In Sermon Illustrations: "Romans 7:15-24:1"

The Author Will Make Things Clear  PRO

Contributed by Rich Young on Jan 18, 2001

THE AUTHOR WILL MAKE THINGS CLEAR Author Marshall Shelley, who suffered the deaths of two of his children, writes in Leadership: "Even as I child, I loved to read, and I quickly learned that I would most likely be confused during the opening chapters of a novel. New characters were introduced. ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28-29

Tags: Faith, God In The Hardships, Trust

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

It Is Not What Men Eat, But What They Digest That ...  PRO

Contributed by David Dewitt on Jan 2, 2001

It is not what men eat, but what they digest that makes them strong Not what we gain, but what we save that makes us rich Not what we read, but what we remember that makes us learned Not what we preach or pray, ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:29-31

Tags: Faith, Discipleship, Holiness

Denomination: Church Of God

Richard Foster Has Said That "The ...  PRO

Contributed by Brian Mavis on Oct 30, 2000

Richard Foster has said that “The Disciplines are best exercised in the midst of our relationships with our husband or wife, our brothers and sisters, our ...read more

Scripture: Romans 13:1-14

Tags: Disciplines General, Compassion

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Are You Familiar With Bill Cosby’s ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Feb 14, 2001

ILL. Are you familiar with Bill Cosby’s book, "Time Flies"? In it, Cosby says that something happens to you when you turn 50 years old. When his father turned 50, Cosby says that for the first time he remembers noticing his father’s "love handles," those rolls of fat which develop around your ...read more

Scripture: Romans 13:11-14

Tags: Temptation General, Money, Fulfillment

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Oil Was Discovered On Some Oklahoma Property ...  PRO

Contributed by Bill Lobbs on Mar 1, 2001

Oil was discovered on some Oklahoma property belonging to an elderly Indian. All his life he had been poverty stricken, just eking out a living. But the discovery of oil had suddenly made him a very wealthy man. The first thing he bought was a very big Cadillac. He wanted the longest car in the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1-6

Tags: Essentials Of Faith, Excercising Faith, Gift, Prosperity, God's Omnipotence, Holy Spirit Attributes  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Story Is Told That After Helen Keller's ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Hensley on Mar 15, 2001

The story is told that after Helen Keller’s teacher, Anne Sullivan, had given her the names of physical objects in sign language, Miss Sullivan attempted to explain God and tapped out the symbols for the name "God." Much to Miss Sullivan’s surprise, Helen spelled back, "Thank you for telling me ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:18-20

Tags: Creation, God The Father

Denomination: Baptist

The Christian Hope Is The Hope Which Has Seen ...  PRO

Contributed by Brian Mavis on May 10, 2001

"The Christian hope is the hope which has seen everything and endured everything, and has still not despaired, because it believes in God. The Christian hope is not hope in the human spirit, in human goodness, in human endurance, in human achievement; the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:12

Tags: Faith, God Brings Hope

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Maybe You Heard About The Guy Who Fell In Love ...  PRO

Contributed by Joel Pankow on May 10, 2001

Maybe you heard about the guy who fell in love with an opera singer. He hardly knew her, since his only view of the singer was through binoculars - from the third balcony. He was convinced he could live “happily ever after” married to a voice like that. He scarcely noticed that she was ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:9

Tags: Romantic Love, Marriage Commitment, Christian Love

Denomination: Lutheran

The Late Supreme Court Justice Oliver Holmes Was ...  PRO

Contributed by Richard Crow on May 21, 2001

The late Supreme Court Justice Oliver Holmes was on a train when the conductor came through collecting tickets. Holmes couldn’t find his ticket and became rather distraught. The conductor tried to console him by saying, "Mr. Holmes, don’t worry. When you find your ticket, just mail it in. We trust ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:2

Tags: Direction, Bible Influence, God's Will, Knowing God's Will

Denomination: Baptist

A National Prayer Of Repentance  PRO

Contributed by Troy Borst on May 31, 2001

A NATIONAL PRAYER OF REPENTANCE Joe Wright is the pastor of Central Christian Church in Wichita, KS. On January 23, 1996, He was asked to be the guest chaplain for the Kansas State House in Topeka. He prayed a prayer of repentance that was written by Bob Russell, pastor of Southeast ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:18-21

Tags: Independence Day, Prayer, National, Prayer Confession, Repentance, Walk, Controversial  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Father, Walking Past His 5 Year Old ...  PRO

Contributed by David Deborde on May 31, 2001

A father, walking past his 5 year old daughter’s room one night, proudly noticed she was on her knees in prayer. Listening in, he heard this curious prayer- "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz"- repeated several times. When she was finished, he asked her what it meant: "God is really smart," she ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:26

Tags: Prayer General, Prayer How To

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

When Someone Becomes Really Great At What They ...  PRO

Contributed by Justin Meek on Jun 6, 2001

When someone becomes really great at what they do, it almost always because they spent years dedicating themselves to it. Pete Rose didn’t just wake up one day as a great ball player, he dedicated his life to being a great ball player. Tori Murden didn’t just hop into a boat one day out of the blue ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2

Tags: Call Of The Disciples, Christian Disciplines, Discipleship

Denomination: Baptist

It’s Difficult To Find Beauty In Death. ...  PRO

Contributed by David Yarbrough on Jun 18, 2001

It’s difficult to find beauty in death. It’s even more difficult to find beauty in a death camp. Especially Auschwitz. Four million Jews died there in World War II. A half-ton of human hair is still preserved. The showers that sprayed poison gas still stand. But for all the ugly memories of ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:8

Tags: Joy, Christian Disciplines, Cross Agony

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Christian Contradictions, Citation: Joseph Roy, ...  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Jun 21, 2001

[Christian Contradictions, Citation: Joseph Roy, Leadership, Vol. 5, no. 4.] A true Christian is a sign of contradiction--a living symbol of the Cross. He or she is a person who believes the unbelievable, bears the unbearable, forgives the unforgivable, loves the unlovable, is perfectly happy not ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:31-39

Tags: Character, Basics Of Christianity, Christian Values

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A.w. Tozer Attempted To Reconcile These ...  PRO

Contributed by Kenneth Henes on Jun 21, 2001

A.W. Tozer attempted to reconcile these seemingly contradictory ideas of God choosing or calling us and our choosing God with this illustration: "An ocean liner leaves New York bound for Liverpool. Its destination has been determined by proper authorities. Nothing can change it. This is at least ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:1-10

Tags: Certainty, God's Sovereign Will, God's Omniscience, Sovereign

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Lessons From A Tavern, Citation: Charles ...  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Jul 5, 2001

[Lessons from a Tavern, Citation: Charles Swindoll, Leadership, Vol. 4, no. 1.] An old Marine Corps buddy of mine, to my pleasant surprise, came to know Christ after he was discharged. I say surprise because he cursed loudly, fought hard, chased women, drank heavily, loved war and weapons, and ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:1

Tags: Church Body Of Christ, Church Small Groups, Compassion, Fellowship, Friendship General, Understanding  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

: "Scarred Hands” (James S. ...  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Aug 21, 2001

Illus.: “Scarred Hands” (James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited, pp. 119-120) A small orphaned boy lived with his grandmother. One night their house caught fire. The grandmother, trying to rescue the little boy asleep upstairs, perished in the smoke and flames. A crowd gathered around the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:6-8

Tags: Lordship Of Christ, Forgiveness In Jesus, Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Wesleyan

Falling Out Of Bed  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Sep 7, 2001

Illus.: “Falling Out of Bed” A little boy constantly fell out of bed. No matter what his parents did, the boy couldn’t sleep without rolling out of bed. An uncle came to visit and in the middle of the night the usual thump and cry was heard. In the morning the uncle teased the boy and asked ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:12-23

Tags: Discipleship, Falling Out Of Bed, Faith, Holiness

Denomination: Wesleyan

When I Look At History I Think Of Another Time ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 21, 2001

When I look at history I think of another time when America faced a crisis. The year was 1857. America was at both an economic and spiritual low. Attendance in churches had dwindled and there was a cynicism among many concerning religion. It was in the midst of this spiritual crisis that God gave a ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:18-27

Tags: Vision, God's Sovereign Will, God's Omniscience

The Road Not Taken By Robert Frost  PRO

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Aug 15, 2001

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveller, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could. To where it bent in the undergrowth, Then I took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better ...read more

Scripture: Romans 15:7

Tags: Growth In Christ, Becoming A Christian

Denomination: Anglican