In Sermon Illustrations: "Excercising Faith"

Discipline, Brokenness, And Strength

Contributed by Pastor Gbenga Shadare on May 4, 2010

DISCIPLINE, BROKENNESS, AND STRENGTH Discipline is a virtue that is in short supply nowadays. We see men and women demonstrating a dangerous lack of self restraint and discipline. People do things just because they feel like it, ignoring the consequences. What there is no restraint, no discipline ...read more

Tags: Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Jim Went To Church On Sunday Morning. He Heard ...

Contributed by Derrick Tuper on Jun 11, 2010

Jim went to church on Sunday morning. He heard the organist miss a note during the prelude, and he winced. He saw a teenager talking when everybody was supposed to bow in prayer. He felt like the usher was watching to see what he put in the offering plate and it made him boil. He noticed the ...read more

Tags: Attitude General, Attending Church

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

More Beyond  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 15, 2010

MORE BEYOND The Strait of Gibraltar is the strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. On either side of the Strait of Gibraltar there are two mountains, which were known in ancient times as the Pillars of Hercules. According to Greek mythology, Hercules built these pillars ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:13-18

Tags: Heaven

Outlived His Children

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Dec 15, 2010

OUTLIVED HIS CHILDREN His weather worn face looked like ancient parchment stretched over a wire mesh skeleton and his eyes, haunted with memories, looked straight through me into my soul. As I gave my devotion that day I could tell that he understood the anguish Abraham must have felt as God said, ...read more

Tags: Hardship Of Life

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Better One Safe And Sure Way  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 30, 2011

BETTER ONE SAFE AND SURE WAY There is a story about a Fox boasting to a Cat about his clever tactics for escaping its enemies. "I have a whole bag of tricks," he said, "which contains a hundred different ways of escaping from my enemies." "I have only one," said the Cat; "but I can generally ...read more

Scripture: John 14:6, John 14:6-14

Tags: Salvation, Humor

You Are Not In Charge  PRO

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Sep 7, 2011

YOU ARE NOT IN CHARGE Tom Boyd tells about a woman who was a member of a church he pastored in Tennessee. She was flamboyant and eccentric but Boyd was impressed with her "intense commitment to the faith. She did not have a pietistic bone in her body, but her devotion was nonetheless clear and ...read more

Tags: Humility

Denomination: Baptist

The Importance Of Focus

Contributed by Mark Tonkery on Feb 3, 2012

THE IMPORTANCE OF FOCUS When the Alaskan Pipeline was being built, there were many Texans who went to Alaska and found work on the pipeline. The Texans could only work a few hours in the frigid weather, yet the Eskimos, the native Alaskans, could work indefinitely in the cold. They decided to ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 13:4-8

Tags: Affliction

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

American Knowledge Of Religion

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 5, 2012

AMERICAN KNOWLEDGE OF RELIGION A survey conducted by the Christian Science Monitor found that atheists and agnostics and Jews and Mormons were among the highest scoring groups who took a 32 question survey of religious knowledge. On average Americans scored 16 of 32 correct. Atheists and agnostics ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15

Tags: Religion

Is There Hope For The Next Generation Of ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 7, 2013

IS THERE HOPE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF EVANGELICALS? Russell Moore recounts a conversation with the evangelical theologian Carl Henry. As Moore and some of his friends were lamenting the miserable shape of the church, they asked Dr. Henry if he saw any hope in the coming generation of ...read more

Scripture: Acts 9:1-15, Acts 2:47, Romans 8:31-36, Proverbs 20:21, Luke 8:22-25, Matthew 16:18  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: God Brings Hope

The Unreligion

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 3, 2013

THE UNRELIGION When Jesus hung on the cross, He cried out, “It is finished!” Jesus did all the work. All that remains for us to do is depend on Him. You see, not only our salvation, but our success in this life is all up to Him. I like the way Dane Ortlund put it in his book, Defiant Grace. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30

Tags: World Religions

Is Evangelism Too Hard?

Contributed by Tim Smith on May 11, 2014

Jenn Hopkins writes of attending a funeral several years ago. "There he lay, dead. He was gone and unsaved. Lived a life and then, in the flash of an eye, he was in Hell. Someone I loved and respected was gone and so was my opportunity to share the Gospel with him. His funeral was in a church, one ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 3:8-13

Tags: Evangelism, Hell

Denomination: Methodist

The Virgin Birth

Contributed by Davon Huss on Dec 17, 2014

M.R. DeHaan- From a beginningless eternity Jesus was the infinite Son of God, one of the three persons of the trinity, equal with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. And then when the time for the payment of redemption’s price came, Jesus left the glories of the Father’s house, laid aside the form ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:6-8

Tags: Incarnation, Virgin Birth, Christ's Incarnation, Christmas Meaning

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Standing Up For Persecuted Christians

Contributed by John Crowe on Oct 29, 2015

Michael Horowitz is a Jewish attorney in Washington, D.C. who has done more for persecuted Christians than almost any Christian I know. He recently wrote to me that from his long experience with efforts to help rescue persecuted Christians, his sad experience is that U. S. Christian leaders are ...read more

Scripture: Mark 9:41

Tags: Persecution, Persecuted Christian

Denomination: Baptist

Wrong Reasons For Study Of Bible

Contributed by Tony Abram on Jan 21, 2018

At the village church in Kalonovka, Russia, attendance at Sunday school picked up after the priest started handing out candy to the peasant children. One of the most faithful was a pug-nosed, lad who recited his Scriptures with proper piety, pocketed his reward, then fled into the fields to munch ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1-3

Tags: Holy, Sanctification

The Unity Of The Bible

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 4, 2021

Notice the UNITY of the Bible. it is miraculous! * The Bible was written over a period of 1,500 years. • The Bible was written by over 40 different authors (Among them were kings, military leaders, peasants, philosophers, fishermen, tax collectors, poets, statesmen, musicians, ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Timothy 4:1-3

Tags: Bible, Scripture, Christ, Plan Of Salvation, Unity Of The Bible  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Parallels Between Jesus And The Manna In The Wilderness

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jul 18, 2024

The manna that fell in the Wilderness can be compared to Christ in 5 specific ways: CAME FROM HEAVEN: Manna, as described in the Old Testament, serves as a symbolic representation of Christ. Let me explain further. Heavenly Origin: Manna was a miraculous food provided by God to sustain the ...read more

Tags: Christ, Bread Of Life, Manna, Typology

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Unsung Heroines-The Widow Of Zarephath

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on May 4, 2022

Introduction: this widow woman probably wasn’t even an Israelite but she believed the words of Elijah, the prophet of the LORD, God of Israel. She received much more than she gave Elijah! Text: 1 Kings 17:8-16, KJV: 8 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, 9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 17:8-16

Tags: Widow Of Zarephath, Unsung Heroines, Elijah

Denomination: Baptist

The Cross At Ground Zero  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 10, 2002

THE CROSS AT GROUND ZERO I’m an excavation laborer, and a member of union local 731. Pick-and-shovel work is my trade. I live in New Jersey, but I’m a New York City native, Brooklyn born and bred. After the Towers collapsed, my city was hurting. When I heard they needed guys like me for ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships, Promises Of God, Lord's Supper

The Cross At Ground Zero After ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 9, 2009

The Cross at Ground Zero After 9/11 A testimony from a worker at ground zero on 9-11 testifies of God’s transforming power. I’m an excavation laborer, and a member of union local 731. Pick-and-shovel work is my trade. I live in New Jersey, but I’m a New York City native, Brooklyn born and bred. ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:16-17

Tags: Cross

Unsung Heroes: Simeon Of Jerusalem

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Dec 27, 2020

Introduction: Mary and Joseph weren’t the only ones eagerly awaiting the birth of Jesus. Under the Law of Moses, every male child was to be circumcised. Joseph and Mary took Baby Jesus to the Temple where this surgery would be performed on the Baby. While they were in the Temple, they received ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:25-35

Tags: Unsung Heroes, Birth Of Christ, Simeon, Joseph And Mary

Denomination: Baptist