In Sermon Illustrations: "Cross Agony"

Where Is Your Compass?

Contributed by Scott Jensen on May 1, 2008

WHERE IS YOUR COMPASS? Before the days of modern navigational aids, a traveler made the Atlantic crossing in a boat equipped with two compasses. One was fixed to the deck where the man at the wheel could see it. The other compass was fastened up on one of the masts, and often a sailor would be ...read more

Tags: God Brings Purpose

Denomination: Lutheran

Jesus Has Gone Before Us. In The Words Of John ...

Contributed by R. David Reynolds on May 25, 2008

"Jesus has gone before us. In the words of John 13:1, He has made the crossing from this world toward the father and summons us to come after Him. We will do this definitively when, at the hour of our death, we will have to summon up whatever resources we have in order to cast ourselves into the ...read more

Tags: Death

Denomination: Methodist

Bad Meat

Contributed by Eric Ferguson on Jul 3, 2008

Bad Meat Colin Byrne Smith of Australia told of a missionary who called on a tribe of cannibals. Taking his life in his hands, he crossed the inlet in a small boat, and when confronted by the tribe, meekly endured every insult. Long afterwards, when he had succeeded in converting many and ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

On March 5, 1994, Deputy Sheriff Lloyd Prescott ...

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Mar 3, 2009

On March 5, 1994, Deputy Sheriff Lloyd Prescott was teaching a class for police officers in the Salt Lake City Library. As he stepped into the hallway, he noticed a gunman herding eighteen hostages into the next room. Dressed in street clothes, Prescott joined the group as the nineteenth hostage, ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Pentecostal

So Many Owed So Much To One  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 27, 2009

SO MANY OWED SO MUCH TO ONE During World War II’s Battle of Britain, the Royal Air Force’s courageous defense of the skies over Britain foiled Hitler’s plans for an invasion of the British Isles. Afterward, Prime Minister Winston Churchill said in the House of Commons, "Never in the history of ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:1-30

Tags: Atonement

A Professing Christian Justifies Her ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 6, 2010

A Professing Christian Justifies Her Adultery Oprah Winfrey had a program with women who were having affairs with married men. When the women were challenged on the morality of their adultery, one woman said, “Wait a minute. I’m a Christian, but I want everyone to know that my personal life and my ...read more

Scripture: John 8:1-11

Tags: Adultery, False Gospel

C.s. Lewis On God's Love

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 30, 2010

C.S. LEWIS ON GOD'S LOVE C. S. Lewis described God’s love like this: "God, who needs nothing, loves into existence wholly superfluous creations in order that He may love and perfect them. He creates the universe, already foreseeing—or should we say ‘seeing’?—the buzzing cloud of flies about the ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16-17

Tags: God's Love

Shout Of Triumph

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 2, 2011

SHOUT OF TRIUMPH "'It is finished.' This shout of triumph rings with all the freshness and force of when He spoke it. The satisfaction He rendered to the justice of God was finished. But next, the Savior meant that the satisfaction which He rendered to the justice of God was finished. The debt was ...read more

Scripture: John 19:30

Tags: Easter Good Friday

When Things Go Wrong  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 19, 2012

WHEN THINGS GO WRONG Several years ago, Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Bob Patterson described one of his pitches, which the Cincinnati Reds’ Barry Larkin hit for a game-winning home run: "It was a cross between a screwball and a change-up. It was a screw-up." (Wall Street Journal, 7/9/96; ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 37:23-24

Tags: Mistakes

From Stable To Table

Contributed by Loyd C. Taylor on Dec 11, 2023

From Stable to Table Down from the splendors of Heaven to the lowliness of a stable, Wrapped in swaddling clothes, God’s Lamb lay in a manger cradle. His destiny ordained, Heaven’s loss, mankind to save, through a cross. From the lowly stable, to sitting with his disciples around the table: Do ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:21, Galatians 4:4, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, John 1:14

Tags: Lord's Supper, Birth Of Christ, Christmas, Communion

Denomination: Baptist

Moses, Aaron And Hur Went To The Top Of The Hill. ...  PRO

Contributed by Joel Pankow on Aug 14, 2003

Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 5:11

Tags: Jesus Christ, Lordship Of Christ

Denomination: Lutheran

The Blood Of Jesus Christ Cleanses All Sin

Contributed by Raymond Petzholt on Oct 17, 2005

How is it possible that the blood of Jesus Christ has such power to redeem and cleanse us from all sin? This is possible because of who Jesus is and what He did when He died on the Cross. First, Jesus was, is and always will be, absolutely sinless in thought word and deed. Secondly, Jesus ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 1:7

Tags: Redemption, Forgiveness, Blood Of Jesus

Denomination: Baptist

Man Gives His Life Rescuing Airplane ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 26, 2010

Man Gives His Life Rescuing Airplane Passengers But what do we see if we look at the cross from another angle—from God’s perspective? What if we have in our minds, as Jesus says, “the things of God”? Then we can see the cross as part of God’s rescue plan. We can see that Jesus chooses to be ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 20:25-28

Tags: Rescue, Heroism

Silly Signs  PRO

Contributed by Rick Shockley on Jun 29, 2002

SILLY SIGNS • Bargain basement upstairs. • Would the person who took the step ladder yesterday please bring it back or further steps will be taken. • After tea break staff should empty the teapot and stand upside down on the draining board. • This is the gate of heaven. ...read more

Tags: Second Coming, Jesus Teachings

However, This Is Christmas So I Don't Want To Get ...  PRO

Contributed by Dean Kennedy on Dec 29, 2002

However, this is Christmas so I don’t want to get you too down and out . So let me share a story that some of you may have heard before. It is about the Christmas truce that occurred during World War I, on Christmas Eve of 1914, that first year of the War German and British forces were facing ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Onward Christian Soldier  PRO

Contributed by Dave Kinney on Oct 11, 2008

Onward Christian Soldier It was 1854. Pastor Dudley Tyng was voted as the new pastor of a Philadelphia church at only 29 years old. At first the work went well until he started to preach against the sin of slavery – at that point to church did not want to make anyone mad so they told him to shut ...read more

Tags: Zeal

Denomination: Baptist

George Washington's Prayer

Contributed by Jeffrey Powell on May 25, 2009

GEORGE WASHINGTON'S PRAYER We have a rich history of how God miraculously intervened in the creation of this nation. You won’t read this in the public school history books because anti-Christian writers take great pains to remove God’s handiwork in the building of America. In 1776, British ...read more

Tags: God's Omnipotence

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

They Did Not Fear Death  PRO

Contributed by Bill Sullivan on May 9, 2012

THEY DID NOT FEAR DEATH Many of you have read Foxe's Book of Martyrs. It’s certainly not light bedtime reading, but is nevertheless inspiring and relevant as we look at this passage of scripture this morning. It’s important to remember that each of the apostles suffered persecution, and most ...read more

Tags: Persecution

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Saint Or Sinner?

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Sep 23, 2019

Saint or Sinner? Lord, I'm not sure what I am or what I ain't. Am I a saint playing sinner or a sinner playing saint? I love your truth, but I am not good at obeying, as you know. I can run with the sinners, but feel guilty when I go. Some of the things I crave are sin, and ...read more

Scripture: Romans 7:7-25

Tags: Nature, Sinner, Saint, Two Natures

Denomination: Baptist