In Sermon Illustrations: "Matthew 15:10-20:20"

James And John Talking

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on May 9, 2011

JAMES AND JOHN TALKING This is how I imagine it was before Salome approached Jesus about one of the boys being at either side of him in his kingdom. Remember these two disciples were the "sons of thunder." James: What do you reckon I’m sure that he'll be King soon and I want to sit on my throne ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 20:20-27

Tags: Servant, Discipleship

Denomination: Salvation Army

Do You Want To Be Right, Or Do You Want To Be ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 11, 2011

DO YOU WANT TO BE RIGHT, OR DO YOU WANT TO BE WELL? Dr. David Seamands tells the story about a young woman he counseled in college several years ago. She had suffered every kind of abuse in her own home--psychological, sexual and physical. The very place that was supposed to be nurturing was ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:21-35

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

He Will Demand Everything

Contributed by Kristian Kilgore on Jul 26, 2011

HE WILL DEMAND EVERYTHING Breezy, self-confident Christians tell us how wonderful it is to accept Christ and then have a good time all the rest of your life; the Lord won’t demand anything of you. Yes, He will, my friend! The Lord will demand everything of you. And when you give it ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 19:16-30

Tags: Salvation, Hills, Tozer

Denomination: Church Of God

How To Be A Servant  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 6, 2011

HOW TO BE A SERVANT You need to answer a very important question this morning. Are you more interested in being served or being a servant? A first grade teacher asked her students, "What do you do to help at home?" One little girl said, "I dry the dishes." One of the boys said, "I sweep the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 20:20-28

Tags: Servanthood

We Don't Know Her Story

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 22, 2011

WE DON'T KNOW HER STORY They called her their troubled one, or their feisty one. She had wild flyaway hair much like that of a punk rocker, but jet-black. And she was only, at the oldest, a couple of weeks old. So small, she looked as if she could fit in one hand. The ICU nurses all took turns ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 19:13-15

Tags: Prayer Supplication

Honey All The Way Down  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 8, 2011

HONEY ALL THE WAY DOWN In one of his famous escapades, Winnie the Pooh, this lovable toy bear, tries to trap an elephant--or, as he pronounces it, a heffalump. So Pooh digs a hole to catch the heffalump, and decides to bait the trap with some of his own favorite food: honey. But of course, it is ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 15:1-28

Tags: Hypocrisy, Prejudice

Reactions Can Be Worse Than Actions  PRO

Contributed by Larry Wilson on Sep 12, 2011

REACTIONS CAN BE WORSE THAN ACTIONS While in seminary, I worked at a local Christian radio station. Part of my duties was to take hourly meter readings from the transmitter and place them on a log sheet that was subject to FCC review. The building featured indoor/outdoor green carpet, and the day ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 20:1-16

Tags: Action

Denomination: Baptist

Marvin Vincent Comments On The Transfiguration Of ...

Contributed by David Tack on Jan 22, 2012

Marvin Vincent comments on the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ in Matthew 17:2: "...There was a fact and a power in that vision which mere radiance and the appearance of the dead patriarchs could not wholly convey: a revelation of Deity breaking out in that glorified face and form..." (Ref: ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 17:2

Tags: Transfiguration

Denomination: Baptist

All In

Contributed by Tom Feola on Feb 6, 2012

ALL IN The New York Giants were just a handful of days from the Week 16 game against the New York Jets, with the Giants stuck at 7-7 and their season fast slipping away. Losers of four of their previous five games, it seemed as if the Giants were destined to finish second or even third in the NFC ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 16:24-27, Matthew 16:13-20

Tags: Sports

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Divorce Rate Myth Among Christians

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 30, 2012

DIVORCE RATE MYTH AMONG CHRISTIANS A common myth going around is that the divorce rate is the same among Christians as it is among non-Christians. But such just isn't the case, when you take a closer look. According to the "Americans for Divorce Reform," the divorce rate among the general ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 19:1-12

Tags: Divorce

The Bottom Line

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 8, 2012

THE BOTTOM LINE A dairy farmer went to buy a new pickup truck. He had seen an ad in the paper about discounts and factory rebates, so he decided to trade in his old clunker. He chose a new model and was ready to write the check for the full amount. The salesman said, "Wait, I haven't given you the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 16:24-28

Tags: Discipleship

Howard Hughes Vs. Jim Elliot

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 8, 2012

HOWARD HUGHES VS. JIM ELLIOT Howard Hughes' last years were spent in isolation, hidden on the top floor of the Xanadu Hotel in the Bahamas. One biographer wrote about Hughes' appearance before he died: "He was emaciated, practically skeletal, with only 120 pounds stretched over his six-foot, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 16:24-28

Tags: Discipleship

Christlikeness: A Painful Process  PRO

Contributed by Josh Hunt on May 9, 2012

CHRISTLIKENESS: A PAINFUL PROCESS The truth is that the Spirit of the living God is guaranteed to ask you to go somewhere or do something you wouldn’t normally want or choose to do. The Spirit will lead you to the way of the cross, as He led Jesus to the cross, and that is definitely not a safe or ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:18, Matthew 16:24-25, Revelation 12:1-2

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers

Denomination: Baptist

Who Saved Me?  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 28, 2012

WHO SAVED ME? During a terrible storm at sea that threatened every moment to carry the ship to the bottom, one of the ship’s crew was doing something on the deck when a great sea struck the ship and went fairly over the deck, striking this man with great force, disabling him and carrying him into ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:10-14, John 10:10, John 10:11, Luke 7:38

Tags: Father, Salvation

Eastern Religious Beliefs About Hell

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 28, 2012

EASTERN RELIGIOUS BELIEFS ABOUT HELL Buddhists believe in 7 "hot hells" which await the evildoers - each flanked by 4 torture chambers that include a fiery pit and a quagmire. Tibetan Buddhists also speak of eight cold hells and certain "Frontier" hells for those guilty of lesser sins. Hindus ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:1-9

Tags: Hell

The Boy And D. L. Moody

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 4, 2012

THE BOY AND D. L. MOODY Many years ago, D. L. Moody was going to speak at a church. A nine year old boy heard about the engagement and went to hear Moody. He got there early and went in the Church. A man escorted him immediately out. "This is for adults. Besides, you are not properly dressed and ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 19:13-15

Tags: Compassion

If God Can't Do It, It Can't Be Done

Contributed by Ken Henson on Jun 25, 2012

IF GOD CAN'T DO IT, IT CAN'T BE DONE "What we need to do is learn that only persistence in prayer can gain the victory. You see the truth is if God can’t do it, it cannot be done. We need to learn to close the blinds, shut the door, turn off the phone, stop ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 15:21-39

Tags: Faith, Prayer, Persistence, Dependence, Prayer Persistence  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: *other

Glory To God First

Contributed by Ken Henson on Jun 25, 2012

GLORY TO GOD FIRST A man came to Pastor Chuck, the church that I went to for several years while in California, and he said to the pastor that he wanted to make a large donation - about one million dollar donation. The pastor said to that, "Wow -- that is a lot of money. Let me go first and pray ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 15:21-39

Tags: Principles

Denomination: *other

There Was An Ot Professor Who Taught Young People ...

Contributed by Ken Henson on Jul 5, 2012

There was an OT professor who taught young people that were preparing for the ministry. At the beginning of the class he would take off his coat and bow. He would bow to the class of his students. Some of his faculty members were upset at this gesture. And he said, "I bow to them because you ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:1-9

Tags: Humility, Luther

Denomination: *other

Heaven And The Post Office

Contributed by Ken Henson on Jul 5, 2012

HEAVEN AND THE POST OFFICE When I was a teenager, we went to a meeting with Billy Graham in a high school football stadium. There were probably 20,000 people sitting in the bleachers in the cold of the morning to hear Billy Graham. And he related a story about how he arrived in a small village ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:1-9

Tags: Children, Heaven, Preaching, Billy Graham

Denomination: *other