In Sermon Illustrations: "Life Is Rough"

U2 Song,

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 23, 2009

U2 Song, "I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” One of the most popular music groups over the past 25 years has been a band called U2. The lead singer of U2 is a man named Bono. It seems like every couple of years it gets reported that Bono is a professing Christian. I don’t know whether he ...read more

Scripture: John 6:1-15

Tags: Unbelief

Messiah Sighting In Brooklyn

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 30, 2009

MESSIAH SIGHTING IN BROOKLYN In 1993 I saw a news report on T.V. it was about a "Messiah sighting" in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York. Twenty thousand Lubavitcher Hasidic Jews live in Crown Heights, and many of them believed the Messiah was dwelling among them in the person of ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 9:6-7

Tags: Jesus Christ

Alzheimer's Patient Recalls The Old Rugged ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 18, 2010

Alzheimer’s Patient Recalls The Old Rugged Cross In his book, Reaching the Invisible God, author Philip Yancey tells the story about his wife, Janet, who leads a weekly “Christian Circle” at a local nursing home. An Alzheimer’s patient named Betsy faithfully attends, led there by a staff worker, ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-3

Tags: Cross

Last Year I Came Across The Story Of Frida ...

Contributed by Warner Pidgeon on Feb 1, 2010

Last year I came across the story of Frida Gashumba. Her autobiography is called ‘Chosen to Die, Destined to Live – A miraculous escape from the Rwandan Genocide’. Her best friend Claudette was Hutu. Frida was Tutsi. One day at school the Head Teacher asked Hutus to stand. He then asked Tutsis to ...read more

Tags: Racism

Denomination: Anglican

Truth In Chemistry

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 23, 2010

TRUTH IN CHEMISTRY Theologian, writer, speaker R. C. Sproul: "Truth is that which accurately describes reality." Hold with reality; hold with the truth. Let me give you a couple of examples. Jesus often took something that was material to explain something spiritual. He took the ordinary to ...read more

Scripture: John 8:31-47

Tags: Bible Truth

When We Truly Are The Church

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Feb 6, 2011

WHEN WE TRULY ARE THE CHURCH Chuck Colson tells this story: "My mind goes back to a Christmas 20 years ago in Romania, when the country was still in the grip of communist tyranny. The story begins with Laszlo Tokes, pastor of a fast-growing reformed church in the city of Timisoara. His ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Denomination: Methodist

Come Sweet Death

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 5, 2011

COME SWEET DEATH The picture is indelibly etched on my memory, I'm sure because at the time the incident seemed so bizarre, so peculiar. The scene was an elementary school talent show; all of us had been groomed and polished and persuaded that we had some talent or another to display before our ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:7-14

Tags: Death

Walking With Integrity

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 5, 2011

WALKING WITH INTEGRITY Integrity can be defined as: "wholeness; uprightness; honesty or soundness of moral principle and character; an undivided or unbroken completeness or totality with nothing wanting." Dr. Bob Reccord, president of the International Missions Board told about a pastor friend in ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:8-15

Tags: Christian Witness

Steering By Mother's Light

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 6, 2011

STEERING BY MOTHER'S LIGHT To illustrate the great influence of a Godly mother, let me tell you the story of Susannah Prentice. This story goes back to 1950. Susannah and her husband, Miles, lived in a 2-story house located on the coast of Maine. Miles and Susannah had 2 sons and a daughter. ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:5

Tags: Mother's Day

Ravi Zacharias: Changed Lives Show The Truth Of ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 9, 2011

RAVI ZACHARIAS: CHANGED LIVES SHOW THE TRUTH OF CHRIST In his book Has Christianity Failed You? Ravi Zacharias points to one of the greatest proofs for the truth of Christ and the reality of his resurrection: the changed lives of Christians. He writes: "During the course of nearly 40 years, I ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:13-16

Tags: Christian Witness

My Sheep Know My Voice  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 9, 2011

MY SHEEP KNOW MY VOICE Do you all know much about Emperor Penguins? I was not very familiar with these birds until a few years ago when the documentary, March of the Penguins, came out. And as I watched this documentary, I learned many intriguing facts about this largest of the penguin family. ...read more

Scripture: John 10:27-29

Tags: Parable Lost Sheep

The Clarence Principle

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 7, 2011

THE CLARENCE PRINCIPLE That's what spiritual maturity is--It's not just being a Christian for a little while. It's being able to discern the difference between right and wrong, because you have practiced applying the principles of God's Word in your every-day life. It's being able to discern the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:1-4

Tags: Leadership General

Ears To Hear

Contributed by Todd Catteau on May 27, 2015

I’ve done a lot of funerals in my twenty plus years of ministry, far more than I thought I would ever do. Every service touches me in a unique way and with each funeral I seem to come away with a life-lesson I needed to hear. Recently I was taught a valuable lesson as I eulogized a certain man. ...read more

Scripture: James 1:19-25

Tags: Communication, Listen, Ears, Hearing

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Walking With God

Contributed by Richard L. Brown on Oct 1, 2016

“Walking with God” Sermon Opener (Humorous) Micah 6: 1-8 Years ago, in the small town of Catlettsburg Kentucky, there lived several town-drunks. These men where classic characters, each unique in his own way, and from time to time they found themselves arrested ...read more

Scripture: Micah 6:1-8

Tags: Indictment, God's Requirements

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Substitute  PRO

Contributed by Paul Steen on Oct 8, 2016

The Moose was in the game to score. He took the handoff at the five-yard line from the quarterback and stunted to the right. The right guard and tackle had split the defenders and there was a slight hole in the line for him. Moose instantly was in the hole. He put his head down and fought through ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:3

Tags: Substitute, Substitute Sacrifice, Our Substitute

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Famous Hoaxes On April Fools Day & Skepticism

Contributed by David Simpson on Apr 16, 2018

It’s ironic that this year Easter falls on April Fools day. Have you ever fallen for an April Fools joke or prank? I know as a kid there was always some classmate pulling a prank on someone, with the rest of us in on it and watching that poor soul make a fool of themselves by believing the prank. ...read more

Tags: Doubt, Skepticism, Hoaxes

Denomination: Christian Church

Great Quotes By Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 16, 2020

While Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave many memorable quotations about freedom, civil rights, humankind and other critical issues, as a Christian pastor, some of his most notable quotes were on matters of faith. 1. “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” ...read more

Scripture: Amos 4:4, Matthew 5:1-12

Tags: Justice, Civil Rights, Equality, Martin Luther King

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

An Observation About Immanence

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Mar 12, 2020

One of my favorite pastimes is playing some computer games, especially the ones where you make money—okay, run a business, simulation, or that kind of thing. In one of these you, as manager of a transportation company, have the opportunity to choose how best to serve the industries and communities ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Tags: Immanence, Return Of Christ, Rewards For Believers

Denomination: Baptist

Prophecies Of The Messiah

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Dec 21, 2020

The Bible Passes The Prophecy Test! There are literally thousands of prophetic predictions made in the Bible. Some of these prophecies are quite dramatic in nature. For instance, Isaiah mentions Cyrus the Persian King, by name, 125 years before he was born. Not a single one prophecy made in the ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:14-17, 2 Timothy 4:1-3

Tags: Bible, Messiah, Christmas, Jesus, Prophecy, Inspiration, Inerrancy  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Courage

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Jul 2, 2021

Mary Slesser (1848-1915) when Mary was a teenager, she volunteered to help organize a mission in the slums of Scotland. Despite Mary's genuine and caring efforts, many of the people the mission was designed to help oppose the work because they felt it avoided the "real" needs of the ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 118:6-14

Tags: Mission Work, Mary Slesser, Courage

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed