Category: Sermons (Page 1 of 14)

FINDING GOD’S STRENGTH THROUGH HIS PROMISES THIS YEAR

January 16, 2026 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A visual of a Bible in keeping with the theme of Finding God's Strength Through His Promises.

Sermon about ‘God’s Strength’, preached at the People’s Church in Sri Lanka on 11th January 2026

Our Theme for the year: STAND ON THE WORD – When Lies Are Loud – Truth Stands Firm.

This is the second week of the year and that’s when reality hits. The excitement of the first week could fade away quickly because our challenges may still remain. So, in week 1 we may be highly motivated, but in week 2, we could still be struggling in our trials.

Some of you came into this year fired up, with new purpose, hope, and vision – then suddenly: The pressure didn’t ease – The temptation didn’t stop – The trials continued. If so, we should remember that God never promised a pressure-free life or a great escape from trials – But He did promise strength that never runs out for you and me.

Remembering God’s Goodness – Trusting His Care in the Year Ahead (Deuteronomy 11)

January 2, 2026 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A visual of a Shepherd looking after his sheep to signify God's Goodness over His children.

Introduction to sermon on God’s Goodness and Care: Hello friends, it’s my joy to bring you God’s Word today. Well, we are at the beginning of the first month of this year, so I just wonder what January will bring for you. I’m sure many of you went back already to the past year, looking back on what happened in your life—the good things and the not-so-pleasant things.

We came to December and you probably celebrated Christmas, if not with a lot of money, at least with the beauty of the message of the birth of Christ our Lord. And then you probably looked forward to something beautiful, something better, something more meaningful, happening in your life this year.

A Living Hope That Produces a Godly Lifestyle

November 26, 2025 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A visual of sunlight breaking through trees to show the living hope we have in Christ.

Topic: A Living Hope That Produces a Godly Lifestyle (1 Peter 2:11-25).

Illustration: Share the illustration of how Rabbi Chaim told a visitor to his home that he lived simply because his home was not in this world, but in heaven.

Introduction: In this passage, Peter refers to how the Christian should live in the dark and dangerous times they faced. He emphasizes that they should face suffering and persecution joyfully by understanding the full value of their eternal purpose and the living hope they had.

Trivia:

Peter – His name is referred to around 210 times in the New Testament. He is called the ‘apostle of hope’.

Suffering – The word is mentioned 16 times in 1 Peter.

A Journey of Revival, Reliance, and Repentance – King Hezekiah’s Reign

November 17, 2025 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A visual of a man reading the Bible to highlight the reliance Hezekiah showed for God's Word.

Introduction: Start the sermon by describing a memorable personal journey. Maybe about a memorable spiritual journey.

* The Bible says this about Hezekiah in 2 Chronicles 29:2 – “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord…”

Trivia on Hezekiah:

* He was the 13th King of Judah

* He is considered to be the second best king in their history

* It is believed that he had a hand in the process of putting together a few of the Psalms

* His reign was extremely successful and prosperous (2 Chronicles 32:27-30)

* He ruled for 29 years (2 Chronicles 29:1).

* He is mentioned in the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:9-10)

This sermon covers the following 3 points connected to King Hezekiah’s reign.

The Benefits of Giving (Generosity) – 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

November 12, 2025 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A visual of a wrapped gift to denote the beauty of generosity as shown in 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” (2 Corinthians 9:6)

Illustration on Generosity: A Surprising Gift

My mobile phone was on its last legs. It had already been through an expensive repair on the touch screen, and now, it was clear that its days were numbered. A vital part of my ministry, I realized that I needed a new phone as quickly as possible, before the imminent crash. The cost, however, was too much at the moment, which left us searching for possible options.

A few mornings later, I received a call from one of my friends. “Pastor, I’m parked outside your home. Can you come down for a few minutes?” Wondering what had brought him to my home that early, I hurried down the stairwell. As I reached his car, he stepped out and handed me a box. “Pastor, I came to give you this.” It was a new phone! The Lord had burdened his heart, he had humbly followed the Lord’s prompting. I had my needed new phone! My need had been met through the generosity of a fellow-believer and friend.

God’s Concern for the Small Things on Our Daily Journey

November 5, 2025 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A visual of a mother caring for her two small children to depict God's concern for us in small things.

(The transcript of a sermon that shows God’s Concern in our daily challenges, preached at the People’s Church (Assembly of God) in Colombo, Sri Lanka)

Introduction: You know, there’s a story of the well-remembered evangelist and preacher George Mueller. He was a man who looked after thousands of children, orphans, in various locations. He never asked support from anyone but always prayed and trusted God for provision for this ministry that he was doing with these children. One story that really struck me was about how he depended on the Lord day by day for his needs.

One day, in one of the locations, there were 300+ children, but there was no food that morning. When this crisis came, in faith, he asked the children to come and sit at the tables, and then he prayed. Apparently, as the story goes, soon there was a knock on the door, and he opened it to find that the guy who ran the bakery nearby had felt a prompting from God to bring bread for the children. They were fed, and soon after, there was another knock on the door.

Answering God’s Call – ‘Strength From God’s Word’ Podcast

July 19, 2025 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

‘Answering God’s Call’ –

This recent episode (Episode 24) from The Preaching Platform’s “Strength from God’s Word’ podcast, is based around former West Indian pace bowler Sir Wesley Hall, his service for God, and the first ever tied-test in the history of Test Cricket. Take 3.04” minutes to listen and be encouraged today.

Do consider subscribing to our You Tube channel by clicking here.

For a useful article on preaching titled ‘Preaching from Biblical Journeys’, click here.

Witnessing Effectively for Jesus

June 25, 2025 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A visual of two people talking to highlight the importance of witnessing as Christians.

Introduction to the sermon titled “Thoughts on Witnessing Effectively for Jesus”. (The video of this sermon and the service could be followed here.)

In my teenage years, a person I met for the first time shared the message of God’s salvation with me and gifted me a copy of the New Testament. That conversation and the subsequent reading of God’s Word, started the process that would eventually lead me to accepting Christ as my Savior.

In the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19, Jesus highlighted the need for every Christian to be a witness, sharing the Gospel. He said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations”. Jesus’ disciples took His command very seriously and ensured that the message of Christ would be taken wherever they traveled.

It is believed that among the disciples, the Apostle Thomas brought the message of God’s salvation plan as far as the nation of India – that’s a long way from Jerusalem! This has great significance for me personally, since I live in Sri Lanka, India’s closest neighboring country.