In Sermon Illustrations: "Christian Giving"

Bread Tree

Contributed by Gaither Bailey on Aug 14, 2009

BREAD TREE Some might ask, 'If God intended man to live on bread, why didn’t he create a bread tree?' And the answer, in effect, is that God could have created a tree that produced crusty loaves of bread, but he prefers to offer us a grain and invite us to buy a field and plant the seed. He ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Hunger Is Not So Much Dependent On Lack Of ...

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Oct 25, 2009

“Hunger is not so much dependent on lack of material things as on shortage of social resources, the most important of which are institutional. What is missing, in other words, is a network of economic institutions capable of guaranteeing regular access to sufficient food and water for nutritional ...read more

Tags: Hunger, Truth

Denomination: Catholic

Oxen, Nuts And Shells  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 31, 2009

OXEN, NUTS AND SHELLS All of us, at one time or another, have heard humorous stories of people who in a moment of frightful crisis will make extravagant promises to Almighty God, to other people; or, to themselves! Then, when the crisis is over or has subsided, they reduce the levels of their ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 30:1-2

Tags: Gratitude

Crimean War Heroes Honored By Queen ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2009

Crimean War Heroes Honored by Queen Victoria After the Crimean War, a great celebration was held in London to honor the heroes wounded in battle. Queen Victoria was present to give out the medals. Some of the soldiers appeared with empty sleeves, some came on crutches, and some had bandaged ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 21:7

Tags: Battle, War

Born Into The Family

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Apr 26, 2010

BORN INTO THE FAMILY Pastor Wayne Cordeiro, in Leading on Empty, writes of his daughter, adopted when only three days old. The apple of his eye, Abby, compromised her faith and morality, making choices that expelled her from college, and for two years was searching for her identity, struggling why ...read more

Tags: Adoption

Denomination: Salvation Army

Billy Graham's Daughter On 9/11

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 26, 2010

BILLY GRAHAM'S DAUGHTER ON 9/11 Just after 9/11, Billy Graham’s daughter, Anne, was interviewed by the Early Show on CBS. The interviewer asked, "How could God let something like this happen?" She answered, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this just as we are, but for years we’ve been ...read more

Scripture: Judges 11:7

Tags: America

His Son Gave His Life On 911

Contributed by Steve Ely on Sep 22, 2010

Lee Lelpi is a retired firefighter, a New York City firefighter. He gave 26 years to the city. But on September 11th, 2001 he gave much more. He gave his son, Jonathan. His son was a firefighter as well. When the Twin Towers fell, Jonathan was there. Firefighters are a loyal clan. When one ...read more

Tags: Love For God

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Hundred-Dollar Word

Contributed by Sajeev Painunkal, Sj on Oct 10, 2010

THE HUNDRED-DOLLAR WORD I’m sure you have all heard of Rudyard Kipling. He is the author of famous books like The Jungle Book and Captain Courageous. His writings not only made him famous but also brought him a fortune. A newspaper reporter came up to him once and said, "Mr. Kipling, I just ...read more

Tags: Gratitude

Denomination: Catholic

Proof Of Who He Is

Contributed by Chuck Sligh on Apr 14, 2011

PROOF OF WHO HE IS This reminds me of the three lunatics in an insane asylum: The first lunatic said to the second, "Did you know that I'm Napoleon Bonaparte?" Indignantly, the second lunatic replied, "I beg your pardon! It just so happens that I am Napoleon Bonaparte!" The first one said, "Oh ...read more

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Denomination: Baptist

No Faith, No Power

Contributed by Ken Pell on Jun 5, 2011

NO FAITH, NO POWER When I was growing up in Oklahoma, there was a lake my family and I frequented a lot called Keystone Lake. Keystone was not a natural lake; prior to its creation in 1962, there were towns located there, one of which gives the lake its name. The town was to be flooded to make a ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3

Tags: God Brings Hope

Denomination: Nazarene

Harry Potter: Temptation

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Jul 30, 2011

HARRY POTTER: TEMPTATION Every great story has great characters. And in truly great stories, the characters go through significant change. This change is called a character arc. For example, if you’re familiar with the Harry Potter series, you know that Harry starts off in the story as an ...read more

Tags: Temptation General

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

A.w. Tozer: The Position Of Christ In The Church  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 1, 2012

A.W. TOZER: THE POSITION OF CHRIST IN THE CHURCH The present position of Christ in the gospel churches may be likened to that of a king in a limited constitutional monarchy. The king is in such a country no more than a traditional rallying point, a pleasant symbol of unity and loyalty much like a ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 1:15-20, Matthew 6:10

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Billy Graham: Can Money Buy Happiness?  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 23, 2012

BILLY GRAHAM: CAN MONEY BUY HAPPINESS? Rev. Billy Graham: "The Bible warns that money cannot buy happiness. Money cannot buy true pleasure. Money cannot buy peace of heart. And money cannot buy entrance into the Kingdom of God. If God has given you more than your neighbors around about you, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 12:13-34

Tags: Money

The Exxon Valdez Is An Oil Tanker That Was On Its ...

Contributed by Gaylon Clark on Nov 14, 2012

The Exxon Valdez is an oil tanker that was on its way to Long Beach, California. Instead, it crashed into a reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska. The crash resulted in the second largest oil spill in US History. Between 25-32 million gallons of oil spilled into the Ocean. Over 250,000 members of ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:7-10

Tags: Good Deeds, God's Purposes, Fatigue, Rest, Commandments Sabbath  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Value And Service = Design

Contributed by Michael Dean on Jan 26, 2013

VALUE AND SERVICE = DESIGN "For there are those who, giving the name of atoms to certain imperishable and most minute bodies that are supposed to be infinite in number, allege that these atoms, as they were carried along by chance in the void, all clashed fortuitously against each other in an ...read more

Tags: Creation

Denomination: Mennonite

One Way Fans Try To Follow Jesus Without Denying ...  PRO

Contributed by Kevin Karhoff on Mar 4, 2013

One way fans try to follow Jesus without denying themselves is by compartmentalizing the areas of their lives they don’t want him to have access to. They try to negotiate the terms of the deal. I’ll follow Jesus, but I’m not going to sell my possessions. Don’t ask me to forgive the people who ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 19:16-22

Tags: Jesus Christ

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Meaning Of Life. The Wasted Years Of Life. ...  PRO

Contributed by Kevin Karhoff on Mar 23, 2013

The meaning of life. The wasted years of life. The poor choices of life. God answers the mess of life with one word: grace. We talk as though we understand the term. The bank gives us a grace period. The seedy politician falls from grace. Musicians speak of a grace note. We describe an ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 27:32

Tags: Grace

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

What Alcoholics Can Teach Us

Contributed by Davon Huss on May 31, 2014

Philip Yancey interviewed a young alcoholic who had formerly been an active church member, but had allowed Alcoholics Anonymous to replace the church. When questioned why, the young man responded, "Mainly I'm trying to survive, and AA helps me in that struggle far better than any church." ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:5

Tags: Accountability, Authenticity, Dependency, Self-Righteousness

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Not Much Help

Contributed by Richard Tow on Jul 18, 2017

In his Peanuts strip, Charles Schulz had an amazing talent for communicating truths like this in humorous, memorable ways. In one strip Charlie Brown rests his head in his hands while leaning on the wall and looking miserable. His friend, Lucy, approaches. “Discouraged again, eh, Charlie Brown?” ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:1-5

Tags: Criticism, Critical, Judging

Denomination: Charismatic

A Lesson On Purity From Ermine

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 9, 2020

In the forests of Northern Europe lives the ermine, a small animal best known for his snow-white fur, which is his protection and security. Instinctively, he protects his glossy coat with great care lest it become soiled. Hunters often capitalize on this trait. Instead of setting a mechanical trap ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

Tags: Purity, Righteousness, Beatitudes

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational