In Sermon Illustrations: "Coming Judgment"

Story: At A Comparative Religions Conference, The ...  PRO

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Dec 31, 2003

Story: At a comparative religions conference, the wise and the scholarly were in a spirited debate about what is unique about Christianity. Someone suggested what set Christianity apart from other religions was the concept of incarnation, the idea that God took human form in Jesus. But someone ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8, John 3:16

Tags: God's Love, God The Father, Love

Denomination: Anglican

Abortion Guilt Removed  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Jan 12, 2004

Pastor Lee Strobel shares this account: We were doing a baptism service. We told people before they came up to the platform to be baptized to take a piece of paper, write down a few of the sins they’ve committed, and fold the paper. When they come up to the platform, there was a large wooden cross ...read more

Tags: Abortion, God's Forgiveness, Promises Of God

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Erma Bombeck Writes In One Of Her Books, "When ...

Contributed by Timothy Smith on Aug 2, 2004

Erma Bombeck writes in one of her books, "When did I become the mother and the mother become the child? Does it begin one night when you are asleep and your mother is restless? And you go in her room and tuck the blanket around her bare arms? Does it appear one afternoon when, in a moment of ...read more

Tags: Parenting, Children

Denomination: Christian Church

Who's The Guy With George

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 19, 2004

WHO’S THE GUY WITH GEORGE George had a friend with an inflated opinion of himself. As a friend should, George decided to help his friend lose this quirk. Subtly, George mentioned that he knew Johnny Carson. The friend said, "Oh, yeah, prove it." In a few minutes, they were in front of a large ...read more

Scripture: Luke 14:12-24

Tags: Parable Great Banquet, Humility

Vesuvius: Check The Map

Contributed by Rob O'neal on Jul 7, 2009

VESUVIUS: CHECK THE MAP The people of the ancient Roman city of Herculaneum lived at the bottom of a mountain. They loved the mountain, because they believed it was a place where gods dwelt. The land was fertile, and the harbor was good, so the city prospered and grew. Then in 62 and 63 AD, ...read more

Tags: Security

Denomination: Congregational

Now You Know How To Treat Him

Contributed by Noel Atkinson on Aug 3, 2009

NOW YOU KNOW HOW TO TREAT HIM A true story, a friend of mine 'John' was new at a company. He was told be careful with the new photocopier it gets hot and can melt overheads when you put them through the photocopier. So treat it carefully. On his third week there he stayed back late and ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus

Denomination: Baptist

So This Morning, We Are Going To Try To Stimulate ...

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Sep 10, 2009

So this morning, we are going to try to stimulate different portions of the brain. We are going to have communion. Tactile worship and meditation definitely engage our senses in a way that make God more real. We are going to sing about worshipping in the best times and worst times with a song ...read more

Tags: Music

Denomination: Church Of God

Missionary Encounters ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 19, 2009

Missionary Encounters Ants Steven Cook tells of reading an account of a missionary from India: "The Lord must have desired to teach me something through the "ants" because He allowed me to come in contact with enough of them! The encyclopedia says there are more ants than any other insect. It seems ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 6:1-11

Tags: Missions

Revenge Is ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 30, 2009

Revenge is Sweet They thought it was just kids playing pranks, but it turned out to be an angry 72 year old man, instead. From 2003-2005, a number of former teachers and school admins in NY reported a rash of vandalism at their homes. They would wake up to punctured car tires from roofing nails ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:17-21

Tags: Bitterness

Graduates From Christian College Heading For ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 31, 2010

Graduates from Christian College Heading for Mission Field Receive Unexpected Gifts Just last May (2009), John Ortberg, pastor of the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Menlo Park, California, found himself and his family in Azusa, California, because one of his kids was graduating from Azusa ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20

Tags: Missions

What Are Your Goals?

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Nov 19, 2010

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS? Not long after I got out of seminary, I decided I needed more training. So, I applied for a pastoral residency position at one of the largest churches in our denomination. It was a church in Prairie Village, Kansas, just outside of Kansas City, Missouri. As it turns out, the ...read more

Tags: Goals

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

You Can Have My Room

Contributed by Jeffrey Dillinger on Dec 20, 2010

YOU CAN HAVE MY ROOM Wally was a 7th grade student who was bigger than any of the other students in his Sunday school class. His mother had been an alcoholic when he was born, and as a result, Wally just did not have all the mental capabilities that the rest of his classmates had. But somehow he ...read more

Tags: Birth Of Jesus

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Use What Is There  PRO

Contributed by Amiri Hooker on Mar 22, 2011

USE WHAT IS THERE My son Omri is large, extremely smart and very active. He has not met a tree or roof that he has not at least mentally pondered climbing. Omri's teacher runs up to me the other day and says, "Your son almost made me lose my mind, my religion and my job." This is not unusual, so I ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 8:8

Tags: Encouragement

Denomination: United Methodist

It Won't Happen To Us

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 21, 2011

IT WON'T HAPPEN TO US We began the week with the story of the Chicago nightclub fire in which 21 people were killed as they rushed to the exit. The club had already been cited for overcrowding and other safety violations--like not enough doors and windows. What happened was that a bouncer used ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 90:1-12

Tags: Death, Life, Priorities, Choice, Death Nearness  (view more)  (view less)

Tumbleweeds And Mesquite Trees  PRO

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Oct 17, 2011

TUMBLEWEEDS AND MESQUITE TREES Have you seen those old movies about the wild West? Near the end, the good guy and the bad guy stand facing each other at opposite ends of the only street in town. The local folks, knowing what will happen, clear the street. They slam doors and shutter windows. The ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 1:1-4

Tags: Bible Study, Delight

Denomination: Baptist

They Get An "A," You Get An "A," What's Wrong ...

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Oct 20, 2011

THEY GET AN "A," YOU GET AN "A," WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT? On the first day of class the professor says, "I have this very complicated Math problem, the solution of which shall constitute your grade for the entire semester. I'm giving you the problem now so you can start working immediately if you ...read more

Tags: Grace

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Golden Rule: Is It Original?

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Dec 12, 2011

THE GOLDEN RULE: IS IT ORIGINAL? There are people in this world who think Jesus’ Golden Rule was nice but not original. They try to say that Jesus merely borrowed the idea from others. I once saw a poster that tried to say that. * Confucius (some 500 years before Jesus) said: "DO NOT unto ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

There Is Good In All

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 19, 2012

THERE IS GOOD IN ALL Norman Vincent Peale tells the story of one Christmas when he was 15 and his father, a physician turned minister, received a call from a brothel in the red light district. The madam had a girl who was dying and was calling for a minister. Quietly, his father explained to his ...read more

Tags: Christmas Eve

Denomination: Methodist

At Christmas All Roads Lead Home

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 19, 2012

AT CHRISTMAS ALL ROADS LEAD HOME Marjorie Holmes writes, "At Christmas, all roads lead home. The filled planes, the packed trains and overflowing buses all speak eloquently of a single destination: home. Despite the crowding and the crushing, the delays, the confusion, we clutch our bright ...read more

Tags: Christmas Eve

Denomination: Methodist

Sacrifice

Contributed by David Simpson on Jan 15, 2013

I will never forget being at church one Sunday playing "king of the hill" with my buddies, before church started. But our play stopped when a car pulled up to the sidewalk and, with help, out came a soldier, who had returned from Vietnam a few weeks earlier. But he came on crutches and he ...read more

Scripture: John 15:13-18

Tags: Sacrifices, Wounded, Soldier Of The Cross

Denomination: Christian Church