In Sermon Illustrations: "Absent From The Body"

We Require Loving

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 20, 2011

WE REQUIRE LOVING A little girl was making but poor progress toward recovery, though the ailment had been checked and there seemed to be no reason why she should not rapidly improve. But it didn’t happen, and the doctor in charge was keenly interested to know why. She was a very sensitive child, ...read more

Scripture: John 13:34-35

Tags: Christian Love

A Servant, Not A Celebrity

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 28, 2011

A SERVANT, NOT A CELEBRITY Colonel James Irving is a former astronaut who is part of the crew that made a successful moonwalk. He experienced the thrill connected with leaving this planet and seeing it shrink in size. He watched earth rise one day and thought how privileged he was to be a member ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 20:24-28

Tags: Servanthood

How God Calls It  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 2, 2011

HOW GOD CALLS IT A major league baseball player hit the ball far out in left field. Bases were loaded. The one who was on 2nd base made it all the way to home plate and he collided with the catcher. Immediately, the one team yelled, "He's safe, he's safe, he's safe." The other team yelled, "He's ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 127:3-5

Tags: Abortion

Wisdom Literature

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on May 23, 2011

WISDOM LITERATURE Wisdom not valued much in modern society, so wisdom literature not popular in our culture; In the past, Aesop's fables--which are amazing--used to be a common resource for popular wisdom. But in the ancient near east, wisdom literature abounded. Shortly before Solomon, an ...read more

Tags: Wisdom

Denomination: Independent/Bible

No Faith, No Power

Contributed by Ken Pell on Jun 5, 2011

NO FAITH, NO POWER When I was growing up in Oklahoma, there was a lake my family and I frequented a lot called Keystone Lake. Keystone was not a natural lake; prior to its creation in 1962, there were towns located there, one of which gives the lake its name. The town was to be flooded to make a ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3

Tags: God Brings Hope

Denomination: Nazarene

God As My Guard  PRO

Contributed by Dr. Nicholas M. Muteti on Jun 24, 2011

GOD AS MY GUARD I remember one time driving on a completely unknown route. It was dark, early in the morning, just after midnight. I didn’t know the way and I thought I can drive ahead and somehow will find the town I was looking for. It was the time when all the routes in Kenya were very poor ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 121:1-8

Tags: God's Omnipotence

Denomination: Baptist

What A Waste...??  PRO

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Jul 8, 2011

WHAT A WASTE...?? There was a young man who grew up just down the block from my wife Jan. I never met him; I can’t even remember his name. But I know about him. I think about him every time I’m in the neighborhood. This boy didn’t attract much notice as he was growing up. He studied mostly. He ...read more

Tags: Servanthood

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Man On The Street

Contributed by Michael Buckingham on Jul 18, 2011

MAN ON THE STREET When you meet someone on the street, you don’t know anything about them. Everyone is different, so be kind and courteous and don’t get caught up in discrimination. We all subconsciously stereotype people, but there isn’t one person in the world that fits perfectly into a ...read more

Tags: Pride

Denomination: Baptist

No Atheists Among Heathens

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 3, 2011

NO ATHEISTS AMONG HEATHENS Leith Samuel writes in HIS magazine, "Many missionaries point out that the heathen know more than we think. They know that there is a God. There are no atheists among heathen tribes. There has never been discovered upon earth a tribe of people, however small or depraved, ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:16-32

Tags: Guilt

Preach The Whole Gospel

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 3, 2011

PREACH THE WHOLE GOSPEL John Nelson preaching about the influence of John Wesley’s preaching and its effects upon him, said: "This man can tell the secrets of my heart, but he hath not left me there, he hath showed me the remedy, even the blood of Christ. Then was my soul filled with ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:23

Tags: Preaching

How Were The Old Testament Saints Saved?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 3, 2011

HOW WERE THE OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS SAVED? H. A. Ironside was traveling and dropped in on a Sunday school class. The unprepared teacher asked how Old Testament saints were saved and somebody answered, "By keeping the law." The teacher said, "Correct!" Ironside raised his hand and said, "Romans ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 3:6-9

Tags: Faith

If You Want It Bad Enough

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 10, 2011

IF YOU WANT IT BAD ENOUGH When a person first comes to faith in Christ and gets a taste of His grace, they can’t get enough of the Bible. Pat Summerall, the well-known sports announcer, trusted Christ with his life and overcame alcohol in the late 60’s. As he describes his life with Christ, he ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:2-3

Tags: Growth In Christ

Where's Your Security  PRO

Contributed by Ronnie Miller on Aug 11, 2011

WHERE'S YOUR SECURITY (NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Investors lost $1 trillion in the in the stock market Monday as the debt crisis in Europe, lackluster economic news and a downgrade to the U.S. credit rating spark fears of a double-dip recession. Investors placed their wealth in the hands of a man ...read more

Scripture: John 10:28-29, Jude 1:24-25, 1 Peter 1:18-19

Tags: Holy Spirit, Salvation, Security, Promises Of God, Secure  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Disposable Guilt Bags

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 12, 2011

DISPOSABLE GUILT BAGS Several years ago a new product called "Disposable Guilt Bags" appeared in the supermarkets. It consisted of a set of ten ordinary brown bags on which were printed the following instructions: "Place the bag securely over your mouth, take a deep breath and blow all your guilt ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 32:1-5

Tags: Guilt

Americans: Flabby Faith  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 16, 2011

AMERICANS: FLABBY FAITH A dozen or so years ago, a Romanian pastor came to visit the church I belonged to. He had gotten to know my pastor, John Vawter, who had been involved in a Bible-smuggling ministry when the Iron Curtain was still up. John asked him what he thought of our country, and of the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:11-16, Romans 12:1-6

Tags: Discipleship

Searching For The Treasure  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 23, 2011

SEARCHING FOR THE TREASURE When Betty Goldstein of Staten Island, New York, entered the hospital, her husband Ron wrapped her 3.5-carat diamond ring in a napkin for safekeeping. But in a forgetful moment, the 63-year-old Goldstein threw the napkin in the trash. When he realized his mistake, he ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 2:1-15, Luke 15:8

Tags: Wisdom

Tough Ladies And Human Nature

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Aug 29, 2011

TOUGH LADIES AND HUMAN NATURE I used to enjoy the old "Where's the Beef?" commercial. Everyone, it seems, knows a "where's the beef" type of lady. Germany has them, too: BERLIN (Reuters) - A feisty 90-year-old German woman chased away three would-be burglars from her rural farmhouse with her ...read more

Tags: Human Life

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Picking The Wrong Door

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 31, 2011

PICKING THE WRONG DOOR Stuart Briscoe, in his book Everyday Discipleship for Ordinary People, tells the story about a fellow pastor who was officiating at the funeral of a war veteran. The dead man’s military friends wanted to have a part in the service at the funeral home, so they requested that ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:1-5

Tags: Leadership General

The Bible Treasure

Contributed by Robert Leroe on Sep 26, 2011

THE BIBLE TREASURE Kathleen Norris tells the story of a South Dakota rancher and his bride who received a leather-bound Bible as a wedding gift from the groom's grandfather. They wrote a thank-you note and stowed the Bible away on a closet shelf, out of the way. As time passed, the grandfather ...read more

Tags: Bible Influence

Denomination: Congregational

The Impact Of Lust

Contributed by Tim Smith on Oct 8, 2011

THE IMPACT OF LUST I think about a woman I knew in college who dated and slept with one guy after another until one night she slept with several men consecutively. After college, she went from one relationship to another until she had a mental breakdown. Now in her mid 40s, she just pulling her ...read more

Tags: Sexuality

Denomination: Methodist