In Sermon Illustrations: "Mourning Over Sin"

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

I Don't See The Evidence

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Mar 31, 2022

I was with a friend talking to a new acquaintance when she began touting the virtues of a weight loss book she had read a few years earlier. “It will completely change your relationship with food,” she exclaimed, insisting he take down the name of the book and its author. I saw the man glance at ...read more

Scripture: James 1:22, James 1:23, James 1:24, James 1:25, 2 Corinthians 8:21  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Doer Of The Word, Integrity, Honesty

Denomination: Charismatic

A Great Story For Mother's Day

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 19, 2022

Years ago, a young mother was making her way across the hills of South Wales, carrying her tiny baby in her arms, when she was overtaken by a blinding blizzard. She never reached her destination and when the blizzard had subsided her body was found by searchers beneath a mound of snow. But they ...read more

Tags: Love, Children, Women, Mothers, Mother's Day, Leaders  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Power In Holy Communion

Contributed by Roy Fowler on Apr 18, 2023

I've been thinking about holy moments, how Christ has surprised me by his presence. One of those moments came when I visited and had Communion with a member who was dying of cancer. Near the end of the visit I asked her how I could pray or for what she would like me to pray for. She expressed ...read more

Scripture: Luke 24:13-35

Tags: Power In Prayer, Power In Holy Communion

Denomination: Independent/Bible

A.w. Tozer Reconciles The Sovereignty Of God And The Will Of Man

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 10, 2024

A. W. Tozer attempts to reconcile God's sovereignty and man's freewill: An ocean liner leaves New York bound for Liverpool. Its destination has been determined by proper authorities. Nothing can change it. This is at least a faint picture of sovereignty. On board the liner are scores of ...read more

Tags: Faith, Father, Heaven, Trust, Journey, Sovereignty Of God, Will Of Man, Depending On God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Repent For Better Health

Contributed by John Bright on Mar 10, 2025

Since this is the season of Lent, it’s a good time to repent of the unhealthy habits we have developed over the years. That means we tell God: “You’re right, and I’m wrong.” That’s the beginning of repentance. Then we need to make a plan. There’s an old saying: Those who fail to plan, plan to ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 53:4-6, Acts 3:19

Tags: Diet, Food, Repent, Health, Sleep, Exercise, Bible Reading  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Methodist

Prayer

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Sep 9, 2025

I read where a family bought a PRAYER BOOK for their son. Each night the boy would read a prayer before going to sleep. He was faithful to read a prayer. One night the boy was tired. He turned the light off and crawled into bed. He remember the prayer book. That night he called out to God: ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:1, Matthew 21:13

Tags: Faith, Prayer

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Praying For Rain

Contributed by David Dunn on Sep 27, 2025

A story from drought-stricken Texas captures the boldness of true intercession. For months no rain had fallen. Desperate believers called a Friday-night prayer meeting. One farmer stopped for fuel on the way. In the back seat lay an umbrella. The station attendant mocked, “Why carry that? It ...read more

Scripture: Mark 11:24, James 5:17, Matthew 7:7, 1 Kings 18:41, Luke 18:1  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Prayer, Intercession, Providence, Persistence, Expectation, Faith  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

¿como Llegaste A Tu Desierto?

Contributed by Ruthie Velazquez-Paredes on Sep 22, 2020

Una de las cosas que motivó a escribir “¿Cómo Llegaste a tu Desierto?” es para exaltar lo que Dios ha hecho en mi vida y en la vida de otros al enfrentar momentos difíciles. ¿Cómo llegaste a tu desierto? En cierta ocasión quise sembrar un jardín de rosas al ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 5:1, Acts 8:26

Tags: Procesos, Victoria En Las Pruebas, Temporadas, Motivacion, Desierto, Libro  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Church Of God

No Jacket Required  PRO

Contributed by Charles R. Swindoll on Sep 27, 2004

NO JACKET REQUIRED I shook my head in disbelief. This couldn’t be the right place. After all, I couldn’t possibly be welcome here. I had been given an invitation several times, by several different people, and had finally decided to see what this place was all about. But, this just couldn’t be ...read more

Tags: Heaven

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Who Invented The Autocorrect?

Contributed by James Snyder on Apr 15, 2023

The other day I recognized something that had been happening for quite a while. As I was texting, I noticed that there was AutoCorrect. So whenever I spelled a word, it would finish the spelling before I was done. And, if I was spelling it wrong, it corrected me. A few times, I am typing a word, ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 119:11

Tags: Correct, Errors

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Unsung Heroes: Nebuzaradan Of Babylon

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Sep 7, 2024

Introduction: Many unsung heroes in the Bible were Hebrews or Israelites. That wasn’t always the case, though. There were some people who were not even Jewish or from Israel, but they did some very noble things indeed. Here’s the story of one such unsung hero: 1 His kindness towards the people of ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 39:8-14, Jeremiah 40:1-6

Tags: Jeremiah, Unsung Heroes, Nebuzaradan

Denomination: Baptist

The Three Ten Commandments

Contributed by Marc Heatherington on Aug 1, 2021

THE THREE TEN COMMANDMENTS By Marc Heatherington The Ten Commandments were given to Moses three times. The first time, the Ten Commandments were first spoken by God in Exodus 20:1-17. And God spoke all these words, saying: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 31:18, Exodus 34:1-4, Exodus 20:1-17

Tags: Ten Commandments, Picture Of Christ

Denomination: Baptist

One Of The Most Incredible Stories Of ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Mar 13, 2001

ILL. One of the most incredible stories of forgiveness I’ve ever heard came out of Tulsa, OK, a couple of years ago. Tom McGee was a young man who went out for a night of partying & revelry. He got drunk & ran head-on into a car driven by a young man by the name of Ted Morris. He killed Ted ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:43-48, Leviticus 19:17-18, Romans 12:17-21, Matthew 18:21-22, Jonah 4:1-10, Matthew 18:23-35  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Cross Agony, Forgiveness General, Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Dostoevsky And The Firing Squad  PRO

Contributed by David Simmons on Feb 22, 2002

DOSTOEVSKY AND THE FIRING SQUAD The famous Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky told the story of the time he was arrested by the czar and sentenced to die. The czar, though, liked to play cruel psychological tricks on the people who rebelled against him by blindfolding them and standing them in ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:23

Tags: Death Nearness, Fulfillment

Denomination: Baptist

Willing To Die  PRO

Contributed by Alan Perkins on Jul 21, 2002

WILLING TO DIE Lance Armstrong is a phenomenal cyclist who has won the Tour De France for the last four years--and that after having survived cancer! One of the keys to his success as an athlete has been his single-minded devotion to training, including a willingness to suffer physically, to push ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 16:18-19

Tags: Discipleship, Endurance, Lord's Supper

Denomination: Baptist

Heaven's Gateway  PRO

Contributed by Stephan Brown on Aug 26, 2002

HEAVEN'S GATEWAY I recently made a trip to Ellis Island in New York. Ellis Island was once the biggest immigration processing center in the U.S. It processed thousands of immigrants a day. All of these immigrants left their homelands through much difficulty to come to “the land of promise.” They ...read more

Tags: Heaven, Fulfillment

Denomination: Assembly Of God

A Perfect Salvation—communion Meditation  PRO

Contributed by Robert Tatum on Sep 4, 2002

A PERFECT SALVATION-COMMUNION MEDITATION Near Mobile, Alabama there was a railroad bridge that spanned a big bayou. The date was September 22, 1993. It was a foggy morning just before daybreak when a tugboat accidentally pushed a barge into the bayou. The drifting barge slammed into the bridge. ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 1:1-10

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus, Christian Disciplines, Unconditional Love

Denomination: Baptist

Our Salvation "Lorica"—communion Mediation  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 10, 2003

OUR SALVATION “LORICA”—COMMUNION MEDIATION A lorica was an ancient piece of armor that acted like a breastplate to shield its wearer from physical danger. But to the Celts of early Ireland, a lorica was also an oral chant that the pagan Druid magicians believed invoked magical powers of ...read more

Tags: Lordship Of Christ, Lord's Supper, Cross Agony