Sermons on Serious:

Recognizing (And Recovering From) Spiritual Abuse

Contributed by Jim Miller on May 18, 2003

Spiritually abused Christians and spiritual abusers are more prevalent than you may think. This sermon identifies spiritual abuse and offers some remedies.

INTRODUCTION I am a victim of spiritual abuse. And, chances are, if you have been a member of a church or religious organization for any length of time, you are too. Spiritual abuse surfaces in an assortment of forms: sometimes in-your-face flagrant; other times behind-your-back subtle. It emerges ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 23:1-11

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Family Affair

Contributed by Clark Tanner on Nov 6, 2000

Either you is, or you ain't

It is important to point out at the beginning, that the reason Jesus’ mother and brothers have come is to take Him quietly back home to Nazareth. They think He has gone crazy. They’re probably slightly embarrassed; standing outside this crowded house, asking someone nearer the door to call ...read more

Scripture: Mark 3:31-35

Denomination: Orthodox

Knee Bowed And Body Bent Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 19, 2000

Since body language communicates our real feelings, we must pay attention to how we present our bodies to God -- in the words of James Weldon Johnson, "knee-bowed", ready to submit our wills to His; and "body-bent", ready to work for things that matter.

You may not speak a great many foreign languages, but there is one language other than English at which most of us are proficient. That is body language. Whether our mouths can pronounce strange sounds or whether our eyes can make any sense out of different alphabets, we can see body language. ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1-10

Denomination: Baptist

True Disciples Part Two

Contributed by Larry Sarver on Jun 21, 2001

An Expository Sermon From Luke 6:43-49 On The Two Attributes That Identify True Disciples. Part Two

True Disciples Part 2 Read Luke 6:46-49 Illustration: When I was in the Army many years ago I was a military policeman at for Ft. Irwin, California. While on duty one day we got word that a submachine gun popularly known as a "grease gun" had been reported stolen. This is an extremely serious ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:43-49

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Purpose Of Temptation

Contributed by Chris Smith on Jul 21, 2001

Our immediate reaction to a heartache, or a successful achievement that took years to overcome, must be one of getting ready for the next hurdle. If you don’t have any hurdles to jump in your life – if there aren’t any goals set for you right now – if yo

The Purpose of Temptation Chris Smith Matthew 4:1-2 Oscar Wilde once said that he could resist everything except temptation. An old cartoon had the two characters looking at each other with a caption below them saying, “How come opportunity knocks only once, but temptation beats the door down ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 4:1-2, Matthew 4:1-11

Denomination: Baptist

How Ecclesiates Can Make Us Wise. Series

Contributed by Andrew Chan on Jun 3, 2001

Manuscript: Is this Inspired error? Explore that and see if that’s true and then see how this helps us be wise.

How Ecclesiates Can Make us Wise. Text: Eccl. 1:1-2 “Series on Living Wisely in a Meaningless Word” By Andrew Chan, Senior Pastor, PBC, Vancouver, BC June 3, 2001 Today a new series… on Pentecost Sunday, lives of bunch of cowardly disciples were changed forever… fearful once they were, ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 1:1-2

Denomination: Evangelical Free

How To Control Your Anger Series

Contributed by Jim Mooney on Feb 9, 2001

When you have a disagreement with someone you love, you don’t want to hurt them by allowing your anger to get the best of you.

HOW TO GAIN CONTROL OF YOUR ANGER I CORINTHIANS 13:5 JOKE: There was an elderly woman preparing to park her expensive Cadillac when a young high school student cut her off and stole her parking place. The young man jumped out of his car and shouted " OH, TO BE YOUNG AND FAST ". The older lady ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:5

Denomination: Pentecostal

Trials And Temptations

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Mar 4, 2001

We have to endure trials, resist temptations and take responsibility for our own lives.

Oscar Wilde, the Irish born writer, liked to say, “I can resist anything … except temptation!” Wilde also believed: “The best way to deal with temptation is to yield to it!” All of us deal with temptation. If a person is not a Christian they just give in to temptation. But temptation is ...read more

Scripture: James 1:1-15

Denomination: Methodist

Hearing And Doing

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Mar 14, 2001

To be a genuine Christian we must be intentional about our spiritual lives, we must be consistent, and we must endure.

On February 18 of this year, we heard the disturbing news that Robert Hanssen, a 25-year veteran of the FBI and expert in counterintelligence, had been arrested on espionage charges. He is accused of passing top-secret information to the Soviet Union — and later Russia — starting in 1985. ...read more

Scripture: James 1:19-25

Denomination: Methodist

How Do I Know That God Exists?

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Oct 28, 2001

We offer three agruments: 1. Cosmological -- God’s fingerprint is on the cosmos. 2. Teleological -- God’s design is seen in the universe. 3. Anthropological -- God’s character is reflected in mankind.

Jim Carrey plays one of his more serious roles in the 1998 movie The Truman Show. It is a fascinating film in which Carrey plays Truman (True Man) Burbank, a young man who was adopted as a newborn by the OmniCam Corporation. OmniCam has created a movie set the size of a city and places Truman in ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 5:1-5

Denomination: Methodist

Lessons We Learn From 9.1.1. Series

Contributed by Rick Shockley on Nov 10, 2001

This sermon is about the hope we have in Christ in spite of the tragedy of 9.1.1.

2 Corinthians 4:7-18 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. [8] We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; [9] persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. [10] We ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:7-18, Philippians 4:6-7

Is God Suffering Cabin Fever - 1

Contributed by Gary Regazzoli on Nov 6, 2003

Is the Church building God’s Spiritual temple or has it slipped into spiritual apathy?

God is suffering “Cabin Fever” – Haggai 1:1-4 Special thanks to Robert Robb for his sermon outline www.sermoncentral.com Cabin Fever • Gabbie having to live in a shed for 6 years with three kids while their house was going to be built. Originally told it would only be 2 years • I used to love ...read more

Scripture: Haggai 1:1-4

Denomination: Christian Church

Two Faces Of Faith - The Cross And The Crown Series

Contributed by Jason Pettibone on Apr 29, 2002

Faith is marked by a paradox. Sometimes we appear to lose in order to win!

Two Faces of Faith - the Crown and the Cross Text: Hebrews 11: 13, 32-40; 12: 1-3 What an inspiration to faith we’ve found in this 11th chapter of Hebrews! It’s one of the great passages of the Bible, worthy of a commitment to study and meditation. I hope you that the Word has fired up ...read more

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Get It Right...again! Series

Contributed by Paul Decker on May 8, 2002

Get the gospel right.

GETTING IT RIGHT…AGAIN Galatians 2:11-14 S: Maintaining the Truth of the Gospel Th: “Grace-Full Living” Pr: Get the gospel right. ?: What? What keeps us from getting it right? KW: Obstructions TS: We will find in our study of Galatians 2:11-14, three obstructions that keep us from getting the ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 2:11-14

Denomination: Baptist

Glimpse Of Heaven Series

Contributed by David Jenkins on Oct 21, 2004

Glimpse of Heaven

Today people have an unprecedented longing to understand spiritual things. People will go to “mediums” or spiritualists and pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars in an attempt to “touch” the supernatural. Despite all these claims of going to heaven and the Lord, the person returning with a ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 4:1-11

Denomination: Independent/Bible