Sermon Central
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Jim Butcher
Contributing sermons since Jan 1, 2000
Newest Sermons
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The Wrong Way To Try To Impress God
Contributed on Mar 12, 2026
We learn here what impresses God and what doesn't.
THE WRONG WAY TO TRY TO IMPRESS GOD: We will not be justified by our resume but by our repentance. - Luke 18:9-14. - There are a variety of ways that we could classify the Pharisee and the tax collector. I’m going to choose a way that I hope is memorable: the Pharisee is trying to be justified by ...read more
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When Your Prayer Life Is Running Out Of Steam
Contributed on Feb 26, 2026
Jesus here gives us encouragement when we face discouragement in our prayer lives.
WHY IS THIS PARABLE ENCOURAGING? It’s good to know that Jesus understands that we struggle with persistence in prayer. - Luke 18:1. - Let’s start with one of two pieces of encouraging news that this parable gives to us. It’s right there in the first verse: Jesus knows that praying can be ...read more
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Jesus And The Great Reversal
Contributed on Feb 17, 2026
This story garners a lot of attention for its insights into eternal punishment, but its main point has to do with the Great Reversal.
THE GREAT REVERSAL: Success and prosperity in this life is not an indicator of our eternal situation. - Luke 16:19-31. - Matthew 19:23-26; Luke 13:30. - Often times with this story the focus is set on the reality of hell and the punishment that is there. That is certainly in this story and I will ...read more
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What Does The Father Want From Us?
Contributed on Feb 9, 2026
Is this parable just a straight evangelism message or is there something more than Jesus is really after here?
ANOTHER PRODIGAL SON SERMON: The traditional sermon approach to this passage misses half the story. - Luke 15:11-32. - Let’s begin with the way this parable is normally preached. - This is a great evangelism sermon. It speaks of a son walking away from his father. It speaks of enjoying the high ...read more
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A Simple Metaphor Jesus Uses That Is Surprisingly Complicated
Contributed on Jan 27, 2026
Jesus speaks here about "salt." It seems a simple word picture but it's more complicated than it first appears. What is Jesus trying to teach us here?
- I’m going to take a deep dive into the words of Jesus here about salt. - At one level, this seems a simple metaphor. But I have long been frustrated that the actual words used here create some confusion. I leave with more questions than answers. Thus, I want to use this as an opportunity to dig ...read more
Newest Sermon Series
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How You Should Pray: Embracing The Lord's Prayer
Contributed on Apr 9, 2025
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Ezekiel
Contributed on Mar 11, 2024
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Re-Creation
Contributed on Jan 24, 2024
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The Greatest Gospel Explanation Ever
Contributed on Nov 7, 2023
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How To Disagree
Contributed on Sep 15, 2023
Newest Sermon Illustrations
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Before The Water
Contributed on Nov 15, 2018
Scott Harrison, founder of charity:water, shares this story: "I recently had the chance to visit charity:water's very first project. It was a well that we had funded on my thirty-first birthday and then built in the IDP camp of Bobi, Uganda. "The sprawling camp of 31,000 people had cleared out, ...read more
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It’s Only A White Collar Crime?
Contributed on Oct 16, 2018
C.S. Lewis died in 1963, but a comment in one of his writings speaks directly to the current opioid crisis. Lewis wrote: “The greatest evil is not now done in those sordid ‘dens of crime’ that Dickens loved to paint. It is not done even in concentration camps and labour camps. In those we see its ...read more
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Rescue
Contributed on Oct 16, 2018
I am really struck by the lyrics of Lauren Daigle’s recent song “Rescue.” The singer is speaking from God’s perspective and says: “I hear the whisper underneath your breath I hear you whisper, you have nothing left I will send out an army to find you In the middle of the darkest night It’s true, ...read more
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What Khris Davis Did That No One Has Ever Done Before
Contributed on Oct 16, 2018
Khris Davis is an outfielder for the Oakland Athletics in the majors. In 2015, he batted .247 for the year. In 2016, he batted .247 for the year. In 2017, he batted .247 for the year. And during the last season, in 2018, he batted . . . , you guessed it, .247 for the year. He went 0-for-2 in ...read more
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What God Told Me At 4 A.m. In Guangzhou, China
Contributed on Apr 13, 2018
Note: this story is told by me - Jim Butcher of Madison WV. I want to tell you a story about an insight that God gave me into John 14:1-4, the passage where Jesus speaks of going to prepare a place for us. This is the story of something that happened to me several years ago while I was in ...read more