In Sermon Illustrations: "Luke 14:49-53"

Nothing Can Choke The Heart And Soul Out Of ...  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Oct 11, 2001

Nothing can choke the heart and soul out of walking with God like legalism. Consider the story of Hans the tailor. Because of his reputation, an influential entrepreneur visiting the city ordered a tailor-made suit. But when he came to pick up his suit, the customer found that one sleeve ...read more

Scripture: Luke 5:33-35, Mark 5:1-12

Tags: Love Of The Disciples, What Is Evangelism?, Christian Love

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Assertive Prayer  PRO

Contributed by Todd Schäve on Nov 6, 2001

ASSERTIVE PRAYER: Assertive prayer is expressing to the Lord our feelings and thoughts, with all due respect and humility, and making our requests known to the Lord, and leaving the results up to him. Jesus alludes to assertive prayer, when he said, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you ...read more

Scripture: Luke 11:1-13, Matthew 7:7-8

Tags: Prayer Supplication, Prayer General, Jesus Teachings

Denomination: Baptist

Salvation Is Free, ... But Discipleship Will Cost ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 20, 2002

Salvation is free, ... but discipleship will cost you your life. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:5-11, Matthew 14:13-21

Tags: Call Of The Disciples, Discipleship

The Cheering Crowd  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 25, 2002

THE CHEERING CROWD Picabo Street first joined the U.S. Ski Team when she was only 17. She went on to become the only American skier to ever win the World Cup downhill championship. In 1996 she tore a crucial ligament in her left knee. The 30 year-old Street went through extensive ...read more

Scripture: Luke 19:29, Hebrews 12:1

Tags: God The Father, Church Body Of Christ, Church Small Groups

What Is Your God?  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 6, 2002

WHAT IS YOUR GOD? "Whatever you love most, serve most, seek out most, give to the most, worship the most, and care about the most is your god. Your “god” can be your career, your bank account, the way you look, a particular position or degree, influence, power, or physical pleasure. It ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 19:16-22, Luke 10:38-42

Tags: Idolatry, Materialism, World

One Day A Man Was Talking To His Grandson ...

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Jul 2, 2002

ILL. One day a man was talking to his grandson right after he had graduated from high school. And he asked, "My boy, what are your plans? What are you going to do with your life?" The grandson said, "I plan to go to college & then graduate from college. His grandfather ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 16:26, Luke 9:25

Tags: Eternity, Graduation, Future, Life, Planning  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Stolen Billfold  PRO

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Jul 21, 2002

Stolen Billfold John was driving home late one night when he picked up a hitchhiker. As they rode along, he began to be suspicious of his passenger. John checked to see if his wallet was safe in the pocket of his coat that was on the seat between them, but it wasn’t there! So he slammed on the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:37, Matthew 7:1

Tags: Grace, Compassion

Denomination: Baptist

Everyone Loves A Parade  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 7, 2003

EVERYONE LOVES A PARADE It was October 29, 1927 when Charles Lindbergh was given a ticker-tape parade in New York City in honor of his solo flight of the Atlantic Ocean. 750,000 lbs. of ticker tape poured onto the streets. But the biggest ticker-tape parade was on March 1, 1962, for astronaut ...read more

Scripture: Luke 19:28-44, Matthew 21:1-11

Tags: Easter Palm Sunday

A Sunday School Teacher Had Just Finished Telling ...  PRO

Contributed by Ken Kersten on Jan 22, 2004

A Sunday School teacher had just finished telling her third graders about how Jesus was crucified and placed in a tomb with a great stone sealing the opening. Then, wanting to share the excitement of the resurrection, she asked: "And what do you think were Jesus’ first words when He came bursting ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:1-10, Luke 24:1-12

Tags: Easter Resurrection, Children

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Not Long Before She Died In 1988, In A Moment Of ...

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Jun 28, 2004

Not long before she died in 1988, in a moment of surprising candor in television, Marghanita Laski, one of our best-known secular humanists and novelists, said, “What I envy most about you Christians is your ...read more

Scripture: Luke 7:36-47, Mark 14:3-9

Tags: God's Forgiveness, God's Provision

Denomination: Baptist

Persistent, Tenacious Prayer  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 1, 2004

PERSISTENT, TENACIOUS PRAYER Our praying should be like the story of Jacob wrestling the angel in Genesis 32. They wrestled all night and toward morning, Jacob had the angel in a full Nelson grip. The angel said, “Jacob, let me go.” Now, I think it was like WWF, it was a fixed fight. The mighty ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 10:1, Luke 18:1-8

Tags: Prayer Persistence, Parable Widow

Asking Everywhere  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 1, 2004

ASKING EVERYWHERE As hopeless as her situation must have seemed, she was persistent. The language of verse three (present tense verb) indicated that every day she begged him for help. “The language leaves open the possibility of confrontation everywhere, not just in the court. She pleaded with ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:1-8, Psalm 139:1-10

Tags: Parable Widow

What Is This Mercy And Grace Exactly…  PRO

Contributed by Greg Buchner on May 5, 2005

What is this mercy and grace exactly… This past week I pulled my “Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms” (one of those books I bought in seminary but very rarely open today  ) off my library shelf. While I often quote that grace is the “unmerited favor of God,” it was interesting to ...read more

Scripture: Titus 3:7, Luke 1:26-38

Tags: Grace

Denomination: Methodist

16 Year Old] Nathan Johnson Dreamed Of Starting ...  PRO

Contributed by John Shearhart on Sep 10, 2006

“[16 year old] Nathan Johnson dreamed of starting a revolution for Christ. [He wrote in his diary, “God’s] will for me is to radically impact my school for Him." But before he could see the revolution become a reality, Johnson’s life was cut short by an automobile accident [after] striking a ...read more

Scripture: Luke 5:1-13, Colossians 3:1-7

Tags: All Things

In The Fairy Tale, Alice In Wonderland I ...  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Willis on Jan 12, 2007

In the fairy tale, Alice in Wonderland I believe it was the Cheshire Cat who said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” It could be we’re just living a fairy tale ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:46-49, Proverbs 29:18

Denomination: Baptist

The Boss Of A Big Company Needed To Call One Of ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

The boss of a big company needed to call one of his employees about an urgent problem with one of the main computers. He dialed the employee’s home telephone number and was greeted with a child’s voice, "Hello?" It was a quiet little voice. Feeling put out at the inconvenience of having to talk to ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:11-32, Matthew 18:1-5

Tags: Obedient, Hearing, Parable Prodigal Son

I Used To Be Petrified Of Making ‘phone Calls; So ...  PRO

Contributed by Warner Pidgeon on Jul 28, 2007

I used to be petrified of making ‘phone calls; so it seems funny that I should later spend 5 years doing ‘phone based mortgage arrears collecting (91 to 96)! I can remember being 16 or 17, picking up the phone, knowing that I needed to dial, not knowing what I would say when the phone got answered ...read more

Scripture: Luke 21:15, Acts 4:5-13

Tags: Ordinary

Denomination: Anglican

Corrie Ten Boom In The Book, Reflections Of God's ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 3, 2007

Corrie Ten Boom in the book, Reflections of god’s Glory (page 69), wrote, “In Africa a man came to a meeting with bandaged hands. I asked him how he had been injured. He said, “My neighbor’s straw roof was on fire; I helped him to put it out and that’s how my hands were burned. “Later I heard ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:27, Matthew 5:43-44

Tags: Forgiveness

The Point: The Best Way To Work On A Marriage Is ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 8, 2007

[The Point: The best way to work on a marriage is to work on yourself.] On their first visit to a marriage counselor, a couple kept blaming the other person for the troubled relationship. So, to help them focus on their own flaws, the counselor asked each of them, "What have you personally done ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:3-5, Luke 6:41-42

Tags: Divorce, Marriage Struggle

The Monday After Thanksgiving, This Year, Still ...

Contributed by Keith Broyles on Oct 4, 2007

The Monday after Thanksgiving, this year, still very much in November, I met a group of preachers, as is my habit most Mondays for lunch. I was the first to arrive and while I was waiting, I noticed the music playing on the sound system. Song after song of Christmas music was coming out. If only ...read more

Scripture: Micah 7:1-20, Luke 17:11-18

Denomination: Methodist