Sermons on Thorny Ground:

Pop Quiz & Final Exam

Contributed by James May on May 15, 2005

Jesus gave his disciples a Pop Quiz on the road to Caesarea Philippi. Peter passed the test, but the world failed it. This Pop Quiz is also a Final Exam that determines your eternal destiny. We can’t afford to fail it!

Pop Quiz and Final Exam By Pastor Jim May Matthew 16:13-19 How many of you can remember your school days? For some of you it seems that it was only yesterday, but for some of us, it means dusting off a lot of cobwebs, and crossing a whole lot of bridges that we have crossed to come this far, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 16:13-19

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Ambassadors Of Christ Series

Contributed by Chris Appleby on Feb 6, 2005

Stand up as ambassadors of Christ, gladly sharing the good news with those who haven’t yet heard. And pray that those who hear the gospel will respond today while the opportunity is there.

I guess everyone knows that home ground advantage can be a significant factor in a game of football. Sydney is much more successful at the SCG than in Melbourne. Brisbane is close to unbeatable at the Gabba. But what is it that gives them that home ground advantage? It can’t just be the football ...read more

Denomination: Anglican

Fruit Of The Branches Ii Series

Contributed by Stephen Fournier on Dec 14, 2007

Series on John 15 pt. 11

FRUIT OF THE BRANCHES II Series on John 15 pt. 11 John 15:4 3/04/07 There is a story about a man who pulled up behind a car at stop light. The man notices a bumper sticker on the back of the mans car that read “Honk if you know Jesus”. The man thought it was a cute bumper sticker so he ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:4

Denomination: Bible Church

How To Win The Battle For Your Life

Contributed by David Nuhfer on Jul 16, 2008

Three things we must do if we are to win the spiritual battles we face each day.

If you have ever watched a heavy-weight fight, you may have heard Philadelphia fight announcer Michael Buffer shout his trademark line, “Let’s get ready to rumble.” It means that the fight is about to begin. It has been used in other places for other reasons by many people, but it always means that ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-18

Denomination: Baptist

The Bitter Cup Of Gethsemane Series

Contributed by Terry Blankenship on Mar 24, 2014

Jesus drank the bitter cup of Gethsemane which contained the wrath of God which we deserved!

Mark 14:32-42 The Bitter Cup of Gethsemane Also; Matthew 26:36-46; Luke 22:39-46; Mark 14:32-42 (LK Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him.) They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He ...read more

Scripture: Mark 14:32-42

Denomination: Baptist

These Bricks Won't Break Me

Contributed by J. R. Mcentyre on Feb 21, 2013

The test of life can be burdensome, but thru it all we must not allow troubles to break our faith!

These bricks won’t break me! Exodus 5 :1 And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. 2 And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 5:1-8

Denomination: Pentecostal

Prayer For The Church

Contributed by Ajai Prakash on Jan 21, 2015

The church and our nation don't seem to be in a good spot and need much prayer. The church in Ephesus was in a similar spot and Paul knew that they needed prayer desperately. Have we been focusing on praying for the church in our nation?

Opening illustration: A friend told me about a neighbor who years ago spent most of his spare time planting trees. The man seldom watered the young trees because he thought that too much watering spoiled them. (He came from the “no pain, no gain” school of plant care.) Pampered trees, ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:14-19

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Gifted Ministers Series

Contributed by C. Philip Green on Nov 3, 2012

If you want a growing church that builds itself up in love, then accept your spiritual gifts, develop them and use them wherever and whenever you can.

When a local church broke ground for a new 500-seat sanctuary, an inventive church member made sure everyone could participate in the experience. The man attached a 145-foot handle to a stainless steel spade so that all 300 members could squeeze together to turn the first shovel full of dirt. A ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:7-16

Denomination: Evangelical Free

Veteran's Day

Contributed by Dean Rhine on Nov 12, 2012

Veteran's Day sermon

Veteran’s Day 2012 - 2 Samuel 23 Take your bibles this morning and turn with me to the book of 2 Samuel, chapter 23. As a boy, I loved watching war movies -- whether it was John Wayne or Battle of the Bulge or the Dirty Dozen or one of my favorites, The Great Escape. A generation before ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 23:8-12

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Good Church Fight!

Contributed by Bradford Robinson on Oct 28, 2005

Ding Ding! What happens when a church fights? This sermon looks at some causes and effects of church fights.

Have you ever seen a good church fight? I mean not the casual disagreement about something but I mean the old fashioned fist flying, head-butting, table crashing, chair smashing on the back, bottle over the head church fight? Well I haven’t seen one either, and I hope I never do, but this week I ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:1-12

Denomination: Methodist

Preparing For The End

Contributed by Mike Rickman on Aug 30, 2013

If you believe the end is near, then what are you doing about it?

September 1, 2013 Morning Worship Text: Isaiah 44:1-8 Subject: Revival Title: Preparing for the End You can’t go anywhere today where Christians are gathered without hearing someone talk about the imminent return of Christ. I can say without any doubt that the majority of us here today ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 44:1-8

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Are You Still Throwing Stones At Others?

Contributed by Jeremiah Menyongai on Mar 9, 2020

Let me talk about stones. God requires Christians to take care of each other. Not to pamper people in their wrongs, but to encourage them get back up when they do wrong or fall. We must have that Barnabas Spirit – to be willing to help each other when down.

John 8:1-12: 8 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they ...read more

Scripture: John 8:1-12

Denomination: Charismatic

Learning To Trust God!

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Oct 1, 2018

The story of Gideon is a great example of just an ordinary man who learned to trust God & became a man of impressive courage.

MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK TEXT: Judges 6:1-40 (NLT); Judges 7:1-25 (NLT); Matthew 6:31 (NLT); ILL. Chuck Swindoll, in his book, "Living Above the Level of Mediocrity," tells about a church in the Soviet ...read more

Scripture: Judges 6:1-40, Judges 7:1-25, Matthew 6:31

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Loamy Hearts

Contributed by Greg Yort on Apr 8, 2018

As a church and as a Christian, it is our job to sow seeds…to preach, teach and witness. It is God’s job to regenerate hearts, save, and mature.

Introduction Is anyone here do much gardening? What is the dirty secret among successful gardeners? Loamy soil! Every gardener quickly learns that good soil is vital for a healthy, productive garden. Good soil means it has nutrients to feed the plants and a texture that holds water long enough for ...read more

Scripture: Luke 8:4-8

Denomination: Church Of God

Light In Earthen Vessels

Contributed by D. Dewaine Phillips on Mar 29, 2022

God saw a lowly farmer like Gideon as a mighty warrior. When God looks at each of us, He sees a mighty warrior too. However, that warrior doesn’t appear unless we put our trust in the Lord and rely entirely on Him in faith.

Our text today will come from the New International Version. In our message we’re going to view a story about an ordinary man who had an intense struggle with trusting God, and this man’s name was Gideon. We will learn how when Gideon finally trusted the Lord, that he understood what it meant to ...read more

Scripture: Judges 6:11-40, Judges 7:16-22

Denomination: Baptist