In Sermon Illustrations: "Forgive Your Enemy"

Life Full Of Gratitude

Contributed by Saumiman Saud on Feb 22, 2025

Life Full of Gratitude My Father in Heaven, forgive me if I have been negligent in giving thanks to You, even though the blessings I receive are always abundant. Although I am not wealthy, I am not poor, thanks to God's grace. Thank you, Lord, Thank you. Give thanks in all circumstances; for ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Tags: Life, Gratitude

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

George Barna's Research Of 1996 And 1997  PRO

Contributed by Martin Wiles on Apr 30, 2002

George Barna’s research of 1996 and 1997. 1. Many professing Christians believe that people are inherently good, that our primary purpose is to enjoy life and that our most important responsibility is to take care of our family. 2. 81% believe that the Bible teaches that God helps those who help ...read more

Tags: Truth, Christian Values

Denomination: Baptist

Through The Valley Of Death  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 14, 2003

THROUGH THE VALLEY OF DEATH Philip Crosby, in his book "March Till They Die," gives an account of a forced march that American and European soldiers who had been captured had to endure in Korea. It was November of 1950, and the North Koreans were being pushed north. As they went, they forced the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 23:34

Tags: Jesus Teachings, Jesus Christ, People In Acts

Unkept Promises  PRO

Contributed by Herman Abrahams on Jan 1, 2004

Unkept Promises We live in an era of unkept promises. Nations sign important treaties and then break them at will. And many couples show little regard for their wedding vows. In this kind of society, we who are God¡¦s people should be known for keeping our promises. The brilliant Christian scholar ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 9:1-13, 2 Samuel 9:1-13

Tags: Faithfulness, Christian Disciplines, Promise

Denomination: Charismatic

An Old Woman Dearly Loved Her Lord. Often Her ...  PRO

Contributed by Charles R. Swindoll on Sep 27, 2004

An old woman dearly loved her Lord. Often her cup of joy overflowed. A favourite expression of hers was, "Praise the Lord!" Often, in God’s house, when the minister preached, she would say, "Praise the Lord!" Sometimes, however, the minister was disturbed by this, and he would lose his line of ...read more

Tags: Joy

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

J. One Rainy Afternoon I Was Driving Along One ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 24, 2004

J. One rainy afternoon I was driving along one of the main streets of town, taking those extra precautions necessary when the roads are wet and slick. Suddenly, my daughter, Aspen, spoke up from her relaxed position in her seat. "Dad, I’m thinking of something." This announcement usually meant she ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

Mary Was Only 16. After All She Had Her Whole ...

Contributed by William Ellis on Aug 25, 2005

Mary was only 16. After all she had her whole life to live. As she stood there outside of the clinic she would never forget what she just did. Tears filled her eyes as she walked back to her car and looked into her own mothers eyes as she closed the door. I know mom said that it would be ok and ...read more

Tags: Abortion

Denomination: Church Of God

When A Fellow Pastor Was A Child, His Family Sold ...  PRO

Contributed by Eric Vertein on Dec 12, 2005

When a fellow pastor was a child, his family sold evergreens for Christmas. Since they did the trimming throughout the year, they could tell which tree was the fullest, and they would tag it, so that no one else would take the tree that they wanted... Spiritually, we probably resemble Charlie ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Lutheran

Dietrich Bonheoffer Once Asked This Question Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Dietrich Bonheoffer once asked this question of us, "Do we understand that instead we get a messiah who gives us power all right, but it’s a whole new kind of power, it’s THE POWER OF SUFFERING LOVE It’s a power that looks me in the eye, forgives my sin, my fear, my anger, my resentment, my ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

Tv Guide And The Bible

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

TV Guide and the Bible One of Satan’s strategies in our life is to sweep away the Bible and its importance out of our lives. A poet once wrote about the tendency to get into a slump allowing our commitment to God’s Word to wilt away as he writes: “They lie on the table side by side; the Holy ...read more

Tags: Paul

George Barna Leads A Christian Research Group And ...

Contributed by Austin Mansfield on Jun 28, 2007

George Barna leads a Christian research group and discovered some things about Christian beliefs. In his research during 1996 and 1997, Barna discovered that many professing Christians believe that people are inherently good, that our primary purpose is to enjoy life, and that our most important ...read more

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

As A Young Boy, Theologian Alister Mcgrath ...

Contributed by Bobby Mcdaniel on Apr 17, 2010

As a young boy, theologian Alister McGrath enjoyed experimenting with chemicals in his school's laboratory. He liked to drop a tarnished coin into a beaker of diluted nitric acid. He often used an old British penny bearing the image of Queen Victoria. Because of the accumulated grime, Her Majesty's ...read more

Tags: Change

The Love Of Christ Enables Believers  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 31, 2010

THE LOVE OF CHRIST ENABLES BELIEVERS I like the way one pastor put it years ago (1986) when he became overwhelmed with all the "ideals" he was collecting from church growth seminars and books. He said, "Quite frankly, I'm sick to death of ideals. I have so many ideals and I've been so frustrated ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 4:13-16

Tags: Growth In Christ

Cruel Grace  PRO

Contributed by Bret Toman on Jan 4, 2011

CRUEL GRACE "Thirty years ago, many people chose churches based on whether the church believed and taught the truth. Today, many choose churches based on whether the church makes them feel comfortable. If a church tells the truth, it will gain some people but lose others. One out of five women ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:6

Tags: Grace

Denomination: Baptist

God's Only 'forgotten' Son

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 24, 2011

GOD'S ONLY 'FORGOTTEN' SON There's a true story told about a revival that was held in a small town. The crowd had dispersed, when a woman came down front and asked to speak with the preacher. She cried uncontrollably as she explained to the minister that she wanted to become a Christian, but she ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16

Tags: God's Love

Various Studies Conducted By Yale, John Hopkins ...  PRO

Contributed by Steve Malone on May 15, 2001

Various studies conducted by Yale, John Hopkins and other groups have documented the following; The absence of a father is a stronger factor than poverty in contributing to juvenile delinquency. In 48 cultures around the world crime rates were highest among adults who as children had been raised ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Tags: Parenting, Father's Day, Family

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Happiness... Or Holiness?  PRO

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Happiness... or Holiness? We Christians have sometimes made a mistake when leading others to Christ in allowing (or encouraging) them to believe that, once they are born-again children of God, there will no longer be any trials in their lives. This may be especially true when they come to ...read more

Scripture: Nehemiah 8:10

Tags: Holiness

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Sifted Like Wheat

Contributed by Sam Mccormick on Dec 15, 2016

A rooster’s crow announced the dawn. This dawn was not the sunrise, still hours away, but the dawn of Peter’s realization of what he had done. Like the first rays of the sun slicing through the night’s darkness, Peter awakened to his sin and its gravity. It cut him to the core of his being, and ...read more

Scripture: Luke 22:31-32

Tags: Peter, Betrayal Of Christ, Sifted, Rehabilitation

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Third Grader's Explanation Of God  PRO

Contributed by Brian Mavis on Apr 4, 2001

A THIRD GRADERS EXPLANATION OF GOD Written by Danny Dutton, age 8, from Chula Vista, California, for his third grade homework assignment to "Explain God." One of God’s main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones that die so there will be enough people to take care of things on ...read more

Scripture: Mark 7:1-23, Galatians 5:1-26

Tags: God The Father, Children

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Aikido For Christ

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Mar 25, 2009

AIKIDO FOR CHRIST The lessons and teaching of the Holy Spirit came each day and through various ways. When we were doing a tent revival on Penn and Plymouth, the Holy Spirit taught me a lesson about dying to myself and letting go of my natural abilities like strength and fighting to resolve ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational