Sermons on German Rationalism:

The Disobedient Heart Series

Contributed by Christian Cheong on Mar 6, 2016

Avoid these pitfalls of disobedience - the temptation to rationalize it, to belittle it, to blame it, to give excuses for it, to please man rather than God.

Today we are going to touch on one topic that we can all speak with experience – disobedience. • Whether it’s disobedience to parents, to authority, or to God. We know what it is and how difficult it is, sometimes. • To obey is not easy. It takes trust, it takes faith and ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 15:1-23

Denomination: Independent/Bible

"We Are Beggars. This Is True.” (So What Kind Of Beggar Are You?)

Contributed by Daniel Habben on Nov 3, 2022

On February 18, 1546, at the age of 62, the noted German church reformer, Martin Luther, died. They discovered a piece of paper in his pocket which recorded Luther’s last written words.

On February 18, 1546, at the age of 62, the noted German church reformer, Martin Luther, died. They discovered a piece of paper in his pocket which recorded Luther’s last written words. The final sentence read: “Wir sind Bettler. Das ist wahr.” (“We are beggars. This is true.”) Do you know what ...read more

Scripture: Luke 8:26-39

Denomination: Lutheran

Recovery Through Repentance

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Sep 7, 2011

Backsliding begins with a rationalization of one's behavior, and a relativistic approach to determining right and wrong in one's life. This message deals with the result of this faulty thinking, while offering the only solution to one's backslidden condit

Recovery through Repentance Text: Jer. 2:13; 3:22 Intro: Backsliding on God, whether that of an individual, or that of a nation, does not take place all at once; but it is a gradual process. This spiritual malady usually begins with little departures from the truth of God’s ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

God Will Guide You Series

Contributed by Chris Appleby on May 12, 2012

God will guide you but he'll use your rational mind as much as special intervention but he expects us to make decisions according to his revealed will.

I recently bought one of these new smart phones. It's great. It does everything, except make the coffee. One of the best “apps” on it is the navwoman. You type in your destination and a very clever woman tells you exactly how to get there. “Turn right in 300 metres.” ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 25:1-21

Denomination: Anglican

Resurrection? I’ll Believe That When Caterpillars Fly Series

Contributed by John Snyder on Mar 13, 2014

Assuming there is a God who can bring a universe into existence anytime he wants, here are ten reasons to believe that resurrection from the dead is the true, rational view of things.

Ten Reasons to Believe in Resurrection “That’s just impossible! Since it flies in the face of everything we know, you’d have to be an idiot to believe in the resurrection.” I hear this sort of thing all the time, and it’s often spoken as though it’s the very ...read more

Scripture: John 20:16-18

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Children Of Light

Contributed by Ed Lu on Aug 10, 2019

Entitlement becomes our constant companion to rationalize what’s right is wrong and unless I am the beneficiary of love, peace and joy then something is terribly wrong with the Church.

Children of Light (John 12:35-36) Many expect to be given God than they are to search for God. They want to be handed all the blessings of peace, prosperity, and providence which somehow they think God represents but they fall short of diligently seeking Him. That if I do what the pastor ...read more

Scripture: John 12:35-36

Denomination: Baptist

Obedience Is Better Than Sacrifice Series

Contributed by Brad Beaman on Sep 29, 2022

The story of King Saul’s utter demise unfolds in 1 Samuel 15. The man who stood head and shoulders above all the people is imploding like a skyscraper building with the walls blown out.

The bigger they are the harder they fall. It is dramatic to see a skyscraper building brought to the ground. Dynamite blows out the walls and the building collapses to the ground. What once filled the skyline becomes reduced to a pile of rubble. The story of King Saul’s utter demise unfolds in 1 ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 15:22

Denomination: Baptist

What Is Your God Story? Series

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Feb 6, 2026

Following the lead of Psalm 18, this sermon tells 3 "God-stories" where God is glorified (rather than the teller of the stories receiving glory). Do you have a God-Story?

There’s a powerful song by “The Old Paths Quartet” Called “Who Better Than Me” (Play from 0.01 thru 0.59 mark of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQEeUbB6H_A) I really like that song because (like Psalm 18) that song declares “You’ve heard sermons telling what the Lord can do. Read the stories ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 18:1-19

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Deceptive Power Of Compromise

Contributed by Don Baggett on Nov 10, 2007

When a Christian compromises his godly values and rationalizes that the ends justify the means, he opens the door to all kinds of trouble, not only in his own life, but in the lives of many others.

Compromise is not always bad. I heard one preacher say that he torn the word compromise out of his dictionary. I thought, “You must not be married!” However, if we compromise our godly values, we open the door for trouble in our lives. This is true because God loves us, and when we start in ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 9:1-9

Denomination: Baptist

Teaching Obedience To The Next Generation

Contributed by Scott Maze on Jun 22, 2021

Saul hides behind his religion. Mafia hitmen rationalize, “Yes, I kill people but I’m really good to my mother.” We are incredibly good at self-deception. People hide behind their religion to evade obedience

Today, I want to speak to parents and grandparents on raising children who have a stalwart character all their lives. Let’s look at one of the most interesting kings of ancient Israel, King Saul. Today’s Scripture The word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, for ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 15:10-23

Denomination: Baptist

Eating With The Troops Series

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Oct 4, 2009

The early church "gathered together to break bread." Why was this activity so critical to them and what can it mean to us?

OPEN: There’s an old saying: “An army marches on… (its stomach).” What that means is: if an army doesn’t feed its men it’s not going anywhere. Without food the troops eventually can’t march, they can’t maneuver, and they can’t fight. So one of the logistical problems for armies has always been - ...read more

Scripture: Acts 20:7-12

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The World Is Not Enough

Contributed by Scott Maze on Feb 22, 2026

Money blinds us. You know when you’re committing adultery, but very few people see when they’re greedy. Why is greed harder to spot in us than something like adultery? Because money blinds us.

People asked Jesus a lot of questions in His life. I imagine you have a question you’d like to ask Jesus at some point in your life. Get this: there are 183 recorded questions that various people asked Jesus. Yet, we have records that Jesus only answered 8 of the questions He was asked.1 Today, I ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 16:1-4, Matthew 16:24-28

Denomination: Baptist

Staying Clam In A Storm Of Heresy Series

Contributed by Jack Perkins, D.min., Ladc, Csac, Cclc on Jul 29, 2021

A major concern for John is heresy within the church and the manner it is causing problems and robbing believers of their joy. John uses antichrist in reference to those who perhaps start with seemingly sincere faith; yet, their teaching becomes contrary to Christ and abiding in him.

There is a universal theme that runs through the book of 1 John, abiding in Christ. This is the key to “living in the world but not of the world. When we refuse to live in the world, we fail to serve Christ. Joe McKeever wrote the following. In the 1987 meeting of the Southern Baptist ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 2:18-29

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Why Isn't Life Fair

Contributed by Kevin Ruffcorn on Mar 25, 2005

People are troubled by the fact that life doesn’t seem to be fair. Peace and encouragement don’t come from rationalizing life, but from focusing on the love, presence and power of God in our lives.

THE SEVEN SERVICE JUNE 30, 2002 Matthew 5:45 “Why Isn’t Life Fair?” INTRODUCTION Growing up with brothers and sisters, a big issue for us was fairness. We always counted the number of presents, at Christmas time, in order to make sure that they were equal and thus fair. The value of the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:45

Denomination: Lutheran

To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice

Contributed by John Gaston on Feb 11, 2021

We look at the fall of King Saul. We see how he rationalized his sins by selective obedience, shifting blame, and subterfuge. Then we study the true nature of obedience and end with an enlightening story.

TO OBEY IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE 1 Sam. 15:1-30 INTRODUCTION A. HUMOR: KNOWING IS NOT DOING 1. United Press International (UPI) reported that termites had eaten through a large stack of documents entitled, “Control of Termites” in the mail room of the University of California at Berkley. 2. ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 15:1-30

Denomination: Assembly Of God