In Sermon Illustrations: "Greasy Grace"

Advent Is About The Coming Of Christ. Coming In ...

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Dec 3, 2007

Advent is about the coming of Christ. Coming in to your life so you can begin again and again. In order to symbolize as an act of worship, I want you to take the beach glass that you received early. Feel it. Feel it’s hardness. Feel it’s roughness. Let this be a symbol of your past. Your sins. Your ...read more

Denomination: Church Of God

Fallen

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Sep 23, 2019

Fallen I wanted to be the best you ever had. Now, I am a lonesome, loathsome cad. I once drank in Your holy truth. Now, I drown myself in gin and vermouth. I told others of the sacrifice you gave. Now, it is my soul You need to save. I sang the power of the Blood Then dragged you Name ...read more

Tags: Repentance, Sorrow

Denomination: Baptist

Seven Life Lessons From Samson

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 13, 2022

Certainly the story of Samson and the prostitute of Gaza stands as a cautionary tale to all of us. Here are some of the obvious lessons: 1) Just because we think we have conquered a certain sin doesn’t mean it will stay conquered forever. 2) The price of long-term spiritual victory is continued ...read more

Tags: Brokenness, Backslidden, Judgment, Samson, Sin, Temptation  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

How A Pastor Loved His Enemy

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 2, 2023

In The Grace of Giving, Stephen Olford tells of a Baptist pastor during the American Revolution, Peter Miller, who lived in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, and enjoyed the friendship of George Washington. In Ephrata also lived Michael Wittman, an evil-minded sort who did all he could to oppose and ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:19-23

Tags: Forgiveness, Hate, Churches, Enemies, Division, Love, Pastors  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Redemption Through His Blood - Yellow Fever Story

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Mar 3, 2023

There is a story...that may help Illustrate redemption...what Christ ...has done for us. In 1927, ...in West Africa... a blood specimen was taken from a native man named Asibi, ...who was sick ...with yellow fever. A vaccine ...was made ...from this original strain of the virus... obtained from ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:7, 1 Peter 1:18, Hebrews 9:22

Tags: Salvation, Redemption, Blood

Denomination: Anglican

Why Are You Weeping?

Contributed by Samuel M on Feb 29, 2024

Note: – This a small dialogue between God and you. Why are you weeping? Dear ______, Is my grace not sufficient for you? Is my hand is not strong enough to lift you out of your valleys? Is my blanket of love not large enough to envelop you and your family? Are my feathers not enough to keep ...read more

Scripture: John 1:1

Tags: Sorrow, Weeping

The Story Of Ernest Gordon

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 26, 2011

THE STORY OF ERNEST GORDON There is a book (and now a movie) called To End All Wars that tells of the extraordinary life of Ernest Gordon, a British Army officer captured at sea by the Japanese at the age of 24. Gordon was sent to work on the Burma-Siam railway line that the Japanese were ...read more

Scripture: John 15:12-14

Tags: Heroism

The Parable Of The Fig Tree  PRO

Contributed by Ty Tamasaka on Jul 26, 2011

THE PARABLE OF THE FIG TREE 6 "Then Jesus told this story: 'A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. 7 Finally, he said to his gardener, 'I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it ...read more

Scripture: Luke 13:6-9

Tags: Suffering Joy In

Denomination: Other

Dl Moody Was A Great Evangelist From Chicago. He ...  PRO

Contributed by Scott Cox on Nov 4, 2000

DL Moody was a great evangelist from Chicago. He went to England once and met a young man there that wanted to preach in his church. Moody agreed thinking that he would never see him again. To his dismay he recieved a letter that said the young man would be in his town shorlty and wanted to take ...read more

Tags: God's Provision, Jesus Teachings, Divinity Of Christ

Denomination: Baptist

Few Men Of This Century Have Understood Better ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 22, 2002

Few men of this century have understood better the inevitability of suffering than Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He seems never to have wavered in his Christian antagonism to the Nazi regime, although it meant for him imprisonment, the threat of torture, danger to his own family and finally death. He was ...read more

Tags: Suffering, Persecution

God Promised Peace To Those Whom His Favor Rests. ...  PRO

Contributed by Dana Chau on Dec 23, 2002

God promised peace to those whom His favor rests. Let me close with the words from a hymn that Annie Johnson Flint wrote: "What God Hath Promised" God hath not promised skies always blue, Flower strewn pathways all our lives through; God hath not promised sun without rain, Joy without sorrow, ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:2-9, Galatians 6:8-9

Tags: God Brings Hope, Peace, Promises Of God

Denomination: *other

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

On Sunday, August 16,1987, Northwest Airlines ...  PRO

Contributed by Robert Leroe on Mar 29, 2004

On Sunday, August 16,1987, Northwest Airlines flight 225 crashed just after taking off from the Detroit airport. 155 people were killed. One survived: a 4-year-old from Tempe, Arizona, named Cecelia. News accounts say when rescuers found Cecelia they assumed she had been a passenger in one of the ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus, Promises Of God

Denomination: Congregational

There Is No Fear Of God Before Their Eyes  PRO

Contributed by Bob Hicks on Nov 22, 2005

There is no fear of God before their eyes." Romans 3:10-18 (NIV) “Don’t you fear God?” is a great question. It’s a question that I don’t think we hear much anymore. And if we’re not careful, the next generation will miss entirely this all important characteristic of God. That’s why ...read more

Tags: Narnia

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Life Examples: Jacob: Wrestling With God (Gen. ...  PRO

Contributed by Nathan Parker on Mar 10, 2007

Life Examples: Jacob: Wrestling with God (Gen. 32:24-32) The story of Jacob alternately comforts and confounds. For while we could look upon many of his decisions with contempt-and even wonder why God would so favor such a man-it equally reassures us to realize that the God who extended grace to ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 32:24-32

Denomination: Baptist

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

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

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

River Of God

Contributed by Jason Bonnicksen on Jun 5, 2011

RIVER OF GOD Ever since moving to the valley, my eyes have been drawn to the mountains and the river. There’s days in the summer months when I ride my bike to the river, and gaze at the its powerful flow. It’s fascinating for me to watch the river at different stages. Sometimes it looks ...read more

Tags: Revival

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