In Sermon Illustrations: "Morning Star"

Whom God Loves, He Chastens

Contributed by Clark Tanner on May 15, 2009

WHOM GOD LOVES, HE CHASTENS George MacDonald was a 19th century orator and story-writer who C.S. Lewis once called his master as relates to story-telling and relating truth through fantasy. One of MacDonald’s short stories was titled, "The Gifts of the Child Christ." The main character of the ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships

Denomination: Orthodox

Egg Delivery

Contributed by Peter Loughman on May 19, 2009

EGG DELIVERY Acts 1:1-11 I delivered eggs one summer for an extra job. I had a huge white delivery van and I would load up with cases of eggs in Oakland and deliver them to small markets, omelet restaurants, bakeries, mini markets and a neighborhood co-op or two. It was a fairly easy job, while I ...read more

Tags: Intercession

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I've Been Studying The Effects That God Has Upon ...

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Sep 10, 2009

I’ve been studying the effects that God has upon the brain. Specifically, neuroscience is finding meditating especially meditating on God actually changes your brain. Now science has shown a strong correlation between spiritual beliefs and practices and the benefits upon our bodies: lower blood ...read more

Tags: Meditation, Worship General

Denomination: Church Of God

Run With Endurance  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 19, 2009

RUN WITH ENDURANCE Unlike most competitions however, running the race in spiritual terms is not to try to be first, but to be faithful and finish! The Christian race is not a competitive event to see who comes in first, but an endurance run to see who finishes faithfully. It’s like the ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-2, Hebrews 12:2-3, Matthew 1:16-25

Tags: Endurance

Flight Simulator And ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 5, 2009

Flight Simulator and Grace Grace. A word used in a variety of ways. It is a word that has been used as an alternative term for prayer. It has been used to describe the way a person moves. It has also been used by many parents to name their daughters. Still, none of these uses seem to catch the ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8

Tags: Grace

War Stories About Not Giving Up The Fight: ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 12, 2009

War Stories About Not Giving Up the Fight: Battles of Shiloh and Waterloo You and I live in a very complex world. Pressures from every direction. And at times we feel like we cannot take it any more. We just want to be rescued from our problems. We pray to be rescued. We get others to pray for our ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-3

Tags: Endurance

2 Corinthians 7:1,

Contributed by Tim Adams on Dec 1, 2009

2 Corinthians 7:1,“Let us cleanse ourselves” - that means we would do a good job if we were just as fond of straightening our own selves out as we are to find the faults of others. It is God’s Holy Spirit that will do the work but we must enter in to an active cooperation with God on this matter. ...read more

Tags: Sin Exposed

Denomination: Baptist

God's Will And The Tablecloth

Contributed by John Perry on Apr 8, 2010

GOD'S WILL AND THE TABLECLOTH It happened in 1948, just a few days before Christmas. A flash flood ravaged a small town, leaving a gaping hole in the wall of an old church building--right behind the pulpit. The young pastor knew there was no time to fix the damage and decided to make the best of ...read more

Tags: God's Sovereign Will

Denomination: Pentecostal

Playwright Maria Hedley Had Her Fill Of Terrible ...

Contributed by Ed Sasnett on Jun 23, 2010

Playwright Maria Hedley had her fill of terrible dates. Most of the dates she went on she thought the guys would be great candidates but they were totally unsatisfying. She got sick of her own taste and decided that fate couldn’t mess up her love life anymore than she could, and it might just do ...read more

Tags: Sexual Purity, Marriage Singleness

Denomination: Baptist

Withholding Your Best Wine  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 30, 2010

WITHHOLDING YOUR BEST WINE There is a story about an old village in Spain. The people of this village heard the king planned to visit there. No king had ever done that. So naturally, they became excited and wanted to offer a great celebration that would show their adoration and that would honor ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 29:13

Tags: Honor, Hypocrisy, Dishonor

Walking In A Rut

Contributed by Martin Wiles on Aug 23, 2010

WALKING IN A RUT Have you ever felt as if you were in a rut? Some years ago, me, my brother and daughter went hiking on the Appalachian Trail on the North Carolina, Tennessee border. It is an area called the Bald Mountains because you actually walk over the tops of the mountains. It is grasslands ...read more

Tags: Church Purpose Of

Denomination: Baptist

The Eagle And The Mouse  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 1, 2011

THE EAGLE AND THE MOUSE There is an old story of an eagle who, on an early morning during the spring thaw, soared high above the forest looking for something to eat. As he followed the course of a river he looked down and spied a small rodent, trapped on a piece of ice that had broken free and was ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Tags: Temptation Power

When Do We Worship

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 7, 2011

WHEN DO WE WORSHIP Author Douglas J. Moo: "Worship is not merely, or even mainly, what we do on Sunday morning. Worship is a 24/7 matter. We worship God when we give ourselves to him in service. We worship God when we show love to others, when we do our jobs faithfully and with integrity, when we ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1

Tags: Worship Definition

A Difference In Worldview

Contributed by Christopher Lanham on Feb 11, 2012

A DIFFERENCE IN WORLDVIEW It was one of those awkward moments in a friendship -- when you feel like you should speak up, but you're not sure how your friend will react. I was a teenager -- just finishing up high school, thinking about the future. My best friend and I were preparing for a day of ...read more

Tags: Wisdom

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Repentance Is Not A One-Time Event

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 19, 2012

REPENTANCE IS NOT A ONE-TIME EVENT Doug Tegner tells the story of attending a one-day leadership retreat called to deal with his church's current crisis. Redwood Chapel was founded in 1962 and has since hosted the Bay Area Sunday School convention (BASS), had strong music programs, planted vibrant ...read more

Tags: Repentance

Denomination: Methodist

Thoughts On The Church

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jun 20, 2012

THOUGHTS ON THE CHURCH Here are some thoughts on The Church from a few 30 on down in age, individuals from the book "The Relevant Church": Quotes: Tyler Watts, "I think I disconnect from the Gospel of Jesus Christ when I'm not involved in close relationships with other believers." Philip Evans, ...read more

Tags: Church General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

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

The Gold Wrapping Paper

Contributed by Roy Fowler on Dec 19, 2014

The Gold Wrapping Paper - An Inspirational Short Christmas Story Once upon a time, there was a man who worked very hard just to keep food on the table for his family. This particular year a few days before Christmas, he was upset with his little five-year-old daughter after learning that she had ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:1-19

Tags: Christmas Gift, Anger, Patience, Child Rearing

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Don't Quit

Contributed by Richard Tow on Jul 18, 2017

Ignace Jan Paderewski, the famous pianist, was scheduled to perform at a great concert hall in America. It was a high-society extravaganza. Present in the audience that evening was a mother and her fidgety nine-year old. She had brought him in the hopes that when he heard the great composer play, ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 18:9-15, 1 Peter 4:12, Hebrews 11:11

Tags: Discouragement, Disappointment, Perseverance

Denomination: Charismatic

The Word Was Being Made Real In The Back Of His Church

Contributed by Tim Smith on Aug 13, 2017

Pastor Thomas Tewell tells the story of getting ready for their 11 p.m. Christmas Eve service. As the people were gathering, a man named Jim came in. Jim was a recovering alcoholic, sober just 6 months, but his disease had cost him his family, his job, just about everything. He went in to the ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10

Tags: Christmas, Grace, Ministry, The Word Made Flesh

Denomination: Methodist