In Sermon Illustrations: "john ortberg"

Do You Like To Be Blind?  PRO

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Mar 30, 2011

DO YOU LIKE TO BE BLIND? Our grand-kids came to visit our church one Sunday, and I asked our grandson, Caleb, how he liked Sunday School. He said he didn't like it at all! I asked him why and he explained that the teacher made them close their eyes for a long time and wouldn't let them open ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:1-7, 1 John 4:19-21

Tags: Miracles Of Jesus

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Wahlstrom's Wonder  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 17, 2011

WAHLSTROM'S WONDER I once read about a certain Mr. Wahlstrom who purchased an old bombsight and took it apart to see what made it work. As he began to put it back together, he decided to add to it some spare parts he had from other projects. Over time, friends and neighbors took an interest in the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20, John 1:14-18, Jonah 3:1-10

Tags: Church Purpose Of

Faster And Faster  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 15, 2011

FASTER AND FASTER Does anyone here know who "Million Dollar Bill" is? If you guessed Bill Gates, then you would be wrong. Another nickname is "Awesome Bill from Dawsonville." In the year 1987, at Talladega Motor Speedway, Bill Elliot set the fastest recorded speed for a qualifying lap at 212.809 ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 3:3-9, John 20:1-11

Tags: Forgiveness, Patience, Time

The Harvest Is Ripe  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 22, 2009

THE HARVEST IS RIPE The Harvest is ripe -- Here's proof: Wycliffe: Vision 2025 Translation projects started in every language on the planet by 2025. Worldwide evangelism: In "The Faith Equation," Dr. Marvin Bittinger, Professor of Mathematics at Purdue University and author of over 175 college ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:37-38, Luke 10:1-5, John 6:25-35

Tags: Harvest, Islam, Muslim, Converts, Great Commission  (view more)  (view less)

Justin  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 13, 2009

JUSTIN I want to tell you about a 12-year-old boy we’ll call Justin. Justin never knew anything good. His parents, if you want to call them that, were completely without qualifications to birth the boy, having done so quite unintentionally, making far less effort to raise him than they made to ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16-17, Romans 5:8, Colossians 1:21-22

Tags: Grace, Atonement, Substitution

Knowing The Sound Of His Voice  PRO

Contributed by Tim Smith on Oct 8, 2011

KNOWING THE SOUND OF HIS VOICE Brian Brown tells the story of being at the community pool with his family. Kids were screaming, playing, and splashing in the pool, music was playing, the lifeguard whistles were blowing and in the midst of the conversation, his wife shooshes him. He said, "What are ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:10-18, John 10:4

Tags: Prayer General

Denomination: Methodist

Luther's Confessions

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Dec 8, 2011

LUTHER'S CONFESSIONS Before writing, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," before becoming a leader of the Reformation, before his 95 Theses, Martin Luther was a Catholic priest. One thing that did not change for him was a passionate conviction that Christians must repent and confess their sins. As a ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 1:9, Psalm 66:18

Tags: Confession, Repentance, Confession Of Sin

Denomination: Baptist

No Faith In The Future, No Power For The Present

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 12, 2012

NO FAITH IN THE FUTURE, NO POWER FOR THE PRESENT Years ago, a small town in Maine was proposed for the site of a great hydroelectric plant. Since the dam would be built across the river, the entire town would be submerged. When the project was announced, the people were given many months to ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:10-14, 1 John 3:3

Tags: Future

You Follow What You're Tied To  PRO

Contributed by Rick Pendleton on Oct 31, 2012

YOU FOLLOW WHAT YOU'RE TIED TO Two hunters were out hunting and come upon what appeared at first as an abandoned farm. The barn was sagging, the house was in disrepair, and there were junk cars and car parts lying around. The only thing that made it a working farm were a few chickens pecking away ...read more

Scripture: John 5:1-5, Luke 21:5-35, Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

Tags: Fear, Marriage, Sin Bondage To, Sidetracked

Denomination: Baptist

Abraham Lincoln: Merit Your Freedom  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 8, 2013

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: MERIT YOUR FREEDOM In the last days of the Civil War, the Confederate capital, Richmond, Virginia, fell to the Union army. Abraham Lincoln insisted on visiting the city. Even though no one knew he was coming, slaves recognized him immediately and thronged around him. He had ...read more

Scripture: John 21:3-14, Romans 6:1-23, Galatians 5:13-15

Tags: Christian Liberty

You Don't Know How To Get To The Post Office!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 13, 2014

Dr. Billy Graham tells the story of a time early in his ministry when he arrived in a small town to preach a sermon. Wanting to mail a letter in those days, he asked a young boy where the post office was. When the boy told him, Dr. Graham thanked him and said, "If you will come to church ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-6, 1 Timothy 4:16

Tags: Evangelism, Outreach, Heaven, Humor, Billy Graham, Great Commission  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Daddy, What Does It Feel Like To Die?  PRO

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 19, 2014

Years ago I heard the compelling story of a young pastor whose son was very sick and not expected to live long. Night after night the pastor and his wife would put their boy to bed and say a prayer hoping for a miracle. One evening, the boy looked at his father and said, "Daddy, what does it feel ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-6, 2 Timothy 3:1-9

Tags: Death, Children, Heaven, Grief

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Is Venom In Our Veins

Contributed by Matt Neace on Oct 5, 2018

Describing the new movie, Venom, Greg Morse writes: He was a journalist once. Eddie Brock investigated corruption, fought on behalf of the oppressed, and tried to make a difference in the world. He was trying to take down evil - until he was "taken" by it. An alien, a symbiote, a hungry beast ...read more

Scripture: Romans 7:15-20, Romans 8:20-21, John 1:5

Tags: Human Condition, Human Nature, Sin Nature, Sin, Evil, Satan, Devil, Spiritual Warfare, Temptation  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

What Jesus Believed About The Scripture

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 15, 2020

WHAT DID JESUS BELIEVE ABOUT THE SCRIPTURE? The Scripture is without error (John 17:17). The Scripture is historically reliable (Jonah – Matthew 12:40). The Scripture is God’s authority over Satan (Matt. 4:1-11). The Scripture is accurate according to Creation (Matt. 19:4). The Scripture is ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, John 17:17

Tags: Bible, Scripture, Apologetics, Truth, Inspiration, Inerrancy  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Satan's Three-Fold Attack

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 9, 2020

Satan tempts us in three separate ways according to I John 2:15-16: "The lust of the flesh is the desire to DO something apart from the will of God. The lust of the eyes is the desire to HAVE something apart from the will of God. The pride of life is the desire to BE something apart from ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12, 1 John 2:15-16

Tags: Lust, Satan, Spiritual Warfare, Temptation

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

How To Persuade A Burglar

Contributed by Larry Hinkle on Jun 12, 2020

An elderly Widow woke in the middle of the night, alerted by a noise> She tiptoed down steps to discover she had a Burglar in her home. She shouted at the intruder, “Stop in the name of the Lord, repent for the forgiveness of your sins. Acts 2:38!” the burglar immediately froze, raised both arms ...read more

Scripture: John 16:8, Acts 2:38, Hebrews 9:14

Tags: Persuasion, Communication, Conscience, Conviction

Denomination: Methodist

Wiretap Into Your Home

Contributed by Davon Huss on Aug 22, 2020

The church is the bride of Christ. If we love the groom (Jesus), we will look for positive things to say about the bride (the church). Bob Russell tells a story about how years ago, when there were multiple party telephone lines, a preacher picked up the telephone to make a call but couldn’t get ...read more

Scripture: John 13:35, 2 Corinthians 11:28-29

Tags: Evangelism, Love For The Church, Speak Positively

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Hyperbole

Contributed by Roy Fowler on Sep 13, 2020

I had to have a tooth removed last Thursday. It took me FOREVER to get an appointment. Once I got there and got back in the room where they were going to extract my tooth I felt like I was in an operating room not a dentist office. I remember back in the ‘80’s when I got two eye teeth removed they ...read more

Scripture: Luke 14:25-33, 1 John 4:7-9

Tags: Hyperbole, Stretching Truth

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Heaven Or Drake's Mansion

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Sep 14, 2020

Drake is a famous rapper from Toronto who lives is a mansion valued at $100,000,000. Measuring 50,000 square feet it includes a 3,200 foot square master bedroom; A basketball court and a "Great Room" with a 44-foot-high ceiling and containing a Bösendorfer concert grand ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:19-22, Matthew 16:18, John 14:1-7

Tags: Church, Heaven, Materialism, Mansion, Possessions  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Auctioneer And The Old Violin

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 20, 2020

Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer Thought it scarcely worth his while To waste much time on the old violin, But held it up with a smile. ‘What am I bidden, good folks,’ he cried, ‘Who’ll start the bidding for me? A dollar, a dollar,’ then ‘Two; Only two? Two dollars, and who’ll make it ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, John 3:1-7

Tags: New Birth, Jesus, Salvation, Cross, Redemption, Change, Transformation  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational