In Sermon Illustrations: "Difference"

Chaffing Under ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 18, 2010

Chaffing Under Authority How many of you are ‘rule-keepers’? When you see a rule do you try to do everything possible to not break it? How many of you are ‘rule-breakers’? When you’re faced with a rule, do you find yourself wanting to inwardly disregard it or outwardly disobey it? I was accused of ...read more

Scripture: Romans 13:1-2

Tags: Law And Gospel, Authority

Location, Location, Location

Contributed by Peter Loughman on Apr 15, 2010

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION Back in 1991, I did an internship as a hospital chaplain in Philadelphia. At that time, AIDS was a new thing, and honestly, the hospital wasn’t sure how to handle people with AIDS, they were not sure what precautions to take when treating AIDS patients, so they took ...read more

Tags: Affliction

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

An Atheist In ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 26, 2010

An Atheist in Battle What the people in Gilead did in Judges 11:7 to Jephthah is what our nation has done to God. We only turn to Him when in distress. During the Korean War an atheist soldier was in a foxhole and bullets were flying above him. Some of his comrades were fallen in the field ...read more

Scripture: Judges 11:7

Tags: Atheism, Confidence In Prayer

The Absence Of A Loving Father  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 6, 2010

THE ABSENCE OF A LOVING FATHER Dr. Paul Vitz, Professor of Psychology at New York University, studied the lives of more than a dozen of the world's most influential atheists over the last four centuries. As a result, Vitz discovered they all had one thing in common: defective relationships with ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:1-4

Tags: Father's Day

Life Of Pi

Contributed by Paul Barreca on Mar 28, 2013

LIFE OF PI The movie "Life of Pi" is a deeply religious film. The story opens with a discussion between a writer and a man from India who shares a fascinating story. The man has come to Pi because a friend told him that "Pi has a story that will make you believe in God." Pi tells the story of ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 12:38-42

Tags: Apologetics Jesus

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

On The Pharisees

Contributed by Tim Smith on May 11, 2014

Who are the Pharisees? In 332 BC, Alexander the Great conquered the Middle East, bringing Greek culture and philosophy to Israel. By 200 BC, Greek philosophy and its worldview called Helenism were significantly impacting Jewish young men. More and more of them were abandoning the Hebrew faith and ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:1-2

Tags: Pharisees

Denomination: Methodist

It Felt Like Abuse...but, Lesson Learned

Contributed by Pastor Randall Timblin on Jan 18, 2017

So there I am. I’m sitting on the couch...with my eyes closed...attempting to nap. I hadn’t felt good all day. Because my wife is out of town visiting her elderly parents, our dog, who is lovesick for her, spends his entire day and night in our bedroom, in some doggie blankets, placed on the ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 73:28

Tags: Relationship To God, Great Expectations

Denomination: *other

God Is Bigger Than Our Box

Contributed by Roger Hasselquist on Mar 20, 2023

(Have 4 boxes of different sizes for illustration) Here is a box. Its a small one. For some people, what they think of God could fit in this box. They have few expectations and limited knowledge of who God is. Here is another box. It is a little larger. Many people would be comfortable ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:20-21

Tags: God Is Able, Power Of God, Limiting God, Bigness Of God

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Thank You, God, For Sending A Professional!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jul 8, 2024

As I was gathering my sermon, I couldn’t help thinking about a story of a little girl who was home alone and ill. She called her mother at work and told her, “Momma, I need you and I need you really bad.” This mother asked to get off work and frantically rushed down to the corner drug store to ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Tags: Prayer, Thanks, Humor, Miracles, Gratitude, Thieves, Answered Prayer  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Good Man Wants To Get Into Heaven

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Jul 21, 2024

I was recently at the gym having a conversation with someone I just met. Within a matter of 10 minutes, I realized that this man was a better man than me. He had volunteered in more countries than I could count in 10 minutes of our conversation. He was a teacher, he served the poor in many ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9, John 3:16, Romans 3:23

Tags: Grace, Justification, Good Works, Works Righteousness

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

God Builds The Spiritual House Through Jesus Christ

Contributed by Matthew Redder on May 21, 2018

Have you ever shopped at Home Depot? Lowes? Or some other home repair-improvement type store? If you have you've inevitably seen the piles of lumber tossed aside that are broken, cracked, warped, crooked, or just plain look bad. These piles of lumber go ignored as faithful builders go for the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:4-5

Tags: Living Stones, Spiritual House, Chosen In Christ, Building, Chosen By God, Chosen People  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Broken

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on May 6, 2019

Broken Windows … (Little improvements can make a big difference) Social psychologists and police officers tend to agree that if a window in a building is broken and is left unrepaired, all the rest of the windows will soon be broken. This is as true in nice neighborhoods as in rundown ones. One ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:13

Tags: Community, Hope

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Four Ways To Minister Like The Good Samaritan

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Apr 2, 2022

As we study the characteristics of the Good Samaritan, let’s ask ourselves if these qualities are true of us as well. He opened his eyes. Although all three men physically saw the critically wounded man, only the Samaritan looked and stopped to help. Before we can meet needs, we must be aware of ...read more

Tags: Parables, Neighbor, Kindness, Good Samaritan, Service, Ministry  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The False Foundations In The Kinsey Report  PRO

Contributed by Jeff Strite on May 7, 2002

THE FALSE FOUNDATIONS IN THE KINSEY REPORT Almost 50 years ago, Alfred Kinsey, a quiet Midwestern Zoology professor, published the 1st of 2 volumes that would shake American culture to its foundations. His 1948 book, Sexual Behavior in the Human Male - like its 1953 sequel, Sexual Behavior in ...read more

Tags: Fornication, Addiction, Sexuality, Population, Temptation Sex  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Healed But Not Cured!" Hebrews 12: 5-12: Key ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Aug 26, 2004

“Healed But Not Cured!” Hebrews 12: 5-12: Key verse(s): 6 “...because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” Sickness! There isn’t a life that hasn’t been touched by it. And, when we count our blessings at the end of the day, we aren’t likely to ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:5-12

Tags: Poverty, Hardship Of Life

Denomination: Lutheran

Just How Bad Is It Out There? And What Really ...  PRO

Contributed by Darren Mccormick on Feb 26, 2008

Just how bad is it out there? And what really are we up against? Well, let me share with you some of the information I gleaned from 17 pages of fairly up to date statistics. [SLIDE 4] I learned first of all that sex is the #1 topic searched on the internet. Now I wasn’t really surprised to ...read more

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Soap Isn’t Always Soap

Contributed by James Snyder on May 16, 2026

After several months of mayhem in our house, things began to quiet down. It was beginning to get back to our normal way of life. Of course, because of the mayhem, many things that needed to be done did not get done. That made The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage jump in line to try to catch up ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 27:14

Tags: Helping, Washing

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

How Much Coffee Is Too Much Coffee?

Contributed by James Snyder on Oct 15, 2022

I will be the first to confess that I love my coffee, especially in the morning. When anybody asks how much coffee is enough, I usually say, “Just one more cup.” My day cannot get started until I’ve had a sufficient amount of coffee. If I don’t have enough coffee when I meet somebody, they will ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 34:8

Tags: Coffee, Serial

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Every Dilemma Has A Silver Blessing

Contributed by James Snyder on Apr 4, 2020

For the last several weeks, the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and myself have been enjoying some quiet time in our parsonage. I cannot remember the last time we had such quiet time all to ourselves. One of the blessings of this time is the fact that telemarketers are not calling. In a way, I ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:15

Tags: Humor, Tipping

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

What A Crazy World We Live In

Contributed by James Snyder on Feb 26, 2022

Driving home from an appointment across town, my wife and I encountered some crazy driver weaving in and out on the road in front of us. The fact that there was not an accident was somewhat surprising. “What,” The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage exclaimed, “is wrong with people?” Looking at ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Tags: Family, Crazy

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance