In Sermon Illustrations: "Faith Lifestyle"

Orders Remain Unchanged!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 10, 2023

There is a tomb of unknown soldiers in America which has a guard 24 hours a day. Every hour on the hour, 365 days a year, a new soldier reports for duty. When the new guard arrives, he receives his orders from the one who is leaving. The words are always the same: “Orders Remain Unchanged.” The ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:8

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

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Three Levels Of Fruit Bearing

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 2, 2023

Galatians 5:19-23 describes the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit described by Paul in Galatians 5 is not something that is a goal for Christian living produced by the ability of the believer. No, it is the very character of Christ produced within us by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. In ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:19-23

Tags: Fruit Of The Spirit, Spiritual Maturity, Leaders, Spirit Filled Life, Fruit Bearing, Holy Spirit  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Cork And The Whale

Contributed by Joshua Blackmon on Jul 6, 2025

2 Corinthians 4:7-18 offers a portrait of spiritual buoyancy. Paul, in other places, invites us to follow him as he follows Christ (1 Cor 11:1). His spiritual practices caused him to float above the difficulties that he faced over and over again in his life and ministry. One of the greatest things ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:1, 2 Corinthians 4:7-18

Tags: Poem, Buoyancy

Denomination: Pentecostal

Luther: Asleep In Christ

Contributed by David Dunn on Nov 1, 2025

(Martin Luther quotes about death.) “What is our death but a night’s sleep? For as through sleep all weariness and faintness pass away… so at the Last Day we shall rise again as if we had only slept a night.” Source: It’s widely reproduced in quotation databases such as AZ Quotes and Luther’s ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, John 11:25

Tags: Resurrection, Hope

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Trust God And You Will Be Firm

Contributed by Arulselvam Rayappan on Jan 13, 2026

Trusting the Lord is a recurring theme in the Prophet Isaiah. “Unless your faith is firm, you shall not be firm” Is 7: 14. Advent is a time of trusting the Lord. God alone can save those who place their trust in Him. At times we are confused concerning the choices we have to make. On the one hand ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 7:14

Tags: Fear, Trusting God, Afriad

Denomination: Catholic

Light A Candle! (07.12.05--Tomorrow--John ...

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Jul 10, 2005

Light a Candle! (07.12.05--Tomorrow--John 21:18-19) You know what is the best thing about the future? The way things have been going lately I have no doubt. The best thing about tomorrow is that tomorrow only comes one day at a time. We’ve all had times in our lives when what we feared the most ...read more

Scripture: John 21:18-19

Tags: Death, Guilt

Denomination: Lutheran

Only A Risk Away! (08.26.05--Under ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Aug 25, 2005

Only A Risk Away! (08.26.05--Under Pressure!--Judges 6:25-30) Is it worth Risking? It used to be that life was a matter of “this I will risk” but “this I will not.” Risk was something that was weighed on a daily basis. It was a part of life. You picked one thing over another because you had ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30, Judges 6:25-30

Tags: Doubt

Denomination: Lutheran

Not By Might! (10.08.05--Beginning Again!--2 ...

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Oct 6, 2005

Not By Might! (10.08.05--Beginning Again!--2 Kings 5:12) “That’s simple--too simple!” I thought. I had been looking for a simple solution to overcoming a seemingly complex problem for a long time now. How could I get better mileage and performance on an engine that was nearly 40 years old? I had ...read more

Scripture: 2 Kings 5:12

Tags: Sin General, Sin Wages Of

Denomination: Lutheran

Ask The Coach! (10.27.05--Making It!--Joshua ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Oct 25, 2005

Ask the Coach! (10.27.05--Making It!--Joshua 9:14-15) I grew up in a time and place of heroes. Mostly my heroes were TV cowboys like Roy Rogers or the Cisco Kid. In those days there was something common to nearly every TV show--the hero had someone else standing beside him. Roy had Dale, his wife; ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 9:14-15

Tags: Character, Peace

Denomination: Lutheran

Widow-Makers! (11.11.05--Christian ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Nov 9, 2005

Widow-Makers! (11.11.05--Christian Soldiers!--Ephesians 6:16-17) Beech trees tend to bend and grow at odd angles. When it comes to felling one, you have to do a bit more than simply cutting it down. First you need to determine which way the tree is leaning. Then you need to size-up the other ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:16-17

Tags: Angles, Love Of The Disciples

Denomination: Lutheran

Un Amigo Que Dura (Translation Follows)

Contributed by Rolando Delgado on Sep 22, 2010

UN AMIGO QUE DURA (Translation follows) Una Señorita tenía un perro al que quería mucho; pero un día el animal enfermó y al poco tiempo murió. La muchacha se puso muy triste ; se sentía muy sola sin su perro, pero en eso llego una amiga a quien ella amaba con todo su corazón, y en su compañía se ...read more

Tags: Friendship General

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Case Of Margaret Ault

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 19, 2011

THE CASE OF MARGARET AULT In his book, The Jesus Creed, Scot McKnight shares the moving story of Margaret Ault. When Margaret was just about to complete her Ph.D. at Duke, something unexpected -- but quite welcomed -- happened: she fell in love. She went on a date with a man named Hyung Goo Kim, ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:23

Tags: God Brings Hope

Joe Bayly, A Christian Author And Leader, Had A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 2, 2012

Joe Bayly, a Christian author and leader, had a son named Tim who was not following the Lord. This caused great tension in the home until one day Joe told his son he had to move out. Taking Tim aside, he said, "Tim, you're not living for God and you need to leave our home." Tim left, but his ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:4-5

Tags: Parenting

The Orphan Train

Contributed by Sam Mccormick on Dec 15, 2016

THE ORPHAN TRAIN In the history of the westward migration in the United States, part of the story has been largely passed over. From 1850 to 1930, tens of thousands of those who populated the west were orphans--children from eastern cities who were without parents because of disease or the death ...read more

Scripture: John 14:18

Tags: Adoption, Rebirth, Orphan, Train

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Sifted Like Wheat

Contributed by Sam Mccormick on Dec 15, 2016

A rooster’s crow announced the dawn. This dawn was not the sunrise, still hours away, but the dawn of Peter’s realization of what he had done. Like the first rays of the sun slicing through the night’s darkness, Peter awakened to his sin and its gravity. It cut him to the core of his being, and ...read more

Scripture: Luke 22:31-32

Tags: Peter, Betrayal Of Christ, Sifted, Rehabilitation

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Beginning Again  PRO

Contributed by Sam Mccormick on Dec 29, 2016

BEGINNING AGAIN The opening lines of a poem by Louisa Fletcher express this plaintive wish: I wish that there were some wonderful place Called the "Land of Beginning Again," Where all our mistakes, and all our heartaches, And all of our poor selfish grief Could be dropped like a shabby old coat ...read more

Scripture: John 3:3-8

Tags: Resolution, Born Again, New Year, New Start

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Great Verses For Following Jesus

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 16, 2020

FOLLOWING JESUS. Beside each passage of Scripture, write down what you think that verse is saying about following Jesus in the coming year. Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Philippians ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:23

Tags: Discipleship, New Year, Following Jesus

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Sep 2, 2021

Quit all the comparisons: IT IS ABOUT GOD’S GLORY. HAGGAI and ZECHARIAH LEARNED TO ENCOURAGE THOSE THAT WERE DOING A WORK THAT SEEMED SMALL IN THEIR OWN EYES. Get excited. Haggai 2:2 Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high ...read more

Scripture: Zechariah 4:10

Tags: Glory, Small Things

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Henry Winstanley Never For Lacked For ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Henry Winstanley never for lacked for confidence. Becoming a man as England was becoming the mercantile juggernaut in the late 1600s, Henry Winstanley was a man who knew how to make a name for himself. He made his money as a showman, and then invested it in ships. A proud man, he knew that ...read more

Tags: Temptation Pride

He Dropped The ...

Contributed by Doug Lyon on Jun 22, 2008

“He dropped the ball!” I’m sure you’ve heard that expression before. We use it to describe someone who has failed to follow through on an assignment or to reach a certain goal. Some people trace the origin of that phrase to the 4th game of the 1941 Baseball World Series. The series was dubbed ...read more

Tags: Ot Judges

Denomination: Independent/Bible