In Sermon Illustrations: "Gradual Change"

Self-Centered Christianity  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 6, 2011

SELF-CENTERED CHRISTIANITY John Koessler pastored for years before becoming a professor in the pastoral studies department at Moody Bible Institute. In 2007 he wrote, A Stranger In The House of God, chronicling his experience in various churches. "Most of the Christians I know are disappointed ...read more

Scripture: Titus 1:1-9

Tags: Church Practices

Colossian Philosophy: "Borrowed" Features

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 6, 2011

COLOSSIAN PHILOSOPHY: "BORROWED" FEATURES I used to collect basketball cards. This was way back in the early 90s, though I still have held on to them. Basketball cards took off well after baseball cards, and each brand over time had its own unique features. Some were UV coated, others had gold ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 1:15-23

Tags: False Teaching

What Is Your Purpose?

Contributed by Rodelio Mallari on Apr 13, 2011

WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE? Many years before Abraham Lincoln was elected president, he was a store-keeper in Salem, Illinois. Abe had a rifle displayed in his store that was one of the most beautiful rifles ever made. The barrel was made from the finest steel, the stock from the best walnut wood; and a ...read more

Tags: God Brings Purpose

Denomination: *other

Why Don't They Let Him In?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 20, 2011

WHY DON'T THEY LET HIM IN? A picture of the Lord Jesus knocking at the door of a heart was taken one day by a parish visitor to a house where a father and mother lived with their small son. Some impulse made the mother pin the picture up in their little kitchen, and when the small boy came in from ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:20

Tags: Commitment To Christ

Leadership And Prayer

Contributed by Tim White on May 8, 2011

LEADERSHIP AND PRAYER Henry and Richard Blackaby in Spiritual Leadership in chapter seven "The Leader's Influence" stress that leaders influence others through prayer. They give six reasons why leaders should pray. The fourth reason is "God is all-powerful. . . .God can do far more than even the ...read more

Tags: Leadership General

Denomination: Baptist

What Occupies Your Heart

Contributed by Scott Carroll on May 20, 2011

WHAT OCCUPIES YOUR HEART I squirmed a bit as I forced myself to listen to my friend cataloging her problems. After three hours, I interrupted her gently to ask, "If you were to draw a circle to represent your life, what would be in the center? She thought a moment, then said, "My problems." My ...read more

Tags: Joy

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Mayor's Martyr Maid

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Jun 3, 2011

THE MAYOR'S MARTYR MAID "I found one!" The inquisitor held up a Bible and hollered out, "Bring in the mayor and his family. Someone is studying the Bible in this house!" In the 16th century, Philip II sent the Duke of Alba to Flanders to stamp out the Protestants who insisted on reading the ...read more

Tags: Commitment To Christ

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Trust Made The Difference

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Jul 3, 2011

TRUST MADE THE DIFFERENCE Years ago, when my nephew Josh was about 9 years old, we were out in the yard playing tag. He had tagged me and was running for all he was worth to get away from me. He was laughing and laughing as he looked back at me chasing him. Then he turned around and ran into a ...read more

Tags: Trust

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Invalids' Prayers Bring Revival  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 4, 2011

INVALIDS' PRAYERS BRING REVIVAL Max Lucado told of a church in Scotland back in the 1940s that was struggling to keep the doors open. A couple of its members were two older ladies who were invalids and couldn’t get out for worship any longer. But these ladies refused to allow their infirmities to ...read more

Scripture: James 5:13-20

Tags: Prayer Persistence, Serving

Tears And Trust

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 23, 2011

TEARS AND TRUST Years ago, when my nephew Josh was about 9 years old we were out in the yard playing tag. He had tagged me and was running for all he was worth to get away from me. He was laughing and laughing as he looked back at me chasing him. Then he turned around and ran into a tree. It ...read more

Scripture: Habakkuk 3:17-19

Tags: Faith, Trust

Machine Gun Preacher

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Sep 27, 2011

MACHINE GUN PREACHER Video Clip Illustration: From wingclips.com (From Machine Gun Preacher clip) SYNOPSIS: Machine Gun Preacher is the inspirational true story of Sam Childers, a former drug-dealing criminal who undergoes an astonishing transformation and finds an unexpected calling as the ...read more

Tags: Sacrifices

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Came Upon My 3rd Grade Report Card From A Small ...

Contributed by Brad Henry on Dec 9, 2011

I came upon my 3rd grade report card from a small school in Western Pennsylvania. The teacher wrote, "I feel Bradley could do so much better. Inattentive." Well not much has changed. ADD started early. But I was not inattentive when it came time for sports. Why the disconnect? It is because I was ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

The Rise, Fall And Posthumous Rise Of Jim Thorpe

Contributed by Suresh Manoharan on Dec 16, 2011

The rise, fall and posthumous rise of Jim Thorpe Jim Thorpe! Does it ring a bell? Well arguably he was the greatest athlete of 20th century. Blessed with abundant natural talent in those days of amateurism, Thorpe virtually “torpedoed” the competition into submission by winning the gold medals in ...read more

Tags: Dealing With Conflicts

Denomination: *other

The Salvation Of Karla Faye Tucker

Contributed by Tim Hinrichs on Mar 29, 2012

THE SALVATION OF KARLA FAYE TUCKER Many of you probably remember Karla Faye Tucker. She was the first woman to be executed in the US since 1984. She was an accomplice to a brutal ax murder of two people in the early eighties. Soon after being imprisoned, Tucker took a Bible from the prison ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Lutheran

Call Sin Something Else, Please?

Contributed by Eugene Morell on Jul 1, 2012

CALL SIN SOMETHING ELSE, PLEASE? There is a story about a Methodist preacher who often spoke on the subject of sin. He defined sin as that abominable thing that God hates. One day some of the leading laymen came to urge their pastor to stop using the word sin. The laymen told their pastor that ...read more

Tags: Sin General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Great Boston Fire Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 27, 2012

THE GREAT BOSTON FIRE OF 1872 In the great Boston fire of 1872, sixty-five acres of land was destroyed. The damage totaled up to $75 million but in our day would be somewhere in the neighborhood of $3 billion. Hundreds of businesses were destroyed. Someone came along and wrote a message on a rough ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Salvation And The Surgeon

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Dec 17, 2012

Jesus came to be our Savior. To be our substitute. To die FOR us. But while God would be the only one pure enough to die for us... Gods don't die. And while mortals CAN die, no mortal man could ever be the sinless sacrifice the law required to pay for our sins. No ordinary man would be pure and ...read more

Tags: Christmas, Atonement, Salvation

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Creative Partnership

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 24, 2015

During the summer of 1904 an unlikely partnership was formed at the World’s Fair in St. Louis. The summer was unusually hot and people were searching the fair for something to help cool them off… A vendor named Arnold had just what they were looking for… ice cream. People lined up for what seemed ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 17:8-13

Tags: Intercession, Amalek, Partnership, Moses And Aaron

Faith

Contributed by Darryl Womack on Dec 17, 2015

In the movie called the Matrix there is one of the best encouragements to share our Faith with others that I have ever seen. The Spiritual leader of that rag tag bunch goes by the name of Morpheus and the young deliverer who he believes is the promised one goes by the name of Neo. Needless to say ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 5:5

Tags: Evangelism, Faith, Matrix

Denomination: Baptist

Rescue The Perishing

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 23, 2016

RESCUE THE PERISHING Fanny Crosby, the blind hymn writer, wrote so many hymns we love to sing. When she was up in years, she visited the Macaulay Rescue Mission in NYC. She stood before a crowd of homeless, drug-addicted, alcoholic men. She said, “is there a young man here who doesn’t have a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:19-20

Tags: Evangelism, Witnessing

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational