In Sermon Illustrations: "Living By Faith"

What Makes A Good ...

Contributed by Timothy Gardner on Nov 7, 2009

"What makes a good church? If all the… …Lazy folks get up …sleepy folks wake up …Discouraged folks cheer up …Gossiping folks shut up …Dishonest folks fess up …Estranged folks make up …Depressed folks look up …Disgusted folks sweeten up …Lukewarm folks fire up …Sanctified folks show ...read more

Tags: People, Love, Commitment, Humor, Church General  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Salvation Army

What Was Mary Doing When She Had Her Angelic ...

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jan 9, 2010

What was Mary doing when she had her angelic epiphany, the one that changed the world forever? Was she deep in meditation, as the medieval paintings suggest? Maybe not. She surely wasn’t mowing the lawn, but I like to imagine her kneading bread, chanting a psalm and listening for the divine ...read more

Tags: Mary Jesus Mother

Denomination: Catholic

Christ Has Risen—you Better, Too!

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Jun 4, 2010

CHRIST HAS RISEN--YOU BETTER, TOO! I heard about a church organist who overslept one Easter morning. She said, "The service was scheduled for 6:30. At 6:31, the minister called to see if I was coming. Since I live near the church, I was at the organ by 6:45. Then, a year later on Easter morning ...read more

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Make Them Thirsty

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 27, 2010

MAKE THEM THIRSTY The young salesman was disappointed about losing a big sale, and as he talked with his sales manager he lamented, "I guess it just proves you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink." The manager replied, "Son, take my advice: your job is not to make him drink. ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

Denomination: Brethren

Who Would Serve God Without Heaven?

Contributed by Derrick Tuper on Jan 3, 2011

WHO WOULD SERVE GOD WITHOUT HEAVEN? Consider this statement from Paris Reidhead: "Lord Jesus, I’m going to obey you and love you and serve you and do what you want me to do as long as I live even if I go to hell at the end of the road because you are worthy to be loved, obeyed and served." Do we ...read more

Tags: Servanthood

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

On Self-Control

Contributed by Davon Huss on Mar 14, 2011

ON SELF-CONTROL Daniel Akst in a secular article called, "Whose in Charge Here?" wrote: "Life in modern Western cultures is like living at a giant all-you-can-eat buffet offering more calories, credit, sex, intoxicants, and just about anything else one could take to excess than our forebears ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 25:28

Tags: Self

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Freedom "For"  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on Nov 28, 2011

FREEDOM "FOR" From Robert Youngs: I have on my table a violin string... it is free. I twist one end of it and it responds. It is free. But it is not free to do what a violin string is supposed to do--produce music. So I take it, fix it in my violin and tighten it until it is taut. Only then ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:13

Tags: Finding Fulfillment

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Paint Covered Its Beauty

Contributed by Tim Hinrichs on Jan 24, 2012

THE PAINT COVERED ITS BEAUTY A few years ago when I lived in Poland we were at a local museum which had a beautiful sculpture of Mary holding Jesus. For years it stood on a street corner before the city decided to clean it up and restore it. Up to that point no one thought it was anything special ...read more

Tags: Beauty

Denomination: Lutheran

Spiritual Arrhythmia  PRO

Contributed by Antonio Silveira on Feb 25, 2012

SPIRITUAL ARRHYTHMIA The primary function of the heart is to supply blood and nutrients to the body. The regular beating, or contraction, of the heart moves the blood throughout the body. Each heartbeat is controlled by electrical impulses traveling through the heart. In the normal heart these ...read more

Scripture: 3 John 1:2

Tags: Heart, Spanking Kids

Denomination: Baptist

Not Ready

Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Apr 9, 2012

NOT READY After a presentation on the Evidences of God in Science four physics professors came up to Hugh Ross afterwards. Hugh asked if any of them could deny any of what had been presented. They said they could not. He then asked, "Why are you not ready to accept the conclusions?" One said ...read more

Tags: Atheism

Unhappy Church Member

Contributed by Kerry O'neill on Jan 27, 2019

A christian man was stranded on a deserted island for many years. He was finally discovered and a rescue crew arrived. They were impressed with all the things he built by himself, most prominently 3 buildings. They asked him about the first building and he answered, “That is where I live.” Then ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:45

Tags: Negativity, Church Hopping

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Because He Came

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Oct 15, 2019

Here are six blessings Paul mentions in Galatians 4:4-7 that flow to us because Christ came. We are redeemed (Gal 4:5a). We are adopted into God’s family (Gal 4:5b). The Holy Spirit now lives within us (Gal 4:6a). We call God Father (Gal ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 4:4-7

Tags: The Birth Of Christ, The Virgin Birth, Why Christ Came, Galatians

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Mom Is The Best Preacher In The Family!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Apr 19, 2022

Dr. G. Campbell Morgan had 4 sons and they were all preachers. Someone once came into the living room when all the family was there. They thought they would see what Howard, one of the sons, was made of so they asked him this question: "Howard, who is the greatest preacher in your ...read more

Tags: Children, Mother's Day, Pastors, Mother, Preachers  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

My Name Is Gossip

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Feb 11, 2025

I am more deadly than a shell from the howitzer. I win without killing. I tear down homes, break hearts, and wreck lives. I travel on the wings of the wind. No innocence is strong enough to intimidate me, no purity pure enough to daunt me. I have no regard for truth, no respect for justice, no ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:20

Tags: Gossip, Power Of Words

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Two Mountain Goats

Contributed by David Dunn on Oct 25, 2025

Martin Luther wrote about seeing two mountain goats meeting on a mountain trial that was narrow enough for only one to travel on. When they met up, Luther thought for sure they would butt heads and the strongest would survive. One would die and one would be injured. Instead, when the mountain ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:5-8, Romans 12:10, Matthew 20:26-28, John 13:14-15, Ephesians 4:2  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Service, Humility, Selflessness, Christlikeness, Grace  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Parable Of Christ’s Sacrifice, Citation: ...  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on May 11, 2001

[Parable of Christ’s Sacrifice, Citation: Brad Walden, senior minister with the Tates Creek Christian Church, Lexington, KY; true story told by Mark’s grandfather at Westwood Cheviot Church of Christ, Cincinnati, OH] The mother of a nine-year-old boy named Mark received a phone call in the middle ...read more

Scripture: John 19:1-16, Acts 28:23-31

Tags: Hope, Christian Disciplines, Crucifixion, Forgiveness In Jesus

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Showing Forgiveness To Jim Bakker  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 16, 2001

SHOWING FORGIVENESS TO JIM BAKKER Former televangelist Jim Bakker speaks of events that occurred immediately after his release from prison: When I was transferred to my last prison, Franklin [Graham] said he wanted to help me out when I got out-with a job, a house to live in, and a car. It was my ...read more

Scripture: Luke 14:8-11

Tags: Forgiveness For Others, God's Provision, God's Forgiveness

Why Does God Hate Divorce? Listen To Some ...  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Mar 18, 2005

Why does God hate divorce? Listen to some ramifications of divorce, taken from Biblical Counseling for Today - Watson Pages 187-188 -- Watson notes: Dobson commissioned his Focus on the Family staff to conduct a broad based survey of existing research concerning marital status. “From a social ...read more

Tags: Divorce

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Would Become The Corn ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 23, 2008

"I WOULD BECOME THE CORN MYSELF." The story is told of two men who were traveling in the country of England a number of years ago. They had stopped at an inn for the night and had gotten settled in for the night when the village came alive with the shouts of alarm. A fire had broken out in a row ...read more

Tags: Sacrifices

Water ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 31, 2008

WATER SOURCE The story is told about an Englishman living in Cairo who visited an Arab Chief in Arabia. The Englishman was treated with such kindness and royalty that he invited the Chief to visit him in Cairo, Egypt. He promised to show him the great sights of the city. The Arab Chief made the ...read more

Tags: Power