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

The First Christmas Card  PRO

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Dec 15, 2002

THE FIRST CHRISTMAS CARD The first Christmas card ever produced had its own disturbing qualitites. It was designed by an English artist named John Calcott Horsley in 1843, after he was commissioned for the task by Sir Henry Cole, a businessman from Bath, England. There were 1,000 of the ...read more

Tags: Jesus Life, Birth Of Jesus, Christmas

Denomination: Methodist

Some People Don't Need Much Of An Excuse To Stay ...

Contributed by Garth Wehrfritz- Hanson on Nov 13, 2006

Some people don’t need much of an excuse to stay home from church. If it even looks like it might rain, they don’t want to risk getting a little wet. The hymn writer Frances Havergal gave several reasons for attending church—especially on rainy days. 1. God has blessed the Lord’s Day, making no ...read more

Denomination: Lutheran

Proper Attitude

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 8, 2008

PROPER ATTITUDE - Ephesians 5:18-20 >1 Corinthians 10:31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God’s glory. Chuck Swindoll said: “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more important than facts. It is more ...read more

Greek Words For God's Love

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Aug 8, 2011

GREEK WORDS FOR GOD'S LOVE The Hebrew words for love are more meaningful than the Greek ones, especially two of them. aheb, "...The intensity of the meaning ranges from God's infinite affection for his people to the carnal appetites of a lazy glutton..." (Theological Wordbook of the Old ...read more

Tags: God's Love

Denomination: Independent/Bible

A Few Years Ago, The Newspapers Reported The ...  PRO

Contributed by Dave Mcfadden on Nov 16, 2004

A few years ago, the newspapers reported the story of how on March 5, 1994, Deputy Sheriff Lloyd Prescott was teaching a class for police officers in the Salt Lake City Library. As he stepped into the hallway, he noticed a gunman herding 18 hostages into the next room. Thinking quickly, Prescott ...read more

Tags: God's Provision, Commitment To Christ

Denomination: Baptist

Barna Research Group Reports That 31% Of U.s. ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 6, 2006

Barna Research Group reports that 31% of U.S. adults (10 million people) have not attended a Christian church service in the past 6 months. This is up from only 17% just 18 months earlier. The jump is attributed to growing numbers of Baby busters, men and non-white adults not attending church. This ...read more

Tags: Church General

Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid Is One Of My ...

Contributed by Timothy Smith on Aug 19, 2006

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is one of my time favorite movies. I wasn’t alone in liking it. The film won four academy awards and was nominated as Best Picture in 1970. It’s ranked as one of the top 150 movies on several motion picture sites. Part of the popularity of the film was the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:18, Titus 3:2

Tags: Peace

Denomination: Christian Church

Dennis E. Mannering Was Teaching A Class For ...  PRO

Contributed by Sheila Crowe on Sep 27, 2002

Dennis E. Mannering was teaching a class for adults, when he did the "unpardonable." He gave the class homework! The assignment was to "go to someone you love within the next week and tell them you love them. It had to be someone you have never said those words to before or at least haven’t shared ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Tags: God

Denomination: United Methodist

Relevant, A Magazine About "God, Life And ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 27, 2006

Relevant, a magazine about “God, life and progressive culture” for 18-34-year-olds, has a 65,000 circulation and attracts 340,000 Web site visitors monthly. ...read more

Tags: Entertainment

Not Loving The World

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Jul 30, 2021

It was very late Wed. Night of last week. I had only just finally gotten to relax after working on sermons all day and helping my friends a little with their move. So my plan was, while I was working some more on my sermons, to listen to a documentary about John Foxe, the author of Foxes Book of ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 2:15, Romans 12:2

Tags: Obedience, Taking Up Your Cross, Not Loving The World

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

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

The Catch-22 Of Incompetence  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Oct 26, 2001

THE CATCH-22 OF INCOMPETENCE Most incompetent people don’t know they are incompetent. In fact, researcher Dr. David A. Dunning of Cornell University reports that people who are incompetent are more confident of their abilities than competent people. Dunning and his associate Justin Krueger ...read more

Tags: Evangelism The Lost, Sin Separates From God

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

We Live In The Age Of Information Overload. ...  PRO

Contributed by James Botts on Aug 29, 2002

We live in the age of information overload. Consider the following: Ø New York Times contains more factual information in one edition than all the written materials available to a reader in the 15th century. Ø In 1472 the finest university library in the world was Queen’s College, Cambridge, it ...read more

Tags: God's Omniscience, Bible Influence

Denomination: Baptist

Pastor Leadership Styles

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 18, 2006

Pastor Leadership Styles Shepherding-loving, nurturing, community-driven 55% Bridge Building-good personality, create consensus, being people together 53% Directional-seeks next logical move, searches for right path 44% Team Building, matching people/jobs, expects it done, hands off ...read more

Tags: Church General

Media Saturated Kids: American Kids Spend An ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 27, 2006

Media Saturated Kids: American kids spend an average of 8 hours and 33 minutes in media each day (including TV, radio, music, print resources, computers, the Internet and video games) according to a Kaiser Health survey. Kids often multi-task by using more than one form of media simultaneously, so ...read more

Tags: Entertainment

Cleaning Up Our Wounds

Contributed by Warner Pidgeon on Feb 8, 2009

CLEANING UP OUR WOUNDS Moira, Stephen and I love watching ‘Casualty’ on BBC1. We were catching up on an old episode this week, so please turn away if you’re squeamish! (But I won’t show you my scars!) A lady had an open wound in her foot. As the nurse rolled back her thick socks to reveal the ...read more

Tags: Dealing With Conflicts

Denomination: Anglican

Have You Burned Your Ships Yet?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 9, 2020

When the Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez landed at Vera Cruz, Mexico in 1519 he was intent on conquest. To assure the devotion of his men, Cortez set fire to his fleet of eleven ships! With no means of retreat, Cortez’s army had only one direction to move, into the Mexican interior. Cortez ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12, James 1:8

Tags: Commitment, Discipleship, Following Jesus, Counting The Cost

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[036] A Message From A Poem – Blessed Lamb Of God In Adoration

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Feb 25, 2025

[036] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – BLESSED LAMB OF GOD IN ADORATION This was written as a hymn that can be sung. The emphasis is on the Lord Jesus Christ not so much on us. I hate these modern songs where it is all about “me”. Let us get back to glorifying the Lord for who He is and for what He ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 4:11, 1 Corinthians 1:18, Ephesians 4:8-10

Tags: Compassion, Adoration, Lamb, Second Coming, Poetry, The Cross, Lamb Of God, Poem  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

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