In Sermon Illustrations: "Looking To Jesus"

Janet Reno, Attorney General Of The United States ...

Contributed by Ed Sasnett on Jun 2, 2010

Janet Reno, Attorney General of the United States during the Clinton administration, was interviewed on “60 Minutes” on June 26, 1999. She seems to hold this ancient opinion of Christians. Here is how she defined a cultist: A cultist is one who has a strong belief in the Bible and the Second ...read more

Tags: Persecution

Denomination: Baptist

Caught In The Barn  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 13, 2010

CAUGHT IN THE BARN During one of his political campaigns, a delegation called on Theodore Roosevelt at his home in Oyster Bay, Long Island. The President met them with his coat off and his sleeves rolled up. "Ah, gentlemen," he said, "come down to the barn and we will talk while I do some work." ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:37

Tags: Hypocrisy

Generosity

Contributed by Fr Mund Cargill Thompson on Oct 21, 2010

You all probably remember the photos that Eve [our former children’s worker] brought back from Zambia of bags of grain lying in church as people had brought a true tithe, ten per cent of their crop to give to God. People in Africa have very little and yet are very generous. In this country ...read more

Tags: Stewardship

Denomination: Anglican

The Second Coming In The Bible

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 30, 2010

THE SECOND COMING IN THE BIBLE Biblical prophecy provides some of the greatest encouragement and hope available to us today. Just as the Old Testament is saturated with prophecies concerning Christ’s first advent, so both testaments are filled with references to the second coming of Christ. One ...read more

Tags: Second Coming

Denomination: Brethren

Insuring Your Voice

Contributed by John Perry on Dec 13, 2010

INSURING YOUR VOICE Friends of George Burns have always kidded him about his singing. Burns, a master of self-deprecating humour, decided to take advantage of this and insure his voice for a million dollars. He thought it would be a wonderful publicity stunt. "I was so excited," said Burns, "I ...read more

Tags: Pride

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Public Scavenger

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 21, 2011

THE PUBLIC SCAVENGER A long time ago in Greece, some politicians decided to play a joke on a fellow politician in their group. They got him appointed to the post of Public Scavenger. It was a dirty, lowly post. But instead of being humiliated, the man decided he would show everybody what he could ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 12:24

Tags: Leadership General

A Young Man Had Finished His First Semester In ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 25, 2011

A young man had finished his first semester in college, and was spending the weekend at home. Somewhat bored with the old place, he was regaling his father with the wonders of his campus and the enlightened people there. After getting up a head of steam and warming up to his subject he said, "Why, ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 11:2

Tags: Arrogance

Joyce Meyers: Addicted To Peace

Contributed by Evangelist Kelly J Farner on Mar 26, 2011

JOYCE MEYERS: ADDICTED TO PEACE "It sounds strange but when I started learning to be peaceful, I was bored at first. I was so accustomed to having something major go on in my life all the time that I wondered what am I supposed to do with myself. That describes how my life used to be. I had no ...read more

Tags: Peace

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Ever Heard A Sheep Call?

Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Apr 6, 2011

EVER HEARD A SHEEP CALL? Sheep don’t respond to calls they respond to Shepherds. A man in Australia was arrested for stealing a sheep but he claimed that it was one of his own that had been missing for many days. When the case went to court, the judge was puzzled, not knowing how to decide the ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Lights For Our Path

Contributed by Jason Bonnicksen on Jul 10, 2011

LIGHTS FOR OUR PATH A couple of years ago, I went outside after dark to look at the stars in ways we couldn’t while back in Minnesota. I stepped from the porch, with the lights of course, and then I tripped on the water-hose. Down I went, taking my wife and daughter with me. Truth be known — ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

Denomination: Lutheran

Winning In Losing  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2011

WINNING IN LOSING Both teams that play in the Super Bowl think they will win, so both teams have special t-shirts and hats designed that declare them the victors. It costs about $2 million to have the apparel made--which means for the losing team, $2 million goes to waste, right? Wrong. A recent ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Tags: Giving General

Cruel Christians

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 29, 2011

CRUEL CHRISTIANS During the Spanish conquest of Mexico under Hernando Cortez in the early 1500s, a resistance leader named Hatney was captured after a fierce battle and sentenced to be burned alive. After tying him to the stake, his captors urged him to become a Christian so that at his death his ...read more

Scripture: Titus 2:1-10

Tags: Christian Witness

Relax And Lower Your Branches  PRO

Contributed by Perry Greene on Nov 2, 2011

RELAX AND LOWER YOUR BRANCHES Several years ago, the Wall Street Journal carried a story about Sally, an overly conscientious youngster who made herself miserable over the smallest failures and setbacks. Early one fall, while the leaves were still on the trees, there was an exceptionally heavy ...read more

Tags: Worry

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The World: A Temporary Container

Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Jan 3, 2012

THE WORLD: A TEMPORARY CONTAINER The first garbage day after Christmas must be the biggest garbage day of the year. You can tell what most people got for Christmas by just looking at the garbage pile in front of the house. We usually throw out all the boxes--unless you have children who like to ...read more

Tags: Church Discipline

The Mortal Work Of Art

Contributed by Davon Huss on Jan 16, 2012

THE MORTAL WORK OF ART Shelley Jackson is a writer. Yet, you cannot read anything she's written in a magazine, book or screen. Instead, you have to look at people. Her story is written on human skin. Her story is called "Skin." Jackson calls it "a mortal work of art." It is a fictional piece ...read more

Tags: Church Purpose Of

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Why Say No When Everybody Else Is Saying ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 9, 2012

WHY SAY NO WHEN EVERYBODY ELSE IS SAYING YES? Writing in the aftermath of World War II, Elton Trueblood looked back to those few brave German Christians who had the courage to oppose Adolph Hitler. When so many others went along or simply kept silent, a few, a courageous handful, would not go along ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 22:36-38

Tags: Love For God

Testing The Genuine

Contributed by Joel Sumagaysay on Mar 19, 2013

TESTING THE GENUINE All sorts of things are tested to prove that they are genuine. When you go to a bank and give a $20 bill to the cashier, she holds it to a special light. Why would she do that? Because she is testing it to make sure it is genuine. During the time when the Philippines was not ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 22:1-19

Tags: Faith, Truth, Testing, Miscellaneous

Denomination: Baptist

Grandpa Croaked!  PRO

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 1, 2014

GRANDPA CROAKED! A little girl crawled up in the lap of her Grandpa and cuddled close. Then she looked into Grandpa’s face with those big blue eyes of hers and said, "Grandpa, can you please make a sound like a frog?" Grandpa thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Ribbit. Ribbit." ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 9:27

Tags: Death, Children, Heaven, Misunderstandings

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Conformity

Contributed by Don Berry-Graham on Feb 29, 2016

I first noticed this in leading people to Christ. They were beautiful before they were “church broke.” Great young converts often start out as radiant Christians and end up only as carbon-copy Baptists. Great young ministers start out as adorable mavericks, but after a business meeting or two and a ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2, Romans 12:2-5

Tags: Conformity, Accepting

Denomination: Baptist

Where Adam Used To Live

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 18, 2017

Adam and his two sons, Cain and Abel, were out hunting one day when Adam turned and started staring at something beautiful afar off. It was the Garden of Eden. Then Adam broke down and starting weeping. The boys didn’t understand. Finally, Abel asked his father, "Dad, why are you crying over ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:12

Tags: Marriage, Sin, Adam And Eve, Garden Of Eden

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational