In Sermon Illustrations: "Books And Literature"

What Is Servanthood? It’s A Question We ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 30, 2001

What is servanthood? It’s a question we have to answer because today the concept has largely been abandoned by our culture. In his book, The Jesus Style, Gayle D. Erwin described servanthood this way: "A servant’s job is to do all he can to make life better for others - to free them to be ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:35-45, Mark 10:34-45, Colossians 1:24-25

Tags: Servanthood, Servant, Service, Help, Volunteer, Volunteerism  (view more)  (view less)

In 1996 A Spanish Man Visiting Stockholm On ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 22, 2001

In 1996 a Spanish man visiting Stockholm on business stood to inherit about a million dollars, according to an October newspaper account in Germany’s daily Bild. Eduardo Perez had stopped off to pray at a Roman Catholic church and signed the guest book of a man whose body lay there in a coffin. ...read more

Richard Baxter, A Great Puritan Thinker And ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 7, 2001

"Richard Baxter, a great Puritan thinker and writer, well understood the real truth. He used to write these words whenever he was asked to sign one of his books: "Lord, what Thou wilt, where Thou wilt, and when Thou wilt." In the old Puritan manner of speaking he was saying, "Lord, whatever you ...read more

Tags: Why

A Friend Of Mine Once Told Me That He Went To A ...  PRO

Contributed by James May on Aug 7, 2001

A friend of mine once told me that he went to a training conference where a course was being taught on how to improve your memory. He spent nearly $200 on the books, tapes and worksheets for the course and brought it home. When he arrived at home he stored the course and then went about his daily ...read more

Tags: Communication General, Forgiveness General

Denomination: Independent/Bible

To Laugh Often And Much; To Win The Respect Of ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 20, 2002

To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 37:1-36

Worship  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 1, 2002

Worship Isaac Watts wrote fifty-two books, twenty-nine of them on theology. But he is best remembered for his hymns. He wrote more than seven hundred, and even today the average modern hymnal will have twenty or more of his songs--276 years after they were written. When he died he was reciting one ...read more

Tags: Church Practices, Worship General

Augustine, While Puzzling Over The Doctrine Of ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 26, 2002

Augustine, while puzzling over the doctrine of the Trinity, was walking along the beach one day when he observed a young boy with a bucket, running back and forth to pour water into a little hole. Augustine asked, "What are you doing?" The boy replied, "I’m trying to put the ocean into this hole." ...read more

Tags: God's Omnipotence, God's Omniscience

The Clock Of Life  PRO

Contributed by Sol Madlambayan on Dec 2, 2002

The clock of life is wound but once, And no man has the power To tell just when the hands will stop. At late or early hour. To lose one’s wealth is sad indeed. To lose one’s health is more, To lose one’s soul is such a loss That no man can restore. Thirty-nine people died while you read this ...read more

Tags: Evangelism Urgency, Death Nearness

Denomination: Methodist

When Abraham Lincoln Was A Boy He Husked Corn ...

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Mar 27, 2003

When Abraham Lincoln was a boy he husked corn three days to pay for a second-hand copy of “The Life of Washington.” After he had read the book he said, “I don’t intend to shuck corn and split rails all my life.” When asked what he aspired to, he said, “Someday I’ll be president of the ...read more

Tags: Leadership General

Denomination: Wesleyan

Research Is Wonderful. Sometimes It Means ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 19, 2004

Research is wonderful. Sometimes it means nothing and sometimes there can be a lot of information in these statistics. For instance, researchers for the World Almanac and Book of Facts asked 2000 American eighth-grade students to name prominent people they admired and wanted to be like. Those ...read more

Phillip Johnson, A Berkeley Law Professor, ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 15, 2004

Phillip Johnson, a Berkeley law professor, lecturer and author of several books refuting evolution notes: “I have found that any discussion with modernists about the weaknesses of the theory of evolution quickly turns into a discussion of politics, particularly sexual politics. [Modernists] ...read more

The Late Vance Havner's Wife Was Also Named ...  PRO

Contributed by Thomas Black on Feb 2, 2005

The late Vance Havner’s wife was also named Sarah. Shortly after her untimely death, Warren Wiersbe met him at Moody Bible Institute, and expressed his condolences with the simple words, "I’m sorry to hear you lost your wife." Dr. Havner smiled and replied, "Son, when you know where something is, ...read more

Tags: Death

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Report, From The Surface Transportation Policy ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 6, 2006

A report, from the Surface Transportation Policy Project, based on federal transportation data, reveals women spend extraordinary amounts of time behind the wheel. Married women with kids drive an average of 66 minutes a day while single moms average 75 minutes. Historically men have been viewed as ...read more

Tags: Parenting

Publisher Influence: "Religion Publishing Has ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 13, 2006

Publisher Influence: “Religion publishing has been a key force, perhaps the key force, in the redefinition of American religion,” says sociologist and author Wade Clark Roof. John Sweeney, Jewish Lights Publishing, notes that publishers help explain religion outside the context of institutions of ...read more

Tags: Character

Apologetics Hot, Thom Rainer, Dean Of Billy ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 27, 2006

Apologetics Hot, Thom Rainer, Dean of Billy Graham School of Missions says Christian apologetics is a coming hot book genre during CBA’s Independents Day event Cultural conflicts between religions, heightened by the war on terrorism, will drive churches to understand other faiths while defending ...read more

Tags: Apologetics General

Postmodernism Is, Almost By Definition, A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 7, 2006

Postmodernism is, almost by definition, a transitional cusp of social, cultural, economic and ideological history when modernism’s high-minded principles and preoccupations have ceased to function, but before they have been replaced with a totally new system of values. It represents a moment of ...read more

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

A Short While Before Dr. J. B. Chapman Passed ...

Contributed by Gene Gregory on Apr 2, 2006

“A SHORT WHILE BEFORE Dr. J. B. Chapman passed away, he was addressing a gathering of preachers, when he said, “We have reached the place where one plays a handsaw and another gives a “Life’s Story,” gathering a big crowd and we call that revival. No! that is not a revival; that is a farce. ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Baptist

Two Months Later, She Tried Again. This Time, ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Two months later, she tried again. This time, despite the same dense fog, she swam with her faith intact and her goal clearly pictured in her mind. She knew that somewhere behind that fog was land and this time she made it Florence Chadwick became the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel, ...read more

Tags: Heaven

Author Bobb Biehl Said He Decided About Twenty ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Author Bobb Biehl said he decided about twenty years ago to make a hobby of asking questions. Questions help us to focus. He began collecting them, and included an entire chapter of questions in his book, Increasing Your Leadership Confidence. Six that would help us are those Rudyard Kipling ...read more

Tags: New Year's Day

What We Do For The Lord Is Important, But So Is ...

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Jul 19, 2007

What we do for the Lord is important, but so is why we do it! …Just think of it: it is possible to serve, sacrifice, and suffer “for My name’s sake” and yet not really love Jesus Christ! The Ephesian believers were so busy maintaining their separation that they were neglecting adoration. Labor is ...read more

Denomination: Baptist