In Sermon Illustrations: "Absent From The Body"

Greek Words For God's Love

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Aug 8, 2011

GREEK WORDS FOR GOD'S LOVE The Hebrew words for love are more meaningful than the Greek ones, especially two of them. aheb, "...The intensity of the meaning ranges from God's infinite affection for his people to the carnal appetites of a lazy glutton..." (Theological Wordbook of the Old ...read more

Tags: God's Love

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The First Radio Broadcast  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 7, 2011

THE FIRST RADIO BROADCAST Allow me to start our time by reading you a nifty story. It is called, "The First Radio Broadcast." For their entire careers, wireless operators onboard US Navy and merchant ships had only heard Morse code coming through their headphones. However, a few days before ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:1-20

Tags: Christmas Eve, Peace, Eternal

Machine Gun Preacher

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Sep 27, 2011

MACHINE GUN PREACHER Video Clip Illustration: From wingclips.com (From Machine Gun Preacher clip) SYNOPSIS: Machine Gun Preacher is the inspirational true story of Sam Childers, a former drug-dealing criminal who undergoes an astonishing transformation and finds an unexpected calling as the ...read more

Tags: Sacrifices

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

How Far Was Jonah Running Away?

Contributed by Brad Henry on Oct 14, 2011

HOW FAR WAS JONAH RUNNING AWAY? Let me give you a little perspective on how far Jonah was running away. Joppa was on the far eastern side of the Mediterranean Sea. Tarshish was on the western side of the coast of Spain bordering the Atlantic Ocean. That is approximately 2,200 miles away. That ...read more

Tags: Doing God's Will

Greed: The Cat And The Vase  PRO

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Feb 9, 2012

GREED: THE CAT AND THE VASE A man wanders into a small antique shop in San Francisco. Mostly it's cluttered with knickknacks and junk. On the floor, however, he notices what looks like an ancient Chinese vase. On closer inspection it turns out to be a priceless relic from the Ming dynasty whose ...read more

Scripture: Luke 12:15, Luke 14:7-14, Luke 14:1-6, 2 Timothy 2:8-15, Daniel 6:1-28, Luke 10:38-42, Romans 6:1-4, Isaiah 7:10-14, Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 10:1-11, 1 Samuel 12:1-41, John 20:18-31, 2 Thessalonians 6:1-10  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Greed

Denomination: Baptist

The Shepherd's Voice

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 10, 2012

THE SHEPHERD'S VOICE If you know and follow Jesus as Shepherd you will be able to flee from untruth and ungodly belief systems. D.L. Moody told the following: A friend, who was traveling in the East, heard that there was a shepherd who still kept up the custom of calling his sheep by name. He ...read more

Scripture: John 10:1-18

Tags: Parable Lost Sheep

The Great Boston Fire Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 27, 2012

THE GREAT BOSTON FIRE OF 1872 In the great Boston fire of 1872, sixty-five acres of land was destroyed. The damage totaled up to $75 million but in our day would be somewhere in the neighborhood of $3 billion. Hundreds of businesses were destroyed. Someone came along and wrote a message on a rough ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Who Will You Reach? Blind Auditions

Contributed by Ken Pell on Apr 6, 2013

WHO WILL YOU REACH? BLIND AUDITIONS In 1997 Princeton University conducted an experiment using orchestra auditions as their guinea pig. It was discovered that different people were selected when the auditions were performed from behind a sheet or curtain rather than when the orchestra auditions ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

Denomination: Nazarene

The Importance Of Forgiveness

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 13, 2014

Life assurance is far more valuable and important than life insurance. One famous atheist said, "The one thing I envy about you Christians is that you have someone to forgive you." A man by the name of Val Patterson died on July 12th of this year due to cancer. He knew the end was coming, so he ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 32:1-5

Tags: Confession Of Sin, God's Forgiveness, Guilty Conscience

Pastor And Leadership Speaker John Maxwell Te...

Contributed by Tim Smith on May 28, 2015

Pastor and Leadership speaker John Maxwell tells the story of his brother who was called to active duty during the Pueblo crisis in Korea. He says he could remember standing in his father’s office when my father found out the news and went to his brother, hugged him and said, “Larry, I’m going to ...read more

Scripture: Luke 22:33-38

Tags: Perseverance, Conversion

Denomination: Methodist

Augmented Reality Device Guides The Blind

Contributed by Matt Neace on Jun 19, 2018

In World magazine, Michael Cochrane shares about a new technology called “augmented reality” (AR). Using this “augmented reality” a group of researchers from Cal Tech developed an app for Microsoft’s HoloLens. This app enables blind people to navigate through buildings. According to the MIT ...read more

Tags: Direction, Call, Discipleship, Spiritual Blindness

Denomination: Baptist

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

Enticed By A False Prophet

Contributed by Richard Tow on Apr 26, 2021

Shortly after Jeanie and I were married, we were fresh out of Bible College and I was doing some teaching. The associate pastor of our church approached us in private with a very flattering word. He said that God had told him to gather an elite circle of you couples for him and his wife to mentor. ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 14:29, 1 John 2:27

Tags: Prophecy, False Prophets, Deception

Denomination: Charismatic

There's Room At The Cross For You

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Apr 4, 2022

I grew up hearing this great old hymn being sung during many times of invitation. I was reminded of this great song while preparing my sermon on the Parable of the Great Supper from Luke 14 where Jesus told His disciples to go into the "highways and hedges and compel them to come in, that My ...read more

Tags: Great Supper, Evangelism, Gospel, Parables, Witnessing, Great Commission  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Redemption - Doctor Story

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Mar 3, 2023

This story is reported as true ... though true or a parable ... it speaks to the importance ... of the One ... of one who can save. It was almost 1:00 in the morning... when the phone rang. Dr. Leo Winters, ...a highly acclaimed surgeon... was abruptly awakened ...from his nights sleep. There ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:21, Ephesians 1:7, John 8:36, Matthew 26:28, 1 John 1:9, Isaiah 43:25  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Sin, Blood, Salvation, Redemption, Lamb, Redeemed  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Anglican

Be Like The Llama And Face Your Enemy!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 8, 2024

Reports the DENVER POST: "Like many sheep ranchers in the West, Lexy Fowler has tried just about everything to stop crafty coyotes from killing her sheep. She has used odor sprays, electric fences, and 'scare-coyotes.' She has slept with her lambs during the summer and has placed ...read more

Scripture: James 1:10-15

Tags: Stand, Running, Spiritual Armor, Word, Battles, Lust, Satan, Spiritual Warfare, Temptation, Victory, Defeat, Fear  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Sharing Love

Contributed by Rob Roy on May 22, 2024

In Irving Illinois a group purchased the old school building and made it into a long term alcohol recovery program. Some of those started coming to worship at the Irving church, two had met there, Matt and Kim, I and not using their real names. My favorite wife, Lisa and I got to know them, ...read more

Scripture: John 21:15-19, Mark 12:30-31

Tags: Service, Hope, Blessings

Guidance Behind Enemy ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 30, 2012

GUIDANCE BEHIND ENEMY LINES Every Monday night, when I was not sacking groceries at the Piggly Wiggly, we would go to the library in Dothan. One Monday evening, I “accidentally” found a paperback copy of William C. Anderson’s book, BAT-21. It was a story about Iceal "Gene" Hambleton, a U.S. Air ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 119:105

Tags: Golf, Christian Disciplines

Sept. 19, 2001 - New York Times Ran A Story ...

Contributed by Mark Canfield on Nov 9, 2006

Sept. 19, 2001 - New York Times ran a story called Aboard Flight 564 - Peter Hannaford As it was at most US Airports, last Saturday was the first near normal day at Denver International since the terrorist attacks. On United Flight 564, the door had just been locked and the plane was about to pull ...read more

Denomination: Christian Church

Four-Hundred-And-Fifty Years Before Christ Walked ...

Contributed by Jonathan Twitchell on Dec 7, 2006

Four-hundred-and-fifty years before Christ walked the earth there lived a philosopher by the name of Zeno. Zeno was best known for his mathematical paradoxes…situations that appear to be impossible or self-contradictory. One of his most famous paradoxes could be stated this way: Let us suppose ...read more

Denomination: Nazarene