Sermons on Habit Formation:

Who Is Worthy To Open The Book?

Contributed by Jerry Shirley on Jun 23, 2011

It's the title deed to the earth, and the devil, the god of this world, is currently in possession of it, but not for long! Link inc. to formatted text, audio, PowerPoint.

WHO IS WORTHY TO OPEN THE BOOK? REV. 5 http://gbcdecatur.org/sermons/WhoIsWorthy.html Rev. 5 tells us of a scroll in heaven which is sealed w/ 7 seals. There is no way we could over-emphasize the importance of this scroll. The fact that it was sealed 7 times speaks to its importance, for in ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 5:1-14

Denomination: Baptist

Message In A Manger

Contributed by Quint Pitts on Dec 9, 2009

The hidden messages and deeper meanings of some of the Christmas story’s most enduring images. It is formatted in antiphonal fashion with Christmas carols interspersed throughout.

MESSAGE IN A MANGER Christmas Around The World—Part 2 This week Sarah and I are celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary. A few years back Sarah gave me one of the most thoughtful gifts for our anniversary. In fact it was several gifts. And I had the fun of opening several gifts throughout the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:1-19

Denomination: *other

Call Your First Witness

Contributed by Jerry Shirley on Nov 2, 2012

Jesus is God, and I can prove it. I call to the stand John the Baptist! Link inc. to formatted text, audio, PowerPoint.

Call Your First Witness John 1 http://gbcdecatur.org/sermons/FirstWitness.html A witness is to tell the truth that he knows. He testifies before God and everyone the truth. Jesus is God, and I can prove it. I call to the stand John the Baptist! John the Baptist was a relative of Jesus. Their ...read more

Scripture: John 1:1-34

Denomination: Baptist

How Do Hope Filled People Live? Series

Contributed by Mark Haines on Dec 29, 2001

A deductive exposition of the text calling individuals prompted by the Holy Spirit to indicate their commitment to replace one habit in the next 6 months by signing a response card and placing it on the altar rail.

Introduction: What does HOPE mean to you? I’m afraid that too often we use HOPE to mean a futile wish or an ineffective dream. When people talk of HOPE they usually do so with a feeling of resignation or despair. But real HOPE is a much stronger idea. In "The Lord of the Rings", one character is ...read more

Scripture: Titus 2:11-14

Denomination: Wesleyan

Suffering Reduces Sin Series

Contributed by Peter Loughman on Mar 7, 2007

The Apostle Peter shows us that when we work through suffering in a godly way, those habits and sins we cannot rid ourselves of, start to fade away.

What is the thing that Americans fear the most? It is not taxes, or speaking in public, or even death…no. What Americans fear the most is – suffering. It can all be summed up when a loved one dies and death comes quickly to them. What do we say? At least they didn’t suffer….. Americans fear ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:1-19

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Down To Racing Weight

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Apr 2, 2010

Delivered March 1986. To run this race of life and faith, you need worthy role models, you need to rid yourself of destructive habits, and you need the pacesetter, Christ.

Beneath this bulky middle-aged body and especially beneath the generous folds of this preaching robe, there beats the heart of a runner, a racer. Surprise, surprise, you never knew that, did you? But it's true. Inside this fleshy disgrace to the human race there lies buried somewhere the soul of ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Forget Not All His Benefits

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Sep 15, 2020

If we don’t get into the habit of thanking God for what we DO have we’ll soon become ungrateful because of what we DON’T have.

MELVIN NEWLAND, MINISTER RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK Text: Psalms 103:1-22; Ephesians 5:19-20; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ILL. Thinking about his childhood, Chuck Swindoll wrote: "I recall, as a ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 103:1-22, Ephesians 5:19-20, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Power Of The Secret Closet

Contributed by John Gaston on Apr 13, 2015

What is the “Secret Closet?” It's the Habit of shutting yourself in God, Seeking God, calling on Him, and Intimacy with God. Prayer is transfiguring, refreshing, and can alter the future.

THE POWER OF THE SECRET CLOSET Mt. 6:5-6 INTRODUCTION A. HUMOR 1. Some things really changed between the former generations and the kids of the last generation. 2. At a grandma was keeping/ babysitting her grandson Dirk. Dirk followed her into the bedroom as she puts up things away in the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:5-6

Denomination: Assembly Of God

The Entrance Of The Bride Series

Contributed by Ken Henson on Jan 12, 2019

There is a great contrast between the Prostitute and the Bride, the City of God and Babylon, this world, where we feel so distant from God, and the New Jerusalem, where we will be the habitation of God.

CHAPTER 21 1. And I saw a new heaven, and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth are gone, and the sea no longer exists. 2. And the holy city, New Jerusalem, I saw coming down out of heaven from God, having been prepared as a bride clothed for her husband. ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 21:1-2

Denomination: *other

Remove All The ‘hagar And Ishmael

Contributed by Bala Samson on Nov 6, 2021

We all got to shed away our old habits and life just like the way the caterpillar sheds its skin in order to evolve into a stunning, astounding and beautiful butterfly!

Remove all the ‘Hagar and Ishmael’ Genesis 21:9”Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking…” Many of us feel that life would be hunky-dory after we receive answers to our prayers and when the miracle happens, but hang on there, with the arrival of the great ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 21:9

Denomination: Pentecostal

Little Foxes That Destroy The Vine

Contributed by Rev. Samuel Arimoro on Jul 11, 2025

The vine of the Lord is holy, fruitful, and meant to flourish. But when little foxes are allowed in—small sins, secret habits, tolerated attitudes, and spiritual negligence—they ruin the vine.

LITTLE FOXES THAT DESTROY THE VINE By Rev. Samuel Arimoro Main Text: Song of Solomon 2:15 Supporting Texts: 1 Corinthians 5:6; Galatians 5:9; Ecclesiastes 10:1; Matthew 13:25; Hebrews 12:15 INTRODUCTION: In many cases, great destructions do not begin with obvious explosions or visible ...read more

Scripture: Song of Songs 2:15

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Pray For The Impossible

Contributed by Jerry Shirley on Jun 11, 2010

The book of Nehemiah is about building a work for God, and behind every great work of God there is somewhere a KNEELING figure. Link inc. to formatted text, audio/video, PowerPoint.

Pray for the Impossible Nehemiah 1:5-11 http://gbcdecatur.org/sermons/PrayForTheImpossible.html A Jew being the cupbearer to Artaxerxes, the Babylonian King, is an impossible thought to ponder. How could this possibly be? It was an impossible situation...but we serve the God of the impossible! ...read more

Scripture: Nehemiah 1:4-11

Denomination: Baptist

If Any Man Be In Christ

Contributed by Jerry Shirley on Mar 10, 2010

We may age and get old on the outside, but we can grow ever younger and more alive on the inside...if we are IN CHRIST! Link inc. to formatted text, audio, PowerPoint.

If Any Man be in Christ 2 Corinthians 5:10-21 http://gbcdecatur.org/sermons/IfAnyMan.html This is the judgment seat, literally, the bema. There is still a bema in Corinth. This was the place where the judges of the city would meet the citizens and would judge them for certain things -- there was ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:10-21

Denomination: Baptist

A Rut Stuck Life

Contributed by Larry Turner on Jul 11, 2015

People live lives digging spiritual ruts, stuck in them. and lving in them. This sermon looks at whta those lives look like and how to get out of that rut stuck life.

I was 18 when I attempted to get my drivers license for the first time. It was a day that will live in my memory forever. The day before had been a rainy day. The police officer climbed into my car as I began my driving test. Going down a two-lane highway behind the station, I was instructed to ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 19:12, 1 Timothy 1:19, 2 Samuel 11:1-27, Psalm 51:12, James 4:10, 1 Timothy 4:15, Hebrews 12:15  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Foursquare

The Heart Of Religion

Contributed by Vic Folkert on Aug 19, 2021

Religious traditions and rules can be harmful, or they can provide a framework for a heart transformed. The heart is transformed by the Holy Spirit.

THE HEART OF RELIGION—Mark 7:1-23 If you would ask 100 people, maybe on a street corner of a university or in your neighborhood, “What do you think about religion?” What would you hear? Some people would politely say, “It’s not bad to be religious, if you are into that.” Some might be glad to ...read more

Scripture: Mark 7:1-23, Ezekiel 11:19-20, John 7:38-39, Proverbs 4:23, Ezekiel 36:26-27  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed