In Sermon Illustrations: "Book Of Enoch"

The Church: The Balm Of Healing  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 4, 2010

THE CHURCH: THE BALM OF HEALING In the book, The Empowered Communicator, Calvin Miller says that most people we come in contact with are silently thinking: • I am loneliness waiting for a friend • I am weeping in want of laughter • I am a sigh in search of consolation • I am a wound in search of ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:12-17

Tags: Church Purpose Of

Think Steps, Not Programs

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Oct 5, 2010

THINK STEPS, NOT PROGRAMS In his book, Seven Practices of Effective Ministry, Andy Stanley writes: "Think Steps, Not Programs" (p. 88). The idea is this: Instead of having a strategic vision that focuses on programs, you have a strategic vision of a people-process, a pathway that takes people from ...read more

Tags: Church Practices

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

God Anoints Men Of Prayer  PRO

Contributed by Christian Cheong on Jan 9, 2011

GOD ANOINTS MEN OF PRAYER E. M. Bounds says in his classic book, The Power of Prayer: "Men are God's method. The Church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men...What the Church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but ...read more

Tags: Prayer General

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Billy Graham Describes An Experience He Had ...

Contributed by Ken Henson on Oct 5, 2012

Billy Graham describes an experience he had walking down a street, and a drunk man recognized him, and accosted him, stinking of liquor, claiming “I became a disciple at one of your meetings”. Billy Graham said “he must have been one of my disciples. He certainly wasn’t a disciple of Jesus”. (I ...read more

Tags: Disciples

Denomination: *other

Obscurity

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Aug 20, 2019

In his book Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, Eugene Peterson recounts the story of the fourth century church father Gregory of Nyssa whose brother Basil had arranged for him to be made bishop of Cappadocia. "Gregory objected," Peterson writes. "He didn't want to be stuck ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 139:1-12

Tags: Obedience, Identity

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Bible Makes A Difference!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 4, 2021

The story is told of a South Sea Islander who proudly displayed his Bible to a G.I. during WW II. He had received it as a present from a missionary some time before. The soldier said, “Oh, we’ve outgrown that sort of thing like the Bible.” The native. who had been a Cannibal before he was ...read more

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

Tags: Bible, Humor, Miracles, Missionaries, Scriptures  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God The Father In The Old Testament

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 12, 2022

God is only referred to as "Father" fourteen times in the Old Testament's thirty-nine books, and even then, rather impersonally. In those fourteen occurrences of Father, the term was always used with reference to the Nation of Israel, not to individuals. In the entire Old Testament, ...read more

Tags: Old Testament, Grace, Father, Law, Prayer, Lord's Prayer  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Less Important Than We Think

Contributed by John Bright on Jun 22, 2023

In his book, “Being with God,” Pastor AJ Sherrill addresses how the practices of contemplative prayer help the Believer see what’s going on inside: we are so caught up in our inner dramas that we lack the clarity to know what to pray for. Surrendering to the indwelling Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26-27) ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:26-27, Luke 14:7-14

Tags: Love, Humility, Prayer

Denomination: Methodist

People" By Apologetix, That Christian Parody ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 24, 2002

"People" by Apologetix, That Christian Parody Band (www.AplogetiX.com) James was caught by Herod; Herod captured Peter. They were sharing Herod’s outbreak of attacks upon believers. James would have to face the sword and Peter would escape it. They were not afraid of dying; they both knew that ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 26:69-75

Stop Expecting Life To Be Perfect

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 19, 2012

STOP EXPECTING LIFE TO BE PERFECT Donald Miller has written a book called, "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years." It's about the journey Don went on when a couple of filmmakers decided to make a movie about his life, based on his book Blue Like Jazz. Now during the process of writing a screenplay ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Methodist

Jesus: Soft To Us

Contributed by Greg Nance on Dec 20, 2012

Why did Jesus come to us as a baby? To fulfill prophecy? To be one with us, one of us, one we could know and understand, one we could see and believe in, one who takes away our sins through his own body and blood? All this and much more! Let me share an insight from Brisa, my three year old ...read more

Tags: Christmas, Incarnation

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

People Who Are Truly Thankful Don’t ...  PRO

Contributed by John Roy on Jan 29, 2001

People who are truly thankful don’t complain, they find a reason to be grateful. Matthew Henry, who wrote a commentary on every book of the Bible, was once robbed. The thieves took everything of value that he had. Later that evening he wrote in his diary these words, “I am thankful that during ...read more

Tags: Thanksgiving Holiday, Joy, Image Likeness

Denomination: *other

The First Glimmers That Excluding Design ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 24, 2001

The first glimmers that excluding design artificially restricts science come from admissions by scientists opposed to design. The arch-Darwinist Richard Dawkins begins his book The Blind Watchmaker by stating, "Biology is the study of complicated things that give the appearance of having been ...read more

What Is Time? Who Can Easily And Briefly Explain ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 15, 2001

What is time? Who can easily and briefly explain this? Who can comprehend this, even in thought, so as to express it in a word? Yet what do we discuss more familiarly and knowingly in conversation than time? Surely, we understand it when we talk about it, and also understand it when we hear others ...read more

Tags: Parable Talents, Leadership General, Workplace Balance

We Emulate What We Think About. Children ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 9, 2002

“We emulate what we think about. Children pretend they are the heroes they dream about. Teenagers dress like the sports stars or popular musicians they devote so much attention to. But these tendencies don’t disappear when we become adults. Those who concentrate on “making it to the top” read ...read more

After All These Years  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 16, 2002

AFTER ALL THESE YEARS An old couple was sitting by the fireside. He looked over at her, had a romantic thought, and said, “After fifty years, I’ve found you tried and true.” The wife’s hearing wasn’t very good, so she said, “What?” He repeated, “After fifty years, I’ve found you tried and ...read more

Tags: Listen

Define Miracle  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 11, 2002

DEFINE MIRACLE A miracle is a divine intervention into, or interruption of, the regular course of the world that produces a purposeful but unusual event that would not have occurred otherwise(Geisler). Scholar, William Lane Craig gives us an even more simple definition: A miracle is an event ...read more

The Parents Of A Young Soldier Killed In Action ...  PRO

Contributed by Kenneth Squires on Dec 28, 2002

The parents of a young soldier killed in action gave their church a gift of money as a memorial to their son. During the presentation service, the mother of another soldier whose son was overseas whispered to her husband, “Let’s give the same amount for our son.” “What’s the matter with you?” he ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:9

Tags: Holidays Civic

Denomination: Pentecostal

During A Monday Night Football Game Between The ...  PRO

Contributed by S Henriques on Jan 27, 2003

During a Monday night football game between the Chicago Bears and the New York Giants, one of the announcers observed that Walter Payton, the Bears’ running back, had accumulated over nine miles in career rushing yardage. The other announcer remarked, "Yeah, and that’s with somebody knocking him ...read more

Tags: Endurance

Denomination: Baptist

Frank Herbert, The Author Of Dune Has A Mantra ...

Contributed by Charles Wilkerson on Nov 14, 2003

Frank Herbert, the author of Dune has a mantra called the Shai-Hulud and goes. I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it is gone past me I will turn to see ...read more

Tags: Fear And Worry

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed