In Sermon Illustrations: "God Strives"

Faith And Works  PRO

Contributed by David Parks on Aug 26, 2010

FAITH AND WORKS There was once a Scotsman who rowed people across a river. On one oar he had carved the word 'faith' and on the other oar he had carved the word 'works'. One day as he was rowing, one of the passengers noticed the carvings and asked him about them. The Scotsman did not reply but ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 1:3-4

Tags: Faith Vs. Works

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Jack Was An Impressionable 15 Year-Old. He ...

Contributed by Gaither Bailey on Oct 16, 2010

Jack was an impressionable 15 year-old. He attended the local Presbyterian Church with his family since he was a baby. He studied for confirmation and was confirmed taking his place in the congregation. He attended youth group meetings and sat in church every Sunday. His 16th birthday was fast ...read more

Tags: Prayer Persistence

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Bible Statistics

Contributed by Rodelio Mallari on Nov 10, 2010

BIBLE STATISTICS Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible, and every verse in it, excepting two, Psalm 119:122 and Psalm 119:132, contains a reference to the Word of God. The shortest chapter is Psalm 117; shortest verse, John 11:35. In the New Testament, there are about 180 direct ...read more

Tags: Bible Truth

Denomination: *other

The Wandering Sheep

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 23, 2010

THE WANDERING SHEEP Dr. Andrew Bonar tells of how in the Highlands of Scotland, a sheep would often wander off into the rocks and get into places that they can't get out of. The grass on these mountains is very sweet and the sheep like it, and they will jump down ten or twelve feet, and then ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:6

Tags: Parable Lost Sheep

Denomination: Brethren

Amazing!

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Dec 25, 2010

AMAZING! When dementia had taken its course, Bess (not her real name) was left with just a couple of words, but one word which she used to respond to almost any situation was the word "AMAZING!" After a lifetime of words, what a great word to have on your lips at the end of your life. Matthew ...read more

Tags: Examples Of Faith

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Do You Like To Be Blind?  PRO

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Mar 30, 2011

DO YOU LIKE TO BE BLIND? Our grand-kids came to visit our church one Sunday, and I asked our grandson, Caleb, how he liked Sunday School. He said he didn't like it at all! I asked him why and he explained that the teacher made them close their eyes for a long time and wouldn't let them open ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:1-7, 1 John 4:19-21

Tags: Miracles Of Jesus

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Stay And Wait And Watch

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 7, 2011

STAY AND WAIT AND WATCH A little boy was told by his father to wait on a corner by a department store, while the father had a tire changed on his car. It turned out that the car required more attention than the man had anticipated, and it took over an hour. The father anxiously hurried back to ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:1-3

Tags: Trust

The Miracle Of Sight  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 15, 2011

THE MIRACLE OF SIGHT For 51 years Bob Edens was blind. He couldn’t see a thing. His world was a black hall of sounds and smells. He felt his way through five decades of darkness. And then, he could see. A skilled surgeon performed a complicated operation and, for the first time, Bob Edens had ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:46-52

Tags: Beauty

Surprise Gift

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 15, 2011

SURPRISE GIFT When Gabriel Hurles turned six a couple of years ago (January 2009), he was so focused on eating his birthday cake, that he hardly noticed the giant package in the corner of the room. When another child pointed out the large gift, Gabriel ran over and began to tear off the wrapping. ...read more

Scripture: John 1:14

Tags: Christmas

Held Up By Our Father

Contributed by Chuck Sligh on Apr 17, 2011

HELD UP BY OUR FATHER 3-year old Tyler felt secure in his dad's arms as Dad stood in the middle of the pool. But Dad, for fun, began walking slowly toward the deeper end, gently chanting, "Deeper and deeper and deeper," as the water rose higher and higher on Tyler. Tyler's face registered ...read more

Tags: Security

Denomination: Baptist

Christians Are Known For...

Contributed by Troy Borst on May 3, 2011

CHRISTIANS ARE KNOWN FOR... If you were to Google the phrase "Christians are known for" what do you think the results would be? What are people who call themselves followers of Christ known for... whether good or bad? The following are some of the results you would find: ... being trustworthy ...read more

Tags: Christian Witness

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Pretender Dr. Nick

Contributed by Michael Walther on May 24, 2011

PRETENDER DR. NICK What does it take to be turned around if you are a pretender? Dr. Nick Yphantides can help us. Although he was a true Christian he was living part of his life in a purely hypocritical manner. Dr. Nick’s specialty was preventative medicine. Every day he was trying to help ...read more

Tags: Hypocrisy

Denomination: Lutheran

The Impact Of Optimism

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 4, 2011

THE IMPACT OF OPTIMISM Just a few years ago (2004), Fox News reported on a study that came from the Archives of General Psychiatry. Researchers studied 1,000 people aged 65-85 trying to determine the importance of a positive attitude in dealing with life. After almost 10 years of follow-up, these ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3-5

Tags: Attitude General

We Live In A Culture That Is Redefining What Is ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 12, 2011

We live in a culture that is redefining what is sexually permissible. Earlier this year in the United Kingdom, Peter and Hazelmary Bull were found guilty of discrimination because they allowed only married couples to share a bed at their small hotel. A homosexual couple sued the Bulls because they ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Tags: Government

Prayed Into The Kingdom

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 14, 2011

PRAYED INTO THE KINGDOM Chuck Sackett did not grow up in a Christian home. But he joined the Boy Scouts and wanted to complete the "God and Country" merit badge. So he walked a few blocks to a small church for several weeks. He filled out his papers and did what he had to do get that badge. ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:18-20

Tags: Prayer Persistence

The Right Name Opens Doors  PRO

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Aug 15, 2011

THE RIGHT NAME OPENS DOORS Mark Roberts wrote of a time when he visited the Capitol as a guest of Congressman John Campbell. As long as he was with the congressman, he could walk freely around the Capitol, entering many areas that were reserved "for authorized personnel only," reserved for members ...read more

Scripture: John 15:16, John 16:23-24, John 14:13-14

Tags: Prayer How To

Denomination: Baptist

They Refused To Be Rescued  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 15, 2011

THEY REFUSED TO BE RESCUED On August 30, 2005 Coast Guard Lieutenant Iain McConnell was ordered to fly his H46 helicopter to New Orleans and to keep that machine flying around the clock for what would turn out to be a heroic rescue effort. None of his crew were prepared for what they were about to ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 1:3-4, 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, Matthew 8:28-34, 2 Peter 3:7-10

Tags: Rejection, Heroism

Noble Savages

Contributed by Davon Huss on Oct 3, 2011

NOBLE SAVAGES For a while people have believed that our problems exist because we are too civilized. If we would just get back to nature and throw away all of the modern conveniences and the ideas found in the Christian religion, then we would be like the noble savages of old. A good example ...read more

Tags: Missions

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Spiritual Acne

Contributed by Antonio Silveira on Feb 29, 2012

SPIRITUAL ACNE Have you seen ads for Clearsil, Proactiv, or other acne treatments? They usually exaggerate things and show the face before and aft the application of the "miraculous" product that makes you look good and perfect. They also make sure you get hooked to the remedy so they can bank on ...read more

Scripture: James 1:22-27

Tags: Sanctification

Denomination: Baptist

Cirrhosis Of The Giver

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Mar 27, 2012

CIRRHOSIS OF THE GIVER The disease cirrhosis of the giver was discovered in A.D. 34 by the husband-wife team of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1–11). It is an acute condition that renders the patient’s hands immobile when he is called on to move them in the direction of his wallet or her purse, and ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:7

Tags: Giving General

Denomination: Baptist