Sermons on Rivers In The Desert:

How To Handle Rejection

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Jul 8, 2004

"Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas because He loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica

How to Handle Rejection 2 Tim. 4:1-10 Illustration: A man left his house for church one Sunday just as his neighbor was loading his golf clubs into his car. "Henry," the neighbor called, "come play golf with me today." Henry answered firmly, "I always go to church on the Lord’s Day." After a ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:1-10

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Living Beyond Today Series

Contributed by Richard Schwedes on Dec 26, 2007

A sermon for the 3rd Sunday in Advent that helps us see that despite troubles, God has not deserted us and that we are still blessed.

As we continue in this Advent season it is important to remember that we are not just preparing for Christmas but when Jesus comes again as our saviour and our judge. In today’s Gospel reading we hear of John being in trouble because he was a witness of Jesus. John’s story of following Jesus ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:2-11

Denomination: Lutheran

God Is Our Provider - Exodus Part 15 Series

Contributed by Dan Carroll on Jul 28, 2011

A sermon about God providing manna and quail in the desert--and all our needs according to his faithfulness and our trust in Him.

INTRODUCTION • In Exodus 15, God reveals Himself as a healer. In Exodus 16, God reveals Himself as a provider. • Last week we talked about being tested. We all hate tests in school and in life. They are hard and often reveal things we don’t want to see. • We have ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 16:1-36

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God, The Heart-Broken Series

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Aug 22, 2011

Like a grieving husband who has been deserted by the wife he loves, God reflects upon his relationship to unfaithful Israel.

God, the Heart-broken (Hosea 12-13) 1. TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tampa police arrested an expelled student after thwarting what they called a "catastrophic" plot to set off a bomb at his former high school next week, authorities said Wednesday. Police Chief Jane Castor said Jared Cano, 17, had threatened ...read more

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Pharaoh And Gender Politics Series

Contributed by John Dixon on Oct 7, 2018

Israel's status quickly deteriorated from welcomed guests to feared aliens and oppressed slaves.

Exodus 1, 2 (NASB) 8 A new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9 He said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are more and mightier than we. 10 Come, let us deal wisely with them, or else they will multiply and in the event of war, they will also join themselves to those who ...read more

Denomination: Christian Church

Failure To Launch Series

Contributed by Gordon Pike on Nov 14, 2021

Joshua didn’t go out on a wing and a prayer or a gut feeling or trust in his own instincts. He went with God’s promises and He had God with him.

How many of you suffer from “atychiphobia” [a-ticky-phobia]? [Raise my hand.] Aw, common on … really? I’m the only one? It might help you if I tell you what it means, amen? “Atychiphobia” [a-ticky-phobia] is the “fear of failure” and, trust me, it’s a very, very common phobia. I have it every ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 1:1-9, Numbers 13:28-33, Numbers 14:8-9, Numbers 14:11-12, Numbers 14:28-33, Deuteronomy 34:10-12, Deuteronomy 34:6-8, Joshua 6:3-5  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: United Methodist

Better Banking Series

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Aug 30, 2024

There’s the “bank of earth" and there’s the bank of heaven, and the one in heaven gives a far better rate of interest. But what's wrong with "banking" my wealth on earth?

A man told of buying his 7-year-old daughter a game called “The Game of Life”. It was the SpongeBob SquarePants version of The Game of Life and his daughter thought it was very cool. His daughter Tabitha thought the person who got to the end of the game first was the winner. But that wasn’t what ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:19-34

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Slaves Cross The Water Series

Contributed by Fr Mund Cargill Thompson on Jan 10, 2013

In torn clothes a bedraggled huddle of escaped slaves come to the mighty river Jordan: so through baptism we enter the promsed land.

Its the stuff of Hollywood: in torn clothes a bedraggled huddle of escaped slaves come to the mighty river Jordan. It parts before them and they enter the Promised Land. This is the founding story of the Israelite people - slaves in Egypt rescued from slavery by God’s mighty hand, crossing ...read more

Scripture: Luke 3:15-22

Denomination: Anglican

Vision

Contributed by Lou Nicholes on May 14, 2011

Ezekiel worked for God right where he was, among the exiles in various colonies near the Chebar River in Babylon (v. 1).

One time when Michigan State was playing UCLA in football, the score was tied at 14 with only seconds to play. Duffy Daugherty, Michigan State’s coach, sent in place kicker Dave Kaiser who booted a field goal that won the game. When the kicker returned to the bench, Daugherty said, “nice going, but ...read more

Scripture: Ezekiel 1:1-14

Denomination: Baptist

Right At The Door

Contributed by David Dunn on Oct 25, 2025

God’s delay is mercy. Return to Jesus, repent together, walk by faith. Step into grace. Cross the river. Hope ahead, always.

(From Bitter to Better While We Wait) There’s a tiny spacecraft drifting through darkness right now. You can’t see it with your eyes. No telescope can frame it. Pioneer 10 left Earth when gasoline was 36 cents a gallon, and bell-bottoms were still a thing. It flew past Jupiter, past Pluto, out ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 3:9, Exodus 14:13-14, Numbers 13:30, Joel 2:13-17

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Breaking Through Baptism

Contributed by Bruce Lee on May 28, 2025

Imagine with me…, that you are in the crowd of people gathered at the edge of the Jordan River witnessing John the Baptist and others as they wade out into the water to be baptized.

“Breaking Through Baptism” And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 ...read more

Scripture: Mark 4:4-11

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Happy Birthday, Calvary Temple

Contributed by Charlie Roberts on Jan 20, 2012

I’m posting this, it’s from our 18th Annv. Celebration. It highlights the miracles of the journey and how good God is. If your going through or have ever been involved in a church plant and building program, this will build your faith!

Happy Birthday, Calvary Temple  Would all of those who attended in the little church, please stand for a moment. We would like to thank everyone for their faithfulness to the Lord and His Work, as we celebrate 18 yrs of ministry, here this morning. We would also like to acknowledge, the ones who ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 43:19

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A New Encounter With God

Contributed by Jonathan Falwell on Jun 13, 2007

In the desert, they were pressing toward a goal they could only dream of; in the Promised Land, they actually began to believe God for greater things! They were no longer satisfied with survival…now they wanted to succeed.

A FRESH ENCOUNTER WITH GOD Two weeks ago, we opened the book of Joshua and found great promises that God had for us. Promises that would bring us through difficult days. We read of how Joshua was told by God to rise up and cross the Jordan. To cross that river that seemed like such a challenge. ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 5:1-13

Denomination: Baptist

Memorial Stones

Contributed by Tony Searles on Jun 22, 2002

A lesson from the Israelites crossing the Jordan River, and its relation to us in our lives for giving our lives fully to God, trusting for miracles, and trusting for Salvation.

?Memorial Stones? Stand & Read: Joshua 4:20-24 ?And those twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. [21] And he said to the sons of Israel, "When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ’What are these stones?’ [22] then you shall inform your ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 4:20-24

Denomination: Other

Where Do You Live?

Contributed by Bruce Ball on Jun 21, 2005

Do you life UPtown or DOWNtown? Do you live a life of plenty, or do you live in a salt lands and parched place of the desert?

Each one of us knows where we live, don’t we? We know which state welive in, which county welive in and most of us even know what street we live on. When we leave church today, we will go directly to the street we live on, and I doubt if there is anyone here today who will end up walking into the ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 17:5-6

Denomination: *other