In Sermon Illustrations: "Doubt And Fear"

I've Been Reading "The Journal Of John Wesley". ...  PRO

Contributed by Owen Bourgaize on Dec 8, 2000

I’ve been reading "The Journal of John Wesley". In the entry for 24th May 1738, he wrote a detailed account of his spiritual pilgrimage. As a young boy in the family of a clergyman he had been "carefully taught" that salvation could only be obtained by "keeping all the commandments of God." Over ...read more

Tags: Ascension, Faith Vs. Works, Grace

Denomination: Baptist

What If I Owned A Greenhouse That Had Been Given ...  PRO

Contributed by Darren Ethier on May 9, 2002

What if I owned a greenhouse that had been given to me by my father? He used state of the art equipment to create the ideal structure for growth. The atmosphere is perfect. The lighting exact. The temperature is suited for flowers, fruit, or anything I want, and what I want is flowers and fruit. I ...read more

Tags: Character, Love Of The Disciples

Denomination: Pentecostal

There's A Story That Came Out Of Wwii, About A ...  PRO

Contributed by Clark Tanner on Sep 13, 2002

There’s a story that came out of WWII, about a small village in Poland and the day the Nazis came to town. The people were gathered in their church there worshiping, when troops of the Third Reich swarmed into the village, entered the church, escorted everyone outside and set fire to the ...read more

Tags: God's Forgiveness, Descriptions Of God

Denomination: Orthodox

Can You Be Kind When You Put Your Mind To It?  PRO

Contributed by Scott Chambers on Jan 24, 2003

Can you be kind when you put your mind to it? December 26 is a legal holiday in both Canada and Great Britain. Come on America, join the crowd. Today is "Boxing Day" in some parts of the world. No, it’s not a day to honor George Foreman and his cronies. Rather, it’s a day to show kindness to those ...read more

Tags: Christian Love, Giving General

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Ems Creed  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 12, 2003

EMS CREED Sorry if we woke you in the middle of the night, But someone in your neighborhood is fighting for his life. Sorry if we block the road and make you turn around, But there’s been a bad wreck with dying children on the ground. When you see us coming I hope you’ll understand, ...read more

Tags: Christian Disciplines, Holidays Civic

Moral Decision

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 31, 2003

What would be your moral decision on this? Updated 6:33 AM ET May 29, 2003 - Sometimes crime can pay, even on death row, if you’re in need of a new kidney. Thanks to the state of Oregon, a law-abiding citizen in need of a kidney transplant may have to die so that death-row prisoner Horacio ...read more

You Forgot  PRO

Contributed by Jim Dillinger on Jun 5, 2003

YOU FORGOT Ken Blanchard writes: When my son Scott was a senior in high school, he used to cause problems by parking his truck in the driveway. Nobody could get in or out because his truck was big enough to go to war. I always told him to park it out in the street. One day I came home to ...read more

Scripture: Mark 2:23-28

Tags: Parenting, Children

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Thirty Years Ago, The Miami Dolphins Embarked On ...  PRO

Contributed by Chip Kelly on Jul 1, 2003

Thirty years ago, the Miami Dolphins embarked on an unforgettable & unparalleled season. 14-0 regular season, then a 3-0 run through the playoffs culminating with a Super Bowl victory. No other team has matched that perfect record. Every year 30-some odd teams try, but for 3 decades, it stands ...read more

Tags: Leadership General, Church Body Of Christ

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Just Read The Story Online Of A Guy Who Sold ...  PRO

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Apr 11, 2004

I just read the story online of a guy who sold everything in order to place a bet in Los Vegas. The article explains: “A British man who has sold all his possessions, including his clothes, will stand in a rented tuxedo on Sunday and bet everything on a single spin of the roulette wheel. If he ...read more

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Denomination: Methodist

Unanswered Prayer  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 1, 2004

UNANSWERED PRAYER Cable television tycoon Ted Turner has often been quoted as being critical of fundamentalist Christianity. Turner made some very revealing remarks at a banquet in Orlando, Fla., in 1990, where he was given an award by the American Humanist Association for his work on behalf of ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:1-8

Tags: Parable Widow, Prayer Persistence

On April 21st, In The Year 1519, The Spanish ...  PRO

Contributed by Tim Richards on Oct 19, 2006

On April 21st, in the year 1519, the Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez sailed into the harbor of Vera Cruz, Mexico. He brought with him only about 600 men, and yet over the next two years his vastly outnumbered forces defeated Montezuma and all the warriors of the Aztec empire, making Cortez the ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

John Ortberg In His Book The Life You've Always ...

Contributed by Eric Schall on Oct 23, 2006

John Ortberg in his book The Life You’ve Always Wanted takes a chapter and deals with the unexpected suffering in this life that we all come up against. He tells this story: “A couple come in for counseling. They desperately want to have a baby. They have waited and prayed for twelve anxious, ...read more

Denomination: Pentecostal

In His Book The Spiritual Life Of Children, The ...

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Feb 4, 2007

In his book The Spiritual Life of Children, the famous Harvard psychiatrist Robert Coles, tells the story of Alice, a ten-year-old girl who came from a family that did not believe in God. She expressed her doubts to him with these words: “I remember... I saw the people next door coming home from ...read more

Denomination: Methodist

The Basics

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Charles Spurgeon, “A man’s life is always more forcible than his speech. When men take stock of him they reckon his deeds as dollars and his words as pennies. If his life and doctrine disagree the mass of onlookers accept his practice and reject his preaching.” Will Rogers, “Live in such a way ...read more

Tags: Faith

Serving Jesus

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Serving Jesus • A certain family in a Southern Baptist Church had been inactive for years. • The family simply never went to church any more and every effort to get them to attend had failed. • One day one of the sons, name John, was bitten by a rattlesnake. The father immediately sent for the ...read more

Tags: Hell

Are You At Wit's End Corner?

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Aug 30, 2007

Are You At Wit’s End Corner? Are you standing at “Wits End Corner” Christian, with troubled brow? Are you thinking of what is before you, And all you are bearing now? Does all the world seem against you, And you in the battle alone? Remember at “Wits End Corner” Is where God’s power is shown. Are ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Growing ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 14, 2009

GROWING PLURALISM Most Americans don’t believe their religious tradition is the only way to eternal life, even if their denomination teaches otherwise, finds a Pew Forum study. 57% of evangelical church-attenders believe many religions can lead to eternal life. 70% of Americans with a religious ...read more

Scripture: Luke 13:22-30

Tags: Salvation

When I Get Straightened Out

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on May 4, 2009

WHEN I GET STRAIGHTENED OUT When a new family moved into the community, the pastor went to invite them to his church. The husband said, "We are just getting moved in, Parson, but I will come when I get straightened out." After a few weeks, the Rev. went again with the same invitation. The ...read more

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

Denomination: Pentecostal

Ill<><i Heard A Pastor Tell Bout Company In Nw ...

Contributed by West Garner on Jun 29, 2009

I heard a pastor tell about a company in the NW that had a need come to them. The Need was for a bear proof trash can. All trash cans were being destroyed by grizzlies. Three companies took on the challenge and each developed a product for testing. They took the three products out into grizzly ...read more

Tags: Time, Trials

Denomination: Baptist

Don't Waste The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 14, 2009

DON’T WASTE THE WISDOM Pastor Warren Weirsbe told of a time when an associate of his, a gifted secretary, was going through great trials. She had had a stroke, her husband had gone blind, and then he had to be taken to the hospital where (we were sure) he would die. He saw her in church one Sunday ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 14:33

Tags: Wisdom