In Sermon Illustrations: "Confident Belief"

My Daughter, Lauren, Often Uses Her Creativity To ...  PRO

Contributed by Bryan Mcnair on Jun 7, 2005

My daughter, Lauren, often uses her creativity to draw pictures when she expresses her love for Jesus. One afternoon she decided to write out John 3:16, adding colorful doodles and designs to bring it to life. Once she finished, she brought her finished masterpiece to me and I looked at it with ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16

Tags: Faith General

Denomination: Baptist

One Of The Hard, Mature Things We All Have To Do ...  PRO

Contributed by David Smith on Dec 5, 2005

One of the hard, mature things we all have to do is to separate fact from fiction. I heard a cute story about a kid who finally began to face up to the fragility of his belief in the Tooth Fairy. He confronted his mother and asked her, “Mom, are you the Tooth Fairy?” Well, she gave a little sigh, ...read more

Tags: Truth

Denomination: Adventist

Living Dangerously  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 18, 2002

LIVING DANGEROUSLY Living dangerously. That was one of many themes in Brennan Manning’s superb book The Signature of Jesus. Manning presents a radical alternative to the normal everyday, ho-hum, “comfort zone” mentality lived out by so many “so-called Christians.” His final statement in the ...read more

Tags: Discipleship, Faith

The Fashion Of Pluralism  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 18, 2002

THE FASHION OF PLURALISM While religious pluralism may be a novel experience for us, it is putting us in touch with the world that surrounded the biblical authors. The pluralism and the paganism of Our Time were the common experience of the prophets and apostles. In Mesopotamia, there were ...read more

Scripture: John 14:6

Tags: Apologetics Jesus, Physical Defect, Left Hand, Universalism, World Religions  (view more)  (view less)

Religious Teens: The Majority Of American Teens ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 27, 2006

Religious Teens: The majority of American teens believes in God and worship in conventional congregations, but their religious knowledge is remarkably shallow, finds The National Study of Youth and Religion funded by the Lily Foundation. Devout teens hold more traditional sexual and other values ...read more

Tags: What Is Evangelism?

Religion Pays: Economist Jonathan Gruber Has ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 27, 2006

Religion Pays: Economist Jonathan Gruber has found a statistical correlation between attending church and a Better Economic Outcome. Published in a National Bureau of Economic Research paper, he finds a household with double the normal rate of religious attendance has 9.1% more income. That extra ...read more

Tags: Character

Purpose In Life, Nate Saint And Joan Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 8, 2009

Purpose In Life, Nate Saint and Joan of Arc Nate Saint said, “People who do not know the Lord ask why we waste our lives as missionaries. They forget they too are expending their lives, and when the bubble has burst, they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 10:39

Tags: Missions

Bait And Switch  PRO

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Feb 22, 2010

BAIT AND SWITCH Mart DeHaan explains: In an unethical selling technique called the bait-and-switch method, a retailer lures customers into his store by advertising a well-known product at a very low price. When the buyer asks to purchase it, however, he is told that it is out of stock. The ...read more

Tags: False Teaching

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Godless Nation?  PRO

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Mar 28, 2010

GODLESS NATION? The Triumphal Entry represents Jesus' offer to be our King and Saviour both as a nation and individually. The response is mixed. Our nation barely recognizes Christianity as a viable choice and in its efforts to be inclusive has all but denounced Christianity as an option. Sure ...read more

Tags: Easter Palm Sunday

Denomination: Salvation Army

Sound Biblical Thinking

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 23, 2010

SOUND BIBLICAL THINKING There is no substitute for sound, biblical thinking. John Gardner: "An excellent plumber is infinitely more admirable than an incompetent theologian. The society which scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in theology ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:1-2

Tags: Doctrine

A Highly-Publicized Landmark Court Ruling In ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

A highly-publicized landmark court ruling in Japan at the new millennium mandated the Japanese government to pay $15 million to 127 plaintiffs for the government’s discriminatory Leprosy Prevention Law that was enacted in 1907. New York Times commented on the case: “Despite popular belief, it is ...read more

Tags: Joy

Christians And ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 13, 2009

CHRISTIANS AND WEALTH According to data analyzed by Duke University sociologist Lisa Keister, the median net worth for conservative Protestants in ’00 was $26,000 vs. the $66,200 national median. "The one big difference is the conservative Protestants’ assumption that God is the owner of money and ...read more

Tags: Money

Pastor, Please Don't Stop Preaching On Hell.

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 18, 2022

"Preachers must not neglect preaching on the reality of Hell and the catastrophic consequence of rejecting Christ. When you abandon preaching on Hell, you ignore the accent in the Epistles on the coming judgment, you will need to skip large portions of Jesus’ teaching in the Gospels, and you ...read more

Tags: Judgment, Preachers, Preaching, Pastors, Repentance, Salvation, Hell  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Order From Chaos

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Mar 17, 2023

The late Harvard mathematician and philosopher, Alfred North Whitehead, maintained that the whole scientific enterprise of the western world rested upon the belief that at the bottom of things science would find order rather than chaos. Where animists were afraid to probe a world enchanted with ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 1:17, John 1:1

Tags: Alfred North Whitehead, Logos, Reason, Science

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Your Unsaved Friends Want You To Talk About Jesus!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 19, 2023

73% of Christians believed it was their responsibility to share their faith. Yet only 52% of them had actually shared their faith at least once with someone in the last year. Millennials were the only age group where the percentage of those evangelizing was increasing. Only 29% of ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:23

Tags: Justification, Lost, Sin, Salvation, Roman Road, Unchurched, Evangelism, Cross, Witnessing  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

J. P. Moreland, In His Book Apologetic ...  PRO

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Oct 13, 2002

J. P. Moreland, in his book Apologetic Reasoning and the Christian Mind, tells of an experience that illustrates the importance of truth: “One afternoon I was sharing the gospel in a student’s dorm room at the University of Vermont. The student began to espouse ethical relativism: ‘Whatever is ...read more

Scripture: John 18:37

Tags: Evangelism, Truth, Relativism

Denomination: Methodist

The Mirror Of The Fundamentals  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 2, 2013

THE MIRROR OF THE FUNDAMENTALS Ravi Zacharias tells the story of a man who went to School in Wheaton with Billy Graham and later entered into politics. He was a popular man and rose to become the Prime Minister of Canada. In the process of going down that way, to fame, to popularity and power, he ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 3:12-15

Tags: Fundamentals, Basics Of Christianity, Sin Bondage To

On The Other Hand?" Mark 13:9-13 Key Verse(S) ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Apr 26, 2005

“On The Other Hand?” Mark 13:9-13 Key verse(s) 13:“‘All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.’” Often times what determines whether or not we are standing tall in this life is measured by the depth of our convictions. There was a time not so long ago ...read more

Scripture: Mark 13:9-13

Tags: Faith General, Doubt

Denomination: Lutheran

Oh Please Don't Hit The Ball To Me!" Psalm ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Feb 7, 2005

“Oh Please Don’t Hit the Ball to Me!” Psalm 116:1-6 Key verse(s): 3:“The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.” There is no greater temptation than separation from God. There are many things in this life that appear tempting and ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 116:1-6

Tags: Honest, Innocent, Temptation Pride, Temptation Resisting, Truthful  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Lutheran

Why Do People Wear Masks?  PRO

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Apr 12, 2002

Why do people wear masks? Several years ago, I had a nightmare, it was terrible. For many days my spirit was greatly troubled. In a dream, I saw one of my most serious workers at church dying a terrible death. As my church worker was dying, I saw a battle going against my member. I was ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:14-17, Hebrews 12:17

Tags: Rejection, Forgiveness For Others, Faithful, Affliction, Anger  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Assembly Of God