In Sermon Illustrations: "Matthew 5:14-17:14" showing 421-440 of 657

Impersonating A Christian

Contributed by Shawn Miller on Jan 16, 2015

In her recently published book “Dance with the Devil” Barbara Bentley shares her experience with former husband, John Perry, a mysterious man, whose father was supposedly portrayed by John Wayne in a World War II movie. She fell in love with him when He dazzled her and her friends with his heroic ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:21-23

Tags: Hypocrisy, Day Of Judgment, False Believer, Imposter

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Pastoral Ministry Crisis

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 30, 2015

2009 Statistics Of Why Pastors Leave the Ministry by Fuller Institute, George Barna and Pastoral Care Inc, Focus On The Family. 1,500 pastors leave the ministry permanently each month in America. 4,000 new churches start each year in America. 7,000 churches close each year in America. 25% of ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:28-29

Tags: Pastoral Leadership, Pastoral Ministry

Following What You Can't See

Contributed by Richard Wimpey on May 19, 2015

Last year I atteneded a miracle league softball game that my grandaughter Addie was playing in. It was amazing to watch all the children with disabilities play ball. Many of the parents would tell the kids when to swing the bat to help them connect with the ball. As one little girl hit the ball I ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:28-29

Tags: Holy Spirit, Blind Faith, Blind

Denomination: Baptist

Peanut Butter Theology

Contributed by Todd Catteau on May 27, 2015

I don’t like peanut butter. Some people get very upset when I tell them that. It’s nothing personal. It’s not a character flaw. I just don’t like it. I don’t even like the smell of it. My mother told me I ate a lot of peanut butter when I was young, so maybe I just reached my limit. My two ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:12

Tags: Generosity, Golden Rule, Thoughtfulness, Sympathize

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Watch Where You're Going!

Contributed by Tim Smith on May 28, 2015

I had just flown back home from attending a class for my Doctorate in Pasadena, CA. The week was filled with long days and short nights. I had an early morning flight and then flew most of the day. By the time I got home, I was exhausted. Yet I didn’t want to miss my workout so I headed to the gym. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:13-14

Tags: Consequences, Watchful Servants, Direction Of Life

Denomination: Methodist

Commitment

Contributed by Tim Smith on May 28, 2015

Dave Hood tells the story of training to run a 5K run. Every time his wife and he would go running on their favorite trail, they’d walk a little faster, and with a little more gusto. One day, a half mile in and a young lady came at them sprinting towards them. They jumped out of the way so she ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:13-14

Tags: Commitment, Spiritual Growth, Running The Race

Denomination: Methodist

Trials

Contributed by Tim Smith on May 28, 2015

Sam Dixon was the General Secretary of the United Methodist Committee on Relief. He died under the rubble in the Montana Hotel of Haiti, serving God while meeting with other relief agencies to work together to better help the Haitian people. When one serves God so faithfully and suddenly is killed, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:13-16

Tags: God's Sovereignty, Serving, Choices, The Price To Follow

Denomination: Methodist

Surrendering To God

Contributed by Tim Smith on May 28, 2015

Ravi Zacharias tells the amazing story of a young Christian, Hien Pham, whom he met in Vietnam who served as an interpreter with the American forces. Shortly after Vietnam fell, Hien was imprisoned on accusations of helping the Americans. His jailers tried to indoctrinate him against democratic ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:13-16

Tags: Grace, Persecution, Prayer, Surrender, Standing On Promises  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Methodist

Charles Colson Tells The Story Of Being On Th...

Contributed by Tim Smith on May 28, 2015

Charles Colson tells the story of being on the Bill Buckley television program, talking about criminal justice reform. A few days later he got a call from Jack Eckerd, the founder of the Eckerd Drug chain, the second largest drug chain in America. He saw me on television and asked me to come to ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:13-16

Tags: True Repentance, Led By God

Denomination: Methodist

Rain Man Doesn't Understand Inheritance

Contributed by David Ward on Feb 25, 2016

"Rain Man" was the top moneymaking film of 1988, and also won the Oscar for Best Picture. It tells the story of an abrasive and selfish wheeler-dealer named Charlie (Tom Cruise), who discovers that his estranged father has died and bequeathed all of his multimillion-dollar estate to his other son, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:19-34

Tags: Eternal Inheritance, Treasures In Heaven, Priorities, Wealth And Riches

Denomination: Baptist

Looking For Something

Contributed by Michael Parks on Mar 30, 2016

Looking for Something? Mat 6:33 When we need answers to life’s questions where do we look? There certainly isn’t any shortage of information on the internet these days. You can find almost any answer to any question or help with whatever you are struggling with. But, is it the right answer? This ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:33

Tags: Easter Egg Hunt, Looking For Answers, Searching, Searching For Jesus

Denomination: Baptist

Easter Eggs And Bloodhounds

Contributed by Jack Kale on Apr 6, 2016

Easter Eggs and the Bloodhound in Your Soul The rain forced us inside for our annual family Easter egg hunt, but we had a blast anyway. The kids started by hiding 120 eggs in the kitchen and den while the adults played cards in the dining room. Gangee, Pap-Pap, Uncle Paul, Aunt Kathryn, my ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:7

Tags: Truth, Hunting, Hiding Place, Finding God's Grace, Easter Egg Hunt  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: *other

Patriotic Testimony - Sgt. York, Christian Soldier

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on May 23, 2016

SERGEANT YORK the Christian Soldier If someone remembers the name Sergeant York, they remark by saying, “That’s the movie starring Gary Cooper, right?” Who is this hillbilly from Tennessee? This is where our story begins. In December 1887, in the hills of Pall Mall, Tennessee, Alvin York was ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:16

Tags: July 4th, Testimony, Christian Soldiers, War Heroes

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

How Urgent Do We Approach The Harvest

Contributed by I. Grant Spong on Jun 13, 2017

In Matthew 9:38 Jesus describes driving workers into the field with the urgency of a harvest that cannot wait. Yet, so often our churches have become ho-hum about God's harvest. How can revival come to our land when our churches are so Laodicean in attitude? How can our dying western ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:38

Tags: Harvest, Urgency

Denomination: Independent/Bible

True Faith Is Grounded In True Discipleship

Contributed by Brandon Sirolli on Jun 23, 2017

The Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to two flight attendants called into the cockpit of a small passenger jet. There the captain of the airliner told them the jet would soon crash and they needed to hand out parachutes but do so in an orderly manner so as not to cause problems. The two talked it ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:31-38

Tags: Truth, Cost Of Discipleship, Prosperity Gospel, Faith, Discipleship  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Assembly Of God

The Lights Along The Shore

Contributed by Sam Mccormick on Jul 9, 2017

The Lights Along the Shore To me, lighthouses are among the most charming of man-made structures. Their unique and essential purpose makes each one a thing of exquisite beauty. Seafarers seeking a haven on a stormy night find a beam from the shore as precious as life itself. Perhaps Philip ...read more

Scripture: John 1:3-7, John 8:12, Matthew 5:14-16, 2 Peter 1:19, Revelation 22:5, John 3:19-21, Malachi 4:2  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Harbor, Light And Darkness, Navigation, Light, Sea  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Sow Indiscriminately

Contributed by I. Grant Spong on Jul 15, 2017

In the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13) Jesus spoke of the kingdom of heaven being like an indiscriminate sower. This contradicts theories surrounding church growth of targeting certain statistically measurable demographics. There is no such target audience in this parable. The seed of the kingdom ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23

Tags: Sower, Church Growth

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Fail In Order To Succeed

Contributed by I. Grant Spong on Jul 15, 2017

An old axiom says that failure is the stepping stone to success. Are we afraid of failure? The road to success is paved with failures. Before the farmer in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13) had a successful crop he failed in three areas. We fail in these same areas. We allow the devil to snatch ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23

Tags: Sower, Success, Failure, Parable Of Sower, Quitting  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Billy Graham's Conversion

Contributed by Richard Tow on Jul 18, 2017

In an interview on October 15, 2013 Billy Graham said, “There are two basic needs that all people have: the need for hope and the need for salvation. It should not be surprising if people believe easily in a God who makes no demands, but this is not the God of the Bible. Satan has cleverly misled ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:8-9, Matthew 5:17-18

Tags: Salvation, Repentance, Billy Graham, Easy Believism

Denomination: Charismatic

Not Much Help

Contributed by Richard Tow on Jul 18, 2017

In his Peanuts strip, Charles Schulz had an amazing talent for communicating truths like this in humorous, memorable ways. In one strip Charlie Brown rests his head in his hands while leaning on the wall and looking miserable. His friend, Lucy, approaches. “Discouraged again, eh, Charlie Brown?” ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:1-5

Tags: Criticism, Critical, Judging

Denomination: Charismatic