In Sermon Illustrations: "Numbers 21 4b 9"

Questions For ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2008

QUESTIONS FOR SELF-EXAMINATION Andrew Murray, whose devotional books are still popular nearly a century after his death, said this: "It is when we face ourselves and face Christ, that we are lost in wonder, love and praise. We need to rediscover the almost lost discipline of self-examination; and ...read more

Tags: Sanctification

Jesus Is The Total Package  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 12, 2008

JESUS IS THE TOTAL PACKAGE Last week the Minnesota Timberwolves traded the superstar Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics in exchange for seven players. What does it feel like to know that you are worth seven men? Obviously KG, as he’s known among NBA fans, must be pretty good. He is. He's the ...read more

Tags: Jesus Christ

Messiah Fed The Hungry  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 28, 2009

"MESSIAH" FED THE HUNGRY When Handel wrote "Messiah" he had gone from riches to rags. For 30 years he had entertained Lords and Ladies with his operas. But those days seemed long past. Creditors were at his door. He was depressed. He could not sleep and he was plagued by rheumatism. He feared he ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 58:6-8

Tags: Christmas Advent

Mistaken For Jesus

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 27, 2009

MISTAKEN FOR JESUS Carolyn Gillette told the story of a hospice chaplain named Larry, and how he became friends with an 80-year-old lady named Mary. Mary was a hospice patient. Larry visited with her many times, and was greatly impressed by her faith. One day, he got a call that Mary had taken a ...read more

Tags: Christian Witness

He Died For Me  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 27, 2009

HE DIED FOR ME During the U.S. Civil War, conscription was not absolute. The drafted man could always hire a substitute if he could afford it. Starting in 1862, the U.S. government allowed this escape from military service on the theory that, so long as each name drawn from the wheel produced a ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:21-30

Tags: Cross

Orchard Experts Wound Fruit Trees To Bear More ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 2, 2009

Orchard Experts Wound Fruit Trees To Bear More Fruit In verse 8 Jesus teaches us that the proof of discipleship is spiritual fruitfulness (Mt. 7:20). “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. The branch produces what the life coursing through its ...read more

Scripture: John 15:1-8

Tags: Productivity

The Witness Of Orel Hershiser On The Tonight ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 8, 2009

The Witness of Orel Hershiser on the Tonight Show About 15 years ago, Orel Hershiser was pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers. They had just won the World Series. And Orel had been named the Most Valuable Player. One of the TV shows about the series showed him in the dugout just before the 9th ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:14-16

Tags: Christian Witness

Nine Year-Old Girl Transformed By Liver ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 17, 2009

Nine year-old Girl Transformed by Liver Transplant and Change of Blood Type Demi-Lee Brennan had a liver transplant at age 9. She faced a life on anti-rejection drugs like every other transplant patient. Nine months later, however, her red blood cells were being attacked by her own white blood ...read more

Scripture: John 15:1-17

Tags: Born Again, Transformed Life

God's Cures/Remedies For...

Contributed by Timothy Brown on Feb 14, 2010

God's Cures/Remedies for... * Worry: John 14:1, "Let not your heart be troubled, ye believe in God, believe also in me..." * A broken heart: Psalm 147:3-6, "He heals the brokenhearted, binding up their wounds. He counts the stars and calls them all by name. How great is our Lord! His power is ...read more

Tags: Anxiety

Denomination: Baptist

Bill Hybels: Difficult Forgiveness  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 22, 2010

BILL HYBELS: DIFFICULT FORGIVENESS Everything we have seen about how to deal with difficult people when put to action will bring glory to God. We find this in an illustration from Bill Hybels: "A couple of years ago, a member of my church’s vocal team and I were invited by a Christian leader ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:27-36

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

The First And Last "All"

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 6, 2010

THE FIRST AND LAST "ALL" After a mission service, the preacher of the evening was hurrying away to a late train. He had just three minutes to catch it when he saw a man running after him. "Oh, sir," he said breathlessly as he came up, "Can you help me? I am very anxious about my salvation." ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 53:6

Tags: Evangelism How To

Cultural Blindness In Missions

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 4, 2011

CULTURAL BLINDNESS IN MISSIONS David Livermore, in his book, Serving with Eyes Wide Open, talks about a friend of his, Ashish, who came from Northern India to visit him in Chicago. They were eating at Gino's Pizzeria, and there they ran into a youth pastor David knew, along with his youth group. ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 13:5

Tags: Missions

The Unexpected King

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 5, 2011

THE UNEXPECTED KING Just a year ago (on September 16, 2009), an article in The Washington Post began with these words: "The king folds her own laundry, chauffeurs herself around Washington in a 1992 Honda, and answers her own phone. Her boss's phone, too." The article was about Peggielene Bartels, ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-8

Tags: Election

The Debbie Haters' Club

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 19, 2011

THE DEBBIE HATERS' CLUB Bill White, of Paramount, California, talks about his friend, Greg, who recently put together a mini high school reunion when he went back home to Indiana to visit his parents. He hadn't seen many of his classmates in over 17 years; but when they got together, they had a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:21-26

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Our Lives Are Like A...

Contributed by Chuck Sligh on Jun 14, 2011

OUR LIVES ARE LIKE A... Listen to what the Bible compares our lives to, and as you do, notice that the central theme of each comparison is the idea of the BREVITY of our lives upon this earth: * First, our lives are compared to A VAPOR (James 4:1) - Think about the vapor from a teapot. It is ...read more

Tags: Death

Denomination: Baptist

It Is Not Good...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 6, 2011

IT IS NOT GOOD... God made a woman to keep him company and to be his companion. The fact is we men don't do too well without such a companion. Researchers from the Universities of Utah and South Carolina recently collected data from 148 different studies, conducted over three decades, involving ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 2:18

Tags: Marriage General

Navy Seals

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 9, 2011

NAVY SEALS I don’t know much about the army but here is something I read recently about those Navy Seals who shot Osama Bin Laden. It’s good to be a Navy SEAL right now. The elite sailors are being showered with praise for their successful operation in Pakistan that resulted in the killing of ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:3

Tags: Hardship Of Life

Roots And Fruits

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Oct 10, 2011

ROOTS AND FRUITS How many of you have been to a funeral? As you approach the casket you'll see numerous floral arrangements, and these floral displays use two different kinds of flowers. First there are the bouquets of cut flowers, and there are planters. There's generally more bouquets than ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Stress Of Uncertainty

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 10, 2012

THE STRESS OF UNCERTAINTY Daniel Gilbert (a psychologist at Harvard), citing a recent Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, said "that Americans are smiling less and worrying more than they were a year ago, that happiness is down and sadness is up, that we are getting less sleep and smoking more ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:19-34

Tags: Fear And Worry

John D. Rockefeller's Transformation

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 14, 2012

JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER’S TRANSFORMATION John D. Rockefeller, Sr., was strong and husky when he was a youth. He early determined to earn money and drove himself to the limit. At age 33, he earned his first million dollars. At age 43, he controlled the biggest company in the world. At age 53, he was ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:1-15

Tags: Giving General