Sermons on Torah Observance:

Can The Church Be An Obstacle To Discipleship For Jesus?

Contributed by Michael Koplitz on Jun 1, 2021

Is it possible that some of the doctrine, rules, and regulations of the church be a stumbling block to becoming a disciple for Jesus? Yes, it was definitely one for me and I still struggle with it.

{You may want to read Mark 4:1-9, This is the actual parable that I am speaking about. } [Why parables?] 10 As soon as He was alone, 1 His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables. 11 And He was saying to them, "To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom ...read more

Scripture: Mark 4:10-19

Denomination: United Methodist

Dialogue With Faithful Judaism Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Mar 19, 2016

We must always remember that the Church's first mission was to the Jews, the brothers and sisters of Jesus.

Thursday in the Octave of Easter Joy of the Gospel As we bask in the warm light of the Resurrection, we hear again the stories of the reaction given by various Jewish groups to the Passion, death, Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus. We do this for another forty days, and actually fifty up until ...read more

Scripture: Luke 24:35-48

Denomination: Catholic

Our Responsibility To Non-Believers Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Apr 16, 2016

We Christians need to find more and more effective ways to communicate the Gospel message.

Thursday in Fourth Week of Easter 2016 Joy of the Gospel St. Paul is best known for his three missionary journeys and his journey to Rome. He was the evangelizer paradigm. Nobody did it better than he. His protocol developed early. He believed that his mission was first to his Jewish brothers ...read more

Scripture: Acts 13:13-25

Denomination: Catholic

Wash Your Hands! Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Oct 10, 2020

Everything that Jesus does, or that people do to Jesus, gives Him an opportunity to teach or preach to us hard-skulled folks.

Tuesday of the 28th Week in Course 2020 Wash Up! I’m pretty certain that somewhere in this wide Catholic world there is a smart-Alec youngster who hears this Gospel and mouths off to mom: “Jesus didn’t wash up before dinner. Why do I have to do that?” In these days of almost overdone attention to ...read more

Scripture: Luke 11:37-41, Galatians 5:1-6, Acts 9:1-9

Denomination: Catholic

Pray To The Lord Of The Harvest Of Faith Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Sep 28, 2013

In faith we must weep, like the people of Israel, when we hear the Law of God; there are three reasons to do so.

Thursday of the 26th week in Course 2013 Pray the Lord of the Harvest of Faith And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of ...read more

Scripture: Nehemiah 8:1-12

Denomination: Catholic

Blessings And Judgements – The Symbolism Of The Fig Tree

Contributed by Michael Koplitz on Oct 26, 2021

The fig tree event as Jesus walked to Jerusalem can be viewed allegorically as the balance between blessings and judgment. The FRUIT is the blessings and we certainly can always use blessings.

Blessings and Judgements – The Symbolism of the Fig Tree Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz Mark 11:12-14 12 On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. 13 Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found ...read more

Scripture: Mark 11:12-14

Denomination: United Methodist

Love, Fear, Hatred And God's Desire For Us Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on May 1, 2024

What do we do with those we hate and fear?

Sixth Sunday of Easter 2024 One of the biggest advantages of being closer to age 80 than age 70 is that you actually have a sixty or sixty-five year vantage point on history that you have personally lived through. That’s if your memory works at all, of course. Right now we are in the midst of both ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 98:1-4, 1 John 4:7-10, John 15:9-17

Denomination: Catholic

The Way To Forgiveness Of Sin

Contributed by Michael Koplitz on Dec 20, 2022

Jesus bought forgiveness and mercy into a world that desperately needed it. Today we need to practice Jesus' methods of forgiveness.

The Way to Forgiveness of Sin John 8:1-8 Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz John 8:1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and he sat down and began to teach them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees *brought a ...read more

Scripture: John 8:1-8

Denomination: United Methodist

For Such A Time As This Series

Contributed by Jefferson Williams on Jul 29, 2020

In Esther, we will learn that God is at work in spite of appearances. Often it is behind the scenes, quietly weaving circumstances together in order to bring about His will for our good and His glory.

For Such a Time as This Esther 1:1-9 Pastor Jefferson M. Williams Chenoa Baptist Church 07-12-2020 Silence! I walked into the small chapel on the campus on the church that I served at in Florida, fell on my knees, and wept hysterically. Mr dream job in Florida had turned into a nightmare and ...read more

Scripture: Esther 1:1-9

Denomination: Baptist

Mr. Big Shot

Contributed by Thomas Swope on Apr 29, 2019

A study in the book of Esther 3: 1 – 15

Esther 3: 1 – 15 Mr. Big Shot 1 After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him and set his seat above all the princes who were with him. 2 And all the king’s servants who were within the king’s gate bowed and paid homage to Haman, for so the ...read more

Scripture: Esther 3:3

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Mr. Big Shot

Contributed by Thomas Swope on May 3, 2019

A study in the book of Esther 3: 1 – 15

Esther 3: 1 – 15 Mr. Big Shot 1 After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him and set his seat above all the princes who were with him. 2 And all the king’s servants who were within the king’s gate bowed and paid homage to Haman, for so the ...read more

Scripture: Esther 3:3

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Woe, Woe, Woe - Part 2 Series

Contributed by David Elvery on May 6, 2009

3 More things Jesus Condemned the Pharisees for.

“Woe, Woe, Woe - Part 2 – Luke 11:37-55” Gladstone Baptist Church – 12/11/06 am S1 - We love to condemn the Pharisees. OOPS I lived in Tasmania for 3 years before coming to Gladstone and I loved our time there. I’d go back any time. But you know what I’ve noticed … we love to pick on ...read more

Scripture: Luke 11:37-55

Denomination: Baptist

From This Day On, I Will Bless (Haggai 2:10-19) Series

Contributed by Garrett Tyson on Apr 14, 2022

When we move from being unclean, to clean, God views and treats us completely different. It's then that God's blessings flow.

Haggai's oracle in today's passage, chapter 2:10-19, comes roughly two months after his last one-- and three months after the people have begun rebuilding God's house. Here, again, Yahweh speaks through his prophet to encourage the people. So this is another message, I'm hoping, ...read more

Scripture: Haggai 2:10-19

Recipe For Joy

Contributed by Shelly Griffin on Jan 20, 2001

This passage gives us a no-fail recipe for joy.

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 The other day one of the ladies of the church stopped by my office and gave me this beautiful cookbook. It was put together by an organization she belongs to, and it contains about 500 recipes. Some of these recipes are very elaborate, like this one for ...read more

Scripture: Nehemiah 8:1-10

Denomination: *other

Keeping Up Appearances

Contributed by Paul Cull on Jan 3, 2005

The danger of the Pharisee tendency today

Matthew 23 Keeping Up Appearances Introduction We all know Hyacinth Bucket from the television sitcom ‘Keeping up Appearances’. Now although it may not be politically correct to make judgements about people, we all know that we all do it. And we can all make a judgement about the character. For ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 23:1-39

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican