In Sermon Illustrations: "Grow Up"

Forgiving The Unrepentant By R.t. ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 17, 2009

Forgiving the Unrepentant by R.T. Kendall In an article by R.T. Kendall titled, ‘Forgiving the Unrepentant’, he recalls an incident that happened to him. “When I was minister of Westminster Chapel in London, the people who had betrayed me didn’t think they had done one thing wrong. You could have ...read more

Scripture: Luke 23:34

Tags: Forgiveness, Forgiveness For Others

Renoir On Suffering: The Beauty Remains, The Pain ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 10, 2009

Renoir on Suffering: The Beauty Remains, The Pain Passes Our greatest battles are not won on the mountain tops of life but during the tough times while we are in the valleys. Among the famous painters of the French impressionist school, Henri Matisse and August Renoir were the closest friends. ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-3

Tags: Suffering Joy In

The First Step In Developing Specific Prayers ...

Contributed by Greg Bond on Dec 28, 2009

The first step in developing specific prayers for your community, oddly enough, is to pray. Start with a specific prayer, asking God to open your eyes to those areas in your community that have the most influence. Ask Him to open your eyes to those things which are beneficial, and those which are ...read more

Tags: Outreach, Opportunity

Denomination: Pentecostal

Nathaniel Hawthorne's Great Stone ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 6, 2010

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Great Stone Face Perhaps some of you remember Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story about the great stone face. A little lad lived in a village where there was a mountain with a rock formation which they called the great stone face. The people had a legend that someday someone would ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 3:17-18

Tags: Change

I’ll Never Forget My First Experience Using ...

Contributed by Ajai Prakash on Mar 10, 2010

I’ll never forget my first experience using an automatic car wash. Approaching it with the dread of going to the dentist, I pushed the money into the slot, nervously checked and rechecked my windows, eased the car up to the line, and waited. Powers beyond my control began moving my car forward as ...read more

Tags: Promises Of God

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

On Facebook I Have Noticed That You Have The ...

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Apr 10, 2010

On facebook I have noticed that you have the opportunity of reading your HOROSCOPE for some kind of guidance each day. Apparently it was Empedocles, a fifth century BCE Greek philosopher, who started it all off when he originated the terms FIRE, EARTH, AIR, AND WATER associating them with a persons ...read more

Tags: Obedience

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Stop Being Everybody's Victim By John ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 10, 2010

Stop Being Everybody’s Victim by John Powell, The late US syndicated columnist Sydney J. Harris accompanied his friend George to his favorite newsstand. George greeted the man selling the newspapers courteously, but in return he received gruff service. He barely acknowledged his customer and never ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:43-48

Tags: Christian Witness

Hanging Onto The "Bomb"

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 13, 2010

HANGING ONTO THE "BOMB" For four hours he held the cylinder, waiting for rescue or an immediate death. After digging up what appeared to be an unexploded WWI bomb, David Page held on to it, afraid that letting go would detonate the device. While holding the bomb, the terrified 40-year-old from ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:6-7

Tags: Anxiety

Needing A Push  PRO

Contributed by Sean Harder on Sep 30, 2010

NEEDING A PUSH A man and his wife are awakened at 3 o'clock in the morning by a loud pounding on the back door. The man gets up and goes to the door where a drunken stranger, standing in the pouring rain, is asking for a push. "Not a chance," says the husband, "It is three o'clock in the ...read more

Scripture: John 13:1-17

Tags: Service, Compassion, Giving, Servanthood

Overcoming Evil With Good  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 18, 2010

OVERCOMING EVIL WITH GOOD Watchman Nee, the Chinese evangelist, tells this true story. A poor, Christian Chinese farmer had rice fields high in the mountain. Every day he spent hours pumping water into the rice paddies; but when he returned to the fields the next morning, he would find that his ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:1-5

Tags: Christian Witness

Leave The Bones  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 23, 2010

LEAVE THE BONES A clergyman took a seat in a dining car on a train traveling along the Hudson River. Opposite him was an atheist who, seeing his clerical collar, started a discussion. "I see you are a clergyman." "Yes," came the reply. "I am a minister of the gospel." "I suppose you believe the ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15

Tags: Bible Study

It Moves, For All That!

Contributed by Rodelio Mallari on Nov 20, 2010

IT MOVES, FOR ALL THAT! Galileo, in 1609, began experiments which led to the invention of the telescope. His first instrument had for its tube, a piece of leaden organ pipe, and a magnifying power of three diameters. In 1611 he visited Rome, and showed the clergy and others the wonders of the ...read more

Tags: Truth

Denomination: *other

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

Better One Safe And Sure Way  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 30, 2011

BETTER ONE SAFE AND SURE WAY There is a story about a Fox boasting to a Cat about his clever tactics for escaping its enemies. "I have a whole bag of tricks," he said, "which contains a hundred different ways of escaping from my enemies." "I have only one," said the Cat; "but I can generally ...read more

Scripture: John 14:6, John 14:6-14

Tags: Salvation, Humor

Covering Your Own Sin

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 30, 2011

COVERING YOUR OWN SIN "Adam, where are you?" God cried as a now sin-tainted Adam and Eve vainly attempted to hide from Him. Adam had a plan: The fig leaves-an easy quick fix, a cover-up. They represent man fixing his sin on his own terms, the quick and easy way. Grab some leaves, cover it quickly. ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 3:6-13

Tags: Sin Exposed

We Need More Wilberforces

Contributed by Merv Budd on May 2, 2011

WE NEED MORE WILBERFORCES In the middle of the eighteenth century, Christians became increasingly concerned about the slave trade. They amassed information on the inhumane treatment of the slaves and believed that eventually they could generate sufficient public support to overcome the slave trade ...read more

Tags: Heroism

Denomination: Baptist

The Love Me Not

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 11, 2011

THE LOVE ME NOT Dostoevsky tells the story of a woman who found herself in hell and felt she did not belong there. She could not bear the suffering and cried out in agony for the mercy of God. God listened and was moved with pity and so He said to her: "If you can remember one good deed that you ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:7

Tags: Mercy

Crossing Hypocrisy

Contributed by Jason Bonnicksen on May 15, 2011

CROSSING HYPOCRISY I remember one holiday sitting in the living room chatting with my in-laws, when the subject of high school reunions and old classmates came up. In the course of our conversation, my brother-in-law started laughing when he proceeded to tell us a story about one of his ...read more

Tags: Hypocrisy

Denomination: Lutheran

Saved Based On The Name

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 3, 2011

SAVED BASED ON THE NAME There was a lawyer in a metropolitan city that was leaving his firm one night and as he was walking ot his car he saw a dirty bum on the sidewalk leaned up against a building. He had pity on the bum and told him that he wanted to help him out. He took put a pen and began to ...read more

Scripture: John 3:14

Tags: Grace

Which House Would You Rather Live In?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 5, 2011

WHICH HOUSE WOULD YOU RATHER LIVE IN? On October 19, 2010, a test was conducted at the Institute for Business and Home Safety in Richburg, South Carolina. Researchers constructed two 1,300-square-foot houses inside a $40 million laboratory and then observed how a simulated hurricane would impact ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:24-27