In Sermon Illustrations: "Faith"

Grace Is For Everyone: 3:10 To Yuma

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Apr 28, 2009

GRACE IS FOR EVERYONE: 3:10 TO YUMA One of the main themes that we find in a lot (although not all) of Jesus’ parables is God’s grace. Specifically, they often point towards God’s limitless grace. That was a central part of last week’s parable: Grace demands our response. I want to start with a ...read more

Tags: Grace

Denomination: Church Of God

John Newton Was A Rough, Dirty Sailor With A Foul ...

Contributed by Tim White on Jun 19, 2009

John Newton was a rough, dirty sailor with a foul mouth and an appetite for rotten living. He hated life and life hated him. He was captain of a slave ship. Then someone placed in his hands a copy of Thomas a Kempis’ The Imitation of Christ. He also had the gift of a good mother who told him about ...read more

Tags: Lordship Of Christ

Denomination: Baptist

The Bible Changes Lives

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 13, 2009

THE BIBLE CHANGES LIVES Research consistently shows what a person believes translates into behavior. A major survey of more than 3,700 teens involved in evangelical churches reveals that, compared to teens who possess a solid, biblical belief system, young people who lack such basic biblical ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 4:3-13

Tags: Bible Influence

A Fasting Story

Contributed by Davon Huss on Aug 11, 2009

A FASTING STORY Barbara Gordon tells about her first time fasting. (I don’t want to lose my reward) She fasted one day a week for 9 weeks. She was lead to pray for 9 individuals that had requested prayer. At the end she said, "God moved in many ways during that time. While most of the answers ...read more

Tags: Fast

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Graham Stuart Staines (1941-January 1999) Was An ...

Contributed by Ajai Prakash on Nov 6, 2009

Graham Stuart Staines (1941-January 1999) was an Australian missionary who was burnt to death along with his two sons Philip (aged 9) and Timothy (aged 7) while sleeping in his station wagon at Manoharpur village in Keonjhar district in Orissa, India in January 1999. On the night of 22 January ...read more

Tags: Persecution

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Snoopy Complains On Thanksgiving About Having To ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 16, 2009

Snoopy Complains on Thanksgiving About Having To Eat Dog Food There was a Peanuts cartoon in the paper a while back. The cartoon pictured Charlie Brown bringing out Snoopy’s dinner on Thanksgiving Day. But it was just his usual dog food in a bowl. Snoopy took one look at the dog food and said, ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 100:1-5

Tags: Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Holiday

Implications For Society If Christ Wasn't ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 14, 2009

Implications for Society if Christ wasn’t Born Have you ever imagined how does this world look like if Jesus were not born in that manger in Bethlehem around two thousand years ago? No Churches; and definitely no Christian institution of any kind. Red Cross does not exist; World Vision and World ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:1-20

Tags: Christmas

Mine Worker Understands The Cost Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 1, 2010

Mine Worker Understands the Cost of Forgiveness G. Campbell Morgan, the well known pastor of the last century of Westminster Chapel, near Buckingham Palace, was once approached by a soldier who said he would give anything to believe that God would forgive sins, “but I cannot believe He will forgive ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:18-20

Tags: Salvation

Crooked On The Lot  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 28, 2010

CROOKED ON THE LOT The Jewish leaders had rejected salvation. The builders had rejected the very cornerstone of the temple, and stumbled over the rock. Growing up, there was a vacant lot next to our house. One day, a bunch of equipment and workers from Philyaw Construction showed up—and built a ...read more

Scripture: Acts 8:4-12

Tags: Jesus Christ

Commitment And Loyalty To Christ Likened To A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 7, 2010

Commitment and Loyalty to Christ Likened to a Trapeze Artist John Ortberg (Faith & Doubt, p. 169-170) says the word trapeze describes the bar between the ropes of a trapeze artist in the circus. It’s a Greek word, meaning table. It’s used in the New Testament when Jesus gathers his friends around ...read more

Scripture: Luke 14:26-27

Tags: Discipleship

Can Love Last A ...

Contributed by Ken Pell on Jul 8, 2010

Can Love Last a Lifetime? “Psychology Today Magazine” had a very timely an article in their June 2010 volume. The title of the article was “Can Love Last a Lifetime?” and their answer was Yes! Here is a thoroughly secular source that has recently changed its position and discovered that love need ...read more

Tags: Marriage Commitment

Denomination: Nazarene

Converted Not Once, But Often

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Aug 3, 2010

CONVERTED NOT ONCE, BUT OFTEN A person of no less stature than Ruth Graham, the daughter of a Presbyterian missionary and the wife of a world-famous evangelist, struggled with this idea of a "moment of conversion." She was raised in the faith and knew that she was secure in Christ, and yet she ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Sabbath Vs. Little League

Contributed by Davon Huss on Mar 1, 2011

SABBATH VS. LITTLE LEAGUE The NT changes several things about the Sabbath. However, it is wise to observe a time of rest and worship. A couple of years ago Roman Catholic Cardinal John O' Connor took on Little League baseball because many altar boys were missing Sunday services. He wanted ...read more

Tags: Sabbath

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Don't Waste Your Life

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 20, 2011

DON'T WASTE YOUR LIFE In his book Don’t Waste Your Life, John Piper recounts a story his father often told of his days as a fiery Baptist evangelist. It is the story of a man who came to saving faith in Jesus Christ near the end of his earthly existence. Piper writes: "The church had prayed for ...read more

Scripture: Acts 20:24

Tags: Conscience

Prayed Into The Kingdom

Contributed by Michael Walther on May 25, 2011

PRAYED INTO THE KINGDOM Chuck Sackett did not grow up in a Christian home. But he joined the Boy Scouts and wanted to complete the “God and Country” merit badge. So he walked a few blocks to a small church for several weeks. He filled out his papers, and did what he had to do get that badge. ...read more

Tags: Prayer Persistence

Denomination: Lutheran

The Wisdom Of William Jennings Bryan

Contributed by Dennis Davidson on May 30, 2011

THE WISDOM OF WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN was a U.S. Congressman, 3-time Democratic presidential nominee, and Secretary of State who served this country for three decades. He is probably best remembered for the famous Scopes Trial in 1925 at Dayton TN. This man's far reaching ...read more

Tags: Wisdom

Denomination: Baptist

Be Like Mike...?  PRO

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Jun 2, 2011

BE LIKE MIKE...? Gary Thomas, in his book Authentic Faith, describes a friend of his named Mike. He met Mike when he went to college. Mike was a leader among students. He had everything: a contagious personality, athletic ability, good looks, and natural appeal. And everybody wanted to be around ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 24:10-14

Tags: Christian Witness

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Commissioning Oath

Contributed by Jason Bonnicksen on Jun 20, 2011

COMMISSIONING OATH When I hear the word "commission," the first thing that comes to my mind is the commission military officers receive when they enter into service. Commissioned officers derive their authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the ...read more

Tags: Great Commission

Denomination: Lutheran

The Liberty Bell

Contributed by Jason Bonnicksen on Jul 6, 2011

THE LIBERTY BELL One of the most, iconic symbols of our national heritage --the Liberty Bell --hangs magnificently in the city of brotherly love. In 1751, the Pennsylvania Assembly ordered the bell to commemorate the commonwealth's fiftieth anniversary of William Penn's 1701 Charter of ...read more

Tags: Hope, Independence Day

Denomination: Lutheran

The Impact Of A Mother's Prayer

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 6, 2011

THE IMPACT OF A MOTHER’S PRAYER Picture an old woman with a halo of silvered hair--the hot tears flowing down her furrowed cheeks--her worn hands busy over a washboard in a room of poverty--praying--for her son John--John who ran away from home in his teens to become a sailor--John of whom it was ...read more

Scripture: James 5:16-20

Tags: Die, Mother's Day