In Sermon Illustrations: "Fearfully Made"

Opinions ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 9, 2008

OPINIONS VARY In 1858 a scientific expedition passed through a vast area in the Southwestern United States. A young lieutenant by the name of Ives made this entry in his report: The region we explored is completely without value. It can be approached only from the south and after entering it, ...read more

Tags: Possibilities

In A Recent Conversation, A Friend Reminded Me As ...

Contributed by Jim Kane on Dec 3, 2008

In a recent conversation, a friend reminded me as we talked about forgiveness, that when someone was crucified, the charges against him (or her) were nailed to the cross so that it was made public as to the reason for the crucifixion. In our main text, we read that Pilate, against the objection ...read more

Tags: Lord's Supper

Denomination: Church Of God

Jesus Willingly Put Aside His Divine Glory And ...

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jan 10, 2009

Jesus willingly put aside His divine glory and became the lowest of humans, a poor carpenter from a backwater town in Galilee. He suffered and because he obediently suffered the death of a slave, he was crowned with glory and honor. The idea was to bring many of God’s children to the same glory, ...read more

Tags: Suffering Joy In

Denomination: Catholic

If You Ever Happen To See In The Obituary ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"If you ever happen to see in the obituary column that Henrietta Mears has died, dont you believe it This old body may die, but Ill be glad of thatIll have a new body. And what will I do when I get to heaven? Well, I am going to ask the Lord to show me around. Ill want to get in a rocket ship to ...read more

Tags: Death

Our Mistakes Wont Irreparably Damage Our Lives ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"Our mistakes wont irreparably damage our lives unless we let them. It is said that in making Persian rugs the artist stands before the rug while a group of boys stands behind to pull the thread after the artist starts it. If one of the boys makes a mistake, the artist adjusts the pattern ...read more

Tags: Mistakes

My God, I Have Never Thanked Thee For My Thorn. ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"My God, I have never thanked Thee for my thorn. I have thanked Thee a thousand times for my roses, but not once for my thorn. I have been looking forward to a world where I shall get compensation for my cross; but I have never thought of my cross as itself a present glory. Teach me the glory of my ...read more

Tags: Emotions

Hope And A Grateful Heart  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 24, 2009

HOPE AND A GRATEFUL HEART There is an old legend of a man who found the barn where Satan kept his seeds ready to be sown in the human heart. On finding the seeds of discouragement more numerous than others, he learned that those seeds could be made to grow almost anywhere. When questioned, Satan ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:27-29

Tags: God Brings Hope

The Master Of Religiosity

Contributed by Mark Schaeufele on Jun 29, 2009

THE MASTER OF RELIGIOSITY He made free use of Christian vocabulary. He talked about the blessing of the Almighty and the Christian confessions which would become the pillars of the new government. He assumed the earnestness of a man weighed down by historic responsibility. He handed out pious ...read more

Tags: Hypocrisy

Denomination: Methodist

Not Too Many Years Ago Newspapers Carried The ...

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Oct 22, 2009

Not too many years ago newspapers carried the story of Al Johnson, a Kansas man who came to faith in Jesus Christ. What made his story remarkable was not his conversion, but the fact that as a result of his newfound faith in Christ, he confessed to a bank robbery he had participated in when he was ...read more

Tags: Restoration

Denomination: Pentecostal

Modern-Day Idolatry

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Dec 7, 2009

MODERN-DAY IDOLATRY A couple of weeks ago one of the men in our Pueblo told about a time when one of the executives in his company made the statement: "This company is our life." He said he couldn't help but speak up. He said, "I'm loyal to the company, but it is NOT my life. God is first in my ...read more

Tags: Idolatry

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Trials, Troubles, And Polished Gems

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 27, 2011

TRIALS, TROUBLES, AND POLISHED GEMS There is a Chinese proverb, "A gem is not polished without rubbing, nor a man made better without trials." Sure it doesn't feel good to go through abrasive moments of trials and problems. Sometimes they are recurring. Remember this, my Christian friend; life ...read more

Scripture: James 1:2-4

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Tough Teacher

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Feb 27, 2012

TOUGH TEACHER A school teacher injured his back and had to wear a plaster cast around the upper part of his body. It fit under his shirt and was not noticeable at all. On the first day of the term, still with the cast under his shirt, he found himself assigned to the toughest students in ...read more

Tags: Authority

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Barna: God's Truth

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Sep 14, 2012

BARNA: GOD'S TRUTH George Barna from his book Turning Vision Into Action states, "Abraham was successful until God showed him that material wealth was poverty in eternity. Moses had it made as the adopted son of the Egyptian pharaoh, but he discovered that the finest clothing, the best education ...read more

Tags: Truth

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Silence And Solitude: Jesus Example

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Dec 16, 2016

Jesus made a habit of withdrawing to "the Hills" or "a lonely place" or "the wilderness" or "a high mountain" or the Garden of Gethsemane. He went to these places before he chose his disciples, after he heard of his cousin John's beheading, after feeding the 5000, after healing a leper, for the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:12, Luke 9:28

Tags: Solitude, Silence

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Christ Died For You!

Contributed by John Bright on Apr 6, 2025

There’s an old saying: If you were the only one, Jesus would have still died on that cross. Here’s how a couple of folks put it: “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.” St. Augustine of Hippo(354-430 AD) “When He died in the Wounded World He died not for men, but for each man. If ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:8

Tags: Salvation, Personal

Denomination: Methodist

Awesome Thanksgiving Illustration

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 7, 2022

There is a legend of a man who found the barn where Satan supposedly kept his seeds ready to be sown into the human heart. On finding these seeds of discouragement more numerous than the other seeds, he learned that those seeds could be made to grow almost anywhere. When Satan was questioned, he ...read more

Tags: Faith, Thanksgiving, Miracles, Gratitude, Leprosy, Blessings, Lepers  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Gratitude - The Greatest Virtue

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 21, 2019

Thankfulness leaves no room for DISCOURAGEMENT. There is a legend of a man who found the barn where Satan supposedly kept his seeds ready to be sown into the human heart. On finding these seeds of discouragement more numerous than the other seeds, he learned that those seeds could be made to grow ...read more

Scripture: Luke 17:11-19

Tags: Discouragement, Virtue, Thanksgiving, Satan, Gratitude  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

It’s Closer Than I Thought!

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Feb 7, 2020

My wife and her parents used a certain brand of ketchup for many things over a long period of time. They hadn’t had any of it, though, in maybe 30 years or so. They believed this brand wasn’t available, locally, so they never got around to finding any more of it. Now, I grew up in a different part ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:3, 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Tags: God's Will, Discovery, Sharing

Denomination: Baptist

Sir Douglas Bader Was A Pilot Who Lost Both His ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Mar 13, 2001

Sir Douglas Bader was a pilot who lost both his legs in a plane crash before WW2. He was fitted with artificial legs & resumed flying. In 1939, when Germany & England went to war, he enlisted in the Royal Air Force. Flying with two artificial legs, he shot down 22 enemy airplanes in the Battle ...read more

Tags: Endurance, Human Body

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

I Received This Story In An E-Mail, So I Am Not ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 16, 2001

I received this story in an e-mail, so I am not sure of the original source. A little boy purchased a model sailboat. He was so excited about building the boat. He diligently constructed the boat and was ready to test it on the water. He walked down the the lake to sail his boat. As soon as he ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus, God's Forgiveness, Lordship Of Christ