In Sermon Illustrations: "Matthew 5:7"

Keep Looking Up!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 9, 2020

A father and son were driving down a country road and saw a watermelon patch a little way off the highway. The father told his son to keep a lookout while he went to get a melon. He snuck into the patch, took a melon and called to the boy, "Is anyone coming? Look both ways." The boy ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12, Colossians 3:1-4

Tags: Temptation, Stealing, Looking Up

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Parable Of The Big Plane

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 16, 2020

A boy asked his father, “Dad, what is the size of God? How big is He?” The Father looked up at the sky and saw a little plane In the far distance and asked his son, “What is the Size of the plane in the sky?” The boy replied, “It is really small. I can hardly see it in the sky." Then, the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

Tags: Worship, God, Beatitudes, Seeing God, Greatness Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Leadership Principles Of Jesus

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on May 11, 2020

The Leadership Principles of Jesus. • Jesus was willing to invest in people others would have dismissed. (Consider the disciples. They were not the “religious” elite, yet Jesus used them to start His church). • Jesus released responsibility and ownership in a ministry. (Jesus sent the disciples ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12, Luke 9:23

Tags: Discipleship, Leadership, Ministry Of Jesus, Business Management

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Facts About Persecution Of Christians

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Aug 18, 2020

FACTS ABOUT PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS: * More Christians were martyred in the 20th century than in all other centuries combined. * Currently over 200 million Christians are being persecuted worldwide. * 70 percent of the world's population lives in a religiously intolerant environment. * Every ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

Tags: Church, Persecution, Beatitudes

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Jesus Is Watching You!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Aug 18, 2020

A burglar broke into a house one night. He shone his flashlight around, looking for valuables, and when he picked up a CD player to place in his sack, a strange, disembodied voice echoed from the dark saying, "Jesus is watching you". He nearly jumped out of his skin, clicked his ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

Tags: Honesty, Jokes, Omnipresence Of God, Jesus Is Watching

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Somebody’s Happy Somewhere.

Contributed by Roy Fowler on Sep 13, 2020

A grumpy old man and his wife . . . While on a road trip, an elderly couple stopped at a roadside restaurant for lunch. After finishing their meal, they left the restaurant, and resumed their trip. When leaving, the elderly woman unknowingly left her glasses on the table, and she didn't miss ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

Tags: Happy, Not Happy

Denomination: Independent/Bible

I Give Up!

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2022

Many years ago, executives of the Time-Life publishing organization discovered that the company’s profit margin had shrunk to an alarmingly low level. To cut costs, they decided to eliminate hundreds of works to be replaced with machines. The name of each subscriber was put on a separate little ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:7

Tags: Grace, Forgiveness

Power Of An Encouraging Word

Contributed by Richard Tow on Apr 4, 2023

Mark Eklund was a student in Sister Helen’s nineth grade math class at St. Mary’s School in Morris, Minnesota. He was much less talkative than he had been years earlier in her third-grade class. One Friday Sister Helen sensed the class’s frustration with trying to learn “ne math.” So, she asked ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:7, Ephesians 4:32, Luke 10:25-37, Micah 6:8, Matthew 9:13  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Hope, Encouragement, Friendship, Kindness, Esteem, Love, Mercy  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Charismatic

Understanding Mercy

Contributed by Richard Tow on Apr 4, 2023

There was a young soldier in Napoleon’s army who committed an offense worthy of death. The day before he was scheduled for the firing squad, the young man’s mother went to Napoleon and asked him to show mercy for her son. Napoleon harshly replied, “Woman, your son does not deserve mercy.” “I know,” ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:7, Micah 6:8, Matthew 9:13, Luke 10:25-37, Ephesians 4:32, Matthew 18:23-35  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Kindness, Mercy, Forgiveness, Compassion, Leadership, Relationships, Merciful  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Charismatic

Honesty And Bending The Truth

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Feb 11, 2025

An Engineer, a physicist, an economist and a Planner were being interviewed for a position as chief executive officer of a large Local Authority. The Engineer was interviewed first, and was asked a long list of questions, ending with: "How much is two plus two?" The Engineer excused ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:7, 1 Timothy 3:8, Ephesians 4:15, Zechariah 8:16, John 8:44  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Truth, Corruption, Honesty, Situation Ethics, Absolute Truth  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible