Sermons on Infants:

Promise, Shame, And Fulfillment

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Apr 28, 2010

Advent 1986: Everyone goes through a dynamic of promise, leading to shame, then leading to fulfillment, if we understand fulfillment as the presence of God.

I like the little quip about the fellow who offered His prayer with all sincerity and with tremendous urgency. “Lord," he said, "Lord, give me the gift of patience, and give it to me right now!” Well, at least he knew his need even if he did not exactly demonstrate an understanding of ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25

Denomination: Baptist

One Breath, One Flesh

Contributed by Joseph Smith on May 4, 2010

Pentecost 1986: We crave intimacy, and cannot live without it. It is not found in ceaseless work and striving, but in simply receiving grace.

The peculiar thing about our times is that while we seem to be so free and easy, so relaxed about what used to be thought of as intimate, yet at the same time we are hung up, truly hung up, about intimacy. I say the strange thing about us in this last half of the 20th century is that on the one ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 2:4-25

Denomination: Baptist

Bondage Verses Freedom Series

Contributed by Dennis Davidson on Aug 12, 2009

The proposition that only those who by faith accept God’s promise are children of God is given its last defense with an appeal to Scripture interpretation. It appeals to Scripture to again prove that Christians are not under law.

GALATIANS 4:21-31 BONDAGE VERSES FREEDOM [Genesis 16:1- 4; 21:8-12] How you interpret the facts is important. A worldly young Southern Baptist went to the racetrack for the very first time. He saw a priest in the paddock give a horse a blessing. The boy took the horse’s number, placed a ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 4:21-31, Galatians 4:26-30

Denomination: Baptist

The Unavoidable Question Series

Contributed by Clarence Eisberg on Aug 15, 2009

As in the movie Saving Private Ryan Captain Miller had to ask himself...."for whom or what would I give my life" Pvt James Ryan at the end of his life asked..."Have I been a good man?" These are life questions we all must ask. Stephen answered the ques

In Jesus Holy Name August 2, 2009 Acts 6:7-15, 7:55-58 “The Unavoidable Question” Part V In the movie “Saving Private Ryan” the opening scene shows an old man walking down a wide path through a colonnade of evergreens. He has a full head of gray hair; He wears a light blue ...read more

Denomination: Lutheran

A New Covenant

Contributed by Brian La Croix on Oct 5, 2009

Discussion of the new covenant Jesus gave us during the Last Supper

A New Covenant Matthew 26:26-30 July 19, 2009 Note: The ME/WE/GOD/YOU/WE format is from Andy Stanley’s book, "Communicating for a Change." Me: I grew up Catholic, as most of you know, and there is something that all Catholic kids go through, usually in the second grade or thereabouts. Anyone ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 26:26-30

Denomination: Wesleyan

Uncommon Service Series

Contributed by Quint Pitts on Oct 17, 2009

A look at how Philip’s life was an example of uncommon service.

UNCOMMON SERVICE The Cure For The Common Life—Part 4 Jesus lived and breathed service. Jesus stooped to love. He bent over backward to concern himself with others’ needs. It doesn’t seem logical that God would choose service as the path to try to impact the world. Yet the most strident atheist ...read more

Scripture: Acts 8:5-39

Denomination: *other

The Questions Of Christmas Series

Contributed by Tim Smith on Oct 19, 2009

Christmas brought three questions which every person needed to deal with as they encountered the Christ child. Christmas isn’t so much about what God has done for us as it is about our response to the Christ child and to these questions.

The Questions of Christmas Luke 2:8-20 It’s tough to miss Christmas if you live in America today. We hear the ads on the radio and TV, see the lighted houses and buildings, the decorated yards in our neighborhoods, and the displays inside every store remind us Christmas is coming in case we’ve ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:8-20

Denomination: Methodist

The Bridge To Life

Contributed by Brian La Croix on Nov 18, 2009

Evangelistic message given the Sunday after VBS. It incorporates a Powerpoint that I borrowed from a website and modified. If you want to know the address for the PP, let me know and I’ll get it for you.

The Bridge to Life John 10:10, Romans 6:23 August 2, 2009 NOTE: THE ME/WE/GOD/YOU/WE FORMAT IS FROM ANDY STANLEY’S BOOK, "COMMUNICATING FOR A CHANGE." Me: I grew up in a church that didn’t have Vacation Bible School. My earliest memories of VBS were while I was living in Pine Ridge, SD, and ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:23

Denomination: Wesleyan

Rare Words Yield Worthless Children

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 1, 2009

Eli’s two sons were counted "worthless", and the fault can be traced to "the word of the Lord was rare in those days". Eli did not connect "church" and home for them. We must teach our children Biblical truth or face the consequences.

Nothing delights us any more than the birth of a new baby. Everybody gets sort of squishy and sentimental around a baby. And I suspect that it is not only because they are cute and cuddly and helpless and small, but also it is because they are full of promise. Babies are nothing more than a bundle ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

The God Who Is Jealous Series

Contributed by Christopher Lanham on Jul 21, 2009

God is not jealous as we so often are - his jealousy is a reflection of his love.

The God Who Is Jealous Nahum 1:1-15 Cascades Fellowship CRC, JX MI July 19, 2009 Series: Little Letters – the Forgotten Wisdom of the Bible. “God is love.” So says the apostle John in 1 John 4:8. We know that God is love because he has demonstrated it through the cross. We know that God is the ...read more

Scripture: Nahum 1:1-15

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Jesus & The Father Are One Series

Contributed by Dennis Davidson on Feb 23, 2009

Jesus continues His shepherd sermon in this passage but He also advances another teaching. Jesus makes the declaration that He & the Father are one. It is clear that persons must recognize Jesus as being one with the Father or else reject Him entirely.

JOHN 10: 22-30 JESUS & THE FATHER ARE ONE Jesus continues His shepherd sermon in this passage but He also advances another teaching. Jesus makes the declaration that He and the Father are one. It is clear that persons must recognize Jesus as being one with the Father or else reject Him ...read more

Scripture: John 10:22-30

Denomination: Baptist

Pilgrim's Path Part-8 The Persecuted

Contributed by Chris Surber on Feb 24, 2009

We, like those pilgrim forefathers of the Church in America and the Early Church, are called to be fools for Christ!

The Pilgrim’s Path Part-8, Mathew 5:1-12 The Persecuted Introduction One hundred Puritans sail across the ocean on the “Mayflower” and in New England find a home where they can serve God according to the dictates of their conscience. Persecution in England being continued, men cross the Atlantic ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

Denomination: Christian Church

A God’s-Eye View Of Society Series

Contributed by Daniel Habben on Apr 10, 2016

How are things supposed to work in the family and workplace? Paul tells us.

“How does it work?” When’s the last time you asked that question? You’re going to laugh, but I recently asked that question when someone lent me their cell phone. I wasn’t sure how to turn the phone on, how to place a call or end it. “How does it work?” I ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:1-9

Denomination: Lutheran

Dressed In His Righteousness Alone

Contributed by Lori Broschat on Feb 29, 2016

Wearing the garment of Christ

DRESSED IN HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS ALONE We owe a great deal of our modern phrases or figures of speech to two sources; Scripture and Shakespeare. Often I like to quiz my confirmation students on whether a phrase comes from the Bible or Shakespeare. From Scripture we derive such phrases as “my ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:12-17

Denomination: United Methodist

Jesus The Forgiving Savior

Contributed by Paul Barreca on Mar 9, 2016

Today we focus on forgiveness as we study Simon the Pharisee and the sinful woman, found in Luke 7:36-50. Luke 7:36–50

John Newton lived from 1725-1807. He wrote what is undoubtedly the most familiar Christian hymn of all time, Amazing Grace. Newton’s testimony is equally as profound as the hymn that so beautifully depicts his faith in Christ. Newton was a young man torn between the influence of a godly ...read more

Scripture: Luke 7:36-50

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational