In Sermon Illustrations: "Jewish Roots Of Christianity"

I Don't Understand The ...

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

“I Don’t Understand the Bible...” Three types of people are described in 1 Corinthians 2 and 3: the natural man, the spiritual man, and the carnal man. The natural or unsaved person is spiritually dead and blind. He cannot understand the things of God. “The god of this age has blinded the minds ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:4

Tags: Satan

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit  PRO

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Blessed Are the Poor In Spirit Seldom in history have so few words been spoken with so much meaning. The Beatitudes of our Lord are powerful, holding before believers and unbelievers alike a descriptive picture of the true disciple of Christ. The Beatitudes cover the glorious hope and are a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:3

Tags: Character

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Blessed Are Those Who Mourn  PRO

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Blessed Are Those Who Mourn One of the greatest messages ever proclaimed was delivered by Jesus Christ and is referred to as the "Sermon on the Mount." His message is as relevant today as it was when it was first spoken. Our Lord opens this message not with a joke, but with the Beatitudes. The ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:4

Tags: Character

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The ...

Contributed by Eric Ferguson on Aug 22, 2008

The Mirror Author Robert Fulghum tells this story of one of his professors, a wise man whose name was Alexander Papaderos: At the last session on the last morning of a two-week seminar on Greek culture, Dr. Papaderos turned and made the ritual gesture: "Are there any questions?" Quiet quilted ...read more

Tags: Self

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Matters Of The Heart

Contributed by Segun Omole on Jan 14, 2009

Judge 16: 1-31 I have heard and read quite a number of analysis of the weakness of Samson, his lack of self control and his inability to resist the power of a woman...well, guess these are all correct in their own ways but I would like to look at this man of God from another perspective. I believe ...read more

Tags: Emotions

Denomination: Pentecostal

Discernment—or Judgment?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 10, 2009

DISCERNMENT--OR JUDGMENT? So how does a critical attitude come back to haunt you? Here’s one way. A man wanted to impress his friends with his eye for art as they went to an art gallery together. He forgot his glasses, was nearsighted, and couldn’t hardly see his hand in front of his face. But he ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:1-6

Tags: Gifts Discernment

On ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 13, 2009

ON PRAYER Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer told a story on the subject of prayer. A certain minister was in the habit of profound prayers, oftentimes resorting to words beyond the understanding of his simple flock. This went on week after week, to the dismay and frustration of the congregation. At last, a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:5-15

Tags: Prayer How To

Sea Sponge Collection And The Spirit

Contributed by Chris Surber on Apr 23, 2009

SEA SPONGE COLLECTION AND THE SPIRIT When my wife Christina and I lived in Tarpon Springs, Florida, one of our favorite places to visit was the Greek Sponge Docks. We lived on a few blocks away, in fact, and we would often take evening walks past the boats, restaurants, and little shops that are ...read more

Tags: Holy Spirit General

Denomination: Christian Church

Who Was Weak And Who Was Strong?

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on May 27, 2009

WHO WAS WEAK AND WHO WAS STRONG? April 6, 1994 marked the beginning of dark and infamous days for Rwanda, a small country in central Africa. For the next hundred days, up to 800,000 Tutsis were killed by Hutu militia — mostly using clubs and machetes. It was a genocide of monumental proportions, ...read more

Tags: Endurance

Denomination: Methodist

In Communist Romania There Was A Very Young Man ...

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jun 8, 2009

In communist Romania there was a very young man named Matchevici who had been put into prison because of his faith at the age of 18. Because of the tortures, he was very sick with tuberculosis. Somehow his family found out that he was sick and sent him a hundred bottle so streptomycin, which could ...read more

Tags: Persecution

Denomination: Church Of God

No Good Reason, Just An Excuse  PRO

Contributed by Larry Moyer on Aug 5, 2009

NO GOOD REASON, JUST AN EXCUSE Some time ago I spoke to a man in the Air Force. He admitted to me that he did not know if he was going to heaven. So I pulled a 3x5 card from my pocket and said, "I would like you to list on that card whatever is keeping you from trusting Christ right now." He ...read more

Scripture: John 17:13-18

Tags: Evangelism The Lost

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Osceola Mccarty, African-American Philanthropist  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 3, 2009

Osceola McCarty, African-American Philanthropist The late great African-American laundry woman, author, and philanthropist, Osceola McCarty (1908 - 1999), did one thing all of her life: laundry! For decades, Osceola, a frugal Christian woman who never bought a car - who never got married - who ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 26:6-13

Tags: Giving General

Adoption In Christ Frees Us From ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 10, 2010

Adoption In Christ Frees Us From Satan An illustration from history past can help us realize the significance of being children of Almighty God - an amazing concept! The image of emaciated babies and young children sitting in cribs, in a stark, ill-equipped Romanian orphanage blazed across the ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:5

Tags: Adoption

Man Gives His Life Rescuing Airplane ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 26, 2010

Man Gives His Life Rescuing Airplane Passengers But what do we see if we look at the cross from another angle—from God’s perspective? What if we have in our minds, as Jesus says, “the things of God”? Then we can see the cross as part of God’s rescue plan. We can see that Jesus chooses to be ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 20:25-28

Tags: Rescue, Heroism

Defining Moments Of Faith

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Aug 11, 2010

DEFINING MOMENTS OF FAITH Several years ago Jeff Strueker was a US Army Ranger posted in Mogadishu, Somalia. Today he is a master of divinity student at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. For him Oct 3-4, 1993 were the defining moments of his life. He was one of the ...read more

Tags: Faith

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Blood Flows In The Bomokande  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 20, 2011

BLOOD FLOWS IN THE BOMOKANDE In November 1964, anarchy broke out in the Belgian Congo. Assemblies of God missionary J. W. Tucker knew he was at risk, but he stayed where God had placed him. One day, a mob attacked and killed him with sticks, clubs, fists, and broken bottles. They took his body, ...read more

Scripture: John 12:20-34

Tags: Church, Missions, Purpose

Sarah's Vase  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 21, 2011

SARAH'S VASE Just like life comes in the place of death, so honor comes in the place of service. Pediatrician David Cerqueira tells the story of a little girl in his wife's Sunday School class. His wife had prepared a lesson on being useful and told the children that everyone can be useful in ...read more

Scripture: John 12:23-26, Mark 14:1-9

Tags: Servanthood

Wesley: God's Will For Marriage

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 6, 2011

WESLEY: GOD'S WILL FOR MARRIAGE When John Wesley was thirty-two years old, he was a bachelor missionary in the colony of Georgia. While he was serving a church in Savannah, he met a young woman named Sophia Christian Hopkey. She was pretty and intelligent, and Wesley fell head over heels in love ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-6

Tags: Knowing God's Will

Love Is A Process  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 10, 2011

LOVE IS A PROCESS When we obey the truth, whether we feel like it or not, we can "love one another deeply from the heart." That's what Bible College professor, Yohanna Katanacho, discovered. He pastors a small church in the Israeli city of Jerusalem. He is a Palestinian living in Israel, and a ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:22

Tags: Love Of The Disciples

Chris Paul: Forgiving The Murderers

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 23, 2011

CHRIS PAUL: FORGIVING THE MURDERERS In April, 2011, Rick Reilly wrote a moving story about forgiveness from the life of Chris Paul, the all-star basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets. Reilly writes: On the moonless night of November 15, 2002, five boys ran across a park, jumped a ...read more

Scripture: Luke 11:4

Tags: Forgiveness For Others, Ask Seek Knock