In Sermon Illustrations: "Friend Of Sinners"

Bible Leads Brazilian Prostitutes To ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 10, 2010

Bible Leads Brazilian Prostitutes to Christ "Pastor is it OK to sell a Bible to a prostitute?" You see Laura was a member of a small church in Brazil. She sold Avon products to supplement the family income. One of her weekly routes took her through the red light district. One day after asking her ...read more

Scripture: John 8:1-11

Tags: Bible Influence

John Mccain's Personal Account At The Republican ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 6, 2010

John McCain’s Personal Account at the Republican National Convention of Being a POW in Viet Nam I suggest we can learn something from John McCain’s personal testimony segment of his speech. The Republican nominee said: Long ago, something unusual happened to me that taught me the most valuable ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 15:33

Tags: Patriotism

Where Is Your Faith?

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Dec 25, 2014

“A weak faith is weakened by predicaments and catastrophes, whereas a strong faith is strengthened by them.” – Victor Frankl Rain poured down and thunder boomed one dark night in September in Western Oklahoma. It had been a quiet, pleasant evening at the nursing center, and nurses and residents ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:7

Tags: Active Faith, Encourage Others, Courageous Women, Faith Lifestyle

Denomination: Charismatic

Confirm Your Love

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Dec 25, 2014

"It takes time and energy to have an enemy at work." - Gary Chapman Everyone’s mouth dropped open at the rude comment made to the receptionist by the higher ranking female employee. The receptionist was a plain, quiet woman, not dressed very well, who went studiously about her work and ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 2:5-11

Tags: Forgive Your Enemy, Power Of The Tongue, Hold Your Tongue, Confirm Your Love

Denomination: Charismatic

Getting Help From Above.

Contributed by Eduardo Quintana on Oct 4, 2015

I’ll never forget the day I became a dad. My wife and I had registered to adopt a child with our state’s Division of Youth and Family Services through BCFS. Then one day we got a call from them saying there was someone special they’d like us to meet. A baby still at the hospital was needing a ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 43:4, Isaiah 43:1-7

Tags: Fatherhood, Dads

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

What The Church Can Learn From The Carolina P...

Contributed by Amiri Hooker on Feb 6, 2016

What the Church can learn from the Carolina Panthers: by Burt Williams 1. Leadership matters: The leadership on Offence and Defense this year is stellar and it begins with the primary leaders Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly, they lead the team on the field and have the responsibility to adjust the ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 99:1-9

Tags: Disciples, Football, Church Leadership

Denomination: United Methodist

The Invitation

Contributed by Tim Smith on Aug 13, 2017

Bob Goff tells the story of he and his friend Brandon going to Washington DC on business and being close to Capital Hill at midnight. They saw a bunch of cars awkwardly parked around the Library of Congress and barricades and so they decided to investigate. They discovered that it was a set for the ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 14:21

Tags: Invitation, Gospel, Chosen

Denomination: Methodist

Do Not Jump To Judge Other Christians

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Sep 14, 2019

Don't Jump to Judge Other Christians This is God's message for us in Romans 14:3-4, where Paul said: 3. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 4. Who are you to judge another's servant? To his ...read more

Scripture: Romans 14:3-4

Tags: Judging Others, False Assumptions

Denomination: Baptist

How Can Salvation Be Free While Following Christ Demands Everything?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on May 31, 2022

I am often asked, "How can salvation be free, but, yet, Jesus said that we cannot by His disciple unless we forsake everything for Him?" (Luke 14). Let me explain the answer to this question in a story. Once there was a man who collected and traded in pearls. He had a fine collection ...read more

Tags: Grace, Commitment, Salvation, Discipleship, Obedience, Count The Cost  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Salvation Is Free, But It Will Cost Your Life

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 28, 2024

I am often asked, "How can salvation be free, but, yet, Jesus said that we cannot by His disciple unless we forsake everything for Him?" (Luke 14). Let me explain the answer to this question in a story. Once there was a man who collected and traded in pearls. He had a fine collection of ...read more

Tags: Sacrifice, Salvation, Discipleship, Free, Eternal Life, Grace, Mercy  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[007]. A Message From A Poem - A Shepherd Left His Comfort Zone

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jun 1, 2024

[007]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - A SHEPHERD LEFT HIS COMFORT ZONE Shepherds and sheep feature quite often in the biblical record and Jesus used parables and illustrations involving sheep. This poem was developed from a comment a Convention speaker made when teaching on the Lost Sheep. The ...read more

Scripture: John 10:9, John 10:10-11, John 10:14-15, Luke 15:4-6

Tags: Love, Night, Sheep, Lost Sheep, Crucified, The Good Shepherd, Jesus Our Shepherd, Jesus Died For The Sheep, 100 Sheep  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[016] A Message From A Poem - All Glory Honour And Praise Be To The Lord

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jun 21, 2024

[016] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - ALL GLORY HONOUR AND PRAISE BE TO THE LORD {{Revelation 4:10-11 the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “WORTHY ARE YOU, OUR LORD ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 4:10-11, Revelation 5:11-14, Philippians 2:5-11

Tags: Names Of The Lord, Honor, Glory, Praise, Honour, Worthy Is The Lamb  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[080]. A Message From A Poem – Faithfully He Is Watching

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 12, 2025

[080]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – FAITHFULLY HE IS WATCHING The poem here you will read is one of my top favourites. It resonates so much with me. It just flowed and when it does that it is joyous. I truly hope you can relate to it. This poem was written on the day I received notification that ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 23:6, Job 1:21

Tags: Watching, God Hears, Forsake, Poem, Orphans, Cares, Abandoned, Faithful, Friendship, Deliverance, Merciful, Poetry  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Emperor And The Seed  PRO

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Apr 18, 2002

THE EMPEROR AND THE SEED Once there was an emperor in the Far East who was growing old and knew it was coming time to choose his successor. Instead of choosing one of his assistants or one of his own children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young people in the kingdom ...read more

Scripture: Luke 16:10

Tags: Faith, Fear, Honesty, Hypocrisy, Humility, Leadership, Courage, Truth, Risk, Patience  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Have You Ever Hurt Anybody?  PRO

Contributed by Ken Ritz on Dec 30, 2005

Brennan Manning tells a story in his book The Ragamuffin Gospel. 25 years ago, he had a drinking problem. He voluntarily entered a 28-day treatment program. Early on in the treatment program they had to sit in a circle with a leader and tell the other people in the group, about the extent of their ...read more

Tags: Richard Celtzer, Mortal Lessons, Brennan Manning, Addiction

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Preschool; Kindergarten; Primary And Elementary ...

Contributed by Paul Dietz on Sep 12, 2008

Preschool; Kindergarten; primary and elementary education; Middle School and Junior High; High School and Technical/Trade School; College and University; and postgraduate work are all the American Way of learning. From 3 – 4 years of age through the teenage years into early adulthood and sometime ...read more

Tags: School

Denomination: *other

The Story Of Ernest Gordon

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 26, 2011

THE STORY OF ERNEST GORDON There is a book (and now a movie) called To End All Wars that tells of the extraordinary life of Ernest Gordon, a British Army officer captured at sea by the Japanese at the age of 24. Gordon was sent to work on the Burma-Siam railway line that the Japanese were ...read more

Scripture: John 15:12-14

Tags: Heroism

Charles Finney And Daniel Nash--Evangelism And ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 5, 2012

CHARLES FINNEY AND DANIEL NASH--EVANGELISM AND PRAYER Charles Finney is a name known to everyone who has studied the mighty movements of God in country. A former lawyer turned preacher by the call of God, Charles Finney was one of the key figures during the Second Great Awakening in 19th Century ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 4:2-6

Tags: Evangelism How To

Serving Others

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Dec 27, 2014

“True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever the cost”. - Arthur Ashe In a small, dusty town in western Oklahoma one November there lived a young single mother struggling to make ends meet. ...read more

Scripture: John 13:12-14

Tags: Humility, Christian Service

Denomination: Charismatic

Blueprints For Your Children’s Character

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Dec 15, 2020

There is a Minister who received an urgent note that said that a man in his congregation wanted to get a hold of him. The man’s problems have been 10 years in the making but have become urgent when the consequences of neglect suddenly materialized. The minister met the man at his office. He was a ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 22:6, Deuteronomy 7:9

Tags: Children, Parenting, Blueprints

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed