In Sermon Illustrations: "Absent From The Body"

On Profanity And Ungodly Language

Contributed by Bobby Mcdaniel on Apr 17, 2010

ON PROFANITY AND UNGODLY LANGUAGE Profanity and crude language are becoming more common on prime-time television programs. Many writers and producers seem to be intent on pushing the limits of how much immoral and offensive speech the public will allow. Profane and vulgar language is noise ...read more

Tags: Communication Speech

Stop Being Everybody's Victim By John ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 10, 2010

Stop Being Everybody’s Victim by John Powell, The late US syndicated columnist Sydney J. Harris accompanied his friend George to his favorite newsstand. George greeted the man selling the newspapers courteously, but in return he received gruff service. He barely acknowledged his customer and never ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:43-48

Tags: Christian Witness

In 1982 There Was A Letter To The Editor Which ...

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Jun 22, 2010

In 1982 there was a letter to the editor which read, “Dear Editor, I would like to tell your readers how mad I was when I was forced to go out and pay $45 for an infant seat, and to top it off we couldn’t fit everybody in my pickup truck with that big bulky thing. On April 2, my wife was forced to ...read more

Tags: Law

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

A Pastor Friend Was Telling Me About Two Men In ...

Contributed by Ed Sasnett on Jul 8, 2010

A pastor friend was telling me about two men in his church who are stricken with Alzheimer’s. One man is a retired pastor. He and his wife still attend church. Sometimes it takes this retired pastor longer than usual to say something. My friend spoke of being patient with him as they ...read more

Tags: Servanthood

Denomination: Baptist

Crashed And Burned

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Jul 13, 2010

CRASHED AND BURNED CRASHED AND BURNED! All my computer files from the last 10 years gone! No full back-ups so no way of retrieving it all. It seems I have lived the last 10 years on the ASSUMPTION that computers last forever, just keep adding data to them. Not so! Happened to me once before and I ...read more

Tags: Judgment

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Philadelphia 11 Fighting Pa "Hate Crimes" Law

Contributed by Larry Wilson on Jul 13, 2010

'Philadelphia 11' fighting PA "hate crimes" law Attorneys for 11 Philadelphia-area Christians arrested and charged with felonies after protesting at a homosexual event will announce new developments in the case tomorrow and will show a videotape of the controversial arrests. As WorldNetDaily ...read more

Tags: Homosexuality

Denomination: Baptist

The Definition Of A Saint  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 15, 2010

THE DEFINITION OF A SAINT A young boy went with his parents touring around Europe one summer. Part of their tour included visits to the great old cathedrals of the past. As he visited cathedral after cathedral, he was impressed the massive stained glass portraits of the disciples and of other ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:14-16

Tags: Christian Witness

Pull Up The Roots Of Bad Habits Early  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 2, 2010

PULL UP THE ROOTS OF BAD HABITS EARLY A wise old tutor was once taking a stroll through a forest with a curious youth. The tutor suddenly stopped and pointed to four plants close by. The first was a tiny sprout, just coming out of the earth. The second had rooted itself quite firmly in the fertile ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 15:7-20

Tags: Character

Humorous ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 5, 2010

Humorous Quotes Here are some final words of wisdom: Anybody who sleeps like a baby doesn’t have one. At my age, I’ve seen it all, heard it all, and done it all, but now, I just can’t seem to remember it all. He who laughs last ... thinks the slowest. The early bird gets the worm, but the ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 17:22

Tags: Wisdom

In The Story Of Pollyanna, There Is A Woman Who ...

Contributed by C. Philip Green on Sep 23, 2010

In the story of Pollyanna, there is a woman who runs the town. She’s not the mayor and doesn’t even sit on the city council. It’s just that she has inherited a tremendous amount of money from her father, and she has a controlling interest in all the major businesses in town. As a result, no one ...read more

Tags: Money

Denomination: Evangelical Free

Needing A Push  PRO

Contributed by Sean Harder on Sep 30, 2010

NEEDING A PUSH A man and his wife are awakened at 3 o'clock in the morning by a loud pounding on the back door. The man gets up and goes to the door where a drunken stranger, standing in the pouring rain, is asking for a push. "Not a chance," says the husband, "It is three o'clock in the ...read more

Scripture: John 13:1-17

Tags: Service, Compassion, Giving, Servanthood

Shame Upon The Father

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 30, 2010

SHAME UPON THE FATHER A man was successful in business and had a well-educated son who was highly respected and honored, like his father. But one day to everyone’s surprise, the young man was charged with embezzlement. At his trial, he appeared nonchalant and arrogant about his sinful actions. ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 28:7

Tags: Father's Day

Overcoming Evil With Good  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 18, 2010

OVERCOMING EVIL WITH GOOD Watchman Nee, the Chinese evangelist, tells this true story. A poor, Christian Chinese farmer had rice fields high in the mountain. Every day he spent hours pumping water into the rice paddies; but when he returned to the fields the next morning, he would find that his ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:1-5

Tags: Christian Witness

Leave The Bones  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 23, 2010

LEAVE THE BONES A clergyman took a seat in a dining car on a train traveling along the Hudson River. Opposite him was an atheist who, seeing his clerical collar, started a discussion. "I see you are a clergyman." "Yes," came the reply. "I am a minister of the gospel." "I suppose you believe the ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15

Tags: Bible Study

Disciplines: The Decathlon

Contributed by Rodelio Mallari on Dec 12, 2010

DISCIPLINES: THE DECATHLON The Olympic decathlon is internationally recognized as the most demanding test of individual athletic ability there is. It is the event that determines the world's greatest all-around athlete. Originating in a contest held at the 708 B.C. Olympiad to single out Greece's ...read more

Tags: Christian Disciplines

Denomination: *other

Judgment Day Sooner Than You Think

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 26, 2011

JUDGMENT DAY SOONER THAN YOU THINK A Scottish lawyer was a wicked man. Once he hired a horse and, either through accident or ill-usage, killed the animal. Naturally the owner insisted on being paid its value, together with some compensation for the loss of its use. The man of law acknowledged his ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 3:1-18

Tags: Judgment

The Joy Of Citizenship

Contributed by Jason Bonnicksen on Mar 15, 2011

THE JOY OF CITIZENSHIP Arnold Schwarzenegger once said: "As long as I live, I will never forget that day 21 years ago when I raised my hand and took the oath of citizenship. Do you know how proud I was? I was so proud that I walked around with an American flag around my shoulders all day long." ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:17-22

Tags: Kingdom Of God

Denomination: Lutheran

Avoiding The Rocks

Contributed by Tim Smith on Mar 17, 2011

AVOIDING THE ROCKS Alan was my prayer partner at a previous church and he tells the story of going white water rafting on a Christian retreat. He said he always got stuck being the captain of the boat and sure enough for the 4th year in a row, he was named captain. So his job was to direct the men ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Methodist

We Need Christ In Good Times And Bad

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 24, 2011

WE NEED CHRIST IN GOOD TIMES AND BAD Presbyterian minister of the 19th century, J. R. Miller, once wrote that "We need Christ just as much in our bright, prosperous, exalted hours as in the days of darkness, adversity, and depression. We are quite in danger of thinking that religion is only for ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:18-22

Tags: Jesus Christ

C.s. Lewis Defends The Faith

Contributed by Mark Haines on Apr 5, 2011

C.S. LEWIS DEFENDS THE FAITH C. S. Lewis is probably best known today as the author of The Chronicles of Narnia because that series of children's books have been made into movies. Lewis wrote many other books, including one entitled, Mere Christianity. In that book he tries to explain and ...read more

Tags: Atonement

Denomination: Wesleyan