In Sermon Illustrations: "Giving Spirit"

We Leak

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 9, 2008

WE LEAK D. L. Moody was asked why he sought to be filled with the Holy Spirit so many ...read more

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers

Jesus Is Like Oxygen

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 22, 2008

Jesus is Like Oxygen I want to tell you about Andy Harris. Andy was one of a several people leading an expedition up Mt. Everest. When he reached the peak, he stayed there just admiring the amazing beauty. But he stayed there too long and on his descent, he became in dire need of oxygen. Andy ...read more

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers

The Powerhouse  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 22, 2008

The Powerhouse Stephen Kuusisto grew up feeling a stigma about being legally blind. For him, sight consisted of a kaleidoscope of shapes, colors, and shadows. Privately he would press his face close to the page of a book and memorize street names in an exhausting attempt to appear more able to see ...read more

Scripture: John 16:13

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers

Bearing Fruit  PRO

Contributed by C Jordan on Oct 24, 2008

BEARING FRUIT I once read of a little boy who used to escape his bedroom after being punished. He would crawl out of his bedroom window down an old fruit tree to the ground. One day, his father told him that he was going to chop down the fruit tree, because it hadn’t borne any fruit for a number ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 10:1-36

Tags: Fruit, Fruit Of The Spirit

Denomination: *other

The Dove Man

Contributed by Tony Abram on Oct 30, 2008

The Dove Man It is said that a certain guide lived in the deserts of Arabia who never lost his way. He carried with him a homing pigeon with a very fine cord attached to one of its legs. When in doubt as to which path to take, he threw the bird into the air. The pigeon quickly strained at the cord ...read more

Tags: Holy Spirit Attributes

Empty The Garage

Contributed by Gene Gregory on Dec 8, 2008

EMPTY THE GARAGE Driving around Deltona, it is amazing the number of people who have garages with no cars in them. Why? Their garages are filled with other things. If you are going to be filled with the Holy Spirit, you must make room. Get ...read more

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers

Denomination: Baptist

Poor Chippie

Contributed by Todd Catteau on Dec 19, 2008

Poor Chippie A Galveston housewife had a pet parakeet named Chippie. The woman, however, made some terrible mistakes with Chippie. There are just some things that you don't do with parakeets! While vacuuming the carpet one day, she decided to clean out of the bottom of Chippie's cage with her ...read more

Tags: Holy Spirit General

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Phillip Brooks, A Great American Preacher Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2008

Phillip Brooks, a great American preacher of another day, said, "Do not pray for easy lives, pray to be stronger people; do not pray for tasks equal to your powers, pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work may be no miracle, but you shall be a miracle. Every day you shall ...read more

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers

John Ortberg Shared This In The Life You Always ...  PRO

Contributed by Christian Cheong on Jan 23, 2009

John Ortberg shared this in The Life You Always Wanted (p.55-56): "It's like a motorboat and a sailboat. A person can operate a motorboat without assistance, given the right equipment and effort. Operating a sailboat is different--it is dependent on the wind. The operator of a sailboat does ...read more

Tags: Holy Spirit Baptism

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Stepping Out-Of-Bounds

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 12, 2009

STEPPING OUT-OF-BOUNDS I had missed a game winning free-throw. I swore that would never happen again. So I practiced until I became excellent at free-throws. In the next big tournament, I swished two free-throws. On the last one, I heard an ear-splitting whistle in my ear. I had stepped over the ...read more

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers

Electricity Is A Physical Phenomenon That ...

Contributed by Harold Jenkerson on Mar 10, 2009

Electricity is a physical phenomenon that illustration the indwelling of God’s power in the Christian’s life. The world remained in darkness until this physical phenomenon was discovered about 1900. ...read more

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers

Denomination: Baptist

Like A Glove

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 23, 2022

Here’s a story of how I explain the Holy Spirit in us to children. I take an empty glove and tell the kids that it's a magic glove. I tell them it is amazing because it can pick things up. Then, I drop it on a hymn book or Bible and tell it to pick up the book. When it doesn't move, I ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:8

Tags: Holy Spirit, Abiding

Stopping To Focus

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 28, 2022

Have you ever wondered why a pigeon walks so funny? According to an interesting article in the Detroit Free Press, a pigeon walks the way it does so it can’t see where it’s going. Because it can’t adjust its focus as it moves, the pigeon actually has to bring its head to a complete stop between ...read more

Scripture: Luke 4:1, John 15:1-11

Tags: Holy Spirit, Dependence

The Agitator

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 26, 2022

Does anyone know what that piece in the middle of the washer is called? The part in the middle that moves back and forth and shakes the clothes back and forth? What is that called? I’m going to call it an Agitator. What is the purpose of the Agitator? As far as I can tell, its sole purpose is to ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:17-24

Tags: Sanctification, Holy Spirit

Don't Give Pain The Short Shrift!" Luke 13:10-17 ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Mar 9, 2005

“Don’t Give Pain the Short Shrift!” Luke 13:10-17 Key verse(s): 16:“‘Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?’.” Many things in this life get short shrift. Perhaps its the lot of the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 13:10-17, Luke 13:6-9

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus, God's Creation

Denomination: Lutheran

I'm Going To Give You A Quick Quiz. Don't Worry, ...

Contributed by Brian Stevenson on Nov 24, 2006

I’m going to give you a quick quiz. Don’t worry, it’s easy! I’ll give you a word and you give me the opposite. READY? The opposite of Fast is… Slow. The opposite of Long is… Short. The opposite of Cold is… Hot. The opposite of Young is… Old. The opposite of Soft is… Hard. The opposite of Sour ...read more

Denomination: Vineyard

I Read The Story About A Football Player Whose ...  PRO

Contributed by John Williams Iii on Jun 3, 2003

I read the story about a football player whose performance exceeded the expectation of others. "…. In the last two minutes of the game, with the score against his team, makes a touchdown. He runs faster than his legs can carry him, and farther than he has ever dreamed of running. When he comes ...read more

Tags: Change, Holy Spirit General, Holy Spirit Attributes

Denomination: United Methodist

Emptied Out And Filled Up  PRO

Contributed by Pat Cook on Jun 28, 2003

EMPTIED OUT AND FILLED UP D. L. Moody said, “I believe firmly that the moment our hearts are emptied of pride and selfishness and ambition and everything that is contrary to God’s law, the Holy Spirit will fill every corner of our hearts. But if we are full of pride and conceit and ambition ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:18, Hosea 5:4

Tags: Law, Holy Spirit In Believers, Holy Spirit General

Denomination: Baptist

A Fair Piece To Go!" Zechariah 12:10-14 Key ...

Contributed by Mark Brunner on May 16, 2005

“A Fair Piece to Go!” Zechariah 12:10-14 Key verse(s) 10:“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication.” Restlessness! When we were children it was not unusual for us to be restless. In fact, it was that restlessness that often got ...read more

Scripture: Zechariah 12:10-14

Tags: Holy Spirit Attributes, Holy Spirit In Believers, Cleansing

Denomination: Lutheran

What Does It Mean To Have Joy?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 2, 2023

Joy is God’s gift to believers. Paul speaks of more than just a mood. This is a deep confidence that was rooted in God’s sovereign control of the universe, His on unchanging divine promises and eternal spiritual realities including the assurance of ultimate victory for those in ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:19-22, Philippians 4:4

Tags: Fruit Of The Spirit, Happiness, Joy, Spirit Filled Life

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational