Sermons on Surprised:

Parables Of The Treasure And The Pearl Of Great Price. Series

Contributed by Claude Alexander on Nov 8, 2019

The parables of the treasure hunters. The kingdom is so valuable that we are willing to give up everything to gain it.

Parables of the treasure and the pearl of great price. The parables of the treasure hunters. Matt.13 :44-46 I'm afraid that we have made Jesus into a gentle founder of the Christian faith, whose sweet words offer comfort to the distressed and whose death provided forgiveness for our sins. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:44-46

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Sardis: The Dying Church Series

Contributed by Gordon Pike on Feb 7, 2021

can a church that was once so full of life become a white-washed tomb full of dead men’s bones and rotting corpses? That, my fellow investigators, is our job this morning as “Christian Soul Investigators.” Get it? “CSI”

God morning, brothers and sisters! Welcome to “CSI: Canton.” For those of you who live in a cave and don’t have cable, “CSI” stands for “Crime Scene Investigation.” Now, CSI started out as a weekly crime show that literally began at the turn of the century … in the year 2000 … on CBS. The ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:1-6

Denomination: United Methodist

Abraham Series

Contributed by Pat Damiani on Aug 29, 2017

Faith in God’s promises conquers the fear of my prospects

ENGAGE Have you ever made some kind of bold decision or taken a strong stand on some issue and then at some point began to wonder if you really did the right thing after all? I know that I certainly have. When Mary and I had kids, we made the commitment that Mary would stay home with the kids and ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 15:1-21

Denomination: Baptist

What Will Jesus Do For Those Who Ask? (Luke 7:1-10) Series

Contributed by Garrett Tyson on Feb 17, 2024

A narrative/literary approach to Luke. Focus of this story is on the centurion's faith.

The last few weeks, we've been working our way through what is possibly Jesus' second most famous sermon of all time, which in Luke is usually called "The Sermon on the Plain." This message, is one that Jesus gave to his disciples (Luke 6:17-20, verse 20 in particular). They are ...read more

Scripture: Luke 7:1-10

1. Down Is Up Series

Contributed by E. True Neilson on Nov 26, 2022

Watch the message video on YouTube at UCSZ0yPUBE_3382Mlb5fE8og

Check out the book called "The Upside Down Kingdom by Donald ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:46-53, Luke 3:4-6

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Swimming Upstream Series

Contributed by Steve Malone on Aug 17, 2022

In this message we will discuss... why we should swim upstream (and live lives that are different than the world around us) and we will also look at some practical steps we can take that will make swimming upstream possible.

Swimming Upstream Living-Hope (part 4) Video – Be The Church “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. 14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:2, Deuteronomy 18:19

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Covenant Remains!

Contributed by Jeff Taylor on Sep 15, 2023

Ever notice how when a man and a woman want to get married, they go to God and have a church wedding? But when they want a divorce, they go to man? They go to church to say, "I do", but they go to court to say, "I quit!" Does God accept that?

Ever notice how when a man and a woman want to get married, they go to God and have a church wedding? But when they want a divorce, they go to man? They go to church to say, "I do", but they go to court to say, "I quit!". They go to a judge, who is a man or a woman, whatever the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 19:6, Matthew 19:1-10, 1 Corinthians 7:12-16

Denomination: Pentecostal

A Personal Encounter Sparks Servanthood

Contributed by Jack Perkins, D.min., Ladc, Csac, Cclc on Oct 8, 2023

I share my story about a time I faced pancreatic issues, marital struggles, and contemplating suicide. As with the Psalmist, I cried out to God and he heard and that began a lifetime of service.

Early august, 2022, I had the privilege of doing a presentation in Denver at the Rocky Mountain Symposium on Addictive Disorders, the Integration of Spirituality and Psychotherapy. The dialogue it stimulated was exciting, especially with the wide range of professionals attending. One counselor ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 116:1-19

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Jesus The Controversialist Series

Contributed by David Owens on Apr 17, 2023

Mark portrays Jesus as strong and bold as He dealt with spiritual controversies "head on." In this section of Mark, he grouped together four incidents that showed how Jesus faced the controversies and taught the truth. We need to ask ourselves if we are more like Jesus or the Pharisees.

A. Let me begin with a question: when you try to picture Jesus in your mind, how do you picture Him? 1. Do you picture Him being gentle, meek and loving? Certainly, He was all those things. 2. But Jesus also had other characteristics and other sides to Him. 3. When we read the Gospel accounts, ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 20:8-10

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Why Does Jonah Run From God, And Choose Death Over Life? (Jonah 1:1-16) Series

Contributed by Garrett Tyson on Aug 25, 2022

A reading of Jonah, that lets the book tell the story at its own pace.

Part of being a pastor or teacher in any church, is having this desire deep inside of you to teach through the book of Jonah. You can't help yourself. It preaches too well; it's too good of a story to ignore. Plus, every pastor knows the OT is hard and scary, but they also know they are ...read more

Scripture: Jonah 1:1-16

Four Cartons Of Milk

Contributed by David Dunn on Dec 25, 2025

Listening is a posture of presence that communicates care; hearing words is not enough—true listening keeps hearts open and relationships alive.

Let me start with something familiar. Have you ever been in a conversation where you were doing everything right on the outside—nodding at the right moments, making eye contact, even saying “yeah” or “uh-huh”—and then suddenly you realized you had absolutely no idea what the other person had just ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:15, Revelation 2:11, Mark 4:23, Psalm 40:1, Psalm 34:17  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Messes To Messages - Genesis 29-30 Series

Contributed by Scott Turansky on Jul 24, 2021

Life can get messy. There's a hundred shopping carts, but I pick the one that has the broken wheel that thumps every time it goes around and has a mind of its own and it turns itself into unsuspecting customers.

Life can get messy. There's a hundred shopping carts, but I pick the one that has the broken wheel that thumps every time it goes around and has a mind of its own and it turns itself into unsuspecting customers. You know messy is probably an easier word than some people would say. When I talk ...read more

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Using Biblical Parables To Craft Compelling Accounts Across Cultures

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Aug 11, 2001

USING BIBLICAL PARABLES TO CRAFT COMPELLING ACCOUNTS ACROSS CULTURES

USING BIBLICAL PARABLES TO CRAFT COMPELLING ACCOUNTS ACROSS CULTURES Introduction - Everyone craves an experience when they can listen to an account that will make the illusion of anothers’ reality seem like their own. Africans particularly appreciate a teacher who can heighten their sense of ...read more

Scripture: Mark 4:1-22

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Understanding God's Guidance Series

Contributed by Chris Kelly on Oct 31, 2006

Learn with Esther how to understand and follow the invisible God through the incredible trials and challenges of life.

Understanding God’s Guidance Series: Letting God Guide You April 10, 2005 A few months ago, I decided to read and study the book of Esther. If you’ve never read this book of the bible, Esther is the story of how God used one woman to change the fate of an entire nation. However, as I read, I ...read more

Scripture: Esther 1:1-12

Denomination: Wesleyan

The Questions Of Homosexual Desire Series

Contributed by Brad Bailey on Jun 11, 2009

As the homosexual movement has developed a strong political voice, the response from traditional conservatives has become equally impassioned. A deep animosity has grown between portions of the homosexual community and many who represent a Christian unde

I want to address a topic that is as difficult as any topic we could address today…. that of sexual identity and homosexuality. It’s a subject that has become the most politically and personally polarized as any in our lifetimes. As the homosexual movement has developed a strong political voice, ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 1:27-28

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational