Sermons on Ken Idleman:

"faith Starts In The Darkness"

Contributed by Ken Sauer on Mar 4, 2020

A sermon about being born again.

“Faith Starts in the Darkness” John 3:1-21 The first Apartment I lived in after college was in a really old building. It was one room plus a bathroom. The refrigerator was in a closet. I slept on my boss’s army cot. One night, after I had turned out the lights and gotten into bed… …I ...read more

Scripture: John 3:1-21

Denomination: United Methodist

"fat Wallets, Empty Lives"

Contributed by Ken Sauer on Jul 31, 2019

A sermon about the dangers of greed.

“Fat Wallets, Empty Lives” Luke 12:13-21 Last week there was a reader’s poll in The Chattanooga Times Free Press that caught my eye. The question asked: “Do you tithe to a church?” Now what is a tithe? A tithe is giving, at least, ten percent of your yearly income to God. So, giving, say, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 12:13-21

Denomination: United Methodist

"chutes And Ladders"

Contributed by Ken Sauer on Aug 27, 2019

A sermon about Jesus' call to humble ourselves.

Luke 14:7-14 “Chutes and Ladders” (The Idea for Chutes and Ladders comes from a commentary by Mark Ralls in Feasting on the Gospels, Luke part 2 pgs. 62-66)) There is a game for children that has been around for a long time, since 1943, to be exact. And I bet almost everyone here has played it ...read more

Scripture: Luke 14:1-14

Denomination: United Methodist

"lazarus Lives"

Contributed by Ken Sauer on Sep 13, 2019

If Jesus can raise Lazarus to new life, can He not do the same for us?

“Lazarus Lives” John 11:1-3, 17-44 Most all of us want to live lives that matter. We want to be significant in some way, to make a difference, to have a legacy, to be happy. Yet overshadowing all these hopes and dreams is the dark cloud of death, and along with it may come a feeling of ...read more

Scripture: John 11:1-44

Denomination: United Methodist

"yielding All Things: Faith Vs. Fear"

Contributed by Ken Sauer on Oct 2, 2019

A sermon in a sermon series for a stewardship campaign

“Yielding All Things: Faith Vs. Fear” Genesis 3:1-15, 21-24 Let’s try and imagine the original Eden. Animals roam freely and peacefully. A mist goes up from the earth, watering the green land and the blooming flowers. The birds chirp, the fish swim in glistening water. Trees are filled ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 3:1-24

Denomination: United Methodist

"yielding All Things: The Kingdom Of God Is Children"

Contributed by Ken Sauer on Oct 17, 2019

A stewardship sermon focused on bringing children to Jesus.

“Yielding All Things: The Kingdom of God Is Children” My parents had three children, and my dad worked hard all week. And since he gave us kids most all his attention when he got home from work, he didn’t have much of any time to himself except for about an hour on Sunday mornings. My mother ...read more

Denomination: United Methodist

Why God Gets Angry

Contributed by Ken Henson on Oct 20, 2019

God is a God of love, and we all like hearing and talking about that. But there is another side of love-one that is less pleasant, but no less essential-that is God’s anger.

God’s Anger God is a God of love, and we all like hearing and talking about that. But there is another side of love-one that is less pleasant, but no less essential-that is God’s anger. God gets angry because He loves, but I’m getting ahead of myself. First, I think it’s important that we establish ...read more

Denomination: *other

"yielding All Things: Doing What It Says On The Package"

Contributed by Ken Sauer on Oct 23, 2019

A stewardship sermon based on putting our faith into action.

“Yielding All Things: Doing What it says on the Package” James 2:14-26 When I go to toy stores with Owen, I often marvel at how little things have changed since I was a kid. Alongside all the miracles of modern toy science are dozens of things that I remember seeing on store shelves 40 ...read more

Scripture: James 2:14-26

Denomination: United Methodist

"fixing Our Eyes On Jesus"

Contributed by Ken Sauer on Oct 29, 2019

A sermon for All Saints Sunday.

“Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus” Hebrews 12:1-3 When Bob Homer was a young boy he had a paper route. And back in the days of paper routes, the paper boys or girls would have to collect money from each customer by ringing their doorbell once a week. And so, you got to know the people you delivered ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-3

Denomination: United Methodist

"yielding All Things: I Am No Longer My Own, But Thine"

Contributed by Ken Sauer on Nov 7, 2019

A sermon for stewardship commitment Sunday.

“Yielding All Things: I Am No Longer My Own, But Thine” Matthew 6:19-34 Jesus tells us: “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on…” “…do not worry…” “…do not worry…” “…do not worry…” Raise your hand if you have ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:19-34

Denomination: United Methodist

"concern For The Suffering Of Others"

Contributed by Ken Sauer on Nov 15, 2019

A sermon about living with the compassion of Christ.

“Concern for the Suffering of Others” Matthew 9:35-38 Last week I was reading a story from a mainstream news outlet about a young couple who moved to Los Angeles, California looking for fame and fortune but quickly found themselves homeless and destitute. It was a moving story. In any event, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:35-38

Denomination: United Methodist

"shout For Joy To The Lord"

Contributed by Ken Sauer on Nov 20, 2019

A sermon for the Sunday before Thanksgiving.

“Shout for Joy to the Lord” Psalm 100 Theologians have often pointed out that we human beings tend to engage in acts of worship, whether we believe in God or not. We all have objects that we praise: a musical instrument, an actor or actress or even an awesome view. “It’s amazing or ...read more

Denomination: United Methodist

No Comparison

Contributed by Ken Henson on Nov 24, 2019

Comparing ourselves to others creates problems-anger, envy, hatred, division and even murder. There are solutions to the problem: Take the Eternal Perspective 2. Count others as better 3. Follow Jesus 4. Be so busy being cool that you don’t notice what others are doing 5. Give Thanks

No Comparison Today I’d like to tell a few stories from the Bible, As well as read some of the Bible’s teachings concerning comparisons. Then, at the end, I’d like to consolidate some of the lessons we can learn from what the Bible teaches concerning comparison. This 5-Point message you’ll only ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 4:1-9, John 21:15-19

Denomination: *other

"peace"

Contributed by Ken Sauer on Nov 25, 2019

A sermon for the 1st Sunday in Advent.

“Peace” Isaiah 2:1-5; John 14:27 (Some ideas and themes for this sermon come from the Book: "Almost Christmas: A Wesleyan Advent Experience") “This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.” In chapter 1 Isaiah graphically laid out what was going on in Jerusalem ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 2:1-5, John 14:27

Denomination: United Methodist

The Seed Of Abraham Series

Contributed by Ken Carlson on Dec 2, 2019

This time of year, people are in search of the perfect Christmas tree. The first Christmas tree, however, is the most important and perfect of all—the family tree of Jesus. This sermon looks at the first person listed in Matthew's genealogy of Jesus: Abraham.

INTRODUCTION By a show of hands, how many of you have done the Ancestry DNA testing? I did it a few months ago, and they recently updated their database, and with the updated results, I have some questions. I know my family tree goes back to Italy on my mom’s side, and Germany, Ireland, and ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:1, Matthew 1:2, Genesis 12:1, Genesis 12:2, Genesis 12:3  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational