Sermons on Religious Depth:

Dangerous Discipleship

Contributed by Michael Stark on Jul 26, 2018

To be a follower of Christ is almost certain to be costly. Many turn from following Christ because they fear what it may cost. They are willing to be religious, but hesitate to embrace discipleship. We are called to embrace dangerous discipleship.

“When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So, the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and ...read more

Scripture: John 12:9-11

Denomination: Baptist

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus Series

Contributed by Bill Bryan on Mar 29, 2014

Jesus is the central expression of God's grace and peace to us. Our unity/thankfulness for one another in the Lord is not based on our complete agreement on every social, political, or religious topic but upon our common experience of God's grace/peace

On July 4th we celebrate the birth of the United States, and on June 20th we celebrate the birthday of my beloved home state of West Virginia. However, the birth of our nation came about through our division from England, and the birth of West Virginia came through division from the Confederacy. ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Denomination: Baptist

"Thy Kingdom Come"

Contributed by Steve Malone on Jul 23, 2002

What do those words really mean? Today as we continue to plunge the depths of the greatest prayer ever prayer we will answer that question, and we will never pray those words the same again. (Praying Like Jesus - part 3)

“Praying Like Jesus” – part three The Disciples were with Jesus for 3 solid years… Think about how awesome that must have been. I love how the Message Bible words the first few verses of 1 John; “From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in – we heard it with our own ears, saw it with ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:11, Matthew 6:10

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Grief Gauge Series

Contributed by Timothy Smith on Oct 15, 2005

5th in 5 part series on overcoming the obstacles and difficulties of life using five different Psalms. We used a "journey" or "road" metaphor in terms of the bumps of success, fear, guilt, the religious rut and grief, etc.

THE GRIEF GAUGE Navigating the Bumps of Life - Week 6 PSALM 116:1-8 INTRODUCTION: Paul Harvey tells the true story of a lady who went to a newspaper to report the death of her husband. She took a glowing four page report to the obituary counter. Upon seeing it, the news clerk said, "Ma’am, ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 116:1-8

Denomination: Christian Church

Following Jesus To The Cross #2 - Drawing A Line In The Sand Series

Contributed by Mark Thornton on Nov 21, 2001

This is the second message in a series that looks at Jesus’ final few days on the way to the cross. This message looks at how Jesus’ confrontation of religious hypocrisy and his resulting challenge to his own followers.

INTRODUCTION There are many images that come to mind when we think of Easter. -- Easter Bunnies, Easter Baskets, Easter Eggs, etc -- Easter Holidays - Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, etc. -- Easter Symbols -- Cross, Communion There is a Challenge We Face... -- Each time we experience ...read more

Denomination: *other

What Do We Do With The Weeds?"

Contributed by Dan Erickson on Nov 21, 2000

When the end comes, it will become clear who those people are whose faith is truly in Jesus, and it will become clear who those are who have been just playing a religious game.

When I was a kid, weeding the garden was one of my least favorite activities. It was often hot out there and my back would hurt from bending over. Worst of all, I thought it was monotonous work, so often I did not pay real close attention to what I was doing. And, sure enough, I would sometimes ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:36-43, Luke 9:62

Denomination: Baptist

Focus Your Faith

Contributed by Richard Burkey on May 26, 2005

This encounter between Jesus and a leading Jewish religious leader named Nicodemus deals with focus questions. Who is Jesus? What is His purpose? What exactly does Jesus come to do?

Focus Your Faith John 3:1-17 (New International Version) 1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could ...read more

Scripture: John 3:1-17

Denomination: Lutheran

The Power Of Love

Contributed by Christian Cheong on Apr 23, 2007

There is only one power at work in the last week of Jesus’ life - not Pilate’s, not the religious leaders’ - but the power of His love for the world. This power kept Him silent and drove Him to the cross.

John 15:9-13 9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ...read more

Scripture: John 15:9-13

Denomination: Independent/Bible

"All Hail The King!"

Contributed by Derrick Tuper on Jun 18, 2013

The Triumphal Entry ushered in Jesus' final week before his crucifixion. He was gathering a greater following and the religious leaders didn't like that. Jesus was being hailed as king.

“ALL HAIL THE KING!” John 12:12-19 1) All hail the King! (Vs. 12-13). “The great crowd”. It was near the Passover and the week long Feast of Unleavened Bread celebration, where the population in Jerusalem rose from about 50,000 to over two million. Even though there was a ...read more

Scripture: John 12:12-19

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Prayer Meeting In The Jerusalem Church

Contributed by Chuck Sligh on Nov 30, 2014

The prayer the Jerusalem Christians prayed when Peter and John were released from the inquisition of the Jerusalem religious leaders teaches some important truths about prayer, which is the subject of this sermon.

Prayer Meeting in the Jerusalem Church Chuck Sligh November 30, 2014 NOTE: A PowerPoint presentation of this sermon is available upon request by emailing me at chucksligh@hotmail.com. TEXT: Please turn in your Bibles to Acts 4 (TO BE READ LATER) INTRODUCTION The first church in Jerusalem ...read more

Scripture: Acts 4:23-31

Denomination: Baptist

The Parable Of The Pharisee And The Publican Series

Contributed by Ricardo Rodriguez on Nov 1, 2012

There is a necessary appropriate attitude in prayer so that it can be answered by God. The Pharisee belonged to a Jewish religious sect that believed that salvation came by obeying the letter of the law and precepts that they and their ancestors had esta

Ice Breaker: Can you describe the characteristics of a humble person? Scripture: Lucas 18:9-14. INTRODUCTION: There is a necessary appropriate attitude in prayer so that it can be answered by God. The Pharisee belonged to a Jewish religious sect that believed that salvation came by obeying ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:9-14

Denomination: Apostolic

Handle With Care!

Contributed by Curt Cizek on Sep 27, 2008

Jesus’ parable of the vineyard was a stern warning to the Jewish religious leaders of His day. It is also a warning we should heed lest our seat in His kingdom be given to someone else.

-Has it ever happened to you? -Have you ever “lost” something that “belonged” to you? -I don’t mean “lost” and “belonged” in the same way you are thinking -I really mean, has somebody ever given something that you thought should be yours to somebody else instead -How did that feel? Probably about ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 21:33-43

Denomination: Lutheran

A Parable Of Two Sons

Contributed by Ray Ellis on Oct 6, 2008

In this parable Jesus is comparing the younger son to the tax collectors and sinners who came to Jesus. The elder son represented the Pharisees and religious rulers who continually found fault with the teachings of Jesus.

A Parable of Two Sons Luke 15:1-2, 11-32 “Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisaical teachers of religious law complain that Jesus was associating with such despicable people – even eating with them.” Luke 15:1-2 The Pharisees and ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:1-32

Denomination: Free Methodist

Preach The Word Series

Contributed by Michael Stark on Feb 27, 2011

To qualify as worship, our corporate religious activities must include sound preaching. To fail to include this vital aspect of worship is to condemn our congregations to an insipid presence in the midst of a hostile world.

“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:1-5

Denomination: Baptist

Short, Sweet And Ignorant

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 19, 2016

There is common phrase that is often heard from people who have attended weddings, baby dedications and other religious ceremonies, "That was short and sweet, just like I like it."

Short, Sweet and Ignorant The Consequences of Not Wanting To Hear From God The Bible says, "Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil." (Ecclesiastes 5:1) There is ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 5:1

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational