In Sermon Illustrations: "11 15 16 18"

Encouraging Words In Abraham Lincoln's Pocket  PRO

Contributed by Rick Crandall on May 25, 2009

ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S STUFF Your encouragement can have great power. One reason why is because everybody needs to be encouraged. The night Abraham Lincoln was assassinated at Ford’s Theatre, he was carrying: -Two pairs of glasses. -A small velvet eyeglass cleaner. -An ivory pocketknife. -A large ...read more

Scripture: Acts 11:19-26

Tags: Encouragement, Barnabas

Denomination: Baptist

Trampled In The Church

Contributed by Thomas Cash on Jul 7, 2009

TRAMPLED IN THE CHURCH An African proverb says, "When elephants fight, grass gets trampled." Elephants do not throw their weight around for nothing. The average African elephant weighs 16,534 lbs. The largest elephant on record weighed about 24,000 pounds and was 13 feet tall! Wild elephants eat ...read more

Tags: Divisions

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

No Renovation...demolition!

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Mar 22, 2010

NO RENOVATION...DEMOLITION! My son and daughter in law are wanting to renovate their home. They need more space with a new baby coming. As it is, my granddaughter sleeps in what was once a large walk-in closet. So they really need some space. Even then the house will still be small. The house ...read more

Tags: Born Again

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Denying The Flesh What It Wants

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Apr 16, 2020

When you get saved later in life like I did (I was 36), your spirit gets recreated, you’re all in on this salvation deal, but your flesh is still out there in the world, and it don’t know yet the program has changed. It’s like when you go on a diet. You stop eating all the ice cream, and donuts ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 16:24, Galatians 2:20, Luke 9:23

Tags: Sin, Flesh, Fleshly Desires, Denying The Flesh, Walking In The Spirit, Crucifying The Flesh, Dieting  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Charismatic

Church Shopping Online Church Consultant Tom ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 14, 2008

Church Shopping Online Church consultant Tom Bandy says that as tools for reaching potential worshipers, church Web sites are growing in number and getting more sophisticated. One sign: 5 years ago, churches made up only 5% of clientele for StreamGuys, an Arcadia, CA based provider of streaming ...read more

Tags: Church Growth

D ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2008

DISMOUNT The famed preacher of the 19th Century, Charles Spurgeon, used to tell of a road which had been cut in red marble. It was so smoothly polished that, even when it was free of its usual thin coating of snow, it was dangerous in the extreme. Even though steps were hewn and rough marks made ...read more

Tags: Humility

People Need You To ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2008

PEOPLE NEED YOU TO CARE People want other people to care about them. Many people will respond to evidence of your Christian concern. Remember the old saying: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” I read about a lady named Mamie Adams. She always went to a ...read more

Tags: Compassion

The Mission Is Worth ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2008

THE MISSION IS WORTH IT "If God gives me another life, may I give it to him as a missionary." –Samuel Kang, executive head of the Korean World Missions Association. “If I am a Christian, I am not set on saving my own skin, but on seeing that the salvation of God comes through me to others.” ...read more

Tags: Missions

A Death Blow To Self-Centered False Gospels  PRO

Contributed by Michael Wiley on Nov 12, 2008

John MacArthur writes: This passage...strikes a death blow to the self-centered false gospels that are so popular in contemporary Christianity. It leaves no room for the gospel of getting, in which God is considered a type of utilitarian genie who jumps to provide a believer's every whim. It ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

William Colgate

Contributed by Willem Nel on Feb 4, 2009

WILLIAM COLGATE His family was poor and at the age of 16 he left home to seek his fortune. The only thing he knew was how to make soap and candles. He met an old canal-boat captain, who gave him this advice: "Be a good man, give your heart to Christ, pay the Lord all that belongs to Him, make an ...read more

Tags: Faith

Denomination: *other

Suicide Has Steadily Grown Since 1999. The La ...

Contributed by Ryan Peters on Mar 10, 2009

Suicide has steadily grown since 1999. The LA Times reports that Suicides for whites ages 40 to 64 rose 17% from 1999 to 2005, researchers said. For middle-age white men, the rate rose 16% to 26.9 per 100,000 in 2005, from 23.1 per 100,000 in 1999. For white women in that age group, the rate rose ...read more

Tags: Stress

Denomination: Pentecostal

Buried With A Fire Extinguisher!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jun 6, 2022

An interesting newspaper clipping from 1999 told of a British man who was quite a character. Two or three days AFTER his funeral his friends started getting signed postcards from him. The cards said "wish you were here" and were addressed from ...read more

Tags: Hell, Death, Eternity, Judgment, Deceived  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Jonathan Goforth

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Oct 24, 2025

The reason we preach the Gospel is because we love God our heavenly Father and not to gain brownie points in heaven. Yes it will be hard work at times. Story: The well known Canadian missionary, Jonathan Goforth told this story about the joy that God has - when we are faithful in doing what he ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23

Tags: Father's Joy, Goforth

Denomination: Anglican

The British Busted Up Of A Terrorist Plot - One ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 12, 2006

The British busted up of a terrorist plot - one that was within days of blowing up as many as 10 U.S. airliners somewhere over the Atlantic - demonstrates once again that we have two enemies in the War on Terror. These enemies are the terrorists themselves and our own complacency. It’s almost ...read more

Was Bathsheba Guilty Or Was She Forced?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 27, 2022

Did Bathsheba betray her husband? The Bible does not tell us anything about the character of Bathsheba before her adulterous relationship with David. Scholars are not agreed on whether Bathsheba was a victim or an agent. There is controversy on whether she willingly committed adultery with David or ...read more

Tags: David, Sin, Sexual Abuse, Rape, Bathsheba, Uriah, Adultery, Psalm 51  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Bible Tells Us This About Love, "So We Know ...  PRO

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Feb 24, 2006

The Bible tells us this about love, “So we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. (1 John 4:16) In the very same epistle we find that Scriptures warn us with, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 ...read more

Scripture: John 13:3-17

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Lessons Walter Payton Taught Us. Never Die Easy.

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jan 27, 2017

WE MUST LEARN THE BATTLE IS BEFORE US... I HAVE ANOTHER HERO: HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF WALTER PAYTON? Walter Jerry Payton from the state of Mississippi. Payton lived from July 25,1954 until November 1, 1999. He was 45 years old when he died of a liver disease. Mike Ditka was Payton's coach and ...read more

Scripture: Romans 13:12

Tags: Perseverance, Never Die Easy, Walter Payton

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Where Is God Working?

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on May 21, 2023

Pastor Henry Blackaby, of Faith Baptist Church in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada began to sense God leading them to an outreach ministry on the college campus. He had never done student work. Their church had never done student work. Their denominational student ministries department recommended ...read more

Scripture: John 5:17-20, Romans 3:10-11, John 6:44

Tags: Evangelism, Holy Spirit, Discipleship, God At Work, Joining God At Work  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

[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

..  PRO

Contributed by Troy Borst on Jan 12, 2006

ILLUSTRATION... http://www.cbn.com/entertainment/sports/ChristianAthletes/billy_blanks.asp The words, "Not by sight but by faith" adorn the walls of Billy Blanks training center -- a testament to his faith in Christ to overcome many obstacles. "Faith without works is dead" -- is another ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ