Sermons on Up The Wrong Tree:

The Best Focus For Our Future

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Aug 22, 2016

Many thanks to Leland Crawford for giving me permission to use his excellent outline. 1. Don't focus on the giants; focus on the grapes. 2. Don't focus on yourself; focus on your Savior. 3. Don't focus on your past; focus on the promises of God.

The Best Focus for Our Future Numbers 13:25-14:9 Sermon by Rick Crandall Grayson Baptist Church - Jan. 11, 2015 *Many thanks to Leland Crawford for giving me permission to use his excellent outline. BACKGROUND: *About 3,400 years ago, God sent Moses to deliver the Children of Israel from slavery ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

"Let's Just Give Up"

Contributed by Bill Burress on Dec 31, 2010

With all the troubles in the world today the thing we need to do is just give up. Not our faith but the things that cause the problems in the first place.

Was there ever a point in your life you just wanted to give up? Maybe finances got too much or it was just too tough to keep your marriage together. Maybe keeping your children in line got too difficult or every time you turned around something was going wrong, the car keeps breaking down or ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 6:4-12

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Fired Up, Or Fizzled Out?

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Jul 19, 2007

Satan has no problem with a church that has smoke going up the chimney, as long as there’s no fire in the furnace. If the church isn’t careful, its ministry can become mere methods and mechanics, performed legalistically, without love for Christ.

FIRED UP, OR FIZZLED OUT? Text: Rev.2: 4 Intro: In the first seven verses of Revelation chapter two, the resurrected Christ, via the Apostle John, writes a letter to the church of Ephesus. At the time this letter was penned, the church of Ephesus was a thriving body of believers. Times were ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 2:4

Denomination: Baptist

Bifocal ---Always Get Up

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Aug 7, 2019

Most bifocals are two fold: DISTANCE and NEAR VISION. What makes one great? We could achieve so much more with a little more vision, effort and planning. DON'T FORGET HEAVEN. God is rewards His people!

BIFOCAL LENSE? NEVER DIE EASY, ALWAYS GET UP By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com BIFOCAL: lense with two parts normally one for distance and the other for near vision. We seriously need clear vision in the church today. We die for a lack of vision. Many want to ride the ride, few ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:24-25, Hebrews 11:6, Matthew 16:27

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Turn Out The Lights, The Parties Over Series

Contributed by Terry Blankenship on Jan 16, 2014

Jesus returns from Bethany to Jerusalem to Curse the Tree, Cleanse the Temple and Convey the Truth. He rallies His enemies in His last week of His earthly ministry!

Countdown to Calvary The Final Week of Jesus’ Earthly Ministry Mark 11:12-26 (NKJV) 12 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. 13 And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He ...read more

Scripture: Mark 11:12-26

Denomination: Baptist

Wise Up About Conflict Series

Contributed by Timothy Peck on Jun 4, 2002

Six steps to applying God’s wisdom to relationship conflicts.

When the first Lord of the Rings movie came out--The Fellowship of the Ring--my 12 year old son begged me to take him to see it. So we went; not just once, but twice. Since I’d never read the J. R. Tolkien books, my son had to explain parts of the movie to me as the story unfolded. As I watched, I ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 10:17, Proverbs 27:5-6

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Make Up Your Mind

Contributed by Anthony Zibolski on Dec 27, 2012

Christmas is a reminder of the decision we need to make for Christ. Make up your mind is a sermon to get your congregation thinking again about the decisions that have to be made.

Make up your mind James chapter 1:5-8 This morning I have a Christmas thought, not necessarily a Christmas message. Next Sunday, we will look at the Christmas story. Looking at Matthew 1 and Luke 2. I want to look for a moment at the earthly parents of the Christ child. I want you to see the ...read more

Scripture: James 1:5-8

Denomination: Nazarene

Plastic Fruit Series

Contributed by Jeffery Anselmi on Sep 4, 2009

Be careful who you listen to when it comes who you chose to listen to

INTRODUCTION • SLIDE #1 • Silly warning labels illustration. http://www.rinkworks.com/said/warnings.shtml • Some things we are told are not worth listening to. • We looked at the two possible paths we can take in life. As we are trying to choose which path in life to take we will have many people ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:15-20

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Tighten Up Your Belt Series

Contributed by Larry Turner on Oct 8, 2015

Of all the metal armor pieces as described by Paul, he begins with a belt made of leather. The reason is because it's the most important part of the armor. Without it, the armor falls apart.

As you may recall when Paul wrote Ephesians, he was in prison in Rome. He had been arrested after the fire that almost destroyed the city. Nero blamed the fire on the Christians. Paul, being one the most influential leaders, was handcuffed constantly to a Roman guard. As Paul analyzed the ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:14-18

Denomination: Foursquare

The Son Of Man Lifted Up

Contributed by Eric Sellgren on Sep 15, 2005

"Why does God allow it?"************* The Old Testament is the tadpole, the New the frog!

I wonder how many of our eyes go glazed when we hear this: “The Old Testament Reading is taken from the Book of Exodus”!? Someone, in a Lent Study Group, once asked me: “Why should we pay attention to the Old Testament? Isn’t it’s teaching out of date?. Isn’t the New Testament all we need?” ...read more

Scripture: John 3:14-16

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Shape Up Or Ship Out Series

Contributed by Victor Yap on Jan 8, 2003

The Life of Samuel, Part 3 of 5.

SHAPE UP OR SHIP OUT (1 SAMUEL 3) In The Last Days Newsletter, Leonard Ravenhill tells about a group of tourists visiting a picturesque village who walked by an old man sitting beside a fence. In a rather patronizing way, one tourist asked, “Were any great men born in this village?” The old man ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 3:1-21

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Rolling Up His Sleeves Series

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Mar 17, 2008

16% of Americans think of God as being critical and uncaring. Another 25% believe Him to be distant and unwilling to intercede in human affairs. But how does this contrast with the message of Isaiah?

In November of 1988 a 19 yr old woman fell asleep behind the wheel of her car at about 2:15 in the morning. Her car plunged thru a guardrail and was dangling by its left rear tire. A half dozen passing motorists stopped, grabbed some ropes from one of their vehicles tied the ropes to the back ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 59:9-17

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

When God Shows Up!

Contributed by Charlie Roberts on Jul 5, 2020

Everything is subject to the Power of God and the Power God has given to Jesus, through Jesus powerful and phenomenal Gift of Salvation and relationship we possess, through the Power of The Holy Spirit of God!

When God Show’s Up 2 Timothy 1:7 ESV For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control A "POWERFUL" GROANER By Bruce Ball One day in the middle of the woods, a hawk, a lion, and a skunk were arguing about which one was the most powerful. The hawk said it was ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:7, Ephesians 6:10, Ephesians 3:20, Ephesians 1:15-23, Luke 10:18-24, Luke 11:33  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Messed Up But Still Anointed

Contributed by Bishop Talbert Swan on Aug 8, 2009

Regardless of our faults God can still use us.

Messed Up But Still Anointed Pastor Talbert W. Swan, II Leviticus 21:16-23 16 The LORD said to Moses, 17 "Say to Aaron: ’For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect may come near to offer the food of his God. 18 No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is ...read more

Denomination: *other

Getting Tripped Up By The Flesh Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Mar 19, 2007

The three things that trip up Christians after major victories for the Lord are arrogance, independence, and giving into the flesh. Learn how we can actually become our own worst enemy and how to stop it!

The two greatest enemies to living a victorious life in Jesus Christ are the world and the flesh. While the world presents itself as an impenetrable walled city, the flesh appears much more subtly: as just a few small baubles, a little temptation here and there that surely can’t hurt anything. Our ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 7:1-26

Denomination: Calvary Chapel