In Sermon Illustrations: "Faith Vs Works"

Ricochet Evangelism

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Apr 9, 2023

Lee Strobel tells the story of a time when he felt God prompting him to go and share an Easter invitation in the business office of the newspaper where he worked. He didn’t know why. But, he listens to God. When he arrived, he saw his friend who was working in the business office. It was an ...read more

Scripture: John 20:1-31

Tags: Evangelism, Easter

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Mammon

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Oct 2, 2014

The Blessed Life is a book written Robert Morris. He talks about a crucial weed that chokes out the truth of God, the teachings of God, the Word in our life – that weed or thorny vine is called mammon – greed – the love of money which supersedes the love of the Lord Jesus. It’s a real weed and it’s ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:24

Tags: Money, Greed, Riches, Spiritual Attack

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A [recent] Study By The Barna Group Shows That ...

Contributed by Don Parmely on Sep 11, 2006

A [recent] study by The Barna Group shows that despite an intense surge in religious activity and expression in the weeks immediately following 9/11 the faith of Americans is virtually indistinguishable today compared to pre-attack conditions. The director of the Barna study, David Kinnaman, put ...read more

Tags: Christian Values

Denomination: Pentecostal

Let's Talk About The Differences Inherent In ...

Contributed by Clark Tanner on Nov 1, 2008

Let’s talk about the differences inherent in being son or servant in any household. Now it may seem more than a stretch to draw from a modern fantasy tale for my illustration, but the story line of Batman offers very good examples of our point. In that story, the boy who will eventually ...read more

Tags: Servanthood

Denomination: Orthodox

Forgiveness

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Oct 24, 2025

One of my heroes of the faith is the late Richard Wurmbrand who died in February 2001. Wurmbrand was born in Rumania in 1920 as a Jew and became a Christian when he encountered Christ at an early age. He shared his faith with the occupying troops in the 1940’s and the Germans threw him in prison ...read more

Scripture: Luke 11:4

Tags: God's Underground, Wurmbrand

Denomination: Anglican

Seeking The Feet Of Jesus On The Farm During ...

Contributed by Tony Abram on Aug 30, 2005

Seeking the feet of Jesus on the farm during prayer so that I might one day hear Him say “Well done good and faithful servant”. Instead He spoke to my heart, that if I wanted to be a “good and faithful servant”, one thing I would have to do all the days of my life and that is to follow where His ...read more

Tags: Discipleship, Call Of The Disciples

My First Staff Position In A Church Was As The ...  PRO

Contributed by Chris Surber on Jun 21, 2008

My first staff position in a church was as the Associate Pastor of The Kirk Community Church in Dunedin, Florida. I normally arrived at church early but on this particular morning my wife and I had arrived just a few minutes before the worship service was to begin. As my wife Christina unbuckled ...read more

Tags: Church Purpose Of

Denomination: Christian Church

Mrs. Chung Was One Of The First Believers In ...

Contributed by Gene Gregory on Feb 2, 2009

Mrs. Chung was one of the first believers in northern Hubei province of China. Though she was publicly humiliated for her faith in Christ, she remained faithful. Now, 40 years later, she can point to over 10,000 ...read more

Tags: Endurance

Denomination: Baptist

Someone Once Asked, "Ever Notice That The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Someone once asked, “Ever notice that the whisper of temptation can be heard farther than the loudest call of duty?” And it is when we think we are strong in our faith that we have a tendency to live life on the edge of our faith, right ...read more

Tags: Temptation Resisting

Spiritual Health Checks  PRO

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Spiritual Health Checks (Devoted to Prayer) There are four signs that show that the child of God is a healthy Christian. One is a heart hungry for God's Word, second is his desire to be involved in Christian fellowship, third he observes "Communion," and four he is devoted to prayer. (Acts ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:42

Tags: Church Discipline

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

George Gordon Liddy Was A Watergate Conspirator ...

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on May 6, 2010

George Gordon Liddy was a Watergate conspirator serving under Pres. Richard Nixon. Upon his release from prison: "I have found within myself all I need and all I ever shall need. I am a man of great ...read more

Tags: Deception, Self

Denomination: Pentecostal

About Three Or Four Years Ago My Brother's ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

About three or four years ago my brother’s pastor got cancer. After learning of this bad news the pastor said “For all these years I have preached about faith and victory in Jesus. Now, it is time for me to show that I ...read more

Tags: Christian Values

Does God Have The Say?

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Mar 13, 2010

DOES GOD HAVE THE SAY? WE HAVE JUST MOVED TO SYDNEY NSW from the Whitsundays in Queensland, Australia. I didn't come seeking a better position, certainly not better scenery or more money. We don't even have our own house to live in at present. When we moved, we moved because we knew that God was ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God Is Behind Our Lives: These Days Most People ...

Contributed by Aubrey Vaughan on Jul 25, 2007

God is behind our lives: These days most people have the wonderful blessing of a Satellite Navigation in their car to direct them in their travels. The Sat nav directs them to their given destination.It knows the start from the finish. Pastor Aubrey Vaughan in sermon journey of faith.@ ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

How Many Of Us Have Watched Trading Spaces On Tlc ...  PRO

Contributed by Mitchell Skelton on Jun 10, 2003

How many of us have watched Trading Spaces on TLC or seen Bob Villa and became inspired to finally do something about our own tired and outdated homes? It’s easy to get inspired to do something. Once inspired by seeing a weeks work condensed into a one hour TV show we can easily envision the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2, Hebrews 6:1-12

Tags: Growth In Christ, Basics Of Christianity

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Spiritual Growth Takes Time  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 25, 2009

SPIRITUAL GROWTH TAKES TIME There was once a farmer who went to town to purchase seeds for his farm. As he was returning home one of the squash seeds he had purchased fell from his pocket onto the ground. It happened that within a few feet was another seed of a different type. The place where the ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 4:12-13

Tags: Spiritual Growth, Growth In Christ

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

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

David Used What He Had - A Sling. For The Little ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 1, 2008

David used what he had - a sling. For the little boy at the feeding of the 5,000 it was five loaves and two fish. For Samson it was the jawbone of a donkey. God can use anything. The major problem is workers in the Philippines nowadays have a personal slogan: "No support, no work." They live by ...read more

Scripture: Luke 8:22-25, Matthew 8:23-27

Tags: Peace

Bread In The Hand

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 27, 2008

BREAD IN THE HAND David used what he had--a sling. For the little boy at the feeding of the 5,000 it was five loaves and two fish. For Samson it was the jawbone of a donkey. God can use anything. The major problem is workers in the Philippines nowadays have a personal slogan: "No support, no ...read more

Tags: Becoming A Christian