In Sermon Illustrations: "Mourning Over Sin"

Jesus Loves Me

Contributed by Michael Walther on Aug 8, 2011

JESUS LOVES ME "Jesus Loves Me" is one of the most well-known Christian hymns. This hymn was originally a poem that was included in a novel. The poem was spoken to a dying child to bring them comfort. A musician later added the music, and since 1860 it has become one of the most well-known ...read more

Tags: God's Love

Denomination: Lutheran

Only One Test

Contributed by Brad Henry on Aug 19, 2011

ONLY ONE TEST For some crazy reason I have one of those migraine headaches this morning that started last night. I tried to pray this morning but couldn’t get past the pain. I spoke to God but more about MY pain instead of your pain. But I knew that I wanted to get this lesson out. Sometimes when ...read more

Tags: Tithes

Promiscuity Statistics

Contributed by Douglas Stull on Aug 31, 2011

PROMISCUITY STATISTICS Statistics show astronomical growth in sexual permissiveness and its attendant social problems in America since the sexual revolution of the 1960’s. Couples Living Together: YEAR TOTAL 2000 5,500,000 1997 4,000,000 1995 3,700,000 1990 ...read more

Tags: Immorality

Denomination: Brethren

We Had Been Given A Gift To Go The Whitewater ...

Contributed by Brad Henry on Dec 9, 2011

We had been given a gift to go the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, NC to go on a Rope Course and Zip Line. First of all you get into a harness which feels like you are a two year old that has just gotten into trouble for the 20th time. Now you are on a leash, a short leash. The rope course is ...read more

Tags: Fear And Worry

The Key To Happiness...?

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Feb 7, 2012

THE KEY TO HAPPINESS...? Want to be happy? A 26-year study of Germans suggests it’s not that hard: • Marry someone who’s not neurotic. • Focus more on friends and family, less on material goods. • Get involved in making the world a better place. • Have a job but also enough time for ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 15:13

Tags: Happiness

Denomination: Baptist

A Christmas Letter To God  PRO

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Feb 14, 2012

A CHRISTMAS LETTER TO GOD A small boy was writing a letter to God about the Christmas presents he wanted. "I've been good for six months now," he wrote. After a moment's reflection, he crossed out "six months" and wrote "three." After a pause he changed that to "two weeks." There was another pause ...read more

Scripture: Luke 16:1-8

Tags: Prayer General

Denomination: Baptist

John Piper On Minimizing Doctrine

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 1, 2012

JOHN PIPER ON MINIMIZING DOCTRINE I think John Piper put it best in his book, Contending For Our All. He wrote: "To the emerging church that would like to minimize doctrine, Athanasius would say, 'Our young people in Alexandria die for doctrine about Christ. What do your young people die for?' ...read more

Scripture: Titus 1:9

Tags: Doctrine

Where Will Our Jobs Go?

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Aug 13, 2012

WHERE WILL OUR JOBS GO? Futurist Thomas Frey blogs, "People are seriously worried. I've been in a number of conversations recently where people are very worried about our coming era of automation where fewer and fewer jobs will be left for people to do. A few months ago I predicted that over 2 ...read more

Tags: Future

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Time To A Pig

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 19, 2012

TIME TO A PIG There’s the story of a man walking past a farm and noticed a farmer feeding pigs in a most unusual manner. The farmer would lift a pig up to a nearby apple tree, and the pig would eat the apples off the tree directly. The farmer would move the pig from one apple to another until the ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1-22

Tags: Decision, Time

The Asterisk

Contributed by Kevin Karhoff on Mar 12, 2013

THE ASTERISK When we read the word anyone in the invitation of Jesus we can’t help but think there must be an asterisk next to it. Even if there wasn’t one when Jesus spoke these words, it seems that over the years the church has put an asterisk next to his invitation. The sign out front of the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 5:27-31

Tags: Jesus Christ

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Angel At Fredericksburg

Contributed by Perry Greene on Mar 25, 2013

ANGEL AT FREDERICKSBURG No longer able to withstand the wrenching moans of the suffering wounded and dying Union soldiers, 19 year old Confederate Sergeant Richard Kirkland of the 2nd South Carolina approached Brigadier General Joseph Kershaw, CSA, to seek permission to go to their aid. Initially ...read more

Tags: Angels

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Richard Eye On Divorce

Contributed by Davon Huss on Apr 16, 2013

RICHARD EYRE ON DIVORCE "We now have over 40 years worth of very conclusive statistics that show that children from two parent homes (a mother and a father) are at substantially less risk for drug abuse, teen pregnancy, school dropout, suicide, and a whole host of other problems. Statistically ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 19:6

Tags: Children

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

They Won't Let Me In, Either!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 28, 2014

THEY WON’T LET ME IN, EITHER! Years ago in the Deep South, a Baptist church was struggling over whether or not to allow a black gentleman to join their church. He had been their janitor for years and decided he wanted to be part of the church family. A special vote of the congregation was called ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 33:1-20

Tags: Church, Racism, Presence Of God

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Two Upper Rooms

Contributed by Davon Huss on Apr 24, 2014

In his book Life Looks Up, Charles Templeton remarks how ironic it is that the course of human history has been affected so positively and negatively by events that have occurred in two small upper rooms. One of them is a drab apartment in London's Westside, dirty, curtain less, with stacks of ...read more

Scripture: Mark 14:22-28

Tags: Last Supper, Lord's Supper, Upper Room

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

If I Could Rescue Just One Person...

Contributed by Davon Huss on Jun 23, 2014

In 1879, Charlie Peace, a well-known criminal in London, faced execution by hanging. When he was marched to the gallows, a minister walked behind him. In keeping with custom, the minister read aloud this passage from a prayer book, "Those who die without Christ experience hell, which is the pain ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20

Tags: Evangelism, Rescue, Evangelism Urgency, Hell Is Real

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

I Was Driving Home One Sunday From Trinity Of...

Contributed by Tim Smith on May 28, 2015

I was driving home one Sunday from Trinity of Gentilly, where I was serving. I was on Napolean headed toward the river and had just passed Pascale Manales when I saw Covenant Presbyterian Church at the corner of St. Charles Ave. I then had a vision of younger families in the Uptown and Garden ...read more

Scripture: Acts 16:1-10

Tags: Holy Spirit, God's Guidance, Visions

Denomination: Methodist

Conscience

Contributed by Shine Thomas on Aug 2, 2017

In 1984, Avianca Airlines, Spanish airline 707, had a crash, hit a mountain. They went into the rubble, everybody died, the plane is all over the place. Finally, they found little black box which has the cockpit recorder on it so they can get the dialogue that’s going on in the cockpit just before ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:15

Tags: Conscience, Clean Conscience, Pure Conscience

Denomination: Assembly Of God

A Living Memorial

Contributed by James Chandler on May 29, 2018

When our children were young, we took a vacation to Washington D.C. We saw the many different memorials. The highlight of our trip was Arlington National Cemetery. It was quite a moment standing there with my wife and children watching the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier. ...read more

Tags: Sacrifice, Memorial, Empty Tomb

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Hero Vs Hero Maker

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Jun 28, 2018

What does it mean to be a hero maker? A hero maker is a leader who shifts from being the hero to making others the hero in God's unfolding story. Real hero makers first die to any vision of personal glory. The dying involves a very real transition, one of grief and loss of ever becoming that ...read more

Scripture: John 14:12, Matthew 6:33

Tags: Leadership, Disciple Making, Leadership Training

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Old Bible

Contributed by John Bright on Jan 17, 2021

A collector of rare books ran into an acquaintance who told him he had just thrown away an old Bible that he found in a dusty, old box. He happened to mention that Guten-somebody-or-other had printed it. "Not Gutenberg?" gasped the collector. "Yes, that was it!" "You ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 4:12

Tags: Word Of God, Bible

Denomination: Methodist