In Sermon Illustrations: "No Separation From Christ"

In A Poem Attributed To Archbishop Oscar Romero, ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 16, 2008

In a poem attributed to Archbishop Oscar Romero, entitled "Prophets of a Future Not Our Own," he states: "It helps, now and then, to step back and take the long view. We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work. Nothing we do is complete, ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

[079]. A Message From A Poem – Faithful, Lord, You Are To Me And Us

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 12, 2025

[079]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – FAITHFUL, LORD, YOU ARE TO ME AND US [THIS IS WHAT I WROTE IN 2022]. Recently I had to go to Townsville for a major ear operation to address a problem I have had for over a year and which would not be treated at the local Queensland State hospital because they ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 25:20, Romans 8:27-28

Tags: Caring God, Help, Poetry, Poem, Problem, Ear Operation, Townsville, Faithful, Victory  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Kyle Idleman On Dying To Self

Contributed by Kevin Karhoff on Mar 18, 2013

What’s it look like to die every day? Well, dying to yourself today may mean spending your lunch hour serving food to the homeless at the shelter down the street from your office. It may mean the next time you talk to your neighbor, instead of playing it safe and keeping comfortable you bring ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:23

Tags: Surrender, Jesus Christ, Dying To Self, Commitment To Christ

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Insignificant Is Significant

Contributed by Peter Loughman on May 15, 2008

THE INSIGNIFICANT IS SIGNIFICANT To anyone who knows her, Joanne is not a significant person. Honestly, chances are, Joanne will never accomplish anything significant. In the town that she lives in, Joanne is never going to be someone who people in town will see as an important person. Joanne is ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Meaning No Disrespect To The Religious ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 17, 2006

Meaning no disrespect to the religious convictions of others, I still can’t help wondering how we can explain away what to me is the greatest miracle of all and which is recorded in history. No one denies there was such a man, that he lived and that he was put to death by crucifixion. Where...is ...read more

Tags: Lordship Of Christ, Home

I Read The Book By Robert Bellah Habits Of The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

I read the book by Robert Bellah Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life not long after it came out in 1985. It is about the rise of radical individualism in our culture which is committed only to the self. It is even more relevant today than when it was written. He ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Responsibility Comes With The Gift

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 16, 2008

RESPONSIBILITY COMES WITH THE GIFT As Clayton J. Schmit put it in his commentary on our text: The moment of birth is one of unspeakable joy. Yet, if parents stopped to count the cost of taking a child home (which, fortunately, they never do) they might be tempted to turn the gift down. The cost ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

What's The Big Deal About The Church?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2008

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT THE CHURCH? A little girl became restless as the preacher's sermon dragged on and on. Finally, she leaned over to her mother and whispered, "Mommy, if we give him the money now, will he let us go?" I'm sure that's probably how some people feel about most preachers and ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

The Church: We Need One Another

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Apr 6, 2009

THE CHURCH: WE NEED ONE ANOTHER A pastor received a call from a chronic alcoholic. He just couldn't seem to stay sober. He had tried several other churches, but they didn't seem to have anything to help him. Finally he called this pastor whose church had a reputation for not giving up on people. ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Denomination: Church Of God

[018] A Message From A Poem - America, America, How You Blaspheme!

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jun 21, 2024

[018] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - AMERICA, AMERICA, HOW YOU BLASPHEME! I find it so offensive to hear cursing and the Lord’s name taken in vain by someone trying to be assertive or big note himself. In fact so much of the relatively modern cinema is full of blasphemy. I hear speeches and listen to ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:13-14, Colossians 4:6, Leviticus 18:21, Exodus 20:7

Tags: America, Speech, Blasphemy, Cursing, The Name Of The Lord In Vain  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[059]. A Message From A Poem – Distressful Times Will Come Upon Us

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 13, 2025

[059]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – DISTRESSFUL TIMES WILL COME UPON US Are you battling in life because of some problem that won’t go away? Are you weighed down by a stressful matter and can’t shake it? Does your life feel like it is starting to come apart? Do you feel the storms are thundering ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:20, 1 Peter 5:7, Matthew 11:28-30

Tags: Anxiety, Anxious, Distress, Cast, Heavy Laden, I Am With You Always, Stressful, Stressful Living  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Know-It-All Christians

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 13, 2009

KNOW-IT-ALL CHRISTIANS Chuck Yeager, the famed test pilot, was flying an F-86 Sabre over a lake in the Sierras when he decided to buzz a friend’s house near the edge of the lake. During a slow roll, he suddenly felt his aileron lock. Says Yeager, "It was a hairy moment, flying about 150 feet off ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Common-Ism In The Church  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 16, 2009

COMMON-ISM IN THE CHURCH Years ago I ran across this following definition of the various forms of government. They compared capitalism (the economic model we try to follow in our country) with communism and socialism, and they used a simple illustration to drive their point home. In a capitalist ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:42-48

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

No-Cut Auditions

Contributed by Anne Benefield on Mar 5, 2009

NO-CUT AUDITIONS Dick Sanderson is kind enough to give me a subscription to Leadership, Real Ministry in a Complex World. It is an exceptional magazine. This quarter there was an insert that carried a story called "A Cast of Thousands" by Lillian Daniel. She writes: "At my daughter’s ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Contractor

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Contractor There was once a contractor who built homes in a small town somewhere in Europe. He built most of the homes for the people who lived in the village and was a gifted carpenter. Unfortunately, he was never able to afford a home of his own. One day, the wealthiest man in town came to the ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Premature Infant Connects Voice Of Grandfather To ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 23, 2009

Premature Infant Connects Voice of Grandfather to His Touch A man by the name of Max DePree related the following heart-touching story: Esther, my wife, and I have a granddaughter named Zoe, the Greek word for life. She was born prematurely and weighed one pound, seven ounces, so small that my ...read more

Scripture: John 14:7-15

Tags: Touch, Humanity Of Christ

Flawed Individuals On A Rescue Mission  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 2, 2008

FLAWED INDIVIDUALS ON A RESCUE MISSION The author of the book entitled, "The Word and Power Church: What Happens When A Church Seeks All God Has to Offer," Doug Banister, writes, "The Spring of 1940 found Hitler’s panzer divisions mopping up French troops and preparing for a seige of Great ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:7-12

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Diversity In The Church  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 8, 2009

DIVERSITY IN THE CHURCH Philip Yancey put it this way in an article in Christianity Today just this last November. He writes, "As I read accounts of the New Testament church, no characteristic stands out more sharply than [diversity]. Beginning with Pentecost, the Christian church dismantled the ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 3:28

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

[084]. A Message From A Poem – For Men - The Three "fs"

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 16, 2025

[084]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – FOR MEN - THE THREE Fs There are 9 poems in this Trilogy series. This poem is part of a Trilogy - three sets of three. The first set is addressed to MEN, the second to ALL CHRISTIANS and the third is SPECIFIC. This is the third one in the first set - FOR ...read more

Scripture: 3 John 1:14, James 4:4, 1 Corinthians 1:9, Galatians 5:22-23

Tags: Friendliness, Fellowship, Faithfulness, Poetry, Poem  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Modeler And The Modeled

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 6, 2010

THE MODELER AND THE MODELED Michael Chesko describes himself as an eccentric mix of engineer, model maker, unofficial cartographer, and most of all, artist. When he was a little boy living in Arizona he would make maps of fictitious landscapes of places like Arizona and then he started to model ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:12

Tags: Church Body Of Christ