Sermons on Pay It Forward:

Knee Bowed And Body Bent Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 19, 2000

Since body language communicates our real feelings, we must pay attention to how we present our bodies to God -- in the words of James Weldon Johnson, "knee-bowed", ready to submit our wills to His; and "body-bent", ready to work for things that matter.

You may not speak a great many foreign languages, but there is one language other than English at which most of us are proficient. That is body language. Whether our mouths can pronounce strange sounds or whether our eyes can make any sense out of different alphabets, we can see body language. ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1-10

Denomination: Baptist

The High Cost Of Low Living

Contributed by Danny Anderson on Oct 27, 2006

Too often we pay too great a price for something that looks so good and promises so much. Fish are hooked because they are attracted to something that looks like food and would make a good meal only to become food themselves. Do not be fooled, the world o

The High Cost of Low Living Text: Judges 16:20-31 Introduction: As a 7 year old, Benjamin Franklin was given some small change. He saw another boy playing with a whistle. Benjamin gave the boy all his money for it. He played and played that whistle all over the house. He really enjoyed it until he ...read more

Scripture: Judges 16:20-31

Denomination: Baptist

Problem Prophet's Pitiful Plight Series

Contributed by Mack Armstrong on Jan 31, 2008

Saying no to God was the start of a donward descent by the Prophet Jonah. God had called him for one specific place-but he said no and ran from God. He is typical of many who do likewise and as Jonah, all rebelious people pay a heavy price for their stubb

PROBLEM PROPHET’S PITIFUL PLIGHT I. PRONOUNCEMENT: A. Preach! B. Place. C. Portraiture. II. PROBLEMS: A. Particular. B. Perplexing. C. Painful. III. PERFORMANCE: A. Perceived. B. Postponed. C. Procured. God’s longsuffering is amazing. How many of us would have given up on Jonah ...read more

Scripture: Jonah 1:1-3

Denomination: Methodist

Fighting The Fear Of Fear Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Dec 4, 2006

Much of our lives are spent worrying about the future and what might happen. Many times we worry more about possibilities than probabilities. Jesus encourages us to pay attention to His work in the world around us and gives us tools to fight fear.

For more studies including an audio version of this study go to: www.CalvaryChapelNewberg.org. A recent Time Magazine cover reads "Why We Worry About the Wrong Things." In the article it says: "We pride ourselves on being the only species that understands the concept of risk, yet we have a ...read more

Scripture: Luke 21:1-37

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Defining The Gospel

Contributed by Don Baggett on Nov 23, 2008

We know the word gospel means good news. Is the good news that Jesus made some sort of down payment for the salvation of sinners, or did He pay it all? That’s the very question that had to be answered in the first century church of Antioch, and that’s t

The word “gospel” means good news. We know the heart of the gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, but what exactly is the good news about that? Is it that Jesus did what He did as sort of a down payment, and then we have to keep up the installments of our salvation by doing ...read more

Scripture: Acts 15:1-35

Denomination: Baptist

Bitter Fights And Sweet Turn Outs…. Series

Contributed by Bala Samson on Jan 28, 2013

Today is the final lesson from the life of Jacob. Forgiveness has become a lost art. Now everything is about revenge, getting even, making someone pay. As we meditate the life of Jacob, I think that we will find the awesome power of forgiveness in today’s

Bitter fights and sweet turn outs…. Life of Jacob –part 4 Genesis 33: 10 “ And Jacob said, “No, please, if I have now found favour in your sight, then receive my present from my hand, inasmuch as I have seen your face as though I had seen the face of God, and you were ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 32:1-15

Denomination: Pentecostal

Touching On Jesus

Contributed by Mark Aarssen on Jun 23, 2011

Do you need Jesus to pay a house call to someone you love? Or do you yourself find a need to reach out to Jesus and quietly almost secretly put out your hand in the hope that you can just catch the hem of His garments to be healed?

Touching on Jesus Matthew 9:9 - 9:26 Today’s scripture passage shows us the need we all share – to be touched by God in our time of crisis and also to reach out to Jesus in faith trusting that by touching Him we can be made whole. Jesus sets up this entire chain of events by letting ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:9-26

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

"The Donkey Who Thought He Was A Horse"

Contributed by Ken Sauer on Mar 24, 2010

In Luke, when Jesus rides into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, the crowds cheer Him--though they have no idea what the next few days will bring. Tne King has come to pay a ransom: the ransom for human sin. So, let us cheer His triumphal entry, but be a

Luke 19:28-40 Luke 23:1-49 “The Donkey who Thought He was a Horse” By: Ken Sauer, Pastor of East Ridge United Methodist Church, Chattanooga, TN There is nothing dignified about a donkey! We can look at him from any angle and we will fail to find what we might call a sense of ...read more

Denomination: United Methodist

Retaliation Versus Going The Extra Mile

Contributed by Jerry Cosper on Mar 26, 2015

When people wrong us, insult us or take our property, we want to see them pay for what they did to us. The question we all need to ask ourselves today is, “Are we willing to go the extra mile for Jesus?”

One winter day a man went shopping at the local neighborhood mall. When he returned to his car he noticed a rather foul odor coming from under the hood and so he checked the engine. In the compartment he discovered a dead cat rather mutilated from being caught in the fan belt. The poor cat had ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:38-42

Denomination: Baptist

The Value Of Hard Work

Contributed by Kerry Haynes on Nov 13, 2016

Serving the Lord is a lifelong mission, although the nature of the work may change. God only holds us responsible for what we can do. Yet, if we pay attention, he will provide an opportunity to serve him every day in some way. (Great for Labor Day)

The Value of Hard Work 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 Today we will focus on the cure for idleness, and here are my favorite thoughts on the subject: “Yesterday I did nothing and today I'm finishing what I did yesterday.” “If I won the award for laziness, I would send somebody to pick ...read more

Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13, 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

Denomination: Baptist

The Week That Changed The World: The Day Jesus Conquered His Critics Series

Contributed by Donald Whitchard on Jul 3, 2021

In His final week of public ministry, Jesus confronted a series of challenging questions His enemies attempted to use as traps. One question dealt with the issue of paying taxes to Caesar. Jesus' surprising answer would settle the issues of loyalty and obligation to both God and Caesar.

Jesus had spent the first days of His final week shaking up the status quo concerning the worship of the LORD, the reverence due to the House of God, and to recall its purpose. He exposed the moneymaking schemes of the religious leaders, rebuked their practices, and drove out the merchants who ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 22:15-22, Mark 12:13-17, Luke 20:20-26

Denomination: Baptist

The Least Of These

Contributed by John Gaston on Dec 7, 2022

Modern Christians are going to be horrified when they stand in Judgment. Attending church, praising the Lord, living faithfully, and paying tithes aren't even on the radar of what Jesus is expecting of us. We're supposed to be serving 'the least of these!'

THE LEAST OF THESE Matt. 25:31-40 INTRODUCTION A. HUMOR: THE SPHINX’S RIDDLE 1. There’s an ancient Greek story about a Sphinx that troubled the city of Thebes. He would ask passers-by a riddle. If they got the answer wrong, he would devour them. 2. The riddle was: “What walks on four legs in ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:31-40

Denomination: Assembly Of God

How Could One Solitary Life Have So Much Impact - Christmas Eve

Contributed by Michael Blitz on Dec 24, 2023

Church members and friends can support St. John's By-the-Sea by visiting our website https://www.stjohnsbythesea.com/donate, where a donation can be made by PayPal or credit card, if you prefer that to mailing your donations to the church.

Good Evening, and welcome again to St. John’s Church. And, as you can tell, I love our Christmas Eve Service. The first one at St. John’s was in 1892, 130 years ago. This is only my 5th Christmas here, and I absolutely love how this service paints a picture. It really has a feel to it. As we close ...read more

Denomination: Anglican

Come To The Living Stone

Contributed by Bruce Lee on May 28, 2025

A brick and a block were walking down a road when a piece of concrete jumped up and made a funny face, screamed and ran off. The brick asked the block, “what’s up with him?” The block replied, don’t pay him no mind, he is a “cycle path.”

Come to the Living Stone “2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. The Living Stone and a Chosen People 4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:2-10

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God Will Take Care Of You

Contributed by Jerry Flury on Dec 8, 2006

Have you ever felt like your back was up against a wall, the situation was hopeless? There was no way that you were going to make it. It seemed like you had nothing to look forward to. Understand, God is the God of the Impossible. He can and will help you

God will take care of you 1 Kings 17:8-16 Elijah and the Widow 1 Kings 17:8 - 16 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” So he arose and went to Zarephath. And ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 17:8-16

Denomination: Baptist