In Sermon Illustrations: "1 John 5:1-6:12"

There Was An Item Printed In Newsweek ...  PRO

Contributed by Michael De Rosa on Sep 22, 2006

ILLUS: There was an item printed in Newsweek magazine a few years ago. It was a letter from the Greenville County, South Carolina, Department of Social Services. The letter was written to a dead person. It said: "To whom it may concern: Your food stamps will be stopped effective immediately, ...read more

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Denomination: Free Methodist

One Of My Christmas Presents Was A Book: ‘a ...  PRO

Contributed by Warner Pidgeon on Jan 5, 2008

One of my Christmas presents was a book: ‘A Bundle of Laughs’ by J. John & Mark Stibbe. Towards the end of the book comes their light-hearted ‘20 Rules of Wisdom’. Don’t worry; I’m only going to read four! 1.God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts! 2.Growing old is inevitable, growing up ...read more

Denomination: Anglican

Not Just Another Offering

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 12, 2009

NOT JUST ANOTHER OFFERING I had been praying regularly with the deacons for one of our members. His wife, Pat, attended our small congregation faithfully, but John hadn’t been to church in years. So every Sunday afternoon before the evening service, we prayed for ways to communicate our commitment ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

W. Graham Scroggie Once Said, "Pray When You ...  PRO

Contributed by Donn Heinrich on Feb 11, 2002

W. Graham Scroggie once said, "Pray when you feel like it, pray when you don’t feel like it, ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Ephesians 6:18, Philippians 4:6-7

Tags: Prayer, Prayer How To, Prayer General

Denomination: Baptist

What's The Use  PRO

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Apr 20, 2002

WHAT'S THE USE There was an old man that lived in the mountains of eastern Kentucky. The old man had a big family. One day one of the old man’s grandsons approached him with a problem. The Grandson said, "Pap, I read the Bible and I don’t understand it, and what I understand I forget as soon as I ...read more

Scripture: Luke 11:28, Hebrews 4:12, 1 Timothy 3:16-18

Tags: Scripture, Word Of God, Family, Disciplines, Bible, Bible Study  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Leadership: What God Looks For In His Leaders

Contributed by Raymond Petzholt on Mar 25, 2004

When God was looking for a leader for His people He required “a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will” (Acts 13:22; I Sam. 13:14; Why? - Amos 3:3). “Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” (I Sam. 16:7). As God was searching the hearts of ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 119:11, Amos 3:3, 1 Samuel 16:7

Tags: Leadership, God's Word Essential

Denomination: Baptist

When A Believer Considers How Much God Has ...  PRO

Contributed by Charles R. Swindoll on Sep 30, 2004

When a believer considers how much God has forgiven him, he is able to extend pardon to others no matter what they have done. A Christian husband found this to be true when his wife, who had become an alcoholic, told him of an affair she had had with his best friend 10 years earlier. She said she ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 10:23-33, 1 Corinthians 10:23-33

Tags: Forgiveness For Others, Trust

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

All The Evidence  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 22, 2005

ALL THE EVIDENCE Professor Thomas Arnold, for 14 years a headmaster of Rugby, author of the famous, History of Rome, and appointed to the chair of modern history at Oxford, was well acquainted with the value of evidence in determining historical facts. This great scholar said: "I have been used ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:1-15, 1 Corinthians 15:14-20, Luke 24:13-27

Tags: Easter Resurrection, Apologetics Jesus

God Honors Radical, Risk-Taking ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Beaird on Nov 6, 2000

"God honors radical, risk-taking faith. When arks are built, lives are saved. When soldiers march, Jerichos tumble. When staffs are raised, seas still open. When a lunch is shared, thousands are fed. And when a garment is touched -- whether by the hand of an anemic woman in ...read more

Scripture: 2 Kings 4:8-37, 1 Samuel 1:8-16

Tags: Faith General, Faith

Denomination: Pentecostal

Jack Benny Was Rather Shy When He Was Young. One ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Feb 21, 2001

Jack Benny was rather shy when he was young. One day at work he saw a young lady that greatly attracted his attention. But he was too shy to speak to her. So he went to the florist & ordered one red rose to be sent to her without any card enclosed. And every day he repeated that order. Well, ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:5-13, Genesis 2:18-27, Ephesians 5:25-33

Tags: Power, Marriage Commitment, Marriage Obligations, Romantic Love

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Heres What Cambridge Scholar N.t Wright Has To ...  PRO

Contributed by Bob Hager on Apr 26, 2001

Heres what Cambridge scholar N.T Wright has to say about the subject, "Why did christianity arise, and why did it take the shape it did? The early Christians themselves reply: We exist because of Jesus’ resurrection…. There is no evidence for a form of early Christianity in which the resurrection ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:1-11, 1 Corinthians 15:12-19

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Denomination: Methodist

To Have Prayed Well Is To Have Studied Well." ...

Contributed by Paul Steffens on Dec 11, 2007

"To have prayed well is to have studied ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15, 1 Corinthians 4:7

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Never Give Up  PRO

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Oct 27, 2011

NEVER GIVE UP Have you seen that cartoon with the pelican having a frog for dinner? His dinner is not agreeing with him. The frog’s head, shoulders, and most of his body are in the pelican’s beak. His back legs are outside, kicking for all they’re worth. His front legs stick out from both sides ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:1-8, 1 Peter 1:6-7, Luke 11:5-13

Tags: Perseverance, Prayer, Prayer Persistence

Denomination: Baptist

Free For The Taking: Grace

Contributed by Richard Tow on Jul 18, 2017

Joseph Cooke was a missionary to Thailand a generation ago. He illustrated grace this way. Picture a happily married couple in which both husband and wife are all that either could ever wish the other to be. The husband always respects his wife’s feelings, always treasures her individuality, is ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:8-9, Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 5:8

Tags: Grace, Love Of God

Denomination: Charismatic

Don't Quit

Contributed by Richard Tow on Jul 18, 2017

Ignace Jan Paderewski, the famous pianist, was scheduled to perform at a great concert hall in America. It was a high-society extravaganza. Present in the audience that evening was a mother and her fidgety nine-year old. She had brought him in the hopes that when he heard the great composer play, ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 18:9-15, 1 Peter 4:12, Hebrews 11:11

Tags: Perseverance, Discouragement, Disappointment

Denomination: Charismatic

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

Justification, Propitiation, And The Very Early Church

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Sep 30, 2019

The early church understood propitiation, the atoning work of Jesus, and justification by faith, not works: from The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus, Chapter IX, about 200 A.D. But when our wickedness had reached its height, and it had been clearly shown that its reward, punishment and death, ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:21-31, Romans 5:8, 1 Corinthians 15:1-5

Tags: Reformers, Penal Atonement, Cross, Justification, Propitiation, Reformation, Grace Alone, Faith Alone, Atonement  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

George Floyd

Contributed by C. Philip Green on Jun 11, 2020

God can use you to make a difference in our broken world no matter your past. Just commit your way to the Lord like Jephthah did and depend on His Holy Spirit. When I think about Jephthah, I think about George Floyd, who was recently murdered in Minneapolis. George was a towering 6-foot by 6-inch ...read more

Scripture: Judges 11:1-3, Judges 11:29, 1 Corinthians 1:26-29

Tags: Transformation, Grace Of God, George Floyd

Denomination: Evangelical Free

Satanic Duplications

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Jul 29, 2020

A cartoon when I was a kid showed a group of aliens called Meeks who came to earth and said they only existed to serve others and wanted to give everyone the desires of their heart. The world voted to allow them to do it and everyone only had to ask and it was done. With no work to do humans ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 17:9, Proverbs 16:25, 1 Peter 5:8

Tags: Deception, Satan, Lies, Lion

Denomination: Baptist

The Flag And The Cross

Contributed by Davon Huss on Aug 1, 2020

Symbols evoke feelings of adoration or hatred. In this election year, the elephant and donkey mean different things to different people. Let's talk about a symbol that all Americans should be able to adore. In 1813 General Armistead commissioned Mary Pickersgill to make a huge flag that ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:18-24, Galatians 6:14, Colossians 2:15

Tags: Patriotic, Cross, Power Of God, United States, National Anthem, Flag Of United States  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ