In Sermon Illustrations: "House Of The Lord"

Billy Graham: Growing Old Has Been A Surprise  PRO

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Feb 7, 2012

BILLY GRAHAM: GROWING OLD HAS BEEN A SURPRISE Billy Graham, in his book "Nearing Home: Life, Faith, and Finishing Well" (pp. 1-2, Thomas Nelson), he writes: Growing old has been the greatest surprise of my life. The young live for the here and now. Thinking ahead seems to be in the form of dreams ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 16:31

Tags: Aging

Denomination: Baptist

Relying On Technology

Contributed by Perry Greene on Mar 15, 2012

RELYING ON TECHNOLOGY The following two news stories come from Reuters: "A Ukraine businessman who bought a pager for each member of his staff as a New Year gift was so alarmed when all 50 of them went off at the same time that he drove his car into a lamp post. The unnamed businessman was ...read more

Tags: Men's Day

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Happiness Of Heaven

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 7, 2012

THE HAPPINESS OF HEAVEN In 1871 Fr. J. Boudreau wrote a short story entitled "The Happiness of Heaven." It's a story about a kindhearted king who is hunting in the forest when he discovers a blind, poor orphan boy living there. The king takes the blind orphan to his palace and adopts him as his ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Tags: Heaven

The Box Was Not Empty

Contributed by Perry Greene on Jul 3, 2012

THE BOX WAS NOT EMPTY "We often learn the most from our children. Some time ago a friend of mine punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight, and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the tree. Nevertheless, the ...read more

Tags: Children

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Boost For Not Boasting!!!

Contributed by Suresh Manoharan on Oct 21, 2016

A Boost for not Boasting!!! Probably you have heard this story before but here it goes again...a tale involving a frog prone to self-boasting and his two crane friends who planned to “live happily together ever after” inhabiting as they were a pond overflowing with rich flora and fauna but that ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 9:23-24

Tags: Power, Prudence, Boasting In Christ

Denomination: *other

Christ's Love And Cursive Handwriting

Contributed by Bobby Oliver on Sep 11, 2017

When I was in Kindergarten, the teachers taught me the Alphabet. Obviously, before you can learn how to spell, you have to learn the alphabet. As you learn to spell words, you learn that the letters are written separate, so you lift your pencil up every time you write a letter. Then, when I was ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 2:7-11

Tags: Love All, Love Of God, Love, Love God

Denomination: Baptist

Loss

Contributed by Steve Kinnard on Aug 9, 2019

Have you ever had a time in your life when you suffered drastic income loss? In 1995 I had a dream job, I had an office that was 30 foot by 40 foot with my own private bath, no boss on 2nd and 3rd shift and the pay was great, not bad for a blue-collar worker. We based our lifestyle on my wages, and ...read more

Scripture: Joel 2:25-27

Tags: Loss, Recovert

Denomination: Pentecostal

Eight Tests Every Christian Will Face

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 20, 2019

Below are brief descriptions of eight types of tests that every Christian will likely face: • Fiery trials: intense encounters or struggles; bursts of anger, grief, or lust • Infirmities: physical limitations and illnesses • Reproaches: ridicule and rejection on account of faith or ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:1-9

Tags: Faith, Tribulation, Tests, Trials, Temptations  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Easy Yoke

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 15, 2020

A yoke was a wooden frame which was put on the backs of animals and around their necks joining the two animals for a common task, such as plowing or pulling a load. If you were yoked with Jesus Christ, who do you think would "pull the load"? Obviously the Lord. And so in order to manifest ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12, Matthew 11:28-30

Tags: Discipleship, Beatitudes, Christian Life, Surrender, Yoke, Following Jesus  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Power Of Doubling

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Feb 19, 2021

COME HOME PRODIGAL! COME HOME! COME IN HOPE! COME IN JOY! GOD HAS A BONUS FOR HIS CHILDREN. Zechariah 9:12 Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee; By faith we are prisoners, prisoners that are filled with a hope out ...read more

Scripture: Zechariah 9:12

Tags: Double, Blessings

Denomination: Assembly Of God

In Addition To Being Wanderers, It Is Nearly ...

Contributed by Matthew Mobley on Mar 28, 2008

In addition to being wanderers, it is nearly impossible to get sheep to “lie down.” The only way a sheep will lie down in green pastures is if it is FREE FROM ALL ANXIETIES – including a freedom from fear, freedom from friction with the other sheep, free from pests, and freedom from hunger. Sheep ...read more

Denomination: Methodist

The Wise Farmer Can Usually Depend On ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 1, 2008

"...the wise farmer can usually depend on expected timetables of seedtime and harvest. Not so in the spiritual life. One of the greatest frustrations in the Christian ministry, and principal cause for 'weariness in well doing' is the inability to calculate the spiritual outcome of faithful labors ...read more

Tags: Endurance

Spiritual Health Checks  PRO

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Spiritual Health Checks (True Devotions) Rick Warren wrote, "The key for churches in the 21st Century will be church health, not growth." When a congregation is healthy, it will grow spiritually and enjoy the benefits of a live, vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ. A healthy Christian ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:42

Tags: Children, Moses, Deception, Godly Women, Listen, Liar, Selectively, Christian Disciplines  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Andrée Seu (Pronounced, Ahn'-Dray Soo) Wrote ...

Contributed by Glenn Durham on Sep 17, 2008

Andrée Seu (pronounced, Ahn’-dray Soo) wrote about it in an article in World Magazine a couple of weeks ago: “I was accustomed to thinking of discouragement as something that happens to a person. But on closer examination…I have been taken aback by how volitional or ‘active’ it is. To go around ...read more

Tags: Dead To Sin

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Onward Christian Soldier  PRO

Contributed by Dave Kinney on Oct 11, 2008

Onward Christian Soldier It was 1854. Pastor Dudley Tyng was voted as the new pastor of a Philadelphia church at only 29 years old. At first the work went well until he started to preach against the sin of slavery – at that point to church did not want to make anyone mad so they told him to shut ...read more

Tags: Zeal

Denomination: Baptist

Counting On Them  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 16, 2008

COUNTING ON THEM The wise farmer can usually depend on expected timetables of seedtime and harvest. Not so in the spiritual life. One of the greatest frustrations in the Christian ministry, and principal cause for "weariness in well doing" is the inability to calculate the spiritual outcome of ...read more

Tags: Servanthood

Does He Have Other Plans?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2008

DOES HE HAVE OTHER PLANS? The wise farmer can usually depend on expected timetables of seedtime and harvest. Not so in the spiritual life. One of the greatest frustrations in the Christian ministry, and principal cause for "weariness in well-doing" is the inability to calculate the spiritual ...read more

Tags: Servanthood

John Newton: Infidel Restored  PRO

Contributed by Owen Bourgaize on Jan 18, 2009

John Newton: Infidel Restored John Newton continued his ministry into his old age, turning a deaf ear to friends who urged him to accept retirement, as by the time he reached 80 he was almost blind and partially deaf. "I cannot stop" he replied. "What! Shall the old African blasphemer stop while ...read more

Tags: Christian Witness

Denomination: Baptist

Messiah Fed The Hungry  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 28, 2009

"MESSIAH" FED THE HUNGRY When Handel wrote "Messiah" he had gone from riches to rags. For 30 years he had entertained Lords and Ladies with his operas. But those days seemed long past. Creditors were at his door. He was depressed. He could not sleep and he was plagued by rheumatism. He feared he ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 58:6-8

Tags: Christmas Advent

Did You Know That The United States Once Had A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Did you know that the United States once had a king? Actually, he wasn’t a king—he was an emperor. During the gold-rush days of the 1800s in San Francisco, a man named Joshua A. Norton lost everything he had in market speculation. When that happened, something happened to his mind. He declared ...read more

Tags: Descriptions Of God