In Sermon Illustrations: "Jesus Forgives"

A Little Girl's Alphabet ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 10, 2010

A Little Girl’s Alphabet Prayer A father walked by his daughter’s bedroom door which was cracked just enough so that he could see that she was kneeling beside her bed in prayer. Interested to find out what subjects a child would bring before God, he paused and listened. He was puzzled though to ...read more

Scripture: Luke 11:1-4

Tags: Prayer How To

I Work In A Building Called The Shalom Centre In ...

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on May 14, 2010

I work in a building called THE SHALOM CENTRE in Sydney. Recently Kathryn, a Jewish girl said she found it unusual that we would call a building Shalom, since it is a Jewish term for saying HI AND GOODBYE. It literally means "PEACE BE WITH YOU". Shalom is a Biblical word. This got me thinking and ...read more

Tags: Peace, Shalom

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Cowardice Never Wins Against Temptation, Only ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 27, 2010

Cowardice Never Wins Against Temptation, Only Courage On May 21, 1946 in Los Alamos, NM, a young and daring scientist, Louis Slotin, was carrying out a necessary experiment in preparation for the atomic test to be conducted in the waters of the South Pacific. He had successfully performed the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 16:13

Tags: Heroism, Self-Sacrifice

Oath

Contributed by Ken Pell on Jun 7, 2010

The "Oath of Allegiance" taken by all who choose to become naturalized citizens of the United States follows. Immediately after saying the oath one's citizenship is in effect. "I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign ...read more

Tags: Kingdom Of God

Denomination: Nazarene

Matryoshka Doll

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Aug 30, 2010

I purchased this doll a few years back when I visited in Russia. It’s called a Matryoshka doll (Russian Nesting doll). (taking dolls apart) If you’re familiar with these dolls, you know that you open up one and there’s another inside … and so on and so on. This continues until you get to the ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Hearing The Crickets

Contributed by Chris Kelly on Sep 29, 2010

HEARING THE CRICKETS An American Indian left the reservation to visit downtown New York. Walking down a busy street with his friend, he suddenly stopped and said, "I hear a cricket". His friend said, "You're crazy! There's no way you could hear a cricket in all this noise!" The Indian ...read more

Tags: Doing God's Will

Denomination: Wesleyan

John Stott On Temptation

Contributed by Christian Cheong on Oct 29, 2010

JOHN STOTT ON TEMPTATION "The command to get rid of troublesome eyes, hands and feet is an example of our Lord’s use of dramatic figures of speech. What he was advocating was not a literal physical self-maiming, but a ruthless moral self-denial...to reject sinful practices so resolutely that we ...read more

Tags: Dead To Sin

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Margaret: The Hard Soil

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Jan 13, 2011

MARGARET: THE HARD SOIL Each week I give a devotion in each of the 8 dining areas of the Shalom Centre and Margaret (not her real name) is there, with ears which will not hear. Her heart is a fortress, cold, hard, defensive. The gates are huge, old and impenetrable, bolted with fear and pride that ...read more

Tags: Unbelief

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Lost And Found

Contributed by Jason Bonnicksen on Mar 15, 2011

LOST AND FOUND Our tummies rumbled --it was time for lunch. "What do ya say we head-in," I asked, as the girls strapped in. We careened down the mountain and caught the chairlift. My baby and I rode on one chair, behind her two, older sisters in another. The view ahead would make a great shot, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:8-10

Tags: Parable Lost Coin

Denomination: Lutheran

Warfield's Faithfulness  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 28, 2011

WARFIELD'S FAITHFULNESS There’s an old story about Dr. Benjamin Warfield. He was a theology professor at Princeton Seminary. While he was still at the height of his academic powers, his wife got sick. And she became an invalid. He took care of her for ten years. During that ten year period, he ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:25-33

Tags: Marriage Faithfulness

Resurrection Tree

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 5, 2011

RESURRECTION TREE In a cemetery in Hanover, Germany, is a grave on which were placed huge slabs of granite and marble cemented together and fastened with heavy steel clasps. It belongs to a woman who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. Yet strangely, she directed in her will that her ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:35-58

Tags: Immortality

Self-Centered Christianity  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 6, 2011

SELF-CENTERED CHRISTIANITY John Koessler pastored for years before becoming a professor in the pastoral studies department at Moody Bible Institute. In 2007 he wrote, A Stranger In The House of God, chronicling his experience in various churches. "Most of the Christians I know are disappointed ...read more

Scripture: Titus 1:1-9

Tags: Church Practices

Colossian Philosophy: "Borrowed" Features

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 6, 2011

COLOSSIAN PHILOSOPHY: "BORROWED" FEATURES I used to collect basketball cards. This was way back in the early 90s, though I still have held on to them. Basketball cards took off well after baseball cards, and each brand over time had its own unique features. Some were UV coated, others had gold ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 1:15-23

Tags: False Teaching

A Little Girl's Trust

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 9, 2011

A LITTLE GIRL'S TRUST It's a lesson we need to learn, as well. Our true security comes from God and God alone, so we must learn to trust Him. Don't trust in a lie. Don't trust in an idol. Trust in the Lord. Then and only then will you be truly secure. Five-year-old Jessica became a bit ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 30:1-24

Tags: Trust

What Occupies Your Heart

Contributed by Scott Carroll on May 20, 2011

WHAT OCCUPIES YOUR HEART I squirmed a bit as I forced myself to listen to my friend cataloging her problems. After three hours, I interrupted her gently to ask, "If you were to draw a circle to represent your life, what would be in the center? She thought a moment, then said, "My problems." My ...read more

Tags: Joy

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Non-Christians Can Be Happy  PRO

Contributed by Jeff Strite on May 23, 2011

NON-CHRISTIANS CAN BE HAPPY I didn't say that non-Christians can't be happy or that they can't be content. Sure they can be happy...as long as life goes the way they want it to go. As long as our health is good, we enjoy our job, people love us and the sky is blue, anybody can be fairly content ...read more

Tags: Happiness

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Rescue Effort

Contributed by Michael Walther on May 25, 2011

RESCUE EFFORT On August 30, 2005 Coast Guard Lieutenant Iain McConnell was ordered to fly his H46 helicopter to New Orleans and to keep that machine flying around the clock for what would turn out to be a heroic rescue effort. None of his crew were prepared for what they were about to see. They ...read more

Tags: Unbelief

Denomination: Lutheran

Salvation Belongs To The Lord

Contributed by Michael Walther on Jun 6, 2011

SALVATION BELONGS TO THE LORD To say that we cooperate with God in any way in our salvation undermines the doctrine of salvation, robs our confidence in God, and tempts us to pride. It is like the man who collapses from a massive heart attack and is rushed to the hospital. The doctor doesn’t ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Lutheran

The Law And The Gospel

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Jun 10, 2011

THE LAW AND THE GOSPEL John Wesley: "There is no [conflict] at all between the law and the gospel; that there is no need for the law to pass away, in order to the establishing of the gospel. Indeed neither of them supersedes the other, but they agree perfectly well together. Yea, the very same ...read more

Tags: Law

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Invalids' Prayers Bring Revival  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 4, 2011

INVALIDS' PRAYERS BRING REVIVAL Max Lucado told of a church in Scotland back in the 1940s that was struggling to keep the doors open. A couple of its members were two older ladies who were invalids and couldn’t get out for worship any longer. But these ladies refused to allow their infirmities to ...read more

Scripture: James 5:13-20

Tags: Prayer Persistence, Serving