In Sermon Illustrations: "Judged According To Deeds"

Years Ago There Was A Gentleman Whose Hobby Was ...  PRO

Contributed by Brian Atwood on Nov 24, 2004

Years ago there was a gentleman whose hobby was collecting old books. He was a guest in a friend’s home one evening, and while waiting was invited to browse around his host’s library. In doing so, he came upon a rare book. On mentioning it to the friend, he was told to take the book as a gift ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:5

Tags: Call Of The Disciples, Commitment

Denomination: Baptist

Now, During My Sermon Preparation Time, I Came ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Now, during my sermon preparation time, I came across a humorous story entitled, “Helping Hand”: a. According to the story, a pastor is walking down the street one day when he notices a very small boy … trying to press a doorbell on a house across the street. b. However, the boy is very small ...read more

Tags: Cross

Jehovah's Witnesses And The Church Of Jesus ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2008

Jehovah's Witnesses and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) reported the largest membership increases in a year, according to the National Council of Churches' 2008 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches. Although Jehovah's Witnesses currently rank 25th in size with over ...read more

Tags: Religion

The Septuagint Is The Greek Translation Of The ...

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Feb 25, 2009

The Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Old Testament from Hebrew. It tells the story of Naaman, the Syrian leper, who was told by the prophet Elisha to dip seven times in the Jordan River for healing. The translation reads, "Then Naaman went down and baptizo himself seven times in the ...read more

Tags: Baptism

Denomination: Pentecostal

Rough Seas Call For Distress Preparations" From ...

Contributed by Brian Atwood on Mar 17, 2009

"Rough Seas Call for Distress Preparations" From Fox News, 3/5/09 "Two days before NFL player Marquis Cooper took a doomed fishing trip with three friends in Florida Gulf Coast waters, a friend urged him to buy a life-saving device used to locate boats in distress. "Cooper hadn’t heard of the ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:21-22

Tags: Communication General

Denomination: Baptist

Study Shows Divorce Won't Make You Happier

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 25, 2009

STUDY SHOWS DIVORCE WON’T MAKE YOU HAPPIER One research team studied the responses of over 5,000 married adults who were first interviewed in the 1980s. Five years later, the survey re-contacted those people. Even though the study really wasn’t centered on divorce, they found that some of the ...read more

Scripture: Malachi 2:16

Tags: Divorce

More Beyond  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 15, 2010

MORE BEYOND The Strait of Gibraltar is the strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. On either side of the Strait of Gibraltar there are two mountains, which were known in ancient times as the Pillars of Hercules. According to Greek mythology, Hercules built these pillars ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:13-18

Tags: Heaven

Washington And Madison On God's Law  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 19, 2011

WASHINGTON AND MADISON ON GOD'S LAW James Madison, the primary author of the Constitution of the United States, said this: ’"We have staked the whole future of our new nation NOT upon the power of government; far from it. We have staked the future of all our political constitutions upon the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:1-4, Romans 13:1

Tags: Independence Day

Which House Would You Rather Live In?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 5, 2011

WHICH HOUSE WOULD YOU RATHER LIVE IN? On October 19, 2010, a test was conducted at the Institute for Business and Home Safety in Richburg, South Carolina. Researchers constructed two 1,300-square-foot houses inside a $40 million laboratory and then observed how a simulated hurricane would impact ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:24-27

Confined Christians

Contributed by Rodelio Mallari on Jan 10, 2012

CONFINED CHRISTIANS I met a young man not long ago who dives for exotic fish for aquariums. He told me that one of the most popular aquarium fish is the shark. He explained that if you catch a small shark and confine it, it will stay a size proportionate to the aquarium you put it in. Sharks can ...read more

Tags: Growth In Christ

Denomination: *other

Launching Into The Deep

Contributed by Tom Feola on Feb 6, 2012

LAUNCHING INTO THE DEEP Dr. Robert Schuller's hobbies include raising koi fish. Asked why some grow big while others stay small, he replied, "If a koi fish lives in a small tank it will never grow longer than two or three inches. In a larger pond they can grow up to ten inches long--in ponds the ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Persuaded By The Mail

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 11, 2014

"I GIVE UP!" In the early 1960s, the publishers of Time Magazine were concerned about their declining circulation, so they designed a campaign to send out thousands of letters making an emotional appeal to potential subscribers. In the past, such mailings had been done manually, at a great cost in ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16-17

Tags: God's Love, Surrender, Persuasion

Standing Up For Persecuted Christians

Contributed by John Crowe on Oct 29, 2015

Michael Horowitz is a Jewish attorney in Washington, D.C. who has done more for persecuted Christians than almost any Christian I know. He recently wrote to me that from his long experience with efforts to help rescue persecuted Christians, his sad experience is that U. S. Christian leaders are ...read more

Scripture: Mark 9:41

Tags: Persecution, Persecuted Christian

Denomination: Baptist

Imhotep And Joseph

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Dec 9, 2019

A memory of Joseph may have been merged into the legend of Imhotep: “According to Egyptologists, the Pharaoh Djoser employed an adviser named Imhotep, who designed his pyramid. Prior to that time, Pharaohs were buried in low, rectangular structures called mastaba. Imhotep’s design used a creative ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 41:1-57

Tags: Leadership, Joseph, History, Egyptology, Imhotep  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Patience With Those Who Reject Our Savior

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 5, 2023

According to a traditional Hebrew story, Abraham was sitting outside his tent one evening when he saw an old man, weary from age and journey, coming toward him. Abraham rushed out, greeted him, and then invited him into his tent. There he washed the old man's feet and gave him food and ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23

Tags: Endurance, Patience, Forbearance, Fruit Of The Spirit, Waiting On God, Evangelism, Grace, Holy Spirit  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Solar Eclipse Will Happen On Nisan 1.

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 6, 2024

The next total solar eclipse that will streak across America takes place on April 8, 2024. On the Hebrew calendar, this is the first day of the month of Nisan which corresponds with April on the Gregorian calendar. At sundown in Israel on April the 8th at approximately 11 am (EST), Nissan 1 begins. ...read more

Tags: End Times, Prophecy, Second Coming, Last Days, Rapture, Passover, Return Of Christ, Solar Eclipse, Jewish Calendar  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Al Mohler's Theological "triaging"

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 11, 2024

Many readers will be familiar with Al Mohler’s helpful analogy of “theological triage” in which he speaks of first-order, second-order, and third-order doctrines. (Note - this is a theological statement about the Bible, not a clear biblical statement from Scripture. It is one author trying to ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Tags: Church, Discernment, Unity, Doctrine, Heresy, Pastors, False Teaching, Elders  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Conflict Of Character

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Dec 27, 2014

THE CONFLICT OF CHARACTER “You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.” - James D. Miles As she poured hot coffee into his mug early that morning, she noticed the guard’s countenance was more contemplative than usual. He was a man with ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 10:9

Tags: Honesty, Christlike Character, Truth, Integrity

Denomination: Charismatic

Unsung Heroines-Anna The Prophetess

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Oct 24, 2022

Introduction: Only a few women were considered true prophetesses in the Bible. Isaiah’s wife was called one of these (Isaiah 8:3), and Miriam, Moses’ sister, was another (Exodus 15:20). Deborah was not only a judge, but also a prophetess (Judges 4:4) and Huldah was the prophetess who gave Josiah’s ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:36-38

Tags: Jesus Christ, Anna, Prophetesses

Denomination: Baptist

When Jesus Comes Back, He Will Have A Name That ...  PRO

Contributed by Rob Willis on Sep 13, 2005

When Jesus comes back, He will have a name that only He knows (Rev. 19:12). This is reveals to us that all there is to know about Jesus has not been revealed. The more we get to know Him, the more we realize there is more to get to know. This title - an unknown title - reveals His lack of ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 19:12, Philippians 3:10-11

Tags: Descriptions Of God

Denomination: Baptist