In Sermon Illustrations: "Absent From The Body"

Lay Down The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2008

LAY DOWN THE LOAD The army of Alexander the Great was advancing on Persia. At one critical point, it appeared that his troops might be defeated. The soldiers had taken so much plunder from their previous campaigns that they had become weighted down and were losing their effectiveness in ...read more

Tags: Sanctification

Top Ten Reasons Hurricane Season Is Like ...

Contributed by Jim Heckman on Sep 17, 2008

Top Ten Reasons Hurricane Season Is Like Christmas 10: Decorating the house (with plywood). 9: Dragging out boxes that haven’t been used since last season. 8: Last minute shopping in crowded stores. 7: Regular TV shows pre-empted for ’Specials’. 6: Family coming to stay with you. 5: Family and ...read more

Tags: Joshua

Denomination: Brethren

Top Ten Reasons Hurricane Season Is Like ...  PRO

Contributed by Jim Heckman on Sep 17, 2008

Top Ten Reasons Hurricane Season Is Like Christmas 10: Decorating the house (with plywood). 9: Dragging out boxes that haven't been used since last season. 8: Last minute shopping in crowded stores. 7: Regular TV shows pre-empted for 'Specials'. 6: Family coming to stay with you. 5: Family and ...read more

Tags: Joy

Denomination: Brethren

Film: The Green Mile

Contributed by Steve Smith on Oct 14, 2008

Film: The Green Mile Tom Hanks – Paul Edgecomb; Michael Duncan – John Coffey Coffey had the ability to reach inside and remove one's sickness. Hanks had a kidney infection/stone. Coffee reached out and touched him and was able to literally take on that sickness and remove it from Hanks. The ...read more

Tags: Grace

Denomination: Baptist

You Will Be Queen Someday

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 28, 2009

YOU WILL BE QUEEN SOMEDAY When Queen Victoria was a child, she didn’t know she was in line for the throne of England. Her instructors, trying to prepare her for the future, were frustrated because they couldn’t motivate her. She just didn’t take her studies seriously. Finally, her teachers decided ...read more

Tags: Encouragement

The World Doesn't Hate You

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 12, 2009

THE WORLD DOESN’T HATE YOU After a tough and discouraging day at work, Melvin plopped himself on the couch and began wallowing in self-pity. His moaned to his wife, "Nobody cares about me. In fact, the whole world hates me." Without even looking up from her work, Melvin’s wife replied, "That’s ...read more

Scripture: John 15:18

Tags: Disappointment

Abortion And Teen Pregnancy Dropping

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 13, 2009

ABORTION AND TEEN PREGNANCY DROPPING Abortion and teen pregnancy rates have steadily dropped since 1990, according to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention study. Overall, abortions fell 24% to 1.22 million in ’04 from a historical high of 1.61 million in ’90. Teen pregnancies declined ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 139:1-18

Tags: Abortion

Rich Landowner Learns That God Owns ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 26, 2009

Rich Landowner Learns that God Owns Everything The late Bishop Edwin Hughes once delivered a rousing sermon on "God’s Ownership" that put a rich parishioner’s nose out-of-joint. The wealthy man took the Bishop off for lunch, and then walked him through his elaborate gardens, woodlands, and farm. ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 24:1-10

Tags: Property

Bill Hybels On Prayer As An Unnatural ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 6, 2010

Bill Hybels on Prayer as an Unnatural Activity Bill Hybels begins his book Too Busy Not to Pray with these words: “Prayer is an unnatural activity. From birth we have been learning the rules of self reliance and self sufficiency. Prayer flies in the face of such deep seated values…. It is an ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:9-15

Tags: Prayer General

Is This The Right Road ...

Contributed by Bill Butsko on Mar 12, 2010

“Is This the Right Road Home? Is this the right road home, O Lord? The clouds are dark and still, The stony path is hard to tread, Each step brings some fresh ill. I thought the way would brighter grow, And that the sun with warmth would glow, And joyous songs from free hearts flow. Is this the ...read more

Tags: Promises Of God

Denomination: Christian Church

When God Forgives, He ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 26, 2010

“When God Forgives, He Forgets” How different God’s pardon is from ours! So often we forgive as did the mother of the little girl who had been good a whole week, and asked mother for a favor. “I know” was the answer, “that you have been good all this week, but you know your were bad last week.” In ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 8:10-13

Tags: God's Forgiveness

Wages, Prizes, Awards, And Grace  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 28, 2010

WAGES, PRIZES, AWARDS, AND GRACE Listen to the following from GW Knight, Clip-Art Features for Church Newsletters, page 53: - When a person works an eight hour day and received a fair day’s pay—that is a wage - When a person competes and receives a trophy for his performance—that is a prize. - ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9

Tags: Grace

Erickson's Thoughts On God The Father

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 23, 2010

ERICKSON'S THOUGHTS ON GOD THE FATHER And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent' (John 17:3) Dr. Packer's devotional approach to theology is evident from his choice of textbook which is Millard Erickson's 'Christian Theology'. Here's an ...read more

Scripture: John 17:3

Tags: God The Father

The First Sentence  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 23, 2011

THE FIRST SENTENCE Paul Harvey once told about a group of scientists who were determined to teach a chimpanzee to write. For fourteen years, the scientists labored diligently and patiently with this chimpanzee, providing things in its cage to enable it to form certain syllables. Finally the day ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:1

Tags: Creation

Luther And Marx

Contributed by Perry Greene on Feb 8, 2012

LUTHER AND MARX 1983 must have been a strange year for the German people. During that year the people observed the birth days of two notable men. That year marked the 500th anniversary of the birth of Martin Luther and the 100th of Karl Marx. Marx was the father of socialism/communism. Its ...read more

Tags: Christian Liberty

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Alcohol Use

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Mar 12, 2012

ALCOHOL USE According to MSNBC, “Alcohol abuse kills some 75,000 Americans each year and shortens the lives of these people by an average of 30 years, a U.S. government study suggested Thursday. Excessive alcohol consumption is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States ...read more

Tags: Alcohol

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Anger: Strength In Your Claws

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Mar 12, 2012

ANGER: STRENGTH IN YOUR CLAWS The biggest lobster ever caught in Maine, a 27-pounder (12.25 kg) with claws tough enough to snap a man's arm, was released back into the ocean on Thursday after being trapped in a shrimp net last week, marine officials said. The 40-inch (one-meter) male crustacean, ...read more

Tags: Anger

Denomination: Independent/Bible

House Fire And Marshmallows

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 7, 2012

HOUSE FIRE AND MARSHMALLOWS As the coals from our barbecue burned down, our hosts passed out marshmallows and long roasting forks. Just then, two fire trucks roared by, sirens blaring, lights flashing. They stopped at a house right down the block. All twelve of us raced out of the back yard, down ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:12

Tags: Neighbor

Do You Know The Spirit?

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Aug 8, 2012

DO YOU KNOW THE SPIRIT? "Consider these honest questions: How many Christians suffer from a spiritual life that is dry and mechanical? How many serve a Jesus, whom they know about from the Bible, but who is not a living reality in their experience? And do we ever wonder why Holy Spirit ...read more

Tags: Holy Spirit General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Focus On God's Purposes, Not Yours  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Feb 7, 2013

FOCUS ON GOD'S PURPOSES, NOT YOURS Blackaby states in Experiencing God, "You never find God asking persons to dream up what they want to do for Him" (28, workbook) He adds, "To live a God–centered life, you must focus your life on God’s purposes, not your own plans. You must seek to see from ...read more

Tags: God's Sovereign Will

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational