In Sermon Illustrations: "Hardship Of Life"

Again – So Much Of What Jesus Teaches Is Just ...  PRO

Contributed by Steve Malone on Apr 20, 2004

AGAIN – so much of what Jesus teaches is just nuts according to the world… he taught THAT… • The way up is down • The way in is out • The way first is last • The way of success is service • The way of attainment is relinquishment • The way of strength is weakness • The way of security is ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

At One Time Howard Hughes Was The Richest Man In ...  PRO

Contributed by Gene Gregory on Jul 31, 2004

At one time Howard Hughes was the richest man in the world. All he ever really wanted in life was more. He wanted more money, so he parlayed inherited wealth into a billion-dollar pile of assets. He wanted more fame, so he broke into the Hollywood scene and soon became a filmmaker and star. He ...read more

Tags: Money

Denomination: Baptist

Graham: I Would Read The Bible More

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 13, 2009

GRAHAM: I WOULD READ THE BIBLE MORE In an interview with Newsweek on 14 Aug 2006, Billy Graham, then aged 88, was asked what would he do if he could live his life over again. The article writes: If he had his life to live over again, Graham says he would spend more time immersed in Scripture and ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 4:3-13

Tags: Bible Study

He Keeps Me ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 13, 2009

HE KEEPS ME SINGING A Methodist preacher by the name of Luther Bridges, was born in 1884, he married Sarah Veatch and three lovely sons were born. Pastor Bridges accepted an invitation to minister at a conference in Kentucky in the year 1910, so he left his family in the care of his father-in-law ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 46:10

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

I Am His!

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 13, 2009

"I AM HIS!" President Theodore Roosevelt, was a charismatic figure who made quite an impression on people. One journalist, William Allen White, wrote of his first meeting with Roosevelt in 1897: "He sounded in my heart the first trumpet call of the new time that was to be... I had never known ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:20

Tags: Discipleship

Do You Know Him?

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Aug 1, 2009

DO YOU KNOW HIM? Do you know Jesus? I’m not asking if you know about Jesus. Some people know Jesus about as well as they know Stephen Harper (PM of Canada), Rick Warren (Pastor and best-selling author), Sara Palin (Governor of Alaska who ran for Vice President for Republican John McCain), or Carl ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Salvation Army

A Parable Is Told Of A Community Of Ducks ...

Contributed by Tim Adams on Dec 1, 2009

A parable is told of a community of ducks waddling off to duck church one Sunday to hear their duck preacher. After they waddled into the duck sanctuary, the service began and the duck preacher spoke eloquently of how God had given the ducks wings with which to fly. He pounded the pulpit with his ...read more

Tags: Worship Purpose

Denomination: Baptist

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 Church's Identity And Purpose

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 15, 2009

THE CHURCH'S IDENTITY AND PURPOSE In his book, The Family of God, Batsell Barrett Baxter says the following: "There are some who think of the church as an organization like other organizations. It is true that the church is an organization, but it is not primarily an organization. Rather, it is ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:22-23, Ephesians 1:21-23

Tags: Church Purpose Of

Astronomer Sir Percival Lowell Deceived By Eye ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 6, 2010

Astronomer Sir Percival Lowell Deceived by Eye Condition At the turn of the century the world’s most distinguished astronomer was Sir Percival Lowell. He was esteemed for his study of the solar system and had a particular fascination with Mars. He was certain that he had determined that there were ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 119:18

Tags: Mistakes

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

In 1982 There Was A Letter To The Editor Which ...

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Jun 22, 2010

In 1982 there was a letter to the editor which read, “Dear Editor, I would like to tell your readers how mad I was when I was forced to go out and pay $45 for an infant seat, and to top it off we couldn’t fit everybody in my pickup truck with that big bulky thing. On April 2, my wife was forced to ...read more

Tags: Law

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

A Beautiful ...

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Aug 26, 2010

A Beautiful Prayer “I asked God to take away my pain. God said, ‘No. It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.’ I asked God to make my handicapped child whole. God said, ‘No. His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary.’ I asked God to grant me patience. God said, ‘No. Patience ...read more

Tags: Trust

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Church As A China Cabinet

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 7, 2011

THE CHURCH AS A CHINA CABINET Bryan Wilkerson talks about a sterling silver tea set that a family member gave him and his wife as a reminder of her love for them. It’s quite old and beautifully made, and it sits on a stand in their dining room. There's only one problem: they can’t use it. The ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:14-15

Tags: Church Purpose Of

Maclaren On Facing Death

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 2, 2011

MACLAREN ON FACING DEATH The great 1800s Scottish preacher Alexander MacLaren said: "Many of us cling to life with a desperate clutch, like some poor wretch pushed over a precipice and trying to dig his nails into the rock as he falls. Some of us cling to it because we dread what is beyond, and ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:20-23

Tags: Death Nearness

Why Should I Let You Into Heaven?

Contributed by Brad Henry on Aug 5, 2011

WHY SHOULD I LET YOU INTO HEAVEN? If you were to die today and God were to ask you, 'Why should I let you into my heaven?' what would you say?" Over the years I would have to say that 85% of the answers I get are "I have tried to be a good person, I have tried to be a good parent, I have tried to ...read more

Tags: Evangelism The Lost

Death As Reward

Contributed by Brad Henry on Sep 15, 2011

DEATH AS REWARD I am reading a book that has changed a lot of the ways I think about things of God. One statement really got me. "Your life is free to be radical when you see death as your reward." The book “Radical” by David Platt. That’s it isn’t it? That is why we worry. Because we don’t see ...read more

Tags: Death

Hiding The Word Of God

Contributed by Perry Greene on Jan 10, 2012

HIDING THE WORD OF GOD During World War II, Jewish inmates of the Yanov labor camp in occupied Poland defied their Nazi guards, secretly conducting religious services inside their darkened barracks. To observe their ritual, the Jews had cut religious scrolls into sections, bound the parchment ...read more

Tags: Bible Influence

Denomination: Independent/Bible

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

Is Evangelism Too Hard?

Contributed by Tim Smith on May 11, 2014

Jenn Hopkins writes of attending a funeral several years ago. "There he lay, dead. He was gone and unsaved. Lived a life and then, in the flash of an eye, he was in Hell. Someone I loved and respected was gone and so was my opportunity to share the Gospel with him. His funeral was in a church, one ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 3:8-13

Tags: Evangelism, Hell

Denomination: Methodist