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3 Special Ways God Cares For His Children

March 29, 2021 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

God'scare for His children shown through a visual of a mother swan taking care of her young. — Image by Elsemargriet from Pixabay

(We have amalgamated 3 of our devotionals to bring you a 3-point sermon on one page about how God cares for His children.)

Introduction:In an interview with The Reader’s Digest magazine, Grammy Award winning pop singer Gloria Estefan spoke graciously about her year one teacher, Dorothy Collins, who helped shape her early English language skills. Gloria has in fact spoken many times of that period in her life and the challenges she faced (including severe teasing), as a foreign student, particularly due to her inability to communicate in English. However, Gloria received assistance in her language skills and was given the confidence to persevere by her teacher, Dorothy Collins.

Eventually, Gloria won the class reading prize and went on to study languages at University. She also built a highly successful international career in pop music. Said Gloria, “My year one teacher didn’t just teach me the language; she helped me find my voice.“

Finding God’s Favor (Room) to Flourish and be Blessed – (Genesis 26)

March 8, 2021 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A visual of open spaces with sheep to signify God's favor on His children. — Image by Hans Braxmeier from Pixabay

Finding God’s Favor – Introduction: Most people, especially those with a heart for adventure, like wide, open spaces. On our travels too, we prefer to move away from crowded cities looking for open spaces. We look for beaches, mountains, open roads, rivers etc to enjoy open spaces and the beauty of nature

In sporting events like rugby, soccer, cricket and basketball, when a team gives the opposing team additional room or extra space to make a move, it can lead to giving them an opportunity to score and maybe even win the game. I am reminded of Carlos Alberto’s legendary goal for Brazil in the final of the 1970 soccer World Cup. Yes, finding extra room can even be a deciding factor between victory and defeat.

Jesus – The Prince of Peace Still Transforms Lives (Isaiah 9:6-7)

February 23, 2021 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

The above video is taken off a sermon titled ‘Jesus- The Prince of Peace’ presented on December 27th, 2020, at the People’s Church in Colombo, Sri Lanka. A brief outline of the sermon is given below. Included in the sermon is a powerful life-changing story by Vanessa Perera at 16.11″ at and a beautiful Solo (‘O Holy Night’) by Melanie Bibile at 24.05″. Thanks to Mokshini Jayamanne for the sign language translation.

The Prince of Peace ( Isaiah 9:6-7)

Introduction:

Illustration to introduce topic
Reflect on the desperation in Isaiah’s time and the similarities in today’s situation
In Isaiah 9:1-2, the darkness and gloom is removed and the light comes shining through
Read Isaiah 9:6-7 and pray

Main Thought:

Only Jesus can bring true peace to individuals and society.

David’s Intercession During a National Crisis (1 Chronicles 21)

February 15, 2021 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A visual of a devastated forest due to a calamity to indicate the need for intercession during a national crisis. — Image by FelixMittermeier from Pixabay

(This is an edited transcript of a sermon preached at The People’s Church in Colombo, Sri Lanka)

Good morning Friends, my message today is taken from 1 Chronicles Chapter 21 and it’s titled ‘David’s Intercession During a National Crisis’.

I am going to speak about a major crisis that came upon Israel that is reflected in the Old Testament. But before I go further, let’s read 1 Chronicles 21:26. It says, “David built an altar to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called on the Lord, and the Lord answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.”

.David’s sacrifice mentioned here was a sacrifice of intercession. It was a sacrifice of intercession in the midst of a crisis. So today, as we look at whatever crisis situations we may be going through in our nation and in our own lives, may be there is something that God is leading us to by way of bringing a sacrifice of intercession towards Him.

I want to leave with you 5 points from this chapter about David’s intercessory sacrifice at this critical moment, and I pray that one, or two, or more of these points, will speak to your heart this morning. Whenever God’s Word is proclaimed, irrespective of who presents it, God speaks, and I believe that God will speak to all of you in some clear form or the other as I share from this passage.

Do You Desire To Become A Person Of God’s Choice? – 1 Samuel 16

January 22, 2021 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A visual of a lady with upraised hands seeking to become a person of God's choice. — Image by Daniel Reche from Pixabay

(This is a brief outline of a sermon based around God’s choice of appointing David as the new King of Israel)

Introduction – Use an Illustration of how God used a seemingly unlikely person to do great exploits for Him.

“God’s method is a man, and you are that man” – Dr Colton Wickramaratne

Proposition : Ask God to make you a chosen vessel for His glory.

I would like to cover the topic through 5 points taken from 1 Samuel 16 where David was chosen and anointed as King by the Prophet Samuel.

God Spoke At Christmas Time: 3 Clear Examples

December 19, 2020 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

An image of the wise men following the Christmas Star signifying one of the ways God spoke at Christmas time. — Image by Jeff Jacobs from Pixabay

3 Ways God Spoke At Christmas Time

Introduction

I remember an occasion when I was battling what seemed like a huge crisis in my life. It was causing me much anxiety and sleepless nights. In the midst of this battle, a gentleman who was a very shy and quiet person, spoke out a prophetic word at one of our Sunday evening services. The message he shared that evening under the Holy Spirit’s anointing was exactly what I needed to hear for the situation I was in. As I received assurance as God spoke through this brother’s words, He began to work in my crisis and everything changed within a couple of weeks!!

If ever we needed to hear from God, it is now. The good news is that God still speaks to His people in different ways and this is very evident in the Christmas story.

Proposition : God waits to speak to you at Christmas time.

In this sermon I would like to share 3 ways in which God spoke in the Christmas story and its relevance for us today. They are:

The Heart Of Christmas – 3 Thoughts To Reflect On

December 9, 2020 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 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.

God’s Care For His Children

October 26, 2020 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

One of the most well loved statements in the Bible is when God proclaims, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you. This promise of God’s care has encouraged thousands of His children throughout history. In fact, most of us may know it by memory.

This short video (Approx 5 minutes) Covers 4 passages in the Bible where God’s care through this promise , (or something close to it), comes through emphatically. it is a promise revealed to Moses and Joshua. It is also emphasized in the Book of Hebrews and in a slightly different format through the words of Jesus. References are from the Books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Hebrews, and the Gospel of Matthew.

May this video of God’s care be a blessing and encouragement to you. If you would like to read the full sermon on this topic, please click on the link given below.