In Sermon Illustrations: "Isaiah 58 1 9a 9b 12"

Someone Once Said: "Here's The Beautiful Thing: ...

Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Jun 22, 2008

Someone once said: “Here’s the beautiful thing: you don’t need to fully understand the Trinity to worship the Trinity, pray to the Trinity, and enter into the life of the Trinity. They tell me that deep within the core of the sun, the temperature is 27 million degrees. The pressure is 340 billion ...read more

Tags: Trinity

Denomination: Other

Big Church And Famous Preacher - Texas, Looking ...

Contributed by Ovidiu Radulescu on Jul 29, 2008

Big church and famous preacher - Texas, looking good on TV... Sermon title: “Why We Don’t Have to Be Afraid of Death”… And for about 20 minutes he was repeating this… we don’t have to be afraid, we don’t have… bla-bla… At the very end, as usual for those tele-preachers, he was keeping his best shot ...read more

Tags: Second Coming

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

My Daughter Elia Has Given Me Permission To Tell ...

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Jan 11, 2009

My daughter Elia has given me permission to tell this story. Elia faced a huge dilemma in high school when her best friends from junior high days started hanging out with a rough crowd, starting smoking and crossing all sorts of boundaries. In order to keep the friendships she would have to start ...read more

Tags: Book Of Revelation

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Men As Role-Models For Children

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 12, 2009

MEN AS ROLE-MODELS FOR CHILDREN I am still struck by a report I heard months ago by an educator studying the needs of the District’s school system. He had found, in studying the children, that up to about the third grade they were bright, ambitious, eager to learn; but that somewhere after that, ...read more

Tags: Children

Stepping Out-Of-Bounds

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 12, 2009

STEPPING OUT-OF-BOUNDS I had missed a game winning free-throw. I swore that would never happen again. So I practiced until I became excellent at free-throws. In the next big tournament, I swished two free-throws. On the last one, I heard an ear-splitting whistle in my ear. I had stepped over the ...read more

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers

Evangelism: Aquariums And Fires

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 13, 2009

EVANGELISM: AQUARIUMS AND FIRES The late Sam Shoemaker, an Episcopalian bishop, summed up the situation this way: "In the Great Commission, the Lord has called us to be--like Peter--fishers of men. We’ve turned the commission around so that we have become merely keepers of the aquarium. ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

Houses Of Refuge

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 13, 2009

HOUSES OF REFUGE There was no alternative to manslaughter. If you wanted to live, the only option was to flee to one of these cities of refuge. [HOUSE OF REFUGE, HUTCHINSON IS., FL] House of Refuge- The House of Refuge is the last remaining shipwreck life-saving station on Florida’s Atlantic ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 35:6-34

Tags: God In The Hardships

What Other Gods?

Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Mar 2, 2009

WHAT OTHER GODS? What other gods could we have besides the Lord? Plenty. For Israel there were the Canaanite Baals, those jolly nature gods whose worship was a rampage of gluttony, drunkenness, and ritual prostitution. For us there are still the great gods Sex, Shekels, and Stomach (an unholy ...read more

Tags: Idolatry

Denomination: Other

Property Laws Of A Toddler!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 19, 2022

Property Laws of a Toddler: Some might say that this is evidences of Original Sin 1. If I like it, it's mine. 2. If it's in my hand, it's mine. 3. If I can take it from you, it's mine. 4. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine. 5. If it's mine, it must never appear to be ...read more

Tags: Children, Mothers, Mother's Day, Parenting, Babies, Toddlers  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

What Does It Mean To Be Crucified With Christ?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 6, 2022

To participate in the life of Christ, we must first be identified with Him in His death. "For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection" (Ro 6:5-note). Those of us who now have eternal life have died in the person ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 2:20, Romans 6:1-11

Tags: Discipleship, Self, Dying To Self, Crucified Life

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Seven Wonders Of Grace

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 6, 2022

SEVEN WONDERS OF GRACE. Text - Galatians 2:20.  There are seven spiritual wonders in this marvelous text: 1. That the Son of God should love a persecutor like Saul. "Who loved me." 2. That the Son of God should be crucified. "Crucified with Christ." 3. That Christ ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 2:20

Tags: Faith, Grace, Discipleship, Christian Life, Death To Self  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Four Reasons For Christmas

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 6, 2022

Text: Galatians 4:4 Did you ever wrestled with a problem that didn't exist? The Galatians were wrestling with a problem that had already been solved! What was the problem? The problem was, "What do we do with the Law! The Law was never meant to redeem mankind. Works were never meant to ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 4:4

Tags: Christmas, Bethlehem, Redemption, Virgin Birth, Deity Of Christ, Humanity Of Christ  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Churches Closed Due To Lack Of Power!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 10, 2023

Bill Crowder gives us a pithy Illustration of Need for Power. The first winter that my wife Marlene and I were married was marked by severe blizzards. I can vividly remember one Sunday when we awoke to find that the electricity had been knocked out by an ice storm. Huddled around a ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:8

Tags: Church, Holy Spirit, Pentecost, Power, Acts  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Order From Chaos

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Mar 17, 2023

The late Harvard mathematician and philosopher, Alfred North Whitehead, maintained that the whole scientific enterprise of the western world rested upon the belief that at the bottom of things science would find order rather than chaos. Where animists were afraid to probe a world enchanted with ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 1:17, John 1:1

Tags: Alfred North Whitehead, Science, Logos, Reason

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Abraham Lincoln's Bodyguard Was In The Bar Drinking

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Aug 21, 2023

John Parker was seated outside the president’s box, in the passageway beside the door. From where he sat, Parker couldn’t see the stage, so after Lincoln and his guests settled in, he moved to the first gallery to enjoy the play. Later, Parker committed an even greater folly: At intermission, he ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 20:1, Ephesians 5:18

Tags: Alcholism, Murder, Wine, Alcohol, Drunk, Drinking, American History  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Ten Reasons Why I Never Wash My Hands!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 25, 2024

"Ten Reasons Why I Never Wash." 1. I was forced to wash my hands as a child. 2. People who wash their hands are hypocrites--they think they’re cleaner than others. 3. There are so many kinds of soap, I could never decide which was right. 4. I used to wash my hands, but it got ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:25

Tags: Church, Easter, Attendance, Hypocrites

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

In His Book "The 21 Irrefutable Laws Of ...  PRO

Contributed by Chris Santasiere on Aug 29, 2001

In his book “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership”, John Maxwell tells the story of one of the most incredible restorations in American business history. It happened at the Chrysler Corporation in the early 1980’s. Chrysler was in a mess, despite a long history of success. At one point in ...read more

Tags: Workplace Evangelism, Endurance, Leadership General

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Voice Mail  PRO

Contributed by Dru Ashwell on Dec 20, 2001

VOICE MAIL While we have a direct access to our Heavenly Father, imagine if He had one of those computer-answering devices. It might be something like this: As we begin to pray we hear... Thank you for calling your Heavenly Father’s house. Your call may be monitored for quality assurance. Please ...read more

Tags: Ever, God's Omniscience, Illustration, Prayer Adoration, Prayer General  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Precious Blood  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 18, 2002

PRECIOUS BLOOD Several years ago in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, George and Vera Bajenksi’s lives were changed forever. February 16, 1989. A very normal Thursday morning. The phone rang at 9:15 a.m. "There’s been an accident..." It involved their son Ben. As they approached the intersection of ...read more

Scripture: John 18:28-40

Tags: Easter Good Friday, Blood, Lord's Supper, Jesus Christ

In My Study For The Fishers Of Men Series I Came ...  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on Oct 27, 2003

In my study for the Fishers of Men series I came across an essay written by A. J. McClane called, “The Song of the Angler.” In this essay he examines why fishermen fish. 1. People fish for each others company, for the fellowship. Able to share in a common activity. People fish for the ...read more

Tags: Creation

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ