In Sermon Illustrations: "Differences"

Video Illustration: Last Week We Looked At A Clip ...

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jun 2, 2008

Video Illustration: Last week we looked at a clip from the “Finger of God” and today I want to show you another clip which shows individuals tapping into the power of God and not into the philosophy of men or man’s intellect. Really the person documented in our clip today is led by the Spirit and ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Too Good For Your Church

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 2, 2008

TOO GOOD FOR YOUR CHURCH A good set of clothes makes all the difference. A Methodist church tried to get a man to attend, but he never did. "Why don't you come?" the minister asked, and the man finally admitted it was because he didn't have proper clothes. So a member of the congregation took him ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:17-24

Tags: Church Growth

In His Autobiography, Mahatma Gandhi Wrote That ...

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Sep 29, 2008

In his autobiography, Mahatma Gandhi wrote that during his student days he read the Gospels seriously and considered converting to Christianity. He believed that in the teachings of Jesus he could find the solution to the caste system that was dividing the people of India. So one Sunday he decided ...read more

Tags: Racism

Denomination: Baptist

Alan Peters ...

Contributed by Anne Benefield on Jan 29, 2009

Alan Peters explains: Whenever Christian believers gather together to worship, they create the opportunity for a miracle to occur. Worshippers who have experienced this miracle describe it in a number of ways: • “We all seemed to be thinking and feeling the same things.” • “There was such ...read more

Tags: Worship Definition

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Boy Eating Apple

Contributed by John Bright on Jan 17, 2021

A four-year-old boy was eating an apple in the back seat of the car, when he asked, "Daddy, why is my apple turning brown?" "Because," his dad explained, "after you ate the skin off, the meat of the apple came into contact with the air, which caused it to oxidize, thus ...read more

Scripture: Luke 11:28

Tags: Bible, Understanding

Denomination: Methodist

Judgement And Mercy - 2 Sides Of The Same Coin

Contributed by John Bright on Apr 27, 2021

Mercy and Judgement are two sides of the same coin – We often put different parts of God’s character (attributes) into conflict. If we declare God as merciful, can He still bring righteous judgement? Let me share an example to help you understand the connection between mercy and judgment. If you ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:31-46, Matthew 7:13-14

Tags: Mercy, Judgment, Attributes Of God

Denomination: Methodist

If I Had But One Sermon To Hear

Contributed by David Parks on Jun 16, 2021

IF I HAD BUT ONE SERMON TO HEAR In 1906 Charles Reynolds Brown was preaching in the San Francisco Bay area of California. That spring, on the Sunday generally designated as Easter, he and the other preachers of the region spoke to full houses. Years later, he mentioned that particular Sunday in his ...read more

Scripture: James 4:13-14

Tags: Death, Decision, Judgment, Natural Disasters

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Stop Talking About Evangelism And Just Do It!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 20, 2022

While D. L. Moody was attending a convention in Indianapolis on mass evangelism, he asked his song leader, Ira Sankey, to meet him at six o'clock one evening at a certain street corner. When Sankey arrived, Mr. Moody asked him to stand on a box and sing. Once a crowd had gathered, Moody spoke ...read more

Tags: Evangelism, Gospel, Hypocrisy, Good Samaritan

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Daddy's Side Of The Family (Father's Day Joke!)

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jun 7, 2023

A little girl asked her Mom, “Where do human beings come from?” Mom answered, “I want to tell you a story from the Bible. God made Adam and Eve and they had children, and so was all mankind made.” Two days later the girl asked her Dad the same question. Dad answered much differently. He said, ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-3

Tags: Fathers, Creation, Evolution, Family, Father's Day, Mothers, Atheism  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Reveal Your True Colors

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Nov 10, 2023

TO SHOW YOUR TRUE COLORS DATES BACK TO THE 1700s. Ships were required to fly flags at sea. These flags would identify where the ship was from and the type of cargo. PIRATES OFTEN HID THEIR REAL IDENTY BY FLYING FALSE FLAGS. By doing doing this the PIRATES WOULD DECEIVE OTHER SHIPS TO NOT RAISE ...read more

Scripture: James 1:3

Tags: Faith, Flag

Denomination: Assembly Of God

We Have All Heard The "Good New!"..."Bad News!" ...

Contributed by Byron Maynard on Apr 9, 2005

We have all heard the "Good New!"..."Bad News!" aphorisms. Here’s one with a little different twist. I have some "Bad News!...Good News!...Best News!" for you... The bad news, you are dying! It’s no joke, biologist tell us that every day, to some extent, each of us are dying...The cells and atoms ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Making Service A Joy

Contributed by David Parks on Sep 2, 2011

MAKING SERVICE A JOY An amusing story was told to me by the manager of a New York hotel. The great Paderewski occupied a suite there a number of years ago during one of his seasons at Carnegie Hall. It was the master’s custom to practice for a couple of hours every morning on the magnificent ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:9-11

Tags: Servanthood

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Leaders At The Poles

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 7, 2011

LEADERS AT THE POLES In his book, Leading at the Edge, Dennis Perkins contrasts the leadership values of two different explorers: Earnest Shackleton and Vilhjalmur Stefansson. In 1914, Shackleton led a daring expedition to reach Antarctica in the South. A year earlier, Stefansson led an expedition ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:1-4

Tags: Leadership General

Divorce Rate Myth Among Christians

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 30, 2012

DIVORCE RATE MYTH AMONG CHRISTIANS A common myth going around is that the divorce rate is the same among Christians as it is among non-Christians. But such just isn't the case, when you take a closer look. According to the "Americans for Divorce Reform," the divorce rate among the general ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 19:1-12

Tags: Divorce

Is Venom In Our Veins

Contributed by Matt Neace on Oct 5, 2018

Describing the new movie, Venom, Greg Morse writes: He was a journalist once. Eddie Brock investigated corruption, fought on behalf of the oppressed, and tried to make a difference in the world. He was trying to take down evil - until he was "taken" by it. An alien, a symbiote, a hungry beast ...read more

Scripture: Romans 7:15-20, Romans 8:20-21, John 1:5

Tags: Human Condition, Human Nature, Sin Nature, Sin, Evil, Satan, Devil, Spiritual Warfare, Temptation  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Evolution Is The Problem - And The Solution?

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Jul 19, 2023

Gov Pritzker (Illinois) gave the 2023 Commencement Address at North Eastern University "… Whenever we see someone who doesn't look like us, or sound like us, or act like us or love like us, or live like us - the first thought that crosses almost everyone's brain is rooted in either ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-3, Romans 3:23, Galatians 5:22-23, Psalm 139:14, Romans 7:21-25, Genesis 1:27, Genesis 3:17-19  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Evolution, Compassion, Salvation, Kindness, Education, Humanity, Fruit Of The Spirit  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Value Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 1, 2010

The Value of Water Colonel Nick Rowe is not a name most of you have probably heard of before. He was a war hero, in a war that had so few heroes. He was killed in the Philippines by an assassin. His funeral was one to be remembered. He is buried in Arlington national Cemetery. In all the history of ...read more

Scripture: Luke 3:15-16

Tags: War

Salt Of The Earth  PRO

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Salt of the Earth Matthew 5:13 says to Christians, "You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." Our Lord is telling His disciples that ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:13

Tags: Character

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Becoming An Olympic Athlete

Contributed by Alan Perkins on Mar 4, 2026

We have to do something in order grow spiritually. What is it that we have to do? Over the past few weeks, our television screens were filled with images of the Winter Olympics in Italy. For example, you may have watched: • Luge, where they speed down an icy track at 80-90 miles an hour on what ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:24

Tags: Discipline, Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Growth

Denomination: Baptist

Coffee Without Coffee Just Ain’t Coffee

Contributed by James Snyder on Jan 23, 2021

I must soberly confess that I have throughout my life given in to habits and rituals. I don't like saying that, but it is the truth. At this point, I don't know the difference between a habit and a ritual. One ritual I have is when I get up in the morning, the first thing I do is have a ...read more

Scripture: Titus 3:8

Tags: Ritual, Habit, Coffee

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance