Sermons on Not Making Friends:

Bridge Builder: Lost People Matter To God

Contributed by Ajai Prakash on Apr 25, 2024

This shepherd was able to rejoice with his friends and neighbors because his lost sheep was found. He was overjoyed with the rescue of this one, lost sheep.

Opening illustration: Did you ever have a kid in your neighborhood that always hid so good nobody could find him? We did. After a while we would give up on him and go off, leaving him to rot wherever he was. Soon or later he would show up all-mad because we didn’t keep looking for him. And we would ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:1-7

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Reach Out And Touch Someone

Contributed by Greg Stier on Jan 16, 2007

Many churches have focused on entertaining teenagers instead of preparing them, equipping them and unleashing them to reach out to their campuses and their friends.

Reach out and touch someone I’m thankful to be with you here this morning and the only reason that I’m here today is because a church like this in the suburbs of Arvada reached out to me when I was an inner city kid from a broken family on 20th and Federal in Denver, at the time it was the ...read more

Scripture: James 1:27

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Struggling To Work For Peace Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Sep 19, 2009

August 1989, Day of Prayer for World Peace: Making peace in the world begins with making peace with God. It does not mean making peace WITH the world.

Just a few weeks ago they re-enacted, not very far from here, a small but crucial Civil War battle. The Battle of Fort Stevens did not get into a lot of the history books, but it was important in that it turned back the Confederate armies on the very edge of the capital city. Had the South taken ...read more

Scripture: Hosea 10:12-15

Denomination: Baptist

The Test Of Temptation Series

Contributed by Stephen Sheane on Jan 4, 2012

Do you want to pass the test of temptation? REQUEST help from God, REFOCUS your attention and REVEAL your struggle to a friend.

THE TEST OF TEMPTATION Sometimes we sinful human beings are just like the wolf of the Arctic regions whom the local peoples used to catch without having to hunt them down. They simply put some fresh meat on a sharp blade and let the wolf do the rest of the work. The wolf with its insatiable ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:13

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Tried And True Series

Contributed by Perry Greene on Jul 20, 2017

The world appears to be tolerant of God's people then moves to tolerance with some compromise; and finally to intolerance. This is displayed in the lives of Daniel and his three friends.

1. I did not grow up regularly attending church. I learned Psalms 23, 100 and the Lord’s Prayer in public school – we recited these along with the Pledge of Allegiance. 2. “Times, they are a ‘changing” No prayer in school No Bibles in most schools The shift away from God is getting greater Benjamin ...read more

Scripture: Daniel 3:1-18, Daniel 6:5-13

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Peace Now

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Mar 12, 2010

Funeral message for Matthew Jackson, a quiet man whose chief pleasure was to be among family and friends and who devoted himself to a disabled son.

There are two kinds of quiet people. There are those who are quiet because, to tell the truth, they have nothing to say! And then there are those who are quiet because they are simply content with what they know; they have no need to impress anyone else. There are two kinds of quiet people. Two ...read more

Scripture: James 3:13-18

Denomination: Baptist

Living An Life That Has An Impact For Christ

Contributed by John Walls on Jan 31, 2001

A life that makes a difference

LIVING A LIFE THAT HAS AN IMPACT FOR JESUS Acts 17:1-5; 10 1 Thess. 1:1-10 Introduction: This world is in need of people who need our Saviour. He is the one who saved from the sin that plagues every man, woman, boy and girl. It is the sin of being a descendant from Adam. Each believer needs to ...read more

Scripture: Acts 17:1-10, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Denomination: Baptist

Arrows Of Truth # 4- What Is The Hunters Strategy? Series

Contributed by Louis Posthauer on Mar 19, 2022

A weekly series to help believers engage with loved ones, friends and neighbors who are dropout believers to restore them to the church - the Body of Christ.

Arrows of Truth # 4- What is the Hunters Strategy? The Hunters strategy is based on an incident in 1 Samuel 30 in which David and his men recovered his family and possessions from the foreign raiders who had kidnapped them. This was a divine strategy that enabled him to recover all his family ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:25

Deserted In The Desert Series

Contributed by Perry Greene on Feb 13, 2013

We become aware that our real strength (God) becomes apparent in our weakest times. The desert proves to be a friend to bring this about.

1. Know where you are There was once an absent-minded professor who became so absorbed in his work that he forgot the simplest details. One morning his wife said, "Now Henry, remember, we are moving today. Here, I’m putting this note in your pocket. Don’t forget." The day passed by and ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 63:1-8

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Arrows Of Truth # 24 - What Is The 3rd Cord Of Connection To The Local Church? Series

Contributed by Louis Posthauer on Mar 25, 2022

A weekly series to help believers engage with loved ones, friends and neighbors who are dropout believers to restore them to the church - the Body of Christ.

Arrows of Truth # 24 - What is the 3rd cord of connection to the local church? We are considering the concept of connectedness as the goal of the local church for every believer (including restored dropout believers). Last week we looked at the second ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:12, Philippians 2:1-4

Arrows Of Truth # 25 - What Does The Local Church Need To Do To Connect Believers? Series

Contributed by Louis Posthauer on Mar 25, 2022

A weekly series to help believers engage with loved ones, friends and neighbors who are dropout believers to restore them to the church - the Body of Christ.

Arrows of Truth # 25 - What does the local church need to do to connect believers? We are considering the concept of connectedness as the goal of the local church for every believer (including restored dropout believers). Each local church is painfully aware of the problem of the ‘back door’ – ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:12

Arrows Of Truth # 9 - What Is The 2nd Step Of The Hunters Strategy? Series

Contributed by Louis Posthauer on Mar 22, 2022

A weekly series to help believers engage with loved ones, friends and neighbors who are dropout believers to restore them to the church - the Body of Christ.

Arrows of Truth # 9 - What is the 2nd step of the Hunters strategy? Step Two of the Hunters strategy is: Inquire of the Lord. Think about the situation in which David (1 Samuel 30) found himself. He had lost his wives and precious family. Do you think he wanted them back? Of course! So why did he ...read more

Before He Walked On Water He Walked Into Water

Contributed by Daniel Habben on Jan 8, 2012

Making Sense of Jesus' Baptism

Of all the miracles Jesus performed, one I’d really love to see replayed is his walking on water over a windswept sea. You’d click on that video if it came up on YouTube wouldn’t you? And what do you suppose you would see? Jesus clearing white-capped waves like an Olympian ...read more

Scripture: Mark 1:4-11

Denomination: Lutheran

Left Behind

Contributed by Thomas Clawser on Jan 24, 2002

Funeral sermon presenting the Gospel message to family and friends left behind by one whose spiritual condition is either "unknown" or was known to be "unsaved".

There is no social gathering that tugs at our heartstrings the way that a memorial service does. Something about being left behind stirs our emotions and brings a profound sense of loneliness to our hearts. In the twinkling of an eye, a loved one passed from life to afterlife, from temporal to ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:38-39, Romans 8:36-39

Denomination: Other

Thanks For Nothing - Your Tests Tripped Me Up. I Guess I'm Good And Lost..

Contributed by Coz Von on Feb 10, 2016

We have effectively silenced Him out of our lives and we get frustrated when we go it alone. We are losing everything and we ask – Where are you Lord! “and we wonder am I Slipping from the palm of Gods hand. I guest I will be one of those Lost ones?

Why do ye imagine evil against - Lord? Though I cause grief, yet will I have compassion according to the multitude of My mercies. Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?) He doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve He the children of men. God shall bring every work into ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 42:3, Isaiah 42:2-3, John 3:16-17

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational