In Sermon Illustrations: "Mercy Of God"

Self-Centered Christianity  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 6, 2011

SELF-CENTERED CHRISTIANITY John Koessler pastored for years before becoming a professor in the pastoral studies department at Moody Bible Institute. In 2007 he wrote, A Stranger In The House of God, chronicling his experience in various churches. "Most of the Christians I know are disappointed ...read more

Scripture: Titus 1:1-9

Tags: Church Practices

Why Don't They Let Him In?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 20, 2011

WHY DON'T THEY LET HIM IN? A picture of the Lord Jesus knocking at the door of a heart was taken one day by a parish visitor to a house where a father and mother lived with their small son. Some impulse made the mother pin the picture up in their little kitchen, and when the small boy came in from ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:20

Tags: Commitment To Christ

A Liar Rips His Pants

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 20, 2011

A LIAR RIPS HIS PANTS Aaron Siebers. The 27-year-old Denver man, a Blockbuster employee, was skateboarding one afternoon when he fell and ripped his uniform pants. Due to work last night--and concerned about getting "written up" by Blockbuster superiors for not wearing his work-issued ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 12:22

Tags: Lies

I Don't Want To Be A Fireman

Contributed by Chuck Sligh on Apr 20, 2011

I DON'T WANT TO BE A FIREMAN I recall a conversation I once had with a precocious little boy we once had in the church I pastored for 10 years in Wiesbaden. I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. "Well," he replied, "I don't want to be a fireman." I'd never had a kid tell me what ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Baptist

Galileo And The Church

Contributed by Jeff Strite on May 2, 2011

GALILEO AND THE CHURCH Many of us have heard about the conflict between Galileo and the church of his day. The Church doctrine of that day taught that the sun revolved around the earth. But Galileo discovered that that wasn’t true--it was the earth that revolved around the sun. The Church didn’t ...read more

Tags: Bible Truth

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Pizarro's Critical Moment

Contributed by Dennis Davidson on May 19, 2011

PIZARRO'S CRITICAL MOMENT All great undertakings begin with a critical moment--a moment when a decision is made and someone launches himself into a never-to-be forgotten enterprise. FRANCISCO PIZARRO, the noted Spanish explorer, faced such a moment. He languished with his men on a small island ...read more

Tags: Action

Denomination: Baptist

What Occupies Your Heart

Contributed by Scott Carroll on May 20, 2011

WHAT OCCUPIES YOUR HEART I squirmed a bit as I forced myself to listen to my friend cataloging her problems. After three hours, I interrupted her gently to ask, "If you were to draw a circle to represent your life, what would be in the center? She thought a moment, then said, "My problems." My ...read more

Tags: Joy

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Rescue Effort

Contributed by Michael Walther on May 25, 2011

RESCUE EFFORT On August 30, 2005 Coast Guard Lieutenant Iain McConnell was ordered to fly his H46 helicopter to New Orleans and to keep that machine flying around the clock for what would turn out to be a heroic rescue effort. None of his crew were prepared for what they were about to see. They ...read more

Tags: Unbelief

Denomination: Lutheran

Sign Your Name Or Forget It

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 8, 2011

SIGN YOUR NAME OR FORGET IT J. Vernon McGee tells of an incident that happened in one of his pastorates. A man came to him and said, "I want to tell you about a certain situation." He told him about a certain man who was involved in a particular sin. The man wanted to do something about it. He ...read more

Scripture: James 3:1-12

Tags: Tongue

Singing For The Girls

Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Jun 22, 2011

SINGING FOR THE GIRLS Last Sunday night I preached in a town called San Miguel. It was known for witch doctors and demonic things going on. We had a constant string of problems happening one after another. The church was crowded with every seat taken and faces looking through the back doors and ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Christ In Me

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Jun 26, 2011

CHRIST IN ME A preacher friend of mine named Mike told of his conversion to Christ. He told me his family was known throughout the community as the worst examples of humanity. The parents were irresponsible. The kids were troublemakers. They lived like animals, even eating food out of ...read more

Tags: Testimonies About Jesus

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Reducing The Glare

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 4, 2011

REDUCING THE GLARE Just a few years ago (2004), Frank Gehry finished his landmark creation of the 274 million dollar Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Now, with all that money you'd expect the building to shine, and it does. The shimmering stainless steel concert hall is truly marvelous to ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:13-16

Tags: Holiness

Prayer For Thieves  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 4, 2011

PRAYER FOR THIEVES About 12 years ago, three men broke into our church building here. They didn't steal much, and they didn't really damage all that much (they broke a couple of doors, and stole a few small items) but we called the police and reported the incident. After the police left, our youth ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 4:2-6

Tags: Prayer Answered

Stradivarius Mystery

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2011

STRADIVARIUS MYSTERY Perhaps the greatest of all Stradivarius mysteries is why no modern violinmaker has been able to replicate Stradivari’s work. The violins of Stradivari’s time were treated with a varnish made from the resinous material of any of a number of possible plants. We don’t know what ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 1:24-29

Tags: Growth In Christ

The Accelerator Of Sin

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Aug 16, 2011

THE ACCELERATOR OF SIN The late Ray Stedman recalled a time he was a guest at a conference and was driven around in a Lincoln Continental. He remembered thinking how quietly it rode--he couldn’t hear the engine. Yet, as they drove through mountain passages, he realized that with each push of the ...read more

Tags: Sin Bondage To

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Blame Game

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 18, 2011

THE BLAME GAME Wayne Dyer writes: "All blame is a waste of time. No matter how much fault you find with another, and regardless of how much you blame him, it will not change you...You may succeed in making another feel guilty of something by blaming him; you won't succeed in changing whatever it ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 3:8-13

Tags: Guilt

The First Radio Broadcast  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 7, 2011

THE FIRST RADIO BROADCAST Allow me to start our time by reading you a nifty story. It is called, "The First Radio Broadcast." For their entire careers, wireless operators onboard US Navy and merchant ships had only heard Morse code coming through their headphones. However, a few days before ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:1-20

Tags: Christmas Eve, Peace, Eternal

Craving Milk

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Oct 26, 2011

CRAVING MILK I remember our grandkids had ravenous appetites towards mother's milk and they all grew fat as over-stuffed ticks. All 4 of them were roly-poly by 3 months of age. There was an obvious direct corollary between milk ingested and weight gain. Likewise, spiritual infants who crave ...read more

Tags: Basics Of Christianity

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Gift Of A Cross

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Nov 29, 2011

THE GIFT OF A CROSS Story: Woman Led to Christ through an Act of Kindness Craig Groeschel, The Christian Atheist (Zondervan, 2011). p. 210 It's amazing what a difference the little things will make. For example, years ago when I was a new believer, I always wore a tiny cross pin on my shirts. ...read more

Tags: Evangelism The Lost

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Story Is Told Of A Prosperous, Young ...  PRO

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Feb 13, 2012

The story is told of a prosperous, young investment banker who was driving a new BMW sedan on a mountain road during a snowstorm. As he veered around one sharp turn, he lost control and began sliding off the road toward a deep precipice. At the last moment he unbuckled his seat belt, flung open his ...read more

Scripture: Luke 16:13-15

Tags: Money, Materialism

Denomination: Baptist