In Sermon Illustrations: "Being Content"

The Power Of Delayed Gratification

Contributed by Ken Pell on Feb 5, 2012

THE POWER OF DELAYED GRATIFICATION Years ago, psychologist Walter Mischel conducted an experiment on a group of four-year olds. Each child was offered a marshmallow, and was told that they could have it now, or if they could wait several minutes, they could have two. Some children grabbed the ...read more

Tags: Disciplines General

Denomination: Nazarene

He Knows About Me

Contributed by Tim White on Apr 2, 2012

HE KNOWS ABOUT ME When I was talking with another counselor once, he asked if he could take me through an exercise that he uses to help people struggling with assurance or attaining victory, and/or were stalled in Christian growth. He had me close my eyes and imagine that Jesus Christ walks into ...read more

Tags: Guilt

Denomination: Baptist

Unaware Of The King's Presence  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 4, 2012

UNAWARE OF THE KING’S PRESENCE Steve Brown tells the frustrating story of some British social scientists. Following the end of British rule in India in the 1940s, a group of researchers wanted to study the impact of the end of British rule on the life of the nation. After six months, the British ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 21:1-16

Tags: Easter Palm Sunday

Where Will Our Jobs Go?

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Aug 13, 2012

WHERE WILL OUR JOBS GO? Futurist Thomas Frey blogs, "People are seriously worried. I've been in a number of conversations recently where people are very worried about our coming era of automation where fewer and fewer jobs will be left for people to do. A few months ago I predicted that over 2 ...read more

Tags: Future

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Quotes On Pride

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jan 3, 2013

QUOTES ON PRIDE Medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas said of pride: "Inordinate self-love is the cause of every sin ... the root of pride is found to consist in man not being, in some way, subject to God and His rule." "A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as ...read more

Tags: Pride

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Five People Who Secretly Control Your Life  PRO

Contributed by Tim Smith on Jun 16, 2013

Dave Navarro has written an article entitled, "The 5 People Who Secretly Control Your Life." In it, he says, what you may not realize is just how many people influence your life, feeding you ideas about what is "right," "wrong," "good," "bad," and practically every other subjective decision-making ...read more

Tags: Control

Denomination: Methodist

C.s. Lewis On Church And Worship

Contributed by Davon Huss on Nov 16, 2014

C.S. Lewis said that when he first became a Christian, he had trouble with church gatherings. “I thought that I could do it on my own by retiring to my rooms and reading theology, and I wouldn’t go to churches anymore.” He found the sermons often dull, and he disliked organ music, which he ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 21:24

Tags: Pride, Ego, The Organ, Hymns

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Paradise And Heaven

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 11, 2015

Paradise originates from the Persian language which means a beautiful garden but the ideal paradise is the King’s garden. Kings had beautiful gardens with exotic animals you wouldn’t see in that part of the world. It had flowing water and trees and was a place of serenity or peace. And when someone ...read more

Scripture: Luke 23:32-43

Tags: Heaven, Paradise

Denomination: Methodist

The Body Of Christ Is Not Divided  PRO

Contributed by Silas Eke on Feb 26, 2015

A Baptist Pastor had a dream and found himself fully dressed with a Bible in hand at the gate of heaven. As he was about to enter, he heard so many people crying and wailing in hell. He went to the gate and met the gate-keeper. He asked the gate-keeper “Who are those crying? Is there a Baptist ...read more

Tags: Denominationalism, Unity In Christ

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Brian Jones Tells The Story Of One Elderly Ge...

Contributed by Davon Huss on Aug 11, 2015

Brian Jones tells the story of one elderly gentleman who came forward and was baptized. This older gentleman lived alone. After one service Brian and his family invited this elderly man out to eat. Turns out that this elderly man was soon going on vacation to Florida. The man was excited about ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:19

Tags: Baptism, Discipleship, Clothing, Great Commission

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

There Is No Racial Distinction In The Kingdom Of God

Contributed by Howard Gunter on Mar 29, 2017

All human beings are equally created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27). God loved the world so much that He sent Jesus to lay down His life for us (John 3:16). The “world” obviously includes all ethnic groups. I like to use the following illustration which works as well with ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 1:26-27

Tags: Human Life, Jesus Died For All

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Hero Vs Hero Maker

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Jun 28, 2018

What does it mean to be a hero maker? A hero maker is a leader who shifts from being the hero to making others the hero in God's unfolding story. Real hero makers first die to any vision of personal glory. The dying involves a very real transition, one of grief and loss of ever becoming that ...read more

Scripture: John 14:12, Matthew 6:33

Tags: Leadership, Disciple Making, Leadership Training

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Sermon On The Mount Quote By Oswald Chambers

Contributed by Matthew Redder on Sep 25, 2018

The impossibly difficult instructions found in the sermon on the mount have often troubled me. When I think about loving enemies, turning the other cheek, giving to the poor, storing up treasures in heaven, etc... I often feel like there's NO WAY I can be successful in the correctives Jesus ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 6:15, Matthew 4:23

Tags: Disciples, Jesus Christ, New Creation, Devotional, Sermon On The Mount, Love Your Enemies, Oswald Chambers, Sermon, My Utmost For His Highest  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Alone In A Dark Cave

Contributed by Steve Kinnard on Feb 14, 2019

Alone in the dark in the Cave Back in my teenage years we would go exploring caves. One day five of us went cave exploring, we only had two flashlights but being young , we thought that was enough. We were deep inside the cave and I decided to climb up a shelf, while the others waited and held the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 31:1-5

Tags: Fear, Trouble

Denomination: Pentecostal

A Trip To Hell

Contributed by Steve Kinnard on Feb 15, 2019

TRIP TO HELL Can we take a trip, a trip so many will take; but a trip none must make. Let's take a trip that all the lost will take, a journey down the dark corridors of the doomed and the damned. As we fall over the edge, we enter a chasm that is filled with total darkness. We are overcome by ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 2:4-6

Tags: Hell, Doomed

Denomination: Pentecostal

You Pick It Up

Contributed by Davon Huss on Feb 29, 2020

The worst defeat in college football came in 1916 when Georgia Tech defeated Cumberland College of Kentucky 222 to 0. Cumberland never even made a first down. The much smaller Cumberland players were being mauled. Halfway through the first half one of the Cumberland players fumbled the ball. As ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:9

Tags: Knocked Down, Fumble

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

True Meaning Of Christmas

Contributed by Anitha Jabastion on Jan 3, 2023

A wealthy Boston family held a christening party after the baptism of their baby. Guests and friends swarmed into their palatial home. Soon the party was in full swing. People were having a wonderful time enjoying talking to one another, eating, drinking and being merry. Suddenly somebody asked, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:21, Luke 2:8-12

Tags: Christmas, True Meaning Of Christmas

Formula For Going To Heaven

Contributed by John Bright on May 27, 2023

That’s right – heaven or hell is the final destination for every human being. I want to crystal clear about this! All humans have been born into a state of Sin (with a big S). We commit sin (with a little s) because we are Sinners – not vice versa. At the instant of salvation, our Sin nature is ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 103:12-19

Tags: Hell, Atonement, Sin, Heaven

Denomination: Methodist

Love: Needing Or Giving

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Jul 26, 2023

“The typical example of Gift-love would be that love which moves a man to work and plan and save for the future well-being of his family which he may die without sharing or seeing; the second, Need-love, is that which sends a lonely and frightened child to its mother’s arms. And of course Divine ...read more

Scripture: Mark 12:29-31, Luke 10:27, 1 John 4:7-8, Matthew 22:36-39

Tags: Love Of Neighbor, Love, Love Of God

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Swallowed By A Whale - The Sign Of Jonah

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Feb 13, 2025

Jonah was in the belly of a great fish for 3 days and 3 nights! A kayaker from Chile was in the mouth of a Humpback whale for about 3 seconds - before being spit out! The story was reported by CNN (February 13, 2025) A humpback whale briefly swallowed a 24-year-old kayaker last Saturday during ...read more

Scripture: Jonah 1:17, Matthew 12:39, Matthew 12:40

Tags: Bible, Jonah, Miracles, Rejection, Escape, Signs, Reliability Of Scripture  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational