Sermons on Openings:

Pews And People -- Churches And Steeples. Series

Contributed by John Sears on Jan 31, 2012

A topical message. How we define church will determine what we cherish and what we are able to let go. The right definition will free us; the wrong definition will enslave us. Aimed at churches who exist to "keep the doors open."

Introduction Do you remember this finger play? Here’s the Church, Here’s the steeple, Open the doors to see all the people In years gone by, this finger play was a tool that teachers used to teach children the importance of attending church? I certainly believe that it holds value for this ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:12-27

Denomination: Christian Church

Tilling Up The Mind

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Feb 6, 2012

How open are you to the words of Jesus? Many of us are so hardened that His words bounce off, for others the past, present and future make our minds unable to process His thoughts. Today we examine the pliability of our minds.

Puzzles can be fun or extremely frustrating. Some people look at the pieces of a puzzle poured out on a table and have no idea what to make of it. They pick up a piece or two and nothing seems to make sense. They can’t see the whole picture and they aren’t willing to work it out. But ...read more

Scripture: Mark 4:1-20

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Stumbling Onto Grace Series

Contributed by Mark Opperman on Feb 7, 2012

What we need is a true picture of Jesus, with nothing avoided and nothing exaggerated. We must be careful to not overemphasize one aspect of Christ’s character at the exclusion of the totality of His being. People will stumble over Him, but if they open t

Stumbling onto Grace Romans 9:30-33 -Do you know what a caricature is? One definition says that it’s “a representation, especially pictorial or literary, in which the subject’s distinctive features or peculiarities are deliberately exaggerated to produce a comic or grotesque ...read more

Scripture: Romans 9:30-33

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Funeral Jimbo Carroll Series

Contributed by Ovidiu Radulescu on Jun 18, 2009

I would like to open the Scripture for you, family members and friends of Jimbo, our friend who commited suicide. And let the word of God comfort you and comfort me… Not prejudices, not gossip, not what readers of the local newspaper are thinking, but wha

Funeral Jimbo Carroll I was a senior in high school when one of my neighbors, George, committed suicide. He was 19 the only son his mother, a poor widow, Mrs. Maria. He hung himself because some friends made fun of him… Mrs. Maria mourned over the terrible loss of her only son was not her only ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Comfort-Able Living

Contributed by Davon Huss on Jan 31, 2020

4 truths from these opening verses that should comfort all of us when life turns sour (Adapted from Bob Russell's book, Take Comfort, chapter called Comfort-Able Living pgs. 5-13)

HoHum: “I am the subject of depressions of the spirit so fearful that I hope none of you ever get to such extremes of wretchedness.” Who said this? Charles Spurgeon, a famous preacher from England. WBTU: There is an idea out there that Christians should always be happy, always have a smile on ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:1-11, Hebrews 12:7-11

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Remembering What Jesus Accomplished For Us

Contributed by Bobby Stults on Aug 18, 2015

Communion service sermon reinforcing WHAT Jesus accomplished & what it means for us... *This sermon contains the opening Scripture & illustration 'borrowed' from sermon preached.by Bob Record, formerly the North American Mission Board President of SBC

SERMON BRIEF Date Written: August 17, 2015 Date Preached: August 23, 2002 Church: OPBC (AM) Sunday FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS Title: Remembering What Jesus Accomplished FOR Us Text: Mark 15:33-40 (ESV) 33And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth ...read more

Scripture: Mark 15:33-40

Denomination: Baptist

God-Breathed And Useful

Contributed by Hans Krause on Oct 19, 2018

What is the Bible? And what to do with it? This sermon dives into the question of divine inspiration and the dual divine-human character of the Holy Scripture. God's word is alive and active, and it continues to speak to us personally whenever we open the Bible and our hearts.

[This sermon was preached on 1 July 2018, Apostles' Sunday / 3rd yea, ELCF Lectionary] What is the Bible? And what to do with it? These are the two questions that the Apostle Paul is trying to answer in 2 Timothy 3:14–17. These were very relevant and very critical questions in the church that ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:14-17

Denomination: Lutheran

O, How Shall I Receive You?

Contributed by Hans Krause on Nov 6, 2018

Advent is the time of preparation for the coming of our heavenly King. How do we receive him in our Christian community and in our personal lives? Are the gates wide open, or does he need to knock at our door, locked from the inside?

[Sermon preached on 3 December 2017, First Sunday in Advent / 3rd year, ELCF Lectionary] This past week, Finland had the honor of welcoming three royal visitors: Prince William of the United Kingdom, Prince Daniel of Sweden, and Prince Constantijn of my own home country, the Netherlands. The media ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 24:7-10, Luke 19:28-40, Revelation 3:20-22

Denomination: Lutheran

Costs, Commitments And Crosses

Contributed by Ernie Arnold on Aug 5, 2019

This sermon deals with what it means to follow Jesus. It involves a cost (Total Trust), a commitment (Total Loyalty) and A Cross Life (AN ALL IN LIFESTYLE). When we live such a way it opens up the door for the Abundant Life - Blessings, Favor and Miracles

Scripture: Luke 9:57-62 Title: Costs, Commitment and Crosses What does it mean to follow Jesus? This sermon looks at the cost (total trust), the commitment (total loyalty) and “the cross” (an ALL IN LIFESTYLE) of following Jesus. INTRO: Grace and peace this morning from God the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:57-62, Luke 9:23-26, Luke 10:17-24

Denomination: Nazarene

What Will Eternity Be Like? Part 1 Series

Contributed by Brad Bailey on Jun 18, 2014

The smaller our sense of the world is…the more enclosed it is…the less hope we will grasp. The bigger the world…the more open it is…the greater hope lies within us.

What Will Eternity Be Like? - Part I Series: AfterLife Brad Bailey – May 4 2014 INTRO: Opening Question: How big is your world? We’ve had our share of laughs when we think what our dog must be thinking about the world… or when our children were really little. I can’t ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 21:1-7

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Behold Your King! (John 18:28-19:16) Series

Contributed by Garrett Tyson on Apr 6, 2022

When we look at Jesus during his trial, what do we see? Who do we see? Also, Pilate should not be read sympathetically. He's not open-minded, and he fears the wrong thing/person.

When you read commentators on the Gospel of John, there are two very different ways to understand our story today, about Jesus' trial before Pilate. Everyone agrees that the focus of today's story, in many ways, is on Pilate. He is the only one in every scene. He's like the glue that ...read more

Scripture: John 18:28-40, John 19:1-16

The Long-Prophesied Prince Of Peace

Contributed by Craig Condon on Dec 19, 2015

The only way for us to have true peace is to say that we want to live like Christians and then act like we want to live as Christians. The only way that can happen is if we welcome the Prince of Peace into our lives with open arms.

In our Old Testament reading today, we heard from someone that we rarely hear from during the church year-the prophet Micah. Like John the Baptist, Micah prepared the people for the coming of the Messiah. He did so through his prophetic words. His prophecy is a vision for a life lived in the divine ...read more

Scripture: Micah 5:2-5

Denomination: Anglican

Spreading Grace, Peace, And Truth Series

Contributed by Gene Newberry on Oct 24, 2019

So Jesus Christ, the Son of God, paid for your release, your freedom from Satan’s trap, with His own life, on the cross at Calvary. The door is open, and anyone, whom Satan has deceived and caged, can be set free.

I. Being a Reflector A. John the Baptist the herald 1. Pointing the people to the Messiah 2. He is the herald for the approaching king 3. Duties of a herald a. Remove all roadblocks b. Make the road smooth for the coming chariot c. All curves straightened and hills flattened 4. John the Baptist ...read more

Scripture: John 1:1-18

The Plea Of The Repentant

Contributed by Nathan Johnson on Apr 3, 2009

While we are not to live in a constant state of guilt, we should live in a constant state of awareness that when we offend our God with sin, we seek an honest and open confession to our God who instantly forgives. God is Good!

The Plea of the Repentant Griffith Baptist Church – 4/5/09 P.M. Service Text: Psalm 51:1-6 Key verse: Psalms 51:2 – Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. Premise: While we are not to live in a constant state of guilt, we should live in a constant state of ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 51:1-6

Denomination: Baptist

Waking Up..."Christmas" Everyday

Contributed by Charlie Roberts on Dec 12, 2014

His mercies are new every morning... they're ours to be enjoyed each and every day of the year... Beautiful gifts to be opened up...each of them filled with His abundant life appropriate for the day that God has planned out for us...

Waking up..."Christmas" everyday Lamentations 3:22-24 NKJ 22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in ...read more

Scripture: Lamentations 3:22-24

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational