Sermons on Try Harder:

Walking With Jesus Series

Contributed by Chris Appleby on Aug 31, 2009

Today I would like us to do two things: (1) to try and understand some of Jesus’ difficult sayings about discipleship; and (2) to share a couple of introductory reflections on discipleship.

By Rev Bill Stewart As Chris mentioned last Sunday, today we are officially beginning a series of sermons on the theme of "discipleship". Although discipleship seems to have already been the theme for at least two weeks now. Two weeks ago we saw how Jesus called people to be disciples and then ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:51-62

Denomination: Anglican

Freedom's Children Series

Contributed by C. Philip Green on Mar 26, 2009

The message encourages believers to know their spiritual mother, the way of promise, and to discard the way of law. In other words, stop trying to earn your way and start enjoying your way to heaven.

Freedom’s Children (Galatians 4:21-31) Van Morris, of Mt. Washington, Kentucky, tells the story of an elderly woman from out of town who walked into a local country church. A friendly usher greeted her at the door and helped her up the flight of steps. “Where would you like to sit?” he asked. ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 4:21-31

Denomination: Evangelical Free

Standing On The Rubbishes

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 30, 2010

Revised from an earlier message for a small church trying to affirm a new direction: Focus on what you have accomplished, know the heart of Christ for His church, confirm loving relationships.

Bethesda First Baptist Church, Bethesda, MD October 3, 2004 Some things end, but are not completed. Other things are completed, but do not end. There is a world of difference between the two. Some things end, but are not completed. Some things stop, unfinished. All these recent accidents ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

The Christmas Ex-Perience

Contributed by Danny Janes on Dec 7, 2012

"Merry Xmas!" Whenever you try to take "Christ" out of "Christmas" -- all you have left are "Xs". Excesses, Exhaustion, and Exchanges. But we were made for Expectation, Exaltation, and Examination.

THE CHRISTMAS X-PERIENCE Text: John 1:1-14 (Suggested opening video: Christmas With A Capital C) There are many beautiful traditions and practices that have come to be associated with Christmas. And many of them aren’t what you would call “Christian traditions or practices” ...read more

Scripture: John 1:1-14

Denomination: Wesleyan

Camouflage Christians?

Contributed by Tim Hinrichs on Feb 28, 2012

As Christians in the world we often try to hide our faith out of fear but God has given us his Holy Spirit to overcome our fears and be bold witnesses in this world.

Camouflage. It’s something very well known today. Besides being worn just as a fashion today by some boys and men, why is camouflage used? First, to be able to attack without being seen. This is the whole purpose in war. Soldiers are dressed up in camouflage so that they can sneak through ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:7

Denomination: Lutheran

Just Deserts Series

Contributed by Perry Greene on Mar 8, 2012

Jewish people refer to themselves as "desert people" for their wanderings in the wilderness and their instruction there by the hand of God. We all have desert experiences which teach us the sweetness of God in trying times.

1. Story of the water pump in the desert There’s a legend about a man who was lost in the desert, dying of thirst. As he wandered in that terribly hot desert, he stumbled upon a dilapidated shack. There wasn’t much to it, but, at least, it would provide a little bit of shade and respite ...read more

Scripture: Mark 1:1-8

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Don’t Be Manipulated: Choose The More-Than-Sufficient Jesus

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jan 20, 2014

False teachers are constantly trying to manipulate us in their direction, but we much choose our alternative from a position of strength and truth, not by guilt trips, fads, emotional manipulations, or slick presentations.

Don’t Be Manipulated: Choose the More-than-Sufficient Jesus (Colossians 2:16-23) 1. Because people seem confident does not mean they know what they are doing. 2. SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Jan. 16 (UPI) -- Three men who attempted to steal a Massachusetts delivery driver's car found their getaway ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 2:16-23

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The Blessed Benefits Of God's Love Series

Contributed by David Dykes on Oct 30, 2014

The secret to living the Christian life is not trying to imitate Jesus. The secret to the Christian life is allowing Jesus simply to control every part of your life so his character is just displayed.

INTRODUCTION If you are going to interview for a new job, you want to know what the salary is, but you also want to know what the “fringe benefits” are. The benefits I’m going to talk about today are not “fringe” by any stretch of the imagination. Instead, they are ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:5-11

Denomination: Baptist

Jesus Proposes. How Do You Respond? Series

Contributed by Daren Mitchell on Jun 26, 2014

How do you respond to the sacrifice of Jesus? Do you ignore him? Do you try to live with him but justify your sin at the same time? Or are you a disciple of Jesus?

For the last few Sundays we've been walking through the book of First John. We imagined a courtroom scene and the apostle John is on the witness stand under oath. He's the last apostle of Jesus alive and he was the best friend of Jesus, too. He knows Jesus better than anyone, so who better to ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 4:9-10

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Ninth Sunday After Pentecost

Contributed by Michael Tkachuk on Aug 10, 2014

While Jesus was praying on the mountain, the disciples were in a boat trying to cross the sea. Jesus approaches the boat walking on water. They thought it was a ghost and it frightened them until Jesus spoke up.

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost Our Gospel reading this morning talks about the apostles’ struggle with fear as a raging storm tosses their boat like a cork on the churning sea. Now fear could be a good thing or it can be a bad thing. It can cripple us or it can be a lifesaver. Someone once ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 14:22-34

Denomination: Catholic

Moses In God's School Series

Contributed by Bob Marcaurelle on Mar 2, 2016

In this fourth message of twenty on the life of Moses we see the difficulties Moses faced, not just with Pharaoh but with the Jewish people. This was the first of many clashes between Moses and the people he was trying to help.

. Moses 4 MOSES IN GOD’S SCHOOL Exodus 4:18-7:7 C. The Salvation 2. The Conflicts in God’s Will Ex. 4:18-31 Moses has reluctantly agreed to God’s will. I do not believe his heart was in it. His “Thy will be done!” could be worded, ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

The Place Of Blessing Series

Contributed by Dr. Jonathan Vorce on Mar 14, 2016

The "blessing of the Lord" is the difference between those that spend their lifetime trying to make ends meet and those who live in the abundant prosperity that operating in God’s kingdom can bring.

The Place of Blessing Ps 5:12 For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield. Ps 67:5 Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Ps 67:6 Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us. Ps 67:7 ...read more

Denomination: Church Of God

Friendship: A Lesson From Belly Buttons

Contributed by Ken Pell on Jun 23, 2012

Our navel is a constant reminder that we all started life connected to another human being; many many of us spend all of our lives trying to get reconnected to someone.

FRIENDSHIP: A LESSON FROM BELLY BUTTONS 1 Samuel 23:14-18 14 David stayed in the desert strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands. 15 While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that Saul had ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 23:14-18

Denomination: Nazarene

Bing Crosby And Blowing Smoke

Contributed by Doug Newton on Aug 24, 2018

Try as you might, our God-given conscience simply won’t tolerate any attempt to see ourselves as better than we are without squelching deep inside us.

I remember being disappointed when I heard about Bing Crosby’s troubled relationships with his children. In 1983 his son Gary published a book “Going My Own Way” with shocking disclosures about Bing’s abusive forms of discipline. I dropped my pants, pulled down my undershorts and bent over. Then ...read more

Denomination: Free Methodist

The True Solution To Violence Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jan 7, 2021

These are times that try our souls. When the secular parts of our world collapse under the weight of theft, fraud, lying and disrespect, violence solves nothing, and brings only more violence.

Baptism of the Lord Jesus 2021 Reading St. Mark’s account of the baptism of Jesus, which is the shortest of the three Gospel accounts, I am struck by the language used just before the Father’s voice is heard from heaven. We heard that Jesus “saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a ...read more

Scripture: Mark 1:7-11, Genesis 8:11, 1 John 5:1-9, Isaiah 12:2-6, Isaiah 55:1-11, Acts 1:4-8, Isaiah 4:1-2  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Catholic