In Sermon Illustrations: "Conversion Of Augustine"

The Emptiness Of Earthly Pursuits And The Fulfillment Of Divine Love

Contributed by Jung Lee on Jan 19, 2024

Justin Bieber: In various interviews and social media posts, Bieber has spoken candidly about his struggles with fame, substance abuse, and finding purpose. He has credited his renewed Christian faith for helping him find a sense of meaning and stability that he couldn't find in his earlier ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 2:10-11

Tags: Materialism, Fame, Emptiness, Void, Spiritual Transformation, Purpose, Meaning  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Missing Out  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 16, 2001

MISSING OUT Leith Anderson, a pastor, shares an experience of disappointment. As a boy, he grew up outside of New York City and was an avid fan of the old Brooklyn Dodgers. One day his father took him to a World Series game between the Dodgers and the Yankees. He was so excited, and he just knew ...read more

Tags: Human Body, Emotions

Who Will Provide?  PRO

Contributed by Andrew Chan on Oct 11, 2002

WHO WILL PROVIDE? A young woman brought her fiancé home to meet her parents for thanksgiving dinner. After dinner, her mother told her father to find out about the young man. The father invited the fiancé to his study for a talk. "So what are your plans?" the father asked the young man. "I am a ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 22:1-14

Tags: Trinity, God's Provision, Genesis

Denomination: Evangelical Free

The Dawn Of Goodness

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 28, 2003

THE DAWN OF GOODNESS There is the story of a young lady who was a bright student. Unfortunately, she did not have assurance. Her name was Marian. She was working her way through college by cleaning the dorm rooms of her fellow students. She was often annoyed by their in ability to say “thank you” ...read more

Tags: Christian Love

Names Like Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, And ...  PRO

Contributed by Mitchell Skelton on Nov 9, 2003

Names like Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods roll from the lips of those who talk about golf’s premier event, the Masters. One name that will probably never surface in a conversation about golfing legends is Doug Ford. Few people would have any idea that Ford won the 1957 Masters. He ...read more

Tags: Assurance Of Salvation

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Sixty Years Ago America Was Engulfed In A ...

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jun 1, 2004

Sixty years ago America was engulfed in a struggle for survival. Swindoll notes, "We were sandwiched between two massive military powers bent on world domination. Our fighting forces were at their peak, performing at heroic levels of determination. Every magazine, every newspaper, every radio news ...read more

Tags: Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Charles Spurgeon Frequently Visited Monaco Which ...  PRO

Contributed by Lou Nicholes on Jan 25, 2005

Charles Spurgeon frequently visited Monaco which had been a gambling resort for years. Spurgeon, of course, was not a gambler, but he enjoyed visiting the grounds of the Casino of Monte Carlo and walking through its lavish gardens. Spurgeon thought the gardens were some of the most beautiful in the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 8:1-6

Tags: Leadership General

Denomination: Baptist

Sometimes We Are The Source Of God's Supply To ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Sometimes we are the source of God’s supply to others. Consider the great work of Samaritan’s Purse, Food For The Hungry, Salvation Army, and others. A pious father always closed grace for the evening meal with these words: "Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest and bless what thou hast provided." ...read more

Tags: God's Omnipotence

Dying To Save Her Father

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 26, 2009

DYING TO SAVE HER FATHER The great Charles Spurgeon told a story that demonstrated a person’s concern for an unsaved family member. A rather young girl in Spurgeon’s congregation who had a terminal illness approached her pastor one day with thoughts about her upcoming funeral. She spoke of her ...read more

Tags: Evangelism The Lost

Staring At The Gates Of Hell

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 28, 2009

STARING AT THE GATES OF HELL Auguste Rodin was a French impressionist sculptor. He created The Thinker. The Thinker was originally meant to sit on top of Rodin’s greatest masterpiece, the Gates of Hell. The Thinker is contemplating an eternity of judgment separated from God. Author Neil Cole ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 16:18

Tags: Church Purpose Of

Prayed Into The Kingdom

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 14, 2011

PRAYED INTO THE KINGDOM Chuck Sackett did not grow up in a Christian home. But he joined the Boy Scouts and wanted to complete the "God and Country" merit badge. So he walked a few blocks to a small church for several weeks. He filled out his papers and did what he had to do get that badge. ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:18-20

Tags: Prayer Persistence

Knowing The Sound Of His Voice  PRO

Contributed by Tim Smith on Oct 8, 2011

KNOWING THE SOUND OF HIS VOICE Brian Brown tells the story of being at the community pool with his family. Kids were screaming, playing, and splashing in the pool, music was playing, the lifeguard whistles were blowing and in the midst of the conversation, his wife shooshes him. He said, "What are ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:10-18, John 10:4

Tags: Prayer General

Denomination: Methodist

Listening To God Compared To Listening To The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 4, 2012

LISTENING TO GOD COMPARED TO LISTENING TO THE DOCTOR We should treat prayer for what it is, a two way conversation with God, and learn to be quiet long enough for him to get a word in edge ways. Nicky Gumbel, in his book Questions of Life compares it to a visit to the doctor, he writes “Suppose I ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 3:10

Tags: Prayer How To

Slavory And Original Sin

Contributed by Troy Heald on Jul 26, 2014

Picture your ancestors as plantation farmers in the South. They have many acres of farmland and need to manage those crops. To help them accomplish this task, they go to the docks and buy a family of slaves to do the work around the farm, thus becoming the first slave owners in your family. ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:12-14

Tags: Original Sin, Ask Forgiveness, Adam's Sin, Guilty As Charged

Denomination: Baptist

Resisting A False Culture

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Mar 6, 2026

In the late 1980s, the world witnessed the collapse of communist regimes across Eastern Europe. One of the central figures in the Velvet Revolution of Czechoslovakia was Václav Havel. Havel had been a playwright and dissident long before he became president. He spent years imprisoned because ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:42-47, Colossians 4:2-6

Tags: Culture, Scattered, Resisting, Gathered

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Fact That God Forgives Us And Blesses Us When ...  PRO

Contributed by Bill Sullivan on Jul 11, 2001

The fact that God forgives us and blesses us when we don’t deserve it, and of course, we never really deserve it, is what makes grace such a risky thing. Author Philip Yancey, in his book What’s So Amazing About Grace, calls these things loopholes. We all understand loopholes. Webster’s defines ...read more

Tags: Grace, God's Forgiveness, Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Wrong Priorities Illustrated In The Book, In The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 12, 2009

Wrong Priorities Illustrated in the Book, In the Time Bind: When Work Becomes Home and Home Becomes Work Ancient church father Augustine of Hippo once said, “Christ is not valued at all, unless he is valued above all.” Until those folks in Jerusalem moved God from the bottom of their list of ...read more

Scripture: Haggai 1:1-15

Tags: Workplace

Two Longstanding Church Members Were In A Boat ...  PRO

Contributed by Richard Jones on Nov 1, 2000

Two longstanding church members were in a boat fishing with a new Christian. Fishing is a great time for conversation and each was proclaiming his fervent faith and devotion to God. As they were discussing their faith, one’s hat blew into the water. So he stood up, calmly stepped onto the water, ...read more

Scripture: Judges 1:1-7

Tags: Discipleship, Faith General, Faith, Fiddler On The Roof

Denomination: Baptist

Some Time Ago, Oil Was Discovered In Southern ...  PRO

Contributed by Richard Jones on Nov 3, 2000

Some time ago, oil was discovered in southern Kentucky. Believe me it wasn’t a major oil strike by any stretch, but it was a big deal for Kentucky and soon that entire area of the countryside was ripped apart, as more and more people began drilling. One day, a man who was driving through the area ...read more

Tags: God Brings Purpose, Money, Finding Fulfillment

Denomination: Baptist

In His Book, Love Beyond Reason, Author John ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 29, 2001

In his book, Love Beyond Reason, author John Ortberg retells a wonderful story by Deborah Tannen: My great aunt, for many years a widow, had a love affair when she was in her seventies. Obese, balding, her hands and legs misshapen by arthritis, she did not fit the stereotype of a woman ...read more