In Sermon Illustrations: "2 Corinthians 3:1-4:20"

A Certain Oklahoma Farmer Had Been Taken So Many ...

Contributed by Brian Harvison on Aug 1, 2008

A certain Oklahoma farmer had been taken so many times by the new car dealer that when the dealer wanted to buy a cow, the farmer priced it to him like this Basic cow $200 2-tone exterior $45 Extra stomach $75 Product storage compartment $60 Dispensing unit with 4 spigots $50 Genuine cow hide ...read more

Tags: Parable General

Denomination: Baptist

Sheep Are Stubborn

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 12, 2008

As Joel Preston says: -Sheep are stubborn. Sheep can get easily lost because they tend to go their own way. Like sheep, believers have a tendency to go their own direction rather than follow the divine Shepherd's plan. So Ps 119:176 says, "I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for ...read more

Tags: Becoming A Christian

When Dawn And I Were In Kenya, It Was An ...

Contributed by Timothy Darling on Jan 21, 2009

When Dawn and I were in Kenya, it was an interesting thing. For about 2 hours every day, the local deep well near an oasis would be pumped into cisterns all around the area. It was often difficult to get the local people to allow the cisterns to fill before they turned on hoses to water the trees. ...read more

Tags: Stewardship

Denomination: Mennonite

Many Different Dates Have Been Observed As The ...

Contributed by Tony Abram on Dec 17, 2007

Many different dates have been observed as the birthday of Jesus. January 2 was the first we know about. Later May 20 was observed. At different periods Christmas has been on April 18, April 19, March 25, March 28, and January 6. For a long time the Eastern Orthodox Church observed January 6 and it ...read more

One Of My Christmas Presents Was A Book: ‘a ...  PRO

Contributed by Warner Pidgeon on Jan 5, 2008

One of my Christmas presents was a book: ‘A Bundle of Laughs’ by J. John & Mark Stibbe. Towards the end of the book comes their light-hearted ‘20 Rules of Wisdom’. Don’t worry; I’m only going to read four! 1.God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts! 2.Growing old is inevitable, growing up ...read more

Denomination: Anglican

Going Home

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2008

GOING HOME For the first time since the Depression, more Americans ages 75 and older have been leaving the South than moving there, according to a New York Times analysis of Census Bureau data. The reversal appears to be driven in part by older people who retired to the South in their 60s, but ...read more

Tags: Aging

Women Are More Likely To Work During Pregnancy ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2008

Women are more likely to work during pregnancy than they were 30 to 40 years ago. They also are returning to work more rapidly after having their first child; 64% are back at work within a year vs. 17% in the 60s. 66% of women who had their first child between ’01 and ’03 worked during their ...read more

Tags: Workplace Balance

Affluent People Are Increasingly Likely To Use ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 14, 2008

Affluent People are increasingly likely to use the Internet to make their charitable donations, reports The Chronicle of Philanthropy. But charities are turning off some of their biggest donors (those who give $1,000 or more). Some send too many messages to donors who say they don’t want them, ...read more

Tags: Giving General

No Christianity Without The Cross  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 10, 2009

NO CHRISTIANITY WITHOUT THE CROSS Dr. H. Richard Neibuhr condemns cross-less Christianity, or the evangelical "feel good" seeker-sensitive churches, who refuse to display or talk about the cross. With biting criticism he writes, "Such beliefs as a God without wrath, bringing men without sin into a ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 2:20

Tags: Cross

Luther On Fear  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 10, 2009

LUTHER ON FEAR Martin Luther made this interesting observation in his Table Talk: "God and the devil take opposite tactics in regard to fear. The Lord first allows us to become afraid, that he might relieve our fears and comfort us. The devil, on the other hand, first makes us feel secure in our ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 27:1

Tags: Fear And Worry

Theodore Roosevelt's Thoughts On Family

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 22, 2009

Theodore Roosevelt’s Thoughts on Family Theodore Roosevelt said in 1917, "No other success in life--not being president, or being wealthy, or going to college, or writing a book, or anything else--comes up to the success of the man or woman who can feel that they have done their duty and that ...read more

Tags: Family

Changing ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 13, 2009

CHANGING ME There’s an old story about a man who tried to save the city of Sodom from destruction by warning the citizens. But the people ignored him. One day someone asked, "Why bother everyone? You can’t change them." "Maybe I can’t," the man replied, "but I still shout and scream ...read more

Tags: Sin General

Reasons Why We Suffer

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Oct 15, 2019

1. We suffer because we live in a fallen world (Romans 8:26-30). 2. We suffer because we have an enemy who stalks us (I Peter 5:8-9). 3. We suffer because of our own wrong decisions (Psalm 51). 4. We may suffer because of God’s ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:26-30

Tags: Suffering, Judgment, Discipline

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Rock Wasn't Shaking!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Apr 2, 2022

A passenger ship tragically capsized at sea. Many drowned, but one teenager was found clinging to a rock. After he was rescued, someone asked him if he was terrified. He responded by saying, “Yes, I was shaking all the time…but the rock I was holding onto wasn’t shaking!”  Psalm ...read more

Tags: Jesus Our Refuge, Foundations, Faith, Trust, Rock  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Money In The Bible

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 2, 2023

16 out of 38 of Christ’s parables deal with money. More is said in the New Testament about money than Heaven and Hell combined. Five times more is said about money than prayer. While there are 500 plus verses on both prayer and faith, there are over 2,000 verses dealing with money and ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:10

Tags: Money, Giving, Stewardship, Money Management

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Golden Rule

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 19, 2025

We teach children the Golden Rule – “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” When those children get out into the world, they learn a new rule – “Do unto others before they can do unto you.” We are taught to go on the offensive and keep a list of wrongs so we can fulfill ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:21-23, Matthew 7:12

Tags: Revenge, Golden Rule

Denomination: Methodist

Mold

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Nov 2, 2025

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2

Tags: Conformed, Transformed

Denomination: Baptist

University Of Chicago Divinity School Each Years ...  PRO

Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Apr 24, 2001

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO DIVINITY SCHOOL each years has what is called ’BAPTIST DAY’. On this day each one is to bring a lunch to an outdoor picnic area and the school invites one of the popular lecturers to speak at the theological education center. One year DR. PAUL TILLICH came and spent 2 1/2 ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 34:1-10, Psalm 34:8

Tags: Apologetics Jesus, Atheism, Jesus, Knowledge, Truth  (view more)  (view less)

Why Would Christians Choose To Sin Rather Than ...  PRO

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Oct 18, 2000

Why would Christians choose to sin rather than choose what they know God wants them to do? Four answers are commonly given today. 1. Some would point to Romans 8:16 and explain that Christians who willfully sin have forgotten their true identity as "children of God." While it is true that ...read more

Tags: Sin General, Temptation Resisting

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

How Long Is My Life  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 19, 2002

HOW LONG IS MY LIFE A few years ago People Magazine published an article entitled "Dead Ahead" telling about a new clock that keeps track of how much time you have left to live. It calculates an average life span of 75 years for men & 80 years for women. So you program your sex & age into the ...read more

Tags: Giving Yourself, Leadership General, New Year's Day