In Sermon Illustrations: "1 Timothy 3:16-18"

You Can Change

Contributed by Richard Tow on Mar 27, 2023

Colin Smith tells the story of a friend who had a severe heart attack. The man said it felt like an elephant on his chest. He survived, but the doctor told him he would have to change his diet. Colin asked the man what he ate before the heart attack. The man said he loved cheeseburgers, fries, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:6, 2 Timothy 2:22, Luke 6:21

Tags: Habits, Hunger, Addiction, Righteousness, Health, Eating  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Charismatic

Beautiful America

Contributed by Loyd C. Taylor on Jun 29, 2024

BEAUTIFUL AMERICA Oh my, what a lovely country. Americans, we are blessed. The wonders of this country could never be overstressed! Tall, majestic mountains boast glistening snow-crowned heads. Blue mysterious oceans gleam with sparkling water spreads. Green, luscious grassy meadows, refreshing ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:1-5, Isaiah 18:1-2, Philippians 3:20

Tags: America, Patriotic, Independence Day, Poems About America

Denomination: Baptist

Pledge -- Prayer

Contributed by David Dunn on Oct 6, 2025

Two men were arguing at work one day about religion. Neither really knew what they were talking about. Finally one said, “Man, you don’t know anything about religion. I’ll bet you ten dollars you can’t even repeat the Lord’s Prayer.” The other grinned. “Oh yeah? It’s a bet!” He straightened up ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Hebrews 4:12, Psalm 119:105

Tags: Scripture, Discipleship, Truth, Authority

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Hannah And Samuel: A Mother's Love

Contributed by Genesis Press on May 12, 2026

The touching story of Hannah and Samuel, her love for her son. Hannah was unable to have children, and wept bitterly. She made a vow to the Lord that she would give her son to God for his service. After Hannah gave birth to Samuel, she and her husband Elkanah journeyed every year to Shiloh to give ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 2:19, 1 Samuel 2:19-26, 1 Samuel 2:1-18, 1 Samuel 2:19-20, 1 Samuel 2:19-20  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Samuel, Mother's Day, Hannah

It Is Said That If You Want To Know What Is ...

Contributed by Christopher Lanham on Nov 14, 2006

It is said that if you want to know what is important to a person, take a look at his or her checkbook (or spending habits, if you don’t have a check book). Money marks the importance of a particular thing to us. The New Testament reflects this, particularly in the teaching of Paul. He intimates ...read more

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Above Reproach

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 2, 2008

ABOVE REPROACH A friend told Plato of a terrible charge that had been leveled against the famous philosopher. Knowing it was not true, his friend said, "What are we going to do?" Plato replied, "We must simply live in such a way that all people will know it is false." Paul said that an elder is to ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:9-11

Tags: Action

Monogamy Syndrome  PRO

Contributed by Tim White on Feb 15, 2013

MONOGAMY SYNDROME Where at one time, having sexual relations outside marriage was considered liberating, current studies show that it damages one's ability to trust, affecting future relationship, one's respect for self, affecting every decision and diminishing the value of right decisions, and ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:18, 1 Corinthians 6:16, 1 Corinthians 12:6

Tags: Bible Truth

Denomination: Baptist

The Called

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Oct 15, 2019

The Called are those who have been summoned by God. Called to salvation (Rom. 8:30) Called both Jews and Gentiles (1 Cor. 1:24) Called "with a holy calling" (2 Timothy 1:9) Called with a heavenly calling (Heb. 3:1) Called out of darkness into His marvelous light (1Pet. 2:9) Called to ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:30

Tags: Election, Calling, God's Sovreignty

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

They Died In The Service  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 16, 2001

THEY DIED IN THE SERVICE One Sunday morning the pastor noticed little Alex was staring up at the large plaque that hung in the foyer of the church. The plaque was covered with names, and small American flags were mounted on either side of it. The seven-year-old had been staring at the plaque ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:5-10, 1 Peter 2:9, 1 Peter 2:2-10, 1 Peter 2:11-12, 1 Peter 3:3-5, 1 Peter 5:1-13, 1 Peter 2:18-25, Matthew 4:4-11  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Children, Church, Church Practices, Cross, Pastors, Preaching, Salvation, Service  (view more)  (view less)

An Overview Of The Signs - Dr. David Reagan ...

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Oct 22, 2009

An Overview of the Signs - Dr. David Reagan http://www.lamblion.com/articles/articles_signs3.php Let me present you with an outline overview of the signs of the times: I. Signs of Nature (Matthew 24:7; Mark 13: 8; and Luke 21:11) 1. Famine 2. Earthquakes 3. Plagues 4. Signs in the Heavens (Unusual ...read more

Tags: Second Coming

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The More I Began To Understand His Majesty, The ...

Contributed by Michael West on Apr 2, 2008

The more I began to understand His Majesty, the more I realize that I am not all that. I am not a good man and by nature I came that way, but Jesus came to save sinners. I can’t stand and say, “Lord, I sure am glad I haven’t done what that man did.” No, because in deed or thought, I have sinned as ...read more

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Seven Principles Of Finance For The Believer  PRO

Contributed by Dave Mcfadden on Feb 6, 2008

Seven Principles of Finance for the Believer By Jim and Pam Elliff One of the most recognizable differences in the believer and the world he lives in is his unusual relationship to money and possessions. However, even serious believers sometimes balk at the seeming extremities in the teaching and ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

The Great Preacher Alexander White, When He Was ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 17, 2006

The great preacher Alexander White, when he was too old to mount the pulpit, would rise every morning to prepare a sermon, even though he never preached them. He did so until the day he died. He was convinced that study of ...read more

Tags: Bible Study

The Church Household

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 28, 2007

(1 Timothy 3:1-13) Chrytsostom writes, "The church leader must be ’one that governs well his own house.’... For the church is, as it were, a small household. In a house there are children and wife and domestic duties, and some person has to provide order for them all. So in the church there are ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Many Years Ago, Indian Youths Would Go Away In ...  PRO

Contributed by Steve Malone on Dec 3, 2001

Many years ago, Indian youths would go away in solitude to prepare for manhood. One such youth hiked into a beautiful valley, green with trees, bright with flowers. There he fasted. But on the third day, as he looked up at the surrounding mountains, he noticed one tall rugged peak, capped with ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:16, 1 Peter 2:16

Tags: Temptation Sex, Holiness

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

What A Father Does  PRO

Contributed by Jim Kane on Jul 11, 2002

WHAT A FATHER DOES “What are the primary tasks of being a father? And how should we perform them? Fathers protect. Fathers teach. Fathers model. Fathers instill values. Fathers empower (or disempower), and Fathers are a child’s point of contact with the wider world. In particular, a father is ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:9-10, 1 Peter 2:9-10

Tags: Father's Day, Parenting

Denomination: Church Of God

A Woman Took Her Husband To The Doctor's ...  PRO

Contributed by Larry Brincefield on Oct 29, 2002

A woman took her husband to the doctor’s office. After his checkup, the doctor said, "Your husband is suffering from a very serious infection." The husband, who was hard of hearing said, "What did he say?" His wife said, "He says your sick". The doctor went on. "But there is hope. You just ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:7, 1 Peter 3:7

Tags: Christian Disciplines, Relationships, Marriage General

Denomination: Nazarene

If Faith Never Encounters Doubt, If Truth Never ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 2, 2002

If faith never encounters doubt, if truth never struggles with error, if good never battles with evil, how can faith know its own power. In my own pilgrimage, if I have to choose between a faith that has stared doubt in the eye and made it blink, or a naïve faith that has never known the firing ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3-5, 1 Peter 1:7-9

A Man Told His Psychologist My Anxieties Are ...  PRO

Contributed by Kent Lenard on Apr 13, 2003

A man told his psychologist my anxieties are disturbing my dreams. I dream that I am in a pup tent, and then I dream I am in a Teepee. The ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 17:1-49, 1 Samuel 17:12-43

Tags: Guilt

Denomination: Baptist

A Green And White Plate!" 2 Corinthians 5: 16-21 ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Oct 24, 2004

“A Green and White Plate!” 2 Corinthians 5: 16-21 Key verse(s): 17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!.” “London businessman Lindsay Clegg told the story of a warehouse property he was selling. The building had been empty for months and ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 5:16-21, 1 Corinthians 5:1

Tags: Misconceptions, Faith Vs. Works

Denomination: Lutheran