In Sermon Illustrations: "Nominal Christian"

Entry-Level Faith

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Jun 3, 2013

ENTRY-LEVEL FAITH During World War II, a young teenager tried to enlist in the navy. Only fifteen but large for his years, he told the recruiting officer in Richmond, Virginia, that he was sixteen. The officer looked at him and shook his head. "Sorry, son, you're not old enough." Two months ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 6:1

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Baptist

Forced To Kill  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on Jul 1, 2013

FORCED TO KILL Around the time of the Korean War, Kim Joon-gon had seen 2,000 out of 20,000 people on Chunnam Island murdered by the Communists. They dragged he and his family outside their village where Kim’s father and wife were beaten to death and Kim was left for dead. When he revived and ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:17-21, Matthew 5:7

Tags: Mercy, Salvation, Revenge, Vengeance

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Importance Of Forgiveness

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 13, 2014

Life assurance is far more valuable and important than life insurance. One famous atheist said, "The one thing I envy about you Christians is that you have someone to forgive you." A man by the name of Val Patterson died on July 12th of this year due to cancer. He knew the end was coming, so he ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 32:1-5

Tags: Confession Of Sin, God's Forgiveness, Guilty Conscience

Don't Blame The Judge

Contributed by Tim Smith on May 11, 2014

God has done everything He possibly can to keep you out of Hell and still leave you as a person with free will. Now some Christians argue otherwise that it is in fact God who sends people to hell. Peculiar Pilgrim blog writes, "No one would choose to go into hell ... Not one person would decide to ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 3:8-13

Tags: Hell, Judgement

Denomination: Methodist

Jesus Loves The Little Children

Contributed by Davon Huss on Oct 24, 2014

I had a preacher friend, Carl Etchinson, who had several children. These children grew up and then began having children so Carl had many grandchildren. One of his sons was having another baby. The baby was born late at night and Carl’s son did not call Carl. They forgot the next morning to ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:1

Tags: God The Father, Heavenly Father

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Surrendering To God

Contributed by Tim Smith on May 28, 2015

Ravi Zacharias tells the amazing story of a young Christian, Hien Pham, whom he met in Vietnam who served as an interpreter with the American forces. Shortly after Vietnam fell, Hien was imprisoned on accusations of helping the Americans. His jailers tried to indoctrinate him against democratic ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:13-16

Tags: Grace, Persecution, Prayer, Surrender, Standing On Promises  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Methodist

Bobby Richardson - Witnessing In The World Series!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 17, 2017

Bobby Richardson is one of my spiritual heroes. What a blessing to meet this awesome witness for Christ who led Mickey Mantle to faith in Christ before he died. This story makes me love Bobby even more! It was the seventh game of the 1962 World Series between the New York Yankees and the San ...read more

Scripture: Acts 4:1-20

Tags: Evangelism, Eternity, Gospel, Witnessing

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Telemarketers

Contributed by Edward Hardee on Aug 28, 2017

IRS Spam Call - I wanted to share an experience that I just had on the phone. I got that dreaded spam call from the IRS. I knew it was false but I felt like I wanted to talk to a person about it. So I called the number. A young lady answered. She gave me a name and told me I owed $4800 on my IRS ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20

Tags: Witness, Opportunities

Denomination: Church Of God

A Silent Kindness

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Feb 27, 2019

Sir Nicholas George Winton – “A Silent Kindness” Nicholas Winton’s parents were German Jews who had moved to London two years before his birth. The family name was Wertheim, but was changed to Winton, they also converted to Christianity, and had Nicholas baptised. Nicholas Winton became a banker ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:15-17

Tags: Love, Children, Compassion, Kindness

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God Is Missing!!!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 15, 2020

Two young boys in a Christian school had been continually mis-behaving and were sent to the principal’s office on several occasions. The principal knew what they really needed was to have God in their lives, so she brought the first boy in and set him down. “I want to ask you a question. Where is ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30, Psalm 46:10, John 3:16, Romans 5:8

Tags: Humor, God's Love, Guilt, Unconfessed Sin, Confusion  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Why Did Jesus Really Weep?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 30, 2020

When Jesus went to call Lazarus back from the grave......HE WEPT. Some have wondered why he wept. The Jews must have thought it was from sorrow, because they said, "Behold how He loved him" (John 11:36). Yet we wonder why he wept, if he was going to call him back to life? Maybe ...read more

Scripture: John 11:35, John 14:1-6

Tags: Death, Heaven, Lazarus, Weeping, Funerals  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Wiretap Into Your Home

Contributed by Davon Huss on Aug 22, 2020

The church is the bride of Christ. If we love the groom (Jesus), we will look for positive things to say about the bride (the church). Bob Russell tells a story about how years ago, when there were multiple party telephone lines, a preacher picked up the telephone to make a call but couldn’t get ...read more

Scripture: John 13:35, 2 Corinthians 11:28-29

Tags: Evangelism, Love For The Church, Speak Positively

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Trapped By Temptation

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 2, 2020

A well-known author once told this story of an account he had with sea gulls: “Several years ago our family visited Niagara Falls. It was spring, and ice was rushing down the river. As I viewed the large blocks of ice flowing toward the falls, I could see that there were dead fish embedded in the ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:1-4, Hebrews 12:1-2, Matthew 6:33

Tags: Vision, Temptation, Compromise, Worldliness, Things Of Earth  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

When Things Get Smelly!

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Aug 22, 2021

When I was around eight, we were visiting some cousins out on the farm and as all kids back then we played tag. I went zipping around the barn and stepped in a slick patty. I fell, slid and rolled through a copious amount of bovine excrement. When I was able to stand up I went to the porch and ...read more

Scripture: Ezekiel 16:4-12

Tags: Love, Forgiveness, Stink

Denomination: Baptist

Charlene Cothran Is The Publisher Of Venus ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Charlene Cothran is the publisher of Venus Magazine, which is a periodical for lesbians of African descent. She recently announced on the magazine’s web site that she has become a Christian and has rejected the lesbian lifestyle she had been living. Cothran said that as a magazine publisher she ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:1-20, John 14:6, Matthew 10:37-39, Luke 16:1-13

Tags: Story, Commitment To Christ

If You Ever Get A Chance To Visit Monticello, ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

If you ever get a chance to visit Monticello, the home of Jefferson, your time will be enjoyable spent. He built it and lived there 56 years. It is a testimony to his creative energy. You can see his many inventions and conveniences. You can see the huge stone room he designed to store ice, taken ...read more

Tags: Bible Influence

A Young Man By The Name Of James Taylor Had ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

A young man by the name of James Taylor had lived a worldly life, and was a leader in opposing a revival that had swept his neighborhood. The morning of his wedding day he awoke with the words of Joshua 24:15 on his mind. In earlier years he had memorized that verse. Unlike our modern customs, he ...read more

Tags: New Year's Day

There's An Interesting New Phenomenon In The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

There’s an interesting new phenomenon in the church world today. Churches are starting to hire Church Consultants --- the same way companies have hired consultants for years. Consultants are trained as problem solvers. They provide fresh eyes and new perspectives when businesses or churches face ...read more

Tags: Promises Of God

The Lord Provides

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Who do you belittle? Someone with less money, who can’t speak clearly Someone who does not speak English? With a disability? God says be there for those at risk Because, You could be AT RISK ANYTIME Reality is any of us could lose everything People here have and listen to their lessons Elderly ...read more

Tags: Paul

Some Years Ago Donald Grey Barnhouse Was ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Some years ago Donald Grey Barnhouse was counseling a young woman on the sidewalk in front of a church following an evening service. She said she was a Christian and that she wanted to follow Christ. But she wanted to be famous too. She wanted to pursue a stage career in New York. "After I have ...read more

Tags: Parable General