In Sermon Illustrations: showing 3,501-3,520 of 52,574

Rocky Balboa: Don't Give Up

Contributed by Ted Robinson on Feb 25, 2013

ROCKY BALBOA: DON'T GIVE UP These are the words Rocky Balboa said to his son when he was ready to give up and lead a life of mediocrity: "Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and ...read more

Tags: Apostasy

Denomination: Pentecostal

My Son's A Sports Repairman  PRO

Contributed by Lance Hostetter on Feb 24, 2013

MY SON'S A SPORTS REPAIRMAN Three ladies were sitting around and bragging about their children. The first one says, "You know my son, he graduated first in his class from Stanford, he’s now a doctor making $250,000 a year in Chicago." The second woman says, "You know my son, he graduated first in ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 23:25, Proverbs 10:1

Tags: Boasting

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

What Will Your Legacy Be?  PRO

Contributed by Jeff Van Wyk on Feb 24, 2013

WHAT WILL YOUR LEGACY BE? I visited the home of Elvis in Graceland, Tennessee. After so many years after his death, I was amazed at the crowds of people that take the tour and listen to his life’s story. The sad thing is, the story will never change, because he has lived his life and what he has ...read more

Tags: Opportunity

Denomination: Charismatic

The Hummingbird And The Vulture  PRO

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Feb 23, 2013

THE HUMMINGBIRD AND THE VULTURE Both the hummingbird and the vulture fly over the desert. All vultures see is rotting meat, because that is what they look for. They thrive on that diet. But hummingbirds ignore the smelly flesh of dead animals. Instead, they look for the colourful blossoms of ...read more

Scripture: Titus 1:15, Philippians 4:8, Acts 11:23-24, Acts 12:1-25

Tags: Desire

Denomination: Brethren

Story: Some Years Ago, I Attended Called A ...

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Feb 23, 2013

Story: Some years ago, I attended called a conference called “Spring Harvest at Work” in Sheffield (in November 1998). And what was memorable for me was that the conference organisers sprang a surprise interviewee on us – Jim Bakker- a pariah in the Evangelical community. Indeed he was such an ...read more

Tags: Character

Denomination: Anglican

Good News, Bad News

Contributed by Ken Miller on Feb 22, 2013

GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS A gallery owner tells one of his artists that heÍs got some good new and bad news. The artist asks for the good news first. "Well," he replies, "the good news is that a man came in here today asking if the price of your paintings would go up after you died. When I told him they ...read more

Tags: Disappointment

Denomination: Bible Church

It's Like Dropping A Penny Into Water

Contributed by Tim Secrist on Feb 22, 2013

IT'S LIKE DROPPING A PENNY INTO WATER On October 28, 1993, the U.S. Space Command watched as a two-ton chunk of a Chinese satellite began to reenter the earth’s atmosphere. According to their calculations, this satellite would plunge into the Pacific Ocean 500 west of Baja, California. When it ...read more

Tags: Technology

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Optimism Is Healthy

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Feb 19, 2013

OPTIMISM IS HEALTHY "Middle-aged adults who are more optimistic about their future tend to have higher antioxidant levels than their less optimistic peers, according to new research out of Harvard. Investigators studying nearly one thousand people over ten years found that increases in optimism ...read more

Tags: Optimism, Possibilities

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Is The Bible Relevant?

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Feb 19, 2013

IS THE BIBLE RELEVANT? "As far as reliability is concerned, it's only fair to note that the Bible contains the best documented text of any volume in human history. Perhaps the most amazing support comes from the Dead Sea scrolls which were discovered in 1947 after lying in the Qumran caves for ...read more

Tags: Bible Influence

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

True Worship

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Feb 19, 2013

"True worship is God-centered worship. People tend to get caught up in where they should worship, what music they should sing in worship, and how their worship looks to other people. Focusing on these things misses the point. Jesus tells us that true worshipers will worship God in spirit and in ...read more

Tags: Worship Purpose

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

No Salvation Without Surrender  PRO

Contributed by Kevin Karhoff on Feb 18, 2013

NO SALVATION WITHOUT SURRENDER So in case some left it out or forgot to mention it when they explained what it meant to be a Christian, let me be clear: There is no forgiveness without repentance. There is no salvation without surrender. There is no life ...read more

Scripture: John 3:1-18, Luke 9:24

Tags: Commitment, Surrender, Jesus Christ

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Most Of Us Don't Mind Jesus Making Some Minor ...  PRO

Contributed by Kevin Karhoff on Feb 18, 2013

Most of us don’t mind Jesus making some minor change in our lives but Jesus wants to turn our lives upside down. Fans don’t mind him doing a little touch up work, but Jesus wants complete renovation. Fans come to Jesus thinking tune up, but Jesus is thinking overhaul. Fans think a little makeup ...read more

Scripture: John 3:11-18, John 3:1-18

Tags: Jesus Christ

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

At Night No One Would See Him (Nicodemus). At ...  PRO

Contributed by Kevin Karhoff on Feb 18, 2013

At night no one would see him (Nicodemus). At night he would avoid awkward questions from the other religious leaders. At night he could spend time with Jesus without anyone knowing. If he could speak with Jesus at night when no one was around, maybe he could begin a relationship with Jesus ...read more

Scripture: John 3:1-18

Tags: Jesus Christ, Chain

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Nicodemus Was Ready To Take His Relationship With ...  PRO

Contributed by Kevin Karhoff on Feb 18, 2013

Nicodemus was ready to take his relationship with Jesus to another level, but it wasn’t that easy. It never is. There would be much to lose if he went public as a follower of Jesus. What would people think if they found out that Nicodemus was an admirer of this homeless-carpenter-turned-rabbi ...read more

Scripture: John 3:1-18

Tags: Jesus Christ

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Napoleon On Jesus  PRO

Contributed by Lalachan Abraham on Feb 18, 2013

NAPOLEON ON JESUS The emperor and conqueror of nations, Napoleon Bonaparte, rightly recognized the absolute uniqueness of Jesus, & expressed it in these words: "I know men, and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every other person in the World there is no possible term of ...read more

Scripture: Daniel 4:34, Acts 1:8

Tags: God's Love

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Sins Are Habits  PRO

Contributed by John Sattler on Feb 18, 2013

SINS ARE HABITS I’m reading a book right now called "The Power of Habit" (http://charlesduhigg.com/the-power-of-habit/) about how so much of our daily life is lived by habit. We have to. Our brain needs habits in order for us to be able to function. Just about everything we do is habitual. How ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:28, Romans 12:2

Tags: Temptation General

Denomination: Lutheran

What Time Is It?  PRO

Contributed by Rod Elmore on Feb 18, 2013

WHAT TIME IS IT? An old man was standing on a crowded bus. A young man standing next to him asked, "What time is it?" The old man said nothing. As the young man walked away, the old man's friend asked, "Why were you so rude to the young man?" The old man answered, "If I had given him the time ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Tags: Heart

Denomination: Christian Church

Wishing For Pascal's Brain  PRO

Contributed by Lalachan Abraham on Feb 17, 2013

WISHING FOR PASCAL'S BRAIN Biblical Education is the process by which Godly character is formed, strength of clear conscious and sound mind is amplified, and understanding is sharpened, as a result of which one can walk in divine wisdom. Someone once approached Blaise Pascal, the famous French ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:1-14

Tags: Attitude General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Adultery And Ivan The Terrible

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 16, 2013

ADULTERY and IVAN THE TERRIBLE We need to look at adultery in the light of the manifestations of Ivan the Terrible in order to see how his rise to power, his government, his exploits and his fall closely compare with occurrences connected with adultery. Ivan the Terrible made an impact on Europe ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 7:6-27

Tags: Adultery

The Red Baron And Temptation  PRO

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Feb 16, 2013

THE RED BARON AND TEMPTATION Manfred, Freiherr von Richthofen was a famous German First World War fighter pilot. He was better known as the Red Baron because he flew a distinctive a red Fokker aircraft. He shot down more combat planes than any one else on either side in the first World war ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:12-14, Daniel 1:5-16, Matthew 25:1-13, Matthew 4:1-11

Tags: Temptation General

Denomination: Anglican