In Sermon Illustrations: "Great Commandment"

George Santayana On Faith

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 15, 2009

GEORGE SANTAYANA ON FAITH The late great Spanish philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist, Jorge Augustin Nicolas Ruiz Santayana y Borras (1863 - 1952), better known as "George Santayana" once said: "O world, thou choosest not the better part! It is not wisdom to be only wise, And on the inward ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:1

Tags: Faith

There Is A Statement That Says

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Dec 21, 2009

There is a statement that says “Perception is reality.” I think that means that one’s understanding is taken as reality, even when it is perverted and false. Here’s an example: Some early studies concerned with prejudice show that we’re quite capable of reordering our perceptions of the world ...read more

Tags: Truth

Denomination: Pentecostal

Skepticism About The Virgin Birth  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2009

SKEPTICISM ABOUT THE VIRGIN BIRTH A group of Bible scholars have unanimously agreed that Jesus had a human father, but they are uncertain who it was. Thus, according to these scholars, Jesus was not born of a virgin, was not conceived by the Holy Spirit, was and is not literally the Son of God, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25

Tags: Birth Of Jesus

Martyn Lloyd-Jones On ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 22, 2010

Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Sin We tend to think of sin as we see it in rags and in the gutters of life. We look at a drunkard, poor fellow, and we say, there is sin. But that is not the essence of sin. To have a real picture and a true understanding of sin, you must look at some great saint, some ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1

Tags: Sin General, Depravity Of Man

G. Campbell Morgan Personalizes Jesus' Word To ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 22, 2010

G. Campbell Morgan Personalizes Jesus’ Word to Jairus Dr. G. Campbell Morgan, that great preacher of 19th century spoke powerfully on this passage from his own experience. He said, “I can hardly speak of this matter without becoming personal and reminiscent, remembering a time forty years ago when ...read more

Scripture: Luke 8:40-56

Tags: Death

Forgetting The Things Of Earth

Contributed by Robert Joseph on Oct 13, 2010

FORGETTING THE THINGS OF EARTH In January of 1997, astronaut John Blaha returned to earth after spending the previous four months aboard the Russian Space Station, Mir. Besides conducting various experiments, his mission was to help scientists understand the effects of long term weightlessness ...read more

Tags: Disciplines General

Denomination: Pentecostal

Surprise With Joy And Delight

Contributed by Jason Bonnicksen on Mar 15, 2011

SURPRISE WITH JOY AND DELIGHT She squealed with joy – I just know she would. She grinned and chuckled while dashing from room to room as she gazed at all the balloons, streamers and other decorations scattered about. Her little fingers mined through the candy, presents, and other trinkets of fun ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:11-17

Tags: Joy

Denomination: Lutheran

We Need Christ In Good Times And Bad

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 24, 2011

WE NEED CHRIST IN GOOD TIMES AND BAD Presbyterian minister of the 19th century, J. R. Miller, once wrote that "We need Christ just as much in our bright, prosperous, exalted hours as in the days of darkness, adversity, and depression. We are quite in danger of thinking that religion is only for ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:18-22

Tags: Jesus Christ

Luther On Sweeping Streets Like Michelangelo

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 20, 2011

LUTHER ON SWEEPING STREETS LIKE MICHELANGELO Martin Luther was approached by a working man who wanted to know how he could serve God. Luther asked him, "What is your work now?" The man said, "I’m a shoemaker." Much to the cobbler’s surprise, Luther replied, "Then make good shoes and sell them at ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:31

Tags: Servanthood

Memory And Truth

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 27, 2011

MEMORY AND TRUTH Two middle-aged couples were enjoying friendly conversation when one of the men asked the other, "Fred, how was the memory clinic you went to last month?" "Outstanding," Fred replied. "They taught us all the latest psychological techniques, such as visualization, association and ...read more

Scripture: John 8:31-32, John 8:51-59

Tags: Truth

More Accustomed To Action Than Talk  PRO

Contributed by Dennis Davidson on Aug 11, 2011

MORE ACCUSTOMED TO ACTION THAN TALK All great enterprises begin at a critical moment--a moment when a decision is made and someone launches himself into a never-to-be-forgotten enterprise. PIZARRO, the noted Spanish explorer, faced such a moment. He languished with his men on a small island ...read more

Tags: Commitment To Christ

Denomination: Baptist

Luther's Confessions

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Dec 8, 2011

LUTHER'S CONFESSIONS Before writing, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," before becoming a leader of the Reformation, before his 95 Theses, Martin Luther was a Catholic priest. One thing that did not change for him was a passionate conviction that Christians must repent and confess their sins. As a ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 1:9, Psalm 66:18

Tags: Confession, Repentance, Confession Of Sin

Denomination: Baptist

On A Practical Level I Really Do Like To Garden, ...

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Dec 30, 2011

On A practical level I really do like to garden, those of you who have listened to me preach for a while have probably heard me blather on about my vege garden, it’s looking great at present, I’ve got courgettes growing, tomatoes vines just starting to bear fruit, I’ve already harvested ...read more

Scripture: John 3:1-27

Tags: Harvest, Growth, Born Again, Planting

Denomination: Salvation Army

Confined Christians

Contributed by Rodelio Mallari on Jan 10, 2012

CONFINED CHRISTIANS I met a young man not long ago who dives for exotic fish for aquariums. He told me that one of the most popular aquarium fish is the shark. He explained that if you catch a small shark and confine it, it will stay a size proportionate to the aquarium you put it in. Sharks can ...read more

Tags: Growth In Christ

Denomination: *other

I Want To Be Pretty  PRO

Contributed by Tim Hinrichs on Jan 24, 2012

I WANT TO BE PRETTY "I want to be pretty." This is the title of a popular tv program that was airing when we lived in Poland. It was a reality tv show in which in every episode you follow the changes of two women who are the heroes of the program. Each of these women work with a team of ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 31:30

Tags: Faith, Love, Beauty, Faithfulness, Patience  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Lutheran

Facing The Music

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Mar 19, 2012

FACING THE MUSIC Many years ago a man wanted to play in the Imperial Orchestra, but could not play a note. Since he was, however, a person of great wealth and influence, he demanded to be allowed to join the orchestra so that he could perform in front of the king. The conductor agreed to let him ...read more

Tags: Judgment

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

American Knowledge Of Religion

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 5, 2012

AMERICAN KNOWLEDGE OF RELIGION A survey conducted by the Christian Science Monitor found that atheists and agnostics and Jews and Mormons were among the highest scoring groups who took a 32 question survey of religious knowledge. On average Americans scored 16 of 32 correct. Atheists and agnostics ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15

Tags: Religion

The Security Of A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 3, 2012

THE SECURITY OF A FORTRESS Deep in the Arabian desert is a small fortress. It stands on the edge of the desert. It was at this place that Thomas Lawrence, also known as “Lawrence of Arabia”, used to seek shelter. Though it wasn’t a beautiful place, it was a great place because of its security. It ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 18:1-3

Tags: Security

Standard Of Comparison  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 27, 2012

STANDARD OF COMPARISON Michael Green, in his book Illustrations for Biblical Preaching, shares a good lesson which I think is appropriate for beginning our message this evening. He states: All of us frequently compare ourselves favorably with someone else. We all think of someone whom we ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:13-16, Exodus 7:8-23

Tags: Holiness

The ...

Contributed by Eric Ferguson on Jun 4, 2008

The Wheelbarrow Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev used to tell of a time when there was a wave of petty theft in the Soviet Union. To curtail this the authorities put up guards around the factories. At one timberworks in Leningrad, the guard knew the workers in the factory very well. The first ...read more

Tags: Sin Deceptive

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational