In Sermon Illustrations: "1 Corinthians 15 35 38 42 50"

Despair  PRO

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Oct 22, 2001

DESPAIR During the Thirty Years’ War in the 17th century, German pastor Paul Gerhardt and his family were forced to flee from their home. One night as they stayed in a small village inn, homeless and afraid, his wife broke down and cried openly in despair. To comfort her, Gerhardt reminded her of ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:7-9, 1 Peter 1:17-18, Matthew 28:1-4

Tags: Promises Of God, Wait, God's Provision

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Great Ambition Is The Passion Of A Great ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 11, 2007

Great ambition is the passion of a great character. He who is endowed with it may perform very good or very bad actions; all ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-7, 1 Thessalonians 4:11, 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

Tags: Ambition

The Use Of Wine

Contributed by Ron Freeman, Evangelist on Dec 22, 2018

An aged brother told me jokingly one time regarding the difference between the elders and deacon’s use of wine, in 1 Timothy 3:3. He said Brother Freeman: “It’s simple. The deacon can drink, ‘a little wine’; however, the elder can only sip it, swish it around in his mouth, and then spit it out.” He ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:3, Titus 1:5-9, 1 Peter 5:1-4

Tags: Preacher, Drink, Deacon, Member, Wine, Elder  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Honesty Or Dishonest Gain

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Jan 23, 2024

1 Peter 5:1-3 warns against dishonest gain - "Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care...not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve." In January 2024 a USA pastor and his wife were charged after hundreds of Christians invested in their cryptocurrency scheme. ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:1-3, 1 Timothy 3:1-10, Titus 1:5-9

Tags: Money, Deception, Greed, Pastor, Integrity, Service  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

An Illustration – The Coffee Cup

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on May 18, 2024

AN ILLUSTRATION – THE COFFEE CUP I don’t prefer strong coffee for it has a couple of effects on me. My wife bought these coffee bags that had “intense” on the packets. I know I might horrify some people but I found I could use these coffee bags 4 times. They only need to be in hot water for a ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 3:1, 1 John 2:16-17, 1 John 1:8-10

Tags: Adulterated, Sin Is Subtle, Sin, Deceived, Coffee, Coffee Mug  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Obedience Matters To God

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 2, 2025

So many churches in our day have been captivated by church growth techniques and have made attendance the measure of success. I have got bad news for these folks – God’s measure of success is the ...read more

Scripture: John 14:15, 1 John 5:2-3, 1 Samuel 15:22

Tags: Obedience, God's Will

Denomination: Methodist

[082]. A Message From A Poem – For Men - The Three Gs

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 14, 2025

[082]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – FOR MEN - THE THREE Gs There are 9 poems in this series. This poem is part of a Trilogy - three sets of three. The first set is addressed to MEN, the second to ALL CHRISTIANS and the third is SPECIFIC. This is the first one in the first set - FOR MEN. ALL ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:9-10, 1 John 2:16, Philippians 2:3

Tags: Glory, Gold, Strength, Poetry, Poem, Girls, Ensnare, For Men  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God's Judgement

Contributed by John Bright on Sep 23, 2025

I don’t believe that God’s Judgement should be our main focus, but I also believe it’s wrong to never mention the Judgement of God. Remember, God must judge humanity because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Our God is a Holy God who also wants us to be holy. (1 ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:5, Romans 3:23, 1 Peter 1:16

Tags: Grace, Holy Spirit, Judgment, Holiness

Denomination: Methodist

Basic Training

Contributed by John Telgren on Feb 11, 2017

I hated shining shoes in Basic Training. There were other things I would rather be doing instead of sitting on the floor with a brush and mounds of cotton balls stained with black Kiwi shoe polish! If our boots and dress shoes were not perfect we paid for it dearly! During one of our trips to the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:15, 2 Timothy 2:15

Tags: Diligence, Diligently, Diligent

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Adoption: We Want This Child!

Contributed by Ron Freeman, Evangelist on Jan 11, 2018

A young couple visited a boarding care home which housed children for adoption. The care taker brought out all the children who were clean (recently bathed), well dressed, properly schooled in manners; for this couple’s inspection and selection. As they passed down the line and spoke to each child, ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:15-17, Galatians 4:4-7, 1 Peter 1:3-5

Tags: Blessings Of God, Adoption, Eternal Life, Children Of God, Heirs In Christ, Love And Hope  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

[359]. A Message From A Poem – Everyone Is Greedy For Money

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jun 3, 2026

[359]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – EVERYONE IS GREEDY FOR MONEY Everyone is greedy for money and they have a multitude of schemes to acquire it. Because I am old I can remember back in the 1950s when we went shopping with mum and shopkeepers were honest and always gave you good value. In those ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 6:13, Hebrews 13:5, 1 Timothy 6:9, Matthew 8:20, 1 Timothy 6:10-11  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Money, Greed, Poverty, Gain, Extortion, The Love Of Money, Christian Poems, Multinationals, Prices, Heavenly Riches  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Unsung Heroines-The "sinful Woman" At Simon's House

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Aug 4, 2022

Introduction: We don’t know her name, or much of anything else about her, except for one incident where she’s featured. What she did, and to whom, qualifies her to be an unsung heroine! Text: Luke 7:36-39, KJV: 36 And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into ...read more

Scripture: Luke 7:36-50

Tags: Forgiveness, Parables, Unsung Heroines

Denomination: Baptist

30 Million Babies Have Been Born Annually In This ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 5, 2006

30 million babies have been born annually in this country since 1990, and it’s the largest generation to flood the market since their baby boomlet parents. However, more impressive than their numbers is their wealth. The increase in single-parent and dual-earner households means kids are making ...read more

Tags: Children

He Is Our Desperate Need: 2 Peter ...

Contributed by Michael West on Oct 2, 2008

He is our desperate need: 2 Peter 1:3-4 Without Him, we are lost. Without Him, we are like a toy that needs batteries… We were born into this world blind to the truth of God— I Corinthians 2:14. Without Him, we would have remained full of corruption. With Him, we now ...read more

Tags: Sanctification

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Abortion- A New Zogby Poll Shows 56% Of Adult ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 18, 2006

Abortion- A new Zogby poll shows 56% of adult Americans generally oppose abortion and 42% generally support it. Of the 42%, only 25% feel abortion should be legal for any reason during the first ...read more

Tags: Abortion

Americans Are Sleeping Less Than They Did 20 ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 14, 2008

Americans Are Sleeping Less than they did 20 years ago, and about 50 to 70 million people nationwide suffer from chronic sleep loss and sleep disorders, reports the CDC. 10% of adults report not getting enough rest or sleep in any of the previous 30 days. Only 29.6% say they got enough rest or ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:10

Tags: Sabbath, Sleep, Rest

Older Churches, Especially Those 40 To 80 Years ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 20, 2007

Older Churches, especially those 40 to 80 years old, on average declined 1.5% to 1.6% between ’03 and ’04. At the same time younger churches ...read more

Tags: Church General

On Obedience  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2011

ON OBEDIENCE "One word stands out from all others as the key to knowing God, to having His peace and assurance in your life--it is obedience." (Eric Liddell) Elisabeth Elliot tells the story of when she and her brother Tom were small children. Their mother would let Tom play with paper bags that ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 15:22, 1 Peter 1:3-12, 1 Peter 3:1-12, Luke 8:16-21, Psalm 81:1-16  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Obedience

[088]. A Poem Message – Specific – For Young Christians - The Three Ls

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 25, 2025

[088]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – SPECIFIC – FOR YOUNG CHRISTIANS - THE THREE Ls There are 9 poems in this Trilogy series. This poem is part of a Trilogy - three sets of three. The first set is addressed to MEN, the second to ALL CHRISTIANS and the third is SPECIFIC. This is the first one in ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:14, 1 John 4:19, 1 John 5:2, Matthew 11:28-29, Proverbs 1:33  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Love, Listen, Learn

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Awesome Achievement (Moffatt's Law)

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Jan 31, 2018

Awesome achievement And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. - Paul. (1 Corinthians 13:13) Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians writes about love in chapter thirteen, but he finishes the chapter by mentioning two other powerful things, ...read more

Tags: Achievement, Confident Belief, Faith, Love, Law, Hope, Action  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Salvation Army