In Sermon Illustrations: "Natural Man"

S ...

Contributed by Andy Payne on Jan 18, 2009

Starfish An old man was walking on the beach one day and he noticed that hundreds and maybe thousands of starfish had been washed up on the beach and were dying. He thought to himself what a shame, but what could he do, he was only but one person. The problem was too great. Then something in ...read more

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

Denomination: Baptist

What Is Christianity?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 28, 2009

WHAT IS CHRISTIANITY? A number of years ago, in preparation for a discussion period on a Christian radio program, an interviewer went into the streets of Philadelphia to ask people this question: "What is Christianity." The answers were surprising. Some said that Christianity is "the American ...read more

Tags: Basics Of Christianity

Someone Has Pictured Legalism And Libertinism As ...

Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Feb 8, 2009

Someone has pictured legalism and libertinism as two parallel streams that run between earth and heaven. The stream of legalism is clear, sparkling, and pure; but its waters run so deep and furiously that no one can enter it without being drowned or smashed on the rocks of its harsh demands. The ...read more

Tags: Christian Liberty

Denomination: Other

Years Ago I Was The Associate Pastor Of A Church ...

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Feb 9, 2009

Years ago I was the Associate Pastor of a church in Camden, Arkansas. Shirley and I were asked to go to Triple S Bible Camp with the young people of the church. The preachers asked to preach to the teens and youth workers were very abusive in their approach. One preacher referred to women who wore ...read more

Tags: Christian Love

Denomination: Baptist

More On ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 13, 2009

MORE ON PRAYER Leonard Ravenhill - Prayer is not an argument with God to persuade him to move things our way, but an exercise by which we are enabled by his Spirit to move ourselves his way. Harry Emerson Fosdick - Prayer is putting oneself under God’s influence. Pope Pius XII - A man without ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:5-15

Tags: Prayer How To

Identifying With Christ

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Oct 15, 2019

During the Civil War a man by the name of George Wyatt was drawn by lot to go to the front. He had a wife and six children. A young man named Richard Pratt offered to go in his stead. He was accepted and joined the ranks, bearing the name and number of George Wyatt. Before long Pratt was killed in ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:1-13

Tags: Christ Our Substitute, Identifying With Christ, The Exchanged Life, Crucifixion To Self

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Power Of Unity

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 3, 2022

In one of Aesop's fables, he describes an old man who had several sons, who were always falling out with one another. He had often, but to no purpose, exhorted them to live together in harmony. One day he called them together, and he gathered a bundle of sticks and tied them together, and asked ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:12

Tags: Fellowship, Community, Small Groups

Poor Short-Term Memory

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2022

A man was working in his backyard one day when his neighbor began talking to him over the fence. He said, “Yeah, my wife and I went to one of those seminars yesterday, you know, where they teach you ways to improve your memory and such.” His neighbor commented, “Really? What was the name of the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 22:19

Tags: Communion, Lord's Supper

Can You Conquer Yourself?

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 27, 2023

GREAT QUOTES ON SELF-CONTROL Edmund Hilary the first man who conquered Mount Everest was asked by an interviewer about his passions for climbing mountains. He gave this reply: "It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves." Peter the Great of Russia is quoted as saying, "I have ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23

Tags: Works Of The Flesh, Self Control, Holy Spirit, Self, Self Denial, Crucified With Christ, Fruit Of The Spirit, Discipline  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Four Battles With Self Control

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 5, 2023

FOUR BATTLES WITH SELF CONTROL IN PROVERBS: Uncontrolled lust. (Proverbs 6:26: “For the prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread, and the adulteress preys upon your very life”). Uncontrolled spending (Proverbs 21:20: “In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 6:26, Proverbs 21:20, Proverbs 23:29-30, Proverbs 29:11, Galatians 5:23  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Proverbs, Lust, Spending, Anger, Alcoholism, Drunkenness, Fruit Of The Spirit, Self Control  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Deconstruction, Deconstruction, Deconstruct, Decon....

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Sep 20, 2024

One cannot insist that all truth claims are power plays, that all truth claims destroy freedom. C. S. Lewis writes in The Abolition of Man: “But you cannot go on ‘explaining away’ forever: you will find that you have explained explanation itself away. You cannot go on ‘seeing through’ things ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:16, John 18:38, Acts 26:25

Tags: Doubt, Truth, Objective Truth, Deconstructing Faith

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Little Things Add Up

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Mar 15, 2025

MY SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER TOLD A STORY OF A MAN THAT WORKED IN THE COAL MINES IN EAST TENNESSEE. The man drove a coal truck from the coal temple to the rail road loading dock. It was a short quick trip. Each time the driver drove by the house where he lived. He made a quick stop threw a very large ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:13

Tags: Small, Little

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Pledge -- Prayer

Contributed by David Dunn on Oct 6, 2025

Two men were arguing at work one day about religion. Neither really knew what they were talking about. Finally one said, “Man, you don’t know anything about religion. I’ll bet you ten dollars you can’t even repeat the Lord’s Prayer.” The other grinned. “Oh yeah? It’s a bet!” He straightened up ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Hebrews 4:12, Psalm 119:105

Tags: Scripture, Discipleship, Truth, Authority

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Grass On Your Path

Contributed by David Dunn on Jan 21, 2026

Prayer sharpens perception. It tunes the heart so you sense danger before it speaks. John Bunyan once wrote, “Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer.” Both can’t thrive in the same heart. Early African believers understood this. Each had a path ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 26:41

Tags: Prayer, Vigilance

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Gareth Weldon Icenogle In Biblical Foundations ...  PRO

Contributed by Jim Luthy on Sep 21, 2001

Gareth Weldon Icenogle in Biblical Foundations for Small Group Ministry: "Small groups are trapped in the ‘paradox’ of hunger for intimacy ("It is not good for man to be alone") and fear of intimacy. ...read more

Tags: Church Small Groups, Compassion, Hunger

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

It Is The Lord That Saves  PRO

Contributed by David Fox on Nov 19, 2001

Spurgen writes, “ The sense is, it is the Lord alone that saves and blesses: and even though the whole mass of all evils should be gathered together in one against a man, still, it is ...read more

Tags: Assurance Of Salvation, Becoming A Christian, God's Omnipotence

Denomination: Pentecostal

There Is Nothing, Indeed, Which God Will Not Do ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 20, 2002

There is nothing, indeed, which God will not do for a man who dares to step out upon what seems to be the mist; though as he puts his foot down he ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:46-49

Tags: Rock, Descriptions Of God, Doubt, Faith

We All Want Progress, But If You're On The Wrong ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 6, 2002

We all want progress, but if you’re on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back ...read more

Tags: Repentance

I Have Seen Many Men Work Without Praying, ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 8, 2006

“I have seen many men work without praying, though I have never seen any good come out of it; but I have never seen a ...read more

Tags: Prayer Adoration

Stand Up, On This Thanksgiving Day, Stand Upon ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 11, 2007

"Stand up, on this Thanksgiving Day, stand upon your feet. Believe in man. Soberly and with clear eyes, believe in your own time and place. There is not, and there ...read more

Tags: Joy