In Sermon Illustrations: "Inner Beauty"

Cain's Envy

Contributed by Sean Harder on Jun 25, 2009

CAIN'S ENVY Cain is displaying an attitude that many non-Christians have about Christians. There is often indignation from those who don’t believe they deserve to be in God’s favor, derogatory statements like, "Christians are a bunch of do-gooders, hypocrites etc." Often this reflects their deep ...read more

Tags: Envy

Children Of The King

Contributed by Nigel Heath on Aug 17, 2009

CHILDREN OF THE KING Living as a child of the King will be noticeable in the way others experience us. Madonna has been in the headlines over the last couple of years for famously trying and succeeding to adopt African children from Malawi. Whatever we think of Madonna’s actions or motives on ...read more

Tags: Adoption

Denomination: Baptist

Chinese Proverb About Peacemaking

Contributed by Richard Tow on Apr 24, 2023

An old Chinese proverb says, “If there is righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the character. If there be beauty in the character, there will be harmony in the home. If there be harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation. When there is order in the nation, there will be ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:9

Tags: Peace, Home, Peacemakers

Denomination: Charismatic

A Stranger Came By The Other Day With An Offer ...  PRO

Contributed by Larry Brincefield on Aug 21, 2003

A stranger came by the other day with an offer that set me to thinking. He wanted to buy the old barn that sits out by the highway. I told him right off that he was crazy. He was a city type. You could tell by his clothes, his car, his hands, and the way he talked. He said he was driving by and saw ...read more

Tags: Fulfillment, God In The Hardships

Denomination: Nazarene

An Ad For Heaven

Contributed by Doug Lyon on Mar 7, 2009

AN AD FOR HEAVEN An advertisement based on Revelation chapter 21 reads: "Free, beautiful homes to be given away in a perfect city! With: 100% pure water, no electric bills, perpetual lighting, permanent pavement, nothing undesirable, everything new, perfect ...read more

Tags: Heaven

Denomination: Independent/Bible

A Wood Carver One Day Was Carving A Piece Of ...  PRO

Contributed by Darren Rogers on Sep 6, 2007

A wood carver one day was carving a piece of wood, having many beautiful pieces already finished around him. What beautiful work he could do. Someone asked him how he did such wonderful work. The woodcarver ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

The Born-Again Vase

Contributed by Michael Walther on May 18, 2011

THE BORN-AGAIN VASE A number of years ago I had the opportunity to tour the Villeroy and Boch porcelain factory in Torgau, Germany. Porcelain is one of the most beautiful and enduring things that human beings can make. Even today much of what we know about ancient cultures comes from what they ...read more

Tags: Bible Truth

Denomination: Lutheran

I Think That We Often Can Learn Some Pretty ...

Contributed by Mike Rexroat on Nov 6, 2007

I think that we often can learn some pretty profound things from children…so listen to what these kids had to say about what heaven is like… "Everything is free," says Christina, age 12. "Everyone lives in a mansion. No one has to go to work. There are no house payments." "Heaven is a place that ...read more

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Woman Missionary In The South Pacific Islands ...  PRO

Contributed by Christian Cheong on May 28, 2003

A woman missionary in the South Pacific Islands was explaining to a group of children the custom and significance of giving gifts at Christmas. "Giving gifts," she said, "expresses love and reminds us of the perfect gift of love we received from God: Jesus." Later that week, a young native ...read more

Tags: Giving General, Giving, Others

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The Royal Palace In Tehran In Iran ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Illustration: The royal palace in Tehran in Iran has one of the most beautiful entrances in the entire world. When the palace was planned the architects sent an order to Paris for Mirrors to cover the entrance walls. The mirrors finally arrived in their crates. When they took the crates apart all ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships

The Seamless Garment  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Jan 10, 2003

[Illustration] At Calvary, the Roman soldiers divided the earthly belongings of Jesus, but they gambled for His seamless robe rather than tear it. These were hardened men, but they saw the beauty of that robe and refused to tear it. I have heard that the early church used this seamless garment as ...read more

Tags: Unity

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Story: At A Comparative Religions Conference, The ...  PRO

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Dec 31, 2003

Story: At a comparative religions conference, the wise and the scholarly were in a spirited debate about what is unique about Christianity. Someone suggested what set Christianity apart from other religions was the concept of incarnation, the idea that God took human form in Jesus. But someone ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8, John 3:16

Tags: God's Love, God The Father, Love

Denomination: Anglican

The Movie, "Stand And Deliver" Is Based Upon The ...

Contributed by Richard Tow on Sep 22, 2005

The movie, "Stand and Deliver" is based upon the true story of a math teacher, named Jamie Escalante. Through his leadership, a group of inner city students at East Los Angeles Garfield High School rise to excellence on the National Advanced Calculus Exam. “All’s well that ends well” and by the ...read more

Tags: Character

Denomination: Charismatic

Peace  PRO

Contributed by W F on Dec 11, 2005

A friend sent me this email recently ... A Wise man said to me! "The way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you’ve started." So I looked around the house to see all the things I started and hadn’t finished ... and before leaving the house this morning I finished off a bottle of red ...read more

Tags: Faith

Denomination: *other

Rainbows In The Streets  PRO

Contributed by Susan Blader on Nov 27, 2006

Rainbows in the Streets The story is told of Professor Migliore who worked with inner-city kids in Trenton, New Jersey. One day, after telling the story of Noah to some of the children, he asked, “Now then, boys and girls, where do you see rainbows?” Several replied, “In the street!” The ...read more

Denomination: Disciples Of Christ

There's An Eating Disorder Called Pica. Over ...

Contributed by Sherm Nichols on Nov 30, 2006

There’s an eating disorder called pica. Over the years, doctors have reported cases of people with pica eating dirt, chalk, clay, paste, paint chips, paper, cardboard, ice chips, and Styrofoam. In one case, a 22-year-old woman showed up in the emergency room with undigested pieces of socks in her ...read more

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Selfless Love To Which God Calls You And Me ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 5, 2003

The selfless love to which God calls you and me produces a deep joy in our hearts. This joy or happiness of the Spirit has three dimensions. Joy is the assurance of faith that we are acceptable to God and that God’s good providences are working on our behalf. This joy is an inner calm ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:1-13

A Little Girl Walking In A Garden Noticed A ...  PRO

Contributed by Ted Sutherland on Mar 26, 2001

A little girl walking in a garden noticed a particularly beautiful flower. She admired its beauty and enjoyed its fragrance. “It’s so pretty!” she exclaimed. As she gazed on it, her eyes followed the stem down to the soil in which it grew. “This flower is too pretty to be planted in such dirt!” ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 7:17-24

Tags: Contentment, God In The Hardships, Gods Will, Perseverance, Purpose, Trial  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Shout

Contributed by Arliss Beavers on May 12, 2008

SHOUT A church ran into difficulty when the elders decided that one man was shouting too much in church. They thought he might disturb the very distinguished guests the church was suddenly now having. So the elders called the pastor aside and notified him that this shouter must be refrained. The ...read more

Tags: Blessing

Denomination: Church Of God

The Jordan River Flows From The Top Of Mount ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 12, 2004

The Jordan River flows from the top of Mount Herman where the snow melts and travels down to the lowest point on earth, the Dead Sea. For the most part the Jordan River is neither beautiful nor peaceful. It’s 25 percent mud and plunges downhill at a furious pace, falling nine feet per mile. In ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 3:13-17