Sermons on Reluctant:

Sermon # 37 - Excuses People Give Series

Contributed by Andrew Dixon on Dec 26, 2024

Jonah has some lame excuses for why he did not want to obey God and preach to the city of Nineveh. There are many others in the bible who gave excuses and the question is “Are we also giving excuses?” or “Are we fulfilling the Great Commission of the Lord Jesus and leading others into His kingdom?”

We read in Jonah 4:2, “And he prayed to the LORD and said, “O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.” ...read more

Scripture: Jonah 4:2, Jeremiah 1:6, 1 Corinthians 9:16, 1 Corinthians 14:20, Jeremiah 1:7-8, Exodus 3:11-12, Judges 6:15, 1 Samuel 3:10, Acts 9:6, Matthew 25:24-26  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Other

In A World Of Trouble

Contributed by Kelvin Mckisic on Jan 5, 2025

In this life we will face trials and tribulations, but we take they head on with Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We are overcomers because Jesus overcame the world first.

Good morning, beloved family of God. I stand before you today, not as one who has all the answers, but as a fellow traveler, walking with you on this winding road of faith. We are gathered here, not because we are perfect or because we have it all figured out, but because we need the grace that ...read more

Scripture: John 16:33, Romans 5:1-5, James 5:10-11, Proverbs 3:5

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Wedding At Cana Series

Contributed by Joel Gilbert on Jun 19, 2023

Jesus' sign of turning the water to wine reveals a bit of how he addresses our earthly and eternal needs.

Introduction I have a problem. I don’t like things on my hands. As a result I wash my hands too often when I’m cooking. Now, you may not see that as a problem, after all, cross contamination of various foods is never good. But I do. The other day, Danielle and I were preparing dinner together. ...read more

Scripture: John 2:1-12

Denomination: Baptist

Search Party

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Jun 21, 2023

God chooses to work through people, weak and sinful as we may be, to be the finders of the lost, the bearers of his message, the search party to find and redeem the lost ones, the captives, the hostages. We’re it, folks.

Samuel Goldwyn, the famous movie mogul who was half of Metro Goldwyn Meyer, was once criticized for not being more socially conscious in his movies, that he produced entertainment without any redeeming social importance. He replied, “If you want to send a message, use Western Union.” And he had a ...read more

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

God Can… So You Can Series

Contributed by John Bright on Jun 22, 2023

A four-part series on Jonah. A good reminder that you can run… but you can’t hide from God! Teaching sheet at the end of the text.

“God Can… So You Can” Jonah 3:1-10 Pastor John Bright Jonah 3 “1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now ...read more

Scripture: Jonah 3:1-10, Jeremiah 29:11, 1 John 4:4

Denomination: Methodist

Hearing Problems

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Jul 19, 2023

Are we afraid to ask what Jesus has in store for us, of what our future following him might look like?

This was a very difficult sermon to prepare because this passage doesn’t really apply to you, at least not the way most preachers spin it. I can just hear the disciples arguing over who’s the greatest, can’t you? like a bunch of little boys bragging in the playground at recess, or kids ...read more

Scripture: Mark 9:30-37

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Expecting Miracles

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Apr 8, 2023

We are not unsuspecting people who came to Jerusalem and walked into a miracle. We are already part of an ongoing miracle - and don’t want to miss a minute of it!

Three times a year, every Jewish man was supposed to come to Jerusalem to give thanks. Their Thanksgiving, like ours, was in the fall. They called it the Feast of Tabernacles, or Booths, though, because people built temporary shelters out in the fields to sleep in overnight, that is if they slept ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:1-21, Ezekiel 37:10

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Route To Great Awakening

Contributed by Ajai Prakash on Apr 25, 2024

We can go on living as though this world were everything, and there is no eternal world or great God to whom we are accountable. But when Christ returns will each one of us account for your life with joy?

Opening illustration: God awakened me when I went to work in the Middle East. Till then I was just a lukewarm and laidback Christian. I saw the great need for the Gospel of Christ to be proclaimed to the so many lost souls there. They had no idea that they were perishing and there was only one way ...read more

Scripture: Jonah 3:1-10

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God's Wake-Up Call

Contributed by Ajai Prakash on Apr 25, 2024

God's truth is the best protection against Satan's lies.

Opening illustration: As we moved to our new home in the Middle-East after the government transferred Maureena and me to a previous location in the mountains, we never expected the place to be hiding scorpions, which would show up regularly in our bathrooms and poisonous snakes that would appear in ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:8-11

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Shooting The Wounded

Contributed by Delray Lentz on Sep 6, 2024

Everybody comfortable? Good! Now, I’m going to ask something very strange of you today. Since you are good and comfortable, go ahead and move to another seat. In another row or across the aisle. Sometimes, a slight change in perspective can make all the difference!

Shooting the wounded Last week after church, Lisa told me a story of a person who had been hurt by people at the church she was attending. Uncomfortable yet? Don’t worry it wasn’t CPC! She finished telling the story and the first words out of my mouth were: Shootin’ the wounded! On May 21st 2004 ...read more

Scripture: Mark 2:16-17, Luke 17:1

Get Off The Treadmill

Contributed by Michael Deutsch on Sep 8, 2023

A second look at finding rest for the weary.

Get off the Treadmill Matthew 11:25-30 September 10, 2023 The New York Times ran an article called "Happiness 101." They wanted to get to the root of what really makes people happy. A team of researchers concluded that Americans seek happiness in the wrong way. They concluded - - ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:25-30

Denomination: Baptist

Ask, Seek, Knock - The Secret To The Christian Life Series

Contributed by Dr. Bradford Reaves on Sep 15, 2023

We do not think as the world thinks. We do not worship as the world worships. We trust God. Period.

Dr. Bradford Reaves CrossWay Christian Fellowship Hagerstown, MD www.mycrossway.org I recently read a powerful description of the human brain in a book by R. Kent Hughes, Disciplines of a Godly Man: “The complex capacity of the human brain is the subject of ever-widening scientific wonder. Its ten ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:7-11

Denomination: Brethren

Go! And Be Transformed, Trust, And Surrender: A Call To Live Fully For Christ Series

Contributed by Dean Courtier on Mar 5, 2025

Christians around the world use Lent as a time to remember the journey of Jesus toward the cross, and as an opportunity to examine their own walk with Jesus. Consider three crucial aspects of our faith journey — transformation, trust, and surrender.

Go! and Be Transformed, Trust, and Surrender: A Call to Live Fully for Christ LENT is meant to be a period of reflection, repentance and preparation. Christians around the world use Lent as a time to remember the journey of Jesus toward the cross, and as an opportunity to examine their own ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2, Proverbs 3:5-6, Luke 9:23-25, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Psalm 1:2-3, Isaiah 26:3-4, 1 Samuel 15:22, Genesis 12:1-4, Daniel 3:16-18, Philippians 3:8, Genesis 32:24-30, Genesis 32:28, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Luke 22:42  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Pentecostal

We Are Not Strong Enough Series

Contributed by Duane Wente on Jun 15, 2025

The world tells us we must be strong on our own. But God's truth reminds us that His power is perfected in our weakness. We do not need to be strong enough—we need to trust the One who is.

### **Introduction: The Pressure to Be Strong** Video Ill.: Sermon Bumper We live in a culture that bullies weakness. If you cannot handle it on your own, you are labeled as fragile, broken, or useless. Weakness is laughed at, mocked, and quickly dismissed. From childhood, we are told to toughen ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Philippians 4:11-13

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Holiness In Every Season: God's Plan For Our Desires

Contributed by Dasol Kang on Jun 28, 2025

God calls us to live with self-control and self-giving love, honoring God’s design, so that our lives reflect Christ’s own love for His church.

INTRODUCTION I am a foodie at heart. There’s nothing quite like a perfectly cooked ribeye steak—those rich, marbled streaks of fat, seared just right, juicy and tender. What is your favorite food? Whatever your favorite food is, we know that food itself is a good gift, isn't it? It sustains ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 7:1-9

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed