Sermons on Jonathan Morris:

Facing Temptation Series

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Mar 28, 2019

Struggling temptation is not uncommon to us nor was it uncommon to Jesus. See how Jesus' struggle against temptation helps us as we daily face temptation.

Do you ever feel like you’re wearing one of these (a target)? Maybe it’s that you feel like you’re being blamed for everything that is going wrong in other people’s lives, even when it’s not your fault. Maybe it’s more of the personal attacks that are being fired in your direction because of what ...read more

Scripture: Luke 4:1-13

Denomination: Lutheran

Standing Firm In The Lord Series

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Mar 28, 2019

Do you have good spiritual balance? Where we look can certainly affect our spiritual balance. Paul reminds us of where TO look and where NOT TO look to help us keep good spiritual balance.

Do you have good balance? I suppose that we could find out by testing your balance this morning. I could have all of you stand up. Then ask you to hold out your hands as I push against them one by one. Then ask you to stand on one foot and then to stand on the other foot without falling over. ...read more

Denomination: Lutheran

Our God Is "i Am" Series

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Mar 28, 2019

Do you ever struggle to make sense of the things going in life? Why would God allow certain things to happen. The name "I AM" is one that helps us in the way we look at the things that we and others are going through in this life that might not make sense to us.

Do you ever struggle to understand why God would allow certain things to happen? You turn on the TV, read the latest headlines, look at the world around you, or what is personally going on in your own life, and we struggle to make sense of things. A natural disaster claims the lives of hundreds ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 13:1-8, Exodus 13:10-15

Denomination: Lutheran

Get A Glimpse Of Jesus' Glory

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Mar 28, 2019

On Transfiguration Jesus gave his disciples a glorious experience that would help them get through some pretty hard things until finally arriving at Easter Sunday morning. Jesus continues to show his glory to us today, a glory that helps us through the hard times of our lives.

Supper is still about an hour and a half away. Lunch seems like an eternity ago. Your stomach is calling, “Feed me!” What do you do? If you’re like me, you grab a snack. Something that will help hold you over until the next of the three major meals of the day. Maybe it’s a cookie or some ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:28-36

Denomination: Lutheran

"you Don't Have To Go To Church To Be A Christian" Series

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Oct 7, 2019

This common reason for not coming to church shows two fundamental misunderstandings: 1) what is a Christian and 2) what is church. Help someone see that being a Christian means being part of a church.

People are not going to church as much as they used to. I could give you the statistics, but I don’t think that I need to because you’ve probably personally observed or experienced it yourself. You may have seen it with your own family members, your co-workers, your friends, in the conversations ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:23-25, Ephesians 4:11-13, John 8:31-36

Denomination: Lutheran

"i Don't Get Anything Out Of Church." Series

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Oct 7, 2019

People come to church with certain expectations. But are those the expectations that God wants us to come with, or are they are our own expectations? See how God's promises far exceed our expectations for church.

“I don’t get anything out of it.” You’ve probably heard it as a reason for someone no longer going to church and maybe you’ve actually had the thought yourself. You walked out of church and thought, “I just don’t feel like I got anything out of it.” People come to church with certain ...read more

Scripture: Romans 10:14-17, Luke 18:15-17, Isaiah 55:8-11

Denomination: Lutheran

"i Have More Important Things To Do Than Come To Church." Series

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Oct 7, 2019

Is church really worth our time? Our time is inherently valuable so we want to make sure that we are spending our time on things that have value. Is church one of them?

The 9-5, Monday-Friday, 40 hour per week, weekends off work week seems to be a thing of the past for many people. Various start times and shifts throughout the day and night, rotating schedules and “on call” demands have certainly redefined what a “normal” work week looks like. You combine that ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Matthew 10:28-39, Matthew 16:24-26

Denomination: Lutheran

"the Church Is A Bunch Of Hypocrites." Series

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Oct 7, 2019

People's experience with those in the church is often their first experience with Christianity. What are we to say when that experience was less than positive? How are we going to respond?

“I don’t mind Jesus, it’s his followers I can’t stand.” “You wouldn’t believe the way that I was treated when I went to that church.” “I’ve seen the way that Christians act when they’re not at church.” “The church is a bunch of hypocrites.” What’s your first reaction when you hear comments ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:1-5, Matthew 5:14-16, Mark 2:13-17

Denomination: Lutheran

"all The Church Cares About Is Money." Series

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Oct 7, 2019

Money is powerful! The amount of money we have allows or prevents us from having or doing certain things. Jesus understand the power of money as a prime competitor for our hearts. The church echoes Jesus' warning as we see what he was willing to pay for our eternity.

We learn very early on in life that when you walk into a store and you see something that you would like to buy, what is one of the first things that you look at? You look at the price tag. You want to know how much money that thing is going to cost you and if you have enough money then to buy ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:19-33, 1 Timothy 6:9-11, 2 Corinthians 9:6-8

Denomination: Lutheran

If I Had Only One Sermon To Preach . . .

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Nov 6, 2019

You have only one chance to preach a sermon. What text would you use?

Many years ago, I remember reading a book called “If I had only one sermon to preach”. The photos of the ministers on the front cover or dust jacket made me think twice about reading it, though, because these men had some of the most sour expressions I’ve ever seen! It reminded me of a bit of ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Denomination: Baptist

When Thou Art Converted

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Nov 12, 2019

This contribution is based on a message preached June 2, 2013, at the Eolia Baptist Church, Eolia, MO. This is not an exact transcription.

Thank you for giving me the privilege of sharing a message from God’s Word today. As some of you have found out, I’m originally from West Virginia but my wife is a native of Missouri, so, any questions, she can help translate for you! (audience laughed) The text for the message is from Luke’s ...read more

Scripture: Luke 22:24-32

Denomination: Baptist

Use The Best To Stand The Test

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Nov 23, 2019

Every Christian will have his or her deeds tested by fire. If anyone is not ready, there is still time to make corrections. But this life is all we have, so please, live it wisely!

Use the best to stand the test Some time ago, I saw a question which read, “What on earth are you doing for Heaven’s sake?” That question could be taken any number of ways. I definitely wish more preachers had used this text so as to remind us that our deeds are important, and that this life is ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:1-17

Denomination: Baptist

Welcome Home!

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Apr 25, 2019

This first person sermon hears the account of the prodigal son from the prodigal son himself. His story is our story - a story of God's amazing grace!

This morning I would like to speak to you as if I was that prodigal, wasteful and reckless son that we heard about in our gospel lesson. I come to you this morning to share my story, the same story that Jesus shared with a rather diverse group of people who had gathered around him from every walk ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:1-3, Luke 15:11-32

Denomination: Lutheran

Running The Race Of Faith

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Apr 25, 2019

How is your race of Christian faith going? Tired? Seemingly endless hurdles? Great? Easy? Jesus takes us off the spiritual treadmill and hands us the prize of heaven! Run as one who has already won!

Are you familiar with these decals or stickers? (26.2 or 13.1) You might see them on the back of a car or truck. They are the distances for a marathon (26.2 miles) and half marathon (13.1 miles). People might put them on their vehicle as an indication that they have run a marathon or half ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:8-14

Denomination: Lutheran

"save Us Now!"

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Apr 25, 2019

What kind of Jesus are you looking for? The Palm Sunday crowd seemed to be looking for a Jesus to save them from the now, but Jesus is so much more! Jesus is a Savior for eternity! See Jesus for who he truly is!

If you had been standing there in that first Palm Sunday crowd as Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, what would you have heard? I would ask you to close your eyes to imagine it, but that’s kind of the kiss of death for a sermon, so keep your eyes open and imagine it. What would you have ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 21:1-11

Denomination: Lutheran