In Sermon Illustrations: "David And Goliath"

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

About God's Love

Contributed by David Tack on Feb 25, 2012

ABOUT GOD'S LOVE Some Things about God’s Love: - Love is not just a virtue of God. It is God Himself. - Love is not something God begins. - God does not “extend His energy to maintain” love. - The love of God is as eternal as the nature of God. - The love of God is ...read more

Tags: God's Love

Denomination: Baptist

Method Is Not What Matters Most  PRO

Contributed by David Parks on Jun 1, 2012

METHOD IS NOT WHAT MATTERS MOST "Among the many myths of modernity, none has been more devastating to the church than the belief that method is what matters most in ministry. And nowhere has this myth been more pernicious than in preaching. Steeped in homiletical method, preaching is now more ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:1-2

Tags: Preaching

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Importance Of Vision

Contributed by David Parks on Jun 26, 2012

THE IMPORTANCE OF VISION Walt Disney never lived to see the opening of Disney World. During the opening ceremonies, someone is reputed to have said to Walt’s wife, "It’s a shame Walt is not here to see ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 13:30

Tags: Wisdom

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Christ Brings Unity

Contributed by David Ward on Aug 15, 2012

CHRIST BRINGS UNITY Every three years InterVarsity Christian Fellowship sponsors the Urbana Conference, a gathering that challenges university students to get involved in world evangelization. About 16,000 students from around the world attended the 2009 conference. After the main session each ...read more

Tags: Unity

Denomination: Baptist

We Hear You Now Lord!

Contributed by David Holwick on Sep 14, 2012

On July 1, 2003, a visiting evangelist at the First Baptist Church of Forest, Ohio, was conducting an evening revival. Rev. Don Hardman had just finished his sermon on repentance and was closing with prayer. Apparently he felt that he had not accomplished what he was there for. A storm was ...read more

Tags: Miracles General

Denomination: Baptist

Look Up In Your Heart  PRO

Contributed by David Tack on Oct 17, 2012

LOOK UP IN YOUR HEART A.W. Tozer reminds us, "You may be still with arthritis so that you can’t even get on your knees to pray, but you can look up in your heart, for prayer isn’t a matter of getting on your knees. Prayer is the elevation of the heart to God and that is all a man needs to praise, ...read more

Tags: Prayer How To

Denomination: Baptist

The Lord's Priorities  PRO

Contributed by David Tack on Oct 17, 2012

THE LORD'S PRIORITIES "The Lord’s priorities are not the same as ours. Jesus isn’t as concerned about our lace tablecloths and clean kitchens as we are. He’s concerned with the state of our heart. He’s more interested in the time we spend at his feet, reflecting on his words and resting in his ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:38-42

Tags: Worship Benefits

Denomination: Baptist

God Is Not An Editor

Contributed by David Tack on Oct 17, 2012

GOD IS NOT AN EDITOR "God is looking for common ordinary people like you and me who are willing to let Him use as He sees fit. He wants to write our story, He doesn’t want to be our editor. But, we want to write the story and then we call God in as our editor. When the story gets messy then we ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:23

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Baptist

Jesus Is Unchanging

Contributed by David Tack on Oct 26, 2012

JESUS IS UNCHANGING "But nothing about our Lord Jesus Christ has changed down to this very hour. His love has not changed. It hasn’t cooled off, and it needs no increase because He has already loved us with infinite love and there is no way that infinitude can be increased." Ref: Tozer, A.W. I ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:35-39

Tags: Jesus Christ

Denomination: Baptist

My Favorite Christmas Card Greeting

Contributed by David Simpson on Dec 16, 2012

My favorite Christmas card greeting is one I received many years ago. It describes the birth of Jesus in a nutshell. The printed greeting read: "He became what we are so we could become what he is." God has come through Jesus to dwell among us. He gave up the wonders of ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Christian Church

Death And Resurrection

Contributed by David Simpson on Jan 15, 2013

Our son, John learned a valuable lesson about death when he was a child. One day he took aim with his new BB gun at a little bird sitting on a limb near our back deck. He aimed and fired and hit his target and the bird collapsed to the ground. Dead. At first there was the excitement of being a ...read more

Scripture: John 14:19

Tags: Death, Resurrection

Denomination: Christian Church

The Birth Of Jesus - An Ordinary Time But An Extraordinary Birth

Contributed by David Simpson on Jan 15, 2013

The Romans dominated the country. The Jewish people were captive to Roman law and Roman ways. That is what compelled Joseph to travel with his pregnant wife Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem (some 80 miles). To return to his ancestral home for the purpose of registering for the Roman census. Just ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:1-7

Tags: Christmas, History, Birth Of Jesus

Denomination: Christian Church

Substitute Soldiers

Contributed by David Simpson on Jan 15, 2013

Here in the South, there are memorials in most towns to the bloodiest war fought on American soil – the Civil War. Over 600,000 died in that conflict. What is often not known is that both the North and the South allowed “substitute soldiers.” A man drafted for military service could literally ...read more

Tags: Memorial Day, Sacrifices, Substitute

Denomination: Christian Church

Sacrifice

Contributed by David Simpson on Jan 15, 2013

I will never forget being at church one Sunday playing "king of the hill" with my buddies, before church started. But our play stopped when a car pulled up to the sidewalk and, with help, out came a soldier, who had returned from Vietnam a few weeks earlier. But he came on crutches and he ...read more

Scripture: John 15:13-18

Tags: Sacrifices, Wounded, Soldier Of The Cross

Denomination: Christian Church

Peace And The Chicken

Contributed by David Simpson on Jan 15, 2013

PEACE AND THE CHICKEN As you and I well know, there are so many times when the circumstances around us are not peaceful. There is tension and turmoil that is so unsettling. It reminds me of the chicken that fell out of the chicken truck a few years ago. I pulled into the church driveway one ...read more

Tags: Peace

Denomination: Christian Church

About Orion

Contributed by David Simpson on Jan 15, 2013

ABOUT ORION It doesn't take much for me to believe in our great God. Just this past Friday morning...about 5:30am....I went outside to walk our dog and couldn't help but notice the stars in the sky. They were brilliant. I looked up at the constellation Orion and saw what is actually the 6th ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 71:19

Tags: Creator, Omnipotence, Gods Greatness

Denomination: Christian Church

The Wonder Of The Hummingbird

Contributed by David Simpson on Jan 15, 2013

A few weeks ago, a hummingbird came and fluttered in front of my face. I was stunned. I've never seen one up that close and personal. It was so close I counted the number of times it flapped its wings - 25 beats per second - or 1500 flaps per minute! (No I looked it up!) It is the only bird ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 71:19

Tags: Creation, Wonder

Denomination: Christian Church

Pressure, Heat And Agitation

Contributed by David Simpson on Jan 15, 2013

PRESSURE, HEAT AND AGITATION Ever since the 1920s, Yoo-hoo has been making a permanent mark in the history of soft drinks. The story starts in the beginning of the 20th century, when the Olivieri family of New Jersey ran a small business producing Tru-Fruit flavors by squeezing fresh fruit. Mr. ...read more

Scripture: James 1:2-3

Tags: Stress

Denomination: Christian Church

Light In The Darkness

Contributed by David Simpson on Jan 15, 2013

LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS Have you ever been in on one of those guided tours of any of a number of caves around our country ... like Ruby Falls, or Carlsbad Caverns or another one. Our family went to the Carlsbad Caves in New Mexico years ago. And as they do in so many places, they’ll turn out the ...read more

Tags: Light, Outreach, Darkness

Denomination: Christian Church