In Sermon Illustrations: "Joy"

By Life Or By Death

Contributed by Steve Smith on Jul 16, 2007

ILLUSTRATION: BY LIFE OR BY DEATH John Piper, in his book, “Future Grace”, reprinted a letter by Carl Lundquist, former president of Bethel College and Seminary. In 1988, the doctors told him he had a rare form of cancer which invaded the skin over his entire body and ended his life three years ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Jeremiah Says: "The Lord Is Our Righteousness." ...

Contributed by Garth Wehrfritz- Hanson on Nov 23, 2007

Jeremiah says: “The LORD IS OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” God sees us as righteous by looking at Jesus. Unlike all other kings, King Jesus is without sin. What he has and is—namely, his righteousness—becomes what we shall receive as a gift of grace. He is OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS because he is the only one who ...read more

Denomination: Lutheran

Wait Three Days  PRO

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Apr 22, 2008

WAIT THREE DAYS On that beautiful Easter Monday morning I noticed the old flower lady sitting in her usual place inside a small archway. At her feet, corsages and boutonnieres were parading on top of a spread-open newspaper. The flower lady was smiling, her wrinkled old face alive with some inner ...read more

Tags: Dealing With Conflicts

Denomination: Pentecostal

Which Window?  PRO

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Apr 28, 2008

WHICH WINDOW? Catherine Marshall wrote: "My friend Marge had an experience aboard a plane bound for Cleveland, waiting for takeoff. As she settled into her seat, Marge noticed a strange phenomenon. On one side of the airplane a sunset suffused the entire sky with glorious color. But out of the ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-7, Mark 6:1-6, Deuteronomy 6:18, Matthew 6:1-6, Isaiah 30:1-15, Deuteronomy 6:9-15, Psalm 90:1-2  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Trust, Wait, Perspective, Busy

Denomination: Pentecostal

A Young Woman In China Had Been Invited To A ...

Contributed by Bruce Ball on Jul 14, 2008

A young woman in China had been invited to a church and had gone just to please her friend. While she was there, she received Jesus Christ and began attending regularly. She did that because she found pure joy in her soul while she was at church. That was the one place in her life she could ...read more

Tags: Church General

Denomination: *other

Just As You Are  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 2, 2008

JUST AS YOU ARE Jesus affirms that many would come to Him in faith and partake of Him as the Bread of Life, because of the Father. Man’s blindness does not keep God’s grace from working. When they come, they find that God does not turn them away nor cast them away later. CHARLOTTE ELLIOTT learned ...read more

Scripture: John 6:25-40

Tags: Grace, Bread

Isaac Watts

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 7, 2009

ISAAC WATTS Isaac Watts was a genius. At four years of age, he had learned Latin, at nine Greek, at 11 French, and at 13 years old, Hebrew. His poetic re-working of the Psalms was magnificent. Unfortunately for poor Isaac, he was not a looker. His one chance at love came and went with a young ...read more

Tags: Commitment To Christ

Soil And Spiritual Seasons  PRO

Contributed by Mark Eberly on May 19, 2009

SOIL AND SPIRITUAL SEASONS Jesus says these people resemble the soil next to the path which in Palestine could look like decent soil but only an inch deep. Because the soil has settled there maybe blown by the wind or pushed there by the run off from the rain, it can be very fertile. People are ...read more

Tags: Parable Sower And Seed

Denomination: Church Of God

The Real Miracle  PRO

Contributed by Scott Bayles on Jun 27, 2009

THE REAL MIRACLE Several years ago, a very peculiar sight could be seen at a large downtown church in England. On the first Sunday of the New Year, an ex-convict knelt to receive communion beside the judge who had sentenced him to seven years in prison. After being sentenced, the young convict was ...read more

Tags: Grace

Denomination: Christian Church

Board Game, Sorry, Reveals Insincerity, Hypocrisy ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 5, 2009

Board Game, Sorry, Reveals Insincerity, Hypocrisy and Lack of Repentance Have you ever played the BOARD GAME SORRY? You move your TOKENS around the BOARD & if you happen to land on the SAME SPOT of ANOTHER PLAYER then you say the word SORRY & you send them BACK to the very BEGINNING POINT. How many ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 7:5-11

Tags: Repentance

Myths And Truths Of Happiness

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jan 5, 2010

MYTHS AND TRUTHS OF HAPPINESS In David G. Myers book The Pursuit Of Happiness (1993), he addresses the truth about what genuinely brings happiness and contentment to people’s lives. In his epilogue after going through many studies, he sums up his findings: By scrutinizing the fruits of hundreds ...read more

Tags: Happiness

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Frank Graeff Was A Methodist Pastor, Serving Some ...

Contributed by David Moore on Jul 22, 2010

Frank Graeff was a Methodist pastor, serving some of the leading churches in and around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. And throughout the area, he was known as the “Sunshine Minister,” because of his optimistic attitude. he was an encouragement to everyone who knew him. However, what those people ...read more

Tags: Compassion, Comfort

Denomination: Baptist

Kirby Puckett: Disciple  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 23, 2010

KIRBY PUCKETT: DISCIPLE Few have illustrated the process of imitating Jesus as an apprentice, a student, a disciple than Kirby Puckett, who was the centerfielder for 13 years for the Minnesota Twins baseball team. He had a career batting average of .318, made the All Star lineup ten years in a ...read more

Scripture: James 1:22-25

Tags: Discipleship

The Word And The Spirit Working Together

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Dec 8, 2010

THE WORD AND THE SPIRIT WORKING TOGETHER Why does Satan hate Jesus? Why does He not even want to hear His name? Why does that which is evil hate that which is good? Maybe it has something to do with graveyards? Yes, you heard me right graveyards. Jesus loves to go into graveyards and raise the ...read more

Tags: Jesus' Ministry

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

An Audacious Rescue

Contributed by Warner Pidgeon on Dec 16, 2010

AN AUDACIOUS RESCUE On 5th August this year the San Jose copper mine, in the Atacama Desert in Chile collapsed. 33 men were trapped in darkness. The world and their relatives feared that there was no hope. The depth of the mine, the lack of food and water, and the absence of any signs of life all ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Anglican

Repentance And Baptism  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on May 11, 2011

REPENTANCE AND BAPTISM Steve Atkerson states: "John the Baptist explicitly stated the purpose of his baptism when he said, 'I baptize you with water for repentance' (Mt 3:11). Did John baptize them so that they could repent or because they already had repented? That is, was John's baptism a means ...read more

Tags: Baptism

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Is God Good?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 25, 2011

IS GOD GOOD? Randy Alcorn talks about what happened to his friend, Ethel Herr in his new book, What Good is God. She had had a double mastectomy. Then two months later, doctors discovered that the cancer had spread. One of Herr's friends in shock asked her, "And how do you feel about God now?" ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:12-19

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

When We Have Nowhere Else To Go  PRO

Contributed by Brad Henry on Sep 28, 2011

WHEN WE HAVE NOWHERE ELSE TO GO Over the years we have had many gut wrenching stores of families killed in an accident only to leave a mother or father behind. To wake up in a hospital bed hurting physically then realize that your entire family is gone would be unfathomable. Now none of us are ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Giving Brings Hope And Purpose

Contributed by Brad Henry on Sep 29, 2011

GIVING BRINGS HOPE AND PURPOSE I have a friend that called me last night. I have known him for many years and he has been struggling with uncertainty like most folks in his business. He was also questioning, "Is this what the Lord wants me to do?" Well, he just came back from a trip where he was ...read more

Tags: God Brings Purpose

Abraham Lincoln: Merit Your Freedom  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 8, 2013

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: MERIT YOUR FREEDOM In the last days of the Civil War, the Confederate capital, Richmond, Virginia, fell to the Union army. Abraham Lincoln insisted on visiting the city. Even though no one knew he was coming, slaves recognized him immediately and thronged around him. He had ...read more

Scripture: John 21:3-14, Romans 6:1-23, Galatians 5:13-15

Tags: Christian Liberty