In Sermon Illustrations: "Nominal Christian"

Good For Goodness' Sake

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Dec 26, 2010

GOOD FOR GOODNESS' SAKE “You better watch out, you better not cry Better not pout I'm telling you why - Santa Claus is coming to town He's making a list and checking it twice; Gonna find out Who's naughty and nice Santa Claus is coming to town He sees you when you're sleeping - He knows when ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

High On Their Huddles

Contributed by John Hamby on Apr 25, 2011

HIGH ON THEIR HUDDLES One of my favorite preachers is Dr. Tony Evans in Dallas. Some years ago I heard him give the following description of the purpose of the church service. He said, "In football they have a huddle, the goal of the huddle is to give you thirty seconds to call the play; that is ...read more

Tags: Church Practices

Denomination: Baptist

Adoniram Judson Returns To The Lord

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 13, 2011

ADONIRAM JUDSON RETURNS TO THE LORD Adoniram Judson graduated at the top of his class in college, then he headed to New York City to seek fame and fortune as an actor and/or writer. He had left the God of his father, thinking he was beyond such "primitive notions." But such a life was empty for ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 44:22, Isaiah 44:22-44

Tags: Revelation

When Do We Worship

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 7, 2011

WHEN DO WE WORSHIP Author Douglas J. Moo: "Worship is not merely, or even mainly, what we do on Sunday morning. Worship is a 24/7 matter. We worship God when we give ourselves to him in service. We worship God when we show love to others, when we do our jobs faithfully and with integrity, when we ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1

Tags: Worship Definition

A Religion Worth Having  PRO

Contributed by Larry Wilson on Aug 30, 2011

A RELIGION WORTH HAVING Dr. F. E. Marsh used to tell that on one occasion he was preaching on the importance of confession of sin and, wherever possible, of restitution for wrong done to others. Afterward a young man came up to him and said: "Pastor, you have put me in a sad fix. I have wronged ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 27:1-2

Tags: Restoration

Denomination: Baptist

Humility — Who Would Dare Write About It?

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Feb 16, 2012

HUMILITY - WHO WOULD DARE WRITE ABOUT IT? Charlene Ann Baumbich wrote a book about raising her sons. One chapter was about humbling experiences she had. She then felt the Holy Spirit nudging her to study humility. She thought she might write a book about what she would learn. After hours studying ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 7:14

Tags: Humility

Denomination: Baptist

A Timely Testimony

Contributed by Tim Hinrichs on Feb 23, 2012

A TIMELY TESTIMONY Jim Cymbala tells an amazing story of one Sunday in his church: (Fresh Faith pp. 78-82) During the choir anthem, Pastor Jim was touched by the words of one of the young men who was featured as a soloist during the song. As the song concluded, Pastor Jim was strongly prompted ...read more

Tags: Testimonies About Jesus

Denomination: Lutheran

Make It Your Aim Not To Sin

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Mar 24, 2012

MAKE IT YOUR AIM NOT TO SIN The whole purpose of John's letter, he says, is that we not sin. One day as I was studying this chapter I realized that my personal life's objective regarding holiness was less than that of John's. He was saying, in effect, "Make it your aim not to sin." As I thought ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 2:1

Tags: Holiness

Denomination: Baptist

You Could All Have One If You Wanted  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 26, 2012

YOU COULD ALL HAVE ONE IF YOU WANTED In Gipsy Smith's book The Beauty of Jesus, Gipsy Smith told about Peter Apples, a man (during the Civil War) who went into the enemy's territory. Peter Apples did not know much about being a good soldier. He just knew that when his superior officer said, ...read more

Scripture: John 4:34-38

Tags: Evangelism How To

Pastoral Search Committee Of The First Lukewarm ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 30, 2012

PASTORAL SEARCH COMMITTEE OF THE FIRST LUKEWARM CHURCH I was recently contacted by a pulpit committee that was interested in my ministry. I met with Chairman of the Disenchanted, Bro Tepid. He described his church; First Lukewarm Church of the Apathetic. “Nothing too boring, nothing too exciting. ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:14-22

Tags: Lukewarm

Instructions Are Life Or Death

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 1, 2012

INSTRUCTIONS ARE LIFE OR DEATH Imagine with me if you can. You're rafting down the Ocoee, splashing through a huge rapid when all of a sudden, you find yourself flying over the front of the boat. You're tossing and turning in the waves, and your mind and body are telling you to get stabilized. Our ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:23-27

Tags: Discipleship, Mothers

Thoughts On The Church

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jun 20, 2012

THOUGHTS ON THE CHURCH Here are some thoughts on The Church from a few 30 on down in age, individuals from the book "The Relevant Church": Quotes: Tyler Watts, "I think I disconnect from the Gospel of Jesus Christ when I'm not involved in close relationships with other believers." Philip Evans, ...read more

Tags: Church General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Story Of George Beverly Shea

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 17, 2012

THE STORY OF GEORGE BEVERLY SHEA George Beverly Shea was a young man in the late 1920s aspiring to become a well-known singer. He entered Houghton College in New York in 1928 to get some good music training, but family financial problems caused him to leave after only one year. He found a job as a ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 2:15-17

Tags: Commitment To Christ

The Sound Of Silence

Contributed by Matt Neace on Sep 23, 2018

In their song The Sound of Silence, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel sing the words, "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and the tenement halls and whispered in the sounds of silence." But their friendship has come to replicate the sound of silence. Paul Simon gave his final ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:26-27, Ephesians 4:32, Proverbs 24:17, Hebrews 12:14

Tags: Resentment, Bitterness, Unforgiveness, Grudges

Denomination: Baptist

Inspiration Of Scripture

Contributed by Kerry Haynes on Feb 23, 2020

Consider Bill, who was just a young man at the time. He had tried preaching, but didn’t always feel the power of God or see any results. One of his contemporaries, Charles Templeton, got into academia and started to believe scripture as flawed and outdated. Bill wondered about all of this. A ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:16-21, 2 Timothy 3:16

Tags: Word Of God, Inspired Word, Inspiration Of Scripture, Inspiration Of The Bible

Denomination: Baptist

Open Rebuke Is Better Than Secret Love.

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 25, 2021

The Scripture tells us that "Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful" (Proverbs 27:5-6).   Rebuke means sin is not only pointed out, it is condemned. The church really doesn’t do this ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Timothy 4:1-3

Tags: Sin, Preaching, Repentance, Rebuke, Pastors, The Word Of God, Preachers  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Giving

Contributed by Brad Beaman on Apr 17, 2022

Henry Parsons Crowell contracted tuberculosis when a boy and could not go to school. His Father and brother died of tuberculosis, and he should have died of it too. He made a contract with God. If he were spared he would use his abilities to amass large sums of money for evangelism. For the next 50 ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:7-8

Tags: Giving, Purpose Of Giving, Cheerful Giver

Denomination: Baptist

Stand Strong

Contributed by Jerry Cosper on Feb 13, 2023

I want you all to think back with me as we begin this morning. Many of us looked forward to leaving high school behind with all of its challenges. Then we began to experience a whole new set of challenges in college or in the workplace. We began wondering what direction we were going to take in ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 24:1-14

Tags: Dedication, Loyalty

Denomination: Baptist

Counterfeit Preachers

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jul 10, 2023

Did you know that counterfeiting of money is one of the oldest crimes in history? Here in America it became a serious problem during the 19th century when banks issued their own currency. In fact, by the time of the Civil War, it was estimated that one-third of all currency in circulation was ...read more

Tags: Spirits, Spirit Of Error, Discernment, Truth, False Teachers, Spirit Of Truth, False Prophets  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Astronaut On Moon Sees The Love Of God

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Sep 24, 2025

One of the best testimonies of God’s goodness and love you will ever hear is from astronaut Jim Irwin. He served as the Lunar Module pilot for Apollo 15. Jim was the eighth person to walk on the Moon. *And he told about an experience he had when he went to the moon. Jim said: "When I looked ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 144:1-15

Tags: Floods, High Tower, The Lord Our Rock, Righteous War, Brevity, Praise The Lord, Mortality, Traitors, Deceivers, The Lord Of Hosts, Joy, Rock, Fortress, God's Help, Deliverer, King David, Shield, Salvation  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist