In Sermon Illustrations: "False Shepherds"

In The Book Of Revelation, Jesus Himself Speaks ...

Contributed by John Cuddeford on Nov 1, 2007

In the book of Revelation, Jesus himself speaks to them. He commends them for many things. But then he adds this sobering rebuke. “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. ” (Rev. 2:4) WHO is your FIRST LOVE? Over the years, have the pursuits, the distractions, the ...read more

Denomination: *other

When The Wise Men Come To Jesus, They Bring Three ...  PRO

Contributed by Hal Seed on Dec 4, 2007

When the wise men come to Jesus, they bring three gifts: Gold, which is the gift for royalty, a gift for a king. Incense, which was for divinity, a gift you give a God. And myrrh, which is a funeral gift, a gift used for burial. Their gifts show amazing insight. At first hearing, you might think ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:12-16, Matthew 2:1-12, Luke 2:1-12

Tags: Adoration, Antichrist, Magi, Six Foot Hole

Denomination: Baptist

We Need More Training  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2008

WE NEED MORE TRAINING I have decided to join the US Army. Depending on whether or not I could pass the physical.... Well, let's assume I did. In that case, I figure it should only take me about one week of training and I'll be ready to go to Iraq or Afghanistan. OH COME ON NOW! We all know better ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:24-27

Tags: Attendance, Church Body Of Christ

Shirley Maclaine On Self

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2008

SHIRLEY MACLAINE ON SELF Actress Shirley MacLaine said one time, "The most pleasurable journey you take is through yourself...the only sustaining love involvement is with yourself... When you look back on your life and try to figure out where you've been and where you're going, when you look at ...read more

Tags: Self

Don't Just Count Them, Look Them In The Eye

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 28, 2009

DON’T JUST COUNT THEM, LOOK THEM IN THE EYE An item in Leadership magazine illustrates the importance of giving attention to needs, not just to numbers. "During World War II, economist E.F. Schumacher, then a young statistician, worked on a farm. Each day he would count the 32 head of cattle, then ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

The Explosive Christmas Story  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 7, 2009

THE EXPLOSIVE CHRISTMAS STORY James Martin tells about a trip to the Holy Land. While there, he buys a nativity set for his Sunday School class. It was carved out of olive wood in the town of Bethlehem and had all the traditional figures: sheep and oxen; wise men and the shepherds; Mary, Joseph, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 2:1-23

Tags: Birth Of Jesus

This Story Broke This Week From The United ...

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Dec 14, 2009

This story broke this week from the United Kingdom: " LONDON (Reuters) – Gone are the days of shepherds in tea towels and tinsel-clad angels. Britain’s competitive parents are forking out on luxury pashmina shawls and velour dressing gowns to make their child the star of the annual nativity ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Boice On The Virgin Birth  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2009

BOICE ON THE VIRGIN BIRTH One well-known Christian author, James Montgomery Boice, eloquently documents amazing things Jesus’ virgin birth, sinless life and sacrificial death accomplished for mankind as an amazing sign of His love. Jesus endured a human birth to give us a new spiritual birth. ...read more

Scripture: John 1:14

Tags: Birth Of Jesus

Vance Havner On How To Reach The Masses  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 28, 2010

VANCE HAVNER ON HOW TO REACH THE MASSES Preacher Vance Havner used to tell this story: Years ago a convention met in Indianapolis to discuss "How to Reach the Masses." One day during that convention a young man stood on a box on a corner and began to preach. A crowd gathered, mostly workingmen ...read more

Scripture: Romans 10:14-15

Tags: Evangelism How To

Losing Jesus

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Dec 13, 2010

LOSING JESUS For about 14 years, I have been teaching AWANA. I teach each of our three division, beginning with a puppet skit and then a flannel graph lesson with felt figures. I taught the Christmas Story to the Sparks, K-2nd grade, then I moved everything into the auditorium to teach the Flames ...read more

Tags: Birth Of Jesus

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Running With A Stopwatch

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 15, 2012

RUNNING WITH A STOPWATCH Long-distance runner Paavo Nurmi of Finland was an Olympic champion, winning twelve medals (nine of them gold) in the 1920, 1924, and 1928 Games. Nurmi was famous not only for his achievements, but also for running with a stopwatch in his hand to check his performance. ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-13

Tags: Disciplines General

The Way Of ...

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

The Way of Cain by Henry Morris, Ph.D. USED BY PERMISSION (© 2007 by ICR. All Rights Reserved. http://icr.org) "Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain" (Proverbs 25:14) Cain initially was a religious man, evidently proud of his achievements as a "tiller of the ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:4

Tags: Truth

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

According To Church Tradition St. Valentine Was A ...  PRO

Contributed by Richard White on Feb 18, 2004

According to church tradition St. Valentine was a priest near Rome in about the year A.D. 270. Now some have rejected the story because of its similarity to that of Paul. At that time the Roman Emperor was imprisoning Christians for not worshipping the Roman gods. During this persecution Valentine ...read more

Tags: Unconditional Love, Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

When The Spiritual Leaders Fail To Lead People ...  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Mar 18, 2005

When the spiritual leaders fail to lead people toward God and teach the people His way then people will break the faith they have with God. Breaking the faith is common in a society when the leadership breaks down and fails to do its job. Breaking the faith means the people of God walk away from ...read more

Tags: Divorce, Leadership General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Each Friday Night After Work, Bubba Would Fire ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Each Friday night after work, Bubba would fire up his outdoor grill and cook a venison steak. But, all of Bubba’s neighbors were Catholic....And since it was Lent, they were forbidden from eating meat on Friday. The delicious aroma from the grilled venison steaks was causing such a problem for the ...read more

Tags: Leadership General

In 1988, Wally Magdangal Was Pastoring An ...

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Sep 19, 2007

In 1988, Wally Magdangal was pastoring an underground church in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He was a Filipino lay pastor of Christian foreign workers wishing to gather for worship. In 1992, soon after the conclusion of the Gulf War, the house church had grown to over three hundred worshipers, the largest ...read more

Denomination: Wesleyan

The Same Gospel For The Same ...

Contributed by Bill Butsko on Feb 26, 2009

“The Same Gospel for the Same Needs” Some months after our arrival in China, an old experienced missionary came to my husband with the following advice: “Do not attempt to speak of Jesus the first time on preaching to a heathen audience. The Chinese have a prejudice against the name of Jesus. ...read more

Tags: Preaching

Denomination: Christian Church

Honesty (Or Not) In ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 13, 2009

HONESTY (OR NOT) IN AMERICA In the book, The Day America Told the Truth, of the people surveyed, the authors found these results – 91 percent of American lie about trivial matters; 36 percent of Americans lie about important matters; 86 percent regularly lie to parents, 75 percent regularly lie ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 12:17-22

Tags: Lies

In 1988, Wally Magdangal Was Pastoring An ...

Contributed by Ajai Prakash on Nov 6, 2009

In 1988, Wally Magdangal was pastoring an underground church in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He was a Filipino lay pastor of Christian foreign workers wishing to gather for worship. In 1992, soon after the conclusion of the Gulf War, the house church had grown to over three hundred worshipers, the largest ...read more

Tags: Persecution

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Grab The Rope

Contributed by Daniel King, D. Min. on Aug 1, 2018

Main Idea: To be saved, you must let go of what you are trusting in and grab onto Jesus. Verse: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:30-31 NKJV). Illustration: One time there was a man who ...read more

Scripture: Acts 16:30-31

Tags: Trust In Jesus, Faith, Salvation

Denomination: Charismatic