Sermons on Grains Of Sand:

Prayer And The Chronically Unhappy

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Apr 21, 2010

For Reformation Sunday, October 1987: Job in the Old Testament and Luther in the Reformation Era were chronically unhappy people, but used that as a form of spiritual energy to drive them toward creative achievement and an honest personal faith.

It looks as though some people are just born to be unhappy. There are some people who are going to approach nearly everything with a complaint or a gripe, who are going to make a personal issue out of everything. Nothing is quite good enough, nothing quite satisfies. There are folks whose ...read more

Scripture: Job 6:8-13

Denomination: Baptist

Developing Durability, Making My Relationships Last Series

Contributed by Brian Atwood on May 29, 2009

Making my relationships last by learning why and how to keep my commitments to others.

A college man walked into a photography store with a framed picture of his girlfriend. He wanted the picture duplicated. This involved removing it from the frame. In doing this, the storeowner noticed the inscription on the back of the photograph: “My dearest Jim, I love you with all my heart. I ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 18:3-4

Denomination: Baptist

It Will Be Worth It All

Contributed by John Gaston on Jan 31, 2019

We look at comparisons that will bring our own sufferings into right perspective and see the reasons it will be "worth it all" to serve Jesus.

It Will Be Worth It All Romans 8:18; 2 Cor. 4:17 INTRODUCTION A. HUMOR 1. Two elderly women were out driving in a large car -- both could barely see over the dashboard. As they were cruising along, they came to an intersection. The stop light was red, but they just went on through. The woman ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:18, 2 Corinthians 4:17

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Get Your Weather Report Here

Contributed by Steve Shepherd on Dec 5, 2006

1- We must interpret the times, not the seasons 2- We must beware of the yeast, not the bread 3- We must cling to the rock, not the sand

INTRO.- ILL.- It was autumn, and the Indians on the remote reservation asked their new Chief if the winter was going to be cold or mild. Since he was a new Indian Chief in a modern society, he had never been taught the old secrets, and when he looked at the sky, he couldn’t tell what the weather ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 16:1-20, Matthew 17:1

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Taken To The Limit Series

Contributed by Larry Turner on Mar 12, 2016

God would take Abraham to the limit of obedience when He asked for Isaac as a sacrifice

Native hunters in the jungles of Africa have a clever way of trapping monkeys. They slice a coconut in two, hollow it out, and in one half of the shell cut a hole just big enough for a monkey’s hand to pass through. Then they place an orange in the other coconut half before fastening ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 22:1-17

Denomination: Foursquare

Sermon # 12 - Sow Generously - Reap Bountifully Series

Contributed by Andrew Dixon on Apr 3, 2023

What are we doing with all that God has entrusted to us? Are we keeping them for ourselves or sowing to reap a great harvest? See what happened when men and women of God sowed in spite of all odds and thereby

In Exodus 14:15-16 we read, “The LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to move forward [toward the sea]. As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, so that the sons of Israel may go through the middle of the sea on dry land.” ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 14:15-16, Genesis 26:1, Genesis 26:12, 2 Corinthians 9:10, 1 Kings 17:7-9, 1 Kings 17:12, 1 Kings 17:13-14, Genesis 22:2, Genesis 22:10-11, Genesis 22:17-18  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Other

Snout Beetle

Contributed by Bala Samson on Sep 9, 2013

Treating a weevil infestation means throwing out all contaminated food and grains. It may seem drastic, but this will prevent the possibility of an egg or weevil going undetected and starting the cycle again.

Snout Beetle! 1 Thessalonians 5:22 “Abstain from every form of evil.” Weevil also called snout beetle has a downward-curving snout! They are destructive to nuts, fruits, stems, and roots; they are pests, feeding on plants and gnawing away at the roots. Another word for them is ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:22

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Kingdom Jesus Built Series

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Aug 2, 2024

Jesus was born to be a King... but what was the Kingdom He came to build?

A man told about growing up on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. He often spent hours on the beach creating intricate sand castles and he said he could build whole cities with his hands every day. But one year (for several days in a row) there was a group of bullies that came down to beach and ...read more

Scripture: Daniel 7:13-14

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Building On The Rock Series

Contributed by D. Dewaine Phillips on Mar 18, 2024

Those who heed the message of a false prophet are unwise, building their hope on an unstable foundation. Jesus discusses "doing" vs. "doing his will," as many who proclaim to do works in His name will wind up in hell.

Our message today picks up where we left off, where Jesus warned us about false prophets who are ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothing (cf. Matthew 7:15-20). When I preached from that passage, I began with the fairy tale of “Little Red Riding Hood” and the wolf as our opening illustration. This ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:21-27

Denomination: Baptist

A Mountain Out Of A Molehill Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 28, 2021

When we look at the life of Jesus we discover He was a Master at making mountains out of molehills. He was always finding the sublime in that which was simple. He used the insignificant over and over for the basis of inspiration.

Basil Matthews tells of being in a little Arabian village and seeing a tall Arab boy playing a flute in the dusty streets. He was surprised and asked the boy if he could examine the instrument. He discovered it was made out of an old gun barrel. The boy had found it on a nearby battlefield. ...read more

Scripture: Mark 14:22-25

The Parable Of Hidden Treasure Series

Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Jun 25, 2011

How can someone become a citizen of God’s kingdom and a member of His family? Through Matthew alone of the Synoptic Gospels, he preserves: 1) The Parable of the Hidden Treasure (Matthew 13:44), 2) The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value (Matthew 13:45–46

Buried treasure is the stuff of popular stories (a more colorful equivalent of winning the lottery today), but also in the ancient world a more realistic possibility than it is today, even with the help of a metal-detector. Before banking was generally established, to hide wealth in the form of ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:44-46

Denomination: Other

A Crescendo Of Praise

Contributed by Steve Heartsill on Nov 26, 2000

What kind of praise does God expect from us?

A CRESCENDO OF PRAISE Psalm 150 As you know, all of my life, I have been a fan of Alabama football. Even though we have lived in several states and different parts of the country and I know that every state has an intense football rivalry, nothing I have ever seen compares to the annual Alabama ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 150:1-6

Denomination: Baptist

The Credit Goes To God

Contributed by Gregg Bitter on Sep 19, 2010

As he did for Gideon, the Lord often places us in situations that seem impossible. He trains us to give up on our own strength and trust in him alone, relying only on his promises, so that the credit goes to God.

Text: Judges 7:1-8 Theme: The Credit Goes to God Season: Pentecost 17c Date: September 19, 2010 Web page: http://hancocklutheran.org/sermons/The-Credit-Goes-to-God-Judges7_1-8.html Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The Word from God ...read more

Scripture: Judges 7:1-8

Denomination: Lutheran

The Trivial And The Tremendous

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 13, 2021

As the light of the world, it is the Christians job to help the world see the difference between the truly trivial, and the trivial that can be tremendous.

On April 18, 1906 San Francisco went through the worst catastrophe of California history. An earthquake devastated the city, and a fire broke out that left that once thriving metropolis a heap of smoldering ruins. The cost in lives and property was beyond calculation. Yet, in the midst of all this ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:18-19

The Prize Of Salvation (August 27, 2017).

Contributed by John Williams Iii on Aug 14, 2020

The merchant’s search for the pearl was intentional. The man’s discovery of the treasure was by accident. Yet, both were, sacrificing all that they had in order to purchase their find.

THE PRIZE OF SALVATION Text: Matthew 13:44-46 Just recently, people came from all over the United States into our area and state to see the eclipse. There are some, like me, whose view of the eclipse was probably obscured by the clouds. There were many others who paid the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:44-46

Denomination: United Methodist