14  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Envision: The Great Commission

Contributed by Ajai Prakash on Apr 25, 2024

Jesus doesn’t send us into this world, lost world without any resources. He doesn’t expect us to accomplish this Great Commission in our own power.

Opening illustration: When Jesus spoke these words directly to His disciples, and indirectly to us, He was giving the church her marching orders. He was telling exactly what He expected us to do in His physical absence. The disciples took the Lord’s command seriously. They went into the world and ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Dedication To The Work Of The Lord

Contributed by Rev. Samuel Arimoro on Jun 7, 2025

Dedication to the work of the Lord is not an option; it is a divine expectation. In a generation where many are lukewarm or distracted, God is raising committed vessels who will abound in His service with passion, endurance, and integrity.

DEDICATION TO THE WORK OF THE LORD By Rev. Samuel Arimoro Main Text: 1 Corinthians 15:58 Supporting Texts: Romans 12:11, Colossians 3:23-24, Galatians 6:9, Hebrews 6:10, Revelation 3:15 INTRODUCTION: In a world filled with distractions and declining spiritual fervour, the call for unwavering ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:58

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Praying Through A Pandemic

Contributed by Otis Mcmillan on Feb 2, 2021

The church ought to pray with great expectation because (1) God sees our trials, (2) God hears our prayers (3) and God will take care of our enemies.

Acts 12:5 “Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.” The graphic scene of Acts 12 is not strange to the Church. The church has always faced opposition. Since its inception, the devil has been trying to stop the church and even to ...read more

Scripture: Acts 12:5-25, Luke 18:1, Luke 21:36, Mark 11:17

Denomination: Methodist

Interracial Marriage Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 17, 2021

Only the believer can see race from within the kingdom of God, and through the mind of Christ. We cannot expect that non-Christians will share this view. It is an exclusive Christian view.

A boy in Harvard College, many years back, got his father in Maine to come to Cambridge and see the football game between Yale and Harvard. As they sat down, the boy slapped his father on the back and said, "Dad, for three dollars you are going to see more fight than you ever ...read more

Administration And Spirituality Series

Contributed by Rev. Dr. Andrew B Natarajan on Oct 12, 2020

The newly accepted believers made a complaint in the early Church, and they expected Apostles would visit them and care for them. There was a cultural clash based on ethnicity, and language, and background of their previous identity.

Acts 6:1-7 Administration and Spirituality 6:1 Complaints of Believers 6:2-4 Concentrations of Apostles 6:5-6 Contributions of Deacons 6:7 Contours of the Church Acts 6:1 Complaints of Believers The newly accepted believers made a ...read more

Scripture: Acts 6:1-7

Denomination: Methodist

Go Thy Way, Daniel: When Your Questions Aren’t Answered Series

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Feb 1, 2020

Daniel was known for his wisdom and abilities to make things known. But when he asked a certain question of the Lord, he didn't get the answer he was expecting!

Introduction The Book of Daniel is a favorite book for many people. The story of how he stood for God in a pagan land is familiar to most believers. Some of my relatives used to read from “The Bible Story” collection stories about Daniel and his friends, many times over. I’ve never forgotten those ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Weary Of Waiting On The Lord?

Contributed by Bruce Hadley on May 13, 2021

Have you ever asked or trusted the Lord for something; and you fully expected He would give it to you. But instead, what response you receive from the Lord is to be patient?

Have you ever asked or trusted the Lord for something; and you fully expected He would give it to you. But instead, what response you receive from the Lord is to be patient? Truth is, you don’t want to patient for the Lord to bless or deliver you, or at least not patient for long duration of ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 3:8-9, Jeremiah 1:11-12, Habakkuk 2:3

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

What Are We Waiting For?

Contributed by Ian Bullock on May 18, 2021

Are we waiting in eager expectation for the gift of the Spirit? A heavy re-work of a much earlier sermon from many years ago, which is looking to provoke a change in peoples perspectives.

In the Name of the living God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen. Very, very occasionally I will head off somewhere on a train, and as I look around the platform, it doesn’t take too long to see that there is a difference between how adults and children wait for its arrival. As you stand ...read more

Scripture: John 15:26-27, John 16:4-15, Acts 2:1-21

Denomination: Anglican