In Sermon Illustrations: "Christ Like Character"

The Secret Of Happiness

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 25, 2009

THE SECRET OF HAPPINESS Christopher Parkening is regarded as the world’s greatest classical guitarist, and he’s played guitar with orchestras the world over, even for several presidents in the White House. He’s also a world-class fly-fishing champion. By his own testimony, he writes, "By age 30, ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:31

Tags: Joy

Does God Have The Say?

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Mar 13, 2010

DOES GOD HAVE THE SAY? WE HAVE JUST MOVED TO SYDNEY NSW from the Whitsundays in Queensland, Australia. I didn't come seeking a better position, certainly not better scenery or more money. We don't even have our own house to live in at present. When we moved, we moved because we knew that God was ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

This Baby Is For You

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 17, 2011

THIS BABY IS FOR YOU Pastor and author Richard Foster writes about genuine, joyous giving. "Giving with a glad and generous heart has a way of rooting out the tough old miser within us. Just the very act of letting go of money or some other treasure does something great within us."1 Such genuine, ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 9:2-7

Tags: Birth Of Jesus

[127]. A Message From A Poem – Heaven’ S Door Will Open To Us

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jul 11, 2025

[127]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – HEAVEN’ S DOOR WILL OPEN TO US This poem connects with 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 – {{1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 “FOR THE LORD HIMSELF WILL DESCEND FROM HEAVEN with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise ...read more

Scripture: John 14:3, Revelation 4:1, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

Tags: Victory, The Rapture, The Coming Of The Lord, I Will Come Again, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, The Lord Descends, A Door In Heaven  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[214]. A Message From A Poem - Paul’s Prison

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 28, 2025

[214]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - PAUL’S PRISON This is my oldest surviving poem. I had parts of others but they are gone. The poem came about when thinking of Paul in prison in Rome. Everything seemed against him there, but he was never forsaken by God of course. When Paul was in prison he ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:15, 2 Timothy 4:11, 2 Timothy 4:10, Philippians 1:23

Tags: Luke, Paul In Prison, Christian Poems, Devotion, Asia, Defection, Departure, Desertion, Demas  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Don't Sit On Me, Lord!  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Feb 24, 2005

"DON'T SIT ON ME, LORD!" Romans 6:8-14 Key verse(s): 6: "For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the bod of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin...” There are many things that a dog does not like. Chief among them for many dogs is the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:8-14

Tags: Disciplines, Holiness, Holy Spirit Attributes, Growth, Sanctification  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Lutheran

I Heard Recently Of A Business Owner Who, As A ...  PRO

Contributed by Steven Chapman on May 2, 2001

I heard recently of a business owner who, as a seeker, had employed scores of Christians in his company. He watched them like a hawk. "You know, I was naturally drawn to God by observing Christian workers who were conscientious and kind and thorough and aggressive on the job," he said. "But I’ll ...read more

Tags: Holiness, Sharing My Testimony, Workplace Evangelism

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Yesterday, The Orlando Sentinel Reported On A Man ...  PRO

Contributed by Gene Gregory on Nov 1, 2003

Yesterday, the Orlando Sentinel reported on a man by the name of Timothy Pilgreen. Timothy is being held on 2 charges of murder and 4 charges of attempted murder after driving over 6 Outlaw Biker gang members on their motorcycles. Later, he blamed his rage on a history of drugs, alcohol and ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:10

Tags: Confession Of Sin, Grace

Denomination: Baptist

I Will Never Forget The Day I Watched About 40 ...  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Oct 20, 2004

I will never forget the day I watched about 40 khaki-clad men get off an old rattletrap brown bus in Houston, Texas. Some had scars on their faces. I especially remember one man whose arm had been amputated. Some of them looked tough. I remember thinking I would not want to meet some of those guys ...read more

Tags: Grace

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

To Have Strong Relationships In The Body Of ...

Contributed by Alan Tison on Feb 27, 2008

To have strong relationships in the body of Christ we must deal with our brokenness. How do we deal with brokenness? Individually – Realize we are all broken people. In many stores you find merchandise in a certain section marked with a 2 word phrase. This 2 word phrase is a is a tip off about ...read more

Tags: Culture

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Mother's ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 28, 2009

A Mother’s Resolutions 1. When I forget to go to the grocery store, I will not boil the macaroni necklaces my children made for me in preschool. 2. I will pack the kids’ lunch boxes the night before so I don’t throw in a slab of frozen lasagna as they’re running for the bus. "It’ll defrost by ...read more

Tags: Parenting

A Mother's ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 10, 2009

A Mother’s Resolutions 1. When I forget to go to the grocery store, I will not boil the macaroni necklaces my children made for me in preschool. 2. I will pack the kids’ lunch boxes the night before so I don’t throw in a slab of frozen lasagna as they’re running for the bus. "It’ll defrost by ...read more

Tags: Mother's Day

Charles H. Townes, Who Won A Nobel Prize For ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 16, 2009

Charles H. Townes, who won a Nobel Prize for his work in laser technology, opened a talk with a disclaimer: "It’s like the beaver told the rabbit as they stared up at the immense wall of the Hoover Dam: ’No, I didn’t actually build it myself. But it was based on an idea of mine.’" We are often ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 2:20

Tags: Humility

Rejoicing In Pain  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 3, 2011

REJOICING IN PAIN Richard Stearns, the president of World Vision, visited a church in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, nearly a year after the devastating earthquake. The church's building consisted of a tent made from white tarps and duct tape, pitched in the midst of a sprawling camp for thousands of ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Tags: Gratitude

Hush Puppies

Contributed by Ed Sasnett on Aug 27, 2014

Are you familiar with the brush-suede shoe called Hush Puppies? It was popular when I was a kid. The brand was all but dead until late 1994. Sales were down to 30,000 pairs a year, mostly sold in backwoods outlets and small-town family stores. Wolverine, the company that makes Hush Puppies, was ...read more

Scripture: Daniel 6:10

Tags: Prayer Power, Importance Of Prayer

Denomination: Baptist

When It Was Dark

Contributed by Joshua Blackmon on Apr 15, 2022

When It Was Dark I’m not quite sure how to say this. We have always said in the church that our faith was based upon facts. It was a faith built upon evidence that led us to the facts. My friends, something has come to light just this past week that is out now in the professional journals and ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

Tags: Easter, Resurrection

Denomination: Pentecostal

How To Use A Gospel Tract

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 20, 2025

How to use a Gospel Tract You are all receiving an envelope with a variety of gospel tracts from a ministry, Moments With The Book – www.mwtb.org You can go to their website and see all the different tracts and order any of them you like. Today, look over the ones that are in your envelope. ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:15, John 3:16, Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Evangelism, Salvation, Prayer, Gospel Tract

Denomination: Methodist

Microsoft Vs Gm

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Oct 25, 2025

Story: I came across this interesting snippet the other day on the web for the computer buffs among you. At a recent computer expo, COMDEX, Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the car industry and is reputed to have said:, "If General Motors kept up with technology in ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:22-40

Tags: Candlemas, G M, Microsoft

Denomination: Anglican

[038] A Message From A Poem – Can They Really Know?

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Feb 26, 2025

[038] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – CAN THEY REALLY KNOW? This poem is derived from thinking about the songs of several decades ago, (50-70 years) especially in the American Southern Gospel Quartets. Needless to say I love those old singers especially The Cathedrals. The poem is quite simple and is ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 20:1-15, Ephesians 2:4-7

Tags: Hell, Grace, Glory, Heaven, Know, We Can Know  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Prayer-Spiritual Defiance

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Apr 19, 2018

Richard Foster in his book "Prayer: Finding the Hearts True Home" describes an aspect of radical prayer as spiritual defiance. He states, "We are subversives in a world of injustice, oppression, and violence. Like Amos of old, we demand that "Justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ...read more

Tags: Prayer, Radical Prayer

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed