Sermons on Sacred Tension:

Blessed In Unexpected Ways

Contributed by John Dobbs on May 7, 2020

How the Beatitudes are a guide to Christian living in troubled times.

BLESSED IN UNEXPECTED WAYS: The Beatitudes as a Guide For Troubled Times The Beatitudes are found in their fullest form at the beginning of the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ in Matthew 5:3-11. A Beatitude is “an exclamation of the inner joy and peace that comes with being right with God. Happiness may ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:3-11

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Palm Sunday 2019

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Apr 12, 2019

Some reflections on Palm Sunday

TSJ 2019 Palm Sunday 2019 This morning’s Gospel reading relates the beginning of one of the most momentous weeks in Antiquity – usually accepted to have been in AD 29. Indeed in my opinion it is the most important week in history. We know the story of Palm Sunday so well that it is hard to ...read more

Scripture: John 12:12-26, Matthew 21:1-11, Luke 19:28-44, Mark 11:1-11

Denomination: Anglican

Hero Of Faith PRO Sermon

Contributed by Sermon Research Assistant on Sep 24, 2023

Unwavering trust and obedience to God, even in difficult circumstances, leads to blessings and serves as an inspiring example for our own walk with the Lord.

Good morning, church family! Today, we're going to dive into a story from the life of Abraham – a story that teaches us about obedience to God. As A.W. Tozer once wrote, "The world is perishing for lack of the knowledge of God and the Church is famishing for want of His Presence." In order to ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 22:1-19

Topics: Obedience

Elders In The Church PRO Sermon

Contributed by Sermon Research Assistant on Sep 24, 2023

The main point of this sermon is to emphasize the importance of appointing godly, qualified elders in the church to ensure strong leadership, sound doctrine, and spiritual growth within the faith community.

Good morning, church family! Today, we're going to take a deep dive into Titus 1:5-16, exploring the qualifications of elders, their role in the church, and the importance of appointing these leaders in our community. "A true and safe leader is likely to be one who has no desire to lead but is ...read more

Scripture: Titus 1:5-16

Topics: Appointing Elders

God Owns It All PRO Sermon

Contributed by Sermon Research Assistant on Oct 16, 2023

Explore Jesus' teachings about God's sovereignty, recognizing tests of allegiance, and maintaining our loyalty to God above all else.

Good Morning Church family! I'm so glad to see all of you here today. We're going to dive into a passage from Matthew, specifically Matthew 22:15-22, where Jesus teaches us some important lessons about God's sovereignty, recognizing tests of allegiance, and upholding our loyalty to God. Before we ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 22:15-22

Topics: Allegiance

Gearing Up Series

Contributed by John Huyser on Nov 22, 2022

As we await the weeks highlighting hope, peace, love and joy - why is it instead we feel the burden of regrets, disappointment, and sadness as we enter this season?

Slide 1 Introduction For weeks already, some radio stations made the switch to 24-7 Christmas music. Slow but sure, we see the first signs of Christmas decorations going up along Pontaluna Road. Add to that the first lake effect snowstorm of the season just wrapped up. And with Thanksgiving just ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 40:28-31

Martha Syndrome Series

Contributed by John Huyser on Nov 29, 2022

Entering into the first Sunday of Advent, hope outshines disappointment. At some point of all of have come down with Martha Syndrome. When our caring and compassion tanks are nearing empty - Watch Out!

It was Junior High in the mid 1980’s when the Wilder family opened up Tokens Video Arcade in my home town of Lansing, IL. Today, you can go to Google Play or the Apple Store to download a pinball game, but it is nothing like the original. The pull of the spring tensioned launch button, the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:28-31

Come Along Side: Mentor

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jan 10, 2024

We live in perilous times. We need people to stand up and model and mentor novices to grow and bear fruit.

#1 COME ALONG SIDE. By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (YouTube: Wade Hughes) *MISSION: a task to do, an important assignment, an important task, duty. *MENTOR: a supporter, to advise, to train, to guide, motivate, model, mold. *COME ALONGSIDE: to help each other succeed, to be ...read more

Scripture: Acts 4:36, Acts 11:22, Luke 13:8-9

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Courage And Faith

Contributed by Jung Lee on Jan 28, 2024

It explores the themes of courage, faith, and trust in God during difficult times, particularly when faced with ethical dilemmas.

Introduction Hi everyone, let's imagine this situation: I work at the VA, right? And I stumble upon something upsetting. I discovered that some of the bosses in our Community Living Centers, where we promise to look after our veterans, aren't doing the right thing. Now, ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Christian - Hold Your Head High

Contributed by John Huyser on Sep 3, 2024

In the face of Elon Musk and other public celebrities mocking Christianity and where shedding faith is celebrated, Psalm 45 offers Christians the reason to hold our heads high.

While every wedding a pastor officiates at is special, there are those from my days in Jarvis, Ontario that immediately spring to mind. To begin with, Jarvis, Ontario students proudly wear the moniker of Hicks. Compared to the other city high school students, the Jarvis Hicks come from Southern ...read more

The Ultimate Love Story : "the Love That Came For Us" Series

Contributed by Kelly Benton on Feb 3, 2026

To reveal that salvation is not humanity reaching up to God, but God relentlessly pursuing us in love through Jesus to rescue, restore, and bring us into new life—free from shame and condemnation.

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Every meaningful love story begins when someone ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16-17

Denomination: Other

Grievous Mourning In Persia Series

Contributed by Christopher Benfield on Apr 14, 2021

The Jews were condemned and needed someone to intercede on their behalf before the king. All are born in a body of flesh, prone to sin, separated and condemned before God. Our only hope was for someone to provide deliverance for us and intercede on our behalf.

Grievous Mourning in Persia Esther 4: 1-9 As we continue our study in Esther, the tension and anxiety continue to increase for the Jews in captivity. Haman’s hatred for Mordecai prompted him to persuade Ahasuerus to sign a decree calling for the complete annihilation of the Jewish population ...read more

Scripture: Esther 4:1-9

Denomination: Baptist

A Cliffs Note Christmas Series

Contributed by Steve Ely on Sep 27, 2023

When we think about the Christmas account, people who are familiar with it like us, think about bright stars, angel choirs, filled hotels, stables, sleeping and startled shepherds, and wise men looking into the sky.

When we think about the Christmas account, people who are familiar with it like us, think about bright stars, angel choirs, filled hotels, stables, sleeping and startled shepherds, and wise men looking into the sky. That is how we think about the story. Details. Details. Details. However, the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25, Matthew 2:1

Denomination: Pentecostal

"Behold A Host, Arrayed In White”

Contributed by Clarence Eisberg on Oct 31, 2023

All Saints Day. Home. There is nothing like arriving home after a long journey. You and I are closer to home than ever before. When we arrive Jesus will speak our name. Welcome home

In Jesus Holy Name November 5, 2023 Text: Revelation 19:7, 21:3-5 All Saints Day, Redeemer “Behold a Host, Arrayed in White” Home. There is nothing like arriving home after a long journey. After 2 flight delays, airport screening, extra things placed in plastic containers, shoes ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 19:7, Revelation 21:1-5

Denomination: Lutheran

"The Parables Of Contrast: Matthew 13”

Contributed by Clarence Eisberg on Jul 19, 2023

Most scholars believe Matthew was written between 70 and 85 A.D. (C.E.) He combines the 7 parables to explain the reality of why "good" exists along side of "evil". (movie Sound of Freedom) an example. Why are believers even in the church failing?

In Jesus Holy Name July 23, 2023 Text: Matthew 13:24,31 Pentecost VIII – Redeemer “The Parables of Contrast: Matthew 13” Last Sunday I began with Matthew 13:1-2. Matthew tells us that Jesus was sitting by the sea. A large crowd gathered around him to hear him speak or see him ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:24-35, Matthew 13:36-52

Denomination: Lutheran