Sermons on Spiritual Growth And Insight:

The Pursuit Of Purity

Contributed by Matt Skiles on Jun 10, 2021

God says we are to keep ourselves pure. God expects us to be holy – separated from anything that would defile us. We are to be like Him.

1 Timothy 4:12-Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 1 Timothy 5:22-Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure. Christian believers are called to ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 5:22

Denomination: Pentecostal

Are You A Sleepwalking Christian?

Contributed by John Gaston on Jul 14, 2021

Sleepwalkers may look awake, but they're asleep, even if they're driving a car! In this message we look at what spiritual sleepwalking is, the characteristics of such a person, and why it is so serious.

ARE YOU A SLEEPWALKING CHRISTIAN? Eph. 5:14 INTRODUCTION A. HUMOR: 1. Have you heard about the dog that sleepwalked into a PetSmart and told the attendant, “ZZZZ, I’m a cat. ZZZZ, I’m a cat.” The attendant responded, “Yes sir, you are a cat.” 2. The sleepwalking dog left and a patron said, ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:14, Romans 13:11-12

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Refreshed And Recharged! (I Am Recharged, I Am Prepared For Eternity)

Contributed by Cesar Datuin on Jul 19, 2021

This pandemic caused us Christians to be threatened by a virus not by COVID-19 but by a virus called "new normal syndrome" which everyone leads to spiritual dryness. This sermon discussed about how to overcome it and how to stay in God's presence.

Intro: For the last 2 Sundays we heard a lot of exhortations and teachings about how to know and overcome the stresses of life that cause every one of us to be drained that leads us to be recharged. Why do you think that our mother church decided to have this theme be on this month of July? It’s ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 63:1-6

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Habits Of Pruning, Part 2: Fasting (Matthew 6:16-18) Series

Contributed by James Jackson on Feb 13, 2021

Fasting is probably the least understood of the spiritual disciplines. But it has the potential to be one of the most rewarding.

[I am very grateful to SermonCentral contributor Jim Luthy for his sermon "To Fast or Not to Fast." His opening illustration and structure formed the backbone of this sermon.] Good morning. Please open your Bibles to Matthew 6. How many of you are tea drinkers? I know we are in the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:16-18, Jeremiah 14:10-11, Isaiah 58:3-5

Denomination: Baptist

So Many Thoughts On Prayer

Contributed by Troy Borst on Feb 16, 2021

Learn to pray persistently more with right motives to our Heavenly Father who answers with goodness.

SO MANY THOUGHTS ON PRAYER LUKE 11:1-13 #prayer INTRODUCTION… preceptaustin.org/prayer_devotionals_and_illustrations David Jeremiah is a Southern Baptist minister and you can hear him on the radio on ‘Turning Point’ and he has also written a few books. He has a 2004 book called “Prayer: The ...read more

Scripture: Luke 11:1-13

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Last Habit: That All May See Your Progress (1 Tim. 4:10-16) Series

Contributed by James Jackson on Mar 1, 2021

Concluding our series on spiritual disciplines, we look at the discipline of decision making, and why it matters to live a life of visible holiness.

The Last Habit: That All May See Your Progress (1 Timothy 4:10-16) Good morning. Please open your Bibles to 1 Timothy 4 Today we are wrapping up our series on developing spiritual disciplines. Next week, Cody will be preaching as part of our DNow weekend, and after that, we will be starting ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:10-16

Denomination: Baptist

The Fruit Of Love

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 8, 2021

Love is the highest virtue man is capable of giving or receiving. You cannot give God or man any higher gift than the gift of love. The highest goal of life is to be like Christ. The only way to approach this goal is to be a person filled with love.

Howard Thurman in Disciplines Of The Spirit, tells of one of the most unusual jobs. A large General Hospital hired a high school girl to be there mice petter. Her sole occupation was to take white mice out of their cages several times a day and pet them. They had learned that when mice are made ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23

The Fruit Of Peace Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 8, 2021

The goal of God is peace. He is the God of peace, and He sent the Prince of Peace to achieve that goal on the cross. Jesus did achieve it, and now in Him we are to be a people of peace.

I have a good number of books by Norman Vincent Peale, and almost every one of them has a chapter on peace. The reason is, Peale appeals to the masses and peace is a topic that has universal interest. Dante, centuries ago said, "I am seeking for that which every man seeks-Peace." Peace ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23

The Fruit Of Patience Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 8, 2021

George Horne says, "Patience strengthens the spirit, sweetens the temper, stifles anger, extinguishes envy, subdues pride, bridles the tongue, restrains the hand, and tramples on temptation." In other words, it is the key to being like Jesus.

A young boy, who had reached the age where having a watch made life worth living, was bugging his parents to get him one. He was told he would have to wait until he was older. But he continued to beg for one until his whole family was sick of it. His father finally laid down the law and told him ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23

The Fruit Of Kindness Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 8, 2021

People who do not grasp the theology of Christianity can easily grasp its love when they see it displayed in acts of kindness. Instead of thinking of kindness as a minor virtue, we need to exalt it to the level where the Bible puts it-a vital ingredient to being Christ like.

Allen Emery, one of Billy Graham's associates tells of his experience as a boy back in 1937. He was travelling on a train with his father. One of the porters had a limp and was obviously in pain. When they inquired about it, they learned he had an infected ingrown toenail. After breakfast ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23

The Fruit Of Goodness Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 9, 2021

Jesus blasted all religion that failed the test of goodness. If people are not made good by their faith, their faith is no good. God is good, and what is not good is not of God. That is Biblical theology in a nutshell.

A young boy had been sent to his room for bad behavior. After awhile he emerged and told his mother he had thought it over and prayed about it. "That's wonderful", said the mother. "If you ask God He will help you be good." The boy responded, "But I didn't ask God ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23

The Fruit Of Faithfulness Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 9, 2021

The highest compliment the New Testament can give to a Christian is that they are faithful. It will be the greatest reward to hear Jesus say in the day of judgement, "well done thou good and faithful servant."

Andrew Carnegie was the richest man in the world at the beginning of the 20th century. His life illustrated both the positive and negative sides of the fruit of faithfulness. You would think that faithfulness would always be positive, but the fact is, every virtue can be a vice if it is linked to ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23

The Fruit Of Gentleness Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 9, 2021

The Holy Spirit came upon Jesus, you recall, not as a vulture or a screeching hawk, but in the form of a dove, the symbol of gentleness. Jesus will be forever praised in heaven as the Lamb of God, the creature of gentleness.

Bill Hybels, the popular pastor of the Willow Creek Community Church, one of the fastest growing churches in America, admits that he is not a tender hearted person. By nature he is often cold, hardhearted, and indifferent to the hurting world around him. In his book Who Are You When No One's ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23

Week One Series

Contributed by Robert Butler on Mar 15, 2021

“Lent is one of the oldest observations on the Christian calendar. Like all Christian holy days and holidays, it has changed over the years, but its purpose has always been the same: self-examination and penitence, demonstrated by self-denial, in preparation for Easter.

“Lent is one of the oldest observations on the Christian calendar. Like all Christian holy days and holidays, it has changed over the years, but its purpose has always been the same: self-examination and penitence, demonstrated by self-denial, in preparation for Easter. Early church father ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 4:1-2, 1 Peter 3:18-22

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Hallowed Be Your Name Series

Contributed by Scott Maze on Jun 3, 2021

Anyone who is serious about Jesus will want to grow in prayer. One of the quickest ways to check the health of your spiritual life is to answer this question: How’s your prayer life?

Every faith has some form of prayer. Muslims stop whatever they’re doing five times a day to pray as you’ll hear the wailing cries of prayer callers in many Asian cities. Incas and Aztecs went so far as to sacrifice humans in order to attract their gods’ attention. And millions of people who attend ...read more

Scripture: Luke 11:1-2, Matthew 6:5-13

Denomination: Baptist