In Sermon Illustrations: "1 Thessalonians 5 18 51 18"

56% Of Straight Americans Say People Should Be ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 14, 2008

56% of straight Americans say people should be more supportive of gay equality, finds a Harris Interactive study. 60% of those ages 18 to 44 support equal treatment for the homosexual community. 71% of Americans say they have spoken out against anti-gay comments and about 18% cite religious or ...read more

Tags: Homosexuality

Boardman Reminds Us That Commitment To The Will ...  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Nov 19, 2003

Boardman reminds us that commitment to the will of the Lord does require action on our part. “True commitment will mean not only turning to something, but also turning from something, just as Paul commended the Thessalonians for turning “to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (1 Thes. ...read more

Tags: Basics Of Christianity, Commitment To Christ

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[030] A Message From A Poem – Beauty From Ashes

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Feb 18, 2025

[030] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – BEAUTY FROM ASHES One of the deepest emotions we have is shame. Shame happens when sin has caused havoc in a person’s life, and the realisation of it bursts like a cloud over the person. Shame brings guilt and guilt can affect a person greatly, even causing ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 51:10, Psalm 51:1-2, Psalm 51:12, 1 John 1:7-9

Tags: Ashes, Sinning, Repentance, Guilt, Shame, Bathsheba, Conviction, Poetry, David, Forgiveness, Beauty, Holy Spirit  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

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

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Covenants

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 27, 2010

THE COVENANTS Eternal covenant, Heb 13:20—The redemptive covenant before time began, between the Father and the Son. By this covenant we have eternal redemption, an eternal peace from the ‘God of peace’, through the death and resurrection of the Son. Edenic covenant, Gen 1:26-28—The creative ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 7:1-16

Tags: Covenant

Denomination: Brethren

Finishing Well

Contributed by Tim Smith on Aug 13, 2017

John Baker was too short and too slight to be a runner for his high school track team but he loved to run. His best friend was tall and lanky and had the perfect build to be a runner but wanted nothing to do with the sport. So John went to the track coach to convince him to let John on the team ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:24

Tags: Finish, Running The Race, Overcoming, Ending Well

Denomination: Methodist

Unintentionally Humorous Texts: When David Played The Fool!

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Mar 19, 2024

Introduction: David was known for many things: Saul’s minstrel, the champion against Goliath, and a man after God’s own Heart, among others. But there was an unintentionally humorous incident that didn’t put David in a very good light! Text: 1 Samuel 21:10-15, KJV: 10 And David arose, and fled ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 21:10-15

Tags: Gath, Achish, David

Denomination: Baptist

Buster Pastors: The Number Of Busters (Currently ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 18, 2006

Buster Pastors: The number of Busters (currently ages 20 to 38) who serve as senior pastors has doubled in just 2 years from 22,000 to 45,000 (nearly 14% of all 324,000 Protestant senior pastors in the U.S.). Buster pastors are more likely to use drama (32% to 21%); show movies, videos, and DVDs ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 13:1-14

Tags: Church Practices

Passing The Torch  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 16, 2004

PASSING THE TORCH On August the 13th, the Summer Olympics begin 16 jam pack days of competition at the site of the original Olympic Games, Athens, Greece. This month we have watched American athletes compete for a spot on the team in track and field and swimming and if their times carry over to ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 19:19

Tags: Sharing Your Faith, Evangelism How To

Fear In The Work Cubicle

Contributed by Troy Borst on Apr 4, 2015

IN THE WORK CUBICLE (p) It’s a normal day at the office. You got to work 5 minutes late like usual. You find your normal parking place open and you whip your car into the spot and grab all that you need from the passenger seat. You are soon in the elevator heading to your floor. The elevator ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:15

Tags: Evangelism, Workplace, Sharing Christ, Workplace Evangelism

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Intercession: Pyramid Prayer?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 14, 2009

INTERCESSION: PYRAMID PRAYER? Philip Yancey in his book on prayer tells of a young American soldier in Iraq who learns that his wife back home has advanced cervical cancer. Doctors gave a bleak prognosis. In desperation, he sent an urgent email to his church with the request that everyone in turn ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 13:6

Tags: Intercession

A 2003 Study From The Barna Research Group Shows ...

Contributed by Austin Mansfield on Apr 1, 2007

A 2003 study from the Barna Research Group shows that many of our country’s moral and spiritual challenges are directly related to the absence of a biblical worldview among Americans. Barna’s study of 2,033 adults showed that only 4 percent have a biblical worldview as the basis of their ...read more

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Have A Heart

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Apr 28, 2023

HEARTBEAT? DO WE EVER SAY: THANK YOU? DO WE EVER GET TIRED AND WEARY? DO WE EVER LISTEN TO HEAR THE HEART BEAT OF GOD? John 13:23 Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. On the average your heart beats around 70 times a minute, 100,800 TIMES A DAY. ...read more

Scripture: John 13:23

Tags: Heart, Faithful

Denomination: Assembly Of God

The Miraculous Human Body  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 2, 2004

THE MIRACULOUS HUMAN BODY The average human heart pumps over 1,000 gallons a day, over 55 million gallons in a lifetime. This is enough to fill 13 super tankers. It never sleeps, beating 2.5 billion times in a lifetime. The lungs contain 1,000 miles of capillaries. The process of exchanging ...read more

Tags: Descriptions Of God, Creation, Apologetics God

Friday, I Did A Quick Web Based Search, And I Was ...

Contributed by Guy Glass on Aug 5, 2005

Friday, I did a quick web based search, and I was surprised by what I found. I answered four questions: 1. Do you and your spouse have any children under the age of 18 from this marriage? 2. Can you locate your spouse, and is he or she willing to sign the divorce documents with you? 3. Have you ...read more

Tags: Divorce

Denomination: Baptist

John Maxwell States, "It's Amazing What Can ...  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jul 11, 2006

John Maxwell states, “It’s amazing what can happen to and through an ordinary man when God pours a little hardship and the power of the Holy Spirit into the mix…One ordinary man, a little persecution, and a touch from the Spirit of God led to massive conversions in the city of Samaria. As Jesus had ...read more

Tags: Holy Spirit General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Social Networking Sites Attracted 61% Of Teens ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 20, 2007

Social Networking Sites attracted 61% of teens ages 13 to 17. Over 60% of those who visit also join such sites as MySpace.com, says a Burst Media study. Gals are more likely to visit a social networking site than guys (68% vs. 54%). 18% of teens spend 2-3 hours online outside school, while 25% ...read more

Tags: Entertainment

The Number Of Baptisms Is Declining Throughout ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 20, 2007

The Number Of Baptisms is declining throughout the Christian community according to USA Today. Southern Baptists baptisms fell about 35% from ‘72 to ‘85 and has remained flat since. SBC membership increased from 13.6 million in ‘80 to 16.2 million in ‘04, while baptisms dropped from 430,000 in ‘80 ...read more

Tags: Becoming A Christian

Lyle Schaller, Church Consultant, Addressed The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 6, 2006

Lyle Schaller, church consultant, addressed the influence and implication of consumerism in the church, at the recent Leadership Network conference, Gathering of Church Champions. He cited 3 major changes: (1) “Arrival of the ministry of the laity—lay people get satisfaction from ministry, not ...read more

Tags: Church General

Douglas Hyde Was A Major Leader In The Communist ...

Contributed by Kenneth Squires on Jul 31, 2006

Douglas Hyde was a major leader in the Communist Party in England during the 1930’s and 1940’s. However, in 1948 he converted to Christianity. Later he wrote a fascinating little book, Dedication and Leadership, in which he pointed out that the means of developing leaders among the communists were ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:6-15

Tags: What Is Evangelism?, Godliness

Denomination: Pentecostal