In Sermon Illustrations: "Great Commission"

Prep Your Heart

Contributed by Chris Surber on Jan 29, 2009

PREP YOUR HEART My wife and I have had a painter in the house this week creating a very colorful and fun bedroom for our two youngest sons. The painter is a man who cares deeply about his craft. In conversation with him this week, I have learned a great deal more about the nature of painting than ...read more

Tags: Preparation

Denomination: Christian Church

Consumed With Consumerism

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Mar 4, 2009

Consumed with Consumerism We Americans are CONSUMED with the CONSUMER mentality! We’re used to choosing whatever gives us the most "perks and bennies" at any given time. We look for a restaurant with the best price and menu and atmosphere and location. We go to the clothing store that carries ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:10-12

Tags: Church Purpose Of

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Forgiveness On A Kid's First Job

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 9, 2009

FORGIVENESS ON A KID’S FIRST JOB Forgiveness was the most important lesson best-selling author Tony Hillerman learned as a kid on his first job. His story goes... "I was 14 when Mr. Ingram knocked on our farmhouse door in Sacred Heart, Oklahoma (pop. 38). The old sharecropper lived about a mile ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:27-36

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

I Didn't Get An Allowance When I Was In High ...

Contributed by Johnny Wilson on May 21, 2009

I didn’t get an allowance when I was in high school and any kind of paying work was few and far between. My parents expected me to come to them when I needed money for lunch money, class rings, yearbooks, books, gas money, dates, or anything. Instead of being thankful that they wanted to give me ...read more

Tags: Prayer Supplication, God Answers Prayer

Denomination: *other

History Will Prove That It Is When The Church Has ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 29, 2009

History will prove that it is when the church has endured great persecution that that is when the church has seen tremendous growth. It was true in the first century and it is true today. Listen to this story of a faithful disciple in China. Pastor Li De Xian (Shee-an) was arrested 13 times in six ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:12

Tags: Persecution

Nfl Quarterback's Pre-Game Generosity Impacts ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 18, 2010

NFL Quarterback’s Pre-Game Generosity Impacts Family There was a time when the bread-winner of the family worked a night shift in a low paying job and relied on food stamps to feed their large family. But that all changed after the Saint Louis Rams won the Super Bowl in 2000. And because of those ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:1

Tags: Generosity, Giving General

I've Been Reading A Book By Francine Rivers ...

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Mar 30, 2010

I've been reading a book by Francine Rivers lately about an old woman called Leota who loves the Lord and has an amazing impact upon the lives of other people in her life, yet is rejected and hated by her own daughter, Eleanor. Throughout the book there seems to be NO HOPE for this estranged ...read more

Tags: Miracles Of Jesus, Confidence In Prayer

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

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

The Eden Project

Contributed by Ken Pell on Sep 13, 2010

In Cornwall, England, you can visit a place called “The Eden Project.” The Eden Project attempted to build the perfect environment in which plants and trees could flourish. Obviously named for the Garden of Eden, this collection of “biomes,” huge domes, provide a tightly monitored atmosphere with a ...read more

Tags: Stress

Denomination: Nazarene

Motley, Cross-Breed, Half-Baked Sheep  PRO

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Nov 12, 2010

MOTLEY, CROSS-BREED, HALF-BAKED SHEEP Before I went off to train for ministry, I used to live in an old house in Oamaru with an acre and a half of land. I had the usual garden and lawn, but I also had about an acre and a quarter of pretty rough hillside that was planted in a variety of trees and ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 1:3, Numbers 6:22-27

Tags: Parable Lost Sheep

Denomination: Salvation Army

In God We Trust

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 17, 2011

IN GOD WE TRUST I think it quite appropriate that on this day we celebrate who we are as a nation and reflect on how we came to be the nation we are. It is because we still stand firm in our national motto,” IN GOD WE TRUST”. Did you ever wonder where it came from – how did these words come to be ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 33:6-22, Proverbs 16:1-4

Tags: Independence Day

Leave Room For God To Work

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Feb 20, 2011

LEAVE ROOM FOR GOD TO WORK There was an amazing story recently that took place during the riots in Egypt. As a backdrop remember that on New Year’s Day of this year there was a suicide bombing of a Christian church in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, which killed 23 Christians and wounded 97 ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Methodist

God's Chair

Contributed by Antonio Silveira on Feb 26, 2011

GOD'S CHAIR When I was small, I used to play a game with my friends called musical chairs. Do you remember it? The object of the game was to be in possession of a chair when the music stopped. All through life it often seems we’re caught up in this game. There are different kinds of chairs and in ...read more

Tags: Kingdom Of God

Denomination: Baptist

Helping The Fallen

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 25, 2011

HELPING THE FALLEN One of the most touching moments in NBA history took place in a 2003 playoff game between the Portland Trailblazers and the Dallas Mavericks. Actually, it happened before the game began. Natalie Gilbert was a 13-year-old 8th grader who had won the chance to sing the national ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 2:5-11

Tags: Encouragement

The Legions Of The Unjazzed

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 8, 2011

THE LEGIONS OF THE UNJAZZED In Dr. David Jeremiah's book "Life Wide Open" he writes about a young man who turned the surfing world upside down in the 1950's. Killer Dana was the most notorious wave in California. When it was really ripping and roaring, the best surfers in the world gave it plenty ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:11

Tags: Zeal

The Avoidance Of Death

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 2, 2011

THE AVOIDANCE OF DEATH I read a great book called The Art of Dying, by Christianity Today editor Rob Moll. In the forward, by Lauren Winner, we read: "We no longer allow people to say that they are dying – rather, they are “battling” an illness. Far from encouraging the perilously ill to ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:23

Tags: Death Nearness

God's Whispers Are Ours To Hear

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Aug 31, 2011

GOD'S WHISPERS ARE OURS TO HEAR Bill Hybels' book: The Power of the Whisper: "Throughout history God has spoken. For millennia, he has forged his children’s faith by promising parted waters, empowering unlikely leaders, declaring world-changing prophecies-and imparting last-minute sermons to ...read more

Tags: God Brings Purpose

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Titanic: Code Of Honor

Contributed by Mark Adams on Sep 10, 2011

TITANIC: CODE OF HONOR I bet a lot of you remember the movie Titanic. That song came out, and for a few days we loved Celine Dion, until we'd heard it so many times we started wishing we could put her on that boat to sink with the rest of them. Titanic was a movie that was loosely based on the ...read more

Tags: Self

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A 30 Part Study Of Prayer Keys During Our ...

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Oct 4, 2011

A 30 part study of prayer keys during our Wednesday night prayer meetings? You may think it will become boringly repetitive. No, No, NOOOO! During this study, we will hear how Mary, Queen of Scots, feared the prayers of John Knox more than the combined armies of Europe. We will hear Jonathan ...read more

Scripture: Luke 11:5, Luke 11:1

Tags: Prayer, Prayer How To

Denomination: Baptist

The Golden Rule: Is It Original?

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Dec 12, 2011

THE GOLDEN RULE: IS IT ORIGINAL? There are people in this world who think Jesus’ Golden Rule was nice but not original. They try to say that Jesus merely borrowed the idea from others. I once saw a poster that tried to say that. * Confucius (some 500 years before Jesus) said: "DO NOT unto ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ