In Sermon Illustrations: "Counting the Cost" showing 21-40 of 1,447

Counting "The Lost"

Contributed by John Perry on Apr 18, 2010

COUNTING "THE LOST" We have a national missing persons register in Australia. 35,000 people are reported missing each year in Australia - one person every 15 minutes! 95% of those are found w/i a short period of time. But there are still currently 1,600 long term ...read more

Tags: Evangelism The Lost

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Relationship Is What Counts  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 24, 2011

THE RELATIONSHIP IS WHAT COUNTS Wayne Cordeiro, a preacher in Honolulu, HI writes: Some time ago some wonderful people in our church gave Anna, my wife, and me a dinner certificate to a nice restaurant for $100. We thought, Wow, a hundred bucks. Let's go for it. We found a free evening. We ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 2:1-7

Tags: Basics Of Christianity

The Only Opinion That Counts

Contributed by Davon Huss on Mar 12, 2013

THE ONLY OPINION THAT COUNTS During a famous battle between baseball's Babes, Babe Pinelli was the plate umpire and Babe Ruth the batter. Pinelli called the legendary slugger out on strikes. Ruth would have none of it. "There's 40,000 people here who know that last one was a ball, tomato head." ...read more

Tags: Authority

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Stand Up And Be Counted

Contributed by Paul Wallace on Oct 28, 2008

Stand Up and Be Counted Some years ago Premier Khrushchev was speaking before the Supreme Soviet and was severely critical of the late Premier Stalin. While he was speaking someone from the audience sent up a note: "What were you doing when Stalin committed all these atrocities?" Khrushchev ...read more

Tags: Anxiety

Denomination: Wesleyan

The Cost Of Dodging Duty

Contributed by Robert Garrett on Aug 8, 2005

ILLUSTRATION “THE COST OF DODGING DUTY” I have read of a king who placed a heavy stone in the road and hid to see who would remove it. Men of various classes came and worked their way around it, some loudly blaming the king for not keeping the highways clear, but all dodging the duty of getting ...read more

Tags: Fulfillment

Denomination: Baptist

Freedom Has A Cost  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 28, 2009

FREEDOM HAS A COST At the dramatic conclusion of the musical, Camelot, the tragic figure of King Arthur calls a boy named Tom out of the bushes. Arthur dubs the boy a "Knight of the Round Table," but orders him not to fight in the battle. He is to "grow up and grow strong" in order to tell of the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 4:18-19

Tags: America

Cost Of Coveting Beauty

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Jul 6, 2010

COST OF COVETING BEAUTY Venus lingers around every time an ad promotes personal beauty as something to be coveted above all else. I read recently that, if current trends continue, today’s 10-year-old girl, by the time she reaches 50, will have spent $450,000.00 on hair, make-up, ...read more

Tags: Idolatry

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Cost Of Trying To Fit In

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 19, 2012

THE COST OF TRYING TO FIT IN Kevin Miller of Wheaton, Illinois wrote the following: Right after I finished 6th grade, my family moved to a new town. As I started junior high that fall, I suddenly found myself in a school I didn’t know, in a town I didn’t know, with people I didn’t know. I felt ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 18:24

Tags: Friendship General

The Cost To Cure Rebellion

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 2, 2013

THE COST TO CURE REBELLION "It cost God nothing, as far as we know, to create nice things, but to convert our rebellious wills, it cost Him crucifixion." C.S. Lewis (From a sermon by ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:13-21

Tags: Salvation

Relationship Sins Cost

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 13, 2009

RELATIONSHIP SINS COST Divorce and out-of-wedlock childbearing cost U.S. taxpayers more than $112 billion a year, finds a study funded by the New York-based Institute for American Values, the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy, Families Northwest of Redmond, WA, and the Georgia Family ...read more

Scripture: Malachi 2:16

Tags: Adultery

Divorce Costs Everyone

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 16, 2009

DIVORCE COSTS EVERYONE High rates of divorce and unmarried childbearing cost U.S. taxpayers at least $112 billion each year. It is estimated that family fragmentation costs taxpayers more than $1 trillion each decade; about $70.1 billion is at the federal level, $33.3 billion at the state level ...read more

Scripture: Malachi 2:16

Tags: Divorce

High Cost Is Expected

Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Mar 12, 2009

HIGH COST IS EXPECTED In the past missionaries boarded ship not expecting to ever see their homeland again. Some even sold themselves into slavery because that was the only way other slaves could have a chance to hear the gospel. High cost and sacrifice was something expected of the body of ...read more

Tags: Christian Witness

Lazy -Apathy Cost

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jul 22, 2022

STORY: ONE EVENING THERE WAS AN OLD WISE MAN SITTING ON HIS PORCH WHEN A YOUNG MAN APPROACHED HIM. The young man said: HOW I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOUR WISDOM, UNDERSTANDING AND RICHES. The sun was setting. The old man said saddle that horse. The young man saddled the horse. The old man gave him two ...read more

Scripture: Luke 12:17-19

Tags: Unfaithfulness, No Passion

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Cost Of Giving In To Temptation

Contributed by Edward Hardee on Aug 14, 2024

Illustration: Cost of Giving in to Temptation There is a cost when we give into temptation. Here I have a sample of a wall. This is a wall of sheetrock. Looks good when painted. Most houses are made of this. What do you think would happen if I take this hammer and knock a hole in it? ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:13

Tags: Temptation, Character, Damage

Denomination: Church Of God

What Counts Is Not Necessarily The Size Of The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight it's the ...read more

Tags: Divisions

It Is Not A Matter Of What Is True That Counts, ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"It is not a matter of what is true that counts, but a matter of what ...read more

Tags: Thought

Only One Opinion Counts

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 22, 2011

ONLY ONE OPINION COUNTS An umpire named Babe Pinelli once called Babe Ruth out on strikes. When the crowd booed with disapproval, the legendary Ruth turned to the umpire and said, "How could you call that a strike? There are 40,000 people here who are of the opinion that the last pitch was a ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 16:7

Tags: God's Judgment

Count Your Many Blessings  PRO

Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Feb 16, 2012

COUNT YOUR MANY BLESSINGS While on a short-term missions trip, Pastor Jack Hinton was leading worship at a leper colony on the island of Tobago. A woman who had been facing away from the pulpit turned around. "It was the most hideous face I had ever seen," Hinton said. "The woman's nose and ears ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 1:1

Tags: Encouragement

Ashamed When It Counted The Most

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Dec 18, 2019

Ashamed when it counted the most My two sisters, when they were somewhat younger, liked to play the piano and took lessons for some time. I like music, too, but not all the practicing that went along with it! We found out there was going to be a “recital” where all of the students in their ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:12-15, 1 John 2:28

Tags: Christian Life, Shame, Rewards

Denomination: Baptist

Some Students Rushed Off To Bible College, ...

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Mar 20, 2004

Some students rushed off to Bible college, trusting God for finances. The problem was that these students had left debts at home that needed to be paid. When they got to college they increased their debt. They became so burdened with debt that their lives ended up a shipwreck. Living by faith ...read more

Tags: Doubt, Faith General

Denomination: Wesleyan