In Sermon Illustrations: "Desire"

Fight For Joy

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 22, 2008

Fight for Joy John Piper offers 15 Biblical things we must do to fight for joy. (I can only list them today, and commend to you his book, "When I Don’t Desire God.") This list reminds me that faith does not produce inactivity, but God-centered activity: 1) Realize that authentic joy in God is a ...read more

Tags: Joy

Susan Boyle: Beauty On The Inside  PRO

Contributed by Marianne Unger on May 22, 2009

SUSAN BOYLE: BEAUTY ON THE INSIDE When Susan Boyle stepped out on the stage of "Britain’s Got Talent," people laughed at her...like the scoffers in this Psalm. They made fun of her because her outward appearance wasn’t the glitz and glamour they’d come to expect. Members of the audience could be ...read more

Scripture: Acts 3:1-16

Tags: Assurance Of Salvation

Denomination: *other

U.s. News And World Report In Dec. Of 2004 Did A ...

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Feb 12, 2010

U.S. News and World Report in Dec. of 2004 did a magazine focusing on the power of prayer: Jeffrey L. Shelter wrote in his article, "The Power of Prayer, on pages 52, 53) "A pierced and tattooed man quietly bows his head at a noisy lunch counter. A child in pink pajamas kneels at her bedside and ...read more

Tags: Prayer General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

There Will Always Be Weeds

Contributed by Tim Smith on Mar 17, 2011

THERE WILL ALWAYS BE WEEDS Jesus described another kind of soil which is filled with weeds and thistles and torpedo grass and other kinds of things. When Giovanna and I moved into our house, it had been vacant for a year. It’s built in an old flood plain of Lake Pontchartrain, which means that ...read more

Tags: Sin General

Denomination: Methodist

How Not To Market The Church

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2011

HOW NOT TO MARKET THE CHURCH When we speak of marketing the church (writes David Wells) we are not referencing such things as advertising church events, providing excellence in church programming, being kind to visitors, or providing ample parking. No one is arguing the importance and value of ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:14-16

Tags: Church Practices

Winning The Lottery

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 9, 2011

WINNING THE LOTTERY Christmas night 2002, Jack Whittaker had five out of five numbers in the West Virginia Power ball drawing. Jack Whittaker had just won $314 million, the largest undivided lottery jackpot in history. He took the one lump payment and received $113 million after taxes. Listen ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:6-10

Tags: Money

We Know Our Future Includes A Promise. But We Do ...  PRO

Contributed by Ed Lu on Nov 26, 2011

We know our future includes a promise. But we do not know how to transition into that promise. Maybe ’not knowing’ is just an excuse – we just straight out refuse to take that next step. That’s because while we are in the present, we often permit the past to occupy and govern our emotions. We drag ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 32:17-21, 2 Kings 5:1-14

Tags: Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Baptist

Because The Prince Had Come  PRO

Contributed by J.d. Tutell on Jan 13, 2012

BECAUSE THE PRINCE HAD COME A man named Phillip Keller was born in Kenya and then moved to the United States. To describe this principle he tells the story of the growing up there. The majority of people did not really think of themselves as subjects of the King of England. After all they ...read more

Tags: Kingdom Of God

Denomination: Baptist

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: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

If I Am The Only ...

Contributed by William Akehurst on Aug 18, 2012

Illustration: What would you do if you were the only Christian in your circle of influence? If you are the only Christian in the shop, the store, or the office where you work, a peculiar: responsibility rests upon you, a responsibility which no other one shares with you. You are Christ's only ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:15

Tags: Witnessing, Examples Of Faith

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Pastor! Tell Them!

Contributed by Fred Parker on Oct 23, 2014

Written by Pastor Fred Parker Sat, 21st January, 2012 Proverb 15:30 The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart: [and] a good report maketh the bones fat.KJV Frankie was a dynamic woman. Her whole life has been spent in ministering to others in her quiet gentle way. As she sat in her wheel chair ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 15:30

Tags: Kindness, Christian Love, Godly Thinking

Denomination: Pentecostal

Don't Be Like These Guys!

Contributed by John Bright on Mar 5, 2026

Jude used three examples from the Old Testament to show that these false teachers are not to be trusted or followed. In Genesis 4:1-16, we find the first murder in the Bible when Cain kills his brother Abel. If these false teachers are leading folks back to their former state – being unsaved – ...read more

Scripture: Jude 1:11, 2 Timothy 4:3, Numbers 16:31-35

Tags: Salvation, Heresy, False Teachers, Cain, Korah, Balaam, Jude  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Methodist

The Thermostat War

Contributed by Austin W. Duncan on Apr 17, 2026

I had a roommate, and we had this thing with the thermostat. I’d set it where I wanted it. He’d walk by and bump it up. I’d walk by and bump it back down. He’d change it again. This went on for weeks. Neither of us said a word about it. It was a completely silent war. And finally, I did what any ...read more

Scripture: James 4:1-2

Tags: Conflict, Pride

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Lee Thomas On Praying For The Lost

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 26, 2010

LEE THOMAS ON PRAYING FOR THE LOST Prayer is really the starting place for all of our evangelistic efforts. We need to be like Paul in Romans 10:1, when he said: "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved." *Lee Thomas is a great teacher on praying for the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 10:1

Tags: Evangelism The Lost

[304]. A Message From A Poem - They Have Gone To Be With Jesus

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 4, 2026

[304]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - THEY HAVE GONE TO BE WITH JESUS Right at the outset I want to say I LOVE THIS POEM. IT MEANS SO MUCH TO ME. I love it because the Lord gave it freely to me and the truth of it now for 27 years has been part of the way I address the loss of a Christian loved one. ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 9:27, 2 Corinthians 5:6-8

Tags: Present With The Lord, Absent From The Body, Christian Poems, Christian, Jesus, Heaven, Home, Gone, In Christ, Death  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

D. On March 13, 1998 From Associated Press- ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 3, 2001

D. On March 13, 1998 from Associated Press- Milton Garland is 102 years old. He is America’s oldest known worker. He’s worked for the same Pennsylvania engineering firm since 1920. He thinks life and work are just about the same thing. "I don’t think age has anything to do with your desire to ...read more

Scripture: Luke 16:16

Tags: Finding Fulfillment, Workplace

The Stranger By Billy Joel  PRO

Contributed by Jim Luthy on Sep 21, 2001

"The Stranger" by Billy Joel Well we all have a face that we hide away forever And we take them out and show ourselves when everyone has gone Some are satin, some are steel, some are silk, and some are leather They’re the faces of the stranger, but we love to try them on Well we all fall in love, ...read more

Tags: Satan, Sin Against God, Temptation General, Sin Deceptive

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Here Is A Parody Of Luke's Account Of The Birth ...  PRO

Contributed by Steve Malone on Nov 13, 2001

Here is a parody of Luke’s account of the birth of Christ, that really underscores just how far our world has let the true meaning of Christmas slip away from them. "And there were in the same country children keeping watch over there stockings by the fireplace. And lo! Santa Claus came upon ...read more

Tags: Birth Of Jesus, Christmas

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Henry M. Stanley The Great Explorer And David ...  PRO

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jan 14, 2006

HENRY M. STANLEY THE GREAT EXPLORER AND DAVID LIVINGSTON THE GREAT MISSIONARY FROM ENGLAND DID A VAST WORK IN AFRICA. Henry Stanley was the explorer and he was telling an African Chief about Jesus, when the African chief started crying and desired to know more. That night Stanley was pacing the ...read more

Tags: Call Of The Disciples

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Today We Seek To Honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ...

Contributed by Bruce Landry on Jan 15, 2007

Today we seek to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and we will start with a portion of Dr. King’s "I have a dream speech". …And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this ...read more

Denomination: Baptist