Sermons on Religious Vocations:

The Simplicity Of The Gospel

Contributed by David Scudder on Apr 25, 2011

If we are not careful, we can be so tangled up in a long string of religious ideas and rules that we wind up confused and discouraged. Many things about Christianity and the Bible are very complicated, the Gospel is not complicated.

Purpose: To explain the meaning of the Gospel. Aim: I want the listener to commit (or re-commit) his life to spreading the Gospel and rejoicing in the resurrected Christ. INTRODUCTION: Life can get very complicated. An illustration of this is a traffic sign at an intersection of two superhighways ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Denomination: Independent/Bible

First Appearance Before Pilate Series

Contributed by John Lowe on Jan 12, 2020

Jesus has been taken to Pilate’s palace by the religious leaders. They need Pilate to give Jesus the death sentence, since the Jews no longer have that authority. Pilate interviews Christ and announces that he is innocent.

HARMONY OF THE GOSPELS (31) First Appearance Before Pilate Scripture: Matthew 27:2,11-14; Mark 15:1-5; Luke 23:1-7; John 18:28-38 (focal passage) Tom Lowe 2/13/2008 Time: Friday of Jesus’ Final Week Place: Jerusalem Jesus has been taken to Pilate’s palace by the religious leaders. They ...read more

Scripture: John 18:28-38

Denomination: Baptist

Turning The Other Cheek

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 13, 2021

The religious leaders of the world can quote their wise and holy men in ways that show they too have many of the values of the Sermon on the Mount. But they have nothing to match the teachings of Christ on the love of one's enemies.

Almost everybody agrees with the Sermon on the Mount in general, but almost nobody can agree to the specifics of the last part of chapter 5. Even Nikita Krushev, an atheist, when he was the leader of Russia, could say he agreed with the Sermon on the Mount, for even in Russia they do not consider ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:38-48

Defilement Comes From Within Series

Contributed by Donald Whitchard on Mar 22, 2021

It is not the food you eat or religious observation you practice that enables you to claim that you are right with God. Your attitude, behavior, and response to His commands show whether or not your life is defiled before Him.

Worship is supposed to come from a grateful heart and mind, focused on how God's mercy and grace has taken us off of the road to hell and by the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on our behalf, placed us on the narrow road leading to eternal life. Our submission to Him as Lord and Savior, ...read more

Scripture: Mark 7:1-23, Hebrews 12:14-15, James 3:6

Denomination: Baptist

From Seeker To Believer: 7 Stages Of Growth

Contributed by Justin Steckbauer on Apr 2, 2021

1. Not interested – OK for you, not for me. Holds many misconceptions about the Bible and Christianity. Have a negative view of religious faith in general. Believe all religions are basically the same. Are generally uninterested in spiritual matters.

1. Not interested – OK for you, not for me. Holds many misconceptions about the Bible and Christianity. Have a negative view of religious faith in general. Believe all religions are basically the same. Are generally uninterested in spiritual matters. 2. Curiously seeking – thinks there might be ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16

Denomination: Salvation Army

Getting The Sabbath Right Series

Contributed by John Dobbs on Jan 29, 2021

Practicing the Sabbath religiously is still something that is common in certain faith families, but I think mostly we ignore the idea. Getting the Sabbath right is essential for our mental, spiritual, and physical well being.

Getting the Sabbath Right     Luke 6:1-11 Introduction As a young Christian I was taught that all of the Ten Commands had been repeated and taught by Jesus - except one. Keeping the Sabbath day holy. When I preached out in the country during my Bible college days I ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:1-11

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

If Only People Understood What Jesus Was Offering Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Feb 9, 2021

The problem here is not so much that the religious leaders didn't understand Jesus. It's more that they actually do understand Him. What's He saying that is so provocative?

THE CLIMAX OF THE CONVERSATION: The more they understood Jesus, the more they thought He was crazy. - John 8:48, 52a, 55-57, 59. - This is the climax of a long conversation in John 8 that we’ve handled in several sermons because there is so much content there. The further the conversation went, ...read more

Scripture: John 8:48-59

Denomination: Baptist

Safeguarding Your Christian Life Series

Contributed by James Wallace on Jul 5, 2021

Like guardrails and protective barriers around potential dangers, so the writer to the Hebrews attempts to safeguard our Christian walk by noting potential dangers to our Christian life--among them apostate religious institutions

I’m a big fan of Yellowstone National Park, not only because of the great fishing it offers, but also because of the great natural wonders that can be seen. Of course, some of its most famous natural wonders are found in its geyser basins, where Old Faithful can be found among many others, along ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 13:9-25

Denomination: Bible Church

The Week That Changed The World: The Day Jesus Saw The Downfall Of Apostate Religion Series

Contributed by Donald Whitchard on Jul 15, 2021

Jesus finished His final day of public ministry. He taught the crowds in the Temple, confronted difficult questions, and then left for good. The Temple and its religious system was corrupt, useless, and irredeemable, and would be judged by God.

Mark 12:28-44 gives us details about the final day of Jesus' public ministry and HIs departure from the Temple. He will go to the Mount of Olives and present to His astonished disciples the reality of what is to come in the future, and it does not involve a new Israel free from Rome, nor the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 22:34-46, Mark 12:28-44, Luke 10:25-28, Luke 20:41-47, Luke 21:1-4, Matthew 23:1-7  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

In The Synagogue & School Of Tyrannus Series

Contributed by John Lowe on May 10, 2017

To this city of Ephesus, wealthy, profoundly religious, with a religion that was in itself worse than an absolute absence of it, the apostle came. There were many adversaries; adversaries among his own brethren in the synagogue, as he revealed in his....

June 26, 2015 By: Tom Lowe Lesson: IV.D.3.b: In the Synagogue & School of Tyrannus (Acts 13:8-10) Acts 19:8-10 (KJV) 8 And he went into the ...read more

Scripture: Acts 19:8-10

Denomination: Baptist

I Am The Son Of God

Contributed by Monte Brown on Jan 22, 2015

The first statement that Jesus makes is an assertion that everything that the God the Father does, He does, and everything He does is also done by the Father. The only possible conclusion is not lost, to the religious leaders Jesus is claiming to be God.

I am the Son of God John 5:19-30 Monte T. Brown October 27, 2013 Sunday Evening Stapp Zoe Baptist 1. The Father and I are the same. John 5:19-18 Jesus ruffled the feathers of the Jews when he basically claimed that the Father and I are one. Then answered Jesus and said unto them, ...read more

Scripture: John 5:19-30

Denomination: Baptist

Reaction To The Resurrection Of Lazarus Series

Contributed by John Lowe on Nov 5, 2017

Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, and that miracle brought results. First of all and most important is that many believed on him. There were others that did not believe and they went back to Jerusalem to report this incident to the religious leaders.

Perea to Bethany Lesson: Reaction to the Resurrection of Lazarus John 11:45-54 (John 11:45-46) Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him. But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had ...read more

Scripture: John 11:45-54

Denomination: Baptist

The Identification Of Worship Series

Contributed by Christopher Benfield on Oct 27, 2019

As Jesus talked with the woman at the well, He revealed much regarding worship. Through their conversation we discover there are two distinct types of worship - Religious worship and Righteous worship. All worship will fall into one of these categories.

The Identification of Worship John 4: 19-24 This is a portion of a very familiar passage of Scripture. I’m sure that most of us have heard the account of the woman at the well many times. She was a woman who was shunned and rejected by those who knew her. She was an outcast of society due to the ...read more

Scripture: John 4:19-24

Denomination: Baptist

The Witness Of John The Baptist

Contributed by Geoffrey Foot on Dec 13, 2017

John the Baptist pre-figured and prepared the way for the ministry of Jesus but the religious authorities of the day could not understand what John was doing in his preaching and especially in baptising Jewish people when there was no need to do so.

THE WITNESS OF JOHN (John 1:19-28) In this 1st chapter of John’s gospel he begins his message, his good news to demonstrate that Jesus is the Mind, the Reason, the Word of God come into this world in the form of a human being. Having set down this central thought, John now begins to tell the ...read more

Scripture: John 1:19-28

Tuesday - Opening Closed Minds And Penetrating Callused Hearts Series

Contributed by David Owens on Mar 14, 2022

On Tuesday of the final week of Jesus' earthly life, He spent the day teaching His disciples, the crowds and the religious leaders. His teaching was designed to confront some and comfort others. The choice is always ours.

A. Did you hear about the guy going around different towns and jabbing people with knitting needles? 1. The police believe he was trying to make a point and was following some sort of pattern. B. The word “needle” can be used as a noun or a verb. 1. As a noun, a needle might be: a small slender ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:20

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ