In Sermon Illustrations: "Long Life"

Cultural Desensitization

Contributed by Terry Barnhill on Oct 24, 2009

CULTURAL DESENSITIZATION One evening Ardie and I decided we needed to get out of the house. On an impulse, we went looking for a good movie. When we got to the theater, we didn't recognize any of the movies that were playing, so we just picked one. It was titled "District 13" . . . big mistake! ...read more

Tags: Entertainment

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Loneliness And Suicide, Products Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 26, 2009

Loneliness and Suicide, Products of Materialism Can you guess who said this? "I sit in my house in Buffalo and sometimes I get so lonely it’s unbelievable. Life has been so good to me. I’ve got a great wife, good kids, money, my own health--and I’m lonely and bored.... I often wondered why so many ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 18:1-8

Tags: Materialism

Mordecai Ham Was Born April 2, 1877, In ...

Contributed by Jody Vansickle on Oct 26, 2009

Mordecai Ham was born April 2, 1877, in Scottsville, Kentucky. He came from eight generations of Baptist preachers. He came to Christ by the time he was eight years old and remembers: "At nine I had definite convictions that the Lord wanted me to preach." But after high school, he changed his ...read more

Tags: Preaching

Denomination: Methodist

Goldfish Dies From Soap Used To Clean Its ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 5, 2009

Goldfish Dies From Soap Used To Clean Its Tank [KILLER SOAP] Sometimes we consider it our responsibility to correct a brother or sister in Christ. We may notice an action or attitude that is contrary to the teachings of the Bible. So we decide it’s up to us to correct the wrong. We need to be sure, ...read more

Tags: Encouragement, Words

Office Worker Reads Bible In Secret At ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 6, 2009

Office Worker Reads Bible In Secret at Work When I was a college student I worked for a time in a government office. I noticed after a while in that office that one of the engineers whose desk was back-to-back with mine would perform a little lunch hour ritual involving something in his desk ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20

Tags: Evangelism Fear Of

Chuck Smith Meets A New Brother In Christ—a ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 23, 2009

Chuck Smith Meets a New Brother in Christ—A Tribal Chief in New Guinea Chuck Smith: I was over in New Guinea and I had this native chieftain come up to me. He had to speak to me through an interpreter. And he had these spears in his hand. He said, "I used these to kill men. But," he said, "now ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:3-6

Tags: Body Of Christ, Church Body Of Christ

Driving Very Fast  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 24, 2009

DRIVING VERY FAST In his book "Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life", Pastor Charles Swindoll tells a story about the 19th Century agnostic Thomas Huxley. Some of you might recognize the name Thomas Huxley as a man who promoted Darwinism and Humanism in his attacks on Christianity in Europe in ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 1:1-14

Tags: Goals

Forgiveness And The Rhone

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 30, 2009

FORGIVENESS AND THE RHONE The RHONE RIVER begins its journey in the Switzerland Alps, some 5000 feet above sea level. It is one of the most important commercial waterways in France, stretching more than 500 miles in length. The river that glistens and sparkles through France, however, is much ...read more

Scripture: Micah 7:19

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus

Donald Grey Barnhouse Scratches A Mark On A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 1, 2010

Donald Grey Barnhouse Scratches a Mark On a Postal Box to Make a Point Some years ago Donald Grey Barnhouse was counseling a young woman on the sidewalk in front of a church following an evening service. She said she was a Christian and that she wanted to follow Christ. But she wanted to be famous, ...read more

Scripture: James 4:4-6

Tags: Worldliness

Old Lady: Looking For The Sonrise...

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on May 21, 2022

AN OLD LADY IN THE RESTHOME 40 YEARS AGO: DEANNA LAFFERTY READ THIS POEM TO ME WEEKLY. Deanna had brain cancer and had half of her head cut off. Her right part of her head was gone, so she could not move the left side of her body. She would hold her Bible or song book in her right hand. She ...read more

Scripture: John 3:30, Proverbs 17:28

Tags: Sunset, Sonrise, Dreaming

Denomination: Assembly Of God

What Is Truth?

Contributed by John Bright on Oct 17, 2022

I hate to be the bearer of bad news… but there is a deep divide in this sanctuary. No – it’s not what you think. It’s not political parties. It’s not hot-button social justice issues. Nope, it’s our view of “What is truth?” Here’s a way to view our divide from Os Guiness: “Three baseball ...read more

Scripture: Luke 11:24-36

Tags: Baseball, Absolute Truth, Umpires

Denomination: Methodist

Poiticians Rule And A Sovereign God Overrules!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Dec 19, 2022

Augustus Caesar was ruling, but God was in charge, for He used Caesar's edict to move Mary and Joseph eighty miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem to fulfill His Word. Rome took a census every fourteen years for both military and tax purposes, and each Jewish male had to return to the city of his ...read more

Tags: Mary, Christmas, Bethlehem, Prophecy, Joseph, History, Virgin Birth, Sovereignty Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

An Admission Of Guilt

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on May 14, 2023

There once was a governor of the state of Texas who received an invitation to speak at one of the penitentiaries in that state. He spoke to the assembled prisoners and afterwards said that he would be around for a while to listen to anything any of the convicts might wish to tell him. He could take ...read more

Scripture: John 3:1-26

Tags: Confession, Testimony, Guilt, Pardon

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Never Give Up

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Oct 4, 2023

CONCLUSION: There was an old frog that gathered the little tadpoles around him to teach them a lesson about endurance and persistence. He told of the farmer and his wife that had milked all the cows and set the milk cans out by the road. He told how the frogs loved to jump up and sit on top of the ...read more

Scripture: Mark 5:36, Hebrews 11:1

Tags: Persistence, Never Quit

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Warmth In Cold Thoughts: Finding Spiritual Resilience In Challenging

Contributed by Jung Lee on Jan 21, 2024

"As I made my way to work amidst the severe cold, a sharp contrast to the warm, southern climes of Mississippi where I spent over a decade, the wind felt like it was slicing through my skin. In these freezing moments, as my pace quickened, almost to a run, my thoughts instinctively turned to ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:8

Tags: Mental Focus, Positive Thinking, Divine Guidance, Warmth, Christian Strength, Overcoming Challenges, Spiritual Resilience, Endurance, Hope, God's Grace, Cold  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Did Jesus Really Die On The Cross?

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 25, 2024

One lady sent in a letter to a religious question and answer forum. "Dear Sirs, Our preacher said on Easter, that Jesus just swooned on the cross and that the disciples nursed Him back to health because he just fainted on Good Friday. He didn't really die and he wasn't really raised ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:8, 1 John 2:1-2

Tags: Easter, Crucifixion, Resurrection, Son Of Man, Cross, Son Of God, Empty Grave  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Word Pictures Of Biblical Forgiveness

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Aug 12, 2024

The importance of forgiveness is a constant theme of Scripture. There are no less than seventy-five different word pictures about forgiveness in the Bible. They help us grasp the importance, the nature, and the effects of forgiveness. • To Forgive Is to Turn The Key, Open the cell door, and let ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:9-15

Tags: Forgiveness, Philemon, Lord's Prayer, Root Of Bitterness, Forgive Us Our Debts, Unforgivenes  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Mr. Rogers Cardigan

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Apr 13, 2025

We learn how God so loved the world. God sent His Son. He didn’t just say, “I love you.” He showed it. He gave something deeply personal. Something costly. Something that met our greatest need. And in a much smaller, but still powerful way, Fred Rogers—yes, Mister Rogers—modeled that kind of ...read more

Scripture: John 13:34

Tags: Love, Give, God Gave, Love Gives, Love Costs  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Spirit Of Gradualism

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Oct 10, 2025

I lived in Lee County, Virginia and we would travel 68 from our house through Cumberland Gap, Tennessee to Middlesboro, Ky. We traveled through the national park. Linda and I would see a ground hog. The ground hog would stand on his hind legs to watch the traffic go by. We developed a love watching ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:3, Revelation 3:14-19

Tags: Gradual, Slow

Denomination: Assembly Of God

If Jesus Was Born Today

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Oct 24, 2025

If Jesus was born today, it would be in a bed and breakfast A traffic warden, working late, would be the first on the scene. Later a TV network would arrive with their good wishes. The whole Occasion would be filmed as part of *Is this the Son of God” one hour special If Jesus was 30 today, ...read more

Scripture: John 11:25

Tags: Jesus, Born, Modern Day

Denomination: Anglican