Sermons on Opportunities Wasted:

Timing

Contributed by Steven Spillman on May 7, 2008

I heard someone say once that the definition of “luck” was “preparation meeting opportunity.”

I heard someone say once that the definition of “luck” was “preparation meeting opportunity.” The point the speaker was making was that those people we consider “lucky,” having fallen into some overnight success, are really people who quietly and diligently prepared for an opportunity they ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 6:24-26

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Did You Get The Memo? Series

Contributed by Charles Wilkerson on Apr 13, 2010

Palm Sunday is the opportunity to prepare for Holy Week and the emotional roller-coaster it involves

A great story from a couple of years ago was reported by Robert Bazell of NBC News. After an attempted IED attack near Tikrit the hospital at Camp Speicher was down to 10% of its blood supply. Brian Suam, was first in line to donate blood when the call went out. His blood was going to be used for ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-23

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Bothersome Bartemaeus

Contributed by Gaither Bailey on Oct 22, 2009

When Christ calls us, will we ignore that call or leap to the opportunity to serve?

Bothersome Bartemaeus Job 42: 1-6, 10-17 / Mark 10: 46-52 Intro: One of the great mysteries of life is how the idiot that your daughter married can be the father of the smartest grandchildren in the whole world. --- Officer, the guy yelled, my father-in-law knocked me down with his car! Are you ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:46-52

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

National Blessings Series

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Jul 17, 2014

I would propose to you that America has the opportunity to enjoy God's blessings.

Title: National Blessings Theme: God's Covenant Blessings to a Nation Series: Patriotic Introduction: The New Testament has a brief passage of Scripture that is too often missed as one reads the Bible, "These things happened to them as examples and were written down…" (1 Corinthians 10:6) ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 28:1-2

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Darkness To Light

Contributed by Bill Butsko on Mar 2, 2008

God gives mankind an opportunity to move from Spiritual Darnkness to Eternal Light.

Text: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (John 1:5). Is there anyone here who prefers the darkness to the light? I am talking about the darkness of night as compared to the lightness of day. I would venture to say that most of us remember the days of the ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:8-13

Denomination: Christian Church

Delight In God's Word Series

Contributed by Paul Clemente on Sep 5, 2017

Jesus took the challenges and turned them into opportunities to encourage people to believe in God!

Please open your Bibles to Mark 12…… Take a quick look again at v12…… Eventually, Jesus was crucified on a cross, but sadly, many missed the point of Jesus being a sacrifice for man’s sin as planned by God. I pray that all of you never miss the point of why Jesus died. This is one of the reasons ...read more

Scripture: Mark 12:34-37

Denomination: Independent/Bible

B - Be Ready Series

Contributed by Oliver O. Suarez on Jul 2, 2016

train yourself so that when opportunities come, you are enthusiastically available and able.

There are no accidents in life. Everything happens for a reason. Others may say, life is unfair but it never was, it never is, and never will be unfair for those who understand the purpose of living. Everything that comes your way is part of God’s way in preparing you for the great work you ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:2

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Welcome Jesus

Contributed by Richard Papafio on Jan 16, 2018

If you are not humble you will miss the opportunity to welcome Jesus into your home or situation

May the peace of the Lord be with you. Topic: WELCOME JESUS John 13:20King James Version (KJV) 20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. Beloved, it has become very difficult due to the changing ...read more

Denomination: Charismatic

How Can Prayer Be A Witnessing Tool? Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Sep 29, 2013

Everyone believes in prayer in a crisis and that's an opportunity for us to point them to God.

AN OPEN DOOR: Everyone believes in prayer in a crisis. - Jonah 1:6 – “The captain went to him and said, ‘How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god!’” - In the section, notice two things: a. It’s the captain that asks Jonah to pray. - Now, there’s ...read more

Scripture: Jonah 1:6

Denomination: Baptist

Please Care For My Soul

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Feb 26, 2019

Have you searched for opportunities to care for a soul or two or is it all about you?

Please Care For My Soul! Psa 142:4  I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.  This is a sad note. The Psalm was written while David was hiding from Saul in a ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 142:4, Galatians 6:1-5, Galatians 6:9-10

Denomination: Baptist

Maintaining Happinessduringtrials Series

Contributed by Jeffery Anselmi on Oct 2, 2020

God will use every opportunity—good or bad—to spread the message of Jesus.

Maintaining Happiness During Trials Jeffery Anselmi / General Be Happy / Suffering; Happiness / Philippians 1:18–30 God will use every opportunity—good or bad—to spread the message of Jesus. INTRODUCTION • One of the things we dread in life is facing trials and experiencing suffering. • When we ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:18-30

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Twentieth Sunday In Ordinary Time- Year C-- Fire

Contributed by Paul Andrew on Aug 15, 2025

Fire, judgment, separation, crisis, – can bring a new opportunity for growth in faith.

Lodgepole pinecones are very compact, and they will only open to disperse their seeds under intense heat, as in a forest fire. We hear a similar idea today in our Gospel that fire means judgment, which results in separation, creating a crisis, but which also means opportunity. So, fire, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 12:49-53

Denomination: Catholic

Prayer Of Invocation

Contributed by John L Jefferson on Sep 30, 2025

We want to thank Supervisor Mitchell and her staff for the opportunity to participate in this occasion.

Let us pray, Almighty and Gracious Father, You who are ancient of days, You who have no beginning nor ending, You who crafted the world out from your words “Let there be” and it was, You who crafted humanity and shaped us in your own image. We who are weak and frail come to this place and invoke ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 1:1-3

Denomination: Baptist

Get On God's Team Here Is My Time

Contributed by Rick Gillespie- Mobley on Nov 7, 2020

This sermon deals with the importance of giving our time to God. We never know how much time we have to serve God. We are either investing, wasting, or sharing our time.

Get On The Team It Takes Teamwork To Make The Dream Work Here’s My Time 11/8/2020 Psalm 90:1-12 Mark 3:13-19 We are in part 2 of our series “Get On The Team-It Takes Teamwork To Make The Dream Work. Last week Pastor Toby emphasized that if we are on God’s team, we are to offer our services ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 90:1-12, Mark 3:13-19

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Love One Another

Contributed by John Lowe on Jul 1, 2015

If we want to be true followers of Jesus Christ, we too must see life as an opportunity to love, and we must see people as those to whom we have the opportunity of demonstrating genuine Christian love.

3-22--05 Title: The Command to Love Text: “This I command you, to love one another.” (John 15:17 RSV) Bible Reading: John 15:12-17 Introduction Among the great abilities that characterized the life of Jesus was His everlasting determination to practice genuine love toward ...read more

Scripture: John 15:12-17

Denomination: Baptist