In Sermon Illustrations: "Christmas Meaning"

Christ Is The Wind, Christianity Is The Sail  PRO

Contributed by Ken Pell on Mar 2, 2013

CHRIST IS THE WIND, CHRISTIANITY IS THE SAIL Does the practice of our religion reflect the God we serve? In Shane Hipps' book, "Selling Water by the River: A Book about the Life Jesus Promised and the Religion that Gets in the Way," he uses an analogy from sailing to express what has happened in ...read more

Scripture: James 1:26-27

Tags: Religion

Denomination: Nazarene

Unchristian

Contributed by Davon Huss on May 21, 2014

In unChristian, David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group, discusses some disheartening research concerning the failure of Christians in our day to remain distinct: "In virtually every study we conduct, representing thousands of interviews every year, born again Christians (talking about people ...read more

Scripture: Malachi 3:18

Tags: Transform, Holiness, Distinctiveness, Moral Living

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Rain Man Doesn't Understand Inheritance

Contributed by David Ward on Feb 25, 2016

"Rain Man" was the top moneymaking film of 1988, and also won the Oscar for Best Picture. It tells the story of an abrasive and selfish wheeler-dealer named Charlie (Tom Cruise), who discovers that his estranged father has died and bequeathed all of his multimillion-dollar estate to his other son, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:19-34

Tags: Eternal Inheritance, Treasures In Heaven, Priorities, Wealth And Riches

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Taste The Goodness Of The Lord

Contributed by David Simpson on Apr 17, 2018

We went out to eat the other night at Provinos and I ordered an Italian dish that was absolutely delicious, Cannelloni Genovese (pasta stuffed with ground veal, spinach, cheese, rosatella sauce and baked). It tasted so good that whenever I go back I’m ordering it again! There’s nothing like food ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:1-3

Tags: Taste, The Goodness Of The Lord, Crave Spiritual Milk

Denomination: Christian Church

Know Who You Are Fighting

Contributed by Steve Kinnard on Feb 15, 2019

The Nature of Our Enemy One of the foremost rules of warfare is: know your enemy. The more you know about your enemy-how he thinks, what motivates him-the better you are able to devise a means of counteracting his moves and defeating him. To overcome the enemy of our eternal spirit, the devil, the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:8

Tags: Enemy, Satan

Denomination: Pentecostal

Put Some Fire In That Sermon

Contributed by Ron Freeman, Evangelist on Sep 23, 2019

Brother Jim H. Warren, my mentor and father in the faith; had witnessed my preaching on several occasions while I was in training under him, in Biloxi, MS, in 1967. He was a dynamic preacher; full of faith and powerful in his delivery of the word of God. After hearing my second sermon, he felt the ...read more

Scripture: Acts 18:24-28, John 6:63

Tags: Mentoring, Coaching, Fervent In Spirit, Jim H Warren, Son In The Gospel, Fire In That Sermon, Sermon In The Fire, Excited About Preaching, Dynamic In Presentation, Apollos Preaching, Father In The Faith, Full Of Wisdom And Love  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Hey! Get Your Own!

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Nov 19, 2019

A few years ago, my wife and I were on vacation, traveling through a Midwestern state. Supper time was getting near, so we thought we’d get a drive-through meal. She wanted an ice cream cone so, I ordered one for her. The young lady working at the drive through window gave me the cone, and I handed ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:19

Tags: Love, Fellowship, Blessings

Denomination: Baptist

Why Its Called An Idiot Light

Contributed by Larry Hinkle on Jun 12, 2020

Six months after I bought my first car, the "service engine" light came on. I called my dad from college, "What does that service engine light mean? Can I still drive it, or do I need to fix something?" He chuckled and said, it was an idiot light, "It is set to trigger ...read more

Scripture: John 16:8, Acts 2:38

Tags: Maintenance, Discipleship, Warning, Conscience, Conviction  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Methodist

The Importance Of Preaching

Contributed by David Parks on Aug 27, 2020

March 4, 1881 was a beautiful spring day in Washington D.C. James Garfield stood on the Capitol steps, placed a hand on the Bible, another on his heart, faced a crowd of thousands, and was sworn in as the 20th President of the United States. Like every Inauguration, it was a day ripe with ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:1-5

Tags: Truth, Preaching, Minister

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Love

Contributed by Roy Fowler on Sep 19, 2020

A young teenage boy and girl were setting in a swing on her parents front porch way up in the mountains of North Carolina. They spent a lot of time there away from everyone just them. They would talk about all kinds of things. Things about when they had grown up. What would they do: go to college ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 4:9-10

Tags: Love For God, Love Like God

Denomination: Independent/Bible

We Were Desperate Without Christ!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 4, 2021

Steven Cole has a good discussion on salvation writing… As I’ve often said, salvation is a radical word. You don’t need saving if you’re in pretty good shape. All you need then is a little help. You need saving when you’re perishing and are helpless to save yourself. The Bible uses a number of ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:1

Tags: Evangelism, Grace, Mercy, Salvation, Gospel, Lost  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Get Back In The Game!

Contributed by John Bright on Mar 19, 2021

What if God started telling your church to do something we had never done before? How hard would you work against it - unwilling to change? There is an old saying – do you know what they put on the tombstone in front of a closed church? “WE NEVER DID IT THAT WAY BEFORE” If that’s the case, we ...read more

Scripture: Luke 5:12-26, Ephesians 4:11-12

Tags: Laity, Sports, Pastor, Basketball

Denomination: Methodist

The Angel Of Music

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jun 14, 2023

In Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical The Phantom of the Opera, a young chorus girl named Christine Daae receives voice training from a mysterious musician she calls the “Angel of Music.” Christine believes this is the angel her dying father had promised to send to complete her musical training. As ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:8, 1 John 4:4

Tags: Satan, Temptation, Spiritual Warfare, Evil, Armor Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Can't Remember When I Was Saved!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jul 12, 2023

If you have not realized it yet, over time you are going to forget some things. I think of the two older men that were playing golf. One had trouble seeing and other had trouble remembering. The one with a seeing problem said to the other, "Now, watch my ball, for I can’t see where it ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16, 1 John 5:1-13

Tags: Lost, Memory, Salvation, Saved, Assurance, Gospel  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

How Do You Use Your 18,000 Words Per Day?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 6, 2024

Do you have any idea how many words you use in the course of an ordinary day? To illustrate, let’s take the books of Tom Clancy. I’m sure you have read or heard of those techno-thrillers: “Hunt for Red October,” “Cardinal of the Kremlin,” “Clear and Present Danger,” “The Sum of All Fears,” “Without ...read more

Tags: Words, Mouth, Tongue, Talk, Conversation  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Return Good For Evil - Martin Luther King

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on May 11, 2025

Jesus doesn’t just ask us to avoid revenge—he calls us to actively do good in return. Not because the other person deserves it, but because he deserves our obedience. And we’ve seen it lived out—not just in Bible times, but in our own history. Perhaps one of the clearest modern examples is Dr. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:38-42

Tags: Doing Good, Evil, Martin Luther

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Charles Blondin

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Oct 21, 2025

Story: In the late 19th century (1859), Charles Blondin (born Jean François Gravelet, 28 February 1824 – 22 February 1897)a famous tightrope walker had a tightrope placed across the Niagara Falls in the USA. He then proceeded to walk across it with a wheelbarrow in front of him. Having ...read more

Scripture: Luke 13:22-30

Tags: Wheelbarrow, Niagara Falls, Blondin

Denomination: Anglican

Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Death

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Oct 24, 2025

Paul writing from a prison cell and probably knowing that he would soon die by the sword writes to the Philippians, “I give thanks to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor imprisoned in 1943 for his political and Christian opposition to the Nazi regime, was ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:3

Tags: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Death

Denomination: Anglican

Trust God And You Will Be Firm

Contributed by Arulselvam Rayappan on Jan 13, 2026

Trusting the Lord is a recurring theme in the Prophet Isaiah. “Unless your faith is firm, you shall not be firm” Is 7: 14. Advent is a time of trusting the Lord. God alone can save those who place their trust in Him. At times we are confused concerning the choices we have to make. On the one hand ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 7:14

Tags: Trusting God, Fear, Afriad

Denomination: Catholic

The Gift Of The Heart

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Dec 27, 2014

“Life is one of those precious fleeting gifts, and everything can change in a heartbeat." - Author Unknown His name was Justin Timion. He was only nineteen years old the day it happened. A good looking, fun loving kid, he loved doing auto mechanics with his Dad and often used his skills to ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 4:23, Proverbs 13:20

Tags: Life, Giving Generous, Big Heart

Denomination: Charismatic