In Sermon Illustrations: "Dual Meaning"

Playing God

Contributed by Brad Henry on Dec 9, 2011

PLAYING GOD Have you ever felt like you were adrift in the ocean with no clue on how to get to shore? A lot of times in life we get a curveball when we are expecting a fastball. We get frustrated when we try to figure God out. Without knowing it a lot of times we even try to play God. When you ...read more

Tags: Faith General

Wearing 30,000 Bibles

Contributed by Chuck Sligh on Feb 26, 2012

WEARING 30,000 BIBLES Years ago a missionary returned to England for a brief furlough after many years of faithful service in India. He was invited to a dinner at a great summer resort where he met many women of prominence and position. After dinner he went to his room and penned a ...read more

Tags: Missions

Denomination: Baptist

John Piper On Minimizing Doctrine

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 1, 2012

JOHN PIPER ON MINIMIZING DOCTRINE I think John Piper put it best in his book, Contending For Our All. He wrote: "To the emerging church that would like to minimize doctrine, Athanasius would say, 'Our young people in Alexandria die for doctrine about Christ. What do your young people die for?' ...read more

Scripture: Titus 1:9

Tags: Doctrine

Where Will Our Jobs Go?

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Aug 13, 2012

WHERE WILL OUR JOBS GO? Futurist Thomas Frey blogs, "People are seriously worried. I've been in a number of conversations recently where people are very worried about our coming era of automation where fewer and fewer jobs will be left for people to do. A few months ago I predicted that over 2 ...read more

Tags: Future

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The Body: The Image Of God

Contributed by Bret Toman on Oct 31, 2012

THE BODY: THE IMAGE OF GOD Paul Brand writing about what it means to be in the image of God in his book In His Image: "We will not explore the psychological and mental attributes in each one of us that might reflect the image of God. Instead, we will center on a community, that group of God’s ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Denomination: Baptist

True Worship

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Feb 19, 2013

"True worship is God-centered worship. People tend to get caught up in where they should worship, what music they should sing in worship, and how their worship looks to other people. Focusing on these things misses the point. Jesus tells us that true worshipers will worship God in spirit and in ...read more

Tags: Worship Purpose

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Receiving The Blessing

Contributed by Davon Huss on Mar 26, 2013

RECEIVING THE BLESSING On a Sunday school picnic in the heat of summer, I was going around the children with a 4 gallon can of cool drink and ladling out portions to the thirsty. I came to a small boy who had a busy morning. He was red in the face, sweating profusely, obviously quite hot. He ...read more

Tags: Faith Vs. Works

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Paradise And Heaven

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 11, 2015

Paradise originates from the Persian language which means a beautiful garden but the ideal paradise is the King’s garden. Kings had beautiful gardens with exotic animals you wouldn’t see in that part of the world. It had flowing water and trees and was a place of serenity or peace. And when someone ...read more

Scripture: Luke 23:32-43

Tags: Heaven, Paradise

Denomination: Methodist

Hero Vs Hero Maker

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Jun 28, 2018

What does it mean to be a hero maker? A hero maker is a leader who shifts from being the hero to making others the hero in God's unfolding story. Real hero makers first die to any vision of personal glory. The dying involves a very real transition, one of grief and loss of ever becoming that ...read more

Scripture: John 14:12, Matthew 6:33

Tags: Leadership, Disciple Making, Leadership Training

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Square Fillers

Contributed by Doug Fannon on Oct 19, 2018

In the military we had a term that we called “square fillers.” We would have a check-list of requirements and before each requirement or inspection item, there would be printed a little square . When each requirement was completed, you would check off the appropriate square. The term came to ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 23:13-36

Tags: False Religion, Unrighteousness, Outward Appearances, Minimum Requirements, Heart For God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

The Captain Is My Daddy

Contributed by Paul Steen on Dec 24, 2018

A little boy was standing on the banks of the Mississippi River waving and shouting at a steamboat that was going by. He was beckoning the steamboat to come to shore. A stranger came by and said, “That's foolish young man. The boat will never come ashore for you. The captain is too busy to ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:9, 2 Thessalonians 2:16

Tags: Answered Prayer, Father

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

The Inn

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Nov 25, 2019

The INN was full. The "inn" is mentioned in the Old Testament, and was still in operation in the New. The Inn was located on land that had been given to Chimham by DAVID (2 Samuel 19:32-40). It was a place to accommodate a number of TRAVELERS (Jeremiah 41:17). Holman Bible Dictionary ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:6-7

Tags: Christmas, Bethlehem, Inn, No Room At The Inn

Denomination: Independent/Bible

An Empty Agnostic Who Wanted To Believe

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 4, 2022

T.H. Huxley, a well-known agnostic, was with a group of men at a weekend house party. On Sunday morning, while most of them were preparing to go to church, he approached a man known for his Christian character and said, "Suppose you stay at home and tell my why you are a Christian." The ...read more

Tags: Witnessing, Atheism, Great Commission, Agnostics, Evangelism, Gospel  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Where Is The Mission Field?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 10, 2023

Most people associate missions with leaving for another city, country, or continent. This is because, technically speaking, we refer to those who have crossed cultural, ethnic, or geographic lines in order to share about Jesus as missionaries. However, mission work includes more than rain forest ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:8

Tags: Witnessing, Great Commission, Evangelism, Holy Spirit, Pentecost, Missions, Revival  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Church At Pentecost Was In Tune With Each Other!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 4, 2023

Acts 2 explains that before the Holy Spirit came and indwelt the believers at Pentecost, they were in unity. The Greek word is homothumadon, which the King James translates with the phrase “in one accord.” It’s a musical term that means to strike the same notes together. We all know what it is ...read more

Tags: Oneness, Feast Of Pentecost, Holy Spirit, Jerusalem, Pentecost, Revival, Unity, Repentance, Church  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Repent For Better Health

Contributed by John Bright on Mar 10, 2025

Since this is the season of Lent, it’s a good time to repent of the unhealthy habits we have developed over the years. That means we tell God: “You’re right, and I’m wrong.” That’s the beginning of repentance. Then we need to make a plan. There’s an old saying: Those who fail to plan, plan to ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 53:4-6, Acts 3:19

Tags: Diet, Food, Repent, Health, Sleep, Exercise, Bible Reading  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Methodist

Heaven, A Holy Place

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Heaven, A Holy Place Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. In My Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-6

Tags: Heaven

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The History Of Wwjd

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Sep 9, 2008

The History of WWJD Wikipedia encyclopedia states this about the common abbreviation WWJD: The phrase "What would Jesus do?" (often abbreviated to WWJD) became popular in the United States in the 1890s and again in 1990s as a personal motto for thousands of Christians who used the phrase as a ...read more

Tags: Jesus Teachings

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Wally Was A 7th Grade Student Who Was Bigger Than ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Nov 6, 2001

Wally was a 7th grade student who was bigger than any of the other students in his Sunday school class. His mother had been an alcoholic when he was born, & as a result, Wally just did not have all the mental capabilities that the rest of his classmates had. But somehow he managed to get ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:7

Tags: Christmas Eve, Jesus Teachings, Lordship Of Christ

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Some Years Ago Two Princeton University ...  PRO

Contributed by Ed Sasnett on Jan 30, 2006

Some years ago two Princeton University psychologists, John Darley and Daniel Batson, decided to conduct a study inspired by the biblical story of the Good Samaritan. They met with a group of seminarians, individually, and asked each one to prepare a short, extemporaneous talk on a given biblical ...read more

Tags: Fulfillment

Denomination: Baptist