What is a good sermon topic?

Question

I am scheduled to preach in January and would like to begin researching and working on a sermon ASAP. Please include any ideas as well as a possible title. I have preached a few times and have a some ideas but I thought that it would be great to get some ideas from each of you. I belong to a Non-Denominational Church that uses no "Creeds of Man" only the BIBLE as our Guide. Have a wonderful week and a glorious Holiday Season!
Thank YOU,
Eds

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What a wonderful response so far... I feel that I have been so blessed on this site. I have met people from all walks of life, from all different religious and non-religious backgrounds, from areas of this world that I may never be able to visit and I am so thankful that you have spent time answering this question. PLEASE answer this question no matter how many answers I get, I will read and study each and every one of them. I also like to send a response to every person who answers my questions. If you have not blocked your address then expect me to send you a note.
Thanks again...

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I just found out that I am scheduled to preach on January 20, 2008. The response and answers to this question are WONDERFUL! I appreciate each and every answer that I got. If you have any additional ideas or suggestions please send them to me or edit your answer.
Thank You, Thank YOU, THANK YOU!!
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Answer 1

A good title to use that covers many topics is titled "From God or Man" then in the message you could talk about the various doctrines that are popular and ask is this from God or Man? The answer of course would be if it is taught in the bible. The message of a sermon with this topic is to make sure our religious beliefs are from God using the bible as our guide.

"LOVE" is always a good one and the text of course 1 Corinthians 13 the love chapter. I believe this chapter covers a lot more than just love because it is the chapter that refutes the modern tongue movement but the context is now these three abith Faith, Hope and Love but the greatest of these is love. the king James versions uses Charity but I hear that was their way of saying love. In context the Corinthians had problems in their teachings and practice where Paul had to correct many errors in their belief and practice and one thing they were doing was judging people by their gifts and they liked the showy gifts like tongues. Paul did not say whether this gift they were using was real but he boiled it down to love is the greatest above all the miraclous gifts. Paul did point out in 12:3 that no one speaking by the Spirit of God can say Jesus is cursed leaving the question if you do not understand what you are saying how do you know you are not cursing God instead of blessing him?


A sermon based on the teachings of Ephesians 4,4,5,6 is good. Mathew chapter seven is good.

It also depends on the congregation or nursing home and who your audience will be.

Every now and then I would use 1 & 2 John and preach on anti Christ and also use 2 thessolionians chapter 2 and compare that man of sin with the anti christ and show they are different. I like this because the modern thinking is that the anti Christ is one person who is to rise up in the last day and rule the world but that is not what the anti christ is and that man of sin well I think I know who that is based on verses 8,9,10,11,12.

Also it depsnds on the audience and their understanding of scripture but a sermon on 2 thess 2:11 is a good one to get people to think but use other scriptures to back up your point. I hardly preached this in public but did have some very interesting converstaions using this text with people of the modern miracle and tongue speaking crowd.

However in some sermons with a audience of the same understand a strong delusion that causes one to believe a lie could be just about anything, but like I said I rarely used this in public but it is a good rebuttal for those other doctrines.

Each sermon depends on who the target audience was. Is it believers? Are there many unbelievers in the crowd? do I know these people personally? That determines many topics.
What is the best lesson from scripture i can leave these people? Are there problems in that church? If so what are they? this is usually reserved for their preacher unless he invites someone to preach on a topic of need.

One good topic to preach on just about anytime is to start with John 1:1 and then just go from there about the Word being Jesus and the word was with God and the word was God. John is a very good book for just about any people anytime any where.

Hope I gave you at least one idea.
Your Friend
Steve

Answer 2

Hi, Hope this finds you well and blessed.
If you are to preach in the new year, perhaps you could preach on the "new" things of the bible.
The new creation we are in Christ.
The new wineskin.
The old things that pass away and the new things that come.

Here are some of my favorites.

Isa 66:22
22 "As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me," declares the LORD, "so will your name and descendants endure.
NIV

Lam 3:22-24
2 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."
NIV

Ezek 18:31-32
1 Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel?
NIV

Mark 1:27-28
27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, "What is this? A new teaching-and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him." 28 News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.
NIV

Mark 2:22
22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins."
NIV

Mark 16:17
17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
NIV

Luke 22:20-21
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
NIV

2 Cor 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
NIV


In His hands~vicki

Answer 3

Dear (((Eds))),

What a wonderful thing to ask! :-) I feel so blessed to be able to answer!

Since you will be preaching in January, in effect, starting off a New Year, you could preach about forgiveness. Something about starting over since God forgives us for Jesus' sake--how we should forgive others and why. (What benefits we have because we forgive.)

Along with this, (if you decide to preach about this) please, please bring up the topic of gossip and/or speaking badly about others. Many people don't realize how gossip tears down the people of God. We always need to pray for the Lord's guidance and speak with love in our hearts--or not at all.

Sad to say, gossip is seen as more of a problem with women than men--so there are very rarely sermons that are preached about it. Yet, I think it is a much weightier issue than men realize. Women act and speak about situations because of what they hear about someone. This affects both their own and their husband's decisions--probably more than most men would admit--even decisions in the church.

Here on Y!A you have a perfect opportunity to ask people how gossip has hurt them--without pointing any fingers at anyone in your church. Thus you could give perfectly unbiased examples as well.

Then, go back and end again with forgiveness. Even though we have been sinned against, we should forgive because God, for Christ's sake forgave us. A sermon like this--given in love and humility by the right person--has the potential to build bridges between different factions in a church awakening a new unity in Spirit.

Whatever you decide, I pray the Holy Spirit leads you and gives you all the information you need to change hearts and lives to the glory of God. :-)
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Answer 4

I also am a member of a non-denominational church of Christ, with no creeds of man, only the Bible. That is a good topic for a lesson, telling why we believe that the Bible should be our only creed. It's always good to refresh even the things we already know, and also there may be visitors that day that would benefit from the explanation.
My husband converted from catholocism, and he finds so many things that catholocism allows and demands that are contrary to the Bible, that he has been trying very hard to reach out to his friends and family who are still catholic. Some of those are idol worship - they have graven images which they look at while they pray to the saint portrayed by the statue (we must pray to no one but God through Christ). They command their priests and nuns not to marry, and on certain days to abstain from meats. Look at 1 Timothy 4:3.
This is just what came when I sat to write this to you - I hope it helps. I realize it is probably not right to stand up there and name catholocism and blast at it, but a sermon on why we do not practice these things would probably be a good idea for anyone who is questioning.
God bless!

Answer 5

You didn't give us an age range, so I assume that this is a general audience of mixed ages.

Teach whatever you think is appropriate for your audience, but I don't hear too many preachers address the hypocritical, overly-competitive attitudes that many immature Christians seem to have. Christians are not supposed to be competing with each other to see who is more holy than whom; we are supposed to do the best we can with what wisdom that God has given us, and quit putting other people down behind their backs (which is gossip & slander -- another topic not mentioned too often).

Or what about the sin of "favoritism" (James 2:1-13)? Don't we treat some people well, and some people bad, based on superficial things like looks, apparent wealth, social status, or their perceived popularity & "coolness"? Doesn't the Bible command us to treat everyone with respect no matter how poor, or ugly, or odd that they seem to us? This is not spoken on much either.

Answer 6

Well, lucky you! I took notes of yesterday's sermon. Here they are:

Title: Worshipping in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:23)
Text: Psalm 84

This Psalm draws back a veil on the worshipping heart. Biblical truth shapes the Psalmist's heart vs 5. His path follows the divine roadmap with God's spiritual compass directing him to Zion and God's lovely dwelling place - the temple. He is sustained and directed by God's grace, which increases spiritual stamina vs 7. He progresses through the arduous nature of the journey vs 6. The desert valley of Baca (or 'tears') has to be traversed before he can meet with God. This forges Christian character. But the pilgrim transforms the valley itself as God's grace enables him to leave a blessing behind (the wells of water). So even God's dark providences are a blessing. Spiritual values guide his desires vs 10. He chooses service to the Lord rather than any other recreation. He will never advance socially or materially at the expense of a blameless Christian walk vs 11. Spiritual conviction fills his mind and keeps him steady. He knows God with-holds no good thing from those who love him. Is this conviction seated deeply in your soul so that times of darkness will not shake it?

Answer 7

I have always found that the best sermons come from my spirit.
I am sure that God has laid something on your heart.

however I have found that when God lays something on my heart, he also lays it on th heart of others, many times I have preached a sermon on to find the other minister preached the same thing on the same day.

and what the Lord has laid on my Heart recently, is the caring for the lost, not the lost of the spirit, but the lost of the world.

the hurting that have lost their lives, and are in need of help.
sometimes we all need a little help getting our lives back together, and this is covered in the Beatitudes.
last month my wife was given a burden to give to the local womens shelter, and she committed to give a certain amount that the Lord had laid on her heart.
but since it was after 5 and they had closed for the night she decided to take it in the morning,
however she had such a burden that she could not sit still, and was pacing the floor, to the point that she finally got up went to the bank and withdrew to money, went to the shelter and beat on the door until they finally answered.
we found out last week, that the reason it took so long to answer to door, was because they had been praying for a certain amount of money, more that what my wife had taken, but another person had had the same urgency and did the same thing, that night. the rest of the money came in the next morning.
and the women of the shelter were given a witness of how God does answer prayer.
we have since that night committed to giving the same amount twice a month, and it was when she took in the next donation, that she was told what had been transpiring that evening.

Answer 8

Do not judge others, "Do not judge." When Jesus told us not to judge (Matthew 7:1), As I have said before I have had many problems going to church because I have lived with a man for 17 years and people from churches treat me like an outcast once they find out I am not invited to events etc and even been told I have demons living in me because I am living in sin. I am a good person who wants to goto church and just worship God but the so called Christians Judge me to harshly because I live out of marriage. God would never Judge me like they do.

Answer 9

I would love to hear someone preach on the book of Revelations. Are you aware (and I'm sure you are), that the book of Revelations refers to Jesus as the "Amen"? Therefore, when we pray, and end our prayer with Amen, we are basically saying, "In Jesus' Name."

Or... the subject matter could be on "prayer." I personally believe that miracles and prayer go hand-in-hand. Most of us just don't always see the results of prayer. But didn't Jesus pray often?

May God bless your sermon, and may the people listen and be edified, and may God be glorified. Amen.

Answer 10

Handel's Messiah. Nothing is more inspired to the glory of God than John Fredrick Handel's Messiah. I am not an expert on the history of this wonderful piece of music but it is rumored that when Handel premiered it in England in the early 1700''s that the king of England was so inspired that he jumped to his feet during the Hallelujah course and remained on his feet till the last song. Without question Handel loved the Lord and you can sing it and read it in his inspired music. Why make this a sermon topic? For one thing, who has? For another just talking about the Messiah moves you. Here is what I suggest. Talk to the leader of your Church's quire and see if you can get them to bone up on on just the Hallelujah course itself. That should bring everyone to their feet without you or the pastor giving your members any hand signals. Once the course is complete then you can go into the history of the Messiah and what inspired Handel to write it and then tie Handel's love for the Lord into your sermon about how we need to be inspired by God and his wonderful world he has created for us. With Christmas coming up the Messiah would be a wonderful subject matter. Finding information and history on this music will not be hard and doing this will without question move you and all your members as well. The title: The inspiration of God and how it moves us. Good Luck.

Edit update: I suggest, if you have not herd it, to listen to a condensed version (that would be one CD instead of four) of the Messiah and especially focus on the Hallelujah course, I believe it is number 44 or 48. Sorry I can not remember its exact position but I know I am close. I know January is too late to use the Messiah but I wanted to share with you the absolute spiritual cleansing I got when I went to sing it with my wife late November (this year) with a full Orchestra. If you have not done this, then it is a must.