In Sermon Illustrations: "Image Of God"

What We See Urged In The Nt Is Zeal, Which Is Not ...

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jun 23, 2008

What we see urged in the NT is zeal, which is not quite the same as the fad word "passion" (which implies the necessity of emotional exuberance and is emotionally driven) or "urgency" (which implies a desperate God and is usually guilt driven). Zeal is a spiritually driven energy grounded in a ...read more

Tags: Zeal

Denomination: Independent/Bible

55% Of U.s. Adults Attended A Conventional Church ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 30, 2008

55% of U.S. adults attended a conventional church service in the past month. 28% of all adults who did not attend a conventional church activity participated in an alternative means of experiencing and expressing their faith in God. 12% engaged in spiritual activity on the Internet. 9% participated ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

During The Long War Years A Boy Looked Frequently ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2008

During the long war years a boy looked frequently at a picture of his daddy on the table. His father had left for Europe when the boy was a young infant. After several years the boy had forgotten him as a person but he would often look at the picture and say, "If only my ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Simon Finds Him And In Effect Says, "Master, ...

Contributed by Dale Krueger on Feb 7, 2009

Simon finds him and in effect says, “Master, let’s get this show on the road, for everybody wants a piece of the action.” But Jesus knew that they were after him for the wrong reasons, for the glory of the miraculous, not for the message of the Kingdom of God. He responds, as Phillips ...read more

Tags: Jesus' Ministry

Denomination: Lutheran

Successful Parenting - Two Hands

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Mar 13, 2023

The secret of all successful marriages ......... of all successful parenting...... always rests ... in two sets of hands. First and foremost, ... in the hand of God ...... and secondly ... in our hands. If we allow those hands ... (Clasp them) to be linked together ...... the results are ... ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:1-18

Tags: Father's Day, Hands, Fathers, Families

Denomination: Anglican

Six Misunderstandings About Temptation

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 8, 2024

Misunderstandings regarding temptation: 1) Temptation itself is sin. 2) We fall into temptation. 3) God is disappointed and displeased when we are tempted. 4) To be strongly tempted means we are as guilty as if we had actually committed sin. 5) We overcome all temptation by separation ...read more

Scripture: James 1:10-15

Tags: Satan, Temptation, Failure, Tests, Trials, Sin, Lust  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Selective Memory

Contributed by David Dunn on Nov 6, 2025

Three old friends are talking about memory loss. The first says, “Sometimes I go to the fridge and forget why I opened it.” The second says, “I forget what I’m doing in the middle of a task!” The third says, “Thank God I don’t have those ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 3:5, 2 Peter 1:12

Tags: Humility, Remembrance

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Lights Are On, But No One's Home---If Any Of You ...

Contributed by Peter Loughman on Mar 23, 2010

LIGHTS ARE ON, BUT NO ONE'S HOME---If any of you have ever owned an electric lawn mower, you know that electric lawn mowers tend to not be very powerful. Electric lawn mowers, as a whole, are underpowered garden tools. I have an electric lawn mower now and it isn’t very powerful, all I can say is ...read more

Tags: Wisdom, Fools For Christ

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The High Cost Of Low Living

Contributed by Larry Grant on Nov 8, 2025

Judges 16:15 "THE HIGH COST OF LOW LIVING" November 9, 2025 There is an old preacher story of a large carnival that came into a country town every two years. And people from miles around would bring their children to see all the colors and sights and sounds. But there was a particular ...read more

Scripture: Judges 16:15

Tags: Lifestyle, Lessons, Losses

Denomination: Baptist

A Few Years Ago, Bill Cosby Began His Book, ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Feb 19, 2001

ILL. A few years ago, Bill Cosby began his book, "Fatherhood," with these words: "So you’ve decided to have a child. You’ve decided to give up quiet evenings with good books & lazy weekends with good music, intimate meals during which you finish whole sentences, sweet private times when you’ve ...read more

Tags: Parenting, Children, Father's Day

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Imagine Two Country Clubs. The First Has A ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 24, 2001

Imagine two country clubs. The first has a strict set of rules and only allows in people who have earned their membership. They have to accomplish something, obtain superior wisdom, or fulfill a long list of demands and requirements to qualify for entry. Despite their best efforts, lots of ...read more

There Was A Farmer Who Had Three Sons: Ron, Don ...  PRO

Contributed by Tim George on Apr 29, 2001

There was a farmer who had three sons: Ron, Don and Little John. All had their names on the church roll but none ever attended church or had time for God. Then one day Don was bitten by a rattlesnake. The doctor was called and he did all he could to help Don, but the outlook for his recovery was ...read more

Scripture: James 1:26-27, Luke 13:3, Luke 13:10-17, Luke 13:6-9

Tags: Faith, Clean, Commitment To Christ

Denomination: Baptist

Dr. Barnhouse Used This Illustration To Portray ...  PRO

Contributed by Lynell Friesen on May 24, 2001

Dr. Barnhouse used this illustration to portray this simple truth to his congregation and I would like to share it with you. A young man, suffering from amnesia, lived a new life amid his old surroundings; he could remember nothing that had happened before he fell off a haywagon. As he fell, ...read more

Tags: Sin Fall Of Man, Assurance Of Salvation

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

In 1900, In Bangor, Ireland, A Group Of Salvation ...  PRO

Contributed by Robert Massey on Apr 8, 2002

In 1900, in Bangor, Ireland, a group of Salvation Army youth were conducting a street meeting. A young man named Billy Nicholson who had desired to do great things for God passed by. Several of the ones in the Salvation Army troop knew that Billy professed Christianity so they invited him to ...read more

Tags: Confession Of Sin, Commitment To Christ

Denomination: Church Of God

Sent From Heaven  PRO

Contributed by D. Greg Ebie on Oct 30, 2002

SENT FROM HEAVEN One of the most moving passages in English literature comes towards the end of Charles Dickens’s Tale of Two Cities, a story of the French revolution. Each day, a grim procession of prisoners made its way on the streets of Paris to the guillotine. One prisoner, Sidney Carton, a ...read more

Tags: Love Of The Disciples, Holy Spirit Attributes, Trinity

Denomination: Assembly Of God

The Journey From Heaven To Dump  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Nov 29, 2002

THE JOURNEY FROM HEAVEN TO DUMP Author and pastor Leith Anderson writes: Several years ago I was visiting Manila and was taken, of all places, to the Manila garbage dump and saw something beyond belief. Tens of thousands of people make their homes on that dump site. They’ve constructed shacks out ...read more

Scripture: John 1:1-18

Tags: Christmas Advent

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Chaplain's Prayer For Our Soldiers  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 5, 2003

A CHAPLAIN’S PRAYER FOR OUR SOLDIERS "Lord our God, provide wisdom, insight and clear vision of Your will, for all our senior military and political leaders, the President, his Cabinet, the Secretary of Defense, the Service Secretaries and the flag and SES level personnel under their direction. ...read more

Tags: War

I Remember In High School Track I Ran The Last ...  PRO

Contributed by James Chandler on Apr 6, 2003

I remember in high school track I ran the last leg of the 2 mile relay. At a huge invitational meet we were competing in the 2 mile relay. When I got the baton, we had dropped to 8th place and it wasn’t looking good. I ran the first of two laps around the track. I thought to myself, I cannot go ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Many Years Ago, When We Had Dug Our Potatoes, We ...  PRO

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jul 31, 2003

Many years ago, when we had dug our potatoes, we laid the potatoes on the ground and washed them. We let them dry in the sun, and then my two little sons started putting the potatoes in bags for storage. We counted the potatoes to nine, then Joshua was to pick the biggest potato he saw and place it ...read more

Tags: Giving General

Denomination: Assembly Of God

The Dawn Of Goodness

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 28, 2003

THE DAWN OF GOODNESS There is the story of a young lady who was a bright student. Unfortunately, she did not have assurance. Her name was Marian. She was working her way through college by cleaning the dorm rooms of her fellow students. She was often annoyed by their in ability to say “thank you” ...read more

Tags: Christian Love