I need help with a sermon

Ministry: The Best Lessons are Hard Ones:

1.) If your focus is on yourself, and how you can be great, then you're focusing on the wrong things... if you're focused on the wrong things, then you'll do the wrong things.
Luke 22:24 A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest.
Luke 22:25 And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors.
Luke 22:26 But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves.
Luke 22:27 For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

2.) If your focus is on serving God, and serving the brethren, then God will GIVE YOU WAYS TO SERVE... that is what ministry is.
Mark 10:43 ...whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister:
- The word "minister" does not mean to be the cool on the stage, or to be in charge.... the word "minster" literally means to wait on someone, like a servant. It means to be a servant.
- So if you want to do ministry, and be in ministry... you must want to be a servant, and serve others.
- If you do not want to be a servant, and serve others... then whatever you're imagining is not ministry.
- Be sure you understand what you're seeking.

3.) To reiterate: if your focus is on serving God, and serving others... if that is your heart... then God will give you ways to serve.
- The heart must first be right, then ministry follows AFTER.
- The heart must be prepared first: first the heart, then the service.
- If anyone has a right heart, and right attitude, and truly wants to serve others... God will give them ways to serve.
- But, if your heart is not set on serving others... then God will not give much genuine ministry... because your heart is not ready to do it.

Therefore... ministry is about keeping our hearts right.

Writing a sermon... that's easy... the hard part, the whole focus, is about keeping our hearts right.
If our hearts aren't right, then we aren't capable of doing "just the right things"... and our sermons will be like arrows shot into the air.. not at a target.

4. God taught us about the heart, and keeping our hearts right, a long time ago... because everything we do flows out of a right heart.
Pro 4:23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
Everything flows from within us, from our heart.
Good things, or bad things, or just pointless things... it all flows from within, from the heart.

5. You want to write a good sermon? Here is the purest, simplest secret.
Mat 12:34 ... out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
a.) Whatever is IN your HEART... that is what comes OUT of your MOUTH.
b.) Do you want God's thoughts and God's messages to come out of your mouth?
c.) Then you must first put God's words and messages into your heart.
d. You must put God's words into your heart, before they can come out of your mouth.
e. You must saturate your mind with God's word... read and study the word, as much as possible.
f.) When you saturate your mind with God's words and thoughts... then his words and thoughts will start coming out of your mouth.

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Brother the best sermon is how you yourself came to Jesus!! Then tell them what great things the Lord has done for you!! My first sermon was based upon this very scripture brother!!! (Mark 5:1-20)

You see before Jesus I was demon possessed. and the Lord delivered me! But you can start at Mark 5:19!!) Please do tell us how Holy Spirit led you, would love to hear it myself!!! They are so much fun what Jesus love in us pours forth!! Blessing!

I can’t really do that tho, because I’m a pastors kid and have been a Christian like my whole life

Can't really do what?

It seems that was in response to: tell them what great things the Lord has done for you!!

If you do the one about the living water in John 4, please be sure to reference John 7 where it states who the the living is plainly. I throw this out there because I’ve seen this taught incorrectly before.

John 7
37On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’ ” 39He was speaking about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. For the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Well I don't think he meant it "thaaat" way ..but yeah some clarification would be helpful.


I have a clear "moment" where I accepted Jesus as my Lord and savior but it was also one of my earliest memories. It's not really a story that I'd tell to a youth group as some dynamic groundbreaking "tour the country" story. It's a lifelong story and (personally) I find it extremely intriguing and I know that some have also but I think I get where he's coming from.

Saved. being saved. will be saved. is a critical element to my testimony at present though so that initial moment (while interesting as a genesis) is almost trivial except privately between myself and God. Very few people will have a similar experience and it's humbling me right now to even think about it. In fact, I think it sort of detracts from my testimony if focused on beyond a light brushover. It wasn't at church either which is atypical. So while I reeaaaalllly want to share...it's so much of an outlying experience that it seems inappropriate/irrelevant most of the time to share. Argh...I do so want to though because it's my story


To me my early walk is more interesting than a movie has ever been but I think it should stay mostly private. It definitely shapes me but it's a rarely used tool. I live my story so the details of the beginning aren't relevant unless someone REALLY needs to understand my walk for some reason.

Someone suggested that I share my testimony as my sermon, but my testimony is I had really good parents who raised me in the faith my whole life. If my testimony were something like “I was rock bottom and then the Lord came into my life and turned me around 180 and now I’m here today.” That would be a great testimony sermon. But like I said my testimony is actually not relatable for most teens.

I was already definitely gonna use that one, but still thanks

Well that's all the more reason to tell the story of Sampson...who was faithful for 25 years before the sins of his youth tempted him again and took him for a ride.

Basically most people play footsie with sin until they are older and then the sins take control. If you don't master your sins when young, your sins will master you when older. And that's precisely what happened to Sampson.
And I always wonder how and why Sampson didn't have any friends to talk to that would set him straight. But I also get that the Philistines were very technologically advanced for that time period...they had indoor plumbing, shopping malls, restaurants, and entertainment Venus. Israel had none of those things. They were doing good to have groceries and a nice dirt floor in a cave to sleep on at night.
And yet...with all that strength Sampson couldn't get a hold of himself.


On a different note....in PRC no preacher is worth listening to unless he has been jailed 3 times for preaching the gospel. Just a factoid I thought was interesting.

That's a conversion story. That's only known as a testimony in certain circles.

That's ONE event/process in a believer's life. Keeping a steady pace and staying in the church. Steadfastness to the Lord. Trials within your life...missed opportunities...things you decided you could not do because it went against your beliefs (even though it may have cost you). How to get over the humdrum of life in the church. What you thought when certain people fell away or stopped coming to church. Etc. etc. I could go on and on. Each day is a testimony for me...some hurt it and some don't.

There are tons of things in a testimony. Narrowing the focus to ONLY how you came to know the Lord is doing a disservice to yourself and others whether or not you actually speak on that (I'm not counseling you one way or the other).

You say you were raised in the faith your whole life...how did you combat lust? Lots of people say things like that and yet fall woefully short in that area. To me purity is one of the most important things to talk about with youth. Spiritual purity can be discussed without sexuality in a co-ed setting and the Lord will still work I feel sure.



Maybe some people need to know about the initial moment and that first season (or two) but there could be 100 years in a believer's life...and doesn't it make sense that since there aren't that many Saul ---> Paul conversion stories that it's not the norm?

and yet, for some reason, people feel like they don't have anything to share because of them...which seems a shame.


How many people focus only on the moment of Saul becoming Paul? There's a lot more to his life.


Like I said though in my post...maybe that initial moment isn't important for you (if indeed you can even recall one) but how to actually walk as a believer in today's world IS a testimony and is certain of value in the proper avenue.

That's a good testimony. Testimonies from people with normal lives having good things are great. As someone who was born in poverty, in a divorced family, with a variety of other hardships, I really like those testimonies. They remind me that life can be good and children get to have normal, happy, healthy childhoods in supporting families after all.

1st of all, become a born again Christian if you are not 1. why? because that's the ONLY way to understand the Bible. & that's because all born again Christians ae indwelt with the Holy Spirit for life. the H.S. helps christians to understand the Bible, (John 16:13 & John 14:26) leads them on the right path in life he is your teacher & comforter. you must have "strengths" concerning the Bible (strong points). ask Jesus what subject to preach on. the Nelson King James Bible is very definitive on explanations, best i've ever seen.

Living water means moving water, a brook or stream, I know that in the Bible it’s spiritual.

Here’s a verse relating to the theme of water.

13For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. Jeremiah 2:13
Link

what a scripture that is !

Greetings from the brethren.
First of all you have great scripture, but I don't think they are relevant to the topics your doing.

John 4:24 is about worship, and Titus 3 are more about obedience to figures of authority.

I think I have something to help you.
Proverbs 9:9-10

9. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
10. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

A brief sermon on the fear of of God. How God gives wisdom and knowledge and understanding through learning.

Because of this you can make a case that education comes from God not the government.

Hope it helps.

Lol this ties into the post I just put lol

Proverbs 9:10 plus Matthew 10:28

You do great art.

Thank You! God Bless You