In Sermon Illustrations: "Commandments Parents"

Children On Silence  PRO

Contributed by Carl Greene on Feb 16, 2009

CHILDREN ON SILENCE Author Kathleen Norris used to play a game with elementary-school children in which she would make a deal with them. "First you get to make noise," she would bargain, "and then you’ll make silence." The time of noise was always predictably chaotic -- shouting, pounding and ...read more

Tags: Disciplines Silence

Denomination: Methodist

The Contract Of ...

Contributed by David Rumley on Apr 16, 2009

THE CONTRACT OF FREEDOM: Defining the Contract: A contract involves two parties agreeing on a focused intent. The two parties in this contract are you and God. If you are like most of us you don’t sign a contract without knowing ahead of time what you are signing. So what is this contract of ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Pentecostal

The World Says, "If It Feels Good, Do ...

Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Jan 16, 2010

The world says, “If it feels good, do it!” and “The ends justify the means.” As a result, we have to be extra alert. It reminds me of God’s message to Sardis in the Book of Revelation. God kept having to tell them to be alert and that must have poured salt into their wounds. You see Sardis was a ...read more

Tags: Doing God's Will

Denomination: *other

Declaration Of Dependence

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Sep 11, 2011

DECLARATION OF DEPENDENCE The Declaration itself laid the groundwork for our freedom as a Nation: And that declaration was to be based upon the nation’s faith in God. It was quite literally a declaration of “Dependence upon God.” In the first two sentences of the Declaration of Independence - ...read more

Tags: Patriotism

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Right Prayer For The Wrong Reason  PRO

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Nov 18, 2011

RIGHT PRAYER FOR THE WRONG REASON I began teaching during the Wednesday night prayer meetings seven months ago. Suppose I prayed every day for all those months for God to make us into a praying church. Suppose I prayed morning, noon, and night for God to make us a praying church. Suppose I prayed ...read more

Scripture: James 4:1-3

Tags: Prayer, Selfishness, Prayer How To, Motives

Denomination: Baptist

Billy Graham's Arena Dreams

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Feb 7, 2012

BILLY GRAHAM'S ARENA DREAMS Billy Graham, in his book "Nearing Home: Life, Faith, and Finishing Well" (pp. 2-3, Thomas Nelson) writes: I have remained a baseball fan, not necessarily of one team over another but of the game itself--the teamwork, the strategy, and the challenge of defeating the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Tags: Dreams

Denomination: Baptist

The 40 Martyrs  PRO

Contributed by David Tack on Feb 25, 2012

THE 40 MARTYRS "History knows them as the forty martyrs of Sebaste. They were soldiers in the famed Twelfth Legion of Rome’s imperial army, around A.D. 320. One day the captain informed his troops that Emperor Licinius had sent down an edict commanding all soldiers to offer a sacrifice to his ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:10, Luke 12:4

Tags: Persecution

Denomination: Baptist

Prayer And Cadwalader

Contributed by Perry Greene on Mar 8, 2012

PRAYER AND CADWALADER In 1747, Benjamin Franklin organized the "Philadelphia Associators." This was a volunteer militia for the protection of the city. Colonel John Cadwalader was elected its senior officer in 1776. In December of 1776, Cadwalader and his volunteer militia were stationed 10 miles ...read more

Tags: Prayer Answered

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Village Of The Book

Contributed by Perry Greene on Apr 17, 2012

THE VILLAGE OF THE BOOK It was early in 1945. As United States forces pushed deep into Okinawa they came across a village unlike any they had ever seen. Here at Shimabuku they were met and welcomed by two old men who invited the troops in as "fellow Christians." Correspondent Clarence W. Hall ...read more

Tags: Bible Truth

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Literal Hell

Contributed by Joe Bertone on Jul 23, 2012

LITERAL HELL When it comes to believing in hell I think of the story of Dr. Maurice Rawlings a noted and celebrated coronary care doctor, who writes of his conversion to belief in a literal hell in Beyond Death’s Door. In 1977 he was giving a stress test to a man who was having chest pains. In the ...read more

Tags: Hell, Death, Afterlife, Demons

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

For An Animation Of Psalm 42, Please Go To ...

Contributed by Jessica Johnson on Aug 5, 2012

for an Animation of Psalm 42, please go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTMfZ1u9DHU&feature=plcp . 'As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for Thee, O God. My soul thirsts for God, the Living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 42:1-11

Tags: Water, Wave, Enemy, Night, Call, Pants, Countenance, Worship General, Delivery, Day, Deer, Waterfalls, Bones, Appear, Breaker, God, Soul, Rock, Help, Presence, Deep  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian Church

A Row Of Dominoes

Contributed by Stephen Belokur on Dec 18, 2012

Have you ever taken the time to set up a row of dominoes and then you push the first one and the first one knocks down the second one which knocks down the third one which knocks down the fourth one, etc until they have all fallen? The same case exists with the Holy Scriptures; when you knock one ...read more

Tags: Bible Truth

Denomination: Nazarene

Pax Romana  PRO

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Dec 30, 2012

PAX ROMANA About 27 years before Jesus was born Rome experienced something unique that history has called Pax Romana = the peace of Rome. Beginning with the reign of Augustine, Emperor of Rome and lasting till about 180 A.D. (a period of 200 years) Rome was at peace. They had few internal ...read more

Tags: Peace

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Christmas Carol

Contributed by Davon Huss on Dec 22, 2014

Not that it is in the Bible but a story familiar around this time of the year is Ebenezer Scrooge. Ebenezer is a man incapable of joy. Scrooge is rich, but he lives alone in squalor. He takes pleasure in nothing and is indifferent to human suffering. On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by a ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 1:15

Tags: Christmas, Joy, Scrooge, Joy And Gospel

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Randy Comes To Our Young Adult Ministry Every ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 29, 2004

Randy comes to our young adult ministry every week. He has a speech impediment and usually stands in the corner by himself. When I go to greet him and tell him how glad I am to see him, he says the same thing to me every week. “I almost didn’t come tonight, and I don’t think I’ll be coming ...read more

Tags: Christian Liberty

One Of The Saddest And Scariest Stories I've Ever ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2006

One of the saddest and scariest stories I’ve ever heard was about a young evangelist. He was just barely 21, on fire for God, effective in his preaching and soul-winning, and in great demand from local churches. He had preached several large crusades and was soon invited to an area-wide effort at ...read more

Tags: Sin General

The Greatest Love Of All  PRO

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

The Greatest Love of All "For this reason I kneel before the Father... that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power... to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love surpasses ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:14-19

Tags: Hardship, God's Love, Endure

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Grew Up In What I Would Consider, Lower Middle ...

Contributed by Mark Thometz on Aug 27, 2012

I grew up in what I would consider, lower middle class. In the schools I went to as a kid there were really 3 levels of kids when it came to income. You had the rich kids. These kids had a Playstation AND N64, which were big when I was kid. They had huge houses and a TV in every room. Then you had ...read more

Tags: Worship General

Denomination: Christian Church

Ben Hooper

Contributed by David Swanger on Jan 19, 2024

In Rising Above the Crowd, Brian Habour tells the story of Ben Hooper. When Ben was born in the foothills of East Tennessee, little boys and girls like Ben who were born to unwed mothers were ostracized and treated terribly. By the time he was three years old, the other children would scarcely play ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:9

Tags: Christian, Encouragement

Often In Reflection, What We Have Feared Most ...  PRO

Contributed by Charles Trout on Mar 9, 2001

Often in reflection, what we have feared most wasn’t all that bad. Illustration: One of my all time favorite TV shows, for having good moral lessons as plot lines, was the "Andy Griffith Show." There was an episode where young Opie was having his "Milk nickel" bullied away from him and could not ...read more

Tags: Fear And Worry, Endurance

Denomination: Baptist