In Sermon Illustrations: "Family Relationships"

In The City Of Mashed, Pastor Soodman, A Muslim ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 26, 2009

In the city of Mashed, Pastor Soodman, a Muslim convert was hung for his faith in Christ. His assistant took over the leadership of the church. The assistant was arrested and released, but each week was interrogated by the authorities. The pressure was intense, and his wife feared he might break. ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:1-39

Tags: Persecution

God Is A Jealous God

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 12, 2009

GOD IS A JEALOUS GOD A few years ago, I was working in Qatar installing a newsroom set for Al-Jazeera TV. I’d been there for nearly a month and was ready to go home. I can’t describe for you how badly I missed my family. We were nearly finished with the set, and the last thing to be done was to ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 20:5

Tags: Idolatry, Generation

The Evidence Of His ...

Contributed by Bill Butsko on Mar 13, 2009

“The Evidence of His Claim” There is a story told of a cottage in a little country village, in which lived a family of four: father, mother, and two small children. One evening something happened, what, no one knows – and the little cottage caught on fire. In a few seconds the thatched roof and ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Christian Church

Our Room Steward, Denny, Was So Nice And Seemed ...

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Mar 17, 2009

Our room steward, Denny, was so nice and seemed to genuinely show concern and respect to our family. It was amazing. So as I thought about this issue of respect, which we are going to talk about today, I also began to wonder if respect can be bought. How many of you have been on a cruise? This ...read more

Tags: Servanthood

Denomination: Church Of God

The Nobel Story

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 17, 2009

THE NOBEL STORY In 1866, Alfred Nobel invented dynamite and built up companies and laboratories in more than 20 countries all over the world. In the process, he amassed a considerable fortune. When Nobel’s brother died, the newspaper made a mistake and ran an obituary for Alfred Nobel. In the ...read more

Tags: Character

Population Control Stats

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Mar 30, 2009

POPULATION CONTROL STATS The God of Israel stood apart in the ancient world as the One and Only God who cares about even the most helpless little infant. Exodus 1:20 says that God rewarded these brave midwives by giving them families of their own. You see, our God sees babies as blessings! ...read more

Tags: Birth Control

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Abundant Life  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 7, 2009

ABUNDANT LIFE In December 1990, the threat of war with Iraq was looming. Many reserves and National Guard troops were mobilized. There were some homes where father and mother were both deployed. Recognizing this situation (that both father and mother would be gone overseas), a civic organization ...read more

Scripture: John 10:10

Tags: Joy

What A Friend We Have In Jesus

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 7, 2009

WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS I want to close this message by singing a great hymn of prayer and faith. "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." This hymn was written by Joseph Scriven who lived from 1819 to 1886. Joseph Scriven had wealth, education, a devoted family, and a pleasant life in his native ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships

Punished For Helping

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 10, 2009

PUNISHED FOR HELPING Thu Feb 26, AP/ DENVER -- A good Samaritan who helped push three people out of the path of a pickup truck before being struck and injured has gotten a strange reward for his good deed: A jaywalking ticket. Family members said 58-year-old bus driver Jim Moffett and another man ...read more

Scripture: John 15:18-27

Tags: Fail, Good, Intention, Hardship Of Life

Guidance In ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 14, 2009

GUIDANCE IN LIFE It makes a difference who your leader is! When we were kids going on summer vacation, I don’t ever remember my dad getting lost. -- But Eric Ritz writes: When I was a young boy, our family always vacationed together. It was my mother and father and five kids in an old Ford Falcon ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 1:1-33

Tags: Wisdom

Living Poor To Give More: Excelling In Giving

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 14, 2009

LIVING POOR TO GIVE MORE: EXCELLING IN GIVING The richest people in the world give a huge amount of money, yet their generosity is really a very small proportion of their wealth. And apparently the vast majority of Christ’s followers are not exactly excelling their giving either. So what does ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:7

Tags: Giving General

A Brother And A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 14, 2009

A BROTHER AND A SINNER For more than 600 years, the Hapsburgs held great political power in Europe. When Franz-Josef I, the emperor of Austria, died in 1916, his was the last of the very extravagant imperial funerals. A processional of dignitaries and elegantly dressed members of the imperial ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 49:16-17

Tags: Humility

Discipleship Is Intentional Maintenance

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Jul 22, 2009

DISCIPLESHIP IS INTENTIONAL MAINTENANCE Discipleship requires maintenance, which you find true in so many areas of life. Seventeen years ago we bought our present car. At the time I was working with the Rev. John Bomar on the American Family Asso. Committee. He noticed I had a new Volvo. They ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Teddy Bear Lady

Contributed by Davon Huss on Aug 11, 2009

THE TEDDY BEAR LADY Most of the people at Chicago’s Children’s Hospital did not know her name. They just knew her as the sweet elderly lady in the red suit who wanted to make sure that every sick child had a teddy bear to hug and caress. She kept bringing the stuffed animals, purchased with her ...read more

Tags: Giving General

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Chuck Smith Meets A New Brother In Christ—a ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 23, 2009

Chuck Smith Meets a New Brother in Christ—A Tribal Chief in New Guinea Chuck Smith: I was over in New Guinea and I had this native chieftain come up to me. He had to speak to me through an interpreter. And he had these spears in his hand. He said, "I used these to kill men. But," he said, "now ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:3-6

Tags: Body Of Christ, Church Body Of Christ

Dare To Be Different

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 7, 2009

DARE TO BE DIFFERENT A number of years ago I was traveling in the western part of North Carolina, near the town of Bryson City. I had not had my license very long and had been given specific instructions by my family members concerning the road that I would find once I left the main highway. I was ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:12-14

Tags: Holiness

Wilma Rudolph, Stricken As A Child With Polio, ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 6, 2010

Wilma Rudolph, Stricken as a Child with Polio, Achieves Olympic Gold Wilma didn’t get much of a head start in life. A bout with polio left her left leg crooked and her foot twisted inward so she had to wear leg braces. After seven years of painful therapy, she could walk without her braces. At age ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-2

Tags: Endurance

When God Tells You "No"

Contributed by Paul Wallace on Mar 25, 2010

WHEN GOD TELLS YOU "NO" Has God ever told me "No"? Yes, many times. Was it easy? Never! The hardest time was a long time ago. My first son, James Daniel, was born with severe heart defects. I knew that God could heal him and prayed daily for my son's healing. A year later, after open heart ...read more

Tags: Disappointment

Denomination: Wesleyan

The Witness Of Booth And Lee

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Jul 15, 2010

THE WITNESS OF BOOTH AND LEE In the early years of her life she witnessed horrific events as members of her family were beheaded in conflicts in China. Although she was only a little girl, MI LEE (not her real name) was forced to watch and still hallucinates about these terrible and barbaric ...read more

Tags: Christian Witness

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Philip Yancey's Wife Shares The Suffering Of An ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 4, 2010

Philip Yancey’s Wife Shares the Suffering of an Elderly Man Philip Yancey- My wife worked with some of the poorest people in the city of Chicago, directing a program of a church that intentionally seeks out lonely and abandoned senior citizens no one else cares for. Many times I have seen her pour ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:15

Tags: Compassion