In Sermon Illustrations: "Devout Men"

Church As A Spectator Sport

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 5, 2011

CHURCH AS A SPECTATOR SPORT A British pastor and author made this observation a few years ago. I think it’s still accurate. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, "Men and women no longer...exercise in sport as they used to. Instead, people tend to sit in crowds and just watch other people play. ...And I ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-16, 1 Corinthians 12:27

Tags: Church Practices

Perfect Day For Evil

Contributed by Brad Henry on Sep 13, 2011

PERFECT DAY FOR EVIL As I gave the opening prayer at Charlotte Motor Speedway to Honor 9/11, I met this man in a Fireman’s’ uniform with a New York accent. The Speedway had flown in three men who had been First Responders that day 10 years ago. This man gave me a chilling account of his day. His ...read more

Tags: Holidays Civic

Only By Sacrifice

Contributed by Perry Greene on Aug 29, 2012

ONLY BY SACRIFICE During World War II, a young paratrooper, David Webster of E Company, 101st Airborne wrote his mother, "Stop worrying about me. I joined the parachutists to fight. I intend to fight. If necessary, I shall die fighting, but don’t worry about this because no war can be won without ...read more

Tags: Sacrifices

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The White Man

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Sep 8, 2012

THE WHITE MAN When Wycliffe Bible translator Doug Meland and his wife moved into a village of Brazil's Fulnio Indians, he was referred to simply as "the white man." The term was by no means complimentary since other white men had exploited them, burned their homes, and robbed them of their lands. ...read more

Scripture: John 13:14-17

Tags: Christian Witness

Denomination: Brethren

Godly Counsel

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jul 7, 2016

GODLY COUNSEL Proverbs 11:14 is a timely verse for the United States of America. It declares, “A nation falls through a lack of guidance, but victory comes through the counsel of many.” God has placed godly men and women around you in the Body of Christ. Use their wisdom, experience and ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 11:1-14

Tags: Wisdom, God's Will, Hearing God, Counselors

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

It’s Only A White Collar Crime?

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Oct 16, 2018

C.S. Lewis died in 1963, but a comment in one of his writings speaks directly to the current opioid crisis. Lewis wrote: “The greatest evil is not now done in those sordid ‘dens of crime’ that Dickens loved to paint. It is not done even in concentration camps and labour camps. In those we see its ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:23

Tags: White Collar, Opioid, Sin, Excuses, Business  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

The Last Sermon D.l. Moody Preached

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Apr 4, 2022

D.L. Moody was one of the greatest preachers in American history. On November 23, 1899 in the Civic Auditorium in Kansas City, Moody became very sick as he preached. “I must have souls in Kansas City,” he had told the students at his school in Chicago. “Never have I wanted so much to lead men and ...read more

Tags: Moody, Preach The Word, Great Supper, Evangelism, Faithfulness, Parables  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Spotless Puppy

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 19, 2023

A minister said that once he had a small, white Highland terrier puppy which he kept spotlessly clean by frequent washing, brushing, and powdering. One night a winter storm dropped a fresh blanket of snow on the countryside, and the next morning the whole world seemed to glisten under the splendor ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:23

Tags: Conviction, Sinful Nature, Second Adam, Roman Road, Sinners, Jesus, Sin, Salvation, Justification, Holiness, Adam  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Tongue Is A Rudder To Give Us Direction

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 6, 2024

Two warships with the largest full-load displacement in the world are the US Navy aircraft carriers. The USS Nimitz and Dwight D. Eisenhower weigh about 91,400 tons. They are 1,092 feet in length overall and have a speed well in excess of 30 knots with their nuclear-powered 280,000 horsepower ...read more

Tags: Ships, Rudders, Vision, Mouth, Words, Tongue, Small Things, Gossip, Direction  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Joke To Share When Attendance In The First Service Begins To Drop

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 12, 2024

One Sunday morning, the pastor noticed little Alex staring up at the large plaque that hung in the foyer of the church. The plaque was covered with names, and small American flags were mounted on either side of it. The seven-year-old had been staring at the plaque for some time, so the pastor ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:25

Tags: Church, Worship, Pastors, Attending Church, Dead Churches  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Church Is Not Selfish - President Kennedy Quote

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Dec 9, 2025

Our society ... the world in which we live ... is a self-first ... a self-oriented society. The big question ... often asks by those in the world is ... "What's in it for me?" or "How will I benefit from this?" However, ... we as followers of the Christ ... are a new ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:4, James 3:8-10, John 13:15, Philippians 2:1-11

Tags: Body, Self, Selfish, Individual, Benefit, Caring, Spirit  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Anglican

Fasting Is Not Just About Giving Up Food, It Is ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Fasting is not just about giving up food, it is an attitude of repentance, of obedience and of humility before God. The best analogy for a fast that I know is something that happened to me while I was at work. I work as a police officer and one day, my sergeant asked a colleague and my self to go ...read more

Tags: Victory, Troubles, Triumph, Trial, Miracles Of Jesus  (view more)  (view less)

So You Think Sins Don’t Matter?

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Sep 12, 2022

Introduction: Have you ever heard someone say, “Oh, sin doesn’t matter” or anything like that? There are plenty of times when, in the Bible, when it certainly did. Would you believe that only two major sins cost Israel thousands of their population? Let’s take a look. Text: Numbers 1:44-46, KJV: ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 1:44-46, Numbers 26:51

Tags: Moses, Sin, Balaam, Phinehas

Denomination: Baptist

[249]. A Message From A Poem – Strange Doctrines Are Among Us

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jan 2, 2026

[249]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – STRANGE DOCTRINES ARE AMONG US [[ “Secernment” (third stanza) refers to the act or process of separating or distinguishing substances, often used in a physiological context to describe the secretion of substances in the body. It can also mean the ability to ...read more

Scripture: Acts 20:28, Acts 20:29-30, Matthew 7:15, 2 Timothy 3:13, 1 Timothy 1:18  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Wolves Among Us, Perverse, Elders, Errors, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Strange Doctrines, Faith, Discernment, Fight, Fail, Vigilant  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Experiences Of Mediocrity, Bob Russell, When God ...  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Nov 1, 2001

[Experiences of Mediocrity, Bob Russell, When God Builds a Church, Howard Publishing Co, 2000, pp 110-11] The experience for a first-time visitor in many … churches goes something like this: You drive into the parking lot of the church at 10:40 Sunday morning. You assume you’re five minutes early ...read more

Tags: Church Practices

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Teach The Children  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 10, 2002

TEACH THE CHILDREN Just a week before Christmas I had a visitor. This is how it happened... I just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed, when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door to the front room and to my surprise, Santa himself ...read more

Tags: Christmas, Christmas Eve

What Is More Alarming That An Outbreak Of ...

Contributed by Brian Harvison on Sep 30, 2008

What is more alarming that an outbreak of fire? The fire of sin broke out in Eden And has spread over the whole world The only way of escape is to be pulled out There is a ladder of escape like the ladder Jacob dreamed of, that reaches to heaven it is John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, ...read more

Tags: Sin Deceptive

Denomination: Baptist

The Word Of God—the Owner's Manual

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 21, 2009

THE WORD OF GOD--THE OWNER'S MANUAL As a kid, I remember a very popular game. Simon Says. Usually played at school or parties, several of us would do whatever "Simon" told us to do, as long as it was preceded by the phrase: "Simon Says". It seems to me that we have become a society of "Simon ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Tags: Bible Truth

The Real Tooth Fairy  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 18, 2011

THE REAL TOOTH FAIRY In 1827, a small group of people settled around a bay at Port Fairy, Australia. Among them was a newly wed couple, Sonny and Matilda Dixon. The town soon began to grow due to its fast developing fishing industry. Local stores began to spring up, and people started to cultivate ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 29:11

Tags: Anger, Darkness Falls, Tooth Fairy

I'll Go Back And Tell Them Again.

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 30, 2011

"I'LL GO BACK AND TELL THEM AGAIN." In a book entitled "Jungle Harvest," written by a missionary named Ruby Scott, she describes some of her experiences in reaching a people group known as the Tila Indians who lived in a remote village in the jungles of south Mexico, just north of the Guatemalan ...read more

Scripture: Luke 14:25-35

Tags: Evangelism Urgency