In Sermon Illustrations: "Favoritism" showing 421-440 of 605

The Show Went On; Many Had Been Slain (In The ...

Contributed by Clark Tanner on Apr 23, 2004

“The show went on; many had been slain (in the Roman Colosseum), and the people, madly excited by the desperate bravery of those who continued to fight, shouted their applause. But suddenly there was an interruption. A rudely clad, robed figure appeared for a moment among the audience, and then ...read more

Tags: Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Orthodox

Mark Buchanan's Shares An Illustration From ...  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Sep 25, 2005

Mark Buchanan’s shares an illustration from Leadership magazine in its Fall 2004 edition on pages 52, 53: General Maximus comes to Rome dirty and shackled. This is not the way it’s suppose to be. Where’s Rome’s legendary pageantry to greet one of her heroes-the heraldry, the burnished armor, the ...read more

Tags: Church Discipline, Church Purpose Of

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

In The 18th Century, Archibald Boyle Was The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 20, 2005

In the 18th century, Archibald Boyle was the leading member of an association of wild and wicked men known as “The Hell Club” in Glasgow, Scotland. After one night of carousing at the Club’s notorious annual meeting, Boyle dreamed he was riding home on his black horse. In the darkness, someone ...read more

Tags: Hell

Walter Reich Wrote In A Column From Washington: ...

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Jul 8, 2009

Walter Reich wrote in a column from Washington: I’m a man of bad habits, one of which is reading the newspaper while eating. Since I don’t have time for either activity, each one provides a good excuse for the other. The result is that I eat too much, and probably read too much, with the deep ...read more

Tags: Truth

Denomination: Pentecostal

Mendelssohn And Rembrandt: Artists In Christ

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 10, 2009

MENDELSSOHN AND REMBRANDT: ARTISTS IN CHRIST This past Tuesday we noted the 200th anniversary of the birth of the composer Felix Mendelssohn. Mendelssohn was born into a family with deep spiritual roots. His grandfather Moses Mendelssohn was a rabbi and a philosopher. But Felix’s parents, ...read more

Tags: God Brings Hope

A Parable Of Parables  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 23, 2010

A PARABLE OF PARABLES The content of belief is important: Jonathan Whitfield was preaching to coal miners in England. He asked one man, "What do you believe?" "Well, I believe the same as the church." "And what does the church believe?" "Well, they believe the same as me." Seeing he was ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15, Luke 22:24-27

Tags: Doctrine

Our Need For Pain  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 4, 2011

OUR NEED FOR PAIN There is no tougher dilemma in the Christian life than the problem of pain. It could be the pain of broken relationship, the pain of rejection, or the pain of insults. Or it could just be plain old physical pain. Nothing tests the faith like pain. It was physical pain that ...read more

Scripture: James 1:2-4

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

The Wrestler Who Never Gave Up

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 19, 2011

THE WRESTLER WHO NEVER GAVE UP Caleb teaches us to never give up on God or His promises. One of my favorite stories is about a scrawny kid from West Texas who attended a small high school. They didn't have a wrestling program, but he read a book on wrestling and asked one of the assistant ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 14:6-15

Tags: Endurance

The Scariest Road  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 7, 2012

THE SCARIEST ROAD Yahoo! Travel has released an article titled America’s Scariest Drives, and the results are frightening. Here is a brief list of some of the roads: Highway One that travels off the Big Sur Coast in California is both beautiful and breath-taking. This 122 mile stretch travels ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:13-14

Tags: Sermon On The Mount

In The Recent Summer Games (2012), Kim Rhode Won ...  PRO

Contributed by Kelly Mitchell on Aug 11, 2012

In the recent Summer Games (2012), Kim Rhode won the gold medal in skeet shooting making her the first American to win 5 olympic medals in 5 consecutive olympic games. That’s a span of 20 years and not her only distinction. In the 2012 games, she hit 99 out of 100 skeet setting a new Olympic ...read more

Scripture: 1 Chronicles 9:24-27

Tags: Preparation, Commitment To Christ, Disciplines General, Growth In Christ

Denomination: Baptist

Embracing The Interruptions (Fatherhood Thoughts)

Contributed by Matthew Redder on Jun 8, 2018

As a young Father I remember being frequently awakened in the middle of the night by my son. I would open my eyes to see him standing next to my bed, staring at me. It was startling and honestly, a little bit creepy. I would ask him what he needed and it was always something like, "I had a bad ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:10-12

Tags: Father, Listen, Fathers Day, Father And Son

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

War

Contributed by Steve Kinnard on Feb 15, 2019

WAR My life fell apart in the summer of ‘68. One minute I was the happiest man in the world then wham! It was all over. My countenance changed from a look of total contentment into one filled with agony and anguish. Here I was living in total rapture, married to the woman of my dreams. It’s hard ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-18

Tags: Battle, War

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Man Who Made A Pet Out Of A Rattlesnake

Contributed by David Goering on Nov 2, 2019

ILLUSTRATION: the story of the man who made a pet out of a rattlesnake. The "Memphis Commercial-Appeal" tells of a man across the river in Arkansas who had a pet rattlesnake. He had found it as a baby snake, taking it, fed it, and made a pet of it. The reptile would come when he ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:23

Tags: Death, Sin

The Only Thing Left Was The Sign

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jan 14, 2020

A number of years ago, I drove by a small shopping center in a Midwestern city. The display of signs stated there was everything from a bookstore to a pet shop to—my favorite—a hobby shop! I’ve been interested in model trains and aircraft for many years, and thought this would be a good place to ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 2:5

Tags: Forsaken Things, Closed Churches

Denomination: Baptist

Throughout The History Of Major League Baseball, ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Throughout the history of Major League Baseball, and certainly that of the Minnesota Twins baseball team, few characters have achieved the iconic status as that of former major-leaguer Kirby Puckett. His life started in the world’s largest housing projects -- Chicago’s Robert Taylor Homes -- a ...read more

Tags: Doing God's Will

The Treasure, Adapted From A Story By Alice Gray ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

The Treasure, adapted from a story by Alice Gray as printed in "More Stories for the Heart" There’s a story I like about a little girl who fell in love with a string of plastic pearls. She had saved up all her money to buy these plastic treasures. After she bought them, she wore those pearls ...read more

Tags: Patriarchs Abraham

Faith's Hall Of Fame: Abel

Contributed by Doug Lyon on Feb 17, 2008

Hebrews 11:4 Faith’s Hall of Fame: Abel Introduction Cooperstown, NY. Those of you who are baseball fans know that it is the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Ten years ago, back in July of 1998, my son Joel and I visited Cooperstown. We had tickets to the Hall of Fame game at Doubleday Field. ...read more

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Genghis Khan's Hawk

Contributed by Ken Mckinley on Sep 20, 2008

Genghis Khan's Hawk Sometimes when The Lord spoils our personal plans, we think He's treating us as an enemy, when in truth, He's acting as our best friend. The legend says that Genghis Khan, the Mongol king of the 13th century, was out hunting one hot summer day with his favorite hawk perched on ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Tags: God's Omniscience

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Saving Private Ryan Tells Us About Our Need For Grace

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Oct 24, 2022

Saving Private Ryan is one of my favorite World War II movies. Three out of four brothers are killed in action, and then a search is launched to find the fourth, Private James Ryan, so that he is not killed, leaving his mother childless. Eight men are sent out to find Private Ryan, who is missing ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9

Tags: Legalism, Salvation, Death, Grace, Fear, Works  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Distorted Christianity

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Jul 7, 2023

Q: What does the Church think of God the Father? A: He is omnipotent and holy. He created the world and imposed on mankind conditions impossible to fulfill; he is very angry if these are not carried out. He sometimes interferes in an arbitrary way with judgments and miracles, distributed with a ...read more

Scripture: Mark 6:1-6, 2 Corinthians 11:2-4, 2 Timothy 3:1-6

Tags: Slander, Misconceptions, Ignorance, Distortion, Dorothy Sayers  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed