Sermons on Desperate Measures:

Sour Grapes Series

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Jul 1, 2011

God planted Israel - both the old and the new - to bear fruit. At harvest time, only the good fruit will be kept.

This passage is another tough one, dealing with wrath and judgment and punishment. And as you know scaring people into the kingdom is not my favorite style, although it may very well be that fear is a better motivator for some people than it is for me. But in our day and age, it’s more ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 14:14-20

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Sodom & Gomorrah Pt. 2 “a Tale Of Calamity” Series

Contributed by Sean Harder on Feb 17, 2010

How does God choose who He gives mercy to? God saves and God judges, and their is consequence for sin even if we are saved.

How does God choose who he shows mercy to? Watching the events in Haiti over the last couple of weeks, you hear of many survivors who have had limbs amputated, others who died quickly and painlessly, still others who slowly and painfully passed away, and then a fellow was pulled out two weeks after ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 19:12-29

The Truth About Moab Series

Contributed by Christopher Benfield on Jun 4, 2020

Naomi found herself in a desperate situation in Moab. Having left Bethlehem due to a famine, Moab had not brought the abundance they desired. Losing her husband and sons to death in Moab, Naomi was left there with only her daughters-in-law, but hope and grace were available in Bethlehem.

The Truth About Moab Ruth 1: 1-7 Today I want to begin our study in the wonderful book of Ruth. Within this portion of Scripture, we find one of the greatest pictures of grace presented in the Bible. This biblical account focuses on three main characters: Ruth, a pagan girl from Moab who ...read more

Scripture: Ruth 1:1-7

Denomination: Baptist

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Mar 2, 2008

The cry of the inner child remains the same. We desperately want someone to love us. Love me for me. Charles Spurgeon (English preacher of the 19th century) said, “God chose me before I was born; for he never would have chosen me afterwards!”

The childish art of love – pulling the petals from a flower and reciting, “(s)he loves me, (s)he loves me not” – left love to chance. Even rigged it because if you start a certain way you end up where you want to – “(s)he love me!” Prance off feeling hopeful that love has a chance! The cry of the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:38-39

Denomination: Salvation Army

Answering His Critics Series

Contributed by David Owens on Apr 26, 2010

Paul had his critics there in Corinth and in this last section of the letter Paul makes a strong defense against them. We learn some helpful things from Paul about dealing with our own critics.

Introduction: A. The story is told about D.L. Moody, one of the most effective American evangelists of the 1800s. 1. Like all preachers, he had some supporters and some critics. 2. One day we went into the pulpit to give his sermon. 3. He looked down on the podium and noticed a note for ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 10:1-18

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Build A Memorial

Contributed by Thomas Dibble on May 21, 2003

Build a memorial of the great things that God has done for you in your life. He has been good to us. He has blessed us beyond measure. When we didn’t deserve it God was good to us.

Memorial Day is a public legal holiday in the United States of America and among its armed forces worldwide. It honors U.S. citizens who have died in war fighting for the freedom that we now enjoy. This day was originally set aside to honor those who died in the Civil War and then later on it was ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 4:1-7

Denomination: Pentecostal

Receiving Constructive Criticism Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jun 20, 2003

The way in which we hear others’ criticism is a measure of our own spiritual maturity. Some criticism is intended only to hurt, and reveals the critics’ issues. But we need to hear the truth, and if we see the suffering of Christ, that puts into perspec

How would you feel about taking a psychological test today? Sort of a verbal Rorschach. Let me paint a word picture for you, and then we’ll see what comes to your mind. You are running a marathon race. You have practiced hard, and have now entered a 10K race. You have been told that it is ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-13

Denomination: Baptist

Overcoming Tendencies To Judge

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Jun 20, 2003

Realize that in the way you judge or criticize others, God will hold you to the same standard. Jesus said, "Do not judge or you too will be judged. For in the same way as you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measu

Overcoming Tendencies to Judge What are the problems with trying to play the role of a judge over others? Illustration:Angry cynical people die young. Men who score high for hostility on standard tests are four times more likely to die prematurely than men whose scores are low. Bottom Line, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:1-3

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Is The Pastor Eligible?-2

Contributed by Byron Sherman on Apr 13, 2010

Part 2 of a 2-part sermon. Paul told Titus that the focus of his work on Crete was to bring order to the churches & appoint qualified elders. Pastors must meet certain qualifications. But What are they? Pastoral eligibility is measured by...

Is The Pastor Eligible?-II—Titus 1:5-9 Attention: The churches of Crete were saved but were lacking the finesse necessary to accomplishing their mission. They were not yet organized for ministry. A pastor by the name of Titus, was charged with the fortunate task, of straightening out those ...read more

Scripture: Titus 1:5-9

Denomination: Baptist

The Changing Church And The Changeless Christ

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 29, 2010

We are in transitional times; we will be helped through transition if we remember who got us here and why, but if we also remain wary of popular bandwagons. The ultimate measure is whether we have been faithful to Christ's call.

Gethsemane Baptist Church, Washington, DC, Nov. 24, 1996 Some folks are allergic to change. They want everything to be just as it always was. They get used to things and they want everything to stay put. Some folks just won’t deal with change. A few weeks ago the electricity went out at ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 13:7-16

Denomination: Baptist

Is The Pastor Eligible?-1

Contributed by Byron Sherman on Mar 18, 2010

Part 1 of a 2-part sermon. Paul told Titus that the focus of his work on Crete was to bring order to the churches & appoint qualified elders. Pastors must meet certain qualifications. But What are they? Pastoral eligibility is measured by...

IS THE PASTOR ELIGIBLE?-I—Titus 1:5-9 Attention: The churches of Crete were saved but were lacking the finesse necessary to accomplishing their mission. They were not yet organized for ministry. A pastor by the name of Titus, was charged with the fortunate task, of straightening out those aspects ...read more

Scripture: Titus 1:5-9

Denomination: Baptist

The Infinite Love Of Christ

Contributed by Paul Davidson on May 20, 2016

How can we begin to comprehend what cannot possibly be measured? Let's explore the many dimensions of the love of Christ and try our best to wrap our minds around how infinite His love is for us.

INTRODUCTION My wife and her brother inherited some land in the United States after their father died several years ago. I can tell you some facts about the land… it’s about 180 acres… about half of it is forest with a stream running across the property… the rest is pasture land for raising ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:17-19

Denomination: Baptist

Advantages Of A Strong Small Church Pt 1

Contributed by David Welch on Aug 4, 2018

This message shares some of my thinking from a brief exploration of the character and place of the small church. I credit a large measure of my thinking to the author of the "Grasshopper Myth" by Karl Vater. I include and credit a number of quotes to him

Chico Alliance Church Pastor David Welch “The Advantages of the Small Church” Introduction I have wrestled most of my ministry career with the subject of church growth and health; what constitutes success. Numerous movements and strategies have come and gone. Nearly all the conferences for ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:11-16

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Put On Humility

Contributed by Margaret Olubiyi on Aug 8, 2018

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Apostle Paul in our main scripture text is cautioning every believer to be truthful(honest)as you evaluate yourself, not thinking of yourself or believing that you are better than you are. I categorize this phrase under "pride." When you think about pride, it is saying to yourself and ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:3, 1 Peter 5:5-7

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Lord, Help My Unbelief Series

Contributed by T.j. Conwell on Aug 24, 2014

Being greatest in the Kingdom of God is measured by how we serve one another, in our service to God. This is why Jesus is adamant about welcoming even the LEAST of those around us who need to experience Christ's mercy and grace.

Lord, help my unbelief Mark 9:14-37 - Jesus is demonstrated in this book as a “servant” -- Key verse: Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” - IMP: What God says to us here is critical ...read more

Scripture: Mark 9:14-37

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational