A Collection of Sermons for Every Occasion

By George Thompson

Two elements are vital in preaching a sermon: the correct blending of the sermon and the actual act of preaching. Gospel sermons must be prepared to meet all the needs of humankind. We should explain our sermons so that the audience could understand. We should use strong verbs and short sentences.

To enjoy the fullness of Gods blessings of protection, deliverance, and security, the people of God need to digest divine sermons. The sooner we understand that God is the one who has the final authority over all, the better off we will be. Avoid wasting a lot of energy worrying about things that are already under his control. God is still at work.

Mankind should seek every opportunity to be converted. The term conversion refers to the human response to the gospel. Conversion requires the commitment of the total personality, intellect, emotion, and will. This is how people respond to the message of the gospel when they understand the nature of Christs atonement. They feel the guilt of conviction, love God, and surrender their wills to the offer of salvation.

Satans forces of darkness are highly structured for the most destructive purposes. Therefore sermons with spiritual strength and courage are needed for our spiritual warfare. If you want to win the struggle against sin, depression, evil thoughts, immoral behavior, and demonic bondage, then submit to divine sermons. If we are not listening to divine sermons, we will drift off Gods pathway and be controlled by the old nature and its appetites.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 8, 2014
• ISBN: 9781490818726

George Thompson

George Thompson, a Vedic scholar and Sanskritist, has more than twenty years of experience teaching the Bhagavad Gita at college level. He is an assistant professor at Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, Massachusetts.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Real Believers’ Messages

Make a Decision and Stop Procrastinating

1 King 18:21

Israel had not totally rejected the Lord but was seeking to combine worship of God with the worship of Baal.

Elijah called upon them to determine whether Jehovah or Baal was the creator, supreme God, and judge of the world.

Procrastination is putting off, postponing or delaying a timely, relevant activity. There are many types and causes for procrastination.

Procrastination is a process that is personal. It varies from person to person. Procrastination is a universal deadly poison of life.

When you put things off until tomorrow, you subscribe to a system of unrealistic thinking which wastes away the present in an idle hope for a better tomorrow.

Queen Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab worshiped Baal. She tried to convert the Israelites to her religion but was opposed by the prophet Elijah.

Elijah said ‘how long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him, but if Baal, then follow him.’

People afflicted with procrastination often create elaborate excuses to cover their delays.

A pattern of procrastination often leads to a sense of helplessness and a lack of accomplishment.

There is not a person who does not put some things off and at some level, realize that he or she is engaging in procrastination.

Even the most efficient, organized and decisive person will occasionally procrastinate.

Nevertheless it is my intention to help raise your consciousness about procrastination and to point to ways to improve your accomplishment.

It does not take much to produce this outcome. A slight positive shift in direction can help reduce the procrastination burden.

Breaking procrastination patterns takes effort, knowledge and will. Since there is no final cure, you will constantly have to work to keep your procrastination in check.

Overcoming procrastination involves a journey in self-discovery. During the journey you develop your resources and resourcefulness.

During this adventure, you stimulate your ability to stay on top of the challenges that you face.

Create opportunities and take advantage of opportunities that come about from new events.

As Solomon reflects on all of life, he expresses in a beautiful poem of 14 pairs of opposite events, that God has a sovereign design behind all events.

There is an appointed time for everything, and there is a time for every event under heaven.

A time to give birth and a time to die.

A time to plant and a time to uproot what was planted.

A time to kill and a time to heal.

A time to tear down and a time to build up.

A time to weep and a time to laugh.

A time to mourn and a time to dance.

A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones.

A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.

A time to search and a time to give up as lost.

A time to keep and a time to throw away.

A time to tear apart and a time to sew together.

A time to be silent and a time to speak.

A time to love and a time to hate.

A time for war and a time for peace. [Ecclesiastes 3:1-8]

Earthly pursuits are good in their proper place and time. Use the ‘do it now’ method and you will have more stress free time for yourself and you will get ahead of the game.

The ‘do it now’ method means you do reasonable things in a reasonable way, within a reasonable time.

Reasonable means your actions are bound by common sense, and they are neither excessive nor extreme relative to the conditions that challenge you.

However circumstances do vary and the timing and pacing of what you do can be unpredictable and demanding.

For instance, you can have multiple responsibilities and limited time to meet them and thus you have to burn the midnight oil.

God Uses Anything to Accomplish His Will

Joshua 2:3-9; 15-16, 22-24

Before launching an attack, a good leader will always try to gather as much information about his or her enemy as possible.

When Moses sent the twelve spies on a mission to gather information on the opposition they faced, the men brought back a report that struck fear into the hearts of the people and caused them to rebel against Moses and God.

Joshua was taking no chances. He secretly sent out two spies to check out the enemy, and report back to him.

The two men made their way to Jericho without being spotted by the enemy.

They made their way to an inn being run by a prostitute named Rahab. God’s protection was in the house they chose.

These spies were spotted either before they made it to Rahab’s house or maybe their questions in the house caused suspicion. The news of their presence was reported back to the king of Jericho.

When the king heard the news that there were two spies in the city, he immediately dispatched a security force to Rahab’s house to capture them.

They said ‘Rahab, bring out the men who have come here to spy out the whole land.’

Rahab had been alerted to the coming of the King’s men and had hidden the two spies.

She met the king’s men at the door and deceived them into thinking the spies had gone.

She acknowledged that the men had arrived earlier on, but she denied knowing who they were.

Then she lied to the king’s men ‘I don’t know where they went. If you hurry, you can probably catch up with them.

Many have argued whether Rahab’s lying was justified; she was a pagan so she was acting according to her own convictions.

God knew when he directed the men to the house of the prostitute that she would protect them.

When she later turned to God, her lying as well as her prostitution were forgiven.

After confessing her trust in God, Rahab demanded a promise from the spies.

Now swear to me by the Lord that you will be kind to me and my family since I have helped you.

Give me a guarantee that when Jericho is conquered, you will let me and my family live.

The two spies agreed to her terms, and later on she helped them to escape.

Using a rope, the spies lowered themselves down through her window to the ground outside the city.

Rahab instructed them to go into the hills and wait three days before making their way back across the Jordan River.

The spies instructed Rahab that when they returned with the Israelite army, she was to tie a rope in the window that they had just climbed down from.

This cord would serve to identify Rahab’s house to the attacking Israelites and cause them to spare all within.

The king’s men continued to diligently search for the spies but were not successful.

After three days had passed, the spies descended from the mountains and made their way across the Jordan River and gave their report to Joshua.

The Lord has given us the whole land, for all the people in the land are terrified of us.

Rahab earned her living as a prostitute, yet this woman married a man who was an ancestor of King David and is listed in the bloodline of Christ. [Matthew 1:5-6]

How does Rahab’s story relate to the undesirable people in our communities?

It is possible that God has a special mission for some drug addict or prostitute in our communities.

The Cost of Commitment

Ruth 1:16-22

Boaz’s name means in him is strength. He was a wealthy landowner of Bethlehem. He was a caring farmer who had concern for his workers’ welfare.

Boaz was a relative of Elimelech, Naomi’s husband. He felt responsible for taking care of his extended family.

During harvest time, farmers were required by Israelite law to help the poor, orphans and strangers.

Ruth’s love and commitment to her mother-in-law compelled her to stay with Naomi. Ruth vowed only to let death separate her from Naomi.

They journeyed to Bethlehem together. Upon their arrival, the women of the city were shocked to see Naomi.

She told them to call her Mara which means bitter. She felt the Lord had dealt with her harshly since she was now a poor widow.

She had left Bethlehem with a husband and two sons and returned alone. To be blessed we have to be committed.

Boaz was very kind to Ruth. He respected her commitment to Naomi. His conversation with Ruth expressed his compassion for her.

His words indicated that he wanted to make sure Ruth understood his motives were purely out of concern for her.

Boaz told Ruth not to go and glean the field, which suggested he wanted to protect and take care of her.

Boaz instructed the men not to touch her. He told her to drink water whenever she got thirsty.

Ruth was overwhelmed by Boaz’s gracious treatment. She bowed down in humble gratitude before him.

Ruth wanted to know why he was so kind to her. She was a Moabite and was considered to be an enemy of the Israelites.

Ruth had exhibited admirable qualities while working in Boaz’s fields. Boaz asked God to bless Ruth’s life.

It was clear that Ruth was willing to endure hardship for the sake of her mother-in-law.

We must admit that none of us deserve blessings, but because of God’s grace we are rewarded for our commitment.

Ruth embraced the God of Israel as her own and put her trust in him. She received earthly and spiritual blessings.

Though she was residing in a land of her people’s enemies, she was secure under the care of God.

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in him will I trust.

Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

He shall cover thee with his feathers and under his wings shall thou trust; his truth shall be thy shield and buckler (Ps 91:1-4).

Ruth carried her barley back to the city and took it to her mother-in-law. She also gave her the leftovers from her dinner.

The Sinfulness of Pride

Proverbs 16:18

Believers should identify all areas of Pride in their lives and repent. Pride invites divine judgment, but God responds with forgiveness to a broken and a contrite Spirit.

Pride is not just a flaw in one’s character. It is a plague that brings destruction.

The whole world has been affected by Pride. Going back to the fall of Satan, Pride was the eroding factor which brought destructions of evil and wickedness.

Therefore, serious consideration should be given to the effects of Pride. The deception of Pride is that, it is appealing to the individual, but it is contrary to God.

Pride gives false assurance and confidence. It destroys the souls of mankind.

Pride becomes sinful when we become conceited in our own accomplishments and fail to give proper credit to the Lord.

Pride destroys beauty. It manifests itself, not only in outright rebellion against God, but it can also manifest itself in the misuse of the things of God.

The reign of Nebuchadnezzar had come to an end in Babylon and Belshazzar reigned in his stead.

Belshazzar put on an elaborate banquet for a thousand of his nobles, and during the festivities he ordered that the gold and silver goblets which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, be brought to the feast, so he and his guests could drink from them.

These vessels had been consecrated to the service of the Almighty God, and now they were treated without respect.

The defilement was not just in the fact that they had been removed from the temple, and were used for a different purpose, but they were also profaned in the way they were used by praising other gods.

The gods described in Daniel 5:4 represented prideful characteristics.

The metals and materials were an indication of prideful lust and human self-centeredness.

The gods were used to reflect the King’s boasting about finances and industry.

The gods were also of created materials, and Belshazzar was using God’s people to blaspheme against their maker.

Belshazzar’s party was a blasphemous, prideful display of self-conceit and idolatry.

Pride introduces in our lives, the seeds of corruptive assumption of power.

Belshazzar failed to see the implications of God’s judgment upon his sinful pride.

A godly response would have been to repent of his blaspheming against God and try to make amends for his actions.

Nowhere in the scriptures is it mentioned that he turned from pride and displayed humility. He should have fallen down before Jehovah God, pleading for forgiveness.

The night Belshazzar was deceived by his own Pride, when he thought he could presume upon the Most High God, was the night he was judged.

He was slain that very night, and the Kingdom of Babylon was overthrown, divided and given to the Medes and Persians.

When Belshazzar thought he was the strongest, God made him the weakest. Pride not only deceives, but it also destroys.

Exodus 5:2 said ‘And Pharaoh said, who is the Lord that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.’

Proverbs 11:2 said ‘When pride cometh, then cometh shame, but with the lowly is wisdom.’

Christ has paid the price for every Prideful heart, and His redemption is applied when a person repents.

Repentance turns a Prideful heart into one that is broken and contrite.

1 John 2:16 says ‘For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the father, but is of the world.’

The condition of being broken is a reflection of the person in comparison to God.

Rather than feeling greater than God, or that one does not need God, the individual realizes that he must fully depend on God. That person is broken - waiting on God for restoration.

The pride of the past is gloriously forgiven when a person is broken before God. The work of Christ has satisfied the judgment of God.

The heart that once tried to thrive without God now realizes that without God it cannot survive.

God Has Been Faithful

Psalm 99

This Psalm is the final Psalm of the divine kingdom. It is composed of three stanzas which are followed by a call to worship.

The first stanza describes the King’s greatness. The second stanza describes His justice. The third stanza describes His forgiveness.

The first verse is a reference to the Ark of the Covenant, a symbol of God’s presence.

Zion is a description of Jerusalem used by the Old Testament writers when special spiritual and religious activities were attached to the city.

God loved other cities in Israel, but he did not choose any of them to be his worship center, he chose Jerusalem.

Using three of the nation’s famous heroes, Moses, Aaron and Samuel; this Psalm demonstrates that God has had an enduring, intimate relationship with Israel.

Verse seven of this Psalm refers to the Pillar of Cloud. This was a medium of divine direction. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths. [Proverb 3:5-6]

Trust here meaning rely on, depend on, lean not meaning do not depend on your own strength. Acknowledge him, meaning have fellowship and intimacy with God in all of life. Having this devotion to God will make the paths straight before you.

Nebuchadnezzar had ordered a golden statue to be erected, and he planned for all his people to bow down and worship this image.

When the day came for the celebration and worship of the idol, all the nation went to its knees except the Hebrew boys.

The king was very angry with them but he gave them another chance to bow before the image.

They politely refused to do so, so the king commanded that they be thrown into a fiery furnace which was heated seven times hotter than before.

They said to the king, ‘Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fire and he will deliver us out of thine hand.

But if not, let it be known unto thee that we will not serve thy Gods, nor worship the golden image.

While they were in the burning fire, the king was astonished and said to his counselors, ‘did not we send three men bound into the midst of the fire?’

They said ‘True O king’. He answered and said, ‘I see four men walking in the midst of the fire and the fourth is like the son of God. [Daniel 3:23-25]

• The results of the fiery furnace:

• The king was converted [Daniel 3:28-29]

• The Hebrew boys were not burned, nor was there even the smell of fire or smoke upon them.

• The king blessed the God of the Hebrew boys and gave testimony to his power to deliver.

• The king made a decree that no one should speak wrongly against God because of his power to deliver.

He promoted the Hebrew boys to greater authority and responsibility in the province of Babylon.

Avoid wasting a lot of energy worrying about things that are already under His control; God is still at work.

George Young, the author of the hymn - God leads us along, was a carpenter and pastor.

He did not make much money in either profession. Most of his life was spent in small farming communities.

He and his wife were able to build their home. Shortly afterwards, while they were holding meetings in a small town, someone set their house on fire.

It was out of that experience that he wrote this hymn and ended the chorus: with these words:

Some through the waters, some through the flood.

God leads His dear children along.

Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song

In the night season and all the day long.

Check Your Words Before Giving Them Liberty

PSALM 19:4

• Words are a group of sounds that have meaning. Words are an independent unit of speech.

• Words are conceived in the intents of the heart, nourished by the virtue of the thoughts, and delivered by the tongue of man.

• Acts 7:22 said: And Moses was learned in all wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in works and in deeds.

• Words are alive, ready to destroy or ready to create. Words are immortal. Once spoken they cannot be recalled.

• David said in Psalm 5:1 – Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation.

• Words travel like the bee, sometimes carrying fresh honey, but again, like the bee, they always have the potential for terrible stings.

• Words are wonderful and powerful. They must never be uttered carelessly, for they are food for the soul and must be served with elegance. They should never be uttered for offence.

• David said: "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.

• The ear trieth words like the mouth tasteth meat. Words can strengthen the soul like milk strengthen a baby, or poison like the sting of a viper.

• They can destroy the greatest army, and split the most unified body. Words can support the weary, comfort and help the blind.

• David said in Psalm 54:2 – "Hear my prayer, O God, Give ear to the words of mouth’.

• Once born they are perpetual, and the effect is sometimes lasting. They can cut in the heat of anger and the wounds they make are slow to heal.

• Proverbs 7:24 said Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.

• The bible said "Bow down thine ear and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge (Proverbs 22:17).

• Therefore, never utter them if they are cold and cruel. Captivate every thought. Consider them in your hearts, and they can never carelessly escape through the doors of your lips. Check them thoroughly before you give them liberty.

• The wise man Solomon said – the words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself (Ecc. 10:12)

• What Solomon is saying is that a wise person demonstrates wisdom in words as well as works, but foolish works yield unfavorable outcomes.

• Never open the doors of your lips until you are satisfied that they will perform their allotted duties.

• Then they will bring blessings like the warm sunshine, or brighten a lonely life. They are yours. Let them do their best.

• Psalm 78:1 said Give ear O my people to my law, incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

• Guard the doors of your lips my friend, and let your sentences come forth with virtue and wisdom, and the words you utter will be words of beauty and truth.

The Signs of Spiritual Growth

1 THESSALONIANS 4:10

To increase means to make greater or more numerous. Increase means to make richer, more prosperous or more powerful. It also means to advance in quality success and power.

Proverbs 1:5 tells us that a wise man will hear and increase in learning and a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel.

The signs of spiritual growth are as follows:

1. A believer will be fruitful and productive. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 9:10 "He that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of our