In Sermon Illustrations: "Grace And Works"

The Choice Of Sheep And Goats

Contributed by Stephen Belokur on Nov 27, 2012

THE CHOICE OF SHEEP AND GOATS I tried and tried to think of a common example that could be used to illustrate this separation of the sheep from the goats but was unable to do so because this situation is so unique and the reason it is so unique is because the sheep and the goats have chosen their ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:31-46

Tags: Judgement, Salvation, Free Will, Sheep And Goats, Free Moral Agency  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Nazarene

A 2 A.m. Miracle – Joni Eareckson Tada

Contributed by Greg Buchner on Oct 11, 2004

“A 2 a.m. Miracle” – Joni Eareckson Tada It was 2 a.m. and Ken, my husband was snoring softly beside me, not aware that I was biting my lip to keep from waking him up. The combination of my paralysis with middle-of-the-night insomnia always makes me feel claustrophobic. But this was different. The ...read more

Tags: Heaven

Denomination: Methodist

Sometimes Our Hate Sounds Louder In Our Actions ...  PRO

Contributed by Greg Buchner on Aug 19, 2004

"Sometimes our hate sounds louder in our actions than in the volume of our voices that claim love as the grace-filled answer." - Pastor Greg Buchner - Wakelee Church (www.wakeleechurch.net) on the ...read more

Tags: Adultery, Hate, Homosexuality

Denomination: Methodist

At The Heart Of Judgment Is Blame And At The ...

Contributed by Chris Surber on Jul 7, 2008

At the heart of judgment is blame and at the heart of blame is a denial of grace. The heart which is filled with judgment says, “I am not worthy of grace and neither are you!” Our ability to forgive others is closely linked to our ability to forgive ourselves because both stem from our ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness General

Denomination: Christian Church

Some Suggest That Tv Is Just Giving The Public ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Some suggest that TV is just giving the public what it demands. There is some truth to that, but don’t be misled, there is also a gay agenda that many in Hollywood push. Will & Grace star Eric McCormick said, "When little old women say, ’I hope he finds a nice man," the show will be successful." In ...read more

Tags: New Life, Homosexuality

I Saw A Sea Of Faces In A Dream I Had One Day And ...

Contributed by Stephen Funderburk on Feb 7, 2008

I saw a sea of faces in a dream I had one day and millions stood before the throne whose sins were washed away From every tribe and every land they all had heard the call the rich, the poor, the black, the white, and Jesus loved them all He loved them with their many faults He loved them with ...read more

Denomination: Assembly Of God

If You Want It Bad Enough

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 10, 2011

IF YOU WANT IT BAD ENOUGH When a person first comes to faith in Christ and gets a taste of His grace, they can’t get enough of the Bible. Pat Summerall, the well-known sports announcer, trusted Christ with his life and overcame alcohol in the late 60’s. As he describes his life with Christ, he ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:2-3

Tags: Growth In Christ

Help Yourself First

Contributed by Brad Henry on Aug 16, 2011

HELP YOURSELF FIRST When an airliner loses cabin pressure the oxygen masks drop. You are told by the flight crew to put the mask on yourself before putting it on your child. You would think the child would be first. But if you pass out before you get the child’s mask on then both of you are ...read more

Tags: Power

A Chaplain's Prayer For Our Soldiers  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 5, 2003

A CHAPLAIN’S PRAYER FOR OUR SOLDIERS "Lord our God, provide wisdom, insight and clear vision of Your will, for all our senior military and political leaders, the President, his Cabinet, the Secretary of Defense, the Service Secretaries and the flag and SES level personnel under their direction. ...read more

Tags: War

A Minister Brought Home A 12-Year-Old Boy Named ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

A minister brought home a 12-year-old boy named Roger. His parents had died from a drug overdose. There was no one to care for Roger, so this couple decided they’d just raise him as if he were one of their own sons. At first it was quite difficult for Roger to adjust to his new home--an environment ...read more

Tags: Revival

My First Staff Position In A Church Was As The ...  PRO

Contributed by Chris Surber on Jun 21, 2008

My first staff position in a church was as the Associate Pastor of The Kirk Community Church in Dunedin, Florida. I normally arrived at church early but on this particular morning my wife and I had arrived just a few minutes before the worship service was to begin. As my wife Christina unbuckled ...read more

Tags: Church Purpose Of

Denomination: Christian Church

Here's The Bad News

Contributed by Ovidiu Radulescu on Feb 23, 2007

Here’s the bad news It’s the fact that none of us can ever be worthy; it’s the truth that no one can ever earn or merit God’s grace or favor that is the bad news of the gospel. It has been a universal disease of humanity that we want to be worthy. When we have toiled through the heat of the day and ...read more

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Game Of Chance

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Jul 9, 2010

GAME OF CHANCE A person recently said to me as they were dying that the Bible was just a series of myths and stories, and if I want to, I can choose to live my life assuming that it is. I can choose to treat heaven like a GAME OF CHANCE and the Bible as something less than a sure thing. I can ...read more

Tags: Judgment

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Newton's Last Breath

Contributed by John Fallahee on Jun 23, 2010

NEWTON'S LAST BREATH Many of you know the story of John Newton and the song he penned "Amazing Grace." You know of his conversion to Christ and how he left the slave trade. He went on to pastor for 40 years. What you may not know that even at 82 years of age, he never ceased to marvel at the grace ...read more

Tags: Worship General

Denomination: Baptist

This Morning When You Came Into The Citadel You ...

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Sep 30, 2009

This morning when you came into the citadel you found the seats up against the wall, confusing, a bit of a nuisance? This was used to illustrate what life without God’s Grace is like, it is confusing, it’s not ordered, each of us as individual’s are lost and in turmoil, we do foolish things we are ...read more

Tags: Change

Denomination: Salvation Army

Roots And Fruits

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Oct 10, 2011

ROOTS AND FRUITS How many of you have been to a funeral? As you approach the casket you'll see numerous floral arrangements, and these floral displays use two different kinds of flowers. First there are the bouquets of cut flowers, and there are planters. There's generally more bouquets than ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Commitment, Relationships And Family

Contributed by C Jordan on Jun 20, 2010

COMMITMENT, RELATIONSHIPS AND FAMILY "The logical beginning point of any family relationship is a covenant commitment, which has unconditional love at its core. Out of the security provided by this covenant, love develops grace. In this atmosphere of grace, family members have the freedom to ...read more

Tags: Family

Denomination: *other

Bono, Lead Singer Of U2  PRO

Contributed by Mark Busch on Apr 20, 2006

Bono, lead singer of U2 You see, at the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth . . . And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that “as you reap, so you will sow” stuff. Grace defies reason ...read more

Tags: God's Forgiveness

Denomination: Holiness

The Selfless Love To Which God Calls You And Me ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 5, 2003

The selfless love to which God calls you and me produces a deep joy in our hearts. This joy or happiness of the Spirit has three dimensions. Joy is the assurance of faith that we are acceptable to God and that God’s good providences are working on our behalf. This joy is an inner calm ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:1-13

Rainbows In The Streets  PRO

Contributed by Susan Blader on Nov 27, 2006

Rainbows in the Streets The story is told of Professor Migliore who worked with inner-city kids in Trenton, New Jersey. One day, after telling the story of Noah to some of the children, he asked, “Now then, boys and girls, where do you see rainbows?” Several replied, “In the street!” The ...read more

Denomination: Disciples Of Christ