In Sermon Illustrations: "Homes"

2 Corinthians 7:1,

Contributed by Tim Adams on Dec 1, 2009

2 Corinthians 7:1,“Let us cleanse ourselves” - that means we would do a good job if we were just as fond of straightening our own selves out as we are to find the faults of others. It is God’s Holy Spirit that will do the work but we must enter in to an active cooperation with God on this matter. ...read more

Tags: Sin Exposed

Denomination: Baptist

We Sing When We Face ...

Contributed by Thomas Cash on Jan 11, 2010

We sing when we face death. Lavena (Beanie) Peters was dying of liver cancer. I was at the hospital with her family, essentially on a deathwatch. Beanie’s pain was excruciating, and the pain medicine kept her in a nearly unconscious state. Others left the room for a moment; only Harriet her ...read more

Tags: Singing Praise, Death Nearness

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Modeler And The Modeled

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 6, 2010

THE MODELER AND THE MODELED Michael Chesko describes himself as an eccentric mix of engineer, model maker, unofficial cartographer, and most of all, artist. When he was a little boy living in Arizona he would make maps of fictitious landscapes of places like Arizona and then he started to model ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:12

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Forgiving And Forgetting

Contributed by Davon Huss on Feb 15, 2010

FORGIVING AND FORGETTING Mr. Peale tells a story about a man who suffered from many health problems: headaches, skin troubles, gastric disturbances, insomnia. It did not take Mr. Peale long to discover that one basic cause was the burning anger that he felt toward his brother. The brother, the ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

God Wants Our Christianity To Be Where Everyone ...

Contributed by Thomas Cash on Mar 9, 2010

God wants our Christianity to be where everyone can see it. We get into trouble when we are secretive about our faith. Don’t make a decision to follow Jesus if you intend to do so only in the presence of other believers. Be ready to identify yourself as Christ’s disciple in your home, your ...read more

Tags: Testimonies About Jesus

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Cliff Barrows' Honeymoon ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 21, 2010

Cliff Barrows’ Honeymoon Service Dr. James Dobson wrote a book entitled When God Doesn’t Make Sense, and in his book he shared an illustration that is very applicable to the point being drawn from this particular verse. Take a moment and reflect upon the following story: In 1945, a young ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 11:6

Tags: Servanthood, God's Sovereignty

I Love You ...

Contributed by Donnie Martin on May 10, 2010

I Love You Enough “You don’t love me!” How many times have your kids laid that one on you? Someday when my children are old enough to understand the logic motivation [of] a mother, I’ll tell them: ü I loved you enough to bug you about where you were going and what time you would get home. ü I ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

How To Miss The Treasure Of Pilgrim's Progress ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 7, 2010

How to Miss the Treasure of Pilgrim’s Progress Through Ignorance Ravi Zacharias tells this story: Some years ago, I was visiting the town of Bedford in England. The reason most tourists go to Bedford is because it was the home of the famed 17th Century writer John Bunyan who penned his immortal ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:13-16

Tags: Ignorance

What Would You Say?

Contributed by Scott Sharpes on Dec 16, 2010

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY? A number of years ago a couple traveled to the offices of an Adoption Society in England to receive a baby. They had been on the waiting list a long time. They had been interviewed and carefully scrutinized. Now at last their dreams were to be fulfilled. But their day of ...read more

Tags: Adoption

Denomination: Nazarene

The Rise And Fall Of Nine Rich Men  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 6, 2011

THE RISE AND FALL OF NINE RICH MEN A popular story recounts a meeting that may have taken place at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago in 1923. There is debate whether the meeting in fact occurred, but what is not in question is the actual rise and fall of the men featured in the story, who were ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:6-10

Tags: Money

Adoniram Judson Returns To The Lord

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 13, 2011

ADONIRAM JUDSON RETURNS TO THE LORD Adoniram Judson graduated at the top of his class in college, then he headed to New York City to seek fame and fortune as an actor and/or writer. He had left the God of his father, thinking he was beyond such "primitive notions." But such a life was empty for ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 44:22, Isaiah 44:22-44

Tags: Revelation

Poor Man's Philanthropist  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2011

POOR MAN'S PHILANTHROPIST In 2005, when Thomas Cannon died of colon cancer in a hospital in Richmond, Virginia, he was 79. Thomas described himself a "poor man's philanthropist." When Thomas was three years old, his father died. Once Thomas' mother remarried, the family of six lived in a ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:1-15, 2 Corinthians 9:15

Tags: Giving General

I Could Have Done More  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 18, 2011

I COULD HAVE DONE MORE The film Schindler's List chronicled the heroic efforts of a German industrialist named Oskar Schindler. Through his unselfish activities, over a thousand Jews on the trains to Auschwitz were saved. After Schindler found out what was happening at Auschwitz, he began a ...read more

Scripture: John 15:9-17, Luke 16:9

Tags: Stewardship, Illustration

The Value Of The Rock

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 25, 2011

THE VALUE OF THE ROCK There is an old story told of an occasion in 1799 when a twelve year old boy named Conrad Reed skipped church and went fishing in Little Meadow Creek on the family farm near Fayetteville, North Carolina. In an attempt to spear a fish young Conrad Reed missed but his spear ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:44-46

Tags: Parable Treasure

A Religion Worth Having  PRO

Contributed by Larry Wilson on Aug 30, 2011

A RELIGION WORTH HAVING Dr. F. E. Marsh used to tell that on one occasion he was preaching on the importance of confession of sin and, wherever possible, of restitution for wrong done to others. Afterward a young man came up to him and said: "Pastor, you have put me in a sad fix. I have wronged ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 27:1-2

Tags: Restoration

Denomination: Baptist

Never Give Up  PRO

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Oct 27, 2011

NEVER GIVE UP Have you seen that cartoon with the pelican having a frog for dinner? His dinner is not agreeing with him. The frog’s head, shoulders, and most of his body are in the pelican’s beak. His back legs are outside, kicking for all they’re worth. His front legs stick out from both sides ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:1-8, 1 Peter 1:6-7, Luke 11:5-13

Tags: Perseverance, Prayer, Prayer Persistence

Denomination: Baptist

Making Christmas Special  PRO

Contributed by Sam Higgs on Dec 1, 2011

MAKING CHRISTMAS SPECIAL In the months leading up to the Christmas season, Dan had lost his job. Well, in the city he lived in, most of the workers had to relocate with the company or face unemployment. Dan was one of the unlucky ones who had not been with the company long enough to be asked ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:18-21, Galatians 4:4

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Baptist

Nolan Ryan Didn't Change Me  PRO

Contributed by Tim White on Feb 1, 2012

NOLAN RYAN DIDN'T CHANGE ME In 1991, Ryan, our son, age 6 at the time, played Challenger Baseball, a modified version of the game for disabled children. At the end of the season, each child received an official Challenger baseball for his or her participation. We asked Ryan what he wanted to do ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 1:6-7

Tags: Sanctification

Denomination: Baptist

When One Is Threatened  PRO

Contributed by Pramod Kumar Eleti on Feb 12, 2012

WHEN ONE IS THREATENED A Mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. "What food might this contain?" The mouse wondered. He was devastated to discover it was a Mouse-Trap Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning. "There is a ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:4, 1 Corinthians 12:26

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Skeletons In Our Closets

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 19, 2012

SKELETONS IN OUR CLOSETS The Rockefeller family is considered to be one of the most philanthropic families in the world, helping humanity globally in issues like economics, religion, education and environmental affairs. Yet the Rockefeller family tree is filled with many skeletons. William Avery ...read more

Tags: Sin General

Denomination: Methodist