In Sermon Illustrations: "Joy To The World"

How Many Will Be Saved?

Contributed by Michael Walther on May 20, 2011

HOW MANY WILL BE SAVED? There was a debate between two famous rabbis about this. One said that the number saved would be one third of the world. To support this he pointed to the ancient Flood in which Noah and his three sons and their families were saved. But of these three sons, Shem, the ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Lutheran

Deceiver  PRO

Contributed by Michael Walther on May 25, 2011

DECEIVER Ephesians 6.10-12 Especially, "schemes of the devil..." Here Paul explains the realities of evil in this world. How different this is from popular ideas about evil. There is a comical view of evil -- the character who wears a red suit and carries a pitch fork. Then there is the ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-12

Tags: Satan

Denomination: Lutheran

Built Out Of Junk

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 8, 2011

BUILT OUT OF JUNK Did you hear about the homeless man in Brazil who built his own car out of junk? Orismar de Souza is a homeless man in Brazil who decided to build the car using junk, spare parts and a hammer and chisel. Four years later, the "shrimpmobile" has him back on his feet. Souza, 35, ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Tags: Born Again

When You Can't Fight, Pray

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Jun 14, 2011

WHEN YOU CAN'T FIGHT, PRAY Nancy told me the other day that, not too long ago, she overheard Graham praying. Here he was, near the end of his life, beset with a failing body more than nine decades old, and what was he praying for? His country. Your country. Mine. He fought for this country. He ...read more

Tags: Prayer Supplication

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Blessed Are The Pure

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 27, 2011

BLESSED ARE THE PURE A couple of years ago we went to Ottawa as my wife Joanne had some work to do there, so Thomas and I tagged along to check out our nation’s capital. One of the places we visited was the historic Canadian mint – where money is made – and we had a tour but unfortunately no free ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:8

Tags: Sermon On The Mount

Testimony Of Charles Spurgeon  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 3, 2011

TESTIMONY OF CHARLES SPURGEON Charles Spurgeon, credited as the greatest preacher in the history of the English World, read a copy of Pilgrim’s Progress while plundering through his grandfather’s belongings. Through this book he became aware of his sinfulness and depravity. He carried this guilt ...read more

Scripture: John 3:14

Tags: Salvation

The Path Of Rescue—follow The Light

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 3, 2011

THE PATH OF RESCUE--FOLLOW THE LIGHT Bob Russell shared an interesting illustration about darkness and light several years back with the Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY. He said: "Every once in a while we get a bird inside this sanctuary. He doesn't really want to be in here, but ...read more

Scripture: John 8:12

Tags: Salvation

Supreme Sacrifice

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 21, 2011

SUPREME SACRIFICE In January 2001, Seiko Sakamoto, a Japanese plasterer in a Tokyo subway station, fell into the path of an oncoming train. Lee Su Hyun, a Korean student in Japan, leaped down on the tracks to save Sakamoto. Both Hyun and Sakamoto were killed. This selfless act by the Korean ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 5:7-9, Hebrews 1:3-4

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Beware Of Dog!

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 22, 2011

BEWARE OF DOG! Upon entering a little country store a stranger noticed a sign saying "DANGER! BEWARE OF DOG!" posted on the glass door. Inside, he noticed a harmless old hound dog asleep on the floor near the cash register. He asked the store’s owner "Is that the dog folks are supposed to beware ...read more

Scripture: Acts 20:17-35

Tags: Giving, Receive, Blessed, Christian Witness

Perseverance: Scott, Handel And Spurgeon

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 7, 2011

PERSEVERANCE: SCOTT, HANDEL AND SPURGEON In 1826 the London firm of Hurst and Robinson went bankrupt, involving Sir WALTER SCOTT in a personal liability of 118,000 pounds. With noble determination Scott responded: "My right hand and I against the debt." From that time on he wrote novel after novel ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:1-5

Tags: Endurance

Redefining "Deviancy"

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 8, 2011

REDEFINING "DEVIANCY" Alcoholism, drug abuse, teen pregnancy, abortion, homosexuality, school violence, child abuse, pornography, rape, robbery and murder pervade our nation. America is drowning in wickedness and immorality. For example, Oregon approved legalized physician-assisted suicide in 1994 ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 5:20

Tags: America

Orel Hershiser, Singer

Contributed by Jimmy Haile on Sep 29, 2011

OREL HERSHISER, SINGER A number of years ago Orel Hershiser was pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers. They had just won the World Series, and Orel had been named the most valuable player of the series. One of the TV shows about the series showed him in the dugout just before the ninth inning ...read more

Tags: Worship General

Denomination: Baptist

Setting Your Faith Aside

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Oct 4, 2011

SETTING YOUR FAITH ASIDE Have you ever thought you could separate from God ... just for a little while ... and then later on turn back to God? Unfortunately we all do this ... in big ways or small ways. Any time we decide to live a life INDEPENDENT of God, we run a big risk. I remember a ...read more

Tags: Faith

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Two Faces

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Oct 5, 2011

TWO FACES WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — Frank and Louie the cat was born with two faces, two mouths, two noses, three eyes — and lots of doubts about his future. Now, 12 years after Marty Stevens rescued him from being euthanized because of his condition, the exotic blue-eyed rag doll cat is not only ...read more

Tags: Dealing With Conflicts

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The Gates Will Not Prevail

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Oct 17, 2011

THE GATES WILL NOT PREVAIL Jesus said: "Upon this rock (of Peter's testimony that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God) I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" Matthew 16:18 Now the odd thing about Jesus' statement was this: Gates don't attack. ...read more

Tags: Hell

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Selfish King  PRO

Contributed by James Lloyd on Dec 4, 2011

THE SELFISH KING Once upon a time there was a king who lived in a beautiful kingdom. He was happy and so were his people. They worked together to improve the kingdom and brought the king many gifts. The king, in turn, was generous to his people. People all over the world heard of this kingdom and ...read more

Tags: Kingdom Of God

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Tragedy Of Steve Irwin

Contributed by Johnny A. Palmer Jr. on Dec 9, 2011

THE TRAGEDY OF STEVE IRWIN I loved to watch Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, but I knew he would die young. You simply do not play with wild animals without sooner or later getting in trouble. Steve survived countless snakebites; chased up a tree by a deadly komodo dragan; spat on by a red ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 4:23

Tags: Sin General

Denomination: Baptist

Not Home Yet

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Feb 15, 2012

NOT HOME YET Author Anne Graham Lotz told a story in her book, "Heaven, My Father's House". It is the story of an old missionary named Samuel Morrison who had spent twenty five years doing ministry in Africa. He returned to America on the same ocean liner that brought President Teddy Roosevelt ...read more

Tags: Heaven

Denomination: Salvation Army

Edison Couldn't Make Life

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Mar 15, 2012

EDISON COULDN'T MAKE LIFE Are you extremely proud of your lifetime accomplishments? It was on November 21 of 1877 that Thomas Edison announced to the world that he had invented the phonograph. Edison's accomplishments are often forgotten. In his Menlo Park, New Jersey fix-it shop he designed the ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 9:23-24

Tags: Pride

Denomination: Baptist

From Atheist And Skeptic To Believer--The Case Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 8, 2012

FROM ATHEIST AND SKEPTIC TO BELIEVER--THE CASE OF LEE STROBEL Lee Strobel was a Yale Law School graduate and a journalist for the Chicago Tribune. When he was a skeptic and an atheist, he undertook an investigation into the claims of so called "prophets." He set out to debunk the prophecies of ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:16-21

Tags: Apologetics The Bible