In Sermon Illustrations: "Order"

Some Critics Have Scorned The Concept Of A ...

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on May 20, 2008

"Some critics have scorned the concept of a Jubilee year as being impossible to implement, however archaeologists have found records of deeds from the late biblical period containing references to it being in operation. The first Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rav Kook, taught that the basis for the ...read more

Tags: Revival

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Previously In Bethlehem...

Contributed by Bob Gillchrest on Dec 29, 2008

PREVIOUSLY IN BETHLEHEM... In order to fix such a mess and to bring the presence of God back into the midst of His chosen people, you have to understand the back story. In the world of drama, every character in a play, or in a television show or movie, has a back story. This is what happened ...read more

Tags: Birth Of Jesus

Denomination: Baptist

Pastors And Friends

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Mar 4, 2009

PASTORS AND FRIENDS Years back, a minister friend of mine made this comment in a Preacher’s Meeting. He said, "I’m sure you all know by now that none of us can afford the luxury of having friends in the churches we serve. We must remain aloof in order to protect ourselves from all kinds of ...read more

Tags: Friendship General

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Love Is Patient And Kind. Sometimes We Need To Be ...

Contributed by Paul Wallace on Mar 25, 2009

Love is patient and kind. Sometimes we need to be careful what we say and learn to think on our feet to say positive things about people. The story is told about a 6’ 10 “ Texan who walked up to the counter at McDonalds, slammed down his big fist and said to the girl behind the counter, “I want ...read more

Tags: Tongue

Denomination: Wesleyan

Often People Want To Be Mighty Oaks. They Want To ...

Contributed by Mark Eberly on May 4, 2009

Often people want to be mighty oaks. They want to be seen as strong and tall and be looked up to. We want the attention. We want to be admired. Except we don’t want to take the time to grow strong, deep roots. Jesus says that he want to make it as clear as possible. God is doing a great and new ...read more

Tags: Obedience

Denomination: Church Of God

Good Jealousy

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Oct 19, 2009

GOOD JEALOUSY Dennis De Haan illustrates: Shep, the newest member of our family, is a young Shetland sheepdog who openly displays his jealousy when I kiss my wife. He doesn’t snarl or bite, but in the language of barking he seems to be saying, "Hey, Master, you belong to me!" His jealousy gives ...read more

Tags: Jealousy

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Hurt Vs. Harm

Contributed by Kerry O'neill on Mar 12, 2010

HURT VS. HARM There is a wonderful book entitled "Boundaries" in which the authors differentiate two words - Hurt and Harm. Think of these examples. If I were to eat an entire 2 pound bag of peanut M&M's (which I sadly am fully capable of doing!) would it hurt me? No, it would feel great! ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Facing The Truth: Beverly Sills

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Apr 26, 2010

fACING THE TRUTH: BEVERLY SILLS Confession is admission of something; it is an act of disclosure. Here's a story in the Ladies’ Home Journal as once quoted in The Reader’s Digest: Being general director of the New York opera took a toll on Beverly Sills; she ballooned into obesity. "It made me ...read more

Tags: Confession Of Sin

Denomination: Salvation Army

Feelings Aside

Contributed by Rodelio Mallari on Dec 12, 2010

FEELINGS ASIDE A man once came to a preacher and said, "I was filled with joy in the meeting yesterday. Now it has all gone—all—and I do not know what to do. It is as dark as night." "I am so glad," was the preacher's reply. He looked at the servant of Christ with astonishment and said, "What ...read more

Tags: Assurance Of Salvation

Denomination: *other

Math Tests Through The Decades

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 29, 2011

MATH TESTS THROUGH THE DECADES * 1960s test: "A logger cuts and sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is four-fifths of that amount. What is his profit?" * 1970s new-math test: "A logger exchanges a set (L) of lumber for a set (M) of money. The cardinality of Set M is 100. ...read more

Scripture: Daniel 1:3-4

Tags: Wisdom, Walk, Fire

Guard Duty

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 15, 2011

GUARD DUTY When I was in the U.S. Army, I remember we had to pull guard duty many times. The purpose of guard duty was to ensure that other soldiers, equipment, or areas were protected from the enemy. I can recall that in basic training, or boot camp, we had to memorize three General Orders and ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 4:23

Tags: Heart

Contaminated

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Feb 22, 2012

CONTAMINATED I'm all thumbs when it comes to band-aids. I know you're not supposed to touch the pad, the part that compresses the wound. If you do, then you contaminate it, and you run the risk of infection. And, of course, you don't want to do that. So, every time I use a band-aid, it's something ...read more

Tags: Sin Bondage To

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Overcomers

Contributed by Ronald Franklin on Jul 10, 2012

ILLUS: I watched Serena Williams win the Wimbledon tennis championship yesterday. She cruised through the first set. But in the second set, her opponent rallied and got hot, and won the set. Then, in the 3rd set, Serena got her game back on track and she just overwhelmed her opponent to win going ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Denomination: Baptist

Like A Child

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 17, 2012

LIKE A CHILD Yo-Yo Ma, one of the most famous cellists in our day, once said, "When people ask me how they should approach performance, I always tell them that the professional musician should aspire to the state of the beginner. In order to become a professional," he says, "you need to go through ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:4

Tags: Humility

Dan Kimball: Passionate About Hell

Contributed by Tim Smith on May 11, 2014

Dan Kimball writes, "I am passionate about hell. That sounds odd -- but I am not passionate about hell itself, but passionate about studying what it is because of the seriousness of what it is. I am passionate about it as I don't want anyone to experience it. Sort of like when you study cancer, you ...read more

Scripture: Luke 16:19-31

Tags: Hell, Doctrine Of Hell

Denomination: Methodist

Mothers

Contributed by Don Berry-Graham on Feb 29, 2016

To Mama and Jesus, You and He, You gave me life and He extended it. You saved me from the cold and He from sin. You taught me hope and He defended it. From you I once was born . . . from Him again. You let me skip in fields that He had made. He bid me bless the loaves you baked for me. You ordered ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1-6

Tags: Death, A Mother's Heart

Denomination: Baptist

Don't Do Road Rage If You Have A Christian Bumper Sticker!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on May 29, 2022

I love the story of the stressed-out woman who was tailgating a man as they drove on a busy boulevard. When he slowed to a stop at a yellow light, the woman hit the horn, cussing and screaming in frustration and gesturing angrily. As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and ...read more

Tags: Stress, Satan, Obedience, Humor, Hypocrisy, Testimony, Police  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Be A Christian But Don't Act Like One!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 28, 2022

I love the story of the stressed-out woman who was tailgating a man as they drove on a busy boulevard. When he slowed to a stop at a yellow light, the woman hit the horn, cussing and screaming in frustration and gesturing angrily. As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and ...read more

Scripture: Luke 14:25-35

Tags: Satan, Discipleship, Kingdom Of God, Hypocrites

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

More Than The Pope

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Sep 6, 2023

There’s a joke about the Pope coming to visit New York. His entourage had ordered a stretch limo for him. As he approached, they held the rear door open for him, but the Pontiff said that it had always been an ambition of his to drive in New York himself. So he got into the front seat, and ...read more

Scripture: Luke 14:7-11

Tags: Pride, Status, Humility

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

General Macarthur Said, I Will Return!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 6, 2024

General Douglas MacArthur, during World War II, famously declared to the people of the Philippine Islands, “I shall return.” This resolute statement was made after he was ordered to leave the Philippines, which were under Japanese invasion. His promise echoed the determination of our Lord Jesus ...read more

Tags: End Times, Prophecy, Second Coming, Last Days, Rapture, Signs, Return Of Christ, Promises  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational