The Preaching Platform

Conviction and Courage at a Vineyard (1 Kings 21)

July 25, 2026 / / 0 Comments
A visual of a vineyard to highlight how Naboth stayed true to his conviction in the Bible story.

Introduction: Start by describing the Bible story in 1 Kings 21 as if it was a current story of injustice happening in our time. Mention thereafter that you didn’t take the story from a newspaper, from social media, or from a human-rights magazine; that it was from the Bible.

Illustration: Show a visual of a cherry field and share the story of how our family went cherry picking in Australia and the fun everyone had.

Scripture: Let’s look at 1 Kings 21 today.

Proposition: We need to live courageously by our convictions.

In the Biblical story, Naboth had a beautiful vineyard in Jezreel, close to King Ahab’s winter palace. This was apparently his 2nd palace, with a milder winter climate – (Show a visual of modern Jezreel).

Today, we will highlight 4 thoughts on how this sad story of injustice unfolded and how God responded. So, let’s first look at the main characters in the story.

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Willingly Answering God’s Call – Wesley Hall (Acts 26:9)

February 14, 2026 / / 0 Comments
Answering God's Call highlighted by a visual of a man praying in a moment of surrender at church.

Sermon Illustration on Answering God’s Call:

Legendary West Indian fast bowler Sir Wesley Hall was a strongly-built, larger than life cricketer who played international cricket between 1958 to 1969. His long run-up, fearsome pace bowling, outstanding personality, and exploits on the cricket field, made him one of the most-loved sportsmen to emerge from the Caribbean. In 48 international test matches, Hall took 192 wickets at an average 26.38 runs per wicket.

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

January 2, 2026 / / 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. 

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

November 17, 2025 / / 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.

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

November 12, 2025 / / 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.

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

November 5, 2025 / / 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. 

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Having a Heart of Thanksgiving 

November 23, 2024 / / 0 Comments
A visual of a lady praising God with upraised hands to denote the theme of Thanksgiving.

A 5-point sermon on Thanksgiving.

“O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever.” (Psalm 107:1)

Introduction: Soul singer Lionel Ritchie was once deeply impacted by a speech in which his father had honored his mother, on their 37th wedding anniversary. In his speech, Ritchie Senior had lovingly given thanks to his wife for sticking by him through the ups and downs of life. Said Lionel, “What a great story because I pass through my house every day and I don’t say thank you. I just take for granted that certain things be done”. That speech moved him to compose one of his best loved songs, ‘Three Times a Lady’.

How much we too forget to express thanksgiving to God for the blessings He gives us. We often take them for granted. In Psalm 107, the author earnestly encourages the people to proclaim thanksgiving to God, by repeating the phrase, “Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wonderful works to humankind” on four occasions (Psalm 107: 8, 15, 21, and 31). That’s a good policy for us to follow too.

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Renewing Hope Through Stormy Seas (Acts 27)

October 7, 2024 / / 0 Comments
A visual of a lighthouse on a stormy day to illustrate finding hope through storms.

Sermon: RENEWING HOPE THROUGH STORMY SEAS 

 Sermon preached at the People’s Church in Sri Lanka – Sunday, 26th June 2022 

Introduction:

(Illustration of a story related by D.L. Moody that led to a beautiful and well loved hymn being composed). 

During a sermon he once preached, D. L. Moody spoke about a ship that was trying to enter a harbor on an extremely dark, stormy night. The Captain noticed the lighthouse light was working but not the ‘lower lights’. He then asked the Pilot, “Where are the lower lights?”, to which the Pilot replied, “They must have gone out, sir.” The Captain then asked, “Can you make it into the harbor?” The Pilot replied, “We must sir, or we will perish in this storm.” As they tried to maneuver the ship into the harbor in the darkness, it hit the rocks and sank. Many lives were tragically lost that night. (Adapted from Hymn History – Enjoying the Journey)

‘The Lower Lights’ – These are lights located away from the lighthouse that light up the water line and give ships safe entry to the harbor. 

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Help Someone Along Life’s Journey

July 15, 2024 / / 0 Comments
A visual of someone's hand reaching out to help someone else get to the top of a cliff.

Devotional: Help Someone Along Life’s Journey

Scripture: “I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre” (1 Samuel 16:18)

Today’s Reading – 1 Samuel 16:14-23

Illustration:

Award winning songstress Gloria Estefan has often spoken about the challenges she faced as a foreign student in her early school life, mainly due to her inability to communicate in English. 

Gloria however received assistance in her English language skills and was given confidence to persevere by her year one teacher, Dorothy Collins. She eventually won the class reading prize and went on to study languages at University. 

Showing respect for her teacher, Gloria once said, “My year one teacher didn’t just teach me the language; she helped me find my voice”.

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Speak Words of Kindness (Proverbs 12:25)

July 2, 2024 / / 0 Comments
A visual to denote speaking words of kindness showing the words 'Thank You'.

Devotional on Kindness:

A little child with learning difficulties had a tough time during her first sessions in class and was coping poorly. During the following year however, her learning improved quite dramatically. In case you’re wondering why? – Well, after her first day in the new class, the new teacher called up every child individually and whispered something into their ear. When this particular child walked up, the teacher had leaned over and whispered, “I wish I had a child like you.” Those words of kindness were the catalyst for a powerful change in the child’s behavior and learning.

Country singer Christy Lane once sang –

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5 Lessons from Jesus about Trust and Handling Money (Luke 16)

February 23, 2024 / / 0 Comments
A visual of money to highlight Jesus' teachings on trust and worldly resources.

A sermon showing lessons from Jesus on trust and wealth.

Introduction:

Last week I read about a very wealthy businessman. He was a landowner who rented his estates to other merchants, to do business on his land. Payment was made at the end of a season on the produce and earnings they made from the estate.

This owner had an Operations Manager who possibly had been given comfortable accommodation too. After a while however, this manager began mismanaging the owner’s estate and money began to leak out, possibly because of wastage. So, at one point, the boss got to know that this was happening, and he called the manager up and said, “You know, you better give a report on your management because what’s happening is not good”. He was also probably given marching orders to step down from his job.

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Jacob – Fulfilling God’s Purpose (Genesis 28)

January 13, 2024 / / 0 Comments
A visual with the word "Purpose" to highlight our title of fulfilling God's Purpose.

This is the transcript of a sermon preached at The People’s Church in Colombo, Sri Lanka – Fulfilling God’s Purpose (Genesis 28)

You know, I was reading about the well-loved preacher Billy Graham a couple of days ago. It is said that when Billy Graham joined Bible College in the 30’s, he was once asked to preach a sermon impromptu. He apparently preached four borrowed sermons in eight minutes! But that day he felt a clear call to preach, and from there on, he used every opportunity that he could, to preach, which wasn’t many at that time. As a result, he used to take a boat and go across the river and preach to the surrounding trees, birds, and alligators. That’s how he built his preaching ministry and God’s purpose..

Sometime later, while on a walk in the night, he fell on his knees and he said, “Lord if you want me to serve you, I will do it.” That day the ministry and God’s purpose in Billy Graham’s life was clearly set.

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Seeing God When My Eyes Fail

December 15, 2023 / / 0 Comments
Visual of someone looking up through a binoculars to indicate looking at God when our eyes fail.

This article was first published in September 2022 on Discover from Our Daily Bread Ministries.

After what seemed like an agonizingly long time, my eye doctor said, “You have a problem pastor. You need to get it fixed urgently.” I sat there, shocked, hardly able to listen, as he explained with much concern that the retina on my left eye had detached. (To make matters worse, there were small holes (tears) on the retina of my right eye as well).

”No! This can’t be true! Not my eyes,” I thought, as he kept talking. But, yes, this was really happening to me. My thoughts flashed back to a persistent uneasiness I had felt for some time with my vision. My vision had been nearly perfect following cataract surgery a few years earlier. I had even unceremoniously disposed of the thick spectacles that had been a part of my appearance for almost my entire life! Now, this!

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Psalm 91: A Message of Hope

March 19, 2020 /
A photo of the Holy Bible opened to the book of Psalms.

Introduction to Psalm 91

When Covid-19 swept across almost all borders, fear and anxiety gripped hearts around the world. No one seemed safe anymore and everyone was searching for methods of protection. Today, we face new and dangerous challenges. In times of crisis, however, the children of God, as it has happened right through history, can find encouragement and comfort through the promises of God. One such passage people often turn to for comfort is Psalm 91.

As I look at social media today, I find many people sharing either the entire passage of Psalm 91 or at least parts of it, to strengthen others. Through this article, I would like to share my thoughts as well regarding this beautiful Psalm. Do keep your Bible open to Psalm 91 as you read.

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Sermon : Four Steps to Win the Battle Over Worry (Matthew 6:25-34)

April 22, 2017 / / 14 Comments

bridge 53769 1920

Introduction

A man was constantly worrying that somebody was under his bed. He went to a Counselor who was willing to help him, but at a high fee, over many months. A few weeks later the Counselor met the man on the street and asked him why he had not returned. The man replied, “I met a friend who gave me some great advice for free. It worked perfectly’. The Counselor asked what advice had been given him and the man replied, ‘He asked me to cut the legs of the bed down to ground level”!

How much we worry and how many of our worries are unfounded? Unhealthy worrying can cripple us to the point of making us ineffective and unable to cope with life’s challenges. It can also lead to depression. We worry over sickness, viruses, finances, family, children, salt, sugar, unforeseen dangers and many other things.

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God’s Restoration of the Lost Years : Sermon (Isaiah 54)

January 12, 2016 / / 2 Comments

Sermon : God’s Restoration of the Lost Years

Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka – Photo Credit: Vasantha Jayasooriya

INTRODUCTION

Let me begin this sermon on God’s restoration with the following illustration.

One of the historical wonders of Sri Lanka is the complex rock fortress, Sigiriya, and the palace built on it by one of our former Kings, Kasyapa, many centuries ago. It is an amazing place to see & tourists flock there to view its beauty, grandeur and craftsmanship. One of the highlights of Sigiriya is the frescoes that are painted on the rock walls. These and the site itself are considered National treasures, with UNESCO listing Sigiriya as a world heritage site. (If ever you come over to Sri Lanka, you need to visit Sigiriya).

Many years ago, some of the frescoes were vandalized by an unknown group of people, with, (if I remember correctly), either ink or paint being thrown, to deface them. As a result, many experts had to be brought in (foreign and local), to work at restoring these frescoes back to their original state. Thankfully, they succeeded in most of their painstaking efforts.

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Sermon: 3 Things to be Thankful For

December 9, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Sermon: 3 Things to be Thankful For

Image Credit: Snappa

Introduction

Recently, my brother Nimal, who was formerly a ship’s captain and is now a lay Pastor in our church, shared the Word of God in one of our services. In that sermon he expressed his appreciation and thanks to me for being the first in our family circle to accept the Lord Jesus & for holding on to that commitment in the midst of much opposition. The end result, he mentioned, was that he and eventually our entire family, came to salvation. I was so glad that after all these years he still remembered and was thankful.

We live in a world where gratitude is often not expressed and help given is easily forgotten. Undercutting and backstabbing seem to be the order of the day! That brings me to the main thought in my sermon.

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Sermon: Beautiful Acts for God (Mark 14)

April 5, 2015 / / 6 Comments

Sermon on Mark 14:1-9 (Jesus anointed by a sinful woman in Bethany)

Image credit: Pexels

Introduction

There is a story of a child who was slow in learning and did poorly in her first grade in school. However, when she started grade 2, her grades started to improve dramatically. The reason: her new teacher, on the first day of school, would call every student close to her and whisper something nice into their ear. When this particular child came up to the teacher, she apparently whispered into the child’s ear, “I wish I had a child like you”. That beautiful thought had a huge impact on the child and it reflected in her studies from there on!

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The Legacy of 3 Godly Mothers (Mothers’ Day Sermon)

June 11, 2026 / / 0 Comments
A visual of a mother lifting a child for a Mothers' Day Sermon.

A short sermon for Mothers’ Day:

Opening Scripture: “A woman who fears the Lord is to be praised, give her the reward she has earned” (Proverbs 31:30-31)

The influence and sacrificial efforts of mothers are celebrated on Mother’s Day and I’m happy that it’s a special day on the church calendar. I would like to begin this Mothers’ Day sermon by taking a moment to salute ALL mothers and to thank them for the excellent commitment shown towards their children and family. Thank you also to all mothers who have enriched our lives through their friendship, their faith, and their prayers. 

Our opening scripture says that “A woman who fears the Lord is to be praised”. Let us do that in a special way today as we celebrate Mothers’ Day. Through this sermon, I would like to highlight three mothers, whose decisions of courage and faith, affected the destiny of God’s people in powerful ways.

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Pentecost Sunday Sermon – Being United in Christ

June 1, 2026 / / 0 Comments
A visual of a dove and fire to denote Pentecost Sunday.

Illustration/Introduction for Pentecost Sunday Sermon:

There is a story of a small child who got lost and had subsequently fainted in a large field filled with tall grass and weeds. Since she wasn’t responding to the calls of those searching for her, the search party decided on a plan to find her as quickly as possible. They decided to hold hands unitedly in a straight line across the width of the field, and then walked through the field searching for the child. As they did so, holding hands together in a united search, she was soon found safely .

In Acts 1:4-5, while having a meal with His disciples, the Lord Jesus commanded them to wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit promised by the Father.  He said, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

In response, the disciples waited unitedly (“In one accord” – Acts 2:1) for the promise of God to be fulfilled. 

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FINDING GOD’S STRENGTH THROUGH HIS PROMISES THIS YEAR 

January 16, 2026 / / 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.

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A Living Hope That Produces a Godly Lifestyle  

November 26, 2025 / / 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.

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