Sermons on John Ortberg:

What Kind Of Soil Are You?

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Jun 27, 2002

In life, just like in a garden, there are different kinds of soil. The kind of soil you are will determine how God can impact your life.

Matthew 13:1-23 What Kind of Soil Are You? I’m not a gardener, nor do I play one on TV – but my wife is. And I’ve tilled around a bit – and dug into the soil we have around our house to put in sprinklers and the like. It’s bad stuff – with lots of clay. I have learned the clay doesn’t grow things ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Striving For Church Health - Healthy Senior Women Series

Contributed by Joey Nelson on Jul 8, 2002

God desires that you and I come into our older age with grace and dignity while at the same time being useful in the local church. In His Word, God gives us instruction as to how senior adult women are to be useful in the local church.

INTRODUCTION Opening Statement: There’s a new age coming – a new age wave. It is going to hit the 21st century church like a Pacific tsunami. There are now more people over age 65 than under 18. We would be wise to look at the fact that Apostle Paul recognized the value and usefulness of senior ...read more

Scripture: Titus 2:3-4

Winning The Battle Series

Contributed by Steven Simala Grant on Jul 9, 2002

After the defeat at Ai and Achan’s sin, God and the Israelites recommit to their covenant relationship.

Winning the Battle Joshua 8 Intro: War movies are a staple of our culture. There is always at least one playing at the theatre, often more than one. This past week I rented ¡§Black Hawk Down,¡¨ a true story of American soldiers in the Battle of Mogadishu trying to capture two Somalian ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 8:1-35

Denomination: Baptist

Good News About Hard Times Series

Contributed by Tim Bond on Jul 13, 2002

God takes the hard times of our lives and will use them to change us into the image of His Son if we will give them to Him.

Read Text: James 1:1-4, 12 Patriotic pride is at an all time high lately, and as we come to the 226th celebration of our nation’s birthday, you are going to be seeing the symbols of the US everywhere. Stars and stripes, fireworks and eagles are going to be all over the place in the weeks to come. ...read more

Scripture: James 1:1-4

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Is Anybody Out There Wise? Series

Contributed by Tim Bond on Jul 13, 2002

God wants us to be wise not so that we can get ahead in life, but so that we can know how to be godly in every circumstance in life.

Imagine that a genie appeared to you just like in the movie Aladin. Instead of granting you 3 wishes, you get the economy version and the genie tells you that you are granted 1 wish of your choice. (As Genie on Aladin says, “Ixniah on wishing for more wishes”) What do you choose? So many things ...read more

Scripture: James 1:4-8, James 3:13-18

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Silence And Sin, Strength And Summer

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 14, 2002

Our lives have seasons like summer: heated, turbulent, conflicted. This is a result of unconfessed sin and of not listening to God’s priorities.

Every season of the year has its joys and its challenges. But God has ordained them all for the benefit of His creation. And every season of our lives has its joys and its challenges. Yet again God has ordained all these for the benefit of His people. Every season of the year is ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 32:1-11

Denomination: Baptist

Doing The Word Series

Contributed by Tim Bond on Jul 21, 2002

In order for us to become everything God desires us to be, we must listen to His Word and allow it to conform our behavior to His Will.

At the age of 33, Erik Weihenmayer is a phenomenal athlete who loves to skydive, snow ski and climb mountains. Mountain climbing is his specialty. As a matter of fact, he is on track to be one of the youngest to climb all of the Seven Summits, the highest peaks on each of the continents. In 1995 ...read more

Scripture: James 1:19-27

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Elijah: "The Emotional Roller Coaster” Series

Contributed by David Yarbrough on Jul 22, 2002

A look at the dangers of depression, and what God has done to help us in our times of emotional overload.

Humor: Have you ever heard this expression, "It’s enough to make a preacher cuss." It reminds me of story about little boy trying to sell a lawn mower. The local pastor walked up and he was able to persuade him to buy the worn out lawn mower. The pastor pulled on the rope several times to make sure ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 19:1-7

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Introduction Series

Contributed by Christian Zorio on Jul 22, 2002

Introduction to the book of Philemon; examining the writer, recipient and reason for writing.

INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF PHILEMON Lessons of forgiveness from the life of Philemon INTRODUCTION The Background: · A young man – who will remain nameless o Grew up in a household where he was well taken care of. All of his needs were met. o He was encouraged to become a doctor or maybe even an ...read more

Scripture: Philemon 1:1-3

Denomination: Independent/Bible

How To Pray Like A Righteous Man

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Jul 30, 2002

James gives us the example of how to pray by referring back to Elijah’s prayer for rain. What did he do that we can copy in our prayers?

OPEN: A man by the name of Harold Lamb told this story of a sales presentation he made at a church board meeting: "My co-worker and I were making a sales call to a rural Baptist church. We gave our presentation to the church committee, and then the group’s chairman walked to the altar and knelt ...read more

Scripture: James 5:1-20

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

How To View Your Problems

Contributed by Gary Bennett on Feb 25, 2003

What do we expect from life? Comfort or hardship? God’s grace and comfort are available to us - not to store, but to share.

INTRODUCTION Every now and again, one of our politicians expresses a view that cuts to the heart of Australia’s social conscience. Sometimes these phrases come back to haunt them during the next election campaign. Occasionally their words will be immortalised as famous words of a great leader. ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:1-11

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Stephen - Climax Of Conflict In Jerusalem

Contributed by Gary Bennett on Feb 25, 2003

Will our obituary read that we were used mightily by God, and loved deeply by others?

AN OBITUARY TO DIE FOR OF EPITAPH’S ... What happens when someone dies? Now that’s a leading question if ever I’ve asked one. Quite often, the site of the remains of the mortal coil is marked with some sort of memorial. It may be a plaque or tombstone, or some other reminder that the body of one ...read more

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Jesus Overcomes The Obstacles To Healthy Living

Contributed by Joel Pankow on Feb 27, 2003

how Jesus heals us spiritually and physically

February 23, 2003 Mark 2:1-12 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four ...read more

Scripture: Mark 2:1-12

Denomination: Lutheran

Be Intentional #7-How To Have An Effective Prayer Life (Pt. 2) Series

Contributed by Brian La Croix on Mar 3, 2003

Second message on prayer, within larger series on being intentional.

Be Intentional #7 – How to Have an Effective Prayer Life (Part 2) Matthew 7:7-12 March 2, 2003 Introduction During last week’s message, I went through a scenario of God using a computerized answering service to handle all our prayers. It was humorous, and I used it to point out that God has no ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:7-12

Denomination: Wesleyan

Real Life: For The Sake Of The Call

Contributed by Jeremy Farmer on Mar 7, 2003

Will you abandon it all for the sake of the call? -Steven Curtis Chapman

“REAL LIFE” “For the Sake of the Call” Adoniram Judson was a great missionary. He once said about serving God, and success: "There is no success without sacrifice. If you succeed without sacrifice it is because someone has suffered before you. If you sacrifice without success it is because someone ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 4:18-22

Denomination: Pentecostal