Sermons on Impure Motives:

The Donkey King

Contributed by Ajai Prakash on Apr 13, 2011

In a day when Christians in America are increasingly in a crusading posture to capture more political, social, and economic power, the picture of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a lowly donkey and anticipating intense opposition, rejection, and death makes

Opening illustration: Every spring, hundreds of Hollywood stars gather for the Academy Awards. Very few “slip in the back door:” instead, they make an entrance. They walk down the long red carpet, smiling at the cameras and waving to the people in the stands (who, by the way, all had to apply and ...read more

Scripture: Luke 19:28-40

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Slave To Sin Or Slave To Righteousness

Contributed by Chris Tiller on Nov 17, 2005

Simon the Sorcerer showed wrong understanding and wrong motivation in his desire to purchase the gift of the Spirit. Some times bad examples make good teachers.

Luke is a story-teller, a narrator, a writer of historical biography. Paul, in his letters, provides guidance and encouragement through mostly through direct teaching—exposing false teachings and explaining right understanding. Luke, in his gospel and in Acts, provides guidance and encouragement ...read more

Scripture: Acts 8:9-25

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Intimacy With God

Contributed by Johnny Rickman on Oct 14, 2005

God’s desire is to have intimacy with His children

Intimacy John 11 INTIMACY: Innermost. Marked by very close association, contact, or familiarity. Marked by warm friendship. Suggesting informal warmth or privacy. Of a very personal or private nature. The greatest underlying truth in the Bible is that God did not create us, nor does ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

The Twelve Men Who Shaped The World, Part 4 - James, Son Of Thunder Series

Contributed by Warren Lamb on Jul 15, 2006

Have you ever known someone whose aggressive, ambitious personality just rubbed you the wrong way? Have you known someone who was so self-seeking that you couldn’t help but hope something humiliating would happen to them, just to teach them a lesson?

In The Service Of The Master – Part 4 The Twelve Men Who Shaped The World – Session 4 James Matthew 10:1-4 Have you ever known someone whose aggressive, ambitious personality just rubbed you the wrong way? Have you known someone who was so self-seeking that you couldn’t help but hope something ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 10:1-4

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Caution! God's Favor ... Handle With Care Series

Contributed by Joel Smith on Feb 23, 2009

God’s gifts are ultimately for God’s glory. Use them well.

This week I’ve begun reading a new book by one of my favorite authors, Malcolm Gladwell, titled Outliers: The Story of Success. The premise of the book is simple: no successful person is a self-made man; everyone who gets to the top had a lot advantages, help, and luck. He devotes two chapters to ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 39:1-23

Denomination: Baptist

What Kind Of Spirit Do You Have Part#2

Contributed by Melvin Maughmer, Jr. on Feb 7, 2021

One of the greatest hindrances you will encounter in your Christian walk is that of the religious spirit. Religious spirits endeavor to interfere with the free flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

What Kind of Spirit Do you Have? By Bishop Melvin Maughmer Part #2 OPENING: - Last night before I went to bed, I was watching the local news and this church here in Florida received a violation for violating covid restrictions. They didn’t have a permit to have the event that had several thousand ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 16:6, Matthew 23:1-31

Denomination: Apostolic

Journey Through Acts (Part 4) Series

Contributed by Scott Bayles on Jan 16, 2024

In Acts 5, we encounter the tale of Ananias and Sapphira. The essential elements of the story—the deception, the devil, the deaths, and the dread—work together to remind us that sin and Satan are serious obstacles in our journey with Jesus.

The Journey: Following Jesus through Acts (4) Scott Bayles, pastor Scripture: Acts 5:1-11 Blooming Grove Christian Church: 7/16/2017 If you were with us the last couple weeks, you know we began a ten-week journey through the book of Acts. The book of Acts picks up right where the Gospels leave off ...read more

Scripture: Acts 5:1-11

Denomination: Christian Church

Guarding Against Deception Series

Contributed by D. Dewaine Phillips on Jan 7, 2022

Once we cast a vision and begin laying hold of the Promised Land, we need to watch out for deceptive people; those who creep into the fold to snatch away our vision, and plunder our hard-earned spoils in an act of spiritual piracy.

Once we cast a vision and begin laying hold of the Promised Land, we need to watch out for dream catchers! Now, when I speak of dream catchers, I am not referring to the round wooden frame resembling a spider’s web, which was handcrafted by the Ojibwa tribe of Native Americans for the purpose of ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 9:3-15

Denomination: Baptist

"give Till It Feels Good" Series

Contributed by David Henderson on Nov 3, 2020

Paul names 7 of these spiritual gifts and I like to refer to them as motivational gifts. They are what motivates you; what drives you and makes you who you are and if you use these gifts throughout your lifetime you will be very effective in God’s work.

UNWRAPPING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS” “Give Till it feels Good” Romans 12:3-8 and 2 Corinthians 8:1-7 So in our series titled “Unwrapping your Spiritual Gifts” we are talking about 7 spiritual gifts that Paul mentions in Romans 12. Listen now. Now in that list we have already covered the spiritual ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:3-9, 2 Corinthians 8:1-7

Denomination: Baptist

A Square Inch Of Hell Series

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Oct 7, 2022

Why did Jesus talk so much about hell? It's not a real popular topic even today and its hard to think it would have been then. What possible reason would Jesus have for stressing it during His ministry?

OPEN: There’s a small town in Michigan, about 60 miles west of Detroit. It’s a small community of about 80 people, and the name of this little town is (pause) Hell... Hell, Michigan. It always seems to make the news during the winter time, when newspapers joke about HELL FREEZING OVER. They ...read more

Scripture: Luke 16:19-31

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Faith Additives

Contributed by Derrick Tuper on Nov 29, 2020

An additive is something that's added to something to make it better in some way. People usually don't eat a hamburger plain, they add a condiment to make it taste better. Today we'll look at some things that Peter says we need to add to our faith.

FAITH ADDITIVES 2nd Peter 1:4-11 An additive is something that's added to something to make it better in some way. Food additives. Some additives are not good for us. Things like artificial flavors or coloring (red dye #40), high fructose corn syrup and aspartame are not good additives. Some ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:4-11, Acts 2:38-39, 2 Peter 3:13, 2 Corinthians 7:1, Galatians 6:10  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Cain And Abel - The Story Of Everyman

Contributed by Owen Bourgaize on May 22, 2002

The story of Everyman is in the lives of Cain and Abel, So Different in the their Perspective of Life, Motivation for Worship, Sacrifice Offered and Reactions

CAIN AND ABEL - THE STORY OF EVERYMAN The Bible story of Adam and Eve, our first parents, in the Garden of Eden before their Fall, show the perfect life of happiness and fulfilment that could have been theirs. But it wasn’t to be. It ends with the guilty pair being driven out, with cherubim and a ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 4:1-12, Genesis 4:1-18

Denomination: Baptist

When God Uses The Underdogs!

Contributed by Izak Shipman on Jun 8, 2002

A Sermon to stay commited and motivated even when you think you mean nothing, espesialy for small churches.

Gen 14:1-16 A: Introduction: · Here we have the first war of the Bible: · Seems to me as if it was a huge war. · Something similar to Hitler’s war. It’s estimated that from 2 678 wars in the 12th century, the total increased to 13 835 in the first quarter of the 19th Century. Wilbur Smith ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:27, Genesis 14:1-16

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Why Were The Wise Men Wise?

Contributed by Ken Harris on Jan 11, 2001

The purpose of this sermon is to motivate the hearers to affirm to others that men have been brought from far to WORSHIP CHRIST.

U.S. Army Chaplain (MAJ) Ken Harris, Jr. Fort Stewart, Georgia I. ANNOUNCE THE PERICOPE: Matthew 2:1-12 II. THE LARGER CONTEXT: Now, before we begin, allow me to share with you some HISTORICAL TRUES regarding THE BOOK OF MATTHEW. For example, in the Book of ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12, Matthew 2:1-2

Denomination: Pentecostal

How Jesus Learned Obedience Through The Things He Suffered

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Oct 18, 2000

Believers should also be motivated by the knowledge that their heavenly Father both blesses obedience and disciplines disobedience in His children

How Jesus Learned Obedience Through Hardship (Heb 5:8) "He learned obedience through the things He suffered." (Heb 5:8) Everyone who wants to make a success out of his or her life has to remain teachable. Jesus humbled Himself by temporarily setting aside His rights to take on the form of a ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 2:10

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational