In Sermon Illustrations: "Good Intentions"

Jewish Blessings

Contributed by Perry Greene on Dec 19, 2011

JEWISH BLESSINGS David Stern relates in hid Jewish NT Commentary, pp.115-116 that there are many blessings given by the Hebrew people. There are blessings for wine (Matthew 26.27-29); for bread (14.19); The Talmud (circa 5th century CE) had specific formulas for dozens of blessings that the people ...read more

Tags: Blessing

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Two Adversaries

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Apr 2, 2012

THE TWO ADVERSARIES Robert Biggs, 69, who often hikes in the Whisky Flats area, came across a mother bear and her cubs, which were about 40 feet from where he was standing. After watching the bear family for a few minutes he decided to leave them alone and turned to walk back up the trail. As he ...read more

Tags: Jesus Christ

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Drop That Baby!  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 8, 2012

"DROP THAT BABY!" A pastor called on a lady from his church and found her very despondent and feeling that God had forsaken her. Looking at the baby in the woman’s arms, the pastor said to her, "Drop that baby on the floor." Startled by the suggestion, she looked at him in disbelief. "Well," he ...read more

Scripture: John 10:22-30

Tags: God In The Hardships

Downward Trends In U.s. Christianity

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 15, 2012

DOWNWARD TRENDS IN U.S. CHRISTIANITY In George Barna's new book on U.S. Christians called Futurecast, he tracks annual changes from 1991 to 2011 and shows that all the major trend lines of religious belief and behavior ran downward except two: More people claim they have accepted Jesus as their ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:11-16

Tags: Church Practices

Your Sins Have Been Your Downfall, Is Where The ...

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Aug 18, 2012

"Your sins have been your downfall", is where the tar starts sticking to the tyres. Most people generally don’t like the whole “s” word thing. For some reason there is an issue with the human brain that tells us to kick up stink when we are having a good time, a pleasurable time and someone, some ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:23

Tags: Repentance, Sin Bondage To, Sin And Grace

Denomination: Salvation Army

Model Kylie Bisutti, 21, Has Decided To Leave ...

Contributed by Gene Gregory on Aug 27, 2012

Model Kylie Bisutti, 21, has decided to leave Victoria’s Secret because it clashes with her Christian beliefs. “I just became so convicted of honoring the Lord and my body and wanting to be a role model for other women out there who look up to me,” Bisutti said today on “Good Morning ...read more

Tags: Conscience

Denomination: Baptist

Tearing Down The Name Of Jesus  PRO

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 19, 2014

TEARING DOWN THE NAME OF JESUS When I was in college at Dallas Baptist University, I drove through Dallas on the way to my classes. I would always see a huge sign of a dynamic church in the area that said, "Lifting Up the Name of Jesus!" It was very impressive. One day while I was driving to ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:1-11

Tags: Discipleship, Hypocrisy, Conviction, Name Of Jesus

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Disguised

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Aug 15, 2018

I live in Arkansas. I LOVE when autumn comes and fall leaves drift down on autumn breezes. But in Arkansas, you have to be careful about those leaves on the ground because some of them conceal SERPENTS. There are lots of Copperhead Snakes here. Copperheads are venomous Pit Vipers that strike you ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 11:14, Genesis 4:7, Genesis 3:1, Proverbs 23:27, Proverbs 22:14, Ecclesiastes 7:26  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Deceive, Disguise, Discerning, Affairs, Snares, Sin, Deception, Serpent, Adultery  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Charismatic

Romans Road To Salvation

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Jun 24, 2019

The Romans Road to Salvation 1. I consider myself a good person. All have sinned & fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 2. Is sin that big of a deal? The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 3. Why would Jesus die in my ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:23, Romans 10:9

Tags: Salvation, Gospel, The Cross

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Assumptions And Arrogance

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Nov 12, 2019

Four people—a pilot, a professor, a pastor, and a hiker—were flying in a small plane when the engines died. The pilot said, “There are only three parachutes. Since this is my plane, I’m taking one of them.” He put it on and jumped out. The professor said, “I’m brilliant and the world needs me, so ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 5:13-20

Tags: Mistakes, Arrogance, Assumptions, Snob, False Confidence, Errors  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The Gossip Test

Contributed by John Bright on Jun 1, 2021

Another basic concept – sin creates spiritual blindness. Let me illustrate with my favorite sin to talk about… GOSSIP. I’ll stop right here and make sure you know how I define gossip. Before you tell someone a story about another person (even disguised as a prayer request), it needs to pass all ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:37-45

Tags: Sin, Gossip, Spiritual Blindness

Denomination: Methodist

How Do We Know That Jesus Is The Son Of God?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 2, 2022

As we approach the last of the last days, we see an alarming trend among many pastors to drift away from the basic truths of Scripture. We should not be surprised. Jesus promised this day would come (Matthew 24, II Timothy 3). So, how do we know for sure from Scripture that Jesus is the very ...read more

Tags: Deity, Son Of God, Apostasy, Jesus, Truth, Last Days, Heresy  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

First-Time Fathers Are A Hoot!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jul 8, 2024

One day shortly after the birth of their new baby, the mother had to go out to do some errands. So, the proud new papa stayed home to watch his wonderful new son. Soon after the mother left, the baby started to cry. The father did everything he could think of to do but the baby wouldn’t stop ...read more

Tags: Dad, Children, Parents, Training, Fathers  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

It's Time To Change The Diaper!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 12, 2024

One day shortly after the birth of their new baby, the mother had to go out to do some errands. So, the proud papa stayed home to watch his wonderful new son. Soon after the mother left, the baby started to cry. The father did everything he could think of to do but the baby wouldn’t stop crying. ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Romans 12:1-2

Tags: Salvation, Transformation, New Life, New Birth, New Creation, Changes, Trusting Jesus  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Love

Contributed by Terry Cavanaugh on Nov 23, 2024

There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, “If I could only see the world, I would marry you.” One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, ...read more

Scripture: Romans 13:8-10

Tags: Love, Marriage

Denomination: United Methodist

Gossip-Free Church

Contributed by John Bright on Sep 23, 2025

I like to illustrate this kind of thing by talking about gossip. I believe it is the most tolerated sin in every congregation. As always, I like to share my definition of gossip. Something is not gossip if it can pass three tests: ? 100% Truth - You heard/saw it directly – can’t be repeated from ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:29

Tags: Truth, Gossip, Holier Than Thou

Denomination: Methodist

Full Armor Of God

Contributed by John Bright on Oct 3, 2025

Our defense is provided by the Full Armor of God found in Ephesians 6. I would recommend this article: https://www.gotquestions.org/full-armor-of-God.html (I also want to recommend the YouVersion Bible App for your smart phones or computers. Good studies there on the Full Armor of God) Here’s a ...read more

Tags: Prayer, Full Armor Of God

Denomination: Methodist

Go With The Flow  PRO

Contributed by Hal Seed on Feb 12, 2008

6. YOU TRUST HIM WITH WHATEVER IS TROUBLING YOU. Anybody having anything trouble you these days? It’s probably part of God’s sense of humor that I went on a whale-watching trip this week, the week we start learning about Jonah. PICTURE OF WHALE TALE I’ve been on whale-watching tours only twice ...read more

Scripture: Luke 14:18-19

Tags: Authority

Denomination: Baptist

Go With The Flow

Contributed by Hal Seed on Feb 12, 2008

6. YOU TRUST HIM WITH WHATEVER IS TROUBLING YOU. Anybody having anything trouble you these days? It’s probably part of God’s sense of humor that I went on a whale-watching trip this week, the week we start learning about Jonah. PICTURE OF WHALE TALE I’ve been on whale-watching tours only twice ...read more

Tags: Gratitude

Denomination: Baptist

Practice Makes Perfect Tjbts

Contributed by Blake Henson on Jun 6, 2023

Practice makes perfect shows that without good practice you can't expect to succeed in sports, but the same is true in your Christian life also. You can't just half prepare and expect to be a successful Christian. URL: https://youtu.be/eI92sWLcDIo SUMMARY In this video we see two teams. ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 5:14

Tags: Christian Walk, How To Get Stronger