Sermons on First Amendment:

Christ Is Risen!

Contributed by Hans Krause on Oct 19, 2018

The Easter story calls us to follow in the footsteps of the women who were the first to encounter the risen Jesus: in seeking his presence day by day, in worshiping him as our Lord and Savior, and in going out to call people in.

[Sermon preached on 1 April 2018, Easter Sunday / 3rd year, ELCF Lectionary] “Were you there when they crucified our Lord?” It is a rhetorical question. Of course, we were not there when they crucified our Lord. The drama that we watched at the beginning of the service gives us some idea of the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:1-10, Matthew 28:18-20

Denomination: Lutheran

Happy Birthday To The Church

Contributed by Geoffrey Foot on May 19, 2018

When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples of Jesus on that first Whitsunday in a very real sense the Church was born. When a child is born we celebrate annually the date of that birth by giving presents but on the Church's birthday we receive.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Today is a very special day in the life of the Church it’s not just because today is called Whitsunday or the feast of Pentecost,,,,, it is however related to what happened on that first Whitsunday The sending of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus. No in many ways its ...read more

Scripture: John 14:18-24, Acts 2:1-21

Gifted (Part Two) Series

Contributed by Derrick Tuper on May 21, 2018

In my first installment of this series I said that the gifts of the Spirit are from God and we need to use them for his purposes. Today we will see that a big part of my job as a Pastor is to equip you for works of service.

GIFTED (part two) 1) I need to prepare you. Eph. 4:11-16, "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:11-16, 1 Corinthians 12:29-31, Romans 12:6-8, Acts 6:1-4

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Not What We Expected

Contributed by Mark Aarssen on Jul 9, 2018

Opposition to the Good News of Jesus Christ is nothing new. The first 12 pastors were instructed how to deal with it. Think long and hard how you respond to the message of the Good News as there are consequences depending on your reaction.

Not What We Expected Mark 6:1-13 Jesus said that; ““A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” “He was amazed at their lack of faith.” Mark 6:4 Sometimes people think they know you. They think they know your family and your family ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 55:1-3, James 5:13-16, Mark 6:1-13

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Giving Something Up For Lent

Contributed by Craig Condon on Apr 20, 2015

God will give us the strength and desire to let go of the things that hinder us from serving Him. If we follow Him, He will bless us spiritually. In order to be first with God, we have to be last in the eyes of the world.

Let's take a walk down memory lane for a moment. Some of you, especially the older members of this congregation, may remember a famous comedian named Flip Wilson. He had a weekly TV comedy show back in the 70s, and one of his favorite characters was a preacher named Brother Leroy. In one skit, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 19:16-30

Denomination: Anglican

The Heart Of A Mother

Contributed by James Linders on May 9, 2015

Jochebed was the mother of Moses. Because of her faith in God and her refusal to drown her son in the River Nile, he became the FIRST leader AND prophet of the Hebrews. His REMARKABLE achievements are ALL recorded in the Bible.and Talmud.

Exodus 2:3 “But when she could no longer keep him hidden, she made a basket out of reeds and covered it with tar She put him in the basket and placed it in the tall grass along the edge on the River Nile.” Exodus 2:10 “And when he was old enough, she took him to the king’s ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 2:3-10

Denomination: Pentecostal

Recycling Our Pain Series

Contributed by David Henderson on Jun 8, 2015

Listen. God never wastes a hurt. What good is a trial if something good doesn’t come from it? Let’s look at the first of two questions I want us to try to answer.

“Recycling our Pain” Matthew 5:10 In my personal study of the gospels one of the things I have noticed is that some of the teachings of Jesus are just very difficult for us to follow. At times when we read them they don’t even make sense. For instance, Jesus said: • If ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:10

Denomination: Baptist

Be Encouraged; Live For God Series

Contributed by T.j. Conwell on Oct 8, 2015

John concludes his first letter with wisdom and affirmation that each of us can use today. We must keep ourselves from the things that are ungodly (idols), yet live purposefully showing Christ to all we encounter.

Be encouraged; Live for God 1 John Bible Study, Part 13 1 John 5:13-21 Introduction - If you accept God’s testimony and believe on it for yourself (v9) -- You have internal assurance of what God has done and consider it true -- You cannot believe something without knowing and accepting it ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 5:13-21

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Joy Stealers Series

Contributed by Brian Bolton on Aug 29, 2014

This series comes right from the book of Philippians. I used Warren Wiersbe's "Be Joyful" and Matt Chandler's "To Live is Christ, To Die is Gain" as my two main sources. This first message is an overview of the entire series.

Have you ever noticed how hard it is to stay joyful? • One minute you are on top of the world, the next in a pit of despair. • To stay joyful is like trying to carry water in a holy bucket. • you fill up, and it leaks out. And the Bible says "be joyful always". • Is this ...read more

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Balanced Watchfulness

Contributed by Richard Tow on Feb 29, 2016

Does the word of God tell us how to handle the changing times? Yes, through principles set forth in the Bible. This message examines two directives that may at first appear to contradict one another. In reality they provide a balance.

Balanced Watchfulness
 7-19-15 (www.LifeChurchSpringfield.org) We will begin ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 11:1-6

Denomination: Charismatic

Righteous For The Unrighteous Series

Contributed by Troy Borst on Mar 1, 2016

First-person type narrative (Simon Peter's perspective, no acting or costumes needed) exploring: Why did Jesus die? What did He do while He was dead? What is He doing now that He is alive?

RIGHTEOUS FOR THE UNRIGHTEOUS 1 Peter 3:18-22 INTRODUCTION Simon Peter walked through the streets of Jerusalem with purpose. He had a place to get to and not a lot of time to get there. It had been his suggestion that the believers meet in the temple courts daily to pray, listen to reflections ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:18-22

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Why We Believe In The Virgin Birth Series

Contributed by Manny Salva Cruz on Dec 7, 2015

There are many people who do not believe in the virgin birth anymore because they have been distracted by a lot of things. In this message, we will look at the importance of the virgin birth that first Christmas and how we can conquer our doubts.

WHY WE BELIEVE IN THE VIRGIN BIRTH Isaiah 7:14New International Version (NIV) 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you[a] a sign: The virgin[b] will conceive and give birth to a son, and[c] will call him Immanuel.[d] INTRODUCTION: We will continue our mini-series on the birth of Christ in ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 7:14

Denomination: Nazarene

"Jesus And The Three R's"

Contributed by David Henderson on Dec 22, 2015

Today, I want us to think about different 3 R's. The 3 R's I am talking about are the 3 R's that stand for the choices that each of us must make about Jesus. The first R is for REJECT.

"Jesus and the Three R's" Scripture: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. John 1:1 19 more days till Christmas and even less till you will be out of school for the holidays. Are you guys excited about that? Sometimes schools will refer to 3 things they teach that are important. ...read more

Scripture: John 1:1

Denomination: Baptist

Advent 2015 - Week 4 - The God-Man

Contributed by Stephen Belokur on Dec 24, 2015

Who was it exactly that was placed into the manger that first Christmas morning? Was it God but less than God or fully God? Was He fully human or only veiled in flesh? Like the Trinity the Incarnation boggles the limited human mind. Glory to God!

John 1:1-5, 14 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. “In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ...read more

Scripture: John 1:1-5

Denomination: Nazarene

Leaders & Martyrs Series

Contributed by Sean Harder on Oct 11, 2013

For the first few chapters of Acts we have heard about the beginnings and growth of the early church in Jerusalem after Pentecost. Now we start to see some of the growing pains and the spread of the church over the next several chapters.

Alistair Begg, one of my favourite preachers who spoke daily in Chicago when I was there in May, shared a story from a pastor’s conference he held at his church last year. The theme of the conference was, from our passage today, “we will devote ourselves to the preaching of the word and ...read more