In Sermon Illustrations: "Discipline"

Why Is It That The Vast Majority Of Christian ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2006

"Why is it that the vast majority of Christian believers remain largely unexposed to Christian learning--to historical-critical studies of the Bible, the content and structure of the great doctines, to two thousand years of classic works on the Christian life, to basic disciplines of theology, ...read more

Tags: Bible Study, Gospel, Grace, Love, Salvation  (view more)  (view less)

Wireless Internet Access Devices Appear To Be ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 14, 2008

Wireless Internet access devices appear to be giving the porn-at-work phenomenon a boost even as employers are more aggressive about using blocking software. About 65% of U.S. companies used such software in ’05, finds an American Management Association survey, up from 40% in ’01. When it comes to ...read more

Tags: Pornography

Object Lesson: Your Reputation

Contributed by Sherm Nichols on Apr 27, 2009

OBJECT LESSON: YOUR REPUTATION (Light a candle on stage.) It’s easy to keep a fire going. What do you do to it? Not much. You work to get it started, and then it pretty much burns on its own. You may have to protect it, maybe do a little maintenance on it. But the fire is automatic. But if ...read more

Tags: Character

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Separate: Staying In Ranks

Contributed by Russell Brownworth on Aug 14, 2009

SEPARATE: STAYING IN RANKS The word "separate" is a military term, and it means to "stay in ranks." My son Jason just graduated from an intensive 9-week school for Drill Sergeants (we Brownworths never seem to finish going to school!). He will now be responsible for training as many as 240 "raw" ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: United Methodist

Prepared To ...

Contributed by Larry Wilson on Aug 6, 2010

Prepared to serve. Joshua died at 110 years old in 1380 B.C. He assumed leadership around 1406 B.C. Therefore, he was around 85 years old when he took command from Moses!Before Joshua ever took the reigns, he had been a servant, a soldier and a spy. Some feel that you can make a man by giving him ...read more

Tags: Leadership General

Denomination: Baptist

Marathon Finishers

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 11, 2011

MARATHON FINISHERS Charlie Engle, Ray Zahab, and Kevin Lin know endurance better than most. For 111 days, they ran the equivalent of two marathons a day in order to cross the entire Sahara Desert on foot. They touched the waters at Senegal and then made their way through Mauritania, Mali, Niger, ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 4:14-21, Psalm 42:1-11

Tags: Discipleship

Successful People Get Up Early!  PRO

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 14, 2014

Forbes Magazine states that early risers are the most successful people. The discipline of getting up early produces many positive results, such as: 1. More proactive approach to life 2. The ability to anticipate problems better 3. Better goal-setting 4. Time for exercise 5. Sleep is much better ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 22:1-21, Genesis 22:1-19

Tags: Sacrifice, Abraham, Temptation, Trusting God, Success, Successful, Getting Up Early  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Meekness Is Not Weakness

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 15, 2020

The Greek word for meek in Matthew 5:5 is praus. This word was was also used to describe an animal which has been domesticated, which has been trained to obey the word of a command, which has learned to answer to the reins. It is the word for an animal which has learned to accept control, such as ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

Tags: Meekness, Beatitudes, Gentleness, Fruit Of The Spirit, Sermon On The Mount, Blessed Are The Meek, Matthew 5  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

In The Movie, Remember The Titans, The Coach ...  PRO

Contributed by Joel Pankow on Jun 21, 2001

In the movie, Remember the Titans, the coach pushed the students to the brink of their abilities. Some accused him of trying to ruin them and break their spirits. But by pushing them - he made them stronger. It prepared them for a difficult season of football - and in the end they went ...read more

Tags: Death, Endurance

Denomination: Lutheran

We Know The Word Says, "Woe To Those Who Call ...  PRO

Contributed by Danny Presswood on May 7, 2002

"We know the Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good," but that’s exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values. We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism. We have worshipped other gods and called it ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 5:20-23

Tags: Christian Values, Folly, Idiocy

Denomination: Baptist

Sheep Need Fresh Pasture And Water Daily And In ...

Contributed by Tyler Edwards on May 26, 2009

Sheep need fresh pasture and water daily and in the desserts of Palestine that can be no easy task. A shepherd will search for water sometimes for hours every day. He carries a pail with him that he will fill over and over again for any sheep who cannot access the water. A shepherd will lead his ...read more

Tags: Security, Good Shepherd

Denomination: *other

Lou Gehrig Was Such A Clumsy Ball Player That The ...

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Sep 1, 2009

Lou Gehrig was such a clumsy ball player that the boys in his neighborhood would not let him play on their team. But he was committed. He did not give up. Eventually, his name was entered into baseball’s Hall of Fame. Woodrow Wilson could not read until he was ten years old. But he was a ...read more

Tags: Zeal

Denomination: Pentecostal

Following Garibaldi And Following Jesus

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 6, 2011

FOLLOWING GARIBALDI AND FOLLOWING JESUS Garibaldi, the great Italian military hero from the 19th century, raised an incredibly committed volunteer army. His appeal for recruits was rather unique as he offered only these terms: "I offer neither pay, nor quarters, nor provisions; I offer hunger, ...read more

Scripture: Mark 8:34-38

Tags: Discipleship

Seven Life Lessons From Samson

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 13, 2022

Certainly the story of Samson and the prostitute of Gaza stands as a cautionary tale to all of us. Here are some of the obvious lessons: 1) Just because we think we have conquered a certain sin doesn’t mean it will stay conquered forever. 2) The price of long-term spiritual victory is continued ...read more

Tags: Sin, Temptation, Judgment, Samson, Brokenness, Backslidden  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

As The Parents Of Three Young Children, My Wife ...

Contributed by Ricki Lee Brooks on Oct 24, 2009

As the parents of three young children, my wife and I often took advantage of many helps in order to be good nurturers. However, sometimes even our best efforts resulted in the unexpected. With hopes of teaching our oldest son the necessity of depending upon God, we began reading to him from the ...read more

Scripture: John 15:9-14

Tags: Obedience

Moms On The Go For The Lord Strengthen Their ...  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on May 15, 2003

Moms on the go for the Lord strengthen their children¡¦s individual personalities.They allow their children to soar into what God designed them to be. This poem expresses this act well: Before I was myself, you made me, me by Nicholas Gordon: Before I was myself you made me, me With love and ...read more

Tags: Parenting

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

When I Was A Boy In School From Time To ...  PRO

Contributed by Larry Jacobs on Aug 7, 2005

ILLUS: When I was a boy in school from time to time I would get into trouble. The first time I was sent to the principal’s office was a real education for me. By the way, back in those day they believed in spanking boys that did something wrong. So, another young man and I was sent to the ...read more

Tags: Sin Punishment Of

Denomination: Baptist

A Guide To Knowing You Are Middle Aged  PRO

Contributed by Alan Tison on Jun 22, 2006

A GUIDE TO KNOWING YOU ARE MIDDLE AGED: By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he’s too old to go anywhere. Middle age is when you have stopped growing at both ends and have begun to grow in the middle. A man has reached middle age when he is cautioned to slow down by his doctor ...read more

Scripture: James 1:1-8

Tags: Hardship Of Life, Choice

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Winning Team  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 8, 2008

A WINNING TEAM Lee Iacocca once asked legendary football coach Vince Lombardi what it took to make a winning team. In the book Iacocca records Lombardi’s answer: "There are a lot of coaches with good ball clubs who know the fundamentals and have plenty of discipline but still don’t win the game. ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:9-10, John 13:34-35, Romans 12:10, Ephesians 4:2

Tags: Success, Church Body, Teamwork, Church Health, Church Body Of Christ  (view more)  (view less)

Living And Waiting To Live

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2008

LIVING AND WAITING TO LIVE Most of us tend to think that happiness is just around the corner. JOY will come one of these days--when things get better...when we finally get out of school...or get a better job...or get married...or get our kids raised and out of the house...or after we get that ...read more

Tags: Joy