In Sermon Illustrations: "Fire Of God"

The Cost Of Christmas

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Dec 4, 2011

THE COST OF CHRISTMAS One person observed that the message of Christmas was not one of convenience but "cost": * It cost Mary and Joseph the comforts of home to take a long journey to Bethlehem while she was "very" pregnant with her new child. * It cost the shepherds their comfort by the campfire ...read more

Tags: Christmas, Overcoming Fear

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Timothy Smith Writes In His Sermon On Jesus Being ...

Contributed by Derrick Tuper on Dec 27, 2011

Timothy Smith writes in his sermon on Jesus being born to die, "I was watching "48 Hours Mystery" last Tuesday night on CBS. Their show that night was called "The Mystery of Christmas." It was all about finding and looking at historical evidence for the birth of Christ. Early in the show Maureen ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Sola Fide: Faith Alone

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 1, 2012

SOLA FIDE: FAITH ALONE Sola fide isn’t a license to sin; it’s the motivation to follow your Savior Now, there was a time in the history of the church, when this doctrine was all but lost. By the fifteenth century the church had become a massive institution of power, and the gospel was polluted. ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9

Tags: Faith Vs. Works

Unaware Of The King's Presence  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 4, 2012

UNAWARE OF THE KING’S PRESENCE Steve Brown tells the frustrating story of some British social scientists. Following the end of British rule in India in the 1940s, a group of researchers wanted to study the impact of the end of British rule on the life of the nation. After six months, the British ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 21:1-16

Tags: Easter Palm Sunday

Faithful Unto Death

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on May 29, 2012

FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH When Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, the city was buried for 1700 years. When it was rediscovered, artifacts left a detailed picture of what was happening in the city at the time. For example, archeologists could identify the time by the clothes people were wearing, the produce ...read more

Tags: Obedience

Denomination: Baptist

What Commitment?

Contributed by Tim Smith on Jul 1, 2012

WHAT COMMITMENT? When I was in my first year of ministry, I walked into our District preachers meeting at the same time as Bobbie Potter, who was pastor of Munholland UMC in Old Metairie. He asked if I preach last Sunday which I did. Then he asked, "What did you ask them to commit to?" I said I ...read more

Tags: Worship General

Denomination: Methodist

Quotes On Pride

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jan 3, 2013

QUOTES ON PRIDE Medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas said of pride: "Inordinate self-love is the cause of every sin ... the root of pride is found to consist in man not being, in some way, subject to God and His rule." "A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as ...read more

Tags: Pride

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Dads: Out Of The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 2, 2013

DADS: OUT OF THE FRAME A little boy whose father was away from home a great deal because he was a high ranking military official with great national security duties, was seen standing staring at his father's picture on a shelf at home. The little boy's mother had placed several pictures of her ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:4

Tags: Father's Day

The Power Of Snowflakes  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 20, 2014

THE POWER OF SNOWFLAKES We can learn great lessons of unity and its power simply by observing the nature. For example a single snow flake that looks beautiful and innocent. If it remains on its own it can easily fly away or quickly melt away. On it's own it does no harm and poses no threat to any ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 11:1-9, Luke 10:38-42, Ephesians 4:13-14

Tags: Power, Unity, Power Of Unity

Mother Teresa

Contributed by Don Berry-Graham on Mar 1, 2016

Mother Teresa was attending a party full of dignitaries. The guest list included presidents and statesmen from around the world. They came in their crowns and jewels and silks. Mother Teresa wore her ever-present sari, held together by a safety pin. True leadership must be for the benefit of the ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:1-10

Tags: Mercy, Pastoral Leadership, Showing Mercy

Denomination: Baptist

Tithe And Offiering

Contributed by Rev. Vinod Rasaily on Oct 19, 2016

"I also learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been given to them, and that all the Levites and musicians responsible for the service had gone back to their own fields." Nehemiah 3:10 The Pastors and Worship team of Jerusalem Church were no where to be found. The reason? They ...read more

Scripture: Nehemiah 3:10-13

Tags: Tithes And Offering, Giving In Love, Support Mission, Financial Support

Denomination: Assembly Of God

A Living Memorial

Contributed by James Chandler on May 29, 2018

When our children were young, we took a vacation to Washington D.C. We saw the many different memorials. The highlight of our trip was Arlington National Cemetery. It was quite a moment standing there with my wife and children watching the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier. ...read more

Tags: Sacrifice, Memorial, Empty Tomb

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Hero Vs Hero Maker

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Jun 28, 2018

What does it mean to be a hero maker? A hero maker is a leader who shifts from being the hero to making others the hero in God's unfolding story. Real hero makers first die to any vision of personal glory. The dying involves a very real transition, one of grief and loss of ever becoming that ...read more

Scripture: John 14:12, Matthew 6:33

Tags: Leadership, Disciple Making, Leadership Training

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Happiness

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Jun 11, 2020

Augustine on Depravity and Grace; “Without you what am I to myself but a guide to my own self destruction?” “... the self which willed to serve (God) was identical with the self which was unwilling. It was I. I was neither wholly willing nor wholly unwilling. So I was in conflict with myself ...read more

Scripture: Romans 7:7-25

Tags: Grace, Sin, Depravity

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Watch Your Mind And Mouth

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Jan 5, 2021

Titus 3:9 But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. 10 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; 11 Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of ...read more

Scripture: Titus 3:9-11

Tags: Heresy, Shun, Arguments, Strivings

Denomination: Baptist

Three Dimensions Of Pentecost

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 19, 2022

When you stop and consider the work of the Holy Spirit—and that’s what Pentecost is all about—there are three direct dimensions: • First, the Holy Spirit does an INWARD work in us. He is the One who administers justification, regeneration, and the new birth in our lives. He is the One who cleanses ...read more

Tags: Holy Spirit, Pentecost, Revival, Simon Peter

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Don't See The Evidence

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Mar 31, 2022

I was with a friend talking to a new acquaintance when she began touting the virtues of a weight loss book she had read a few years earlier. “It will completely change your relationship with food,” she exclaimed, insisting he take down the name of the book and its author. I saw the man glance at ...read more

Scripture: James 1:22, James 1:23, James 1:24, James 1:25, 2 Corinthians 8:21  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Doer Of The Word, Integrity, Honesty

Denomination: Charismatic

Four Reasons For Christmas

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Dec 6, 2022

Text: Galatians 4:4 Did you ever wrestled with a problem that didn't exist? The Galatians were wrestling with a problem that had already been solved! What was the problem? The problem was, "What do we do with the Law! The Law was never meant to redeem mankind. Works were never meant to ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 4:4

Tags: Christmas, Bethlehem, Redemption, Virgin Birth, Deity Of Christ, Humanity Of Christ  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Definition Of Sin

Contributed by John Bright on Mar 4, 2025

The Greek word for sin is ‘hamartia.” It means ‘to miss the mark.” This classic interpretation refers to an archer missing the bullseye with an arrow. There are three possible causes for the miss: • Unintentional – archer did not mean to miss – still wrong – Hebrew word: ‘chattah’ – ...read more

Scripture: James 4:8

Tags: Sin, Iniquity, Transgression

Denomination: Methodist

Prison Release

Contributed by Kelly Benton on Feb 3, 2026

When a prison sentence is completed, the door open. Legally, the prisoner is free. But some inmates struggle to walk out because prison has trained them how to think, how to move, and how to live. The bars are gone, but the mindset remains. That’s a picture of many believers. Jesus paid the full ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:1

Tags: Freedom, No Condemnation

Denomination: Other