In Sermon Illustrations: "A Sinning Christian"

Contaminated

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Feb 22, 2012

CONTAMINATED I'm all thumbs when it comes to band-aids. I know you're not supposed to touch the pad, the part that compresses the wound. If you do, then you contaminate it, and you run the risk of infection. And, of course, you don't want to do that. So, every time I use a band-aid, it's something ...read more

Tags: Sin Bondage To

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The World's Accent  PRO

Contributed by Tim White on Mar 22, 2012

THE WORLD'S ACCENT When I was a boy, my Arkansas cousins moved to California for two years. When they moved back, they talked funny. Just living in California for two years influenced how they said "You guys" and how often they said it. I prefer "Y'all" to "You guys" any day. My cousins promised ...read more

Scripture: James 4:4, Romans 12:2

Tags: Sin Deceptive

Denomination: Baptist

The Evil In Ourselves

Contributed by Steven Ferber on Apr 10, 2012

THE EVIL IN OURSELVES A few weeks ago Americans were stunned by the news that an American soldier in Afghanistan apparently killed 17 Afghan civilians. Friends and teachers of Robert Bales describe him as caring, gregarious and self-confident before he just "snapped." One childhood friend told the ...read more

Tags: Sin Bondage To

Denomination: Lutheran

Under The Influence

Contributed by Greg Nance on Apr 13, 2012

UNDER THE INFLUENCE David Kupelian's book The Marketing of Evil, published in 2005, is an eye-opening study of what we face today. I wish every parent would read it. Does anyone here remember what happened to Robert Bauman in 1980? He was elected in 1973 as representative of the First ...read more

Tags: Sin Bondage To

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Compromise

Contributed by Gordon Curley on May 20, 2012

COMPROMISE A hunter went out into the forest to shoot a bear. With winter fast approaching he planned to make a warm coat out of the bearskin. Soon he saw a bear coming toward him, he raised his gun and took aim. "Wait," said the bear, "why do you want to shoot me?" The hunter replied: ...read more

Tags: Sin Wages Of

Denomination: Brethren

Over-Running The Temple

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 11, 2012

OVER-RUNNING THE TEMPLE Ta Prohm is the modern name of a temple at Angkor, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia, built in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm has been left in much the same condition in which it was found: the photogenic and atmospheric ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:1-14

Tags: Sin Wages Of

The Third Look

Contributed by Joel Sumagaysay on Sep 17, 2012

ILL.- Porte Vencer justified the 1st and the 2nd look at a woman. It has been said you can not avoid the first look but you can avoid the second look. But Porte said, " there is nothing wrong with the first look you can not avoid it. And he justified second look by saying, " maybe I know ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 2:12-17

Tags: Sin General

Denomination: Baptist

It's All Fun And Games Until Someone Looses An ...

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Oct 21, 2012

"It’s all fun and games until someone looses an ...read more

Tags: Sin General

Denomination: Salvation Army

John Piper: Your Heart Has To Get Bigger  PRO

Contributed by Bret Toman on Oct 31, 2012

JOHN PIPER: YOUR HEART HAS TO GET BIGGER "Little hearts give little lusts big power. Big hearts give little lusts little power because they look little! When you SEE the magnitude of your treasure, your soul swells to get around it and you MOCK pornography as a POWERLESS thrill! That’s the way it ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 119:104

Tags: Sin Deceptive

Denomination: Baptist

Satan's Ways

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Dec 5, 2012

His written speech: This speech was broadcast by legendary ABC Radio commentator Paul Harvey on April 3, 1965: 48 years ago! If I were the Devil . . . I mean, if I were the Prince of Darkness, I would of course, want to engulf the whole earth in darkness. I would have a third of its real estate and ...read more

Tags: Sin General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

That Means, As Dominic Savio Once Said, ...

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Mar 16, 2013

That means, as Dominic Savio once said, preferring death to ...read more

Tags: Sin General

Denomination: Catholic

The Borg

Contributed by Ken Pell on Apr 6, 2013

The Borg There is a mortal enemy in the Star Trek series called, “The Borg.” Every trekkie knows about them. Whether you follow the Next Generation, or the Voyager series you know about these ghastly characters. In fact, TV Guide rated them as the #4 worst villains of their top 100. “The Borg” are ...read more

Tags: Sin General

Denomination: Nazarene

Not A Slave? Think Again

Contributed by Nickolas Kooi on Jun 22, 2017

Paul says that you were a slave. Slavery is unfortunately still alive and well in our world. The story of a young girl named “Dodzi” is a common one in Ghana. Dodzi was orphaned at nine months and lived with her Grandmother, who served as her guardian. Her Grandmother had a lot on her plate as ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:12-23

Tags: Sin, Slave

Denomination: Lutheran

Moses' Fan

Contributed by David Dunn on Nov 14, 2025

The man goes to heaven and sees thousands of clocks. Curious, he asks Peter what they represent. Peter smiles: “Each person on earth has a clock. Every time someone sins, the hand moves forward.” The man asks, “Where’s ...read more

Scripture: James 1:14-15, Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Tags: Grace, Sin

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Temptation

Contributed by Christopher Lazer on Mar 18, 2026

I have heard someone tell this illustration that you cannot stop the birds flying over your head (Temptation) but you can stop ...read more

Scripture: James 4:7

Tags: Sin, Temptation

Denomination: Charismatic

Nobody Pencils It In

Contributed by Austin W. Duncan on Apr 17, 2026

I heard a wildlife researcher describe once what happens when frogs try to cross a highway. They don’t hop out into oncoming traffic and get hit all at once. What actually happens is they start crossing a road that’s completely quiet. Middle of the night. No cars anywhere. Looks perfectly safe. So ...read more

Scripture: James 1:14-15

Tags: Sin, Temptation

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Let Go! Let Go!

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Oct 6, 2023

LET US STUDY THE EAGLE! I read about this boy that grew up in the city of New York. The boy fell in love with “EAGLES.” He checked every book out of the school library and the public library about “EAGLES.” As he got older he watched every movie, video and documentary he could find about ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 40:31

Tags: Sin, Roots

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Death

Contributed by David Tack on Apr 22, 2024

"An introduction to death means that one has finally succumbed to the fact of a pending loss of independence and now are now facing a total and final dependence on The Creator of your trinitarian being this is why death is so frightening! Even more reason to walk intimately with Him every day ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:55, John 3:16

Tags: Death, Sin

Denomination: Baptist

Justice

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Dec 31, 2018

Mans capacity for justice makes democracy possible. Mans capacity for injustice makes ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:23, Romans 13:1-8

Tags: Sin, Justice

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Deadly Hand

Contributed by Steve Kinnard on Feb 7, 2019

It was the nearly dark as James entered the room , over in the corner a poker game was getting ready to start. James joined in the poker game looking to beat the other players out of their hard-earned money. In this worldly realm it was just another poker game, with only money at stake, but in ...read more

Scripture: James 1:5

Tags: Sin, Temptation

Denomination: Pentecostal