Sermons on Receptiveness:

Jesus, The Rabbi Series

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jun 30, 2014

Jesus did what others rabbis did, only in more powerful ways; yet ministry is only effective when people have receptive hearts.

Jesus, the Rabbi (Mark 6:1-13) 1. Jewish Rabbis often play the role of settling disputes. A poor Jewish man finds a wallet with $700 in it. At his synagogue, he reads a notice stating that a wealthy member has lost his wallet and is offering a $50 reward to anyone who returns it. Quickly he ...read more

Scripture: Mark 6:1-13

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Lesson 16: A Rebuke Of Partiality (James 2:1-4) Series

Contributed by John Lowe on Mar 26, 2021

This section assumes the rich and the poor’s understanding that appears at other places in James and reflects the influence of the reception of the poor by Jesus in the exhortation not to show partiality in the church.

Lesson Text: James 2:1-4 (KJV) 1My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; 3And ye have respect to him ...read more

Scripture: James 2:1-4

Denomination: Baptist

The Purpose Of The Parables Series

Contributed by Allan Quak on Sep 10, 2020

Jesus uses parables to either reveal callous hearts where the word is being taken away, or reveal receptive hearts which have an increasing harvest.

Message Matthew 13:10-17 “The Purpose of the Parables” Today we are starting a series of sermons which will look at the Parables of Jesus. “Parable” is the English translation of a Greek word which literally means “to place alongside”. From this literal meaning we get the idea that a parable is a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:10-17

Denomination: Baptist

The Three Crosses

Contributed by Robert Leroe on Dec 26, 2022

The Cross was a God-forsaken death for a God-forsaken people. In our reading we see 3 aspects of the Cross of Christ: The Cross of Rejection, Reception, and Redemption.

Martin Luther declared: “No one understands the Bible unless they are acquainted with the Cross.” The Cross was a God-forsaken death for a God-forsaken people. In our reading we observe 3 aspects of the Cross of Christ: It is a Cross of Rejection, Reception, and Redemption. ? Rejection The ...read more

Scripture: Luke 23:39-43

Denomination: Congregational

The Wedding Banquet PRO Sermon

Contributed by Sermon Research Assistant on Oct 12, 2023

To highlight God's open invitation to all to be part of His kingdom and His plans, the consequences of refusing this invitation, and the importance of being prepared and receptive to His call.

Good Morning! God is always inviting us to come closer, to deepen our connection with Him. Yet, sometimes, we're too caught up in our own lives, we end up refusing His invitation. Today, we're going to delve into God's word and explore this invitation to all, the refusal of this invitation, and the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 22:1-14

Topics: Invited, Chosen

Year Of The Shepherd Series

Contributed by Ernie Arnold on Dec 17, 2016

Luke shares with us some characteristics that the Shepherds possessed - 1. They were Receptive Listeners 2. They Embraced Obedience 3. They were Enthusiastic in their Praise and 4. They were Public Proclaimers of the Good News

Scripture: Luke 2:15-21 Theme: Year of the Shepherd - New Year Luke shares with us some characteristics that the Shepherds possessed - 1. They were Receptive Listeners 2. They Embraced Obedience 3. They were Enthusiastic in Praise and 4. They were Public Proclaimers. INTRO: Grace ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:15-21

Denomination: Nazarene

A Wedding Invitation

Contributed by Mark Aarssen on Aug 11, 2015

Our Heavenly Father wants to invite you and me to a wedding. It is not a regular invitation and it is no ordinary wedding. The flight is paid for and the destination is Heaven. The reception is to take place on earth.

Message: Summer can be a very busy time as we try to squeeze in vacation, visits to family and friends and respond to all those invitations. For most of us the wedding invitation is still one of personal importance and can sometimes cost us more than just a wedding gift. In some cases a wedding ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:1-13

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Have You Stopped Listening To God?

Contributed by Roy Fowler on Nov 28, 2020

What is uncertain is not the “coming” of Christ but our own reception of him, our own response to him, our own readiness and capacity to “go forth to meet him.

ILLUSTRATION: Speaking of Jesus the Christ: "What is uncertain is not the “coming” of Christ but our own reception of him, our own response to him, our own readiness and capacity to “go forth to meet him.” Quote from Thomas Merton The time between the Hebrew Scriptures and the Greek New ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 64:1-9, Luke 2:8, Luke 2:14

Denomination: Independent/Bible

How To Be A Biblical Believer Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 31, 2021

In verse 25 James sums up the two requirements for being a truly biblical believer. Be receptive and be responsive. You start with a positive attitude and follow through with practical action.

Can a Christian be non-biblical? Can he defend teachings and practices that are contrary to Scripture? Can he reject those who are taught in God's Word? The Bible itself and history answer, yes. Yes it is possible to be a Christian who is more in love with his own opinions than with the ...read more

Scripture: James 1:19-25

Forgiveness--> Love--> Faith--> Obedience--> Teaching--> Fellowship W/ God

Contributed by David Leach on May 20, 2015

Forgiveness results in love for God, resulting in faith towards God, resulting in wanting to obey God, resulting in receptivity to the deeper teachings of God, resulting in unbroken fellowship with God.

Forgiveness--> Love--> Faith--> Obedience--> Teaching--> Fellowship with God If we wrongly think we didn’t need much of God’s forgiveness we won’t love God very much. As a result our faith will be weak; we won’t want to obey Him and our knowledge of the deeper teachings of ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 4:19

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Disciplined Prayer

Contributed by Jerry Cosper on May 10, 2022

Disciplined prayer is a prayer method that began in the 4th century and is used to quiet the static in our mind, reduce the mental noise and improve the receptivity of our communication with God.

Tonight we're going to take a look at yet another type of Prayer. This prayer is known as disciplined prayer. I know as we are looking at different types of Prayer you're going to hear a lot of repetition because as I said before, these techniques tend to overlap each other. But think of ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:5-8

Denomination: Baptist

#18 The Parable Of The Soils Series

Contributed by Chuck Sligh on May 31, 2020

One of Jesus’ most famous parables was the Parable of the Soils. In this parable, Jesus explains why people do or do not respond to God’s Word.

#18 The Parable of the Soils Series: Mark Chuck Sligh A sermon on the Parable of the Soils NOTE: PowerPoint presentation is available for this sermon by request at chucksligh@hotmail.com. Please mention the title of the sermon and the Bible text to help me find the sermon in my archives TEXT: ...read more

Scripture: Mark 4:1-20

Denomination: Baptist

The Decay Of Man Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Apr 27, 2005

After the fall, man continued to become more violent and less receptive to God - why? Also learn about the mystery of the Sons of God and the Nephillim and why God judged the earth.

How could God allow this to happen? We can’t have it both ways. We cannot be morally responsible beings and not have to deal with the consequences. God gives us enough rope to hang ourselves. We have a responsibility to listen to Him. Its not that God is out of control, but He always planned to ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 6:1-22

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Revive Your Dead Spirit

Contributed by Kelvin Mckisic on Oct 6, 2024

In this passage, we hear a call to recognize spiritual decline, to reconnect with Christ, and to be receptive to the Holy Spirit. This is not an easy task, but it is one that we are called to undertake, not just as individuals, but as a community of believers.

Welcome, dear friends, to this sacred space, a sanctuary where we gather, not just as a congregation, but as a family. This is a place where we come together, bound by our shared faith, our shared love for Christ, and our shared desire to grow closer to Him. Today, we find ourselves standing on the ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:1-6, Matthew 7:7

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

His Course Was Charted

Contributed by Eloy Gonzalez on Apr 5, 2009

Palm Sunday: As we contemplate the joyous reception that Jesus got as He entered Jerusalem, our thoughts go to the reason that He entered in the first place - to save us by dying on the Cross.

In the old days – days long before Jesus was born, God’s people annually observed a festival known as the Feast of Tabernacles. This was a feast of great joy. It was a time of celebration. It lasted seven days. Part of what happened during this feast is that the people marched around the Altar ...read more

Scripture: Luke 19:28-40

Denomination: Lutheran