Sermons on Surprise:

Politics, Civil War, And The Church

Contributed by John Sears on Nov 13, 2016

The world is reacting with anger, fear, or pride over the elections. That is not surprising. What is surprising is that the civil war has entered some churches. This is a topical message on how to deal with it.

Introduction: The civil war is brewing. Did you see the young lady on the news? She was one of those marching in protest to the election results. And a reporter caught up to her to ask some questions. What she said was downright scary. She said that what we need is a revolution in order to ...read more

Scripture: John 13:34-35

Denomination: Christian Church

Treasuring God's Holiness Series

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Nov 7, 2012

Some things are so surprising they simply shock us. The early church has many such surprises and shocks, one of the biggest of which concerned the generosity of two of her members.

“Treasuring God’s Holiness” Acts 5:1-11 Some things are so surprising they just simply shock us. The team with the huge lead falls apart in the closing moments and loses. The golfer with only an easy, short birdie putt between himself and the championship, winds up with a double ...read more

Scripture: Acts 5:1-11

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Don't Be To Proud

Contributed by Ron Murphy on Jul 19, 2006

Amos had a message for the entire world, but Israel was in for a real surprise.

Introduction I. As I considered the first couple of chapters of Amos, the message that he seemed charged to bring to Israel was really, A. “Don’t be too proud of yourselves.” B. “Your not really that much different than those outside the family of God.” C. I suppose that is a message that ...read more

Denomination: Methodist

Immanuel: God With Us Series

Contributed by Harold Jenkerson on Dec 15, 2007

God’s coming into the world in human form was to be no surprise to the believer.

Immanuel: God Is With Us Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25 Theme: God has done what all humanity desires, but questions whether He will. Illustration: Ancient civilizations visualized God in human and animal form and in the modern age many pictures have been given to us to visualize God. Introduction ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25

Denomination: Baptist

The Greatness Of The Liturgy Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on May 14, 2011

Is great worship spontaneous or not. The answer may surprise you.

Monday of 4th Week of Easter The Spirit of the Liturgy When someone wants to insult a group of people because of their slavish following of some ideology or ideologue, he can hardly do worse than to call them a “herd of sheep.” Sheep are stupid animals who need to be guided all the ...read more

Scripture: John 10:1-10

Denomination: Catholic

An Interesting Genealogy Series

Contributed by Thomas H on Nov 24, 2011

Jesus' genealogy as recorded by Matthew has a sudden surprise at the end!

The Gospel of Matthew Chapter 1 verses 1-17. Genealogies. Who likes genealogies? Who is into tracing their genealogy? You know, tracing one’s genealogy has become quite popular. But I’ve noticed something about Australians when we trace our genealogies – or perhaps it’s ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:1-17

Denomination: Baptist

Expect Opposition Series

Contributed by Brian Bill on Feb 17, 2020

Don't be surprised when people push back.

Expect Opposition Acts 6:8-15 Rev. Brian Bill February 15-16, 2020 Play Clip from “Bible Project” That clip comes from “The Bible Project.” If you’d like to watch the entire video covering the first twelve chapters of Acts, you can find it on Sermon Extras on our app. Have you ever been ...read more

Scripture: Acts 6:8-15, Matthew 5:17

Denomination: Baptist

Frustrating Grace PRO Sermon

Contributed by Sermon Research Assistant on Sep 27, 2023

Explore the surprising, transcendent, and sometimes frustrating nature of God's grace.

Good morning, Church! Today, we're going to dive deep into the book of Jonah, specifically Jonah 3:10-4:11. Now, y’all might think you know the story of Jonah, but brace yourselves, because it's not just about a big fish. Today, we'll be talking about God's surprising grace, His transcendent love, ...read more

Topics: Grace

Enemies Of The Cross

Contributed by Gino Cascieri on Mar 30, 2001

In this message you will be surprised to find out who are the enemies of the cross.

"Enemies of the Cross" Text: Philippians 3:15-19 Introduction: -When a Christian thinks about who would be categorized as an enemy of the cross of Christ, he probably thinks about one of the religious cults. I.E. - Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, Christian Scientists, Seventh Day Adventists, Roman ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:15-19

Denomination: Baptist

The Unexpected Child Series

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Dec 17, 2021

Christmas season is filled with surprises and the unexpected twists and turns that come with this holiday season. The original Christmas season was also filled with surprises from Heaven and the unexpected twists and turns from God.

Series: Unexpected Christmas Thesis of Series: Christmas season is filled with surprises and the unexpected twists and turns that come with this holiday season. The original Christmas season was also filled with surprises from Heaven and the unexpected twists and turns from God. God loves doing ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:9-11, Isaiah 55:8

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Persecution Of The Church Series

Contributed by Kerry Bauman on Aug 25, 2006

Persecution is inevitable. Don’t be surprised, silenced or side-tracked by it.

Preaching Series: The Tie That Binds Persecution and the Church Text: John 15:17-16:4 Introduction: A trio of old veterans were bragging about the heroic exploits of their ancestors one afternoon down at the VFW Hall. "My great-grandfather at age 13," one declared proudly, "was a drummer boy at ...read more

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Praise Through To Victory

Contributed by Jeremiah Parker on May 23, 2008

Lessons from Jehoshaphat in how to handle life’s unpleasant surprises.

Praise Through to Victory! Attention: You get home. The house is dark. You turn the key and open the door expecting to sit down and rest when…“SURPRISE!” All of your friends are there. They’ve thrown you a surprise party! OR: Someone calls you out of the blue and invites you to join them on ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 20:1-26

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Let Not

Contributed by Weston Blankenship on Jul 28, 2007

Find out about the "Let Not’s" of the Bible. You will be surprised!

“Let Not” From the desk of Pastor Blankenship TEXT: Rom. 6:11 Ro 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13 Neither ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:11-17

Denomination: Apostolic

He Taught Them Many Parables… (The Thief And The Servants) # 19

Contributed by Dr. Odell Belger on Apr 14, 2022

As we look at the coming of the Lord as a thief in the night, the emphasis is on the element of surprise.

For example, a thief does not call the home that he plans to enter and say, “About one O’clock this evening I plan to arrive.” When he enters a home, he wants the element of surprise to be on his side.And the Bible tells us in Matthew 24:36, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 12:35-40

Denomination: Baptist

Who Really Is Responsible? Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Apr 16, 2021

It took some time to process the traumatic and surprising events of Holy Week

3rd Sunday of Easter When something traumatic happens in your family, perhaps a death or serious injury, do you find often that there’s at least a temptation toward chaos? This is especially true if one of the key linchpins in the family is taken out of commission for a time, or even permanently. ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 2:1-5, Luke 24:35-48, Acts 3:13-19

Denomination: Catholic