Sermons on Pharisees Fast Often:

"investing Ourselves In God's Own Passion"

Contributed by Ken Sauer on Mar 14, 2019

A sermon for Lent.

“Investing Ourselves in God’s Own Passion” Isaiah 58:1-12 What are you like when you are hungry? Do you get feeling a bit grumpy? There used to be a Snickers commercial where the main character would be in a really foul mood until they were offered a Snickers bar, after which the tagline ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 58:1-12

Denomination: United Methodist

Preparing For Lent

Contributed by Paul Andreasen on Feb 19, 2020

Using 1 Corinthians 13 we learn that Lent is a season of preparation to love God and our neighbor.

1 Corinthians 13 A husband and wife had been married for 60 years and had no secrets except for one: The woman kept in her closet a shoe box that she forbade her husband from ever opening. But when she was on her deathbed—and with her blessing—he opened the box and found a crocheted doll and ...read more

Denomination: Anglican

Fasting For Guidance To Make A Decision Lesson 3 Series

Contributed by Elmer Towns on Nov 15, 2021

Christians need help facing the many major decisions they face in their private, spiritual, business, family, and church life. Fast for major decisions, not the everyday decisions of life.

A. INTRODUCTION 1. Promise: “Is not this the fast that I have chosen . . . then shall thy light break forth as the morning?” (Isa. 58:6, 8). 2. Christians need help facing the many major decisions they face in their private, spiritual, business, family, and church life. Fast for major decisions, ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 58:6, Isaiah 58:8

Denomination: Baptist

When Facing A Decision Lesson 5 Series

Contributed by Elmer Towns on Jul 20, 2023

Fasting will not make a decision for you, it gives you access to God. In His presence, you can find your answer.

“And he (Paul) was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.” Acts 9:9 “Is this the fast that I (the Lord) have chosen … (so) your light (understanding) should break forth speedily.” Isaiah 58:6, 8 NKJV “We can make our plans, but the Lord gives the right answer.” Proverbs 16:9, ...read more

Scripture: Acts 9:1-19, Isaiah 58:6, Isaiah 58:8, Proverbs 16:9

Denomination: Baptist

Spirituality And Speed Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 22, 2021

God said, "Quick, leave Jerusalem immediately." God is usually not in a hurry, but in His dealings with Paul in this chapter, the name of the game is speed.

Jamie Buckingham has written 20 of the best Christian book of the past decade. And in one of them called The Last Word he tells of how, even for a Christian sometimes, everything can go rapidly wrong. He lived in a quiet country home, but it was one with an unusual water system. He had a cut off ...read more

"The Religion Police"

Contributed by Ken Sauer on Aug 28, 2010

Our value as a person has nothing to do with having our name on the up in lights. God loves us; we can’t improve on that! You don’t have to try and prove you are worthwhile by sneaking your nametag a little higher up on the table. And praise God for that!

Luke 14:1-14 “The Religion Police” By: Ken Sauer, Pastor of East Ridge United Methodist Church, Chattanooga, TN Luke opens chapter 14 by telling us that Jesus “went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee,” on the Sabbath and that “he was being carefully ...read more

Scripture: Luke 14:1-14

Denomination: United Methodist

3 Ways To Get On Jesus' Nerves

Contributed by Sheryln Miller on Mar 24, 2017

Messages Notes Attitudes or Behaviors that Annoy Jesus.

There are a few attitudes or actions that appear to annoy Jesus, make him angry or grieve Him. Here are three ways that appear to get his goat. 1. Have a church and turn it into a den of thieves instead of a house of prayer. In Mark 11:14, Jesus said, “My house should be called a place of ...read more

Scripture: Mark 11:14

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Jesus Gets The Last Word: An Exposition Of Matthew 22:34-46

Contributed by Mark A. Barber on Oct 17, 2020

Jesus has the last word with the Pharisees just as He did with the Sadducees. And He will have the last word on everything just as He had the first. Sermon for Proper 25 After Pentecost Year A

Jesus Gets the Last Word: An Exposition of Matthew 22:34-46 The passage we are studying this morning occurred at the Temple just a few days before His arrest, trial, and crucifixion. The Pharisees and Sadducees had taken turns trying to trap Jesus in His words. The Sadducees had just tried to trap ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 22:34-46

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Telos

Contributed by Paul Andrew on Jul 9, 2018

Of all the sins listed in our Gospel today, the telos in that list is extremely off-course from God.

22B People put their entire moral analysis on intention only; e.g. If my intention is good, I can do it. But actually, “telos” is the word in the Bible that orients ourselves toward God. Telos means “purpose, intent, goal.” E.g. Bulimia is acting against the telos of eating. A couple good ...read more

Scripture: Mark 7:1-23

Denomination: Catholic

What Jesus’ Light Helps Us See Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Feb 2, 2021

This passage is complicated and challenging. This sermon attempts to cut it down to the four interactions and what is going in each. What's the key to seeing Jesus' light?

- This is a very challenging passage. There is a lot going on here in general. There are questions and answers that don’t always flow from one another. There are a lot of theological statements that are not easily processed. - When you add it all up, there’s a lot to handle here. I struggled ...read more

Scripture: John 8:12-30

Denomination: Baptist

Hosting Jesus, The Vip (Luke 7:36-50) Series

Contributed by Garrett Tyson on Mar 28, 2024

One host fails, but another rises up, and gives Jesus the welcome he deserves. The passage is an illustration of how and why people tripped on Jesus (Luke 7:31-35).

One of the things we've talked about several times in the gospel of Luke, is the idea of God "visiting" his people. That's a big part of today's message, so let's read Luke 1:68, to get us off on the right foot: I'll read from the RSV (and here, the translation ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:68, Luke 7:36-50, Luke 7:31-35

Lent

Contributed by Mathew Philip on Mar 17, 2023

The Lent Season is a season of testing our spiritual health and readiness for the end of our life in this world or the second coming of Christ.

Lent is the season of forty days (excluding Sundays) leading up to the passion week and Easter. The church calendar starts this season with Ash Wednesday as the start of the Lenten journey of forty weekdays (Monday through Saturday) that takes the church to the eve of Easter. Ash Wednesday ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:15-16

Denomination: Other

Accountability Series

Contributed by Andrew Dixon on Jul 21, 2021

Some of us fast for a day in a week, so we can discipline ourselves, forfeit a meal so we can spend time meaningfully with God. It is a good idea from time to time to take a fast from our phones too. Instead we can spend time meaningfully with our families and with other people.

Accountability In Genesis 2:18 it says, “Then the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to live alone. I will make a suitable companion to help him." (GNT) God in His divine plan knew that it was not good for man to be alone. When God created the universe and everything in it, the ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 2:18, Proverbs 18:1

Denomination: Other

For No Reason

Contributed by Jason Jones on Jun 6, 2024

One of the reasons that we can fast is to refocus on God

Background to passage: Dec 519 BC, 2nd of 3 post exilic prophets. Zechariah 7:1–7 ESV In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev. Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech and their men to ...read more

Scripture: Zechariah 7:1-7

Denomination: Baptist

How To Be A Genuine Christian

Contributed by Dr. Odell Belger on Jun 26, 2025

Our motives are the underlying reason for any action we take.

That is, our motives are what MOTIVATE us to do the things we do. But there are two kinds of MOTIVES: (1) Good motives (2) Bad motives Motives matter and they matter to God. God doesn’t just desire us to do the right thing but to do it with the right attitude. Illus: For example, it use to ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:1-8

Denomination: Baptist