In Sermon Illustrations: "1 Peter 4:1-1:3"

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

The Fundamental Idea Of Spirit In Hebrew And ...  PRO

Contributed by Mike Wilkins on Apr 6, 2005

“The Fundamental idea of Spirit in Hebrew and Greek is breath, air, wind, storm – the intensity depending on the context. It may be a gentle breath (John 20:22), a gale-force wind (Ex 15:8), a cooling breeze (Gen 3:8). Most essentially Spirit is transcendent and divine, not mere flesh; it is the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 17:17-18, Psalm 69:1-3, 1 Samuel 17:1

Tags: Holy Spirit Baptism, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit In Believers, Spirit

Denomination: *other

The Devil's Beatitudes  PRO

Contributed by Matthew Sickling on Apr 3, 2007

THE DEVIL'S BEATITUDES 1. Blessed are those who are too tired, too busy, too distracted to spend even an hour once a week with their fellow Christians – they are my best workers. 2. Blessed are those Christians who wait to be asked and expect to be thanked -- I can use them. 3. Blessed are the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12, John 16:33, 1 John 4:4

Tags: Satan, Church Small Groups, Devil, Discouragement, Beatitudes  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

They've All Been Wrong  PRO

Contributed by Timothy Peck on Feb 1, 2001

THEY'VE ALL BEEN WRONG Looking back at how Christians have viewed Christ’s second coming in the past, we find many people obsessed with figuring out all the details and making predictions. Here is a quote: "The last days are upon us. Weigh carefully the times. Look for him who is above all ...read more

Scripture: John 20:19-31, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Daniel 9:20-27

Tags: Second Coming

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Next Time You’re In An Airport Notice The ...  PRO

Contributed by Timothy Peck on Feb 1, 2001

Next time you’re in an airport notice the difference between passengers who have confirmed tickets and those on standby (Hybels, Too Busy Not to Pray 113). Those who have confirmed tickets are relaxed, their confident and expectant. Those on standby hang around the ticket counter, they pace and ...read more

Scripture: John 3:1-16, Genesis 4:1, 1 John 5:11-13

Tags: Faith, Confusion, Assurance Of Salvation, Born Again, God Brings Hope, Forgiveness In Jesus, Uncertainty  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

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

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

Missionary Gregory Fisher Writes: "What Will He ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

MISSIONARY Gregory Fisher writes: "What will he say when he shouts?" The question took me by surprise. I had already found that West African Bible College students can ask some of the most penetrating questions about minute details of Scripture. "Reverend, I Thess. 4:16 says that Christ will ...read more

Scripture: John 11:1-10, Numbers 9:1-14, 1 Thessalonians 4:16

Tags: Easter Resurrection

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

Honesty Matters  PRO

Contributed by Michael Deutsch on Jul 6, 2009

HONESTY MATTERS I read about a high school golfer, Chelsee Richard, of Bloomingdale High School in Brandon, Florida. She lost her chance to win the 2004 state championship — by being honest. In the qualifier for the state finals, Chelsee hit her tee shot on the second hole into the rough. Without ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:1-4, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-14

Tags: Commandments Testimony

Denomination: Baptist

Generations And The Bible  PRO

Contributed by Billy Nale on Oct 19, 2009

GENERATIONS AND THE BIBLE A new research report from the Barna Group examines recent nationwide studies on how different generations of American adults view and use the Bible. For the purposes of this research, the Mosaic generation refers to adults who are currently ages 18 to 25; Busters are ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 1 Timothy 4:12-16

Tags: Bible Truth

Denomination: Baptist

True Unity  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 26, 2011

TRUE UNITY Unity is not simply an intellectual exercise. We can believe the same things, recite the same creeds, belong to the same denomination, but that does not mean we have unity. In his book Soul Talk, Larry Crabb writes: "Which is worse? A church program to build community that doesn’t ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-16, Ephesians 4:1-22, 1 Samuel 25:14-35

Tags: Unity

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

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

When A Man's World Is Right

Contributed by Barry O Johnson on Jul 1, 2018

One Saturday morning a minister was busily trying to prepare his sermon under the most difficult conditions. It was a rainy day, and his young son was restless and bored, with little to do. Finally, in desperation, the minister picked up an old magazine and thumbed through it until he came to a ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 1:12-14, Romans 10:9-10, 1 John 2:15-17

Tags: Change, Born Again, Daughter, World, Father, Children, Son  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Baseball - The Curious Case Of Scooter Gennett

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Dec 31, 2018

Baseball And The Curious Case Of Scooter Gennett Baseball is known for its surprises. It's a beautiful game that lets grown men play a kids game. For more than a century of baseball and thousands of games, only 16 men have homered four times in one game. The last was Josh Hamilton, five years ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-3, 1 Corinthians 13:13, Romans 5:1-4

Tags: Perseverance, Hope, Good News

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational