In Sermon Illustrations: "Ephesians 1:1-4:10"

At First I Saw God As My Observer, ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 2, 2004

Illustration: At first I saw God as my observer, my judge, keeping track of the things I did wrong, so as to know whether I merited heaven or hell when I die. He was out there sort of like the president. I recognized His picture when I saw it, but I didn’t really know Him. But later on when I ...read more

Scripture: Luke 22:45-51, Ephesians 1:19-20, Luke 7:1-10

Tags: Great, Benefactor, Servant

I Will Pay For My Own Sins  PRO

Contributed by Gene Gregory on Mar 8, 2004

I WILL PAY FOR MY OWN SINS For some time now, we have been hearing about Mel Gibson’s new movie, The Passion of the Christ, the biblical account of the last hours of Christ’s earthly life. Some claim it is too violent and graphic. Some claim it is anti-Semitic, though the producer filmed his ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:14, Ephesians 2:8-9

Tags: God's Forgiveness, Cross

Denomination: Baptist

John Wesley Provides The Most Convicting Analysis ...  PRO

Contributed by Kenneth Squires on Jul 20, 2004

John Wesley provides the most convicting analysis on what it means to be a true servant: “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you can.” Rick ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:11-13

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Pentecostal

Some Time Ago I Read About An Instant Cake Mix ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Sep 4, 2004

Some time ago I read about an instant cake mix that was a big flop. The instructions said that all you had to do was add water and bake and you had your cake. The company couldn’t understand why it didn’t sell -- until their research discovered that the buying public felt uneasy about a mix that ...read more

Scripture: Titus 3:5, Ephesians 2:8-9, Matthew 25:31-46

Tags: Work, Surrender, Commitment To Christ, Faith, Salvation, Righteousness, Repentance  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Lutheran

Let's Play ‘let's Pretend'. Let's Pretend That ...  PRO

Contributed by Charles R. Swindoll on Oct 13, 2004

Let’s play ‘Let’s Pretend’. Let’s pretend that you work for me. In fact, you are my executive assistant in a company that is growing rapidly. I’m the owner and I’m interested in expanding overseas. To pull this off, I make plans to travel abroad and stay there until a new branch office gets ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:1-13, Matthew 25:14-30, Matthew 17:1-13, James 1:22, John 19:30-31, John 11:1-45, John 11:45-57  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Faith

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Godlessness Whether You Call It By Its Right ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"Godlessness Whether you call it by its right name or another, it is at the root of the disintegration of any people or nation. Godlessness is not atheism ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:5, Philippians 2:13

Tags: Cults

Not For Words Alone!" Ephesians 2: 8-10 Key ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Nov 24, 2004

“Not for Words Alone!” Ephesians 2: 8-10 Key verse(s): 8a: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God . . . ” Did you ever receive a gift, a gift so unexpected and so exciting that you just couldn’t contain the level of your ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-10

Tags: Joy, Giving General

Denomination: Lutheran

Grace Means That God Is On Our Side And Thus We ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 14, 2004

“Grace means that God is on our side and thus we are victors regardless of how well we have ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8

A Few Resolutions  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 22, 2004

A FEW RESOLUTIONS Here are a few less-serious resolutions: “I have resolved not to do drugs anymore, because I get the same effect just standing up really fast.” “I have resolved to live in my own little world, because at least they know me here.” “I have resolved to stay married, because ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:10-16

Tags: New Year's Day, Fool

If Our Greatest Need Had Been Information, God ...  PRO

Contributed by Martin Kim on Dec 28, 2004

“If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent an economist. But, our ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:7

Tags: Christmas Advent

Denomination: Adventist

Sanctification Is A Fancy Church Word That Simply ...  PRO

Contributed by David Wilson on Jan 20, 2005

Sanctification is a fancy church word that simply means cleaned up and ready to use. Your laundry that has been washed, dried, and ironed is sanctified because it has been cleaned and prepared for use. My son is a tennis shoe freak. It started out with a pair of Jordan sneakers. He has lots and ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:10

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers

Denomination: Baptist

Cymbala's Easter Story  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on Jan 31, 2005

CYMBALA'S EASTER STORY Jim Cymbala preaches at a church in the slums of New York. He tells the following story: It was Easter Sunday and I was so tired at the end of the day that I just went to the edge of the platform, pulled down my tie and sat down and draped my feet over the edge. It was a ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 18:15-18, Luke 23:32-34, 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, John 13:34-35, Matthew 25:34-45, Psalm 40:1-3, Ephesians 2:1-10, Colossians 1:1-11, Matthew 18:22-35, Matthew 22:1-14  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Second Coming, New Year, Dignity, Body Of Christ, Supper, Work  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

An Ad For The U.s. Marines Pictures A Sword, And ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

An ad for the U.S. Marines pictures a sword, and beneath it the words: “Earned, not given.” If you want to become a Marine, be prepared to earn the right to be called a “Marine” through sacrifice, hardship, and training. If you get it, you deserve it. But if you want to become a Christian, you must ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9

Tags: Evangelism How To

You See Many People Want The Benefits Of Being ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

You see many people want the benefits of being in the Son without actually “being in the Son.” They want ‘heaven without the hassle’. So it is pretty common for people to believe in Christ and yet still walk in darkness. In 2 Corinthians 11:14, “And no wonder For Satan himself masquerades as an ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:13-14

Tags: Satan

So If The Kingdom Of Heaven Is So Valuable, Why ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

So if the kingdom of heaven is so valuable, why doesn’t everybody do everything they can to be a part of it? I think it’s because value is often in the eye of the beholder. What has value and what doesn’t is really up to personal interpretation. What some people think are valuable have no value at ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:1-12

Tags: Fig Tree, Parable General

As I Was Growing Up With A Younger Brother And ...  PRO

Contributed by Richard Goble on Oct 30, 2007

As I was growing up with a younger brother and sister, one of our favorite games to play was baseball. We had a plastic bat and ball, and we would team up with some of the neighborhood kids and play ball in the back yard. On one particular occasion my mom took our bat away from us because we were ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:16-21

Tags: Forgiveness, Blood, Satan, Giving, Selfless, Care, Regeneration, Sacrificial, Young Men, Fear Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

One Word  PRO

Contributed by Michael Brown on Mar 11, 2008

One Word I sat down one day and began to think about what word I would choose if I could only choose one word to describe myself; one word which would describe me better than any other word. Many words immediately began to pour into my mind. I could think of so many aspects of my life that I ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10, Matthew 27:42-54, Matthew 27:4, Matthew 27:1-4

Denomination: Pentecostal

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)

A Thanks Offering For God's Grace  PRO

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

A Thanks Offering For God's Grace In this country, the entire nation celebrates Thanksgiving in November. Some celebrate by busily preparing food, watching football and gathering with family. These are great Thanksgiving celebrations. However, Christians have a greater blessing in the ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-10, Exodus 15:1-21

Tags: Lodebar, Thanksgiving Holiday

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Things That Will ...

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Things That Will NOT Save Your Soul 1. Church Membership 2. Baptism 3. The Lord’s Supper / Communion 4. Confirmation 5. Giving money to the poor 6. Giving money to the church 7. Saying prayers 8. Keeping the Ten Commandments 9. Obeying the “Golden Rule” 10. Doing “the ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational