Fall 2024 Preaching Plan
New Sermon Series Now Available
Everything you need for your next series
AI Sermon Generator
Generate sermon ideas with a safe, secure tool for solid preaching.
Biblical Sermon Calendar
Customizable sermon manuscripts for verse-by-verse preaching
Sermon Research Assistant
Free custom sermon in 5-10 minutes!
Topical Sermon Calendar
Preach with creativity and impact throughout the year
I Desire Mercy Not Sacrifice
Experiencing the mercy of God in our lives
Ready & Faithful
Looking to Jesus for help now and hope in the future
Why Suffering?
Help your church understand God's plan in pain
Synergistic Effect of Draft Horses Pulling in Pairs Compared to Corporate Prayer My friend, if you are negligent about prayer in this way you are letting your church down. I read this week about a horse-pull in Canada where they hitched this one draft horse and he pulled 9,000 pounds. They hitched ...read more
Scripture: Acts 1:12-14
Tags: Prayer General
ANCHOR DURING LIFE'S STORMS In October of 1991, a storm stronger than any in recorded history hit the coast off of Gloucester, Massachusetts. This storm created an almost apocalyptic situation in the Atlantic Ocean, where boats encountered waves of 100 feet - the equivalent of a ten story building ...read more
Scripture: Acts 27:21-36
Tags: Hardship Of Life
Leading a Neighbor to Christ During a Time of Grief Someone in Elgin once had a neighbor named Jack. Jack was a tough man. He worked hard, he drank hard, he fought hard, and he was harsh and gruff in his manner. Most people were afraid of Jack. But this one neighbor got brave and said hello to him ...read more
Scripture: Acts 17:1-15
Tags: Christian Witness
THE POWER OF GOD'S WORD IN THE WORKPLACE For nine years I had worked with the same group of men on a loading dock, loading and unloading trucks. It was hard physical work, but very mundane and we all found it quite boring. Since the work was so mindless, I would find myself in philosophical ...read more
Scripture: Acts 12:24
Tags: Bible Influence
The worst natural disaster in our nation’s history blew in as a category 4 hurricane battering Galveston, Texas, on September 8, 1900. Winds estimated at over 140 miles per hour and tidal surges of 16 feet slammed the island. More than 6,000 people lost their lives, and more than 3,600 homes and ...read more
Scripture: Acts 27:22-25
Tags: Trials And Difficulties
Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ
A small congregation in the foothills of the Great Smokies built a new sanctuary on a piece of land willed to them by a church member. Ten days before the new church was to open, the local building inspector informed the pastor that the parking lot was inadequate for the size of the building. Until ...read more
Scripture: Acts 2:1-10
Tags: Faith, Mountain Moving
Denomination: Wesleyan
IMPORTANCE OF CHURCH FRIENDSHIPS A new Gallup study commissioned by Group Publishing shows that people with close friendships in their church are very satisfied with their congregation, less likely to leave their place of worship, and have a strong friendship with God. Church members who have a ...read more
Scripture: Acts 2:42
Tags: Church Body Of Christ
CROOKED ON THE LOT The Jewish leaders had rejected salvation. The builders had rejected the very cornerstone of the temple, and stumbled over the rock. Growing up, there was a vacant lot next to our house. One day, a bunch of equipment and workers from Philyaw Construction showed up—and built a ...read more
Scripture: Acts 8:4-12
Tags: Jesus Christ
Jeep Gets Stuck in the Sand There are vast numbers of people - today - who are defeated in their lives! Their conqueror may be some wrong action or some mental evil such as fear or worry! I am convinced that nobody need be defeated by anything - Jesus, the Christ, is the answer! The story is told ...read more
Scripture: Acts 1:8
Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers
Who Has Your Back? Pastor and author John Ortberg tells the story of an evening when he was walking with some friends in Newport Beach, California. As they walked they passed one of the local bars just as a fight spilled out onto the street, like a scene from the old west. As they watched, three ...read more
Scripture: Acts 1:1-8
Tags: Holy Spirit General
DECLINE OF CHRISTIANITY IN AMERICA North America is the only continent on earth where Christianity is not growing. Only 17.5% of the population of the US attends church on a regular Sunday. During the 1990’s there was a 19.4% decline in church attendance. 85% of churches in America are ...read more
Scripture: Acts 2:42-47
Tags: Church Growth
TAKE UP YOUR CROSS People in Jesus’ day knew what it meant to "take up" a cross. They saw scores of criminals bearing the cross to the place where they were to be executed, and they witnessed scores of crucifixions, some even by the side of ...read more
Scripture: Acts 12:1-15
Tags: Cross
Denomination: Baptist
LEON LETT: A LEGACY OF FAILURE Leon Lett. Nice name. It has a bit of a ring to it. However, unless you are a true NFL football fan, it’s probably not a name that rings a bell for you. So let me fill you in on Leon. Leon played in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys from 1991 to 2000 and the Denver ...read more
Scripture: Acts 15:36-41
Tags: Mistakes
"MAYBE IF YOU LISTENED..." In the middle of an argument, my Mum would say something like this - "Maybe if you LISTENED for a change, you would understand what I am trying to tell you!" So often I am not so much listening but simply waiting for the other person to finish so that I can get across my ...read more
Scripture: Acts 4:13
Tags: Everyone, Parable Sower And Seed, Problem
Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational
HAYDN GIVES GLORY TO GOD Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) was present at the Vienna Music Hall, where his oratorio The Creation was being performed. Weakened by age, the great composer was confined to a wheelchair. As the majestic work moved along, the audience was caught up with tremendous emotion. ...read more
Scripture: Acts 12:20-24
Tags: Humility
DON'T WASTE YOUR LIFE In his book Don’t Waste Your Life, John Piper recounts a story his father often told of his days as a fiery Baptist evangelist. It is the story of a man who came to saving faith in Jesus Christ near the end of his earthly existence. Piper writes: "The church had prayed for ...read more
Scripture: Acts 20:24
Tags: Conscience
SEEING YOU FOR REAL Just a few years ago, Leadership Journal did an interview with Saul Cruz, who along with his wife founded Armonia (Harmony) Ministries in Mexico City. They minister to hundreds of poor people all over Mexico today, but they began their ministry by planting a church on the edge ...read more
Scripture: Acts 20:17-19
Tags: Servanthood
THE STRANGER Some time ago, a small east coast community was struggling financially, so they called an open town meeting to discuss the problem. A couple dozen people were there, including a stranger that no one seemed to know. Most assumed he was a tourist who had just dropped in on the meeting. ...read more
Scripture: Acts 13:26-43
Tags: Ignorance
GROWTH IN PERSECUTION I remember feeling torn and confused when Simon Guillebaud in Burundi, Central Africa reported violence against him and Christians there. In his email he said we are not asking for protection. We know that violence and threats will come. What we ask for is boldness to preach ...read more
Scripture: Acts 11:19-24
COMMUNITY: A LOST ART I inherited an old trunk that sat in my grandma’s basement. It had belonged to the generation before, who had used it to bring their possessions across the sea from Sweden. It sits in my dining room. It smells a little musty, but I treasure it as a link to my heritage. I was ...read more
Tags: Hospitality
Sermon Central