In Sermon Illustrations: "Absent From The Body"

Fire Of Discipleship

Contributed by Brad Henry on Jul 26, 2011

FIRE OF DISCIPLESHIP I love to make a campfire. Many years ago I remember going on a fishing trip in the mountains of Arizona. There were about 10 men from our church and it was a great time of fellowship. It was my duty to get the fire going. Well get it going I did. I had it so hot in that cabin ...read more

Tags: Growth In Christ

Middle Management

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 8, 2011

MIDDLE MANAGEMENT Cyril Barber, in his commentary on Nehemiah, transfers this principle into all of life; "Middle management involves being able to translate the ideals of one’s superiors into practice and, at the same time, knowing how to motivate one’s subordinates. It necessitates keeping ...read more

Scripture: Mark 3:13-19

Tags: Leadership General

Sprouting To New Life

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2011

SPROUTING TO NEW LIFE A few years ago, when archaeologists began excavating in the courtyard of a medieval monastery, they found seeds that had been dormant for more than 400 years that had begun to grow. King Henry VIII had closed the monastery in 1539, and herbs tended by the monks died. But ...read more

Scripture: Mark 4:16-34

Tags: Born Again

Using Our Ability

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 29, 2011

USING OUR ABILITY S. D. Gordon said, "We have nothing to do with how much ability we’ve got, or how little, but with what we do with what we have. The man with great talent is apt to be puffed up, and the man with little (talent) to belittle the little. Poor fools! God gives it, much or little. ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:3-8

Tags: Servanthood

Running While Weighed Down

Contributed by Davon Huss on Sep 5, 2011

RUNNING WHILE WEIGHED DOWN David Posman was arrested in Providence, Rhode Island, after allegedly knocking out an armored car driver and stealing the closest 4 bags of money. It turned out they contained $800 in pennies, weighing 30 pounds each, and slowed him to a stagger during his getaway so ...read more

Tags: Sin Bondage To

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Paint Covered Its Beauty

Contributed by Tim Hinrichs on Jan 24, 2012

THE PAINT COVERED ITS BEAUTY A few years ago when I lived in Poland we were at a local museum which had a beautiful sculpture of Mary holding Jesus. For years it stood on a street corner before the city decided to clean it up and restore it. Up to that point no one thought it was anything special ...read more

Tags: Beauty

Denomination: Lutheran

Hot Air

Contributed by Jerry Cosper on Mar 7, 2012

HOT AIR When we were building this sanctuary we were discussing whether to put paper towel dispensers in the new rest rooms or those hot-air hand dryers. I strongly recommended the paper towel dispensers because of a story I heard about at another church. They installed the hot-air hand dryers. ...read more

Tags: Preaching

Denomination: Baptist

After The Baptism

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 28, 2012

AFTER THE BAPTISM Recently my 7-year-old son was baptized at nearby Lake Tahoe. With tears streaming down my face, I watched as he came out of the water, then excitedly asked if he felt any different. "Yeah, Mom, I do," he replied. "Now I have water up my nose!" (Leslie A. Williamson, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20

Tags: Baptism

Hell Is Past Calvary

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 28, 2012

HELL IS PAST CALVARY Adrian Rogers once recalled hearing about a nightclub called "The Gates of Hades." The story goes that a newcomer to the city was looking for this nightclub and he stopped a policeman to ask directions. It just so happened that there was a church on that same street called ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 10:28

Tags: Hell

Motherhood Out Of Order  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 23, 2012

MOTHERHOOD OUT OF ORDER There was a cartoon that portrayed a three-year-old, freckle-faced boy in a hallway. His pajamas are unsnapped, his diaper’s bagging, and he’s got a little teddy bear dangling in his hand. He is standing in front of his mother and father’s bedroom door, which is shut. On ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 31:10-31

Tags: Mother's Day

Oil Was Used In The Time Of James

Contributed by Perry Greene on Oct 11, 2012

Oil was used in the time James wrote his epistle. In ancient times various oils had various purposes. It could be that James is referring to medicinal oils such as: Aloes (Burial oil, John 19.39); Cassia and Cinnamon (in God’s holy anointing oil, Exodus 30.22-31); Frankincense Numbers 16.46-50 ...read more

Tags: Prayer Hardship

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The Fourth Gift Of The Magi  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jan 3, 2013

THE FOURTH GIFT OF THE MAGI David Dewitt states, "Though there are still many questions about the Magi that may be left unanswered, we can determine that they brought a fourth gift that is often forgotten by many. After they laid their treasures down before Mary and Joseph, they worshipped Jesus. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12

Tags: Christmas Eve

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Confidence

Contributed by Bruce Lee on Jun 12, 2015

2 Corinthians 5:6 says "Therefore we are always confident." Confidence is something that comes from believing. Success or failure is often a result of either our confidence or lack thereof. The Apostle Paul was a person of confidence. He wasn’t always right, but he was sure about his experience ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:6, 2 Corinthians 6:1

Tags: Teamwork, Confidence

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Three Types Of Forgiveness

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Oct 15, 2019

EXONERATION – complete restoration, offender accepts full responsibility & turns from that wrong & your relationship is healed (DAVID). FORBEARANCE – only a partial apology, not a full confession; offender is still blaming you partially & not accepting full responsibility. The ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:28-32

Tags: Forgiveness, Forgiving One Another

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Think Hell Is A Place Of Selfishness And Lack ...

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Apr 18, 2007

I think hell is a place of selfishness and lack of sympathy. I heard of a group that agreed to go through a psychological test of receiving only minimal food for two weeks. Some were eager to participate in order to lose some weight. The first day they were encouraging and congratulating one ...read more

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Christian Sees Through Kinder Eyes-Like ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

The Christian sees through kinder eyes-like Jesus. He gives from a bigger heart-like God. He speaks with a purer tongue-like Christ. He serves with more willing hands-like Jesus. He walks with a greater faith-like his Lord. He thinks with a spiritual mind-like Christ. He sees the needs of ...read more

Tags: Grace

A Powerful Preacher Was Reported To Have ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

A powerful preacher was reported to have preached on this passage from Luke’s Gospel and he had explained that not everyone that thinks they will, will get into heaven. Some people will be locked out and destined for eternal torment in Hell where, he said, “There will be weeping and gnashing of ...read more

Tags: Hell

Two Months Later, She Tried Again. This Time, ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Two months later, she tried again. This time, despite the same dense fog, she swam with her faith intact and her goal clearly pictured in her mind. She knew that somewhere behind that fog was land and this time she made it Florence Chadwick became the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel, ...read more

Tags: Heaven

Novelist Ayn Rand Had Mesmerized A Student ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Novelist Ayn Rand had mesmerized a student audience at Yale University with her prickly ideas. Afterward a reporter from Time magazine asked her, "Miss Rand, what’s wrong with the modern world?" Without hesitation she replied, "Never before has the world been so frantically committed to the idea ...read more

Tags: Faith

Mother Teresa: "If You Give What You Do Not ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Mother Teresa: “If you give what you do not need, it isn’t giving.” A woman gave her son Billy 2 quarters. One was for his Sunday School offering. The other was for an ice cream cone on the way home from Sunday School. Billy was flipping one quarter in the air and catching it on the way down. ...read more

Tags: Giving General