In Sermon Illustrations: showing 901-920 of 52,518

Keeping The Main Thing The Main Thing!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 2, 2023

It was a 99-degree September day in San Antonio, Texas, when a woman accidentally locked her 10-month-old baby inside a parked car. Frantically the mother ran around the auto in near hysteria, while a neighbor attempted to unlock the car with a clothes hanger. Soon the infant was turning purple ...read more

Tags: Little Things, Priorities, Evangelism, Heroes, Distractions, Vision  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Judgment Seat Of Christ - 10 Things To Know

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 2, 2023

In Paul's day, every city in Greece built a public place called the Bema, or “judgment seat”. It was from this raised platform, usually in the center of town, that official announcements were made, judgments rendered and commendations handed out. All public proclamations came from this Bema ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Tags: Bema, Heaven, Faithfulness, Resurrection, Rewards, Judgment, Judgment Seat  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

This Old House

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 2, 2023

This old house once knew my children This old house once knew my wife This old house was home and comfort As we fought the storms of life This old house once rang with laughter This old house knew many shouts Now it trembles in the darkness When the lightning walks about Ain't gonna need this ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Tags: New Body, Songs, Temple Of God, Resurrection, Heaven, Body  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Staring At The Great Stone Face

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 2, 2023

Perhaps you remember Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story about the great stone face. A little lad lived in a village where there was a mountain with a rock formation which they called the great stone face. The people had a legend that someday someone would come to the village who would look like the ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:1-4, Hebrews 12:1-3

Tags: Vision, Worship, Jesus, Glory, Focus, Looking To Jesus  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Covenant Marriages Vs Contract Marriages

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 2, 2023

CONTRACT MARRIAGES: Between two people I seek my best interest. We negotiate terms. I keep a record of performance. I punish failure. The goal is winning. It is a professional relationship. COVENANT MARRIAGES: Between three people - man, woman and God We seek God's will for our best ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:18-31

Tags: Marital Counseling, Marriage, Husbands, Contract, Covenant, Divorce, Division, Wives  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Four Descriptions Of A Life Without Christ

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 2, 2023

Satan hates God and everything and everyone in the Kingdom of God. He fights the Kingdom on a daily basis and will continue to try to stop the Gospel from spreading (I Thess. 2:18, Ephesians 6:11-12). Paul described the condition of all of those who are unbelievers and living in the Kingdom of ...read more

Scripture: Luke 19:10, 2 Corinthians 3:12-18, Acts 16:31, 1 Corinthians 1:23, 2 Corinthians 4:1-4  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Gospel, Satan, Salvation, Spiritual Blindness, Unbelievers, Unsaved, Lost, Perishing  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Jewish Weddings Are A Portrait Of The Last Days

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 2, 2023

When a Jewish man found a woman he liked (and most times his father would pick one out for him) he would approach the young lady with a marriage contract (a covenant). In the contract were laid out the legal terms in which he would propose marriage. The most important part of this contract was ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Tags: Weddings, Rapture, Last Days, Revelation, Israel, End Times, Church, Bride Of Christ  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Are You "all Ears" For God's Voice?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 2, 2023

A missionary translator was endeavoring to find a word for “obedience” in the native language. This was a virtue seldom practiced among the people into whose language he wanted to translate the New Testament. As he returned home from the village one day, he whistled for his dog and it came ...read more

Tags: Discipleship, Hearing God, Holy Spirit, Obedience, Voice Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Church Is A Battleship, Not A Cruise Ship!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 2, 2023

Adrian Rogers said "We are in a spiritual war! And the Church is not a cruise ship with the Senior Pastor as the Master of Ceremonies! Indeed, the Church is not a showboat…...it is a battleship. We, in the Body of Christ, are called to see Satan's strongholds crumble under the ...read more

Tags: Victory, Satan, Revival, Spiritual Warfare, Strongholds, Prayer, Demons  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Understanding Strongholds

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 2, 2023

A "stronghold" is a mind-set that holds you hostage. It makes you believe that you are hopelessly locked in a situation, that you are powerless to change. That’s when you hear people saying, “I can’t, I can’t, I can’t.” The only reason you say, “I can’t,” when God says, “You can” is ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 10:1-5

Tags: Demons, Mind, Prayer, Strongholds, Spirits, Spiritual Warfare, Satan, Victory  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Money In The Bible

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 2, 2023

16 out of 38 of Christ’s parables deal with money. More is said in the New Testament about money than Heaven and Hell combined. Five times more is said about money than prayer. While there are 500 plus verses on both prayer and faith, there are over 2,000 verses dealing with money and ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:10

Tags: Stewardship, Money, Money Management, Giving

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

C.s. Lewis And The Conversation Between Two Devils

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 2, 2023

One young devil asked an older devil: “How did you manage to bring so many souls to hell?” The old devil answered: “I instilled fear in them!” Answers the youngster: “Great job!" "And what were they afraid of? Wars? Hunger?” Answers the man: “No, they were afraid of the disease!” The ...read more

Scripture: James 4:7

Tags: Excuses, Hell, Demons, Devil, Community, Relationships  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Bank Named Time - New Year's Illustration

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 2, 2023

If you had a bank that credited your account each morning with $86,000 that carried over no balance from day to day...Allowed you to keep no cash in your account, and every evening cancelled whatever part of the amount you failed to use during the day, what would you do? Draw out every cent every ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:15-16

Tags: Tomorrow, Today, Time, Time Manangement, Time Wasted, Forever, Yesterday  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

If Jesus Is Like My Daddy, I Don't Want Him In My Life.

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 1, 2023

When I was pastoring in Texas, I was asked by one of our AWANA leaders to come to her group and talk to a little girl who really wanted to meet her pastor. She had a question for me. So, I paused what I was doing and found my way to where her group met in our church. The little girl was so ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:19-20

Tags: Fear, Evangelism, Fathers, Assurance, Children, Divorce, Trust, Promises Of God, Parents  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Suffering Christ

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Jan 1, 2023

I could never believe in God if it were not for the Cross. In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it? I turn to that lonely, twisted, tortured figure on the cross—nails through hands and feet, back lacerated, limbs wrenched, brow bleeding from thorn-pricks, mouth ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 4:14-16, Hebrews 2:14-18

Tags: Suffering, The Cross, Atonement, Incarnation

Denomination: Pentecostal

Coming Quietly

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Jan 1, 2023

The Lord of all comes as a slave amidst poverty. Choosing for his birthplace an unknown village in a remote province, he is born of a poor maiden and accepts all that poverty implies. He chose surroundings that were poor and simple, so ordinary as to be almost unnoticed, so that people would know ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:5-11

Tags: Humility, Incarnation, Christmas, Poverty

Denomination: Pentecostal

Racism And The Gospel

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Jan 1, 2023

Benjamin Watson, who plays for the NFL New Orleans Saints posted the following on his Facebook page: "At some point while I was playing or preparing to play Monday Night Football, the news broke about the Ferguson Decision. After trying to figure out how I felt, I decided to write it down. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:28, John 3:16, James 5:16, Romans 3:23, Romans 10:9  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Racism, Sin, Gospel, Hope

Denomination: Pentecostal

Poor Short-Term Memory

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2022

A man was working in his backyard one day when his neighbor began talking to him over the fence. He said, “Yeah, my wife and I went to one of those seminars yesterday, you know, where they teach you ways to improve your memory and such.” His neighbor commented, “Really? What was the name of the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 22:19

Tags: Communion, Lord's Supper

Redemption And Restoration In Real Life

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2022

Many years ago at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, there was a shooting of several people in the church parking lot and building that left three dead and three wounded. The young man, who had done the shooting, killed himself after being shot by a security guard. Earlier that day, he had ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 103:8-14

Tags: Grace, Forgiveness

Remember The Duck

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2022

A little boy visiting his grandparents was given his first slingshot. As he practiced in his Grandma’s backyard, he spied her pet duck. On an impulse, he took aim and let fly. The stone hit, and the duck fell dead. The boy panicked. Desperately he hid the dead duck in the woodpile only to look up ...read more

Scripture: Mark 11:25

Tags: Forgiveness, Grace