Sermons on Stay Close:

The Power Of The Resurrection Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Apr 2, 2021

Never has a death sentence been reversed after it was already executed so that the condemned was restored to life. This was the most unique event in history, and the power of it was awesome, and it changes everything.

John Scott Harrison was the only man in the history of our nation who was the son of one president and the father of another. A man of such distinction you would think would be treated with great respect in his death, but the fact was, nobody was safe in 1878 when he died. Body snatching was at a ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:1-16

Bridging The Gap Or Christ In The Workplace Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Apr 2, 2021

My struggle to bridge the gap between Sunday and Monday changed my whole perspective on life and made me a skeptical Christian. I mean this in a good sense. I became skeptical of easy and pat answers that Christians spout off that do not fit the reality of people's everyday lives.

I haven't always worn a suit to work. A couple of days after I married Lavonne I got my first job in working my way through college. It was at the John Morrell Meat Packing Plant In Sioux Falls, South Dakota. After a summer of that we went off to Bethel and I got a number of jobs. I worked in ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 12:1-14

Called To Obedience Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Apr 2, 2021

If you study all of the heroes of the faith, you discover that the virtue they all had in common was the virtue of obedience. They were different in many ways, but they were all obedient to what they knew was the will of God. Obedience was the key virtue in the Bible and still is today.

Colonel Wilbur Rogers was ordered to let loose an artillery barrage in a World War I battle. He was right there on the battlefield, and he could see what the commander could not see. If he fired as ordered he would shell 10,000 American infantry just ahead of him. He refused to obey an order that ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:1-7

Doing Your Own Thing Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Apr 3, 2021

Paul makes it clear to the Romans that they are to avoid both extremes of self-exaltation and self-devaluation. They are to think with sober judgment and just be honest about themselves.

Doctor A. J. Cronin, the famous physician and author, had a very critical professor when he was in medical school. He told Cronin that he might make a general practitioner, but he was hopeless as a surgeon, and Cronin believed him. Completing his medical training, he went to a remote village in ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:3-8

Lesson 29r. The Practice Of Endurance (James 5:7-11) Series

Contributed by John Lowe on Apr 3, 2021

The Need for Patience. Given the oppressions mentioned in vv. 3-6, James encourages Christians to be patient until the coming of the Lord, and he cites the farmer, the prophets, and Job.

Text: James 5:7-11 (NIV) 7Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. 8You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9Don’t grumble ...read more

Scripture: James 5:7-11

Denomination: Baptist

Believing Without Seeing

Contributed by Reuben Bredenhof on Apr 4, 2021

On the day of Jesus's return we will see him, in person, face to face. Until that great day, we are those who have not seen, yet believe. We are those who have not touched and seen and heard.

There are some things about us that we just have, naturally. Think about how children look. Every child receives some features from his or her parents, like red hair or brown eyes or a certain shape of nose or chin. And sometimes we think faith is like that too. We say, “I’m pretty sure I have ...read more

Scripture: John 20:28-29

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Hope For The Hopeless Series

Contributed by David Owens on Apr 5, 2021

God has given us the ability to feel the emotion of hopelessness, so that we will look for the ultimate source of hope. I believe that the resurrection of Jesus is the greatest source of hope in the universe.

A. Happy Easter to everyone – I’m so thankful we get to worship the Lord on this Easter Sunday! B. As we get started, I want to share this cartoon – it really tickled me. 1. The cartoon shows Jesus telling the angel that resurrection morning: “I want you to fold up my burial clothes, wait for ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:1-7, Ephesians 1:18-20, 1 Peter 1:3-9

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Titus The Trouble Shooter Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Apr 5, 2021

No where do we find the Apostle Paul so troubled and restless that he cannot stand still and preach the Gospel. He had to hear from Titus, and until he did he could not concentrate on his ministry. This is the only record we have of Paul failing to go through an open door.

Somebody has to do the dirty work in life, and so all leaders need men who are trouble shooters. George Washington needed one when Benedict Arnold betrayed the colonies and escaped to the British forces. Washington was angry and was determined to get him back. He choose Sargent Major John Champe ...read more

Excellence Excludes Excess Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Apr 5, 2021

Paul says this is what Christian leaders are to be. They are not to be people who get captured by the culture, or by circumstances. They are to be people who are stable and consistent in their commitments regardless of changes in life.

As I read Barbara Shields book Winners-Women And The Nobel Prize, I was so impressed by the life and leadership of Agnes Gunxha, better known as Mother Teresa. As I read of her life and ministry I kept seeing her fulfilling the requirements that Paul lays down for one to be an elder, or leader, in ...read more

Scripture: Titus 1:5-9

Holy Love Series

Contributed by C. Philip Green on Apr 8, 2021

If you want to be truly restored to fly to new heights of holiness, taste God’s love and crave God’s Word. Then love God’s people with His love.

On June 23, 2001, the Boeing company finished a labor of love—the complete restoration of the last existing 307 Stratoliner. It was the world's first pressurized commercial airliner. A New York company used a vintage loom to reproduce the original Pan Am wall fabric. An interior company put ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:22-25, 1 Peter 2:1-3, Matthew 11:29-30, Romans 2:4, John 3:17, 1 John 4:20, Luke 22:44, Psalm 34:8  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical Free

Those Feelings Of Pride Series

Contributed by David Owens on Apr 12, 2021

God has given us the ability to feel the emotion of pride so that we can benefit from good pride and avoid the destructive nature of bad pride. It is important to know the difference between the two kinds of pride.

A. Once there was a guy named Zeke who had so much pride he could never admit he was wrong. 1. One day Zeke wandered into the blacksmith shop with sawdust all over the floor. 2. A few minutes before Zeke arrived, the blacksmith had been working on an uncooperative horseshoe, and had beat on it ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:5-7, Proverbs 16:18, Proverbs 3:34

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Jesus Prays (Week 2 Of 4): Your Name Series

Contributed by Troy Borst on Apr 14, 2021

Wherever you are at, the challenge for us today is to lean into bearing the Name of God.

JESUS PRAYS (WEEK 2 OF 4): YOUR NAME John 17:6-12 #JesusPrays INTRODUCTION As we begin today, I want to jump right into the Scriptures. READ JOHN 17:6-12 (ESV) I have manifested Your Name to the people whom You gave Me out of the world. Yours they were, and You gave them to Me, and they have kept ...read more

Scripture: John 17:6-12, Exodus 23:20-24, 1 Kings 8:10-21

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

What Is Truth?

Contributed by D. Dewaine Phillips on Apr 15, 2021

Fact-checking rates claims as true or false. Someone cannot determine what is true unless they claim to hold the keys to truth. Civil unrest often stems from a clash of truths. It's important to know the "real" source of truth.

I’ve entitled our message this morning, “What Is Truth?” based on a question posed by Pontius Pilate toward the end of our text. In the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “truth” is defined as, “the body of real things, events, and facts.” It is also defined as “a transcendent fundamental or spiritual ...read more

Scripture: John 18:33-38

Denomination: Baptist

God Loves A Cheerful Giver

Contributed by D. Dewaine Phillips on Apr 18, 2021

The “tithe” is not our money; it’s God’s. When we refuse to trust the church in handling the tithe, and feel that we know the best use for it, then this is contempt for God and His Spirit, and we are treading on dangerous ground!

I remember when my wife and I first got married that she would tell me stories about the Christian camp she attended as a child, because camp meant so much to her growing up. One of the songs they sang at camp was called, “God Loves a Cheerful Giver,” which was about Ananias and Sapphira; and I ...read more

Scripture: Acts 5:1-11

Denomination: Baptist

Unbelievable Scars

Contributed by K. Heath Mcdougal-Deans on Apr 20, 2021

I heard it once said, 'nobody likes scars.' Yet, I beg to differ. Scars, and what they often represent, Truth, Light, Love, Strength, and Determination... are powerful.

Unbelievable Scars A small orphaned boy lived with his grandmother. One night their house caught fire. The grandmother, trying to rescue the little boy asleep upstairs, perished in the smoke and flames. A crowd gathered around the burning house. The boy’s cries for help were heard above the ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 9:8, Luke 24:36-48

Denomination: Other