Sermons on paranoia:

Calculated Risk Taking

Contributed by Brian Atwood on May 11, 2001

Five spiritual high risk/high reward principles that help us lead adventurous, exciting spiritual lives!

When did you last do something bold? When did you last color outside the lines, refusing to play it safe? There’s a sign along the Alaskan Highway that reads, "Choose your rut carefully, you’ll be in it for the next 200 miles." A lot of folks live their lives like that sign. Especially the ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 11:1-10

Denomination: Baptist

Prisoner Of Bitterness

Contributed by Jerry Shirley on Jan 6, 2004

6 things Bitterness will do to your life: DEVASTATE YOU SPIRITUALLY, DESTROY YOU PHYSICALLY, DISCOURAGE YOU EMOTIONALLY, DIVIDE THE FELLOWSHIP, DEFILE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS, DEPRIVE YOU OF A BLESSING. PowerPoint at website.

Prisoner of Bitterness Heb. 12:14-15 Powerpoint for this and hundreds more free sermons at our website: http://gbcdecatur.org/sermons.html Has someone ever said or done something to you for which you found it difficult to forgive them? Every time their very name is brought up, even if it was ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:14-15

Denomination: Baptist

The God That Jesus Knew

Contributed by Dana Chau on Jun 25, 2002

Compare the god of your imagination to the God that Jesus knew, and revive your relationship with God.

This being the fourth Sunday of the month, we will be looking at one of the 9 characteristics of a successful participant in God’s mission for our church. This morning, we will be looking at the characteristic of the passion to know God. The guiding text for this morning’s message comes from ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:9-13

Denomination: *other

Narnia: Always Winter But Never Christmas Series

Contributed by Bruce Rhodes on Dec 23, 2005

This is a story about Christmas, the Cross and Resurrection power. It is a story about good overcoming evil and the triumphant reign of god restoring all things to their proper place.

Advent Series – Narnia Message #1 Always Winter but Never Christmas Introduction: The Chronicles of Narnia will hit the big screen on Friday, December 9, and I can’t wait to see it. This series of books written by C. S. Lewis is an allegorical presentation of the story of Jesus. We have read ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 2:1

Denomination: Methodist

Narnia: Of Course He's Not Safe..but He Is Good! Series

Contributed by Robert Marsh on Dec 20, 2005

Sermon Three in the series - Christmas was not "safe," and neither is the life of a God-follower. But it is ultimate good!

Christmas in Narnia “Of Course He’s Not Safe…But He Is Good!” Luke 1&2, Matthew 1&2 Romans 8:28 At this time of year, I love going into offices, stores, even schools and hearing music celebrating the birth of Jesus – places you would never expect to hear a gospel message play music that ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

The Christian Trump Card Series

Contributed by Scott Brooks on Nov 10, 2007

An exegetical approach to the narrative story of chapter 23 highlighting how Saul throws God’s name around while David simply inquires of God and the results are telling

INTRODUCTION: ILL: When I was leading worship in Denver there were two sisters on the worship team. One day one of the sisters was in a car accident and suffered minor injuries like on a Thursday. She was a shaken up really bad and had looked death in the face and wrote a poem about the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 23:1-29

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

When No One Cares Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jan 27, 2008

What are the implications if no one cares about the dillusioned, the desperate, or those who have made poor decisions? What if no one cares for the soul, the essence, of others?

He had been running so long and so hard. Running from everything. What an irony that he of all people had had to flee for his very life! He had been on the upswing, he had been successful in everything. He had been the fair-haired lad in the eyes of those who counted, and had even married into ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 142:1-7

Denomination: Baptist

Circumstances Can Rob Us Of Our Joy Series

Contributed by George Mansfield on Feb 4, 2008

We must be careful to not allow circumstances to steal from us the joy that Jesus freely gives us.

SERIES: ENJOYING THE JOY OF JESUS SERMON: CIRCUMSTANCES CAN ROB US OF OUR JOY READING: PHILIPPIANS 1:3-14 INTRO: We follow Jesus who, in the shadow of Calvary, explained to his followers, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”- John 15:11. This “joy” ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:12-14

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A 9/11 Sermon

Contributed by David Smith on Sep 28, 2010

Today is September 12th here in Sydney, which means that in the USA it is September 11th - around 4.30pm in the afternoon if you live on the West Coast and 7.30pm if you live on the East Coast, and somewhere in between those times if you live somewhere in

And you'll have to excuse me from departing from my normal format of simply focusing on one of our scheduled readings for today, as you'll have to forgive me for focusing on the anniversary of an event that took place nine years ago on the other side of the world and hence, some might suppose, had ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 32:9-14

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Sanctuary Series

Contributed by Tim Diack on Oct 8, 2012

As the Israelites were being led out of slavery in Egypt they discovered sanctuary in the blood of the lamb. Today we can discover sanctuary in the blood of the Lamb as well as we find forgiveness for sin and new life in Jesus!

Sanctuary - Exodus 12:21-30 & Revelation 5 September 30, 2012 There are times when we are faced with that which seems absolutely impossible from a human perspective; when what we encounter seems so much bigger than we are. In those times, in those moments, we may become overwhelmed by the ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 12:21-30

Denomination: *other

What, Me Worry?

Contributed by Larry Turner on Dec 30, 2013

Psalm 139 gives us six facts as to why we should not worry in 2014.

When I was a kid growing up in the sixties my favorite magazine was “MAD Magazine.” It was bi-monthly. I would save up a quarter to buy a copy when it went on sale. It was filled with satire and silliness. When I was in middle school my friend and I did a comedy skit where I shot him ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 139:1-24

Denomination: Foursquare

God Sees The Heart

Contributed by John Williams Iii on Mar 18, 2023

When we make choices, we tend to go for the eye-candy factor and make choices based on appearances. God always looks at what is inside the person’s heart, where we look at their appearance.

GOD SEES THE HEART (Lent, March 19, 2023) Text: 1 Samuel 16:1-13 1 Samuel 16:1-13  The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:1-13

Denomination: United Methodist

Don't Quit

Contributed by Ajai Prakash on Apr 24, 2024

Our victory is assured because Christ was victorious. We are “more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). Quitting is a shortcut leading to failure. We can finish strong when we focus on Christ.

Opening illustration: In 1952 Florence Chadwick attempted to swim 26 miles from the coast of California to Catalina Island. After 15 hours, a heavy fog began to block her view, she became disoriented, and she gave up. To her chagrin, Chadwick learned that she had quit just 1 mile short of her ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-2

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Looking Back And Moving Forward

Contributed by Sajayan Chacko on Jan 24, 2024

A human being lives in all three tenses-the Past, the Present and the Future.

LOOKING BACK AND MOVING FORWARD “O Lord… all that we have done, you have done for us” “Remember the days of old, Consider the years of all generations. Ask your father, and he will inform you, Your elders, and they will tell you. A ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 32:7

Denomination: Assembly Of God

So Familiar We Almost Miss It

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Nov 6, 2001

People & places & things - all very common & ordinary. And yet, God is able to take the ordinary things of life & do wonderful things with them.

MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK (REVISED: 2015) TEXT: Luke 2:1-20 We begin our Christmas message this morning with Luke 2:6-20. "While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, & she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped Him in strips ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:1-20

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ