In Sermon Illustrations: "Dig Deep"

Jim Cymbala (As Described In His Book Fresh Wind ...  PRO

Contributed by Daniel Devilder on Oct 24, 2006

Jim Cymbala (as described in his book Fresh Wind Fresh Fire) looked around a saw a small rag tag group of church goers surrounded by a city of muggers, transvestites, drug addicts and more, and realized he was in trouble. He was overcome by his own inadequacy to lead the church, as well as his ...read more

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Old Testament (Which Was Finished Over 400 ...  PRO

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Jan 16, 2007

The Old Testament (which was finished over 400 years before the birth of Jesus) contains at least 450 prophecies about the birth, life, and death of the Messiah. Peter Stoner (a professor of Science at Westmont College) decided to calculate the probability that one person could fulfill just EIGHT ...read more

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

All Part Of God's Plan  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 28, 2009

ALL PART OF GOD’S PLAN In the opening pages of his autobiography, "An American Life," Ronald Reagan writes, I was raised to believe that God had a plan for everyone and that seemingly random twists of fate are all a part of His plan. My mother - a small woman with auburn hair and a sense of ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:11

Tags: God In The Hardships

Revival Is The Visitation Of God, Which Brings To ...

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Jul 30, 2009

Revival is the visitation of God, which brings to life Christians who have been sleeping and restores a deep sense of God’s near presence and holiness. Thence springs a vivid sense of sin and a profound exercise of heart in repentance, praise, and love, with an evangelistic outflow. Each revival ...read more

Tags: Revival

Denomination: Baptist

Battlefield Away From Home

Contributed by Gregg Bitter on Sep 15, 2009

BATTLEFIELD AWAY FROM HOME He cherished every letter that came from her. His deployment had started six long months ago. No end date was in sight. These were the days before emails and webcams. Those handwritten letters from his sweetheart was his only lifeline out of those trenches to back home. ...read more

Tags: Bible Study

Denomination: Lutheran

Seek ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 19, 2009

Seek Wisdom There’s a story about a proud young man who came to Socrates asking for knowledge. He walked up to the muscular philosopher and said, “O great Socrates, I come to you for knowledge.” Socrates recognized a pompous numbskull when he saw one. He led the young man through the streets, to ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 4:5-7

Tags: Wisdom

How A Paralytic Faces ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 11, 2009

How a Paralytic Faces Temptation We are often moved by people who have great stories of courage in difficult circumstances. It takes a certain resolve to be able to stand in the face of suffering or danger and not give an inch. “A man in Dundee, Scotland, was confined to bed for forty years, having ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:13

Tags: Temptation Resisting

I Was Interested To Read A Comment By The Golfer ...

Contributed by David Moore on Mar 26, 2010

I was interested to read a comment by the golfer Tiger Woods this week. As we all know Tiger Woods had a spectacular fall from grace, so to speak. One minute he was this squeaky clean, highly paid sports star, the toast of the golfing world and the next it was revealed he was a serial adulterer, ...read more

Tags: Sin Exposed, Confession Of Sin

Denomination: Baptist

A Brief Biography Of Karl ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 2, 2010

A Brief Biography of Karl Marx Back in the 1800’s there was a young man who had a profound sense of admiration for his father. His father saw to it that the life of the family revolved around the religious practices of their faith. In his teen years, however, the boy’s family was forced to move to ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 14:1

Tags: Atheism

Parental Influence On Children Compared To Sunday ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 8, 2010

Parental Influence On Children Compared To Sunday School It is well known that crabs and small shellfish of the same class walk in the “sideways” fashion. Once upon a time, the other fishes resolved to teach these mistaken fellow inhabitants of the deep the proper mode of locomotion, namely, to go ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:1-9

Tags: Parenting

A Greater Hero Than You Think

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 1, 2011

A GREATER HERO THAN YOU THINK One summer morning as Ray Blankenship was preparing his breakfast, he gazed out the window, and saw a small girl being swept along in the rain-flooded drainage ditch beside his Andover, Ohio, home. Blankenship knew that farther downstream, the ditch disappeared with ...read more

Scripture: John 15:13

Tags: Hero, Heroism, Culvert

A Liar Rips His Pants

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 20, 2011

A LIAR RIPS HIS PANTS Aaron Siebers. The 27-year-old Denver man, a Blockbuster employee, was skateboarding one afternoon when he fell and ripped his uniform pants. Due to work last night--and concerned about getting "written up" by Blockbuster superiors for not wearing his work-issued ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 12:22

Tags: Lies

The Blame Game

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 18, 2011

THE BLAME GAME Wayne Dyer writes: "All blame is a waste of time. No matter how much fault you find with another, and regardless of how much you blame him, it will not change you...You may succeed in making another feel guilty of something by blaming him; you won't succeed in changing whatever it ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 3:8-13

Tags: Guilt

Wynton Marsalis: Someone To Play With

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 8, 2011

WYNTON MARSALIS: SOMEONE TO PLAY WITH People are preoccupied with their own thoughts and interests. When we show interest and concern for another person’s interest or concern, it meets a deep need. People feel cared for and valued. Wynton Marsalis is a recognized musician. He is invited to teach ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:1-4

Tags: Humility

Who Do You Say I Am—in England?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 9, 2011

WHO DO YOU SAY I AM--IN ENGLAND? A teaching assistant accused of looting. An 11 year old girl appears in court and admits breaking windows in Nottingham. Teenagers appear before Magistrates with no parent in attendance. Magistrates ask, "Where are their parents?" Two girls interviewed by the BBC ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:4-10

Tags: Sin Exposed

Machine Gun Preacher

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Sep 27, 2011

MACHINE GUN PREACHER Video Clip Illustration: From wingclips.com (From Machine Gun Preacher clip) SYNOPSIS: Machine Gun Preacher is the inspirational true story of Sam Childers, a former drug-dealing criminal who undergoes an astonishing transformation and finds an unexpected calling as the ...read more

Tags: Sacrifices

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Story Is Told Of A Prosperous, Young ...  PRO

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Feb 13, 2012

The story is told of a prosperous, young investment banker who was driving a new BMW sedan on a mountain road during a snowstorm. As he veered around one sharp turn, he lost control and began sliding off the road toward a deep precipice. At the last moment he unbuckled his seat belt, flung open his ...read more

Scripture: Luke 16:13-15

Tags: Money, Materialism

Denomination: Baptist

Preaching Fluff Versus Quality

Contributed by I. Grant Spong on Jun 8, 2017

I once lived in a town where there were two preachers who were polar opposites. The one was very charismatic and enthusiastic. But, he did not preach the Bible. I asked him one day why he didn't preach the Bible. His answer was that the people could read their Bibles at home. He preached ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:16-20

Tags: Great Commission, Preach Christ, Teach Jesus

Denomination: Baptist

How To Finish A Great Book

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Apr 11, 2018

There are a lot of books that are great and unread. You know, those books that everyone says are great: “it’s a classic,” “one of the best books of all-time,” “a masterpiece.” But almost no one reads them. Jordan Ellenberg, a University of Wisconsin professor, used Amazon’s Kindle to do an ...read more

Tags: Perseverance, Bible, Scripture

Denomination: Baptist

Tv Guide Recently Came Up With A List Of What ...

Contributed by Steven Simala Grant on May 8, 2007

TV Guide recently came up with a list of what they consider the top 50 TV shows of all time; the top 5 were (source: http://www.tvguide.com/50th/features/020429a.asp): 5. The Sopranos – “A complex drama built around a thinking man’s mobster who struggles with two families — his wife and kids, and ...read more

Denomination: Baptist