In Sermon Illustrations: "1 Samuel 1:1-40:1"

The 10 Tests Of Abraham

Contributed by Perry Greene on Nov 6, 2012

THE 10 TESTS OF ABRAHAM Ten Tests of Abraham according to Maimonides: 1. God tells him to leave his homeland to be a stranger in the land of Canaan. (12.1) 2. Immediately after his arrival in the Promised Land, he encounters a famine. (12.10) 3. The Egyptians capture his beloved wife, Sarah, and ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Strength Through Interconnectedness

Contributed by Richard Tow on Oct 5, 2020

Years ago, Jeanie and I visited the Redwood National Park in northern California. We stood in awe as we looked up to trees reaching over 350 feet. These trees have endured storms for over 1,000 years. The surprising thing is that their roots are very shallow—only about 10 to 12 feet deep. How does ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:2-3

Tags: Community, Church, Perseverance, Unity, Cooperation, Difficulties, Storms  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Charismatic

What Does It Mean To Have Joy?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 2, 2023

Joy is God’s gift to believers. Paul speaks of more than just a mood. This is a deep confidence that was rooted in God’s sovereign control of the universe, His on unchanging divine promises and eternal spiritual realities including the assurance of ultimate victory for those in ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:19-22, Philippians 4:4

Tags: Spirit Filled Life, Happiness, Joy, Fruit Of The Spirit

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Selling Eggs For Bad Sermons

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 9, 2024

An elderly pastor was searching his closet for a tie before church one Sunday morning. In the back of the closet, he found a small box containing 3 eggs and 100--$1.00 bills. He called his wife into the closet to ask her about the box and its contents. Embarrassed, she admitted having hidden the ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:1-3

Tags: Pastor, Preach The Word, Pastor's Wife, Sermons, Preachers, Bible, Church  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Achilles' Heel

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 15, 2024

The ancient Greeks told a story of a warrior named Achilles. His mother had been warned that he would die of a wound, so she dipped him as an infant in the river Styx. That was supposed to make him invincible. THERE WAS ONE PROBLEM -- she held him by one heel which the protective waters did not ...read more

Scripture: James 1:9-15

Tags: Evil, Satan, Spiritual Warfare, Temptation, Trials, Lust  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Burnout In The Ministry Is A Serious Problem.

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 12, 2024

Burnout is a serious problem among pastors around the world. Some statistics include: On average, seminary trained pastors last only five years in church ministry. • 100% of 1,050 Reformed and Evangelical pastors had a colleague who had left the ministry because of burnout, church conflict, or ...read more

Tags: Elijah, Ministry, Burnout, Pastors, Simon Peter, Discouraged, Quitting  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

John Wooden: Won Many College Basketball ...  PRO

Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Jan 30, 2001

JOHN WOODEN: won many college basketball national championships in a row while at UCLA. Was asked, ‘What does it take to make a winning team? THREE THINGS 1) Get players in right condition (right with God/Salvation) 2) Team them the fundamentals ...read more

Tags: Discipleship, Church Body Of Christ, Assurance Of Salvation

Until Tuesdayseptember 11th, The Bloodiest Day In ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Hensley on Sep 14, 2001

Until TuesdaySeptember 11th, the bloodiest day in U.S. history was Sept. 17, 1862, when about 4,700 Union and Confederate soldiers died in the Civil War battle of Antietam. Pearl Harbor killed 2,388 Americans, and ...read more

Tags: Independence Day, Holidays Civic

Denomination: Baptist

The Barna Research Group Recently Conducted An ...

Contributed by Matthew Rogers on Feb 20, 2002

The Barna research group recently conducted an extensive survey in the twelve largest Christian denominations in the U.S. What they uncovered was shocking. Only 41% of all adults surveyed believed in the total accuracy of the Bible. Only 40% believed Christ ...read more

Tags: Lordship Of Christ, Apologetics The Bible, Basics Of Christianity

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Bartholomew

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 15, 2002

Bartholomew Preached in several countries, and having translated the Gospel of Matthew into the language of India, he propagated it in that country. He was at length cruelly beaten and then crucified by the impatient idolaters. Bibliography Information Foxe, John. "Book - ...read more

Tags: Disciples, Apostles General

Bartholomew

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 15, 2002

Bartholomew Preached in several countries, and having translated the Gospel of Matthew into the language of India, he propagated it in that country. He was at length cruelly beaten and then crucified by the impatient idolaters. Bibliography Information Foxe, John. "Book - ...read more

Tags: Disciples, Apostles General, People In The Gospel

Smart Money Magazine Rated Christian Ministries ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 10, 2006

Smart Money magazine rated Christian ministries as 4 of the top 5 U.S. charities when it comes to efficient use of donations. They are #1 Samaritan’s Purse, #2 Wycliffe Bible Translators, #4 Focus on the Family and #5 ...read more

Tags: Giving General

Pastor Leaders: Over 75% Of Senior Pastors Don't ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 10, 2006

Pastor Leaders: Over 75% of Senior Pastors don’t believe they are called, gifted or skilled as leaders. Pastors who are leaders are actually less likely to rely on teams of lay leaders to help lead the ministry forward than the ...read more

Tags: Leadership General

The Christian Church Is Struggling To Influence ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 10, 2006

"The Christian Church Is Struggling to influence the nation’s culture because believers think of themselves as individuals1st, Americans 2nd, , and Christians 3rd. Until that prioritization is rearranged, the Church will continue to lose ...read more

Niv Leads 40% Of Protestant Pastors Prefer The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 10, 2006

NIV Leads 40% of Protestant pastors prefer the NIV Bible says a recent Ellison Research survey. 24% prefer the KJV, 17% the NRSV, 10% the NKJV and 9% the NASB. Mainline pastors favor the NRSV, evangelical pastors, the ...read more

Tags: Bible Study

Father's Day Is The 4th Most Important Retail ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 18, 2006

Father’s Day is the 4th most important retail gift holiday, after Christmas, Mother’s Day, and Valentines. 55% of Americans celebrate the day with a gift, according to new Unity Marketing research the typical gift-giver ...read more

Choices: The Overall Number Of Products Offered ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 20, 2006

Choices: The overall number of products offered in an average-size supermarket stands at around 22,000. Last year, there were over 21,000 new products introduced. An eye-popping 1,500 actually made it into stores, the highest ...read more

Tags: Money

Dayspring.com Site Is One Of The Most-Trafficked ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 27, 2006

DaySpring.com site is one of the most-trafficked Christian websites in the world attracting 1.6 million visitors on an average month. It is the most trafficked Christian e-card website and the 7th most-trafficked e-card website ...read more

Tags: Giving General

The Porn Industry Won A Major Victory In A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 27, 2006

The Porn Industry won a major victory in a federal court in Pittsburgh recently when a judge ruled that no restrictions should be placed on the distribution of pornography. Since it is legal to possess, its distribution channels are also beyond ...read more

Tags: Addiction

Costly Interruptions From Emails, Instant ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 27, 2006

Costly Interruptions from emails, instant messages, the Web, and phone are decreasing U.S. business productivity by $588 billion annually finds a Basix study. Interruptions to workflow can cost the average knowledge worker ...read more

Tags: Workplace Balance