Sermons on Maximize Joy:

Man's Chief End

Contributed by Jerry Flury on Jul 27, 2014

Why are you and I here? Why did God create us? What is our purpose in life? We were made to glorify and enjoy but how do we do that and what does that mean?

Man's Chief End 1 Peter 4:10-11 Why are you and I here? Why did God create us? What is our purpose in life? With this thought in mind Augustine said, "You have formed us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in You." God is a God of glory. Moses sang in Exodus 15:11 " Who ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:10-11

Denomination: Baptist

Great Gain - What Is That?

Contributed by Stephen Belokur on Jan 15, 2015

We know that Godliness with contentment is great gain but what is great gain in the life of a Christian?

Great gain. What IS great gain? The world attempts to define the meaning of great gain for us every day. What are some things that the world uses to influence people? (Use a whiteboard to write them down - divide the white board into two columns and write these in the left hand column) TV and ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:6

Denomination: Nazarene

Going And Doing Series

Contributed by Jeffery Anselmi on Jan 30, 2015

Now that you are working on or are a new creation in Christ, it is time to go and do for the Lord!

INTRODUCTION • SLIDE #1 • Over the past four weeks we have been examining the subject of building a new you. • In order to be able to achieve this goal we have learned that we need eyes that are open to see what God needs us to see. Next we examined the fact that we need a ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 9:10

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Hilarious Generosity

Contributed by Davon Huss on Dec 2, 2014

What should God's generosity cause us to do? (Material Adapted from Ben Patterson's book, He Has Made Me Glad, chapter 10 Hilarious Generosity)

HoHum: Ben Patterson- When Lauretta and I were first married, we were very poor. The 3 necessities of food, clothing, and shelter weren’t quite within our grasp. We could manage only 2 out of 3- not bad as a batting average, but miserable if you’re trying to live. My employment was ...read more

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Giving Thanks In Disappointments

Contributed by Ajai Prakash on Dec 3, 2014

Are you facing a situation in which you could be disappointed? Why not set up a celebration to count your blessings no matter what the outcome?

Opening illustration: After receiving his second Academy Award, Denzel Washington said to his family, “I told you, if I lost tonight, I’d come home and we’d celebrate. And if I won tonight, I’d come home and we’d celebrate.” Denzel, a Christian, was trusting God, ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 30:1-12

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Love Gives, God Is Love

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Dec 11, 2014

You can give and not love, but you can never love without giving. God's nature is love, love loves to give... Do you give?

GOD IS LOVE, LOVE'S VERY NATURE IS TO GIVE... By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com Text: John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. I. GOD IS LOVE, LOVE NEVER FAILS, GOD'S WHOLE ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:6-7

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Veteran's Day 2012

Contributed by Stephen Belokur on Nov 13, 2012

What does it mean to be a "good soldier of Christ Jesus?" (2 Timothy 2:2) What are the requirements, commitments and benefits?

2 Timothy 2:1-7 “You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:1-7

Denomination: Nazarene

A Unity That Guides Our Steps Series

Contributed by Rick Burdette on Apr 16, 2012

Purpose, unity, direction, impact

A UNITY THAT GUIDES OUR STEPS Acts 2:42-47 (p 772) February 27, 2011 INTRODUCTION: When I was 6 years old my family took a trip out West…we traveled in a dodge Van that converted into a little camper…5 of us crammed into this little space…but it was one of my favorite ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:42-47

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

In The Garden

Contributed by Davon Huss on Apr 29, 2017

This was preached for an Easter Sunrise service but can be used anytime. Theme is from the hymn "I Come to the Garden Alone" and topic is insomnia. (Material adapted from the book, "Sweet Dreams: A Guide to Productive Sleep" by Minirth, Meier)

HoHum: I have 4 teenage sons, two sets of twins, ages 17 and 13. When I ministered at a church in Indiana, every other month we had a worship service at the local nursing home. The worship consisted of singing favorite hymns of the residents and then I would preach. Well, one lady always wanted ...read more

Scripture: John 20:1-18, Philippians 4:6-7

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Keep Your Eyes On God Through Your Tears

Contributed by Palitha Jayasooriya on Oct 19, 2015

This sermon encourages us to keep our focus entirely on the Lord in the midst of challenging situations that bring pain and tears.

KEEP YOUR EYES ON GOD THROUGH YOUR TEARS INTRODUCTION - I remember a song I used to love to listen to in my younger days. It was sung by Reggae singer Johnny Nash and it went like this: Every night I wake up crying, ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 30:5

Denomination: Assembly Of God

So Near, Yet So Far!!!

Contributed by Suresh Manoharan on Feb 14, 2016

To focus on Biblical examples of some souls who were “so close, yet so far from Him”…even while gleaning lessons which are very much applicable to God’s people of the 21st century!!!

SO NEAR, YET SO FAR…. Sometimes in our Christian sojourn, really can we (God’s children) be far away from the very One we owe our physical and spiritual lives to, even ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 3:8-10

Denomination: *other

What Is Fellowship? Series

Contributed by Lalachan Abraham on Apr 7, 2014

"God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another"

Open your Bible to the Epistle of 1 John, and I would like for you to follow with me as I read from chapter 1 verse 3 to 8 “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 1:3-8

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Forgiveness Of Sin

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 6, 2021

Jesus not only taught radical forgiveness, He practiced it, and we see this as He died on the cross forgiving all who had a part in His terrible pain, and that included all of us.

Charlie Brown is quite certain that Lucy's offer to hold the football for him to kick will end just like the other attempts. She will pull the ball away just as she kicks, and he will end up flat on his back. She assures him that she is a changed person and that he can trust her. He accepts ...read more

Scripture: Luke 23:34

Hindered But Not Hopeless Series

Contributed by Christopher Benfield on Nov 11, 2020

There can be no doubt that Paul endured much for the sake of the gospel. From a worldly perspective, one might have thought his efforts had largely failed. However, Paul kept the faith and continued serving the Lord. We should be thankful for his perseverance.

Hindered but not Hopeless 1 Thessalonians 2: 17-20 What precious and powerful words are recorded for our exhortation in these few verses! These words reveal the very heart and soul of the apostle Paul. He, of all men, knew what it was to face adversity and extreme difficulty in ministry. ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 2:17-20

Denomination: Baptist

Embrace Hope In God's Promises Series

Contributed by John Dobbs on Nov 30, 2019

How do we avoid letting the Christmas Rush keep us from missing the message of Christmas?

Christmas Rush Embrace Hope In God’s Promise Jeremiah 33:14-16 Introduction Thanksgiving is over and frankly I’m not sure how some of you turkeys survived! Now that the turkey is consumed, like magic we become professional consumers overnight. Many people shopped on Black Friday, but in the ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 33:14-16

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ