In Sermon Illustrations: "Matthew 5:43-45:45" showing 61-80 of 2,301

Though The Following Story Comes From The ...  PRO

Contributed by Michael Gibney on Aug 7, 2002

Though the following story comes from the distant past, it speaks forcefully to the present: King Henry IV of France once asked the Duke of Alva if he had observed the great eclipse of the sun that had recently occurred. "No," said the duke, "I have so much to do on the earth that I have no leisure ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:33, Matthew 7:24-30

Tags: Heaven, Rewards, Giving Yourself

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Finger Of God  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Aug 23, 2002

[Finger of God] An old deacon was leading in prayer using one of his stereotypical phrases, which was “Oh Lord, touch the unsaved with Thy finger.” As he intoned this phrase in this particular prayer, he stopped short. Other members came to his side and asked if ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:35-38, Matthew 9:35-38

Tags: Evangelism Urgency, Great Commission, Sharing Your Faith

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

What Difference Does It Make?  PRO

Contributed by David Salisbury on Oct 2, 2002

WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE? The job of the church is not to impact the church, but to impact the world. It’s like a huddle in a football game. 67,000 people don’t pay $25.00 a ticket to watch the Titans huddle. What if you went to a Titans game and for 2½ hours you watched 11 men stand in a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:13-16, Matthew 5:13-16

Tags: Church, Church Purpose Of, Adversity, Purpose, Outreach  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Once At A Meeting, Some Young People Were ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Shelton on Jul 26, 2003

Once at a meeting, some young people were discussing the text, “ye are the salt of the earth.” They were suggesting uses of salt, and the meaning. Salt gives flavor to food. It preserves food to keep it from decaying. Then one girl said, salt makes ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:13, Matthew 5:13

Tags: Growth In Christ, Basics Of Christianity, Sharing Your Faith

Denomination: Baptist

Let's Say You Have An Appointment In Another ...  PRO

Contributed by Clark Tanner on Nov 3, 2003

"Let’s say you have an appointment in another city, and you need to fly there. You purchase your ticket on the internet, you get your confirmation with times and flight and gate numbers. But you are delayed enroute to the airport, and when you finally arrive, running through the airport you come ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:12-14, Matthew 7:12-14

Tags: Assurance Of Salvation

Denomination: Orthodox

A Prominent Businessman At A Luncheon ...  PRO

Contributed by John Williams Iii on Aug 11, 2004

“A prominent businessman at a luncheon announcing his decision to give away a significant amount of money to his alma mater caused great division within his family, for his money was coming out of what his children believed to be their rightful inheritance. The man, once one to find great joy in ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:14-16, Matthew 8:5-10

Tags: Fatigue, Joy, Worry, Tired, Stress  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: United Methodist

Planting A Donut  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 12, 2004

PLANTING A DONUT When Watching the Krispy Kreme Donut machine, or as I like to call it the “Dream Machine,” I noticed something that made me very upset. At the end of the conveyer they were throwing away a bunch of the donuts. Let me describe the machine. First there is the dough plopper that ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23, Matthew 13:1-23

Tags: Parable Sower And Seed

The Value Of A Pearl  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 4, 2004

THE VALUE OF A PEARL Pearls were perceived in the first century in much the same way we view diamonds today. They were the most valuable gem in the world at that time. If you owned a pearl, you owned a fortune. And there was a good reason for it. Pearl hunting involved immense danger. The fine ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:45-46, Matthew 13:44-46

Tags: Parable General, Kingdom Of God

The If/Then Of Easter  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 7, 2004

THE IF/THEN OF EASTER It’s Easter time. Time to eat all the candy and marshmallow eggs. Time to pig out. There’s gotta be a nicer word for pig out. A euphemism, as it were. Hey, try to think up a nicer word for euphemism. And while you’re at it, think up a shorter word for abbreviation. And a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:1-20, Matthew 28:1-20

Tags: Easter Resurrection, Go Quickly, Tell

Leighton Farrell Was The Minister Of Highland ...  PRO

Contributed by Joel Vicente on Feb 14, 2005

Leighton Farrell was the minister of Highland Park Church in Dallas for many years. He tells of a man in the church who once made a covenant with a former pastor to tithe ten percent of their income every year. They were both young and neither of them had much money. But things changed. The layman ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30, Matthew 25:14-30

Tags: Gifts Giving, Giving General

Denomination: Baptist

But Some Of Us Continue To Carry The Heavy Burden ...  PRO

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Feb 25, 2005

But some of us continue to carry the heavy burden of tying to be “good enough.” I heard a modern Parable that illustrates this. In the Parable, the driver of a wagon was on his way to market when he overtook an old man carrying a heavy load. Taking compassion on him, the driver invited the old ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:28, Matthew 11:28-30

Tags: Leader, Elder, Assurance Of Salvation

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

After The Battle Of The Bulge During World War ...

Contributed by Allan Quak on Dec 6, 2005

After the Battle of the Bulge during World War II, one German officer described the capture of an American unit early in the fighting. Among the booty was a box that contained a cake. What was remarkable about the cake is that it had been sent to an American soldier from Boston and it was still ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:9, Matthew 5:9-10

Tags: Faith General

Denomination: Baptist

The Bet — Anton Chekhov

Contributed by Philip Harrelson on Sep 7, 2006

The Bet -- Anton Chekhov We live in a world that knows little about what’s truly valuable. People all around us are pursuing things that have no lasting value. That pursuit is ably treated by Anton Chekhov in his classic short story The Bet. This story gives us great insight into the value system ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 8:28-38, Matthew 8:5-13

Denomination: Pentecostal

April 29, ...

Contributed by Paul Wallace on Sep 20, 2006

April 29, 2003 Because Trent Dilfer is a public figure, the death Sunday of his 5-year-old son Trevin is news. It’s sad news. Even those critical of Dilfer the football player surely feel for Dilfer the man and his family. Five-year-olds aren’t supposed to die, they’re supposed to go to ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 26:1-10, Matthew 26:6-13

Denomination: Wesleyan

In A Japanese Seaside Village Over A Hundred ...  PRO

Contributed by Warren Lamb on Oct 22, 2006

In a Japanese seaside village over a hundred years ago, an earthquake startled the villagers late one autumn evening. Being so accustomed to earthquakes and not feeling another follow, they soon went back to their activities without giving it another thought. An old farmer was watching from his ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 10:24-31, Matthew 10:24-31

Tags: Money, Sunday School, Peace, Giving, Joy, Prayer, Outcome, Result, Joy In Morning, Joy In Salvation, Proof, Joseph, Dark Days, Overcomer, Evidence, Product  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Three Children Left Home And Worked So Hard That ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 14, 2007

Three children left home and worked so hard that they didn’t spend much time with their parents. The father passes a way and they all went home. They were all very prosperous and had accumulated vast amounts of money. They discussed what gifts they were going to give their elderly mother. The ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 15:21, Matthew 15:21-30

No Numbers  PRO

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 29, 2010

NO NUMBERS A man who was conducting a survey knocked on a front door. A little boy opened the door and stared at him. The man asked the boy how many people lived in the house. The boy replied, "There is Jimmy & Mary & Sophie & Bobby..." The man impatiently said to the boy, "Just give ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 22:29, Matthew 22:39

Tags: God's Love

Denomination: Brethren

Faith Healing

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 1, 2011

FAITH HEALING I’ve know people who questioned God’s love for them because God didn’t heal them. I’ve known others who questioned their own faith...they felt like if they’d just had more faith God would have healed them. In fact, I’ve known people who were TOLD by a faith-healer that the reason ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:20-22, Matthew 10:40-42

Tags: Miracles General

What A Waste...?

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Jul 8, 2011

WHAT A WASTE...? When I lived in another city, I became acquainted with an organization called the Wycliffe Bible Translators. In fact, we had a man come speak to our church. I’ll never forget the impression he made on me. He had a PhD in linguistics. He was an incredibly well-educated and gifted ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:24-43, Matthew 13:1-9

Tags: Servanthood

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Grant Vs. Custer  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 2, 2011

GRANT VS. CUSTER There is a story of two Civil War Generals: George A. Custer and Ulysses S. Grant. Both graduated from West Point--Gen. Grant, being the oldest, graduated in the 1840's and Gen. Custer in 1861. Grant fought in several wars and was a field General in every sense of the word. In ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 23:1-11, Matthew 23:23-24

Tags: Humility, Pride, Show Off, Comparison