In Sermon Illustrations: showing 6,021-6,040 of 51,910

Listening And Obedience

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Apr 8, 2011

LISTENING AND OBEDIENCE I heard Henri Nouwen at Austin College several years ago. I remember what he said about listening and obedience. The word 'obedience,' he said, comes from the Latin obaudire, which means 'to hear.' By contrast the Latin word for 'deaf' is absurdus, from which we get our ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 81:1-16

Tags: Obedience

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

A Hijacking Parable

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Apr 8, 2011

A HIJACKING PARABLE Think of the human race aboard a hijacked jet-liner flying through time. God himself directed its takeoff from the divine control-tower. The initiator of all evil, whom we call the Devil, Managed to get a boarding pass. When the plane reached its cruising altitude, the Devil ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Brethren

Warren Wiersbe On True Worship  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 7, 2011

WARREN WIERSBE ON TRUE WORSHIP Warren Wiersbe, in his book on True Worship, says, "We must beware of trying to get chummy with God. I know the apostle John leaned on the bosom of Jesus in the Upper Room; but he fell at the feet of Jesus when he beheld Him in His sovereign glory (Revelation 1:17)." ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 6:1-8

Tags: Worship Definition

The Church As A China Cabinet

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 7, 2011

THE CHURCH AS A CHINA CABINET Bryan Wilkerson talks about a sterling silver tea set that a family member gave him and his wife as a reminder of her love for them. It’s quite old and beautifully made, and it sits on a stand in their dining room. There's only one problem: they can’t use it. The ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:14-15

Tags: Church Purpose Of

Stay And Wait And Watch

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 7, 2011

STAY AND WAIT AND WATCH A little boy was told by his father to wait on a corner by a department store, while the father had a tire changed on his car. It turned out that the car required more attention than the man had anticipated, and it took over an hour. The father anxiously hurried back to ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:1-3

Tags: Trust

Making Your Life Count For Something

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 7, 2011

MAKING YOUR LIFE COUNT FOR SOMETHING Many years ago at a Presbyterian retreat center near Asheville, NC, the annual summer conference was being held. An elderly man with a neatly clipped white goatee and resonant voice rose to speak. He explained that he was a medical doctor and he had a story to ...read more

Scripture: Luke 14:25-33

Tags: Missions

Friends In The Church

Contributed by John Putty on Apr 7, 2011

FRIENDS IN THE CHURCH Flavil Yeakley decided to track one hundred new members within his church for six months. After six months, 90 percent of the actives had six or more friends in the congregation (average 7.3) ...read more

Tags: Friendship New Friends

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Sense Of Belonging

Contributed by John Putty on Apr 7, 2011

SENSE OF BELONGING Lyle Schaller’s research says that a third to a half of all Protestant church members do not feel a sense of ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Anna's Stories

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 7, 2011

ANNA'S STORIES A thirty-four-year-old German woman named Anna Rosmus recently told the tragic story of what happened in her hometown in Germany during World War II. Speaking at Carson-Newman College in Tennessee, she told of growing up in Passau, Germany, years after the war. As a teenager, she ...read more

Scripture: Romans 13:1-7

Tags: Church Purpose Of

Following Garibaldi And Following Jesus

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 6, 2011

FOLLOWING GARIBALDI AND FOLLOWING JESUS Garibaldi, the great Italian military hero from the 19th century, raised an incredibly committed volunteer army. His appeal for recruits was rather unique as he offered only these terms: "I offer neither pay, nor quarters, nor provisions; I offer hunger, ...read more

Scripture: Mark 8:34-38

Tags: Discipleship

Sir William Ramsey And The Accuracy Of Luke

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 6, 2011

SIR WILLIAM RAMSEY AND THE ACCURACY OF LUKE Late 1800's/early 1900's Sir William Ramsey was a well-known archaeologist and historian. He was professor of humanities at Aberdeen University. He was considered to be the world's most imminent scholar on Asia-Minor, and it's geography and history. He ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:1-4

Tags: Bible Truth

Secure In The Crossing

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 6, 2011

SECURE IN THE CROSSING During World War II, a passenger ship set sail from Great Britian headed for port in New York City. The Captain of the ship being afraid of enemy vessels, sought the advice and guidance of the British Admiral. The Admiral calmly assured the captain that no matter what ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28-39

Tags: Security

Something In Their Eyes...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 6, 2011

SOMETHING IN THEIR EYES... A prominent atheist named Matthew Parris wrote in a 2008 essay about a strange phenomenon that he had observed in Africa. Amazingly, as an atheist, he wrote an essay for The Times titled, "Why Africa Needs God." Although Parris made it clear that he does not believe in ...read more

Scripture: John 8:31-36

Tags: Christian Witness

The Occult, The Supernatural, And Teenagers

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 6, 2011

THE OCCULT, THE SUPERNATURAL, AND TEENAGERS In 2006, researcher George Barna came out with the top 12 most significant or surprising faith findings for that year. Coming in second was this report: "Three out of every four teenagers have engaged in at least one type of psychic or witchcraft-related ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 18:9-13

Tags: Supernatural

Pride And Peril: The Art Forger

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 6, 2011

PRIDE AND PERIL: THE ART FORGER Yesterday I was reading about a man called Han van Meegeren who was a Dutch artist and an extremely talented ART FORGER. He forged some of the world’s most famous paintings so well that the best art critics and art experts of his time thought his paintings were ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 16:18

Tags: Art

The Rise And Fall Of Nine Rich Men  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 6, 2011

THE RISE AND FALL OF NINE RICH MEN A popular story recounts a meeting that may have taken place at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago in 1923. There is debate whether the meeting in fact occurred, but what is not in question is the actual rise and fall of the men featured in the story, who were ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:6-10

Tags: Money

God Exists

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 6, 2011

"GOD EXISTS" One of my favorite stories is about this theologian named MacLeod. Now this man lived in Ireland back in the 1600s in a monastery. He worked part of his time as wood carver. MacLeod writes that very often he would awaken in the morning and wonder if God really existed. Finally one day ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Tags: God Brings Hope

Colossian Philosophy: "Borrowed" Features

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 6, 2011

COLOSSIAN PHILOSOPHY: "BORROWED" FEATURES I used to collect basketball cards. This was way back in the early 90s, though I still have held on to them. Basketball cards took off well after baseball cards, and each brand over time had its own unique features. Some were UV coated, others had gold ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 1:15-23

Tags: False Teaching

The Lack Of Evangelism

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 6, 2011

THE LACK OF EVANGELISM (Evangelism Statistics from Michael Parrot, Acts Evangelism, Spokane, WA, 1993, pp. 9-11.) • Ninety-five percent of all Christians have never won a soul to Christ. • Eighty percent of all Christians do not consistently witness for Christ. • Less than two percent are ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20

Tags: Evangelism Fear Of

Self-Centered Christianity  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 6, 2011

SELF-CENTERED CHRISTIANITY John Koessler pastored for years before becoming a professor in the pastoral studies department at Moody Bible Institute. In 2007 he wrote, A Stranger In The House of God, chronicling his experience in various churches. "Most of the Christians I know are disappointed ...read more

Scripture: Titus 1:1-9

Tags: Church Practices