The Preaching Platform

3 Vital Questions in the Christmas Story

December 15, 2022 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

An image of Christmas decorations to draw attention to the Christmas story.

Introduction to sermon on ‘Questions in the Christmas Story’ :

When I was much younger, there was a song that used to play on the Radio that I liked very much. It was titled ‘There are more questions than answers’ sung by Reggae singer Johnny Nash. The song asked a few questions like ‘what is life?’, ‘how do we live?’, ‘what should we take?’, and ‘how much should we give?’

Questions are very much a part of life and asking questions can help us increase our knowledge. There are many types of questions we ask. For instance, some of you may be asking some very personal questions right now, like, ‘Will I get a salary bonus this year?’, ‘How much will it be?’, ‘will my medical tests come out all right?’ (I had first-hand experience of this when I prepared this sermon as my wife and 2 sons were down with viral fever with one of my sons having to be hospitalized. There was tension with each blood report of his that came in, due to the threat of dengue fever).

The Heart Of Christmas – 3 Thoughts To Reflect On

December 9, 2020 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 2 Comments

A picture of Christmas decorations that includes a pink heart. — Image by Gundula Vogel from Pixabay

Introduction: As we go through the music of today and days gone by, we find that the ‘Heart’ is referred to over and over again. To take a few examples of songs that came out during different stages of my life, we find titles like ‘Heart of Gold’, ‘A Good Heart’, ‘My Heart Will go on Loving You’, and ‘Your Cheating Heart’. (I guess these titles show how old I am!). That’s because the heart is at the center of all life.

One of the meanings given by the Cambridge Dictionary for the word ‘Heart’ goes like this: “The central or most important part” (of a matter). That’s how we come to the term “Let’s get to the heart of the matter”. Another description of the term “the heart of the matter” by The Free Dictionary goes like this: “The most important, basic or fundamental essence or elements of an issue….or matter at hand”. That brings me to the main thought in this sermon.

Proposition: Let’s ensure we get to ‘The Heart of Christmas’ this year.

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

April 22, 2017 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 14 Comments

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.

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

January 12, 2016 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 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.

Sermon: God’s Favor on the New Year (Psalm 65:11)

January 5, 2016 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 2 Comments

Document

Photo credit: Pexels

“You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance”. (Psalm 65:11 NLT)

What a powerful verse for the New Year!

Introduction

As the year comes to an end, you may be going through much reflection as to what happened in the past 12 months. Some will have testimonies, others will remember severe challenges, while some others may think of the health issues they had to face. Some might say, ‘It was my best year’, while others may say, ‘it could have been better’, or, ‘It was a disaster’! The list can go on. Of course, most of the year was overshadowed by the after effects of COVID -19 and economic challenges..

.While preparing this message, here are some old memories that went through my mind.

5 Foundations To Build A Blessed Family

October 18, 2015 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 15 Comments

Image credit: Evil Erin

Introduction

Many buildings that look strong on the outside develop cracks and some collapse, due to the foundation being weak. Bad foundations produce bad buildings! It’s no different with building a blessed family. Didn’t the Lord Jesus Himself give us the parable of the house on the Rock and the one on sand (Matthew 7:24-27)? The house on the Rock stood firm because it had the right foundation.

In this article, I would like to share what I believe are 5 vital foundations for building a blessed family. They are:

Sermon: Christmas – A Season To Receive 4 Dreams

July 21, 2015 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

Image credit: Pexels

Introduction

A lady told her husband that she had dreamed that he had bought her a diamond necklace for Christmas! The husband responded positively to her dream by bringing her a beautifully wrapped gift. As she eagerly tore open the wrapping to see her diamond necklace, all she found was a little book. It was titled, ‘How to interpret your dreams’!

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.

Bringing God’s Healing to the Oppressed (Luke 4:18-19)

June 16, 2025 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A visual of two people holding hands to emphasize the message of healing.

(The transcript of a sermon titled “Bringing God’s Healing to the Oppressed”, preached at the People’s Church (Assembly of God) in Colombo, Sri Lanka.)

Our main theme over the recent past has been “Completing the Commission”. We are called to fulfill the Great Commission. On this topic, we’ve been dealing with Luke 4:18-19, focusing on the model that Jesus proclaimed over His own ministry. Let’s look at those verses:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”

In these two verses, we find five statements that the Lord shared that day. Last week, I mentioned how Jesus walked into the synagogue in the town of Nazareth, which was a small village with probably a few thousand people. As Jesus entered, it appears that the person in charge of the proceedings gave Him a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. It seems clear that Jesus looked for the specific passage which He read that day. He then sat down and said, “The scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”

Watch Your Anger – Psalm 37:8 (Sermon Illustration)

March 14, 2025 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A visual of a clenched fist crushing a paper to denote anger.

A sermon illustration about the danger of anger:

It is said that the powerful emperor, Genghis Khan, once went out into the woods for a day’s sport. On the King’s wrist sat his favorite hawk who was trained to hunt down prey. Although there was much expectation among the group about the hunt, to their disappointment, they could not find much prey.

On the return journey, the discouraged king decided to take a different route home alone, with his pet hawk flying ahead of him. It was a hot day and the king soon became very thirsty. To his joy, he then saw some drops of water trickling down from an overhead rock.