Sermons on Unpopular:

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

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

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

A Journey Towards Transformation: "The Damascus Road” Series

Contributed by Dennis Lee on Mar 1, 2024

In a moment, Paul was transformed, where the confronter became the confronted. The hunter became the hunted. The accuser was now the accused. And while he thought he had the authority, in that moment he found himself powerless when he heard the true voice of authority.

A Journey Towards Transformation?“The Damascus Road” Acts 9:1-19 Thinking about this whole idea that we’ll be exploring in our Easter message, “God Will Make a Way,” the concept of the various roads that both Jesus and His disciples took up to and following His resurrection came to mind. We’ll ...read more

Scripture: Acts 9:1-19, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 12:2

Denomination: Foursquare

The Importance Of A Question

Contributed by Rich O' Toole on Jun 27, 2023

The rich young ruler

The Importance of a Question Mark 10:13-22 Good morning. Harvard Business Review magazine had an article on the “Surprising power of questions”; part of the article read… “Much of an executive’s workday is spent asking others for information—requesting status updates from a team leader, for ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:13-22

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

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

The Kingdom Will Still Be The Kingdom Series

Contributed by Duane Wente on Sep 29, 2024

Even in times of political tension, we can rest assured that God's kingdom is eternal and unshakable. Jesus is Lord over all earthly powers, and our true citizenship lies in His kingdom—a kingdom not defined by political leaders but by humility, servanthood, and ultimate allegiance to God.

#### **Introduction** Video Ill.: Kingdom Minded — The Skit Guys If there is any one thing that brings drama and division to our world, it is politics. It feels like unprecedented times — such division and discord over political views and opinions today. There is so much tension in our ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 145:13, John 18:34-37, Matthew 18:2-5, Matthew 22:16-22

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Show Mercy Series

Contributed by Mike Lewis on Nov 28, 2023

In our beatitudes, we have talked about the heart of God in the early beatitudes that Jesus preached in his great Sermon.

WELCOME & INTRODUCTION THE HISTORY OF PRESIDENTIAL PARDONS [excerpt taken from National Geographic article by Erin Blakemore, Jan. 7, 2021. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/controversial-history-presidential-pardons-from-watergate-to-whiskey-rebellion] A U.S. president’s ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:7, Micah 6:6-8, Matthew 6:14-15, Matthew 7:1-2, Luke 16:19-31, Matthew 9:13, Ephesians 4:32  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Truth Is Whatever You Want It To Be Series

Contributed by Duane Wente on Jul 24, 2025

The world says truth is fluid, but God says truth is fixed.

### Introduction: The Red Balloon and the Culture of Subjective Truth Each week in this series we’ve let culture speak first — and then we’ve asked, ‘What does God say?’ Today I want to show you a short, funny little sketch that captures our cultural moment about as well as anything I’ve seen. ...read more

Scripture: John 18:33-40, Judges 21:25, John 14:6, 2 Timothy 4:3-4, Colossians 4:6, Ephesians 4:11-15  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

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

Courage

Contributed by Alan Perkins on Jan 26, 2026

Christian courage is essential to faith; in fact, the Bible says we cannot enter heaven without it. This sermon reviews why courage is so important, and how we can strengthen our courage to obey God.

This morning, I’d like us to think about Christian character. And specifically, a Christian virtue that we don’t usually hear much about from the pulpit. It’s mentioned only eight times in the New Testament, but it’s critically important, for at least two reasons. First of all, it’s important ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 21:5-8, Numbers 13:30-33, Numbers 14:6-9, Numbers 14:26-35, Hebrews 3:16-19, Numbers 14:39-45, Deuteronomy 31:8, Matthew 28:20, John 14:27, 1 Corinthians 16:13  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Hard Words To Hard People In Hard Times Series

Contributed by C. Philip Green on Nov 20, 2025

If you want God to use you to powerfully communicate His message to hard people in hard times, eat God’s Word. speak God’s Word, follow God’s Spirit, and warn God’s people.

Our former district superintendent, Bill Smith, recalls preaching part-time in a small local church while he was still studying for the ministry. Six months passed and none of his professors had come to hear him. Finally, his faculty advisor agreed to attend one Sunday. After the service, the ...read more

Scripture: Ezekiel 3:1-21

Denomination: Evangelical Free

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