In Sermon Illustrations: "Do Good"

This Story Broke This Week From The United ...

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Dec 14, 2009

This story broke this week from the United Kingdom: " LONDON (Reuters) – Gone are the days of shepherds in tea towels and tinsel-clad angels. Britain’s competitive parents are forking out on luxury pashmina shawls and velour dressing gowns to make their child the star of the annual nativity ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The Doubting Of Thomas  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 7, 2010

THE DOUBTING OF THOMAS In 1943, Dorothy Sayers created a series of dramatic readings from the life of Christ for broadcast on the BBC. They are published under the title, The Man Born to Be King. For each of the plays, Sayers offers notes on the characters and the way they should be read. She ...read more

Scripture: John 20:19-31

Tags: Doubt

The Counsel Of The Wicked

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Mar 28, 2011

THE COUNSEL OF THE WICKED I remember talking with a young man in jail. He was telling me that his family had hired a lawyer to get him out (whom I always heard was a good attorney) but he wasn't sure he wanted to trust the lawyer. I asked him why. He responded that the other guys in his jail ...read more

Tags: Fool

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Sometimes We Must Start Over

Contributed by Brad Henry on Oct 18, 2011

SOMETIMES WE MUST START OVER When Jonah was in the belly of the fish he didn't know he was going to Nineveh. He thought his life was over. So he tried to make things right with God. Jonah 2:8 "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs." So what does this mean? ...read more

Tags: Obedience

Spiritual Acne

Contributed by Antonio Silveira on Feb 29, 2012

SPIRITUAL ACNE Have you seen ads for Clearsil, Proactiv, or other acne treatments? They usually exaggerate things and show the face before and aft the application of the "miraculous" product that makes you look good and perfect. They also make sure you get hooked to the remedy so they can bank on ...read more

Scripture: James 1:22-27

Tags: Sanctification

Denomination: Baptist

Out Of Tune

Contributed by Daniel King, D. Min. on Aug 1, 2018

Main Idea: God is perfect and He cannot tolerate any sin in His presence. Verse: “As for God, His way is perfect” (Psalms 18:30 NKJV). Illustration: Once there was a famous conductor who was asked to direct a world class orchestra. He chose a famous piece of music and the orchestra gathered ...read more

Tags: Sin, Salvation, Perfection, Need For Christ

Denomination: Charismatic

Louis Braille And The Will Of God

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Oct 15, 2019

I do not know if Louis Braille was a believer, but his life is an example of a sovereign God causing all things to work together for good - In the French Academy of Science there is a rather plain, old shoemaker's awl on display. The story behind the awl is quite extraordinary. To look at it, ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Tags: Miracles, Testimony, Will Of God

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Make Sure Your Ax Is Sharpen

Contributed by Edward Hardee on Feb 16, 2023

When we were young we did not have central heating and air. As a matter of fact I do not remember us having a window unit. What we had was a fireplace in the winter time and a screen door in the summer. I remember that old fire place. If it was real cold we would put a blanket over the door ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 10:10

Tags: Holy Spirit, Sharpening Your Ax

Denomination: Church Of God

Self Control - The Conductor Of Your Orchestra!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 27, 2023

Let’s face it. We’ve been created with a multitude of moods, passions, and desires. They all need managing. They must be under control or they will end up controlling us. Lewis Smedes says that self-control is like the “conductor of a symphony orchestra.” Under the conductor’s baton the multitude ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23

Tags: Works Of The Flesh, Self Control, Spirit Filled Life, Holy Spirit, Lust, Spiritual Warfare, Fruit Of The Spirit, Spiritual Victory, Desires  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Time Alone Is Time Invested

Contributed by James Snyder on Mar 28, 2020

During the past week, the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and Yours Truly have been spending quite a bit of time together. I cannot recall any time that we have spent this much time together. The exception would be when we first got married. Even then, both of us worked during the day and were ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:31

Tags: Humor, Relationships

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Pete And Tony Were Great Baseball Fans. They Were ...  PRO

Contributed by Rich Young on Jan 18, 2001

Pete and Tony were great baseball fans. They were talking about baseball one day & Pete says, “I wonder if there is baseball in heaven.” Tony replies, “I don’t know.” Soon after, Tony dies. One day he calls Pete from heaven and they’re talking and Pete says, ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 39:4-7, Psalm 39:1-12

Tags: Funerals Non-Christian, Heaven, Death Nearness

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Susannah Wesley's Rules For Raising Children  PRO

Contributed by Sol Madlambayan on Sep 24, 2003

“Susannah Wesley’s Rules For Raising Children: 1. Subdue self-will in a child and thus work together with God to save his soul. 2. Teach him/her to pray as soon as he can speak. 3. Give him nothing he cries for and only what is good for him if he asks for it politely. 4. To prevent lying, punish ...read more

Tags: Children

Denomination: Methodist

Of Unchurched Americans, Two-Thirds Believe In ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2006

Of unchurched Americans, two-thirds believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ and that he was resurrected from the dead. The belief that Jesus Christ will return to earth someday is held by 62 percent of all Americans. Of the total American adult population, nearly half believe in creationism, and 37 ...read more

Tags: Faith General

It's Kind Of Like Someone Who Has A Slow ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2008

Illus. It’s kind of like someone who has a slow leak in their tire. Each day it loses a little bit of air. And they might even notice it looks a little low. But they don’t take care of it. One morning they go outside and their tire is completely flat! And they think to themselves, “Man, my tire ...read more

The Truth Is That God, Who Needs Nothing, Wants ...

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Aug 5, 2008

The Truth is that God, who needs nothing, wants us. The Truth is that we–all of us–have discounted that divine presence and desire, perhaps thinking it’s too good to be true. And so, like Peter, the Rock, we turn to God when He invites us to act in goodness, truth and beauty. We listen to Him ...read more

Tags: Trust

Denomination: Catholic

Dr. Myron Houghton Wrote, "To Affirm The ...

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on May 28, 2009

Dr. Myron Houghton wrote, "To affirm the inspiration and inerrancy of the original writings while casting doubt on the authority of the Bible that is available to us is just plain silly. Can you really imagine someone seriously saying, 'I have good news and I have bad news: the good news is that ...read more

Tags: Bible Truth

Denomination: Independent/Bible

We Christians Are As G.k.chesterton Put It,

Contributed by Fr Mund Cargill Thompson on Jan 12, 2010

We Christians are as G.K.Chesterton put it, "the most materialistic of religions". When we reject a crude hedonism that is never satisfied with the material goods it has, it is because we think the things we already have are such wonderful gifts that we should treasure them rather than lusting ...read more

Tags: Materialism

Denomination: Anglican

Philip Yancey Wrote In His Book, "What's So ...

Contributed by Danny Rogers on Oct 18, 2006

Philip Yancey wrote in his book, “What’s so Amazing about Grace?” There was a woman brought before Jesus caught in the act of adultery. The Pharisee wanted her to be stoned as the Law commanded. They wanted to trick Jesus, they wanted to find fault with his teachings. He bent over and began writing ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

[093]. A Message From A Poem – Foraging In The Depths Of Scripture

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 30, 2025

[093]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – FORAGING IN THE DEPTHS OF SCRIPTURE This poem deals with getting into the heart of scripture. There are images and techniques and encouragement in these stanzas. I actually make the comparison between a mudskipper that flits across the shallows on the water, and ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 4:12, Psalm 119:27, 2 Timothy 2:15, 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Tags: Buried Treasure, Inspired, Dig Deep, Eel, Mudskipper, Scripture, Word Of God, Workman  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Minister And A Day Off His Rocker

Contributed by James Snyder on Oct 5, 2019

I was tootling along one day last week, quite focused on getting my business for the day done. In fact, I was feeling good about the progress I was making with my “to-do list.” Nothing is more satisfying to me than the sense of being in control of my schedule. I love checking off items on my “to-do ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30, Matthew 11:28

Tags: Faith, Love, Trust, Hope, Surrender  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance