In Sermon Illustrations: "Living Sacrifice"

I Heard A Story About A Girl Who Went Off To ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Jul 2, 2002

I heard a story about a girl who went off to college. She didn’t write very often, but on this one occasion she wrote her parents. When they got the letter they were elated. But when they opened it, it read, "Dear mom & dad, I would have written sooner but all my stationery burned up when ...read more

Tags: Truth, Faith, Dealing With Conflicts

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Main Tenents Of Jainism  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 10, 2002

MAIN TENENTS OF JAINISM Jains reject belief in a creator god and seek release from endless reincarnation through a life of strict self-denial. The title of Jina is given to those who are believed to have triumphed over all material existence. As all human activity accumulates karma, the force that ...read more

Tags: World Religions, Denial

I Knelt To Pray When Day Was Done  PRO

Contributed by Eric Muldoon on Nov 18, 2002

I knelt to pray when day was done, And prayed, "Lord, bless everyone; Lift from each heart the pain, And let the sick be well again." And then I woke again one day, And carelessly went on my way; The whole day long I did not try To wipe a tear from any eye. I did not ...read more

Tags: Growth In Christ, Love Of The Disciples

Denomination: Holiness

One Night An Arab Had Settled In For The Night ...  PRO

Contributed by David Swanger on Mar 15, 2003

One night an Arab had settled in for the night and had just fallen asleep when his camel stuck his head in his tent and explained that it was awful cold and asked permission to just stick his legs inside the tent to keep them warm. Granting him permission the Arab went back to sleep. A little ...read more

Tags: Satan

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Rich As A King

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 9, 2003

RICH AS A KING History books are filled with wealthy people who were practically destitute compared to me. I have triple-tracked storm windows; Croesus did not. Entire nations trembled before Alexander the Great, but he couldn’t buy cat food in bulk. Czar Nicholas II lacked a compound-miter ...read more

Tags: Peace

This Past Week, Pinellas Circuit Judge W. ...  PRO

Contributed by Gene Gregory on Nov 17, 2003

This past week, Pinellas Circuit judge W. Douglas Baird ruled that Terri’s Law, the law governor Jeb Bush and elected state officials passed in order to save the life of Terri Schiavo by preventing her feeding tube from being removed, was unconstitutional, denying Terri her constitutional right to ...read more

Tags: Abortion

Denomination: Baptist

I Do Not Trust People Who Never Admit Faults Or ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 16, 2004

I do not trust people who never admit faults or sins. It tells me that they are either living under a delusion or they have filled their lives with so much busyness that they make no space for introspection. This week I was reading a book titled Revolution in World Missions by K.P. Yohannan. ...read more

Jd Walt, A Contemporary Songwriter And Worship ...

Contributed by Jim Kane on Oct 5, 2004

JD Walt, a contemporary songwriter and worship leader wrote in another article about the change someone has made to a wonderful chorus addition to the classic hymn, “When I Survey the Wonderful Cross,” that he and someone else wrote a few years back. Walt and Chris Tomlin wrote, “Oh, the wonderful ...read more

Tags: Worship Purpose

Denomination: Church Of God

Near Cripple Creek, Colorado, Gold And Tellurium ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 20, 2007

Near Cripple Creek, Colorado, gold and tellurium occur mixed as tellurite ore. The refining methods of the early mining camps could not separate the two elements, so the ore was thrown into a scrap heap. One day a miner mistook a lump of ore for coal and tossed it into his stove. Later, while ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:6-7

Life Examples: Ezekiel: Watching Dead Bones Come ...  PRO

Contributed by Nathan Parker on Mar 10, 2007

Life Examples: Ezekiel: Watching Dead Bones Come Alive (Ezek. 37:14) In his day, hope had become a rare commodity. Ezekiel must have felt as desolate and useless as the piles of bones that he had seen in a startling vision. As the prophet sat in the middle of a valley, he knew that only a miracle ...read more

Scripture: Ezekiel 37:14

Denomination: Baptist

A Few Years Ago The Chernobyl Nuclear Plant In ...

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Mar 21, 2007

A few years ago the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Russia had a meltdown and created an enormous tragedy. The disaster threatened the people in Russia and the neighboring countries, but also countries as far away as Sweden. To make the best of a catastrophic situation, the Russian authorities ...read more

Tags: Death

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Power Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 25, 2009

THE POWER OF GOD Hudson Taylor: "Many Christians estimate difficulties in the light of their own resources, and thus attempt little and often fail in the little they attempt. All God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on His power and presence with ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:13

Tags: Power

Have We Held The Line? Should Those Who Have Died ...

Contributed by Curtis Emerson on Jun 8, 2010

Have we held the line? Should those who have died rest easy because we are holding to the values that they were willing to give their lives for? Consider this timeline; "in 1954 churches began to grow silent; by 1963 the Bible and prayer were removed from public schools; by 1965 the sexual ...read more

Tags: Patriotism, America's Decline

Denomination: Lutheran

Drop Everything

Contributed by Sterling Franklin on Jun 22, 2010

DROP EVERYTHING A child is doing his homework inside, and it's a bright and sunny day. The child's father runs in and says, "Son, drop EVERYTHING! We're going to the amusement park, and you're going to play all afternoon!" The son gladly drops his pencil and paper and runs to follow his father! ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Biblical Fellowship  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 15, 2010

BIBLICAL FELLOWSHIP If the local church is going to develop the kind of beauty that God says is possible, that which will attract others to Christ, we much commit to becoming together, the kind of church Christ calls us to be. A church that is a biblical fellowship. In his book, Rediscovering ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:42-47

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

No Green Bananas

Contributed by Perry Greene on Jan 29, 2013

NO GREEN BANANAS Approaching 85 years of age, Mrs. Wells finally decided it was time to give up her home in North Carolina and move to Miami. She was given the name of a Florida realtor, who enthusiastically drove her all over Miami, extolling the virtues of every apartment they looked at. ...read more

Tags: Aging

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Overloaded

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 3, 2013

OVERLOADED In the book, Overload, by Dr. Richard Swenson, he discusses one of the main reasons our lives have too much anxiety and stress. He says that most of us are just plain overloaded. Think about it. (1) We are overloaded with commitments. We don’t know how to say no. And as a result we meet ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:38-42

Tags: Stress, Time Management

The Lonely Frog

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Dec 8, 2014

You’ve heard the one, I ‘m sure, about the lonely frog who goes to see a fortune-teller. He’s told not to worry. She says, “You’re going to meet a beautiful young girl, and she will want to know everything about you.” “That’s great!” the excited frog says. “When will I meet her?” And the psychic ...read more

Scripture: Ruth 2:1-13

Tags: Fate, Providence

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Max Lucado: Zoe

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jan 15, 2008

Max Lucado states this about our term Zoe: a. Jesus offers zoe, the Greek word for ‘life as God has it.’ Whereas bios, its sibling term, is life extensive, zoe is life intensive. Jesus talks less about life’s duration and more about its quality, vitality, energy, and fulfillment. What the new mate, ...read more

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

In '06, Nearly 30% Of Americans 65 To 69 Were In ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 14, 2008

In '06, nearly 30% of Americans 65 to 69 were in the workforce vs. 18% in '85, reports the Employee Benefit Research Institute. The increase in older workers reflects the erosion of traditional pensions, inadequate retirement savings and rising health care costs. But many simply don't want to quit. ...read more

Tags: Goals