In Sermon Illustrations: "Oldest Person"

Lying

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 30, 2008

LYING Penn State researcher Dr. Nancy Darling reports 98% of teens reported lying to their parents in a recent study. They lied about what they spent their allowances on, whether they’d started dating, what clothes they put on away from the house, what movie they went to, and whom they went with. ...read more

Tags: Truth, Character

Victoriously Living Over The Flesh  PRO

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Victoriously Living Over the Flesh Romans 8:12-14, "Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:12-14

Tags: Holiness

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Reasons We ...

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Reasons We Congregate Psalm 122:1, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD.’" We are told that this verse can be translated as, “I rejoice whenever they say to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord’”. (The Expositors Bible Commentary) Our key text ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 122:1

Tags: Worship Purpose

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Crime And ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2008

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT At the foot of the gallows, the condemned man recited Psalm 51 and added a word of personal repentance. A shroud was placed over his head, and he climbed the ladder, which the executioner then pulled away, leaving him to “dance upon nothing,” as the vernacular put it. ...read more

Tags: Sin Punishment Of

Truth Stats In ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 2, 2008

TRUTH STATS IN BELIEVERS A 2002 survey by the Barna Group found that adults, by a 3-to-1 margin believe that truth is relative to each individual person and his or her circumstances as opposed to the concept of absolute truth. And frankly, that isn’t all that surprising. But what is really ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:14

Tags: Truth

Ready For Resurrection Morning

Contributed by Ferdinand Funk on Sep 29, 2008

READY FOR RESURRECTION MORNING A true story is told about a distinguished man, the only white person buried in a Georgia cemetery reserved exclusively for blacks. He had lost his mother when he was just a baby. His father, who never married again, hired a black woman named Mandy to help raise his ...read more

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Denomination: Mennonite

You Ever Heard Of The Game Show Lets Make A Deal? ...

Contributed by Jesse Bennett on Nov 14, 2008

You ever heard of the game show lets make a deal? Let’s play it for a minute. Suitcase #1 you have the entire world all the people possessions, money, power. 2. You can do anything you want, have anything you want, live anywhere you want, travel anywhere you want. 3. Sounds pretty good, ...read more

Tags: Money

Denomination: Baptist

Calms The Storm

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Dec 2, 2008

CALMS THE STORM God is greater than any problem we will ever face, and Jesus is able to calm any storm. In 1993, I had the privilege of preaching the funeral for Bro. Moses Lee. Bro. Lee served for many years as a pastor in Franklin, Tensas and Winn Parishes, later on he served in the Mobile area. ...read more

Tags: Hardship Of Life

Denomination: Baptist

Forgiveness: No Ugly Pictures

Contributed by John Petty on Jan 18, 2008

FORGIVENESS: NO UGLY PICTURES I was approached by the station manager of a local television station in Pensacola, Fl to contribute a 50-second devotional for his program transition period. I was reluctant to agree, since I struggled to limit my sermons to even 30 minutes. But feeling impressed by ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Church Of God

God Summons Us To Seek Our Best Creative Selves. ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 12, 2008

"God summons us to seek our best creative selves. He calls us to become artists of life, seers of truth, creators of new possibilities, and innovative problem solvers. Perhaps by looking at Jesus' life and seeing His creative spirit at work, we can begin to awaken to the creative possibilities of ...read more

Tags: Becoming A Christian

In The City Of Mashed, Pastor Soodman, A Muslim ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 26, 2009

In the city of Mashed, Pastor Soodman, a Muslim convert was hung for his faith in Christ. His assistant took over the leadership of the church. The assistant was arrested and released, but each week was interrogated by the authorities. The pressure was intense, and his wife feared he might break. ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:1-39

Tags: Persecution

Why Fruit?  PRO

Contributed by John Tung on Feb 12, 2009

WHY FRUIT? Why are these character traits called fruit of the spirit? Why not other food groups: like meat of the spirit or bread of the spirit or dairy of the spirit? There are four reasons why it’s called fruit of the spirit: because fruit is healthy, sweet, living and whole. Fruit is healthy ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23

Tags: Spirit, Fruit, Fruit Of The Spirit

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

What Is Truth?

Contributed by John Bright on Oct 17, 2022

I hate to be the bearer of bad news… but there is a deep divide in this sanctuary. No – it’s not what you think. It’s not political parties. It’s not hot-button social justice issues. Nope, it’s our view of “What is truth?” Here’s a way to view our divide from Os Guiness: “Three baseball ...read more

Scripture: Luke 11:24-36

Tags: Baseball, Absolute Truth, Umpires

Denomination: Methodist

An Admission Of Guilt

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on May 14, 2023

There once was a governor of the state of Texas who received an invitation to speak at one of the penitentiaries in that state. He spoke to the assembled prisoners and afterwards said that he would be around for a while to listen to anything any of the convicts might wish to tell him. He could take ...read more

Scripture: John 3:1-26

Tags: Confession, Testimony, Guilt, Pardon

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Do You Have One Heart?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Aug 5, 2023

Missionary Jim Walton was translating the NT for the Muinane people of La Sabana in the jungles of Colombia. But he was having trouble with the word "peace". During this time, Fernando, the village chief, was promised a 20-minute plane ride to a location that would have taken him 3 days ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-11

Tags: Bitterness, Bond Of Peace, Forgiveness, Peace, Missions, Unity, Relationships  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Did Jesus Really Die On The Cross?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 25, 2024

One lady sent in a letter to a religious question and answer forum. "Dear Sirs, Our preacher said on Easter, that Jesus just swooned on the cross and that the disciples nursed Him back to health because he just fainted on Good Friday. He didn't really die and he wasn't really raised ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:8, 1 John 2:1-2

Tags: Easter, Crucifixion, Resurrection, Son Of Man, Cross, Son Of God, Empty Grave  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Word Pictures Of Biblical Forgiveness

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Aug 12, 2024

The importance of forgiveness is a constant theme of Scripture. There are no less than seventy-five different word pictures about forgiveness in the Bible. They help us grasp the importance, the nature, and the effects of forgiveness. • To Forgive Is to Turn The Key, Open the cell door, and let ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:9-15

Tags: Forgiveness, Philemon, Lord's Prayer, Root Of Bitterness, Forgive Us Our Debts, Unforgivenes  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

If Jesus Was Born Today

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Oct 24, 2025

If Jesus was born today, it would be in a bed and breakfast A traffic warden, working late, would be the first on the scene. Later a TV network would arrive with their good wishes. The whole Occasion would be filmed as part of *Is this the Son of God” one hour special If Jesus was 30 today, ...read more

Scripture: John 11:25

Tags: Jesus, Born, Modern Day

Denomination: Anglican

The Trademark - Is Jesus Mark On You? - Humor

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Dec 9, 2025

If we are Honest ... Often ... When we are shopping, ...... we will look for name brands that we know. For brands ... that we ... trust. We often recognize those products ... by their trademarks ...... or by ... their ... logos. Companies spend millions of dollars on research ... in order that ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:1-2, Philippians 2:6-11, Ephesians 4:4, James 3:8-10, Matthew 20:26-28  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Logos, Trademark, Mark

Denomination: Anglican

Trapping The Ball!" Psalm 25: 16-21 Key ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Jul 4, 2004

“Trapping the Ball!” Psalm 25: 16-21 Key verse(s): 21 “May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you.” Integrity! Perhaps it is one of the loneliest words in the English language. For many it creates the image of one standing alone, apart from the others, because just the ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 25:16-21

Tags: Character

Denomination: Lutheran