Sermons on A Dead Church:

The Sardis Church Series

Contributed by Jimmy Davis on Sep 19, 2001

Number 5 in series: Sardis "The Letters to the Seven Churches"

Sardis: The Zombie Church # 5 in Series: The Letters to the Seven Churches From the pulpit of Bayview Baptist Church, Sunday night, June 10, 2001 “Is Bayview Baptist Church Similar to Sardis Baptist Church? Revelation 3:1-6 page # 1916 Sardis was the capital of Lydia and one of the oldest ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:1-6

Denomination: Baptist

A Church That Is Alive

Contributed by Kevin L. Jones on Dec 12, 2015

A sermon examining the church that is alive and moving forward for Christ.

A Church That Is Alive Acts 8:4-12 Thom Rainer wrote a book titled "The Autopsy Of A Deceased Church." In this book he addresses 12 common factors in churches that are dying or seemingly dead. Rainer states that as many as 100,000 churches could be dying. He adds "Their time is short, perhaps ...read more

Scripture: Acts 8:4-12

Denomination: Baptist

Be The Church!

Contributed by Scott Bayles on Jun 2, 2009

This is an alliterated, textual sermon on "being the church", using Phoebe as an example. PowerPoint is avaible too, just e-mail me.

BE THE CHURCH! Scott R. Bayles, pastor First Christian Church, Rosiclare, IL A mega-church in Vista, California made headlines last October when they canceled all of their worship services over the weekend. Rather then meeting together in an air-conditioned sanctuary, North Coast Church closed its ...read more

Scripture: Romans 16:1-2

Denomination: Christian Church

Signs Of Being Spiritually Alive

Contributed by Travis L. Billings on Nov 26, 2018

The church has been struck by an illness called ‘worldliness’ and the church appears to be dead. This has often caused the world to give the church up for dead.

1. In the late 1800s, the city of Pikeville, Kentucky was shaken with an unknown disease, and the most tragic case of all was that of Octavia Smith Hatcher. After her infant son Jacob passed away in January 1891, Octavia went into a bedridden depression where she gradually became very ill and ...read more

Scripture: Luke 21:34-36, Matthew 24:13

Denomination: Charismatic

A Spiritual Church

Contributed by Ed Wood on Jul 12, 2008

One of Jesus’ last challenges to the Disciples/Church before the day of Pentecost.

A SPIRITUAL CHURCH Luke 24:49 INTRO: The text is part of Christ’s last commission to His disciples before the Church was organized after Pentecost. All candidates for God’s Church must have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. If our Church is ...read more

Scripture: Luke 24:49

Denomination: Baptist

Igniting A Lifeless Church Series

Contributed by Terry Blankenship on Feb 8, 2011

Have you ever wondered what it takes to ignite a dying church? Have you ever attended a dying church? No one wants to be in a dead, dull, dying church. What do you think it takes for a church to burn for Jesus?

Have you ever wondered what it takes to ignite a dying church? Have you ever attended a dying church? Introduction - A Dying Church An artist was once asked to put on canvas what he considered to be the picture best symbolizing a decaying and dying church. After several months, he returned and ...read more

Scripture: Mark 1:21-28

Denomination: Baptist

Shipwrecked: Our Condition Before Christ Series

Contributed by Paul Dayao on Sep 27, 2025

Using the analogy of a shipwreck, this sermon on Ephesians 2:1-3 explores Paul's stark description of our condition without Christ: spiritually dead, helplessly swept along by the currents of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and destined for God's just wrath.

Introduction Imagine a person who has survived a terrible shipwreck. They are floating alone in the middle of a vast, dark ocean. Though they are breathing and their heart is beating, are they truly alive? They are cut off from land, from safety, from any source of help. They are completely at the ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-3

Denomination: Baptist

Sardis: The Dying Church Series

Contributed by Gordon Pike on Feb 7, 2021

can a church that was once so full of life become a white-washed tomb full of dead men’s bones and rotting corpses? That, my fellow investigators, is our job this morning as “Christian Soul Investigators.” Get it? “CSI”

God morning, brothers and sisters! Welcome to “CSI: Canton.” For those of you who live in a cave and don’t have cable, “CSI” stands for “Crime Scene Investigation.” Now, CSI started out as a weekly crime show that literally began at the turn of the century … in the year 2000 … on CBS. The ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:1-6

Denomination: United Methodist

Church On Fire Series

Contributed by Jerry Shirley on Jan 6, 2004

A church that’s on fire for God is not only endued w/ power, but equal in position, and evangelistic in priority!

Church on Fire Acts 4:31-33 http://gbcdecatur.org/sermons/ChurchOnFire.html Don’t worry—if the church were truly on fire we wouldn’t announce it in the bulletin or by way of a sermon. But I’m proud to announce that this church is officially ‘on fire for God!’ Village atheist was not a bad man, ...read more

Scripture: Acts 4:31-33

Denomination: Baptist

A Holy People/An Instrument Of Change

Contributed by Vonnie E James on Dec 17, 2007

It about God calling people to be Holy ,people that He can use to cause change.

A Holy people/an instrument of change Presented at Grand Anse Baptist Church/23rd August 2007(Thursday)/Tone: Challenge 1 Peter 2:1/9 Introduction-Quote by Dr. Francis Schaeffer "The greatest creativity ever given is the ability of men, by their choices, to change the course of history." God gave ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:1-9

Denomination: Baptist

Overcoming Sinful Lifestyle

Contributed by Dan Santiago on Jan 10, 2008

Christian should live a life not dominated by sin.

OVERCOMING SINFUL LIFESTYLE ROMANS 6:1-23 INTRODUCTION Dr. Siang-Yang Tan in his book Lay Counseling challenges the church to become a caring community but miss the opportunity because the church is more often a museum for saints rather than a hospital for sinner. When Jesus was ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:1-23

Denomination: Baptist

Does God Want Us Better? Series

Contributed by Mike Fogerson on Jun 27, 2005

God is more concerned with us being deader than better.

Does God Want Us Better? (Galatians Series) Gal. 2.20 NASB June 26, 2005 Chester FBC, Chester, Illinois Mike Fogerson, Speaker INTRODUCTION: A Many people wear crosses around their necks or on their ears. We’re so used to seeing this that it doesn’t shock us. a If we say an electric ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 2:20

Denomination: Baptist

The Comfortable Church Series

Contributed by Dr. Jerry N. Watts on Sep 3, 2011

The church at Sardis had become arrogant and thus comfortable with their ’church.’ The result was compacency, apathy, and death. This should be a warning for churches today.

The Comfortable Church Revelation 3:1-6 * Having read about this church and preached this text many times, I have labored over the proper name for this church. Terms like dead, decaying, or dying, as well as confused, contented, or cozy, were tops on my list. However, comfortable is the ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:1-6

Denomination: Baptist

Christ The Liberator

Contributed by Chris Surber on Oct 6, 2007

Oh, that we would never let our Christianity become nothing more than a set of rituals and laws! Christ has set us free from sin not to enslave us to a new set of laws! If we are to live free from sin we have to allow our hearts to be filled with the grac

Christ the Liberator, John 8:31-36 Introduction You and I – we – are born into this lives wearing slaves shackles. They aren’t visible. We can’t see them because they are the shackles of sin. The Bible teaches us that all of us have received a sinful nature from our parents. Our parents ...read more

Scripture: John 8:31-36

Denomination: Christian Church

Aim To Win Series

Contributed by Steven Dow on Oct 22, 2004

Part 5 in the series "Victory In Jesus." If you want to win your inner showdown with sin, you must aim to win. Avoid negative influences. Initiate service to others. Make up your mind to be holy.

AIM TO WIN Victory In Jesus – Part 5 Galatians 5 October 24, 2004 Introduction: In the old days of the Wild West when two people got into a heated fight about something they sometimes had duels. Picture in your mind’s eye two dusty cowboys walking towards each other down main street. It is high ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:1-26