In Sermon Illustrations: "Interpreting The Word"

Poem: Ozymandias By Shelley

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 23, 2011

Poem: Ozymandias by Shelley I met a traveler from an antique land Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand, Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions ...read more

Scripture: James 4:13-15

Tags: Power

Dr. R. G. Lee On The Bible  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 24, 2011

DR. R. G. LEE ON THE BIBLE The late Dr. R. G. Lee, former pastor of the Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis TN expressed the value of God’s Word in this way: "The Bible is a book beyond all books as a river is above and beyond a rivulet. The Bible is a book beyond all books as the sun is above and ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 119:1-176

Tags: Bible Influence

Alabama Judge: Church Or Jail

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Sep 26, 2011

ALABAMA JUDGE: CHURCH OR JAIL Is going to church a privilege or a sentence? It depends upon you and the particular church. For some in Alabama, it is a sentence: BAY MINETTE, Ala. (AP) — Authorities say non-violent offenders in southern Alabama will have a new choice: Go to jail, or go to church ...read more

Tags: Church General

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Despair Default

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Nov 18, 2011

DESPAIR DEFAULT I remember a woman years back who used to come to me about once a month ... to rehearse her troubles. And I use the word "rehearse" on purpose, because that's exactly what she did. Every time, she'd tell me the same set of complaints over and over and over again. She had her ...read more

Tags: Mercy

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

How Corrie Ten Boom Got Started

Contributed by Johnny A. Palmer Jr. on Dec 13, 2011

HOW CORRIE TEN BOOM GOT STARTED Corrie Ten Boom following WW II, understood that God was leading her to come to America. She survived the Nazi death camps and wanted to tell her story. She arrived here with only 50 dollars; no friends; no place to stay; and no speaking invitations. She writes, ...read more

Tags: Promises Of God

Denomination: Baptist

When Prayer Isn't All You Need

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 2, 2012

WHEN PRAYER ISN’T ALL YOU NEED Tim Hansel, Holy Sweat, 1987, Word Books Publisher, p. 63. In my late twenties, a bunch of my friends and I decided to sail around the world. I have to admit, though, at the time I was a bit worried. I hadn’t even sailed before. I was uneasy and anxious. So I spent a ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:6-7

Tags: Peace

Your Sins Have Been Your Downfall, Is Where The ...

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Aug 18, 2012

"Your sins have been your downfall", is where the tar starts sticking to the tyres. Most people generally don’t like the whole “s” word thing. For some reason there is an issue with the human brain that tells us to kick up stink when we are having a good time, a pleasurable time and someone, some ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:23

Tags: Repentance, Sin Bondage To, Sin And Grace

Denomination: Salvation Army

Francis Chan's Servant Witness

Contributed by Bret Toman on Oct 31, 2012

FRANCIS CHAN'S SERVANT WITNESS Francis Chan was flying to Africa and seated next to him was a man who happened to be a Muslim. So they were talking about what they believed and the man said "Ya, I know some Christians and I hear their message and it turns me off. I’m not interested." So the ...read more

Tags: Servanthood

Denomination: Baptist

Who Churchill Wants To Be  PRO

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Jan 7, 2013

WHO CHURCHILL WANTS TO BE Winston Churchill once attended a formal banquet in London, where the dignitaries were asked the question, "If you could not be who you are, who would you like to be?" Naturally everyone was curious as to what Churchill, who was seated next to his beloved Clemmie, would ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:1-3

Tags: Marriage Commitment

Denomination: Baptist

Transformed Versus Conformed -- The Case Of The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 5, 2013

TRANSFORMED VERSUS CONFORMED -- THE CASE OF THE JAPANESE WATERMELON Farmers in Zentsuji, Japan, are preparing full-grown watermelons for shipment -- only these are no ordinary melons: they're square! They were placed in tempered-glass cubes while they were still growing. Why would anyone want a ...read more

Scripture: James 12:1-2

Tags: Sanctification

Feasts In The Bible

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 11, 2014

There are seven feasts in the Bible and they help us to tell the time. In fact, the Hebrew word for "feast" is moadim, used 223 times in Scripture and means "appointed times". The feasts represent the calendar of God’s plan for the ages. Four of the feasts were historically fulfilled in Christ’s ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 12:1-13

Tags: Second Coming, Passover, Feast

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Forget The Gps!

Contributed by Robert Harmon on Oct 4, 2014

My brother Curtis had come home from Italy to visit us, and attended worship at the congregation where I served. Afterword, he wanted to go to Mammoth Cave and show his wife and son one of the natural wonders of the US. We tagged along, and I told him I knew the way. He said, “Naw, we’ll use the ...read more

Scripture: Acts 17:11-12

Tags: Direction, Apologetics, Bible Study, Bible Truth

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Reconciliation

Contributed by Daniel King, D. Min. on Jul 25, 2018

Main Idea: The word “reconciliation” in the Biblical context means “bringing God and man together.” Verse: “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18 NKJV). Illustration: The preacher ...read more

Tags: Evangelism, Salvation, Reconciliation, Ministers Of A New Covenant

Denomination: Charismatic

It’s Only A White Collar Crime?

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Oct 16, 2018

C.S. Lewis died in 1963, but a comment in one of his writings speaks directly to the current opioid crisis. Lewis wrote: “The greatest evil is not now done in those sordid ‘dens of crime’ that Dickens loved to paint. It is not done even in concentration camps and labour camps. In those we see its ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:23

Tags: White Collar, Opioid, Sin, Excuses, Business  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

The Narrow Definition Of Neighbor

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 20, 2022

With their passion for definition, Jewish Rabbis sought to define who a man's "neighbor" was. They confined the word "neighbor" to include only their fellow Jews. For instance, some of them said that it was illegal to help a Gentile woman in her time of childbirth for ...read more

Tags: Kindness, Good Samaritan, Levites, Priests, Rabbis, Parable, Neighbor  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Am More Alive Than Ever - D. James Kennedy

Contributed by Timothy Lueking on Apr 3, 2023

D. James Kennedy wrote a book called "Skeptics Answered" and in this book, he made this observation that has always stuck with me. It reminds me of a quote from D.L. Moody many years before. Kennedy wrote, "There will, in fact, come a time when some of you will probably be standing ...read more

Scripture: John 11:25-26

Tags: Eternal Life, Death, Easter, Resurrection, Life  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Take Time To Say Thank You

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Aug 2, 2023

A doctor wrote a letter of thanks to a schoolteacher for having given him so much encouragement when he had been in her class 30 years before. He later received this reply: "I want you to know what your note meant to me. I am an old lady in my eighties, living alone in a small room, cooking ...read more

Tags: Thank You, Retired People, Thanksgiving, Gratitude, Blessings, Senior Adults, Teachers, Encouragment  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Most Important Part Of Christmas

Contributed by Loyd C. Taylor on Dec 8, 2023

What is the most important part of Christmas? What do we celebrate each year? Is it the change of heart we notice in people? Is it the spreading of Christmas cheer? Is it wishing for falling snow flakes? Is it picking out a Christmas tree? Is it the laughter of little children? Is it people singing ...read more

Tags: Christmas Poems, Poems, Poetry About Christ's Birth, Christmas, Birth Of Christ, Reason For The Season  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

General Macarthur Said, I Will Return!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Apr 6, 2024

General Douglas MacArthur, during World War II, famously declared to the people of the Philippine Islands, “I shall return.” This resolute statement was made after he was ordered to leave the Philippines, which were under Japanese invasion. His promise echoed the determination of our Lord Jesus ...read more

Tags: Rapture, Signs, Return Of Christ, Promises, End Times, Prophecy, Second Coming, Last Days  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Are We Hypocrites?

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 13, 2025

I once saw a video of a pastor who had figures, covered with sheets, up in the front of the church. As he started to preach, they were uncovered and you could see monsters and scary characters related to Halloween. The preacher kept asking, “Should these be in the House of God?” The congregation ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:11-12

Tags: Holiness, Halloween, Hypocrite

Denomination: Methodist