Sermons on Unexpected Places:

The Elders' "P.l.a.c.e." In The Body Series

Contributed by Pat Damiani on Feb 13, 2012

The role of the elders is to protect, lead, admonish, care for and equip the local church.

Since we have people here at TFC who have come from all kinds of different church backgrounds, we have all been exposed to different models of church leadership and structure. So as we address that topic here for several weeks, this is going to be an area where many of us may struggle with trying ...read more

Scripture: Acts 20:28-35

Denomination: Baptist

"looking For Life In All The Wrong Places?"

Contributed by Ken Sauer on Mar 30, 2021

A sermon for Easter Sunday.

“Looking for Life in All the Wrong Places?” Luke 24:1-12 The women come early in the morning with the spices they have gotten ready for anointing Jesus’ dead body. Why do they do this, do you suppose? Why bother? I suppose they are doing it for the same reasons we have viewings and ...read more

Scripture: Luke 24:1-12

Denomination: United Methodist

Don’t Let Another Take Your Place

Contributed by Ricky Taylor on Nov 11, 2022

Failure and repentance. Judas was replaced after he sinned. Peter was reinstated after he sinned. The difference was what they desired.

DON’T LET ANOTHER TAKE YOUR PLACE Acts 1:15, And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said, 16 "Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:15

Denomination: Pentecostal

Your Family’s Place In The Eternal Purpose Of God

Contributed by Raymond Petzholt on Jan 11, 2023

God loves discipleship small groups. He just calls them families. Thus our #1 Priority in response to the Greatest Commandment is to do everything we can to lead our own children, & the children of the church family, into a personal relationship with Jesus.

Your Family’s Place in the Eternal Purpose of God (If only we knew what the # 1 Purpose of Family is!) “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, & with all thy soul, & with all thy mind. This is the 1st ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:5-7, Psalm 78:1-7, Joshua 24:15

Denomination: Baptist

A Place Of Favor With God (Exodus 33:1-17) Series

Contributed by Garrett Tyson on Feb 14, 2023

After the golden calf, the future between God and Israel is murky, and unsettled. Into that, enter Moses, a man who has God's favor, and who God knows by name, and who has a close relationship with God.

Today, I want to read through three separate, but related, episodes in Exodus. Each of these three, by themselves, would make a great devotional, or sermon. There's something in each of them that is worth stopping, and just thinking about. But when we combine them, like I think we are ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 33:1-17, Luke 2:52

To Find God In His Secret Place Lesson 2 Series

Contributed by Elmer Towns on Jul 20, 2023

Where is God? He is waiting to meet you in your private (secret) place. You can find God’s presence when you seek Him.

“When you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing … your Father who sees in secret.” Matthew 6:3-4, NLT “When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place.” Matthew 6:6, NKJV “When you fast ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:3-4, Matthew 6:6, Matthew 6:17-18

Denomination: Baptist

Our Place In God's House The Church

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Oct 9, 2025

God has called each one of us to have a role in the church and he calls us to carry it out lovingly

How does serving God become a part of our salvation story? Before you accuse me of being a heretic, I believe that salvation has all been completed once for all upon the Cross And there is nothing for us to do other than we receive Jesus’ gift of salvation. It is a once for all gift we receive ...read more

Scripture: Luke 12:35-48

Denomination: Anglican

Settle Down Where I Have Placed You!

Contributed by Michael Stark on Aug 2, 2025

Many of God's people are infected with a spirit of restlessness. We do well to take to heart the message God sent to Jews living in Babylonian captivity to settle down where He placed them.

“These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:1-14

Denomination: Baptist

When The Cave Becomes The Place Of Breakthrough. Psalm 142

Contributed by David Cramer on Nov 28, 2025

A message of hope when we feel all alone.

Stand with me and lift your Bible and repeat after me. This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I can do what it says I can do. I am going to learn how to be what it says I can be. Today I will learn more of the living God. The indestructible, never ending, living word of God. I will never ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 142:1-7

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Behold, A Woman Lay At His Feet! Series

Contributed by Glenn Durham on Feb 16, 2011

God works through unexpected circumstances to protect and redeem his people.

Children’s Sermon Tell about time when Helen and I were sound asleep and suddenly – plop, something jumped into the bed with us! I woke, sat up, stared blindly into the dark (of course saw nothing), and laid back down thinking I had a bad dream. When it happened the second time, I was certain it ...read more

Scripture: Ruth 3:1-18

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Power Of Earnest Prayer Series

Contributed by Brian Bill on Nov 7, 2020

God often does the unexpected when we’re earnest in prayer.

A week ago, I listened to the Voice of the Martyr’s podcast called VOM Radio and learned about Petr Jasek, a believer from the Czech Republic, who was imprisoned in Sudan for 14 months. He served as the Africa Regional Director for Voice of the Martyrs and traveled to Sudan on their behalf. BTW, ...read more

Scripture: Acts 12:1-19

Denomination: Baptist

What Is To Prevent Me?

Contributed by Lewis Martin on May 24, 2025

Have you ever noticed how often life takes a turn you didn’t see coming? You had a plan—a direction—and suddenly you found yourself on a different road, in a different place, with a different set of questions than you ever expected to ask.

“What Is to Prevent Me?” Have you ever noticed how often life takes a turn you didn’t see coming? You had a plan—a direction—and suddenly you found yourself on a different road, in a different place, with a different set of questions than you ever expected to ask. It could be something joyful—a ...read more

Scripture: Acts 8:26-39

Denomination: Nazarene

What Do You Hunger And Thirst For? Series

Contributed by Roshelle Brenneise on Oct 3, 2024

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke of hunger and thirst but threw in an unexpected twist:

October 05, 2024 What images come to your mind when you hear the 2 words hunger and thirst? Are they pleasant images? Probably not. • Hunger, by definition, is a feeling of discomfort or weakness caused by lack of food, coupled with the desire to eat. • Thirst, by definition, is a feeling ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:6, Psalm 42:1-2, Matthew 13:43-46, Luke 18:18-23

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Wow! Series

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Oct 1, 2023

When is the last time you stopped to think about the WOW moments God has placed in your life? Consider these thoughts as our Family Minister walks us through several WOW moments in the life of the apostle John.

Our current sermon series is entitled “Words to Live By.” Last week, we talked about “Help.” Today, we’re going to look at the word, “Wow.” We’re going to look at how God acts in our lives and leaves us saying, “Wow!” I was once told a story about a boy that was drawing a picture. When his father ...read more

Scripture: Luke 5:4-7, Luke 8:40-42, Luke 8:49-56, Luke 9:28-36, Matthew 20:20-28, Luke 9:49-50, Luke 9:52-55, Mark 13:1-3, Mark 14:32-42, John 19:25-27, Revelation 4:1-11  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Lessons From The Life Of Abraham (4-5)

Contributed by Dr. Odell Belger on Jan 27, 2022

We all have had some strange unexpected things happen to us.

Illus: A lady was walking down the street to work and she saw a parrot on a perch in front of a pet store, and to her surprise, the parrot said to her, • "Hey lady, you are really ugly," The lady was furious! She stormed past the store to her work. • On the way home she saw the same ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 18:1-15

Denomination: Baptist