In Sermon Illustrations: "Our Only Hope"

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Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Dec 3, 2008

Illustration: “Turnaround” Gordon Macdonald states, “Repentance is not basically a religious word. It comes from a culture where people were essentially nomadic and lived in a world with no maps or street signs. It’s easy to get lost walking through the desert. You become aware that the countryside ...read more

Tags: Repentance

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Don't Ignore The Child

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2008

DON'T IGNORE THE CHILD Recently, I read the story of a traveler in China who remarked on the fact that all the time he was there, some two and a half years, he never saw a single monument or tombstone marking the grave of a child. This is very remarkable, remembering the people's ancestor and ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Life Begins When Shaken

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2008

LIFE BEGINS WHEN SHAKEN Father Alfred Delp was a prisoner of the Nazis during World War II. He was charged with treason for true Christian preaching. From his jail cell he wrote about the meaning of Advent, the coming of Christ: "Advent is a time for rousing. Human beings are shaken to the very ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:1

Tags: Hardship Of Life

Neil Chetnik, Author, Speaker, Expert On Men's ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 26, 2009

Neil Chetnik, author, speaker, expert on men’s lives wrote in USA Today about the time he and his father were going through his grandfathers papers and he writes: "It was the first time I had ever seen my Dad cry, and Dad said, ’I am crying not only for my father, but also for me. His death means ...read more

Tags: Parenting

Boat People

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 26, 2009

BOAT PEOPLE There are three kinds of people -- rowboat people, sailboat people, and steamboat people. Rowboat people need to be pushed or shoved along. Sailboat people move when a favorable wind is blowing. Steamboat people move continuously, through calm or storm. They are masters of themselves, ...read more

Tags: Growth In Christ

Living In Light Of Eternity

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 8, 2021

Over the triple doorways of the Cathedral of Milan there are three inscriptions spanning the splendid arches. Over one is carved a beautiful wreath of roses, and underneath is the legend, “All that which pleases is but for a moment.” Over the other is sculptured a cross, and there are the ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Tags: Eternity, Heaven, Materialism, Judgment Seat Of Christ

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

We Died Before We Came Here

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 6, 2022

When James Calvert went as a missionary to the cannibals of the Fiji Islands, the captain of the ship sought to turn him back, crying out “You will lose your life and the lives of those with you if you go among such savages” Calvert only replied, “We died before we came here.” In ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 2:20, Romans 6:1-11

Tags: Discipleship, Missions, Christian Life, Dying To Self, Crucified With Christ  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Bob Russell Shared That Several Months Before ...  PRO

Contributed by Michael Demastus on Oct 22, 2001

*Bob Russell shared that several months before they moved into their new church building in 1998, their ministry staff met at the new site for a special staff meeting. Most of the building still wasn’t carpeted, and some of the rooms still had no drywall. They handed out hard hats, magic markers, ...read more

Scripture: Nehemiah 1:1-11

Tags: Bible Influence

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Wonderful, Imaginative Short Story By Nathaniel ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 24, 2002

A wonderful, imaginative short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne illustrates the necessity of having the right focus. It is entitled “The Great Stone Face.” The tale centers around a man named Ernest who grew up in a village renowned for a natural wonder that rested just outside its boundaries. ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 11:16-23

Tags: Humor, Mother's Day, Story, Devotional

The Daffodil Story.  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

The Daffodil Story. Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother, you must come to see the daffodils before they are over." I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead. "I will come next Tuesday," I promised a little reluctantly on her third call. Next ...read more

Tags: New Year's Day, Small Groups

[171]. A Message From A Poem – Living In A Country Town

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Aug 21, 2025

[171]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – LIVING IN A COUNTRY TOWN This poem is a little idealistic but it was written with the aim of a possible country gospel song. It is not my personal experience, though I have lived in isolated areas including in the semi-desert outback for many years. I can well ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 19:1-2, Psalm 8:3-4, Hebrews 13:5-6

Tags: Christian Poems, Country Town, Creation, Faithful, Isolation, Caring, The Creator, Never Leave  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God Has Given Us Two Ears, But One Tongue, To ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 20, 2002

God has given us two ears, but one tongue, to show that we should be swift to hear, but slow to speak. God has set a double fence before the tongue, the teeth and the lips, to teach us to be ...read more

Tags: Christian Love, Christian Disciplines

A Typical Market In The United States In 1976 ...  PRO

Contributed by Ken Kersten on Jun 3, 2003

A typical market in the United States in 1976 stocked 9,000 items; today that same market carries 30,000 different items. And why is that? Because we have an obsessive compulsion to possess more ...read more

Tags: Money

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Author Oscar Wilde Died Over 100 Years Ago, But ...

Contributed by Mary Lewis on Aug 3, 2003

Author Oscar Wilde died over 100 years ago, but he summed up the spirit of our own time when he said: "Disobedience … is man’s original virtue. It is through disobedience that ...read more

Tags: Sin General

Denomination: Baptist

Perceptions Of God  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 2, 2004

PERCEPTIONS OF GOD Most Christians today perceive God like one person noted: God is a lot like our pastor. I don’t see him through the week and I don’t ...read more

Tags: Trinity

I Would Like To Tell Those Who Would Hear My ...

Contributed by John Harvey on Nov 9, 2005

“I would like to tell those who would hear my testimony: Drink the cup that Jesus drinks, for a student is not above his teacher. Our light troubles are temporary, beatings are temporary, pain is also ...read more

Tags: Discipleship, Call Of The Disciples

Denomination: Baptist

It Is An Indiscreet And Troublesome Ambition ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

It is an indiscreet and troublesome ambition that cares so much about fame; about what the world says of us; to be always looking in the faces of others for approval; to be always anxious about the effect of what ...read more

Tags: Finding Fulfillment

Time After Time Mankind Is Driven Against The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

Time after time mankind is driven against the rocks of the horrid reality of a fallen creation. And time after time mankind must learn the hard lessons of historythe lessons that for some ...read more

Tags: God's Sovereign Will

Let Us Keep Untarnished, Unstained, The Honor ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"Let us keep untarnished, unstained, the honor of the flag our fathers bore aloft in the teeth of the wildest storm, the flag that shall float above the solid files of a united people, a people sworn to the great cause of ...read more

Tags: Government

There Has Been Too Much Preaching. Lets Just ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"There has been too much preaching. Lets just take an outline and go into the pulpit and tell the story of Jesus and how He died for our sins and how He took ...read more

Tags: Pastors