Sermons on Reluctant:

The Game's Not Over Yet

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Apr 10, 2010

Christmas 1985: In our tumultuous world and in our troubled lives, those negatives are not the last word, for God has sent Immanuel to work a work that is not yet finished, but will be eventually.

The morning sports pages brought forth a pearl of wisdom from one Ron Jaworski, quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles. Mr. Jaworski, as it turned out, is something of a prophet. He referred to his team's irritating habit of getting off to a good start in their games, leading right up to the last ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 11:1-9

Denomination: Baptist

Prayer Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Oct 4, 2009

Pretty much everyone under the right circumstances prays. The key question is are you praying to the right person in a way that they will hear you and respond? Learn some important key ingredients to powerful prayer.

Last time we talked about not condemning people—because we don’t know their eternal state, nor are we qualified to make a decision about someone’s position with God. We talked about how God is the only one qualified to know the heart, and He is capable of making a fair and just decision. A lot of ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:7-11

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

"Hilarious Giving"

Contributed by Ken Sauer on Sep 17, 2009

A sermon on stewardship.

2 Corinthians 9:6-15 “Hilarious Giving” By: Rev. Ken Sauer, Pastor of East Ridge United Methodist Church, Chattanooga, TN “God loves a cheerful giver,” writes Paul to the Church in Corinth. What a concept… …That giving will make us happy! But it’s the truth! Anyone who’s ever dug down ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Denomination: United Methodist

Jephthah: The Rough & Tumble Guy Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Aug 26, 2007

How does an outcast rebel outlaw end up in the hall of faith and did Jephthah really sacrifice his daughter?

The story we are going to look at in Judges 11 and 12 today is one of the strangest and most troubling in the Bible. It’s about a notorious man who comes to the rescue of Israel, then promptly vows to sacrifice his own daughter and gets into a big fight where 42,000 fellow Israelites are killed. Or ...read more

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

God's Word Works Wnders

Contributed by Timm Meyer on Aug 30, 2007

Pentecost 7(A) - God’s Word works wonders because God’s Word is always refreshing and always "full-filling".

GOD’S WORD WORKS WONDERS (Outline) July 15, 2007 - PENTECOST 7 - Isaiah 55:10,11 * * * * * * * * * INTRO: Each one of us often looks for things to refresh, strengthen, and encourage us. In the midst of the summer temperatures a nice glass of cold water ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 55:10-11, Matthew 13:1-9

Denomination: Lutheran

Living Sacrifice? Series

Contributed by Nickolas Kooi on Aug 30, 2017

Sacrifice can a foreign and strange thing to us. When looking at sacrifice, it is help to look at purpose, place, and presentation. When keeping this in mind, we can apply his point to our lives and see the richness of the imagery and truth.

Sacrifices were important and instrumental to the worship life of believers in the Old Testament. We might be unfamiliar with them, so it can helpful to look at them in detail. When talking about sacrifices, I find it helpful to talk about three things: purpose, place, and presentation. Purpose. ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1-8

Denomination: Lutheran

Jesus The Joy In You Series

Contributed by Mark Aarssen on Jul 12, 2016

Friends Jesus does not want to see you end up on the burn pile of unfruitful unjoyful human beings. Jesus wants you and I to remain in Him for only in Him will we find the kind of Joy to sustain us through this life which can sometimes be a vale of tears.

Jesus the Joy in You John 15:1-11 15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have ...read more

Scripture: John 15:1-11

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Kingdom Of Heaven (Part 6) Series

Contributed by Ajai Prakash on Aug 31, 2015

What is clearly revealed here is that doing the will of God must ultimately find expression in following Jesus. You cannot do God’s will and not follow Christ. Apart from allegiance to him by faith, there is no salvation.

Opening illustration: One dark and stormy night, a gang of thieves broke into a jewelry store, but they were on a mission with a difference. They didn't steal a thing. But they carefully went round the whole shop and switched all the price tags. Then they left. The next day, the staff came in, and ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 19:23-30

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Generous With Our Story Series

Contributed by Lynn Malone on Jul 25, 2017

A disciple can be generous with our resources, our time and our presence, but the most transformative element of a disciple's life is his/her story. We should be as generous with our story as we are with our money and time.

Generosity: Possible Generous with Our Story 2 Timothy 1: 1 – 14 It is only natural for us to connect the idea of generosity with money. We automatically think of financial resources when we consider the idea of being generous, but the life of generosity for a disciple of Jesus Christ extends ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:1-14

Denomination: Methodist

Fraternal Correction With Integrity And Love

Contributed by Paul Andrew on Aug 2, 2017

Jesus is saying that we are not to be only concerned with someone’s material well- being but also for their moral and spiritual good. Hebrews 13:17 says to “watch over souls as one who will give an account.”

23A “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."-- This verse from Matthew’s Gospel for today reminds me of a story of a pastor of a small Baptist church in a drought-stricken part of Alabama last summer who implored his people to pray for rain. In ...read more

Scripture: Ezekiel 33:7-9, Matthew 18:15-20

Denomination: Catholic

Stoning The Elephant In The Room

Contributed by Darryl Ward on Mar 26, 2017

A sermon about scandal in the Church

The 2008 film ‘Doubt’, based on John Patrick Shanley’s Pulitzer Prize winning play of the same name, is set in a Roman Catholic church in the Bronx in the 1960s. Sister Aloysius, the principal of the attached school, played brilliantly by Meryl Streep, suspects Father Flynn, the parish priest, of ...read more

Scripture: John 8:1-11

Denomination: Anglican

Dead Bones For Living Souls Series

Contributed by Ovidiu Radulescu on May 26, 2009

That strange story about the dead bones of Elisha and the man coming back to life, is a picture of a creative God who will try to get the attention of His coldhearted people anyway... Elisha and the prophets of God, and all God’s people in general, includ

We come here today pay our respect to _____________________ and to comfort members of the family and friends. We belong to a larger family, the family of believers in Jesus Christ, the conqueror of death. And this is the hour when our belief in Him is tested. This is the moment when our declared ...read more

Scripture: 2 Kings 13:20-21

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Jesus Said It: You Must Be Born Again Series

Contributed by Scott Chambers on Jun 15, 2009

This message examines the meeting between Jesus and Nicodemus.

What does it mean to be a disciple? Wait a second; let me be a little bolder with my question. Are you a follower of Jesus? I believe that the majority of us would answer that question in a way that affirms that we do indeed follow Jesus. But I still have to ask; are you really a disciple? Is there ...read more

Scripture: John 3:1-21

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

"Mercy: Punishment Withheld"

Contributed by Ken Harris on Sep 14, 2008

To purpose of this sermon is to motivate the hearers to reflect upon Sept 11 2001, and to affirm to others that just as Christ had mercy on Paul - if we repent of our wrong doings – Christ will also have MERCY on us.

14 September 2008 U.S. Army Chaplain (MAJ) Ken Harris West Fort Hood Chapel Killeen TX BIG IDEA: Christ will HAVE MERCY on us if we repent of our wrong doings. REFERENCES: Acts 9 (Paul’s Conversion Experience); Ephesians 2:3-5 (NIV) All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:12-17

Denomination: Pentecostal

Renters From Hell Series

Contributed by Jason Jones on Oct 7, 2008

Exposition of Mark 12:1-12 about the parable of the vineyard and the tenets who would not give up the fruit of the vineyard and killed the son of the owner

Text: Mark 12:1-12, Title: Renters from Hell, Date/Place: NRBC, 10/5/08, PM A. Opening illustration: the hummingbirds at the feeder becoming defensive and possession of what is theirs, when in reality it is mine, I bought it, I hung it, cooked the food, filled it up, and maintain it. B. Background ...read more

Scripture: Mark 12:1-12

Denomination: Baptist