Sermons on Unpopular:

Jesus Gives Life To The Dying

Contributed by Reuben Bredenhof on Feb 14, 2021

Jesus doesn’t give every answer, and He sometimes sends us on ahead without any certainty that things are going to change. He doesn’t give a sign that will ease every doubt about our future, or worries about our family, or whatever else. Yet we can be confident in all that He has said.

How much power do your words have? I mean, if you gave an order or a command, would your words carry any weight? Maybe they would, if you’re a mom and you asked your son to empty the dishwasher, or if you’re in charge at the office and you told your secretary to draft a letter. You speak, and it ...read more

Scripture: John 4:39-45, John 5:24-30, John 4:46-54

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Paradox Of Money Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 19, 2021

Paul says the love of money is the root of all evil, and Mark Twain said, the lack of money is the root of all evil. The one does not eliminate the other, for Twain's remark compliments Paul's.

Someone said, life is an everlasting struggle to keep money coming in, and teeth, hair, and vital organs from coming out. Few have known this better than General Ulysses S. Grant. He led the armies of the North to victory in the Civil War, and was twice elected president of the United States. He ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:3-10

What The Bible Teaches About Cremation

Contributed by Dr. Odell Belger on Oct 28, 2021

The purpose of this course is to make today’s Christian think about some of the things we are facing in our society as Christians. Christian people should be “thinking” people when it comes to the issues we face in our society.

For example, as Christians: • We can not allow others to do our thinking for us when it comes to deciding what is RIGHT and what is WRONG. • We can not just ignore these issues we face and hope they will go away. Through the ages of time, God’s people have had to face difficult situations in ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:35-41, Genesis 38:3-4

Denomination: Baptist

What The Bible Teaches About Cloning

Contributed by Dr. Odell Belger on Oct 28, 2021

The purpose of this course is to make today’s Christian think about some of the things we are facing in our society as Christians. Christian people should be “thinking” people when it comes to the issues we face in our society.

For example, as Christians: • We can not allow others to do our thinking for us when it comes to deciding what is RIGHT and what is WRONG. • We can not just ignore these issues we face and hope they will go away. Through the ages of time, God’s people have had to face difficult situations in ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 139:14, Psalm 127:3-5

Denomination: Baptist

The Beatitudes

Contributed by Christopher Arch on Nov 4, 2021

This is a brief series on the Beatitudes

Title: The Beatitudes Script: Mt. 5:1-5 Type: Expos. Series When: 1-14-18 Intro: When Thomas Jefferson selected the phrase “the pursuit of happiness” to describe one of the unalienable rights of man, he was appropriating an idea with a very long history. Since the time of Aristotle and ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-5

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Encountering The Holy God Series

Contributed by Reuben Bredenhof on Mar 6, 2022

When all hope is lost, when it looks like nothing is left—when the king is dead and the world is a mess—God is still working. For He is the great and holy king, and He sits on his throne, high and lifted up.

Being a prophet was one of the hardest jobs in the Old Testament. A prophet had to speak unsettling words, confronting sinners with sin and warning of judgment. They were usually unpopular, often persecuted. So a prophet needed a really clear sense that this is what he was called to do, the ...read more

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Be Your Own Boss!

Contributed by Dr. Odell Belger on Mar 23, 2022

Most Americans work and much of their life is controlled by someone else. There certainly is nothing wrong with that. This country could not operate unless people were willing to fill the jobs that are needed.

Some jobs require a lot from folks who apply for them. It is essential to find qualified people to fill these jobs. Illus: A few months ago, there was an opening with the CIA for an assassin. Two men and a woman applied for this job. The day came for the final test to see which person would get ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:31, Galatians 5:16-18

Denomination: Baptist

Labeling Jesus Series

Contributed by David Owens on May 1, 2023

In this section, Mark sandwiched an incident with Jesus' family and an incident with the Jewish religious leaders to show the judgments people were making about Jesus. In the end, Jesus can only be one of three possibilities: Lord, liar or lunatic.

A. You’ve heard the old joke: “You can call me anything you want, just don’t call me late for dinner.” 1. Have you ever had someone call you a name that hurt you? We all have, right? 2. Some people call us names to deliberately hurt us, but others sometimes call us names in jest, and yet those ...read more

Scripture: Mark 3:20-35, Matthew 12:32, Matthew 5:11-12

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Go And Disciple Series

Contributed by Stephen Weatherby on Aug 16, 2021

Examining the command Jesus gave the disciples to GO and disciple the nations

Good morning! Last week we started a two-week study of the Great Commission. If you weren’t here last week, we began by studying verse 18 of Matthew 28, which is the part where Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on Earth has been given to me.” And in a nutshell, we learned about how Jesus ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:19-20

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

An Unchanging God In A Changing World

Contributed by Dr. Odell Belger on Sep 2, 2021

Author Lloyd C. Douglas used to tell how he loved to visit an old man who gave violin lessons. He enjoyed visiting him because he had a kind of homely wisdom that was refreshing to him.

One morning he walked into his studio and greeted him by saying, "Well, what's the good news today?" Putting down his violin, the teacher stepped over to a tuning fork suspended from a cord and struck it and said, "There is the good news for today." He continued, ...read more

Scripture: James 1:17

Denomination: Baptist

Mission Accomplished Series

Contributed by Brian Bill on Apr 11, 2022

Our mission will be accomplished when we stay spiritually sharp.

Many years ago, when we lived in central Illinois, our daughter Megan and I spent a day running errands. Our first stop was to a lawnmower repair shop to drop off our lawnmower blade for its annual sharpening. When we walked in, I held up the blade over my head and my mechanic friend Rob ...read more

Scripture: Acts 28:11-31

Denomination: Baptist

Ahasuerus Series

Contributed by John Lowe on May 1, 2022

Xerxes 1 was the son of Darius 1 of Persia; his mother was the daughter of Cyrus the Great. During his reign, he dealt with revolts in Egypt and Babylon.

Ahasuerus/ ?-HAZ-ew-EER Modern: 'A?ašveroš, Tiberian: 'A?ašweroš, commonly Achashverosh, Koine Greek: ?s??????, romanized: Asou?ros, in µ Septuagint; Latin: Assuerus in the Vulgate) is a name applied in the Hebrew Bible to three rulers and a Babylonian official (or Median King) in the Book of ...read more

Scripture: Ezra 4:6

Denomination: Baptist

Fools For Christ Series

Contributed by C. Philip Green on May 12, 2022

To change the world, go to the back of the line, imitate people like Paul, and get something done.

Evan Almighty is the story of freshman congressman Evan Baxter, whose main campaign slogan was “change the world.” When he asks for God's help to achieve his goal, God responds in an unusual way—He commands Evan to build an ark in order to rescue a multitude of wild animals. As Evan ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 4:8-21

Denomination: Evangelical Free

When There Is No One To Stand In The Gap Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Nov 18, 2024

God makes a stunning statement here: there is no one left to stand in the gap on behalf of Israel. What does this passage tell us about the specific shortcomings of the people of God and the prophets of God in that day? And can this text encourage us today to stand strong amid a dark hour?

OFF-TRACK: The American church is far from what we should be. - I think this is largely beyond dispute, so I won’t belabor the point. - Let me simply share one proof that I think is instructive. - When you look at the early chapters of Acts, there are many people who are coming to know Jesus. The ...read more

Scripture: Ezekiel 22:17-31

Denomination: Baptist

Understanding Misunderstandings

Contributed by Dr. Odell Belger on Nov 21, 2024

I will be preaching on something that everyone in this congregation can relate to. I will be preaching on “Understanding Misunderstandings”.

The word Misunderstood is a situation in life where someone’s intentions, actions, or words are misrepresented. Being misunderstood has led to some tradgic things in life. Let me illustrate… Illus: A woman came home late one night after work and quietly opens the door to her bedroom. When she ...read more

Scripture: Luke 5:27-32

Denomination: Baptist