Sermons on Old Self New Self:

The Widow's Offering

Contributed by Rick Bezanson on Jul 31, 2008

Encouragement to use our abilities God has given us to serve Christ by serving others.

I was performing a wedding for a young couple. Before the wedding, the groom came to me and said, “Pastor, I will give you $100 if you change the wedding vows. When you get to the part to ask me to honor, love and obey, just leave that part out for me. Then, he handed me $100. During the wedding, ...read more

Scripture: Mark 12:38-44

Denomination: Lutheran

Know Yourself (Short Homily)

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Feb 10, 2012

This is a very short Homily titled "Know Yourself". That was used for the opening of a Men's retreat weekend.

Let me share a reading from the Gospel of Mark with you. " They came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village; and when he had put saliva on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, ...read more

Scripture: Mark 8:22-26

Denomination: Anglican

Have You Taken Your Spiritual Temperature Lately?

Contributed by Jerry Flury on Jun 8, 2012

2 Corinthians 13:5 tells us to examine ourselves to see if our faith is what it should be. Like Laodecia, many are unaware of their spiritual temperature. What about you? Have you taken your spiritual temperature lately?

Have You Taken Your Spiritual Temperature Lately? Revelation 3:14-20 The church at Laodicea was one of two churches in the opening chapters of Revelation that were apparently unaware of their spiritual temperature. The other was Ephesus. Laodicea is a picture of a worldly church that has all the ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:14-20

Denomination: Baptist

Take The Plank Out Of Your Eye

Contributed by Bala Samson on Jan 27, 2014

Before we start speaking to an unbeliever, we need to pray, often in secret without saying a word to the person we are praying for in our prayer closet.

Take the plank out of your eye! Luke 6:41, 42 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 42How can you say to your brother, ’Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:41-42

Denomination: Pentecostal

Pray Humbly

Contributed by The Rev Deniray Mueller on Oct 21, 2019

if we pray with an open heart, it will be heard and we will be forgiven

Last week we heard about the persistent widow, who by constantly praying and badgering an unjust judge, got the justice she deserved. And we were reminded that because of God’s love for us we can pray for justice in our own lives and it will be delivered. Today we heard another scripture that ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:9-14

Denomination: Episcopal

Peace & Persecution

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Aug 28, 2019

Are you comfortable in being a follower of Christ? Countless Christians around the world face intense persecution for being followers of Jesus, but they're not alone. We share in the struggles of being a Christian. Why is that? Listen to Jesus' call to deny yourself and follow him.

Each year, a Christian organization called “Open Doors” publishes a list of the top 50 countries where Christians are most intensely persecuted for their faith. Physical violence, death threats, execution, imprisonment, rape, neglect, burning of homes, bombing of churches, abandoned by family, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:18-24

Denomination: Lutheran

"...our Transgressions Are With Us ..."

Contributed by Dr. Abraham Obadare on Aug 10, 2017

We all must pray to God that our own inner nature will not destroy us.

The book of Isa. 59:12 says, “For our transgressions before you are many,and our sins testify against us. Our transgressions indeed are with us, and we know our iniquities:” Scripture: Judges 16:1-end Using the account in Judges 16 as a case study, we realize that when we live with sin as Samson ...read more

Scripture: Judges 16:1-31

Denomination: Pentecostal

Passion Of Our Lord

Contributed by David Roth on Sep 15, 2015

Good Friday. A set of brief reflections on the reading for the service of the Passion of Our Lord.

Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus John 18:1-11 1. Why betrayal? Couldn’t the soldiers have just come for Jesus? So why did Judas have to betray him? Betrayal is the heart of sin. Adam and Eve betrayed God in the garden. Now, Jesus is suffering ...read more

Denomination: Lutheran

Strategy For Defeating Satan’s Attacks

Contributed by Ajai Prakash on Feb 4, 2015

When your faith is the strongest, you come up under the greatest attack, because the enemy is trying to destroy your destiny. Let us be in a state of readiness; in a stance of resistance toward the devil and ready to give our statement of resolution.

Opening illustration: The ancient sport of falconry used trained hawks or falcons in the pursuit of wild game. When the "educated predator" was allowed to fly, however, it often rose too high for human eyes to see it. So a hunter often carried a small caged bird called a shrike. By watching the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:8-11

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Free Not To Be Me

Contributed by David Roth on Mar 21, 2015

Lent 5 (B). Christ gave his life as a ransom, freeing us not only from sin, but from our own flesh and the power of the devil. We are now free to serve others, as we live under Him in His kingdom.

J. J. May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts, be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen. “Free not to be me” Jesus and his disciples are on their way to Jerusalem. And as they are walking, He is telling them about His upcoming ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:35-45

Denomination: Lutheran

A Whale Of A Tale

Contributed by Mark Aarssen on Apr 13, 2015

The people of Nineveh really were terrible godless, violent sinners. Just the kind of people that God loved and wanted to save.

A whale of a tale Jonah 3:1-5 NIV 1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: 2 Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you. 3 Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city--a visit required three days. 4 ...read more

Scripture: Jonah 3:1-5

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

A "persian Flaw": How Peter (And The Rest Of Us) Need To Learn To Forgive Ourselves

Contributed by Jessica Linde on Aug 29, 2024

Looking at the example of Peter and his denial of Jesus, this sermon's ultimate message is that God has long since already forgiven us of our mistakes, so now it's time that we forgive ourselves.

When I was conversing with colleagues earlier this week about the theme of today’s service, I was reminded of an idiom that we have in the English language: for something to be a “Persian flaw”. Have any of you heard this idiom before? Right… okay. A couple of you. It’s one that isn’t as common ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 26:33-35, John 21:15-22

Setting Our Minds On Divine Things

Contributed by Charles Mallory on Sep 12, 2024

Jesus taught his disciples to set their minds on divine things such as denying themselves and taking up their crosses to follow him. He added to that statements about "losing" our lives and to not be ashamed of the Gospel. What does all this mean?

THERE ARE PASSAGES IN THE BIBLE THAT CAN CREATE FEAR AND POSSIBLY DISTRESS DUE TO THEIR BLUNT, BUT HIDDEN MEANING. IN LUKE 14:26, WE ARE TOLD THAT “IF ANYONE COMES TO ME AND DOES NOT HATE FATHER AND MOTHER, WIFE AND CHILDREN, BROTHERS AND SISTERS—YES, EVEN THEIR OWN LIFE—SUCH A PERSON CANNOT BE MY ...read more

Scripture: Mark 8:27-38, 1 Corinthians 1:18, John 14:6, Romans 1:16

Denomination: Free Methodist

Good News! Series

Contributed by C. Philip Green on Nov 4, 2022

If you want God to save you from wasting your life, believe the gospel that Christ died for your sins and rose again. Then, let the Gospel transform you.

Daniel Taylor, in an article he calls Letters to My Children, writes: When I was a child, I was, like most children, afraid of things that go bump in the night. But I told myself (for no good reason) that monsters which lie under beds cannot break through blankets and sheets! By the time I was a ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Isaiah 53:4-6, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Psalm 16:10, Acts 13:35-37, Isaiah 53:10, Isaiah 53:12  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical Free

A New Way

Contributed by Mark Opperman on Nov 8, 2010

Helps close the distance between the Passover and Communion. Communion reminds us that God provided a new Exodus in Jesus - a way to get us out of Egypt and to get Egypt out of us!

A New Way Matthew 26:26-28 26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." 27 Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 26:26-28

Denomination: Assembly Of God