In Sermon Illustrations: "Effectual Calling"

I Love Bumper Sticker Theology. It May Not Always ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 16, 2008

I love bumper sticker theology. It may not always be the most sound theological statements, but they generally at least have the ability to make you think. The one in particular that I am thinking about said, "God is my Co-pilot." Do you remember the sticker? It took a great deal of heat. Perhaps ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer Told A Story On The ...

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Feb 25, 2009

Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer told a story on the subject of prayer. A certain minister was in the habit of profound prayers, oftentimes resorting to words beyond the understanding of his simple flock. This went on week after week, to the dismay and frustration of the congregation. At last, a wee ...read more

Tags: Prayer How To

Denomination: Pentecostal

Famous Last Words  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 13, 2009

FAMOUS LAST WORDS Karl Marx, died in 1883 with these last words: "Go on, get out - last words are for fools who haven’t said enough." Thomas à Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, d.1170 "I am ready to die for my Lord, that in my blood the Church may obtain liberty and peace." The very last words ...read more

Scripture: John 19:30

Tags: Cross

Around The Corner I Have A Friend, In This ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"Around the corner I have a friend, In this great city that has no end; Yet days go by, and weeks rush on, And before I know it a year is gone, And I never see my old friend's face, For life is a short and terrible race... Tomorrow, I say, I will call on Jim, Just to show that I'm thinking of him. ...read more

Tags: Compassion

Glo-Christians

Contributed by Chris Surber on May 22, 2009

GLO-CHRISTIANS My wife and I recently obtained a fish tank for the family to enjoy. Among the fishes we placed inside of the tank are a handful of genetically engineered bright colored fish called GLOfish. It is engineered from a common aquarium fish; a Zebra fish. These little fish have had ...read more

Tags: Christian Witness

Denomination: Christian Church

The Only One Pulling  PRO

Contributed by Guy Glass on Nov 2, 2009

THE ONLY ONE PULLING A guy drives into a ditch, but luckily, a farmer is there to help. He hitches his horse, Buddy, up to the car and yells, "Pull, Nellie, pull!" Buddy doesn’t move. "Pull, Buster, pull!" Buddy doesn’t budge. "Pull, Coco, pull!" Nothing. Then the farmer says, "Pull, Buddy, ...read more

Tags: Fathers Day, Church Body Of Christ

Denomination: Baptist

Buddy Wasisname And The Other Fellers ...

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on May 16, 2010

Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers (Newfoundland comedy group) feature a song on one of their albums called “Only 19”. It is the story of a young man who married what he thought was his young bride until they got ready for their first night together. She removed her cork leg, make-up that’s ...read more

Tags: Deception, Change

Denomination: Salvation Army

There's An App For That

Contributed by Ken Pell on Feb 10, 2011

THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT So is your sin and guilt getting the better of you? Well, now "There’s an app for that." CBS News reports (February 9, 2011) a new application for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch called the "Confession Booth app. All you do is confess to your iPhone! It sells for $1.99 ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 1:9-10

Tags: Confession Of Sin

Denomination: Nazarene

Positive Discipline

Contributed by Perry Greene on Sep 29, 2011

POSITIVE DISCIPLINE Zig Ziglar says he looked into a mirror one day and realized he needed to lose a lot of weight. He really wanted to get in shape. As an incentive, he put a picture of a thin man on the refrigerator door. There are all kinds of gimmicks offered as motivators to dieting. You can ...read more

Tags: Disciplines General

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

What We Can Learn From Noah

Contributed by Johnny A. Palmer Jr. on Dec 9, 2011

WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM NOAH God has much too teach us, one person observed a few things they learned from Noah: 1. Don't miss the boat! 2. Plan ahead. It wasnt raining when Noah built the ark. 3. Stay ready. It was not until Noah was 600 years old that God asked him to do ...read more

Tags: Opportunity

Denomination: Baptist

The Secret To Michael Jordan's Success

Contributed by Spencer Miller on May 26, 2013

Michael Jordan is probably the greatest basketball player in the history of the game, and at one time he was asked about the so-called secret of his success. And Mr. Jordan answered by saying; "I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted ...read more

Tags: Prayer Persistence

Denomination: Baptist

Don't Play It Safe!

Contributed by Trae Durden on Nov 11, 2014

“Life was no cakewalk for Jesus, and he didn’t promise it would be any easier for his followers. We shouldn’t be surprised by resistance and persecution. Yet most of us play it safe. We pursue comfort. We spend ourselves to get more stuff. And we prefer to be entertained. We are all tempted by the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:34-38

Tags: Comfort, Risk, Life In Christ, John Piper

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

I May Never See You Again

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 17, 2017

Phillips Brooks of Boston became quite ill and would see no visitors. However, when Robert Ingersoll, the noted atheist, heard that his friend was sick, he called at his home and was admitted at once. "I appreciate this very much," said Mr. Ingersoll. "But why do you see me when you deny ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 18:1

Tags: Heaven, Atheism, Hell, Death

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Why Worry?

Contributed by Steve Kinnard on Feb 15, 2019

WHY WORRY? Alarm clock didn’t go off, A case of the depressed blues is headed your way You’re late for work, have a flat tire, try to take wife’s car it won’t start she left the lights on, Get the jumper cables jump it off, in a hurry, Blue light special speeding ticket, Boss chews you out, wife ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 17:22

Tags: Worry, Trouble

Denomination: Pentecostal

Funeral Illustration

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 4, 2021

I love that scene in The Pilgrim's Progress where Christian and Hopeful come to the final river of death. They are fearful that the water will be over their heads. But Hopeful goes first and calls back to Christian, “Be of good cheer, my brother; I feel the bottom, and it is good.” For every ...read more

Tags: Death, Heaven, Promises Of God, Valley Of The Shadow Of Death

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

An Unsung Hero

Contributed by Richard L. Brown on Nov 7, 2021

When I was a boy there was a cartoon about a character called Hector Heathcote…….It was based on the colonial days of America and the Revolutionary War. The character Heathcote was always the unsung hero in each show. I remember one episode where General George Washington was preparing for his ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 2:1-10

Tags: Unselfishness, Unsung Hero

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Little ...

Contributed by Eric Ferguson on Jun 3, 2008

The Little Fireman In Phoenix, Arizona, a 26-year old mother stared down at her 6 year old son, who was dying of terminal leukemia. Although her heart was filled with sadness, she also had a strong feeling of determination to HANG ON. Like any parent, she wanted her son to grow up and fulfill ...read more

Tags: Opportunity

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Kingdom Of God Is Like A Home

Contributed by Timothy Darling on Jul 9, 2008

THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS LIKE A HOME The father and son never could get along. The boy was constantly in trouble and the father was harsh in his attempts to correct him. F: What have you done this time? S: What difference does it make? You always take the other side no matter what I say. F: If you ...read more

Tags: Atonement

Denomination: Mennonite

Joe Bloggs Dream - A New Zealand Poem About Salvation

Contributed by John Gullick on Jul 28, 2016

This amazing poem about an imaginary conversion is powerful - it uses New Zealand rural terminology. You need to understand that if you are using it in New York It is called Joe Bloggs dream. It goes like this. Joe Bloggs was just an average bloke, He never went to church. He wasn’t the religious ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16-17

Tags: Conversion

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Moravian Brethren, 200 Years Ago, Formed One ...  PRO

Contributed by Owen Bourgaize on Oct 18, 2000

The Moravian Brethren, 200 years ago, formed one of the greatest missionary movements. Two of their members heard of a leper colony in Africa where no missionary was allowed to enter and then return home for fear that the disease might spread in Germany. They volunteered to go into that leper ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus, God In The Hardships, Descriptions Of God, Follower

Denomination: Baptist