In Sermon Illustrations: "Age"

Holy Joy

Contributed by Ken Pell on Apr 6, 2012

HOLY JOY Richard Foster describes holy joy like this: "Joy, not grit, is the hallmark of holy obedience. ...It is a cheerful revolt against self and pride. ...Utter abandonment to God is done freely and with celebration. And so I urge you to enjoy this ministry of self-surrender. ...The saints ...read more

Tags: Joy

Denomination: Nazarene

Let The Lion Out

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on May 23, 2023

Charles Spurgeon on preaching the Word: There seems to be to have been twice as much done in some ages in defending the Bible as in expounding it, but if the whole of our strength shall henceforth go to the exposition and spreading of it, we may leave it pretty much to defend itself. I do not ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16, Hebrews 4:12, Psalm 19:7-11, Deuteronomy 8:1-5

Tags: Bible, Gospel, Truth, Preaching

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

When Jesus Says The Holy Spirit Would Convict The ...  PRO

Contributed by Peter Schmidt on Nov 13, 2003

When Jesus says the Holy Spirit would convict the world of guilt in regard to sin. What this simply means is what we went through in Bible class this morning: when we compare ourselves to God’s Law and see how we measure up, we don’t like what we see. It’s like we are looking into a mirror, and ...read more

Tags: Sin Wages Of, Sin Exposed

Denomination: Lutheran

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)  PRO

Contributed by Ken Pell on Jul 3, 2007

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Johann Sebastian Bach was born into the musical family of Bachs in 1685. By the age of ten, both of his parents were dead. Early in his friction-filled life, young Johann determined he would write music … music for the glory of God … and this he did. Most of ...read more

Scripture: Romans 11:36

Tags: Service, Glory Of God

Denomination: Nazarene

The Estimated Total Number Of People Living In ...

Contributed by John Shearhart on Oct 17, 2007

The estimated total number of people living in the US with a viral Sexually Transmitted Disease/Sexually Transmitted Infection (STD/STI) is over 65 million. Every year, there are at least 19 million new cases of STDs/STIs, some of which are curable. More than $8 billion is spent each year to ...read more

Losers Weepers

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 18, 2009

LOSERS WEEPERS A widow, shortly after her husband’s death, was going through his papers. She found a couple of old certificates, yellowed with age and crumbling into dust. They had been made out to her husband more than fifty years ago, and seemed to be some kind of promissory notes. Some sort of ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:45-46

Tags: Ignorance

Wilma Rudolph, Stricken As A Child With Polio, ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 6, 2010

Wilma Rudolph, Stricken as a Child with Polio, Achieves Olympic Gold Wilma didn’t get much of a head start in life. A bout with polio left her left leg crooked and her foot twisted inward so she had to wear leg braces. After seven years of painful therapy, she could walk without her braces. At age ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-2

Tags: Endurance

Philip Yancey's Wife Shares The Suffering Of An ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 4, 2010

Philip Yancey’s Wife Shares the Suffering of an Elderly Man Philip Yancey- My wife worked with some of the poorest people in the city of Chicago, directing a program of a church that intentionally seeks out lonely and abandoned senior citizens no one else cares for. Many times I have seen her pour ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:15

Tags: Compassion

Statistics On Loneliness

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 7, 2011

STATISTICS ON LONELINESS This week I read an article by Medical News Today about the health effects of loneliness. Quoting the article, it states that "there is evidence that the risk of developing and dying from heart disease can depend on the strength of one's social network of friends and ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-16

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

When Bob Feller Was 9 Years Old, His Teacher ...

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Mar 22, 2002

When Bob Feller was 9 years old, his teacher asked him to write an essay about an oak tree. Here are the ideas that he put in his theme: An oak tree can be cut down and sawed into boards. You can make baseball bats out of them. You can also make home plates out of the boards. You can make ...read more

Tags: Commitment To Christ, Call Of The Disciples

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

I've Heard Many People Say So Many Times That You ...  PRO

Contributed by Russ Sharrock on May 4, 2002

I’ve heard many people say so many times that you can’t tell the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian. Alice’s sister-in-law, Keiko, is a New Age Soka Gakkai Buddhist. She is so serene, so filled with peace and joy, that Alice’s brother, her Mom and Step dad, have all been drawn ...read more

Tags: Peace, Christian Love, Cults

Denomination: Baptist

Fatherless America  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 1, 2002

FATHERLESS AMERICA Tonight, 40% of all American children will go to sleep in a house in which their fathers do not live. Before the age of eighteen, more than 50% of our children will spend a significant portion of their childhood living apart from their fathers. A generation ago, an ...read more

Tags: Father's Day, Parenting, Men

We All Know What It's Like To Still Have Growing ...  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Nov 14, 2003

We all know what it’s like to still have growing to do. Jeanne Olsen, a mother of five from Illinois, took her daughter Kirsten, age 9, out for a mother-daughter breakfast. During their meal, Jeanne courageously asked her daughter, "How do you think I could be a better mom?" Kirsten thought for a ...read more

Tags: Prayer Confession, Parenting

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Source: Gonzalez, Justo, The Story Of ...

Contributed by Chris Tiller on Nov 15, 2005

(Source: Gonzalez, Justo, The Story of Christianity, Volume 1, HarperSanFrancisco, 1984.) In the year 155 A.D., Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna was arrested. The proconsul tried to persuade him to recant and save himself. Surely given his advanced age it would be better for him to avoid torture ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Teen Eye View Between 1990 And 2000, The Number ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 3, 2006

Teen Eye View Between 1990 and 2000, the number of teens aged 12 to 19 soared to 32 million, an increase of nearly 4.5 million. Mediamark Research reports this 17% growth rate far outpaced the rest of the population. They’re also wielding increasing influence on household purchases. In ‘03, 47% of ...read more

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

Why Disappointing Holiday Sales? Paco Underhill ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 13, 2006

Why Disappointing Holiday Sales? Paco Underhill says, First, we’re part of an aging culture, and people don’t need stuff. If you’re 35 or younger, you’re still acquiring possessions. If you’re between 35-50, you’re buying ser-vices. If you’re over 60, you’re buying experiences. The problem with ...read more

Tags: Finding Fulfillment

No Religion: Experts Who Compared The Results Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 18, 2006

No Religion: Experts who compared the results of religious identification surveys for ’90 and ‘01 report that those who said they have “no” religious identification are the fastest growing U.S. religious group. They comprised 8% of respondents in ‘90 and 14% in ‘01, or approximately 30 million ...read more

Tags: World Religions

New Ratings: The Entertainment Software Rating ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 27, 2006

New Ratings: The Entertainment Software Rating Board® has set up a new category for video game ratings. The “E10+” category was created for games suitable for children ages 10 and older. These fall between the ones rated “E” for “everyone,” which many tweens outgrow, and the ones rated “T” for ...read more

Tags: Entertainment

Porn Presence More Than 40 Million People Visit ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 27, 2006

Porn Presence More than 40 million people visit an Internet porn site each day. · There are now more than 4.2 million Internet porn sites. · 60% of all web site visits are sexual in nature. · 30% of unsolicited e-mails contain porno content. · Americans spend an estimated $8-$10 billion annually on ...read more

Tags: Addiction

Boomer Facts: A Recent Aarp Survey Found That ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 27, 2006

Boomer Facts: A recent AARP survey found that most boomers (Americans between ages 38 and 56) believe the solution to life’s problems are within their own grasp and 65% believe that if they put their minds to getting something done, they’ll eventually succeed. 63% feel good about relationships with ...read more

Tags: God's Provision