Sermons on An Empty Tomb:

Easter's Surprises

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jan 1, 2001

What God does is eternal -- We are surprised by significance. What God does is impossible -- We are surprised by power. What God does is unexpected -- We are surprised by joy.

I will never forget walking into the funeral home several years ago to meet with the family who had just lost a 40-year-old son and husband. He was not dressed in a typical suit, but a pair of bib overhauls and a dirty ball cap. He had died of a heart attack, but in the pocket of his ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 1:1-4

Denomination: Methodist

If Christ Was Not Raised

Contributed by Alan Smith on Aug 16, 2002

If Christ was not raised, then there are some drastic consequences.

Introduction: I want to share with you a story about a little boy named Philip. Philip was born with Down’s Syndrome. He was a happy child, but there was a lot of difference between him and other children his age. Philip went to Sunday School faithfully every week. He was in the third grade ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:12-22

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Good Friday Meditation 2014 Series

Contributed by Chris Appleby on Mar 11, 2017

Four Episodes from John's account of the Passion, including four sonnets by Malcolm Guite - Jesus is Condemned to Death; Jesus is stripped of his garments; Crucifixion: Jesus is nailed to the cross; Jesus is laid in the tomb.

[All Sonnets are from "Sounding the Seasons ; seventy Sonnets for the Christian Year", by Malcolm Guite, Canterbury Press 2012. Used with permission - https://malcolmguite.wordpress.com/tag/good-friday/] 1. Jesus is Condemned to Death - Sonnet 1 John 18:19-24; John 18:28-38 The ...read more

Denomination: Anglican

More Than Hatch, Match, And Dispatch Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 13, 2000

The church is for far more than empty ceremony on occasions demanded by tradition; it is the steward of new life, with a rich and full experience that employs the diversity of gifts God has given it.

Last week you seemed to get a big charge out of my little story about going to a wedding rehearsal and wasting time waiting for a key person to arrive. When I said that I didn’t know what we’d do on Sunday afternoon if he didn’t show up, you let out a belly laugh. You assumed I was talking about ...read more

Scripture: Ezekiel 37:1-14

Denomination: Baptist

Name Above All Names: "The Lamb Of God" Series

Contributed by Jim Black on Jan 22, 2004

To celebrate in Communion Jesus as the perfect, complete & triumphal Lamb that takes away the sins of the world.. including my own.

Name Above All Names: “The Lamb of God” John 1:29-34 Focus: Jesus is the perfect, complete & triumphal Lamb that takes away the sins of the world. Function: To encourage trust and faith in the triumphant Lamb of God by celebrating his victory thru communion. Maybe the hardest story in ...read more

Scripture: John 1:29-34, Philippians 2:9-11

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Re: New Series

Contributed by Brian Bill on Apr 4, 2010

Renewal is only possible through rebirth.

RE: NEW 1 Corinthians 15:17-20 Rev. Brian Bill 4/4/10 Many of you can relate to that drama because your life feels like it’s made up of “Shattered Pieces.”  Whether you’re a skeptic or a sufferer or you’re satisfied, I want to propose that since Christianity is a ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:17-20

Denomination: Baptist

Dare To Believe Again Series

Contributed by Steven Simala Grant on Mar 12, 2003

Mary Magdalene’s grief turns to joy when she meets the resurrected Jesus. Jesus calls our name into our grief as well.

Dare to Believe Again – “Up From The Grave: Lent Series” John 20:10-18 March 8/9, 2003 Intro: All of us have had “decisive moments” in our lives – moments which change the direction of our life in a decisive way. They are moments etched in our memories, ones we’ll never forget. Some are ...read more

Scripture: John 20:10-18

Denomination: Baptist

An Easter Exodus

Contributed by Mark Opperman on May 18, 2011

Jesus came to set people free, and His death and resurrection provided for that. I’d like to look at some parallels between God's deliverance of Israel from Egypt and how He delivers us from bondage in our lives.

An Easter Exodus Matthew 11:28 Intro: Nearly every Easter I make it a point to take another look at why I believe in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. And as I look at my own spiritual journey over the years, I can identify several pieces of evidence that have strengthened my belief that ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:28

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Barabbas And The Gospel

Contributed by Clark Tanner on Feb 12, 2002

Barabbas becomes a type of all mankind under the sentence of death. A sermon for Easter

There was a man in Palestine who appeared on history’s scene just briefly, then vanished again. We know very little about him, except that he was arrested by Roman authorities for insurrection (which is rebellion against a government authority), and murder. Now it is probably fairly safe to ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 27:15-26

Denomination: Orthodox

Feel The Burn?

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Jun 3, 2001

Does your heart burn in a good sense?

Athletes while training speak of feeling the burn. Those of us who are not athletic and have had a past life of alcohol consumption might think of the warmth that spreads over your body after a shot of whiskey as feeling the burn or the sensation as it passes through your throat. True Disciples ...read more

Scripture: Luke 24:13-36, Mark 16:7, John 21:15-17, Romans 11:29, Matthew 5:22  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

An Indispensable Resurrection

Contributed by Byron Sherman on Apr 29, 2010

The Corinthian’s faith was founded upon the fact of Jesus’ resurrection & thus is our Christian faith. Why is the resurrection indispensable to the Christian faith? A Dispensable resurrection yields a....

An INDISPENSABLE RESURRECTION—1Corinthians 15:12-19 The Corinthian’s faith was founded upon the fact of Jesus’ resurrection. The Christian faith is founded upon Jesus’ resurrection. Why is Christian faith grounded in the resurrection? OR.... Why is the resurrection key/central/indispensable to ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:12-19

Denomination: Baptist

Some Thoughts On The Lords Prayer

Contributed by Christopher Holdsworth on Feb 9, 2020

A Corporate, Intimate, Reverent Prayer.

SOME THOUGHTS ON THE LORD’S PRAYER. Matthew 6:7-15. In the expression, “When you (all) pray” (Matthew 6:7), Jesus assumes that His disciples (in all ages) WILL pray. A prayer-less Christian is like a man or a woman who does not speak to their nearest and dearest! Can you imagine it? ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:7-15

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Gonna Need A Bigger Cup

Contributed by G W Bill Elliott Jr on Nov 30, 2019

Typically, we stop pouring fluid as the container is filling to the rim. Too often, we tend to ease-up on God's calling on our lives because we sense we are filling up. He wants us to go get a bigger cup, through!

No, this is not a story about the whole ‘glass half full’, or ‘glass half empty’ debate. In fact, the late George Carlin once observed, “Maybe the glass is just twice as big as it needs to be!“… he then proceeded on a tirade of how we overthink, over-analyze, and certainly over-debate about such ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 21:22, Luke 6:38, Matthew 7:13-14, Psalm 23:5

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Is Jesus Mark On You?

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Sep 29, 2023

The trademark of the living Christ should be something that others will clearly notice and readily recognize upon those that call themselves followers of the Christ. Yield to the Holy Spirit allow him to mold you and transform you more and more into the image of Jesus.

If we are Honest ... Often ... When we are shopping, ...... we will look for name brands that we know. For brands ... that we ... trust. We often recognize those products ... by their trademarks ...... or by ... their ... logos. Companies spend millions of dollars on research ... in order that ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:1-13, Ephesians 4:4, James 3:8-10, John 13:15, Matthew 20:26-28, Matthew 5:16  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Anglican

Sermon 5: Easter Questions Series

Contributed by Chuck Sligh on Apr 21, 2019

Mary Magdalene had to answer 3 questions on Easter morning, the same questions we all must ask.

Sermon 5: Easter Questions 82 Hours: Countdown to the Resurrection Chuck Sligh Preaching April 21, 2019 TEXT: John 20:1-18 – “The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. 2 Then she runneth, and ...read more

Scripture: John 20:1-20

Denomination: Baptist