In Sermon Illustrations: "Knowing Jesus"

The Prayer And The Chair

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 22, 2011

THE PRAYER AND THE CHAIR A woman called a pastor to come to the house to see her father. He goes to the house not knowing whether the man is Christian or not but he notices as he talks to him and the man answers back that he must be a Christian and there is a chair sitting close by. An empty ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:5-15

Tags: Prayer How To

Lucado On Alcoholism

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 23, 2011

LUCADO ON ALCOHOLISM Max Lucado, one of America's great Christian leaders, found that out earlier in his ministry. He once said, "I come from a family of alcoholism. If there's anything about this DNA stuff, I've got it." For more than 20 years, drinking was not a major issue for Lucado, but about ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:1-5

Tags: Alcohol

The Unexpected King

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 5, 2011

THE UNEXPECTED KING Just a year ago (on September 16, 2009), an article in The Washington Post began with these words: "The king folds her own laundry, chauffeurs herself around Washington in a 1992 Honda, and answers her own phone. Her boss's phone, too." The article was about Peggielene Bartels, ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-8

Tags: Election

The Enemy Is Real  PRO

Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Apr 6, 2011

THE ENEMY IS REAL I am learning some things about the FIRST WORLD WAR. Things like it was a TRENCH WAR in which both sides just looked at each other from trenches for most of the war. Often they did not see one another as enemies. The French would not fire on the Germans when they saw their ...read more

Tags: War

Leaders Are Born And Made

Contributed by Tim White on May 7, 2011

LEADERS ARE BORN AND MADE J. Oswald Sanders in his classic “Spiritual Leadership” believes that leaders are both born and made. “While conversion does not normally make leaders of people who would never become such otherwise, Church history teaches that in the hour of full surrender the Holy ...read more

Tags: Leadership General

Denomination: Baptist

Tomorrow Brings Hope

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 8, 2011

"TOMORROW" BRINGS HOPE In late March of 1993, a sudden snowstorm covered the East coast of the U.S. Over in the Smoky Mountains, it was the snow of the century. Many hunters and hikers were trapped in the park. Four doctors from Knoxville had chosen that weekend for a hunting trip to the Smokies. ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 31:1-5

Tags: God Brings Hope

The Debbie Haters' Club

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 19, 2011

THE DEBBIE HATERS' CLUB Bill White, of Paramount, California, talks about his friend, Greg, who recently put together a mini high school reunion when he went back home to Indiana to visit his parents. He hadn't seen many of his classmates in over 17 years; but when they got together, they had a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:21-26

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Separation Of Church And State...?

Contributed by Jeff Strite on May 30, 2011

SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE...? God has promised: "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD." But... wait a minute. I thought those same founders wanted to separate the Church from the State! How many of you have ever heard that phrase? Of course you have. And I'll give a hundred dollar ...read more

Tags: America

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

I Wish I Could Live Life Over Again

Contributed by Chuck Sligh on Jun 14, 2011

I WISH I COULD LIVE LIFE OVER AGAIN I remember when I was an assistant pastor in TN visiting a man who had lived his whole life in sin and selfishness. He finally came to the Lord in his sixties. When he was diagnosed with cancer, I went to visit him at his home shortly before his death. The day ...read more

Tags: Christian Values

Denomination: Baptist

Navy Seals

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 9, 2011

NAVY SEALS I don’t know much about the army but here is something I read recently about those Navy Seals who shot Osama Bin Laden. It’s good to be a Navy SEAL right now. The elite sailors are being showered with praise for their successful operation in Pakistan that resulted in the killing of ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:3

Tags: Hardship Of Life

Authority At The Airport

Contributed by Brad Henry on Oct 25, 2011

AUTHORITY AT THE AIRPORT Someone the other day told me they had a problem with Security at the airport from something they left in their carry on. Then it got me to thinking, which is a bad idea anyway, about my TSA encounter. I had an early morning flight and I got through security at about ...read more

Tags: Authority

Right Prayer For The Wrong Reason  PRO

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Nov 18, 2011

RIGHT PRAYER FOR THE WRONG REASON I began teaching during the Wednesday night prayer meetings seven months ago. Suppose I prayed every day for all those months for God to make us into a praying church. Suppose I prayed morning, noon, and night for God to make us a praying church. Suppose I prayed ...read more

Scripture: James 4:1-3

Tags: Prayer, Selfishness, Prayer How To, Motives

Denomination: Baptist

The Missing Gravy Ladle

Contributed by Fred Sigle on Jan 17, 2012

THE MISSING GRAVY LADLE Brian invited his mother over for DINNER. During the course of the meal, Brian's mother couldn't help but keep noticing how BEAUTIFUL Brian's roommate, Angie, was. Brian's Mom had long been SUSPICIOUS of a RELATIONSHIP between Brian and Angie. Before Angie moved in she ...read more

Tags: Temptation Sex

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Billy Graham's Arena Dreams

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Feb 7, 2012

BILLY GRAHAM'S ARENA DREAMS Billy Graham, in his book "Nearing Home: Life, Faith, and Finishing Well" (pp. 2-3, Thomas Nelson) writes: I have remained a baseball fan, not necessarily of one team over another but of the game itself--the teamwork, the strategy, and the challenge of defeating the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Tags: Dreams

Denomination: Baptist

Prayer And Cadwalader

Contributed by Perry Greene on Mar 8, 2012

PRAYER AND CADWALADER In 1747, Benjamin Franklin organized the "Philadelphia Associators." This was a volunteer militia for the protection of the city. Colonel John Cadwalader was elected its senior officer in 1776. In December of 1776, Cadwalader and his volunteer militia were stationed 10 miles ...read more

Tags: Prayer Answered

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Under The Influence

Contributed by Greg Nance on Apr 13, 2012

UNDER THE INFLUENCE David Kupelian's book The Marketing of Evil, published in 2005, is an eye-opening study of what we face today. I wish every parent would read it. Does anyone here remember what happened to Robert Bauman in 1980? He was elected in 1973 as representative of the First ...read more

Tags: Sin Bondage To

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Worship: It Takes Time To Warm Up

Contributed by Tim Smith on Jul 1, 2012

WORSHIP: IT TAKES TIME TO WARM UP When I was a kid in Kansas City, we lived next door to a family who owned a publishing company. They had an old 4 door Mercedes that they would let their son drive to school. He was 3 years older than me and also named Tim. On those winter mornings when the ...read more

Tags: Worship General

Denomination: Methodist

The Box Was Not Empty

Contributed by Perry Greene on Jul 3, 2012

THE BOX WAS NOT EMPTY "We often learn the most from our children. Some time ago a friend of mine punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight, and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the tree. Nevertheless, the ...read more

Tags: Children

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Torpedo Approaching  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 29, 2012

TORPEDO APPROACHING Allow me to tell you a story about a young man named Bill, who joined the Navy, when World War II began. One night his ship came into Boston, and he decided to visit his former pastor and friend, Rev. Stidger. During their visit together, Rev. Stidger said, "Bill, tell me the ...read more

Scripture: John 15:9-17

Tags: Heroism

The Law, The Whole Law, And Nothing But The Law.

Contributed by Larry Turner on Jun 5, 2016

There is a story about a student at Cambridge University in England who entered the classroom on exam day and asked the proctor to bring him cakes and ale. The proctor refused, expressing astonishment at the young student’s audacity. At this point the student read from the four-hundred-year-old ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 22:5-8

Tags: The Law, Bound By The Law, Judged By The Law

Denomination: Foursquare