In Sermon Illustrations: "Basics Of Christianity"

Good Jealousy

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Oct 19, 2009

GOOD JEALOUSY Dennis De Haan illustrates: Shep, the newest member of our family, is a young Shetland sheepdog who openly displays his jealousy when I kiss my wife. He doesn’t snarl or bite, but in the language of barking he seems to be saying, "Hey, Master, you belong to me!" His jealousy gives ...read more

Tags: Jealousy

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The Church--A Hospital For Sinners (The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 7, 2009

The Church--A Hospital for Sinners (The Ragamuffin Gospel) "The Ragamuffin Gospel was written with a specific reading audience in mind. This book is not for the super-spiritual...It is not for legalists who would rather surrender control of their souls to rules rather than run the risk of living ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:10-13

Tags: Church Purpose Of

No Tolerance Of False Teaching "Viruses"  PRO

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Apr 19, 2010

NO TOLERANCE OF FALSE TEACHING "VIRUSES" I remember hearing about computer viruses. Could a computer catch a germ? I then learned that computer viruses were often malicious programs, developed by evil-doers, to destroy computers. They are often downloaded stealthily, without you knowing it. ...read more

Tags: False Teaching

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Way Back In January Of 2002 We Taught William ...

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on May 3, 2010

Way back in January of 2002 we taught William Fay’s approach to sharing the gospel. It was called “Share Jesus Without Fear.” A part of those sessions dealt with handling objections. "There are many religions in the world. How can you know the right one?" Response: "All religions can be divided ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Pentecostal

Looking Well Ahead

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Jul 14, 2010

LOOKING WELL AHEAD I once did this driving course called an anti-skid driving course. One of the really valuable learnings that I got out of it was that when you drive, you should drive with your eyes looking well ahead maybe a couple of hundred metres ahead, not on the car just in front of you, ...read more

Tags: Future

Denomination: Salvation Army

I'll Miss The Challenge

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 2, 2010

I'LL MISS THE CHALLENGE A certain rabbi was adored by his community; everyone was always delighted with what he had to say. All, that is, except for Isaac, who never missed an opportunity to contradict the rabbi's point of view and point out flaws in his teachings. The others were disgusted with ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 28:23

Tags: Character

Not In Vain

Contributed by Stephen Wright on Apr 10, 2011

NOT IN VAIN In Washington, a Sunday school class was disrupted by a boy who wouldn’t behave. He also kept the other children from paying attention. The faithful teacher became discouraged and felt that his efforts were in vain. The mischievous youngster grew to manhood and travelled west, where he ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

God Wants To Live In Your House

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 9, 2011

GOD WANTS TO LIVE IN YOUR HOUSE C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity: "Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:4-5

Tags: Sanctification

Church As A Spectator Sport

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 5, 2011

CHURCH AS A SPECTATOR SPORT A British pastor and author made this observation a few years ago. I think it’s still accurate. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, "Men and women no longer...exercise in sport as they used to. Instead, people tend to sit in crowds and just watch other people play. ...And I ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-16, 1 Corinthians 12:27

Tags: Church Practices

Lessons From A Banana Tree

Contributed by Michael Walther on Aug 8, 2011

LESSONS FROM A BANANA TREE I once learned an interesting lessons from a retired pastor who grew banana trees in his backyard. Bananas will grow in our hot and humid Southern Illinois summers. But the season isn't long enough for them to produce much fruit. Some people tried to overcome this by ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Denomination: Lutheran

The Holy Spirit Compared To Hydroelectric ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 9, 2012

THE HOLY SPIRIT COMPARED TO HYDROELECTRIC POWER As Christians we may be compared with a reservoir for producing electrical power, like one of those you see when you drive to Niagara Falls. When we accept Christ, construction of our reservoir is complete. We now have the potential to be useful and ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:8

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers

Grits And Grace

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 10, 2012

GRITS AND GRACE How blessed is the person whose sin God does not take into account. Even if you don’t deserve it; God provides for you. True story. Two pastors were on their way to Atlanta, Georgia for a large Christian men’s gathering. One of them had never been in the south before. After ...read more

Scripture: Acts 15:6-11

Tags: Grace

Worship In The Thrill And The Agony

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Sep 25, 2012

WORSHIP IN THE THRILL AND THE AGONY The 2012 Olympics gave a great illustration of how Christians can trust God in the thrill of victory AND the agony of defeat. If you watched the Olympics, you probably saw Gabby Douglas's big smile. When she won the Individual Gold in gymnastics. She said, "I ...read more

Tags: Worship General

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Francis Chan's Servant Witness

Contributed by Bret Toman on Oct 31, 2012

FRANCIS CHAN'S SERVANT WITNESS Francis Chan was flying to Africa and seated next to him was a man who happened to be a Muslim. So they were talking about what they believed and the man said "Ya, I know some Christians and I hear their message and it turns me off. I’m not interested." So the ...read more

Tags: Servanthood

Denomination: Baptist

The Relationship We Share

Contributed by Davon Huss on Jun 2, 2014

While many people hunger for family closeness, we often miss the opportunities that stand immediately before us. Tammy Harris of Roanoke, Virginia, began searching for her biological mother when she turned 21. A year of searching proved fruitless. Tammy did not realize, however, that her ...read more

Scripture: Mark 3:34-35

Tags: Family, Church Family

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Quotes On Suffering For Christ

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 4, 2021

There is a certain kind of maturity that can be attained only through the discipline of suffering. - D. A. Carson Do not kick against suffering, for in so doing you may be fighting against God. - Spurgeon Life without struggle and difficulty is thin and tasteless. How can a noble life be ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:10-12

Tags: Pain, Spiritual Warfare, Discipleship, Suffering, Take Up Your Cross  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Don't Wait For A Cyclone To Preach The Word!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 25, 2021

A.W. Tozer once said, "I heard of one graduate of a theological school who determined to follow his old professor’s advice and preach the Word only. His crowds were average. Then one day a cyclone hit the little town and he yielded to the temptation to preach on the topic, “Why God Sent A ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Timothy 4:1-3

Tags: Preaching, Pastors, Churches, The Word Of God

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Rev. R.s. Jones Was A Missionary To Brazil. He ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Rev. R.S. Jones was a missionary to Brazil. He had many years of Christian service. In 1936, he was retiring due to ill health. At the Southern Baptist Convention that year, this missionary was talking to the songwriter BB McKinney. Jones told McKinney that his doctor would not let him return to ...read more

Tags: Faith

An Ad For The U.s. Marines Pictures A Sword, And ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

An ad for the U.S. Marines pictures a sword, and beneath it the words: “Earned, not given.” If you want to become a Marine, be prepared to earn the right to be called a “Marine” through sacrifice, hardship, and training. If you get it, you deserve it. But if you want to become a Christian, you must ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9

Tags: Evangelism How To

When The Infidel Robert G. Ingersoll Was ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

When the infidel Robert G. Ingersoll was delivering his lectures against Christ and the Bible, his speaking ability usually assured him of a large crowd. One night after an inflammatory speech in which he severely attacked man’s faith in the Savior, he dramatically took out his watch and said, ...read more

Tags: Second Coming