Kelly Durant’s Sermon Quotes by Subject
Accusations
Those with a quick mentality to accuse are influenced by Satan who is known as, “the accuser of the saints”. People who are too quick to accuse, too quick to judge without all the facts, and afterwards never allow for an explanation, a reconnection, or reconciliation to determine if they were fair or wrong in their accusations, judgment, or reasoning for their out of control feelings are classified as being “fools” according to the Word of God in Proverbs 29:11 A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.
Apologetics
All your life as a Christian you will be challenged, made fun of, and provoked by those who have everything in their minds mixed up, these are the people with their minds fashioned by the corrupt worldviews of the day and false doctrines. How intellectually prepared are you to defend Christ? To defend you must be opinionated; you have a right to believe what you choose! Never let another person intimidate you that you must accept heresy!
Appreciation
And Jesus said that Mary Magdalene is to be honored; it was pure thankfulness and love in her tears! Think about it, in your lifetime a few times you may have a few shed tears out of thankfulness for something someone special did for you. But his is extreme purity and holiness; this is a passionate crying repentance and love for Jesus as He wishes to see it! I wish there existed more people with this same passion and appreciation today!
Availability
Usually it is only 3 to 5% of the church people that make their selves available to help with important projects volunteering. Making your own schedule and priorities secondary to the wishes of those being served is a noble act that will gain you heavenly rewards. But the people who are unavailable and always busy with their own things all the time probably wonder why God is not very available for them. Loving God means loving and serving others He created.
Bitterness
Unthankful bitter people lose their perspective of what others suffer. Bitter people are always self-focused. The disciples were not thankful for the tears that washed Jesus’ feet, they were indignant. Bitterness can come in when it is exposed one does not have a radical and total dedication in honoring Christ and someone else beside you does.
Competiveness
Young people and many adults are extremely competitive! They want to show off that they are the best, that they are better than the teacher, better than the preacher and supreme in all things. When they meet someone in their world, in the school or church, that seems more influential, more beautiful, or more talented, the first reaction is to hate them and destroy them. Everywhere, in schools, in jobs, in churches, we see this superiority immaturity! Competition is often nothing but pure hatred out of pride desiring the humiliation of a person who did not desire to do the work to compete fairly in the first place!
Capitalism or Socialism
Corrupt leaders will always be administrating the wealth they have confiscated either by high taxes, or property acquisition. Corruption in all systems has always been, and will always be, that is why Jesus said the “poor will always be with you”. But did Jesus promote a taking from the rich to give to the poor from the passage we just read? Luke 18:22 He in fact did, but within the context of sharing it for the fair & equal distribution in God’s Kingdom! It was to provide for the needs of the desperate poor and the disciples! But this was also about being a test of love. Did he love God and his neighbor enough to share it all? In God’s Kingdom there are many mansions, Jesus idea is that sharing all the wealth makes everyone rich here and in heaven, and with Jesus system there is no lower class of degraded poor! The young man appeared perfect in regards to the law, but he was disobedient, loving money more than God & others!
Church
The church, or this new loving group of called out ones that Jesus established, were designed to be a movement of follower teachers. They were sent to do God’s Kingdom work, to pray, preach, heal, and recruit souls that would teach others to follow Jesus as well. Jesus did not leave engineering plans and then ask his disciples to build impressive structures and then get people to come visit the extravagant cathedral so they could hear God’s word. The early disciples had many places where to meet, such as in homes. The emphasis was to “go” and preach the gospel to every creature. Expensive to maintain, luxurious structures distract the money and the mission away from getting out as Jesus did who made everyplace He went a temple, a place where God is.
Compassion
They say that giving a beggar a piece of bread is a civil duty, but to give him a bread with butter on it, now that is compassion! Compassion is a divine quality something that is in all cultures with a certain measure, but the sad thing is that it is also very much diminishing in most cultures today. The level of the spiritual development of a culture or people can be measured by how much compassion they have. Being realistic, only Christians throughout time have proven over and over to be the ones to truly shell out millions and with an army of volunteers when there is a need or crisis. As a Christian how much compassion do you express? How much compassion does this community have? It lacks a lot!
Contributions
There is a hymn that says, I gave my life for you, what have you given to me? The Bible makes it clear we are to show our thanks to Jesus by giving Him our whole life, our time, our money and everything for His work! People that choose churches that only ask them their money contribution are getting robbed of blessings! There is a joy in serving others, in the giving of our lives in service as Jesus’ disciples did. But contributions here and there will never give you back the great joy and satisfaction you deserve to be getting as when you contribute all you can.
Correction
Today we live in a society that does not discipline nor correct people for their wrong as they need it! Quite often the right ones who justifiably want to correct someone, to expose the damage and wrong doing, end up with the punishment of ridicule and frustration instead! We live in a world were good is proclaimed as bad and the bad is exalted as good!
Culture
Racial and cultural relations are broken all the time because people are not willing to observe and respect the formalities and customs that are within the culture of the other! The rivalry between tribes, nations, and tongues has been going on ever since the beginning of time but what is our role as a Christian? How should we respond to others different than ourselves? Try to be “one” of them as Paul says to be as a Greek to the Greek, and as a Roman to the Roman.
Discipline
How many people have you ever heard give testimonies of how it was when they were disciplined by God? Here is a big problem: Many people are so unspiritual they do not even perceive when the Lord is dealing with them and understand when things do not come out right that there is a purpose. And the other problem: when people are corrected, they hide it from others so they will appear perfect. Neither way is right.
Evangelism
When we as Christians practice evangelism, it is very real like the sewer in the parable. In Matt 13:3-8 there are 4 seeds and only one turned out to be the amazing one in four to give fruit! What we could conclude is, this is a crazy investment! I get little reward back for all the effort, I get waste and unthankfulness! Only 25% good if that much! But the rewards are in heaven!
Fathers
The first step for a man to be capable of being a good father is for him to recognize that he has a Father over him, who is God. If he gives honor and respect to someone over him, then he becomes a good example to his children and they will in turn honor and respect him. It works both ways, if he doesn’t honor God or anyone, his children will not learn to honor nor respect him and men, or fathers, reap what they sew.
Friends
So, mark out the names of the friends on your list who are not walking in love, or in other words, not living their lives in sacrifice to their family and others as God wants. You do not need friends who are not close to God. Even if only the pastor’s name is the only one left on your list, at least you will have Jesus and one more person on earth to look to whom you can trust and never regret knowing. In life we will always have friends, but who are friends are greatly affects our spiritual walk! Better quality than quantity and the honestly good over the ones with dubious motives who can end up draining the life out of you with their troubles or interest.
Entitlements
Some people believe they should benefit from what others have and should give up. This type of entitlement thinking wants the government, or the church, or their parents, or their husband or their wife or relatives to be continually giving to them all what they want just because they see them as richer, and having more than them. This one type of relationship from this unbiblical way of thinking and acting creates resentments, bitterness, and division. In Genesis the ones taking the best land by being selfish later paid a higher price. To share is Biblical but to share it with people who will appreciate it and not waste it.
Expectations
Some people have the expectation that we will serve them all the time, and that we will keep producing more bread and fish for them as they produce nothing; no souls won to the Lord, no friends converted to Jesus or the church. How sad their souls will be for eternity with nothing stored up in the bank of heaven! People expect, but do they give what is expected of them?
Family
Jesus confirms that our greater family, the true common blood Christians near us, are the true family we have in God. Family is also friends, not just the relatives we inherited in our lives from our parents. Jesus makes it clear since He said,“I am your friend”, and He was a friend better than a brother, He laid down His life for you and me! He also expects the same standard from us towards our Christian brothers and sisters! Real families love each other and give their lives for each other!
Foolish Men
You can be a man with money, with power, with fame, and with much education, but without submitting to God’s wisdom you can be reduced to being an embarrassing fool! Many men reduce their lives to being in hell now and in hell hereafter, because they allow pride, selfishness, and lust, and to control them. It destroys not just their life, but the lives of those closest to them!
Greed
What did the scripture say about the man who got a little prosperity and was rich? He wanted even more! When he had no problems, when God was good to Him, what was his attitude? Did he go to the temple and thank God for his prosperity? No! He became more and more selfish, he wanted to build bigger barns! And what provoked God’s wrath on his life? What caused God to decide to not only let Him loose everything but cut his life short? He had a heart that only could think about himself and no one else! He wanted to enjoy life without the bother of seeking or thanking God who gave him his life and his prosperity in the first place!
Hypocrites
People claim there are hypocrites in the church and they do not want to go to church. That’s like saying I do not want to see the doctor because his lobby is full of sick people! And true there always are a few hypocrites everywhere, in families, public office, etc., but usually those accusing are the not converted. They are people overcome with minds that mirror the hypocritical world. Hypocrites? These always are the other people, right? See your own!
Independence Celebrations
Jesus is very interested in the liberty and spiritual freedom of each of us! He wants us to have an Independence Day celebration! When you first repented and received Jesus that was your Independence Day of sin and death, and it is your rebirth into the family of God with eternal life!
Immigrants
Jesus was an immigrant! He left his celestial home in heaven to come down to this poor unjust earth to be one of us! How many of you are immigrants? How many of you know how hard it is to be an immigrant? Like the immigrants, Jesus Christ had to arrive in humble circumstances! He was amongst the poorest of the poor born where the animals are born, in a manager.
Kingdom of God
Are you so presumptuous to assume that you are bound for heaven? Flesh and blood cannot inherit the “kingdom of God”! In other words you will not enter in if you are who you are now as only the holy, only the pure in heart, only the peacemakers, only the humble, only the merciful, only the honest and just, only the loving and persecuted for God will enter in! If you don’t have these qualities now, you won’t just instantly gain them there in heaven. Jesus in Matthew 16:19 reveals that how you are now is how you will eternally remain!
Loyalty
Imagine, all of the disciples saw His miracles, they had heard all of His teachings, they probably were proud to boast that they were followers of the newest wave, at how Jesus was so popular. But now, what happens when his teaching no longer makes them feel good? What happen when a certain sermon suddenly makes Him unpopular & persecuted? Their loyalty went out the door, and Jesus makes it clear they never believed in the beginning.
Nature
If you look up In the Bible the word tree, or look up references to the stars, animals, or any of God’s creatures or creation, you will find that there are hundreds and hundreds of these examples that display the majesty of God. All nature is used in the Bible as a spiritual metaphor as well. It is the devil’s role to try and destroy everything God made, as much as possible, be it the souls of people or any nature life as well!
New Year’s Goals
What you and I see from year to year is that some people are progressing in their walk with God being more loving, winning more people to His mission while others seem to be getting more self-centered, and farther away from God! Some people are looking more towards the things of the earth, and some are seeking more the things of God. What goals have you made?
Perceptions
Perceptions of people, what they think about you and I, are what mess us up relationally. Godly guided people will understand more and speak more for the things of God in others, but most people do not perceive the whole picture as God does. The perceptions people deduct will cause them to speak up but notice it is usually over what is of their own self interests.
Prophets
Paul’s definition implies that a prophet is one who follows all the word of God! A believer and transmitter of the message will follow the Old Testament, the Gospels, and the Godly counsel of fellow Christians. All Christians who share God’s message are in reality prophets! But what is a prophet? Isn’t that one of those Pentecostals who suddenly stand up in the middle of church service and yell out a verse or some phrase that tells everyone what they are supposed to do? No, that is not a prophet but a manipulator!
Punishment
I want to ask you does any child just say, Oh I am so happy you are punishing me? No! No one likes punishment and the problem with some people is they have never let God do what He needs to do to clean out the rottenness in their life. They are like the dental patient who stops the dentists work and says, you know what, I don’t like pain so just leave that tooth alone, I’m out of here! But the rot will cause death! We all must learn to appreciate God’s corrections.
Relations With People
Working with people can easily be compared to the job of the snake charmer who dances the cobra with a flute! Most of the times it seems like everyone is happy, and you are happy and a lot is getting done for the kingdom of God, and then suddenly someone makes a human mistake, and then the flow of work & the music gets interrupted and then the fangs come out! Most people are not even aware of their own vicious nature when things do not go as they want them too! People do not even perceive their own pride nor see with God’s spirit when they attack others with unkind words or defend their actions which are not according to God’s spirit!
Sadness
Sometimes God wants us to cry and be sad not over what sadness we feel from our circumstances but over the sadness He feels over us because we are proud and not clean and obedient. Everyone has a heart that needs a washing by tears but for the right reasons. It is sad that we are not in love with God more, wanting to be closer to Him in prayer and in His Word more every day!
Sin
There are many Christians that accept Jesus but they really never ask God to clean them totally inside. They want to keep having their little sins of gossip and greediness. The drug addicts and prostitutes, and really bad people understand what it means to give it all up to God, but the problem is with many people who grow up in the church, and they think they have not done too much to be so bad and wrong, is that they do not see their own faults. Sadly, there are those here, and there are Christians around the world that go to church but they never do confess their sins and live fully changed lives.
Soldiers
The Christian Soldiers of all churches are a small minority group but they have the privileged and elect status of a Soldier because they are willing to march out there into danger into their neighborhoods just as Jesus did to love the unlovely, to heal the wounded, and to preach the truth of the gospel! Soldiers fight battles with the truth against the dominant evil and each time and place requires its own tactical strategy for effectiveness.
Teachers
In reality we are all teachers! We are all students too, but we are all teaching something just by our actions! This is evident by the way we live, the habits we repeat in our homes daily; everything we do is teaching someone close to us, our children, our spouses, our friends, what our character is made of whether it be truthfulness or hypocrisy. Whether we are authentically sweet and kind and gentle and loving, or whether we are loud mouthed complainers, unthankful and critical of everything behind closed doors!
Time
Decades pass us by. Returning to my hometown to revisit old neighborhoods is like time travel. The old neighbor next door who drove the old ‘57 Chevy for years finally bought a new Oldsmobile in the 80’s, and now that one is an already antique! Time on all of us without fail takes its toll and degenerates people and communities but only leaders with a vision to renovate and conserve that worth saving bring better circumstances. Everything before our eyes is rusting away, but God is in the renovating, saving, and conserving the good business.
Uneducated-ness
Proverbs 1:22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners (accusers) delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? The verse is basically making it clear that people who are simple and not intelligent enjoy being conflictive with others and are happy when they can bring up a subject that they can speak scornfully about to you, or of someone else. They only show their ignorance. Here is the sad part we observe more and more: Many Christians remain with simple minds due to their lack of educating themselves with the Word of God and they don’t even recognize their own ignorance! Some Christians today only hear a sermon every other week and they never open their Bibles and this keeps them simple, uneducated, and in danger of retaining a small mind and loud opinion that is more carnal than spiritual.
Vision
Your vision influences your personal life and walk with the Lord. Some people have the vision just to maintain enough in life to just get by; some want just enough of God to keep them out of hell, while others want all the blessings they can get out of the Lord! Like in the Prayer of Jabez, his family had a past of suffering, like you may have had, but he wanted prosperity and protection from evil, and God gave it to him! Vision invites reaction, either mediocre or great!
