Sermons on Optimize:

Scheming Without A Schematic Series

Contributed by David Dunn on Oct 17, 2025

When human design collapses, God’s blueprint restores; the Divine Draftsman rebuilds lives and cultures through grace, purpose, and renewed imagination.

(Finding the Blueprint Again) --- 1. The Great Design Problem We live in a world obsessed with building things—apps, ideologies, identities, futures. Every headline feels like a pitch deck: Here’s how to fix the world. Our confidence is architectural; we assume that with enough data, diversity, ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 127:1, Genesis 11:1-9, Colossians 1:16-17, Ephesians 2:10, Proverbs 3:5-6  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Sermon: God Has Great Plans For You

Contributed by Otis Mcmillan on Jul 30, 2024

When our plans are upended, dreams are derailed, life can be scary and uncertain. How good it is to hear the Lord's still got a plan - a good plan to prosper us, provide hope and point us to the future he has prepared for us.

Sermon: God Has Great Plans For You Scripture Lesson - Jeremiah 29:8-14 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:8-14, 1 Corinthians 10:13

Denomination: Methodist

Dearly Beloved Children

Contributed by Victor Yap on Feb 10, 2025

Ephesians 5

DEARLY BELOVED CHILDREN (EPHESIANS 5) Basketball fans know LeBron James’ biggest wish this year (2024)? To play in the NBA on the same team as his son Bronny, which the senior is doing after the Lakers drafted the son at the last draft. Into eight games, the Lakers won four and lost four, with the ...read more

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Path To Palm Saunday

Contributed by Ajai Prakash on Apr 25, 2024

Palm Sunday is a time for us to prepare our hearts for the agony of His Passion and the Joy of His Resurrection.

Opening illustration: Watch a video clip on contemporary ’Palm Sunday.’ Let us read Matthew 21 and pick up the story from verse 1 going down to verse 11. Historical Background: Even today church folks get confused with Palm Sunday. On this Passover day, when Jesus came riding into town, there had ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 21:1-11

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Move Into The Light

Contributed by Dennis Fox on May 14, 2023

Many of us were afraid of the dark as children. Should we be afraid of the dark as adults too? Light is good. Light is knowledge. Light is the protection of our Lord.

Move to the light It’s normal to be apprehensive when we feel vulnerable and when we can’t see clearly it contributes to that vulnerability. In other words, being afraid of the dark and yes, when I was little, I was very afraid of the dark. It didn’t help that we lived in a creaky old house ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 1:1, Philippians 2:14-16, John 8:12, Isaiah 9:2, Luke 2:46-47  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Other

Christ At The Center

Contributed by Patty Groot on Jul 31, 2025

In a world full of shifting values and unstable truths, we need an anchor. Colossians 1 gives us one: Jesus Christ is not just part of the story; He is the Author of the story. This early confession of faith shows us the truth about Jesus.

Paul doesn’t begin this passage with practical advice or even spiritual encouragement. He starts with awe—with a hymn, a bold declaration of who Jesus is. Before we get to what we should do, Paul reminds us of who Christ is. This passage, Colossians 1:15–20, is considered one of the earliest ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 1:15-28

God Will Change Your Laughter Into Laughter

Contributed by Joel Pankow on Feb 4, 2005

A sermon on how god appeared to Abraham and Sarah to encourage them in the promise - somewhat like when Jesus was transfigured on the Mount of Transfiguration.

February 6, 2005 Genesis 18:1-15 Dear friends in Christ, The writer to the Ecclesiasties had this to say about laughter - Ecclesiastes 2:2 “Laughter is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?” Ecclesiastes 7:3 Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 18:1-15

Denomination: Lutheran

Deacons Modeling Biblical Leadership

Contributed by Kevin Higgins on Apr 18, 2005

A challenge for effective deacon leadership

God’s Glorious Church Deacons: Modeling Biblical Leadership 1 Timothy 3:8-13 Woodlawn Baptist Church April 17, 2005 Introduction “Likewise must the deacons be grave, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. And ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:8-13

Denomination: Baptist

Keeping Loss From Paralyzing You Series

Contributed by Brian Atwood on Sep 3, 2005

Actions to keep loss from paralyzing you - taken from the story of the healing of the paraplegic.

The worst natural disaster in American history occured this past week. The destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina was devasting. It looks like there may be hundreds dead, thousands who lost all their possessions and billions of dollars worth of damage. The city of New Orleans is fighting for ...read more

Scripture: John 5:1-14

Denomination: Baptist

A Sustained Commitment

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Apr 9, 2006

In order to have a sustained commitment, you need to: 1. Focus on the goal. 2. Focus on fact, not feeling. 3. Focus on growth.

The backdrop for this day on the Christian calendar, which we call Palm Sunday, is the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem during the Passover Feast. Jesus has come riding into town from the Mount of Olives on a small donkey. Crowds are following him and shouting in excitement. The Bible says, “The ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:3-8

Denomination: Methodist

You Can Discover Abundant Life

Contributed by John Mayes on Apr 26, 2006

The purpose of this sermon is to describe and explain the abundant life in Christ.

Living an Abundant Life in Christ Introduction: Our world is full of unhappy and dissatisfied people. For this reason, people everywhere are looking for answers to the emptiness they feel inside. These people will try anything, if it might bring them some sort of satisfaction or happiness. ...read more

Scripture: John 10:10

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Seventy Weeks Of Daniel Series

Contributed by Gregg Strawbridge on Apr 27, 2006

The popular dispensational view, or the “Home Alone” view is that these things allegedly deal with ten nations arising from the European federation, the Antichrist, a revived Roman Empire, a seven-year peace treaty with national Israel, and the Great 666

INTRODUCTION In my two experiences of ordination, in both cases I was challenged on eschatology, the study of end times issues. First in 1990 from a dispensational perspective - I was not committed to the pretribulation rapture, because I could not see it in Scripture. In about 1992 I became ...read more

Scripture: Daniel 9:24-27

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Faith Like A Child Series

Contributed by Jamey Stuart on Dec 5, 2005

Using the Polar Express as our spring board this message deals with how we lose childlike faith and explores 4 ways that we can rebuild our childlike faith

Service opens with a drama with a story about the importance of a childhood Bible and how it reminded her of a faith that over time she had lost... Introduction: I had a Bible similar to the one Lisa described. It zipped up and had a colorful scene on the cover of something in the Promised Land. ...read more

Scripture: Mark 9:14-29

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Pounding Us Flat And Straightening Us Out Series

Contributed by Michael Whittle on Jul 15, 2004

God can cause good things to come out of your worst Troubles

Exodus 5:1-6:1 Pounding us Flat and straightening us Out (July 11, 2004) Introduction: Paul Li and I had a job to do last week at my house. We laid interlocking brick on my driveway. That was bad enough, but the really had work had to be done before the bricks were laid. We had to dig out 11 ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Reactions Speak Louder Series

Contributed by Byron Harvey on Mar 24, 2003

This is installment 8 in a series on I Corinthians 13, and deals with the fact that love "is not easily provoked."

“Reactions Speak Louder” I Corinthians 13:5 February 9, 2003 Love of Another Kind – I Corinthians 13 Donny Osmond’s back, the man who’s been a teenager for 35 years, and now he’s hosting a throwback show; it’s now just called “Pyramid”, but for years we knew it as the “$20,000 Pyramid”. If you ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:5

Denomination: Evangelical Free